Embroidered Bolster Pillow

Ever since I received an embroidery sewing machine for Christmas, 

I have wanted to make a new bolster pillow for my daughter's room.
Honestly, I don't need much of an excuse to make something girly and new for her room.

I bought a flat twin white sheet from Walmart for $5.00.
Twin sheets are so perfect for making projects like this and you can't beat the price.

I'm getting better at using my embroidery machine.  I found out that if you read the directions and actually follow them to the letter that the machine really works wonderfully.  Lol
I just chose a pretty font and let my machine do the rest.

I used actual embroidery thread this time (in my first few attempts with the machine I was using regular thread).  I love the sheen of the embroidery thread.  Embroidery thread is significantly more expensive than regular thread, but I definitely see the benefit. I used regular thread in the bobbin.  

Once it was done I laid out the design I wanted around it.

I tend to work on the floor in my hallway when I have to lay out sewing projects.

Using ribbon and ric rac I had already, I adhered it to the fabric using Fabri-Tac.  To me, this is the absolute best fabric glue out there.  It adheres immediately.  I decided to use fabric glue rather than sewing it on because I didn't want stitch lines.  Once all my ribbon was adhered, I sewed it right sides together to the size of my bolster pillow.

I really chose the easy way out this time and simply gathered the ends
and held it in place using a hair tie.
 I only had to finish off one end of the fabric since one side was the finished edge of the sheet.

I then tied a bow on each end with pink polka dot ribbon.

Here is the finished bolster pillow.

Here is a close-up.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE how this came out.
It picks up the colors in my daughter's comforter perfectly.

I can't wait to hear what you think of this project.

I'm really loving my embroidery machine!!

Don't forget to get together your spring projects, recipes and decor this weekend for the
Bunny Blog Hop on Monday.  Remember there will be an awesome giveaway at the party as well.
It's going to be a hopping good time!!

Have a great weekend!

-Judy

Framing a Large Mirror

Sometimes there are things in your home that you want changed, but somehow keep falling to the bottom of the list.  That was the case with my parents bedroom.  My parents have a huge mirror in their bedroom that had an ugly gold "frame" that held it in place.  They love the effect the mirror has on the room, but not that gold frame.

It was about time to cover up that ugly frame.  So we went to Home Depot and bought moulding.

But, not just any moulding.  Home Depot carries a brand called Focal Point.  It is a Polyurethane product.  Unlike regular wood moulding, it is extremely light weight making it very easy to work with.  Their mirror is extremely large, and the existing gold frame used to hold the mirror on the wall truly cheapened the look.  Using a basic miter box the molding was measured and then cut on a 45 degree angle.

Using glue and a couple of finishing nails it was attached to the mirror.  The old gold frame remains underneath, completely hidden by the new beautiful frame.   This is the new look of the mirror.  Can you believe how much better that looks?

We caulked the mitered corners to hide any imperfections in the cuts.

The product comes primed already, so only a top coat of paint was necessary after it was installed on the mirror.  The whole project took under two hours.

So what do you do once you have a gorgeous "new"mirror in your room...you go to West Elm and buy an awesome chair for the space (that coordinates beautifully with the awesome find from last week you can see here) (you can also see the chair in the reflection on the other side of the room).

Check back later in the week.  I will show you how I made the neck roll you see on the West Elm chair (which by the way - the chair was on sale - YES!).

Don't forget to stop back tonight at 8pm EST for my weekly Swing into Spring party.  Last week's turnout was incredible.  Can't wait to see what you come up with this week.

-Judy