Prudent and Practical » crafts

Creating Pillow Covers

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:12:32 +0000

Pillow covers are easy to make and can be completed in an evening. Plain covers can be customized with just a few additional supplies. The measurements I used for my pillows:

The pillows are 12.5″ x 12.5″, so the front panel of the pillowcase will be 13.5″ x 13.5″. You add one inch to your pillow size.
The two back panels will be 13.5″ x (12.5 / 2 + 2.5) = 8.75″ each. The back panels will be 13.5″ on two sides. On the other two edges, you take the size of your pillow (12.5″), divide by two and then add 2.5. This gives me 8.75″.
So the front panel is 13.5″x13.5″ and the two back panels are 13.5″x8.75″.

Gather all materials: thread, fabric, batting, and of course your pillow!

I marked a line 3/4″ from the edge on each of the back panels.

Fold over raw edge.

Then fold over again to hide the raw edge.

Stitch shut.

Here’s what the edge looks like when you’re done.

I rounded the corners a little bit for a better fit.

Overlap the two back panels and sew to the front panel.

Flip the cover inside out and voila! Pillow cover!

This is what the finished back looks like.

Stay tuned to see how I embellished the pillows!

Pillow Makeover!

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 02:55:16 +0000

We’ve been working on turning the basement into an entertainment spot. I’m working on the decorating details with D and he’s working on the wet bar by himself which is currently 90% done. We’ve been keeping track of the process so those posts will be coming soon!

My parents gave me a nice green plaid living room set when I moved into my second apartment. It’s still in excellent shape but it obviously doesn’t match our red-ivory-black contemporary theme. We’ve slipcovered the couch but the four green pillows needed their own makeover. After deciding on a pretty red suede-type fabric, I followed the instructions at Cottage Magpie. She has an excellent tutorial which is the same way I was taught to make a pillowcase in middle school!

The red color wasn’t enough for me so I had to embellish them. I put our first initial on two of the pillows, a different colored stripe of fabric on one, and a cute flower for the last one. The DIY Dish shows you a couple easy and chic ways to embellish your pillows. The pattern for the flower I used is on their site.

Before

After

The great thing about these pillow covers is that they were so easy and I got them done in one evening!

Christmas Gag Gift: Geico Money with Eyes

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 06:45:38 +0000

You know the commercial: “I always feel like somebody’s watchin’ me…” Whether you think “he” is cute or annoying, the money stack with eyeballs stalks you during current Geico commercials. Personally, I love the little guy. So does D, and his mom, and most definitely his sister. It’s become an inside joke now, so I came up with the perfect little gift for her.

I did a search on eBay for “the stack” but I didn’t want to pay $10 especially when I wanted to add a light activated music box (Which after shipping cost almost $10 itself – not frugal, I know. But it was either that or purchasing 1000 of them for $300 from China.) So I figured out how to make it for practically nothing, using materials you probably have at home already.

First off, you need fake money – “real” fake money actually costs a lot of money, so I suggest printing off scanned money. Note: You can get in trouble for scanning and printing money unless you alter it. I found a jpg online that has dollar bills already scanned, but at about half the size of real money. I think I used 5 or 6 pages.

While cutting them out, I made a stack of $5 and a stack of all other bills. This is only important if you’re looking to be more authentic, since the official stack is made of $5 bills.

I make 2 stacks using non-$5, but then put $5 on the top and bottom of each stack.

Now you need the band that goes around each stack of bills. I used some scrap paper and a blue marker.

Glue a band to each stack of bills.

Glue the bills together – it’s starting to look like the Geico stack now!

You need 2 googly eyeballs. I cut a couple pieces from a cardboard box to attach the eyes to the money stack.

Viola! You’re done and now you have a gag gift or a new buddy!

If you want to see the full effect check out my videos below… Hope you like it!

I got D’s sister’s permission to post the following video. She said…

Yeah go ahead, that’s a pretty great gift! People need to know he’s always watching

If you want to know what I’ve been up to this week, visit my front page!

I’m also participating in the following carnivals today! You can find many more great crafty ideas here:

Dresser Drawer to Designer Dog Bed

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:59:58 +0000

Reggie is the heaviest of our five animals. He’s only 26 pounds, but that hasn’t stopped our couch cushions from getting squished. He likes to lay on the back rest. He loves cushions, blankets, pillows, cheapo dog beds – anything that he can “nest” on. Oh, and let’s not forget the LoveSac. The dogs aren’t allowed in the basement because that’s the cat’s refuge, but since we got the Sac, he sneaks downstairs to nap on it. He “makes a bed” just like the cats, but it’s hilarious because he’s much bigger than them.

