Envelope Pillow Cover Tutorial

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I’ve had fabric and pillow forms hanging around my house waiting for me to be fabulous with them.  I had dreams of invisible zippers and piping.  But at this stage in my life (you know–6 kids including 2 toddlers and 4 jobs besides taking care of my home and family) fabulous just isn’t in my repertoire. I modified my expectations and got the job done in a few hours.

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This is about as easy as you can get for home decor sewing.  If you don’t feel like sewing you can buy these covers on etsy for around $15. I don’t sell them personally, but have seen the same prints I picked out floating around there.  The pillow forms have no zippers or piping to slow you down, but are still removable and washable and look fantastic thanks to a simple overlap on the back.

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I don’t miss the piping at all–and part of me thinks that piping would have given these an uppity feeling that I wasn’t going for at all. These are so easy that you could sew special covers for every season and switch them out on a whim.

I ordered my fabric from fabric.com with a coupon.  I love that they have great customer service and free shipping on orders over $35.  (They are not a sponsor..I’m just a happy customer.) If you have a piece of fabric that you want to fussy cut so a special part of the motif is centered on your pillow, order twice as much fabric.  (If your motif is very large like the one below.  If it is a small motif you can order less than that–but too much fabric has never been a problem for me :).)

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Pillow Cubes is a great place to save money on pillow forms. I recommend feather pillows, because they fluff up well and never get permanently flatten.

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The other 5 of the pillow forms were repurposed from pillows I had lying around. A few I bought at a garage sale for $.50 and just throw them inside whatever cover strikes my fancy.  I will say that I knew the owner of the sale and trusted her cleanliness.  I don’t think I would buy second hand pillows from just anyone.

Here are the basic sizes to cut your pieces:  Please note that these measurements make a cover  1/2 inch smaller than the corresponding pillow form.  This gives a nice full appearance to the finished item that makes it look more luxurious.  I use 1/4 inch seam allowances since I do this on my serger.  If you don’t have a serger, then stitch with a straight stitch and then zigzag over the raw edges to keep everything from raveling.  These measurements give a 4″ overlap in the back which is enough to keep the overstuffed pillow from gapping but not so much that the pillow form is hard to insert.  All measurements are in inches.

Start by Cutting 3 rectangles.  Match the measurements to the size of your pillow form.

10″ pillow form:  1 piece 10.5 x 10.5; 2 pieces 10.5 x 7.5

12″ pillow form: 1 piece 12.5 x 12.5; 2 pieces 12.5 x 8.5

14″ pillow form:  1 piece 14.5 x 14.5; 2 pieces 14.5 x 9.5

16″ pillow form: 1 piece 16.5 x 16.5; 2 pieces 16.5 x 10.5

18″ pillow form: 1 piece 18.5 x 18.5; 2 pieces 18.5 x 11.5

20″ pillow form:  1 piece 20.5 x 20.5; 2 pieces 20.5 x 12.5

22″ pillow form: 1 piece 22.5 x 22.5; 2 pieces 22.5 x 13.5

24″ pillow form: 1 piece 24.5 x 24.5; 2 pieces 24.5 x 14.5

Step 1:  On each of the two shorter pieces hem one long edge by pressing under 1/4 of a inch twice and top stitching next to the edge.  Time saving tip:  If you haven’t learned to eyeball a 1/4 inch hem, try sewing a line through a single thickness of fabric 1/4″ from the edge and pressing on the thread line.  After you turn the second time the thread line will be on the inside and completely hidden.

Step 2: Place the larger square face up on a table.  Lay the two smaller pieces face down on top of it.  Lining up the raw edges around the outside and letting the hemmed edges overlap in the middle.  Stitch or serge all the way around the outside of the piece.  If you are serging this, using your regular machine to reinforce the stitching at the overlap, since this area will receive the most stress.  And use fray check on the corners to keep the stitches from unravelling.  If you do not have a serger, stitch with a straight stitch and then zigzag over the raw edges to prevent fraying.

Step 3:  Turn right side out, use a corner tool or chopstick to make crisp corners. Then stuff with your pillow form and fluff.

Linking UP: Skip To My Lou

Amazing Black Rice Chicken Salad

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Amazing isn’t a strong enough word for how delicious this salad is!  I used black rice because I saw it at Costco one day and thought I would try it.  It’s cheaper than wild rice and is a change of pace from my usual brown rice.  It cooks up a deep purple color and the rinse water turned purple right away.  I’ll admit that the first time I opened the bag, it looked like I had bought 3 lbs of mouse turds.   But that’s the last time I will mention that.

