Magic in Minutes Monday ~ New French Script Pillows

I love, love, love the little green notebook. I stalk that blog. I wished she posted more, several times a week I check and I am disappointed when it is a post I have already read. I have learned that Jenny does not disappoint. According to Pintrest I pinned this picture 29 weeks ago:

According to the date on my camera I took the pictures of these about seven months ago. But better late then never I thought I would still share these with you. If you read Jenny's post she got king sized  pillow cases and made two cases out of them with zippers. Well I hate zippers, maybe because I am not great at them. 

I ourchaced the fabric from Denver Fabric and it was quite a bit more expensive that I would usually pay. $22 - $25 a yard, but I love it and Mike loves it so I just measured out how much I needed (which I cannot remember at this point and had them cut it to size. I Ironed the hems that would be on each side so they would be perfectly coordinating, and I would only have to iron once. (smile)

Once all the seams are ready to be sewn fold the fabric in half so it can be ironed and cut evenly. 

Cut in half and fold to desired dimensions for me that was eighteen inches. 

Make two at once to make sure they are the same that the folds are at the same point. 

Refold inside out so that the sides can be hemmed, pin. At this point hem, then fold right side out and iron. Then use your markings on your sewing machine to make a dark line inset from the edging. I think I went around three or four times, but I did not take a picture. 

This is your final product. I always stuff in a pillow insert that is three to four inches larger than the pillowcase is to make them extra fluffy and full. 

On our couch. 

Thursday Thrifting ~ Nightstands

I have been wanting to do the guestroom for a while now. I tried to get Mandi to pick me for the Vintage revivals Epic room makeover, I did not make it. I have been stuck. I feel like it is a pretty nice place for our guests. Mike wanted it orange and we painted it orange. But it is not the best it can be. I was at the Salvation Army a while back and I spied these end tables and I thought they would be great night stands. 

I love the sweet little details and the hardware.

I love the wood grain on the top. 

This is what I would have done with them if I had gotten them:

I could have finished them like this gorgeous end table from Curbside Creations. I love the mocha top since the grain is so pretty and I would have painted the bottom dove gray. I think I would have added a bottom shelf like that with the same interesting shape to hold baskets with for more storage. 

Or painted it like this dresser makeover from Casa Sugar, just a canary yellow. I would have sprayed the hardware white just like they did. 

Alas they were $50 each so they did not come home with me. 

Magic in minutes Monday ~ Homemade Wallflowers

I have had wallflowers in my house for years and adored them. I was not deterred when some people told me that they can burn your house down, or cause damage to your house. Which I have never had an issue with. I saw this on Pintrest, I am always on the look out of ways that I can make things myself so that I know exactly what is in there, that I do not have to run to the store on a whim and it also usually has significant cost savings. That is when I learned that they contained VOCs. To be fair I have not been able to find any that did not contain them. I felt silly but after years and years of low VOC paint and such I was shocked that anyone would still have products that produced that compound. 

According to the EPA here are the heath ramifications of VOCS:

Eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, nausea; damage to liver, kidney, and central nervous system. Some organics can cause cancer in animals; some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans. Key signs or symptoms associated with exposure to VOCs include conjunctival irritation, nose and throat discomfort, headache, allergic skin reaction, dyspnea, declines in serum cholinesterase levels, nausea, emesis, epistaxis, fatigue, dizziness.

The ability of organic chemicals to cause health effects varies greatly from those that are highly toxic, to those with no known health effect. As with other pollutants, the extent and nature of the health effect will depend on many factors including level of exposure and length of time exposed. Eye and respiratory tract irritation, headaches, dizziness, visual disorders, and memory impairment are among the immediate symptoms that some people have experienced soon after exposure to some organics. At present, not much is known about what health effects occur from the levels of organics usually found in homes. Many organic compounds are known to cause cancer in animals; some are suspected of causing, or are known to cause, cancer in humans.

As someone who suffers from migraines and would like to limit my use or exposure of chemicals that can cause cancer I was on board. 

So following the tutorial this is what I did:

I started with a couple of empty wall flowers in my favorite sent eucalyptus spearmint.

Using a pair of pliers you have to pull out the wick. This can be a little tricky if it is not budging easily use a butter knife to loosen it out a little. 

Pull it out beware of the little nail.

You will then have some empty bottles. I filled according to the instructions about a third of the way full of essential oils. Twenty drops of spearmint and ten drops of eucalyptus, as eucalyptus is a super intense smell. 

Enjoy! I will report back on how they work out.