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I am not sure whether fascinators are purely an English thing but they are often worn to weddings by guests in lieu of a more traditional hat. In addition to our own wedding we attended 3 others this summer, with another to come in December and 3 more so far next year. Apart from the usual issues relating to rotating dresses and accessories so one doesn’t appear to have one ‘wedding outfit’ for all occasions, it is also useful to have a number of hats and fascinators to call upon to change one’s look.

Top {Image by Elegant & Wild} - at a traditional English church & marquee wedding. Bottom {Image by Husband} - at a more low key hotel wedding with civil ceremony.

It was therefore a pleasure to attend the monthly meeting of my local Women’s Institute and be taught by a milliner how to make a fascinator of my own.

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Hello.  My name is Kate and I’m addicted to Etsy.

And really, is that so bad?  I mean, does it get any better than a virtual marketplace, accessible with the click of a button, filled with wares created by amateur and professional artists alike from around the globe?

Nope.  Didn’t think so.

My latest decorating obsession is pillows.  Funky throw-pillows seem to me to be one of the most economical ways to liven up a dull space… like cushy fluffs of art!   Revamp your old, worn out pillows with vibrant pillow-covers that you can interchange with the season (or your mood!).   Or, purchase a “statement pillow” (totally just made that up) to spruce up an entire room.

Considering my Etsy Infatuation, it shouldn’t come as much surprise that I’m scratching this pillow itch quite nicely with homemade finds…

Check out seller Alexandra Ferguson - how ridiculously fabulous are these felt pillows?

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I’m back with a project that is so easy, anyone can do it.  Curtain panels made with heat bonded hem tape.  This is a great project because it allows you to use almost any type of fabric you like, and make them as long as you need.  The best part - you don’t need a sewing machine.

To make a hem, you’ll want to fold the fabric over the tape and iron it.  For the bottom hem, I repeated this, so it’s folded over and heat bonded twice, which just gives a stronger hem.  For the top, I only folded it over once.

Since I used a fabric that didn’t have a definite selvedge, it looks like it’s self-finished, I didn’t need to hem the edges.  If you do need to hem the edges, you can repeat this process for the sides.

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I love reader Moda Bake Shop for the constant supply of great fabric crafts.  I especially love this braided rag rug.  You can find instructions here and a kit to make the rug here (you know, if you don’t want to make it out of actual rags).

If you love the look but don’t have the time to create it, you can buy a finished rug from Uptown Jane, the Esty seller who created the tutorial and kit!

How cute are these softie monsters from Chasing My Star?!

Perfectly whimsical, and perfect for children.

Or adults who refuse to grow up.

Moleskin Journal Cover from Keyka Lou Patterns via Sew Mama Sew.

I’ve been looking for small projects on which to sharpen my sewing skills.  This definitely fits the bill.  It’s part of the Fat Quarter Project over at Sew Mama Sew.

In other sewing news, I’ve always wondered why they call these squares of fabric fat quarters.  It seems insulting, don’t you think.  I finally Googled and found this explanation at MarthaBeth.com:

If the shop measures off half a yard (18″) beyond the cut made from the bolt for the previous customer, you’ll get a piece that has two selvages and is 18″ long between the two cuts. If the fabric is 50″ wide, as in the first example, your half-yard cut will be 50″ w x 18″ h. This is a rather skinny rectangle. Great for bellpulls and small projects, of course, but not for a large project.

A “fat” cut (called a “fat half” in this example) is when a full yard is cut off the bolt, and then this piece is cut halfway between the selvages. Now your piece has only one selvage and is 25″ w x 36″ h. This is more nearly square and is a more useable shape and size for a large piece of needlework.

In both cases, your fabric has 900 square inches (50 x 18).

So there you have it, the definition of fat quarter AND a project for the weekend!

Upholstered and slipcovered headboards are so popular, and for good reason! They’re comfortable, and can go with many different furniture styles. Plus, when you get tired of the fabric, you can recover them. I’m going to show you the easy way I recovered my garage-sale headboard. Now, this is not a replacement for a professionally covered headboard, or a professional slipcover. But it is an easy and affordable way to change the look of an outdated headboard.

About ten years ago I found a fairly basic rectangular wooden headboard at a garage sale. My first instinct was to paint it black, which did make it look better, but it still wasn’t very comfortable for reading in bed. So I got the idea one day to faux-slipcover it. I could make it look like it had a slip on, but pad it underneath and attach it in place. It turned out really well, and lasted for a long time, but it was time for a new fabric. This is how I did it.

Many different headboards could work, you can alter the shape of the top a little with extra foam and padding, but the best ones are rectangular.  Mine had slats in it, but something like these would work:

*above from Ebay

*above from Target

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We found a great new Library member this week, Greer Cicarelli Photography.  While searching through their blog, which is full of wedding inspiration, we found photos of a lovely DIY project that Vanessa completed - a photo memory game for her children!

Vanessa originally found the project on the Mom Advice blog, and all of the instructions can be found {here} at Hallmark Magazine.  I’m a sucker for anything miniature so naturally I love this project.  And I can already see some fun alternate uses for the little memory squares (mini Valentine’s cards anyone?).

E.

{Apartment Therapy via Of Paper and Things}

Isn’t this DIY Area Rug fantastic?  I would love to make one for our studio.  The dogs would love having something to lay on, and it would warm up the cold hardwood floor.

One of the easiest things to decorate with are bows.  They’re easy and quick to make.

You’ll need approx 3 yds. or more of wide wired ribbon.

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