This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, soy free, egg free.  🙂 And definitely fitness plan friendly.

The recipe is for one serving, but you can multiply it as many times as you like for additional servings.

Black Rice Chicken Salad

1/2 cup cooked black rice

2 oz cooked chicken, flaked

1/2 small avocado, cubed

1/2 oz chopped almonds

3 baby carrots, sliced

2 Tbs chopped celery

2 Tbs green onion, sliced

2 tbs chopped bell pepper (red would have been beautiful)

2 Tbs craisins

dash salt

1/2 tsp stevia blend

1 Tbs lime juice

Toast almonds either in a skillet or for 90 seconds in the microwave on high. Stir everything together and enjoy.  I ate mine right away, but I imagine it only gets better chilled.

1 recipe has 498 calories; 25 g fat (from the almonds and avocado);26 g protein; and 34 net carbs (11 grams of fiber!)  You can reduce the calories by halving the amount of almonds and avocado. Replace the volume with fresh copped veggies. This saves 187 calories and 11 g of fat.

P.S.  I’m still working hard at my Fit Yummy Mummy nutrition and exercise program–but while the busy holidays are upon us, I’ll just highlight the best of the new recipes I’m creating–instead of writing down everything I eat. I think I’ll go back to that eventually since it really does help.  I do tend to eat a lot of the things I enjoy most over and over.

 

Best Ever Protein Pancakes

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I’ve seen several recipes for these floating around pinterest and decided to try my own version.  They were amazing!  My protein pancakes are different because I used whole eggs, levening, and a little stevia for flavor. Also added a little almond milk to make it easier on my blender. It’s little known that the egg yolk contains almost as much protein as egg whites.  Yes, they have fat and cholesterol, but they also have folate and lots of other vitamins too.  A little fat in the diet is essential for healthy skin, hair, nails and balanced hormone production. And the lecithin in the egg white works with the cholesterol in the yolk to neutralize the negative effects. When God made eggs, He made the perfect food!

The small amount of leavening in this recipe makes the texture just like a regular pancake. My kids gobbled them up.  They even thought they were white flour pancakes–not bad for 100% whole grain.  For my gluten free friends, if you get gluten free rolled oats–these are perfect for you. I have to watch my dairy–lactose makes me miserable, but cottage cheese is cultured enough that it doesn’t bother me. If you have a dairy protein allergy or an egg allergy, then these aren’t for you.

 

Here’s the recipe:

In a blender or food processor combine:

1 cup rolled oats (or quick oats but not instant oats)

3 whole eggs

1 cup 1% cottage cheese

2-4 Tbs milk (I used almond milk) enough to get the blender flowing

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 Tbs stevia blend (I used stevia in the raw.)

Blend on high until a thick batter forms.  If your eggs were bigger than mine, your batter may be thin–but it will thicken upon standing.  Oats soak up a lot of liquid. Cook these on a griddle preheated to 350 degrees.  It makes 9 3-4 inch pancakes.  3 pancakes has 20 grams of protein and 243 calories.  Add 1/2 cup of applesauce or other fruit for a perfect 300 calorie breakfast.

 

Bummer–Streaky Floor

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It took me 12 hours to do the floor yesterday. 2 hours alone on just the perimeter. The first swath looks wonderful,just like I want it to. After that I was emtionally done. My back hurt, my knees hurt.  And it shows in the rest of the floor.

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Darren is being so awesome about it. He says, “It’s temorary.  It looks way better than it did before. The table will hide the worst of it.” I decided to believe him.

I will put the first coat of poly on this morning after I take kiddoes to school and then hopefully to the chiropractor. The poly should go much faster!

Let the Floor Begin!

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I’m laying the Faux Leather floor in my dining room today. It is scrubbed and ready to go.  You can see a tutorial for the floor here: Illustrated Guide to Faux Leather Floors

While I work, I’m praying for my young friend Lauren White. She is 13, has cancer and is in the hospital with pneumonia. Today some critical decisions will be made on her behalf. Will you pray too?

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This room is a LOT bigger than the two bathrooms I did two years ago. It has been 4 hours and I’m almost 1/3 of the way across. I’m starting to feel overwhelmed.

Darren comes in every hour or so to give me a pep talk.

In this next shot you can see the strip next to the wall starting to dry and show the veins. I love this part.

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I’m using water based stain this time in coffee. It is working well and has no odor. I love that. And if I get a bit on the baseboard it wipes right off with a baby wipe or cotton swab.

I have 30 minutes before I have to go pick up kids. So it’s back to work for me.