So for Christmas, I wanted to make Reggie-bear something special. Something just for him that he could lay on…. So I pulled out my giant 3-ring binder of clipped articles and found just the thing. A dog-sized armchair!

Here’s what you need to get started:

(Above: If you don’t have a spare dresser drawer, you can make one out of scraps)

(more photos to be added later this morning…)

Take a drawer and knock out the bottom and sides

Make a new bottom that extends past the drawer sides

Screw 1×1′s or 1×2′s onto the inside of the drawers (the bottom/cushion will be attached to these)

Mark a line 1″ from the top of the sides all the way around, on both the inside and outside of the sides

Staple one side of foam to the outside line, staple the other side of the foam to the inside line. (Now you have rolled arms!)

Cover each side individually with upholstery batting (I didn’t have any so I used 2 layers of medium loft quilters batting). Spray adhesive is your friend here…

Now take a big piece and cover the whole thing with the one piece. (This helps get rid of lines and gives you a good work surface for the next step.)

Cover with fabric! This is where the tack strips come in handy, giving you a nice seam edge.

OK! The arms and back are done!

Now for the seat cushion…

Grab the seat bottom. Measure and cut out more 2″ foam. Spray adhere the two together.

Spray adhere batting to the foam, wrap around and staple on the bottom.

Spray adhere fabric to batting, wrap around and staple on the bottom.

Yay! The seat cushion is done!

Set the cushion in the arms/back piece. Flip over and screw through the 1×1′s or 1×2′s from earlier.

Attach the legs according to directions. (I painted and stained mine).

There you have it! A designer-looking dog bed made in one day from a dresser drawer!

And all the animals had to come check it out…

(Below: Can you tell she’s “the queen” ?)

This article is happily shared with readers at DIY Day @ A Soft Place and Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage! If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe or check out what I’ve been up to lately!

The Cost of Homemade Soap Bars

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:18:26 +0000

About a week ago, I wrote about my first experience making soap and included instructions. I was curious if it was more economical to use the homemade soap. I went ahead and figured out the entire cost of the batch. Here goes…

3oz Canola Oil……….. $0.263
12oz Castor Oil……… $8.288
14oz Coconut Oil…… $2.604
2oz Hempseed Oil…. $2.500
2oz Jojoba Oil………. $6.020
11oz Olive Oil……….. $2.463
16oz liquid…………… $0.133 (for the tea bag)
6oz lye……………….. $0.879
.8oz eo……………….. $11.75 (Oh my gosh! That’s a LOT of eo!)

GRAND TOTAL equals $34.90 for about 4 pounds of soap. I didn’t cut it evenly, but it’s about 20 bars. (Yes, an accomplished soap maker will frown at me, but hey it’s my first attempt!) 1/2 of a circular bar lasted me about 1 month. Considering I go through a lot of shampoo due to my extremely long hair, this is a bargain! In the past I bought Nature’s Gate at the grocer which costs $4. So in 9 months my shampoo will have paid off, but it should last me a few years! This kind of surprises me. Looking at the numbers and doing the math, I about freaked out when I saw that I used almost $12 worth of essential oils! Just imagine how cheap it could be if I made the old-fashioned animal fat and lye soap.

My Opinion

The first time I tried the new soap, my hair came out oily. I ran online to look up an excuse for this and found it. Basically our head secretes oils. By using regular shampoos, you strip all the good stuff off of your hair… yuck!

(As a side note, this “stripping” is why many people have to use conditioner. Funny how that works – you buy shampoo, it strips your hair and makes it feel funny, leading you to purchase conditioner to make it feel soft again!)

Anyways, by stripping the natural, good oils from your hair, your body compensates for this by overproducing the oils. This is why people like me have to wash their hair every day to every other day, otherwise we look like grease-balls. So you’re wondering what does this have to do with the homemade shampoo? When you switch to a shampoo that simply washes and doesn’t strip your hair, the follicles are still overproducing the oils. It may take any where from a few days to a few months for your hair to stop over-producing oil. To help with this, you can sprinkle baking soda on your hair while in the shower to help absorb some of the oil. If you feel the need for “conditioner”, apple cider vinegar does the trick.

I’m now able to go about three days without my hair feeling greasy. My hair looks really good too! I have to go through the extra step of baking soda for now but it’s worth it. The soap is cheaper, more spa-like, and natural (no parabens or sodium laurel sulfates here), which is just the way I like it!