Hi Everyone!

I’m so excited that I’ve finally gotten around to sharing my new poufs/floor cushions with you!  I actually made them for our little Superbowl viewing and they worked out great!  So much easier than getting out a bunch of extra seating, not to mention, cozier on the bum!

Since then these bad boys have been used as “wheels”, a napping spot for the kids and dogs, fort foundations, weapons (not surprisingly) and foot rests.

They’re very versatile and I hope you’ll make some for your home too!

Here’s what you will need to make 1 pouf, double for extra fun:

1.  A 24″ x 24″ piece of 5″ thick foam

2.  Fabric cut into these sizes: 2 – 25″ x 25″ pieces, 1 – 6″ x 54″ and 2 – 4″ x 34″ (for the zipper), and 2″ wide sections for your welting, if you choose to add this detail

3.  Batting cut into 2 – 25″ x 25″ pieces, and 2 – 6″ x 54″ pieces  Pick your thickness, but I went pretty thick!

3.  A 33″ long zipper, usually only available by the yard (not in those packages)

4.  Thread, sewing machine, fabric ruler, scissors

Does that fabric look familiar to you?  That’s because I picked it up last year at the Rose Bowl for $8!  Check it out here.  It was a fairly small piece and only 36″ wide, but it was hand-stitched in Guatemala and so amazingly colorful.  I love it!

Or maybe you recognize the kimono pillow we’ve already made?  Good memory!!

I started by cutting my foam.

Using a ruler, I found the middle and then just measured out from the middle 12″, making little markings around the edge.  I tied ribbon around a pen and pinned it to the center to help me draw in the circular shape.  Not necessary, really but it reminded me of an elementary school project!

Grab a bread knife and make triangular cuts around the square.  The trick it to keep the cuts super perpendicular to the top!

Don’t stress too much if you get a few crevices or dents!  That’s what the batting is for!  It’s like a mask for your foam.

Now lets cut circles out of our fabric.

Fold it in half…

Then in half again…

This will leave you with a quarter of a circle… or two pepperoni slices!

Using your fabric ruler measure out 12.5″ from the folded corner of the fabric.  Mark your spot with a pin.

Now trim the fabric following your arc of pins.

Oh la la!  With one circle done, just copy it for the rest!  I actually used plain black polyester for the bottom of my cushions.  It cleans well, is durable and was only a buck for a yard!

Now you will sew together the batting to make a cover for the foam.  I used my sewing machine for the top to side and then only half of the bottom to the side, leaving a large opening to get it back onto the foam.  *Tip:  As you sew with the machine, use your fingers to hold the batting flat so that it doesn’t snag on the foot.

Then I just hand-stitched it shut.  I won’t be taking that off anytime soon!

If you’ll be adding a welted detail, time to get that going… Use those 2″ strips, your zipper foot and plain cording.  This isn’t hard, promise!!  I don’t pin mine in place or anything.  I just hold it closed as I sew and adjust every few seconds or so.

To add the welt, simply follow the circular outline of your fabric, pinning to keep it in place.  You will pin it to the FRONT of the fabric like so.  Use a zipper foot to sew around the welt cord as close as possible to the original stitch you did.

With that zipper foot, put in your zipper.  I’ve shown you that, so no need to review, right??

With the top and bottom done, just pin the sides in place and sew it all together!

You’re done!!

Now relax and put those sewing feet up, because you done good.  Yes, you have done real good.

Also, prepare yourself to be amazed by the many situations your little poufs get into!

I hope you’re all having a great week!  And I hope that you’re inspired to try a little pouf or two!

Happy Creating!  Tootles!  Jessica

Hello my Pretties!  I’ve missed you this week – seriously.

It’s been a bit of all work and no fun, and by fun, I mean chatting with all of you, of course!  We live in the real world though (don’t we all?!) and in that world the work that pays the bills often gets first slot over the work that feeds the soul.  Alas, in the perfect scenario there is room for both, and that’s what I aim for.  How ’bout you?

Progress is being made though!  Yippee!

Here’s where my fireplace and wet bar area started – (sadly) these are legit photos, my friends.

As a Mother’s Day present I asked my hub to redo the fireplace by cleaning it and painting the inside for me.  He did it within days!  All I had to do was pick out the goodies I wanted inside.  Easy, right?!  That was seriously 3+ years ago.

My fireplace became the dogs napping area, toy storage and basically a black hole.

The wet bar, right next to the fireplace became a dumping ground for errant remotes, dvd’s, bottles, anything and everything!!

ENOUGH!

I started by visiting Korth’s Patio and Fireplace where the ladies there helped me to narrow down the gabillion choices.  No, I didn’t want logs.  Yes, glass.  Yup, my fireplace is pretty big… What to do with that?  They suggested that I get a long fire pan to span the width (mine was $315 and custom made) and then have a steel fabricator build something to raise it up a few inches since I wanted the flame closer to the middle of the box.

After much deliberation, I ended up buying 12 large, fire retardant bricks from a masonry shop nearby instead of getting another custom piece made.  $40 dollar fix!  Holla!

Then, with heat safe spray paint the whole inside and bottom got a fresh coating of black paint.

My father in law, who is super handy connected the gas line for me and all that was left was filling the whole thing with pretty rocks.

1 20lb bag of lava rocks for the very bottom – $20

2 10lb bags of black glass – $100

1 20lb bag of sand – free

4 Geoshapes, hexagons – $65

I decided to paint the back wall of the wet bar the same gray as the fireplace to give it a moodier vibe.

Easy fix – Change out your outlets or light switches to match the wall color!

I found this amazing gold gilded light fixture on ebay from a seller in Germany.  I “made an offer” and won!

The gold mirror I had was a buy from Bombay Company years and years ago – remember them??

Now the whole area looks like this…

A vast improvement, if I do say so myself!

What else?  Some styling is needed, of course, maybe a few shelves, hardware for the drawers would be nice and I’d like to add one more color of glass (once I figure out which one)!

I’m making progress on those resolutions little by little!

Have a wonderful weekend!  And if you get a quick second let me know how you’re coming along on your projects!  I’d love to share!

Happy Creating!  Jessica

Hi there friends!

Today I’m finishing up the valentine’s that my little gentleman will be handing out at school.

Maybe you are thinking of doing something a little different this year for your tykes?  Or maybe the thought of battling the other parents for the last set of Ninja Turtles at Target just sounds sooooo Un-Valentine’s?  Either way, I’ve made this super cute project SUPER easy!

 

Valentine, You’ve left a Mark on my Heart!

No need to worry about allergies, sugar highs and parent glares.  Pencils are a no-brainer and let’s face it, I’m sure you could use a few at your finger tips too.

I said easy, right?  No glitter, glue, none of that.  Just add your kids name on the template I already did for ya below, print, cut and put in a pencil.

Valentine

Done and Done.  Oh, and did I mention that you’re crazy awesome?  ‘Cause yeah, you’ll look like you’ve got it all together when you show up with these.

Suckers.

*Tip – I used a 3.5″ circle puncher to make this fly.  I also enlisted the assistance of mini-Romeo to put in the pencils.  He’s 4 and did this just fine.  Make ’em earn it – that’s what I say!!

What are you doing this Valentine’s Day for your little angel(s)?  I’d love to see what you’ve got cooking!!

Happy Creating!  Tootles!  Jessica