diy sequin pillow...simple bling!

Hey, everyone ~ hope you had a cozy weekend curled up by a fire if you were in the path

 of that freezing blast of winter. We braved single digit temps and went out for our usual

 Friday night dinner, after negotiating we settled on Thai food. My sweet mom cooked for

 us on Saturday night, and sent us home with enough yummy leftovers that I didn't have

 to cook Sunday either, so I had time to diy this blingy sequin pillow. :)

If you missed the diy urchins last week, they are super easy, too!

I wanted something new to go with the Pottery Barn Poinsettia knock-off pillows I

 made last year. It was a quick, unchallenging little project - my favorite, and I used items I

 already had, that means it was free! 

A scrap of burlap fabric, a package of sequins in two sizes, my glue gun, and my favorite

  Ikea down pillow form. 

The instructions for making the pillow are the same as this one for the

Pottery Barn Poinsettia tutorial, except you glue sequins on the front.

 1) Cut your burlap to desired size.

2) Place paper under burlap to catch glue that seeps through.

3) Apply glue to back of sequin and attach to the burlap in desired pattern.

4) With right sides facing each other sew the sides of the pillow, leaving one

 side open to insert the pillow form. 

That's it!

*********************** 

I'm thrilled to be included in this tour with a host of awesome bloggers,

 and can't wait to see their homes, I know they've all been hard at work

to bring us some fabulous inspiration!   

The 12 Days of Christmas Tour of Homes

Jenny @ Evolution of Style  kicks off the tour starting today!!

I'll be joining in the fun crafty party,
Holiday Cheer in the Blogosphere
with Micaela @ Michaela Noelle Designs & Cassie @ Hi Sugarplum 

ramblings and my party...

Hey everyone, thank you all so much for your camera recommendations,

 50% of you LOVE your Nikon and 50% of you LOVE your Canon ~ perfect! :)

Also, thanks for the fun comments on our mantel and bookcases,

if you haven't decorated yours yet and are stumped for ideas the Merry Mantel Party

is your go to source for inspiration!

 I'm so sorry, I was such a bad blogger at my Annual Girlfriend party, the photos are basic,

 nothing pretty about them. :(  I didn't want to give away too much of our Christmas

 decor because of the upcoming 12 Days of Christmas Home Tour and some parties. 

Despite the bad pics, it's one of my favorite events of the season and I'm fortunate to

have these wonderful women as my friends.  

what I found in my closet to wear...

black ribbed turtleneck, statement necklace,

sheer leopard print maxi skirt, black boots

what we merrily ate and drank...

poinsettia cocktails, stilton stuffed dates wrapped in bacon, asian meatballs,

shrimp ceviche, antipasto kabobs, individual baked mac 'n cheese

warm molten chocolate cake & coffee with baileys

what the creative girls brought...

favorite enchilada sauce and tortillas, variety of dried fruits, scarves, picture frames with bling,

two buck chuck, collection of handmade christmas cards, lemon hand soap, traditional frames,

 hand cream and I brought meyers dish soap and dish towel.

 

 

 

what we watched come in...

a blustery snowstorm out the dining room window

If you'd like to see prettier photos you can check out last year's party here.

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends!!

Stop by on Monday, I'll be sharing a little holiday diy project. 

christmas mantel and bookcases...2013

Thanks so much for stopping by to check out my mantle today.

I've gone mad for plaid this year, along with my all-time favorite gold! 

I gathered up a few gold mirrors and layered them, along with a favorite 

ornament, and that little pine tree was a Home Depot steal last spring.

 

I knew I wanted to include tartan plaid with a fresh, modern spin this year, a

 few simple diy urchins were the ticket. But the real key was my fun paisley and

dot pillow from Therese Marie Designs new Etsy shop, which I highly recommend. The

quality is beautiful, and it would be a great gift. You guys know I love a bargain, but

there is nothing like a unique one-of-a-kind piece to give your your home a little pizzazz.

It's easy to pair a great statement pillow with lower-end pillows, the black and white from

 Ikea, and white fur from Walmart.

I found the tartan plaid wrapping paper at the The Container Store and backed my bookcases.

It ended up being a perfect spot for my favorite faux taxidermy from Homegoods

 that I made over.

What was I thinking, I should have had a fire in there!! 

  

Join me @ Holiday Cheer in the Blogosphere

with Michelle @ Ten June and Carmel @ Our Fifth House
to check out all the Merry Mantels

and

12 Days of Christmas Decorating Link Up @ Songbird

i need a camera recommendation, and lulu & georgia winner

Hey everyone, just a quick post today as I'm finishing the Christmas decor,

prepping food, and cleaning my house for my girlfriend party tonight, and I don't have

 anything cute to wear, so I'm hoping to find time for shopping, too!
 Fingers crossed they don't need to open a drawer for any reason,

 because I've already started stashing things. :)

And, because every blog post needs a pretty picture, yesterday I noticed these pretty
 rooms decked out for Christmas...

Kate @ Centsational Girl

Cassie @ Primitive & Proper 

The lucky winner of the $100 Giftcard to Lulu & Georgia is...

Congrats Liza!!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'm finally upgrading to a DSLR camera, for all my blogging photos over the past two years

 I've used a Canon Point and Shoot, Power Shot SD970 IS 

which I highly recommend if you're looking for that type of camera. 

I really don't like pouring over reviews and analyzing them, so I'm turning to you,
 if you have something you love, please share. 

Thanks!

diy urchin...

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving break and are rested up and ready for

December!!! I've been running around decorating and un-decorating, I had a vague plan and

 it wasn't coming together at all. It doesn't help that every year when I take out my Christmas

boxes it feels like my taste has changed...yet again, and I'm less than thrilled with what I have

to work with. These little diy urchins were super easy, inexpensive, and gave me something

fresh and modern to add to the mix, I may have gone over board. :)

 Here's a sneak peek at my mantle and the simple diy... 

Styrofoam Ball

Straws

Gold Spray Paint 

Trim the straws to your desired lengths and insert into the styrofoam, then

spray paint. If you'd like your urchin to sit flat just cut your styrofoam ball in half.  

That is it!

Stop by on Wednesday to see how it came together. :)  I'll be sharing my Christmas

 mantle and bookcase decor at the Holiday Cheer Party.

You can check out last year's mantel here.

Be sure to check in tomorrow for the announcement of the lucky

Lulu & Georgia $100 Giftcard winner.