I love an ad hoc project.  Really, I think I just really like to procrastinate.  I seem to be most inspired when I need to be accomplishing something else.  This time… it was a talking pillow that led me off task.

A week or so ago, I was organizing my fabric stash and in the “I’ll do something with this someday” pile, I found this:

What is it, you may ask?  Well, a million years ago, I started a purse for someone or other.  I had knit this in the round and closed off the bottom with a double bind-off… then it sat in a drawer.

This time, as I tackled the “I’ll do something with it one day” pile with enthusiasm to purge, I finally had an idea.  Naturally, I stopped the presses, grabbed some white yarn and a needle and got to work, completely disregarding the half sorted piles surrounding me.

Before I knew it, the pillow was speaking to me… and I was in love.

I did a simple mattress stitch along the already sealed bottom, for decoration’s sake, then sewed up the top, pausing before closing the last few inches in order to stuff the pillow then finished off the top edge.

Voila!  Say hello to the cutest little pillow to ever meet my couch!

Let me just start by

saying I have freaking

awesome friends.

Period.

Back in March, my friends Lynn and James, along with my then roomie, Christine, tackled an unimaginable amount of “to do” from my run on project list in what I like to refer to as a “Warrior Weekend”.  I never cease to be amazed with the amount of progress that can be made with the right people!

Within five hours on a Sunday, we (with 99.5% of the credit going to James) accomplished the following:

Swapped out all the outlets and switches in the master bedroom from bisque (die bisque die!) to white.

Patched holes left over from a long-gone towel rack.

Whipped out a raised bed garden frame.

Frames out the master bathroom mirror.

Oh yeah…

and we built a dinning room table from scratch…

no biggie.

Now, it all still needs a bit of work, caulk here, paint there, but I’m stoked!

I can’t wait for the next

WARRIOR WEEKEND!

My “habit” resolution has gone about as well as all resolutions go… but I’m holding out the hope that some will stick.  After not even thinking about habits in April, I’m brushing the dust off and starting new in my favorite month.

1. TV free “T” days – that’s Tuesday and Thursday just in case you needed clarification.  I’m a TV addict.  I’ll admit it.  I justify the time waste by knitting or processing photos so TV time isn’t exactly unproductive but I get so much more done when it’s completely off… and usually, I have more fun!

2. Give myself a break – we are our own worst critics.  I set unrealistic expectations for myself as a norm.  I plan to work on gaining some perspective, with a little help from my friends, and be a little more gracious with myself.

3. Do something creative every single day – anything.  This includes 5-minute “make something out of office supplies” creative challenges amongst Skype buddies in the middle of the afternoon on a Tuesday.

What are some habits you are trying to develop?  Any projects on your radar?

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This project continues to be the highlight of my week.  The taking of the pictures, the creation of the pages… and well, actually living the life that I’m working to document.

Nothing outside the box technique-wise this week. 

Although I do have a nice stash of cards from the Cherry Edition of the Project Life Kit thanks to my awesome friend Lynn.  That’s her in the bottom corner… she’ll probably kill me for this screen shot but this is how we work for now, conquering the world one brainstorm at a time, via Skype.

I finally sprung for the  Poulain Camera Rubber Stamp from Plaid Barn.  I’m a nerd for packaging and this camera tag that came with the stamp HAD to be included!

I love the little moments that end up in here like working from my front porch in a perfect breeze and the shopping scores for my new little nephew.  Those are Cherry cards in the middle… yummy sherbet colors for summer days!

The highlight of the week was celebrating Dustin’s birthday.  We started with a ridiculous meal at Prato then capped the night off at the Wine Room.  I loved the menu, printed daily, so much that I let it take up 4 pockets.  I am terrible at getting people pictures… I totally neglected my super fun friends, Kathy and Z, from My Urban Pantry.  They blogged about the grub HERE.

I stinking love this project!  I know, I’m a broken record but it makes me SO happy!

My favorite month is officially here!  Life has been CRAZY, but it the greatest ways.  For me, May is about celebrating… let’s face it, the coolest people were born in May!

Here’s a little bit of sunshine in honor of my favorite month!

1680×1050 HERE

1600×1200 HERE

April has been a full month and it’s flying by faster than you can say Quidditch.  I can’t believe that my birthday is right around the corner and temperatures are already reading the 90′s.  It seems like it goes faster and faster with every year… all the more reason to keep tabs on what’s going on in my life.

Anticipating: a full weekend of friend time and projects.

Booking: my flight to Vermont in June.

Changing: big chunks of my novel in draft two.

Drinking: decaf blueberry coffee.

Eating: kelp noodles.

Feeling: tired and inspired.

Grateful: for extraordinary provision.

Happy: I finally sprung for Adobe Cloud.

Ignoring: the voice in my head that says it will never happen.

Jumping: into a huge project full of unknowns.

Knitting: another endless blanket.

Listening: to ZZ Ward, Mumford… and Technotronic (don’t judge).

Making: final touches to my bedroom redo.

Noticing: my clothes fitting better after 6 weeks.

Optimizing: every free moment.

Practicing: my French accent.

Quizzing: my brain over at lumosity.com.

Ready: to start painting cabinets.

Satisfying: my carb cravings with brown rice pasta.

Thinking: about the next storyline on the horizon.

Using: washi tape like it’s going out of style.

Visiting: old friends and new ones.  

Working: on new products for the Etsy shop.

X-ing: unrealistic expectations off my to do list.

Yielding: to my doodling cravings.

Zooming: through a re-read of all seven Harry Potters.

When I moved into my new-to-me house, I inherited a bisque-y beige-y palace.  At first, it was refreshing because the last few places I lived had brightly colored walls in colors that weren’t exactly my style.    So the neutral monochromatic thing worked for a while… until I began to crave some color.  That’s when the master bedroom redo project began!

Here’s the before:

Now, you got to see a preview of the wall color and one DIY art project HERE.  Next up has everything to do with this fun fabric that I snatched up on clearance ages ago, with no project in mind.  I love the colors… and even more, I love coffee!

After the bedroom began to take shape, it became pretty obvious that the bed needed some more color.  The brown leather throw pillows were too close in color to the head board so I decided to give them a new look.  I started by taking the cases off the existing pillows to get the measurements I needed for the new cases.

Width-wise, the fabric was the perfect dimension to leave on the selvage and just fold in half so I only needed to sew up the long sides and hem the opening.

I went back and forth between zippers and buttons for closures, but in the end, I opted for simple ribbon ties.

I just pinned them were I wanted them then sewed away, going back and forth a couple times to make sure they’re good and secure.   Singe the ends of the ribbons a bit if you want to make sure you don’t end up with fringe.

And there you have it!   Voila!  Literally a 10 minute project.

And here they are in the natural surroundings… that middle pillow is now screaming out for a new outfit.

What’s your vote?  Color? Solid? Pattern?  Fur of some kind?  Help!