Ruffled Burlap Table Runner

I've noticed that burlap is so IN right now.

Our local Hobby Lobby is out of almost every color every time I go. Perhaps it's IN every Fall, and I'm just now realizing it. Regardless, I'm loving it!!

My mom & I made these table runners last week! They were super easy. But I have to admit that I did most of the talking and she did most of the sewing!

Here is the tutorial on how to make it.

It's a great little way to dress up a table without having to use many decorations. If I'm lucky enough to get more burlap from Hobby Lobby, I may just make another one for the dining room table.

Preschool Napmat!

Yay! It's back to school time! My little one is SO giddy about starting preschool tomorrow, she can hardly stand it! She has a new backpack, her own lunchbox and here's her new napmat! I'm so excited to show her in the morning. Can you tell it's dark? That's because I literally just finished it...10 minutes before midnight. Nothing like procrastinating!

I made just like my older daughter's one from last year. Can you tell that it's bright and sunny in this picture?? I must have finished it days beforehand!

Here's last year's tutorial if you missed it.

Make your own Nap Mat

School is back in session! And if you haven't run out & spent $60 on a nap mat for your toddler, read this first! Lindsay recently inspired me to save the cash & make my own nap mat for my oldest daughter, Addi. I figured that if she could crank out 3 mats in 3 days, surely I could muster the talent for 1.

Here are Lindsay's. Super cute, right?!!

So here we go...all per Lindsay's instructions...
First, buy your materials. Lindsay, being the genius that she is, figured out that if you buy your materials in these measurements, you won't have to make any cuts. That's GREAT news for me!

I bought:

3/4 yard of material for the front
3/4 yard of a different material for the back
1/3 yard of material for the pillow (my pillow is the same material as the back)
3/4 yard of filling (the cotton batting on the roll)
1 small bag of batting for the pillow
1 yard of strap for the handle and ties
velcro
total cost: $24
Before sewing, I had the back (or outside) material monogrammed so that once the mat was rolled up, the name would be visible. It took some extra time & measurements to figure out exactly where the name should be. My monogram is about 15 inches from the seam.
Start with the pillow. Fold your material in half (inside out). That will create your first seam. Easy enough, right? Then sew the top seam & half of the other side seam (leaving room to later stuff the pillow). Flip your material right-side out. The 4th (bottom) seam will be sewn together in the next step.
Next, line up ALL of your 3/4 yd materials + your newly sewn (& flipped) pillow in this order, from bottom to top:
filling material
back material
pillow (with the 4th seam towards the edge)
front material
*remember to face the print side of your materials towards each other.
*if you had your back material monogrammed, the name should be at the other end.
Sew your seam, leaving enough room unsown that you can later flip it right-side out. Sew both sides seams as well.
Before sewing the bottom seam, make 2 tabs (using velcro & strap). Place them velcro-side up on the back material. Sew your bottom (and final) seam.
Flip everything right-side out. Your tabs and pillow should now be on the outside. Stuff your pillow & then whipstitch both of your openings.

Make 2 more velcro tabs, roll up your mat (to see where to place 'em) & sew them to the outside of your mat.
And your LAST step...create a handle with your remaining strap. It should be right above your monogram. From the front side, my stitches look like this. Far from perfect but it works.
Here are pictures of my mat when rolled out.
The front...
and back...
And here it is rolled up...

A HUGE thanks to Lindsay for sharing her nap mat wisdom with me!! I can now spend that extra cash on something else.. maybe something for me!

I'm linked up to..

Sew Much Ado

It's so Very Cheri

Night Owl Crafting

chalkboard craze

Did you know that chalkboards are IN??

I'm relatively new to the phenomena.

I bought this weekly calendar a few months ago without realizing

how chic I was. I'm now looking for other ways to use it!

Here are some inspiring ideas...

Mabel's House

dwell in beauty

decor pad

ohdeedoh

iDiY

Living with Lindsay

These basket labels are actually made with chalkboard fabric.

What will they think of next??

Have you gotten into chalkboards or chalkboard paint??

I'd love to hear about it!!

Dream curtains

Do you dream of curtains like these??

I do! I see them in magazines and online, but have yet to find anything similar at Target or Bed Bath & Beyond. And these, from Ballard Designs (a place I LOVE) go for a whopping $120 a panel! Too rich for my blood. So I recently set out find my own fabric & make my own.

Now don't mistake me for an experienced seamstress. I'm not even sure how all of the gadgets on my sewing machine work! But how hard can a straight line be?? I at least knew the first step. Buy fabric! I rummaged through wholesale shops to find the perfect ones. Check the back of the store first, before you fall in love with something full price.

Measure your windows & cut your fabric. For full curtains, like our faves from Ballard, you'll want to double the width of your window & add 4 inches for side seams. My windows are 30" wide, so I cut my fabric at 64". If you're a sewing newbie like me, you may want to use a measuring board to help with those straight cuts. For the curtain length, measure from your curtain rod to the floor. Add 10" for the top & bottom hem plus an additional 3-4" if you like your curtains to drag the floor.

See again, the pros at Ballard.

Start with the sides. Fold under 1" all the way down. Then fold again 1". This will tuck away any loose threads. I pin & iron my seam before attempting to sew it. It may seem like an extra step, but it makes my straight curtains...well...straight.

Next, sew the top and bottom hem. Turn the fabric under 1" and then an additional 4". Again, pinning & ironing is optional.

Attach your curtains to the rod with rings clips, and "voila", you're done! Here are the new curtains in my dining room! They only cost me 2 hours & $45, for 2 panels. Totally worth it!

I quickly took inventory of the rest of the rooms in my house.

My daughter's room needed some color so I made this turquoise panel.

It came out too short. Oops!

But hidden behind the chair, who needs to know, right??

For the guest room, I got bolder & braver and attempted to combine 2 different fabrics. What do you think??

Because I'm terrible at math, it took me a little longer to measure and cut the fabric, but sewing it all together was just as easy.

To sew the fabrics together, simply lay one on top of the other (FRONT to FRONT) and sew, leaving an inch or so on the other side. For you perfectionists, open up the seam and iron the "wings" back flat so that they lay smoother.

I then sewed a chocolate cord right on top of the seam where the to 2 fabrics met. Super easy! Just allow an extra inch or so when cutting the cord, so you can wrap it around to the back. Gives it a little extra something, don't you think?

Last but not least, I thought the shower curtain in the girls' bathroom could use a facelift. I bought it from Target a few months ago, and while I think it's super cute, I wish it was longer. That way I could hang it higher and make this little jack n jill bathroom look bigger.

The original curtain was striped on top with toile on bottom. I simply added the pink fabric to the bottom. I did the sides and bottom hem of the pink fabric first and then sewed the whole piece right to the the toile fabric. I should note here, to remember to lay the material front to front when sewing. Rookie mistake that I'd never admit to. I came back with a pink pom-pom cord right on top, just like the brown cord of the guest bedroom. Nothing to it.

Seriously! If I can do this, YOU can do this!

Grab an extra shower rod from Wal-Mart so you can hang your shower liner at the correct height. No need for cuteness to trump practicality!

So there you have it. Dream curtains, made simple, by YOU!