Christmas Wrapping Organizing Tip

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Many years I have been up late Christmas Eve frantically wrapping gifts.  It ruined the magic of the day for me. So now I wrap gifts almost as soon as I get home with them. There’s less chance that children will sneak a peek of their surprise this way too.

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But sometimes I forget what is in the package when it isn’t opened for over a month.  I implemented a simple numbering system to help.

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I write a small number in the corner of the gift tag, then have a sheet of paper with a guide to remind me what I wrapped.

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I write the recipient’s name and a short description. Then to keep it safe, I put it in a special envelope.

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It should be safe in there :).

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Not a Swimming Pool

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But I’m excited. Here’s a before shot:

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This is actually a picture of the twin closet in the adjoining room. But they were set up the same. I painted it ultra pure white, even the ceiling. It helps reflect the most amount off light in the windowless space, and shows the clothes in their true colors.

And After:

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I’d like to make cute labels for the baskets. But for now I’m just putting things away.  RugsUSA.com is hinting at a nice black friday rug sale and I’m thinking about getting one of these for the closet floor if they go cheap enough. Do you have a favorite?

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Or

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I also plan to look for an affordable large framed mirror for the end of the room. Old Time Pottery usually has somethig fantastic at a good price.

I snagged this one on second discount from Big Lots:

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It’s too girly for them though. I hung it in the Living room already even though I still need to paint. You can see a smidge of the new paint color peeking to the right of the mirror.

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It’s a light taupy gray and looks awesome with white trim. I used it in the bottom half of my dining room.

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She’s already to lay the paper floor over the ugly vinyl. I’m so glad I made a detailed tutorial on how to do this a few years ago on my blog. It’s been so long, I need a refresher. Caleb is holding his breath for me to finish it, so he can have his birthday party. He was 11 October 22nd and still hasn’t gotten his cake or presents yet!  Whatever I do for his party, it better be good. The saying goes, “Good things come to those who wait.

7 Ways to Make Lasting Holiday Memories

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Welcome Guest, Sinea Pies from Ducks in a Row as she shares ideas to make the holiday’s memorable:

 

The holidays -Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s -all come with expectations.

  • We expect to make and eat lots of great food.
  • We expect to give and receive gifts.
  • We expect a certain amount of stress (some more than others) and its consequential fatigue.
  • We expect the budget to scream a little bit from the weight of all the “necessary” expenditures.

But do we expect to come away with tender loving memories? The holidays are really about being thankful for our blessings and blessing others in return. They are about family and friends. Create an atmosphere from which memories are birthed, and you’ll enjoy them so much more.

So, what do those memories look like? Mine bring a picture of my “Grampy” dressed in his holiday vest. It was red plaid. With his thick white hair and happy eyes, he looked so great. I can still see him carving the turkey at the head of the beautifully decorated dining room table. My dad continued the vest tradition where Grampy left off. Though there were many great traditions about our family holidays, that one captures my warmest thoughts.

Funny memories? My dear husband broke a tooth on his mom’s Thanksgiving turkey! It had been left in the oven way too long. She felt so bad about it. But we laughed. Chipping a tooth is no fun but it stayed a humorous event that she got teased about for years. She was such a good sport (and to set the record straight, a very good cook.)

Oh yes, and in my family it was the Christmas tree that would fall over in the middle of the night. The trunk was crooked and it just didn’t want to stand up! Each morning one of my parents would “right” it again, decorations getting shabbier each time it tumbled.

Create great family memories with…

1.  Sights: Make everything beautiful. A vision of “Christmas” typically includes twinkling lights on an evergreen tree. Add to it candles in the window and on the table, stockings hung over the fireplace “with care” and beautiful wrapped presents.

Engage your family in a series of “decorating moments”. Start the process now, pre-Thanksgiving, and have fun with it till the New Year begins. Decorating doesn’t have to happen in one day. Enjoy it as you string it along.

 

2.  Sounds: Fill the air with music!  Holiday music overflows with thanksgiving and joy. Turn on a radio station that plays continuous holiday songs or pop a CD in the player. Keep your home, and car, filled with the sounds of the season and remember to SING along! Engage your kids in singing the catchiest tunes. Everyone’s welcome. Musical talent not required!

 

3. Smells: Bake, Bake, Bake!  Holiday food fills your home with a sweet aroma as you bake desserts and roast the turkey. Fond memories of going to grandma’s house have been built around these delicious smells!

4.  Touch: Cuddle-time a must! We get so busy that we can forget to spend quality time close together. Everyone needs it: mom, dad, the kids…even the dog! It’s how we get re-charged. Read a storybook together. Snuggly blankets a must. Schedule a pajama movie night with a great holiday classic. The menu? Popcorn and hot chocolate, of course.

