Homemaker Bug

Since house sitting these past couple of months I have gotten a homemaker bug.  When we were first married and up at school I got this bug, cooked sweets and breads every other day, and we both gained about 20 lbs. This time I have tried hard NOT to cook but instead to decorate.  It is a little hard to decorate an already fully furnished decorated house, so here is what I have been doing…

About a year ago I was at the Roundy’s house and saw a great wall hanging that I loved.  I took a picture of it with my phone and have been planning this for, well a year.  It was nine symmetrical squares hung on the wall with interesting patterns on them.  I liked this because, it was big (each square being about 12”x12”) and it was colorful and full of patterns. I am genuinely afraid of patterns, in my clothing and decorating, but I love them; so I figured a wall hanging would maybe be a less intrusive way to introduce this colorful spark to my life.  My plan: 12x12 scrapbooking paper mod podged onto some type of wood or frame. So I got the paper (months ago) and I was just waiting for the inspiration for the frames and waiting for the ‘bug’ to get me motivated. 

So as the bug hit me I went to home depot; bought wood, had it cut, bought screws and hinge-things, drilled, screwed, hammered, painted and…. the frames are about an inch to big on every side.  I made 12x12 frames but did not account for the width of the wood and they are too big for my paper. So, onto plan B.

I went and bought some cute fabrics; washed them, ironed them, stretched them around the frames, stapled them to the back, hammered and WALA!! Now the only problem is, it’s not my house so I can’t hang them on the wall, but I have them so when we get a house I have cute wall hangings!!



Oh and I used some of the cute paper to mod podged a 'N' for...well you know!!



This is what is should look like on a wall, however this is on a floor!!

Then I had all this extra fabric from the wall hangings so I decided to make a table runner. So I started and…so far I have not finished it (a lot of pinning and matching thread is needed), but I will.





Then I decided to make some pillows (you must know that I am not an expert seamstress, mainly because I am not very patient. I am not patient enough to get a pattern. I am not patient enough to rethread the machine every couple minutes. I am not patient enough to change the color of thread, bobbin or even refill the bobbin. I am not patient enough to iron, pin, iron, sew, iron, and then iron again.)  I also am not a confident seamstress because, even though I shouldn’t, I compare myself to my family.  I come from TWO families jam packed of amazingly talented women and they can sew (not just mend ripped jeans but really sew).

 So I made one pillow, which was okay, straight lines all the way.  Then I got ambitious and decided to make a round pillow (I saw Rachel do it once, it was so cute and not that hard…right?).  It was a disaster.  In the end Ben said it looked like an inappropriate human body part and laughed and laughed at my attempt (he said we couldn’t use it). 



Can You Guess Which Pillow is the Good One?



So I still want to make some successful cute pillows but… I am a little discouraged (I still have to finish that table runner).  Maybe I will cook for a while…we will see!!!