Ear to ear

This song popped into my head today and I've been loving humming it and bursting out in song all afternoon.  Yes, life is a musical around here, it really is, move over Rodgers & Hammerstein!

I had the opportunity to visit a friend's home last weekend, whom I adore.  She's just so very real and lovely and her house is adorable, she had little things everywhere that were adorable.  Did you get that? Adorable, there I said it again!  Some people just have that sense for home decorating that I completely lack.

It inspired me to look at my home and to put out things that would make me smile.  I made a couple new throw pillows and hung up some accessories above my sewing nook.

I purchased a cheap firm bed pillow at target instead of two pillow forms (they can get pricey) I sliced it in half and sewed the unfinished ends together.  It looked messy, but I don't claim to be a professional! Besides I'm making a cover to go over it so I didn't mind.  It fits me, the honest messiness underneath. *grin* 

Anyway, I had purchased this pillow and some red corduroy fabric last fall.  The fabric looked like it had more burgundy tones in Joann's but when I got it home, next to my other pillows with green tones, it looked too Christmas-y.  Discouraged, I set the fabric over my sewing chair, where it has happily lived for the last several months.

I came upon this tutorial on Tuesday and I couldn't resist.  It was extremely easy and probably would take 5 minutes if you were using one piece of fabric plus a bit of cutting and ironing time.  I couldn't do it that easy though since I had to go through my entire bin of fabric to find coordinating fabrics, which I wanted to use to tone down and coordinate with the red.

I think it worked out great and I do smile every time I see them.

I was thrilled to find a sewing desk last fall that was left over from a youth group yard sale and was being donated.  I sold my old roll top desk, (love craigslist) that was glorified storage and never actually sat at, replaced it with this old, but still in decent shape desk.  It needs to be refinished but I feared that if I sat it in the garage I'd never get to it.  I LOVE having a place where my sewing machine can live, ready to work at a moments notice.

Wanting to cozy up the little sewing nook, I had already purchased a little metal dress frame that I hung up on the wall above.  I found some other items to hang on the wall that too lift the edges of my mouth.  Perhaps that's the trick to interior decorating that I never new.  Just display things that make you smile, and you'll be alright.  I have some plans for the living room and to refinish the little sewing desk...for the next day that inspiration + time + work = smiles.

A few of my favorite things...