Tuesday Tutorial: Customized Outdoor Bench Cushions

For a birthday present for my sister's boyfriend, we made him some bench cushions. He made the benches from scrap wood, a project that didn't cost him a dime (it did cost him some sweat, though). The wood was a bit splintered and was therefore not very comfortable to sit on. Splinters + bare legs = ouch!

We made a trip to Joann's, bought some indoor/outdoor fabric (50% off, holla!), sat down on foam in the middle of the aisle, bought the schtuff (40% off!) & went to work. This project may seem like a huge undertaking, but rest assured, this will only take a few hours!

*Photo heavy post!*

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$50 x 3 benches = $150

$29 x 3 benches = $87 at least

Here's how you can make your own customized cushions for less than buying them!

Sew the side just across from the fold and along one of the bottoms. Leave one short side entirely open.

To make the fabric take on a more boxed look, using the fabric from the long sides and the bottom sewn side, fold the fabric in a triangle against the seam. 

See below or here for a more detailed explanation on this technique.

Repeat for the other corner as well.

For finishing, I turned the fabric right side out and stuffed the foam inside. With the end edges, I folded the fabric like an envelope (see below) and pinned Velcro on the inside for an invisible finish.

Pinned Velcro, ready to sew. Notice how the Velcro spans the whole cushion.

 To make sewing the Velcro easier, I pushed the foam down and out of the way.

 I used a zig-zag stitch to secure the Velcro.

It looks something like this.

 To finish, fold in like an envelope, just like you did before pinning the Velcro.

This is what mine looked like finished.

Not even cute! So, we decided to sew some ourselves.

Linking up to:

Finished Project & Happy Things

Pretty good week! Chels & I saw Wicked last night (me for the first time). WOW! It was so good.

I finished up that apron & got it mailed out. What do you think? First apron I've ever made & no pattern or tutorial to guide me, so I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

Bike riding & quotes from Martha Stewart Living.

And this cutie! We went to the Denver Dumb Friends League this week just to look & I fell in love with this little gal. She wasn't even in her proper cage, but look at that spotting! Could she be any cuter?! If you live in the Denver area & are in the market for a family pet, consider her. They have her down as Robin. She's still working with the behavior specialist, so she isn't up for adoption quite yet, but maybe in a couple days. Check the website! Ugh I'd take her if I could!

Happy Friday to you! Any fun plans for the weekend? It seems I will go golfing on Sunday, so I'm looking forward to that!

Ruffled Apron for a Special Somebody

Yesterday started out in a frenzy. The night before I tried out a few home remedies/crazy rumors I've heard to scare colds away (namely rubbing Vick's on the bottom of my feet, putting socks on, and going to sleep). Maybe this works for other people, but I woke up with sticky feet & felt crummy still. Got ready for the day, brewed some Ginseng tea for some natural energy. Looked at my watch 07:22, chugged my tea (burn, ouch, hurry). I have to be at work at  07:30 so I rushed out the door ready to pedal as fast as I could on my bike. No bike on the bike rack. Hoops. Left it at work. So, I (in all my awkward glory) ran to work. Literally. Ran. To. Work. I somehow made it on time (barely) and spent the next hour catching my breath and wiping my sweaty neck. Phew.

Anyway, in other news... As a combined Mother's Day/birthday gift, I am making this apron for a special somebody.

Here's the order I decided on for the ruffles. It's a good rule to lay things out & visualize before you begin snipping & sewing.

Two ruffles! Getting exciting.

Ooh la la! Three

She loves bold colors, so I thought the bright pinks and yellows were perfect.
Still working on this, but I'll post pictures of the finished product as soon as I'm finished!

Happy Tuesday!

Valentine's Day Gift Idea for the Honey

For my 21st birthday, my boyfriend made me this. I think it would be perfect for anyone to give his or her honey on Valentine's Day. It's homemade, affordable, and meaningful!

Be creative. Play off the number theme.

You could compose a book counting down from 10 or even 100. Use an anniversary number. Anything. Just plan your numbers, find some nice fonts, type, print on pretty paper, hole punch & tie together with a ribbon.

He started from 21 & counted down to one. It was such a great gift. Even two years later I'm still proudly displaying it. Such a treasure!

Here are a few pages for some ideas:

The Gift that Keeps Giving All Year Long! (Clark)

Teaming up on gifts this year, G & I were stumped when it came time to pick out gifts for my dad. Besides his family and friends, he loves three things: stocks, football, and Hunter. 

Stocks, well, we can't afford a share of Apple... sooo kind of out of the question.

Football, did I mention he's a Colt fan? WORST record in the league... yeah....

Hunter, hmm there's an idea. In years past my dad has received framed pictures, but we thought... hey, a calendar keeps giving all year long! 

So, calendar it was.

Here are a few snippets. I used winkflash again, because I was very impressed with their quality & affordability. & they had a 40% off special going (still running until December 26th), score!

Also, we were a little late in the game on this gift, so it won't be ready until the 27th. Here's what he's getting as a consolation prize. It's a bit of a family inside joke, based on this post (which although serious and sad, makes me almost pee my pants every time... cat was found; all is well that ends well).

This little gem will be July:

The quote says: "A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, big or small, young or old. He doesn't care if you're not smart, not popular, not a good joke-teller, not the best athlete, nor the best-looking person. To your dog, you are the greatest, the smartest, the nicest human being who was ever born. You are his friend and his protector." -Louis Sabin

& this one will be December:

Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas! Any fun Christmas gifts you're giving?