 

  1. Team work: Everyone has a part to play. Getting ready for the holidays includes anticipation of good things to come. Everyone should be a part of the preparations. Bake cookies together. Wrap gifts. Decorate. Dust and pick up “stuff”. Even the littlest tyke can have an assignment – much praise included. Remember, a two-year old will dust like a two-year old will!

5.  Reach Out – who needs you? Your children and spouse need you, of course. Your parents, friends and relatives do, too. But, who else needs you? Is there someone you can think of who has no one at all? What can your family do to show them some love?  Teach this giving-spirit to your children when they are young and they will be teaching it to their children someday. The giving-spirit is not taught as much as it is “caught”.  We all learn by doing.

 

6.  Enjoy the moment. Remember to step back and appreciate what you have. No matter the struggles or hardships life may bring, there is something you can focus on that says “life is good.” Think on that.

 

Thanks so much, Angela, for inviting me to guest post once more on The Grocery Shrink. It is an honor! I enjoy your website so much and it’s such a pleasure to be able to a part of it from time to time. Please let extend my warmest invitation to your wonderful readers to stop by my site, Ducks ‘n a Row.

Photo credit:   

“Little Boy Decorating Christmas Tree” by Erierika Dreamstime.com

“Christmas Tree Cookie” from sxc.hu

New Closet or Swimming Pool?

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Brandon cracks me up.  He’s so tiny and has a little voice, but he thinks grown up–with a dry sense of humor. Today I was painting his closet.  He wanted me to do other things–like get him a stick of gum :).

His room is a disaster and we are hoping a new closet system will help.  Right now the places to put things that he can actually reach are pretty limited.  So things end up in a pile on the floor.  I forget the exact measurements of his room (that he shares with Grant and Warren) but it’s huge.  The bigger the room, the bigger the mess!

The whole time I was painting, I was thinking of how lovely the new closet system is going to be.  And I said to Brandon, “just wait, you are going to be so excited when you see your new closet!”

He replied, “A new closet is going to make me excited?  I don’t think so.  Now if you were in there making a swimming pool, that would be something to get excited about.”   I was on a step ladder cutting in the ceiling, and didn’t say anything.  I was too busy concentrating on staying on the ladder while holding an open bucket of paint and shaking uncontrollably in silent laughter.   He’s too short to get a drink of water.  He still has all his baby teeth.  He wears footie pajamas.  But the boy has logic.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since the weekend about frugality and making a home.  I’m  in my potential dream home right now, but it needs a LOT of work before I can even feel comfortable having a neighbor drop by for tea. It feels like everything takes money, or time–both things in limited supply.  There was a day when I would drag stuff down the street from the neighbor’s trash and clean it or redo it for the home. But my methods are changing a little this time.  I’m really thinking about what DIY projects will save me the most cash for the least amount of time spent and then saving up to buy the rest.  I still watch and wait for the sale and keep detailed lists of what I’m looking for. I’m no longer looking for “anything” but THE thing that will make the area perfect.

Their closet kit is an example. I spent a lot of time researching all the options. Priced building it out myself and then finally settled on this set from Amazon.  I waited for my swag-bucks to accumulate to cover about half of it and then took the plunge. It sat around for weeks since we did our own demolition of the old closet, mudding, sanding, and painting.  I think that’s the hardest part about frugality–it’s the waiting.  Trying to have patience for the great thing to come while we fit the labor in around our crazy busy lives.  But there’s also a peace that comes from paying cash for things as we go and not having any bills accumulate along the way.

 

Thanksgiving Traditions

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I’m big on traditions. That was something my mom did really well when I was growing up. I’m still trying to figure out what I want our traditions to be, lol. But one thing I’m sure about is reading Stories of the Pilgrims by Pumphries every year starting the first of November.

We have yet to actually finish the book after many years of trying and the kids have the first part of the book nearly memorized. Heidi groaned when I brought the book out this year (typical 12 year old) but after we started reading it, she didn’t want me to stop for the night.

There is another option too that we took advantage of two years ago–the book is now available on mp3 to listen to! And it’s on sale right now here: http://jimhodgesaudiobooks.com/MP3_downloads.html

It’s always good to read aloud to kids, but sometimes there is laundry to fold, dishes to wash, or Christmas gifts to crochet.  It can be nice to listen while we work or even in the car.

(I’m not affiliated with Jim Hodges and he didn’t ask me to write this post.  Just passing on one of our faves.)

This is my super busy day–working all day to finish up menus  for the mailing tomorrow.  But I am still photographing and keeping track of food.  Hope to get that up soon :).