DIY Pillow Bed Tutorial

Let's make a Pillow Bed!

I was recently inspired by some photos I saw around Pinterest on Pillow Beds! The only problem was that the company's that make these charges a fortune - $145+! So if you would rather DIY for free, or a fraction of the cost - let's do it!

FREE VERSION - Use an old doona cover, sheets or any decent sized fabrics that would be suitable. Use old pillows you have for the inserts

CHEAP VERSION - Buy material (I used 2 pieces of 2m x 1.2m on the small one and 2 pieces of 2.5 x 1.2m on the larger one). Buy pillows to insert! I bought cheap basic pillows from KMART.

OK, here goes. I am not fantastic on tutorials, so I took the time to draw a version and then created a 'mini' version (pinned not sewn) to try to make my explanation work!

and for the photo versions (remember this is a MINI version!) ...

If all went well you should have a wonderful Pillow Bed like so!

I made the head part just slightly wider to allow for 2 pillows.

Please comment if u have any questions or need clarification. Happy sewing!

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Get Organized for Christmas!

Christmas is fast approaching and it's time to get organized for Christmas. Check out our Facebook Christmas Album with round ups of ideas from Pinterest and Google.

*Please advise if you are the original owner of any content so we can reference you accordingly*

TIPS: Decorating a Rental Pt 1

"I can't make my rental have a wow factor." WRONG! 

So as many of you may have experienced, decorating a rental property inside and out can be quite frustrating due to the never ending rules within your lease. You want to paint something, you want to hang pictures, you want to change their disgusting curtains or even rip up their awful carpet. Don't worry, you're not alone!

I can't change the rules and regulations, but I can certainly give you some ideas to get around them! Here I'll show you a few simple ways to decorate a rental without 'breaking' the property, or your budget!

Balcony Pots for the Railing!

Perfect for an apartment. Available at http://www.greenbo.com.au/

Hanging Vegetable Garden

Use guttering to create the perfect vegetable garden. Make them higher if you need to keep them away from little hands or paws

Extra Storage Space

Perfect for those smaller areas that are just wasted space.

DIY Hoop Chandelier

Create this centrepiece chandelier by wrapping fairy lights or even christmas lights around a hoop!

Fabric Wall Coverings

Using fabric to create a feature wall without any need to paint is simply genius. Here are some examples that I really love. You coulkd hang fabric on curtain rods, using 3M removable hooks. Or if it is light even using drawing pins could work. Sky is the limit!

Area Rugs

Area rugs do wonders for unsightly carpets and can make the room appear larger. Always make sure the rug is large enough to go under the front feet of your lounge to create the desired effect.

One of my Own

Here is my favourite wall in my own home. This was a plain white wall in a very large room. The room felt draining with all that white so I dressed it with fringe curtains with a nice centre picture to balance it out. The fringe curtains are on curtain rods held up by 3M removable hooks.

Fake Plants

These add colour and ambiance to any home. No watering required. Just occasionally dust the leaves! No need for dirt to go all over the place, no stains on the floor when you move... they really are a simple but effective way to brighten any home. If you believe in Feng Shui they are also great for good Chi.

I hope some of these ideas have inspired you to create a space in your home that reflects your style, makes you comfortable and most importantly does not damage your rental in the process! Stay tuned for the next installment!

Boys Toy Box: Boat Theme

So as I mentioned a while back on my Facebook page, there have been some big projects being completed in our household. The biggest one of these was the amazing toy box built for my little boy as his 1st birthday present.

It took us a while to decide what theme we were going for, originally we threw ideas around such as a robot theme! But eventually we committed to a boat theme. Originally I wanted a toy box/bookcase although when researched on Google we opted against this idea. So became the standalone toy box. By the end of the year, we hope to add a matching bookcase.

My husband has many qualified trades, one being Carpentry, so I am very lucky that many of our ideas get transformed into amazing and functional pieces for our home. He designed and built the toy box from scratch without any assistance. So clever!

The inside has 2 sections. The front section is designed to hold soft squishy toys. The back larger section will hold the bulk of toys. The lid will have a rope attached to the top for easy opening and has gas struts to hold the lid up (avoiding any nasty finger jamming!). The life buoys were created out of foam wreaths, paint and rope. My husband cut the anchors himself using MDF and did all the paintwork. It is named HMAS Phoenix as our son's name is Phoenix.

We were so happy with the outcome and I am very excited to share this project with you! I hope this inspires you to create something you never expected!

How to Make Bunting Tutorial

Hello! Welcome to my first tutorial. I have been working hard to make 'baby bunting' for my little boys room. It was really quite easy and I was able to do it in his nap times. Here is a quick look at the finished product before we get started, in case you are unsure what bunting is.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• Minimum 3 different types of material  NOTE: Size depends how many you want to make. I used 120cm x 25cm for each different type of material which created 12 finished triangles in total

• Fabric pencil
• Sewing Scissors
• Pins
• Bias binding (Min. 3 metres long and 18mm wide)
• Card stock/scrap cardboard (to make triangle)
• Coordinating thread
• Sewing machine

STEP 1:

Draw a triangle on the cardstock/cardboard and cut it out. To get a perfect triangle I used the PAINT program on the computer and printed it out on A4. I transferred this to the cardboard and cut it out.

My triangle measured 20cm bottom x 26cm sides - but you can make them any size, just remember to adjust your bias binding and material lengths accordingly.

STEP 2:

Use the fabric pencil to trace out your triangles. To get the most out of your fabric join them together and do it right side, then upside down, right side, upside down etc. You will need 2 pieces per triangle as you will sew them together. Cut the triangles out. (eg. my finished product had 12 triangles so I required 24 pieces so they were double sided)

STEP 3:

Pin 2 pieces together, right sides facing each other. Sew the long sides of the triangles together. Do not sew the bottom. Remove pins.

STEP 4:

Cut away any excess fabric, particularly at the point as it will look better once turned. Once you have sewn all the pieces turn them right side out, using your fabric pencil to push the point out as much as it will go.

STEP 5:

Iron the triangles. I inserted the cardboard inside the triangles to shape them as I ironed.

STEP 6:

Cut the excess parts of the tops to make a nice straight line.

STEP 7:

Lay out the bias binding, place a triangle, fold half the binding over and pin it. I used pins to measure the difference between each triangle to ensure even spacing. Leave around 15cm of binding hanging at the end to create a loop for hanging later on.

 STEP 8:

Using your coordinated thread, sew along the whole length of binding ensuring all the triangles are firmly inside with the top parts hidden.

STEP 9:

Fold the ends of the binding over and sew to create a loop for hanging.

Congratulations! You should now have your very own bunting. If you complete this project, please share a photo with us!

Happy sewing!

#craft #DIY #projects #sewing #bunting

Dress Up Your Wall

Due to my husbands employment, we are on the move regularly and are required to live in rentals. This means living with plain and boring white walls. Our dining/family room is quite large and open, yet the overwhelming extent of the 'white walls' felt sterile and uncomfortable.

It was time to dress it up! I used one of the empty walls to create a decorative piece which gave warmth, comfort and gave our home more character. Using 3M removable wall hooks, curtain rods and fringe curtains, I was able to create a feature wall effect - minus the requirement for any paint! A picture in the middle balanced it out and as I love Feng Shui - it is believed it will bring us good luck.

Don't let rentals hold you back from making it your home! I hope to share lots more ideas with you to dress up your rental without a massive repair bill come move out day.