So I mentioned in an earlier post how easy it can be to take your old throw pillows and remake them with a simple slip cover.  You can purchase throw pillow covers "cases" from a variety of stores including Bed Bath and Beyond, Ikea, and a few others.  However, you will find that the selection quite limited and if you purchased a signature fabric; this provides another great way to incorporate it in.  

To begin, you must gather the necessary tools and decided what type of closure you will be using.  The common methods are snaps, buttons, or sewing it closed.  

You will need:

• Paper (Large enough to make a pattern, wrapping paper is a good option),
• A sewing machine or a needle (depending on what you own and how difficult you what to make it for yourself),
• Thread,
• Snaps or Buttons (for whatever type of closure you have chosen), 
• A measuring tape,
• An iron,
• The throw pillow you wish to cover or stuffing to make a new one,
• And of course your fabric.

This fabric and the snaps were purchased at a local fabric store. 

Throw pillow cover with snaps

Steps:

1. Cutting out the Panels

Lay the paper out and use a drafting triangle to ensure it is even. Put the pillow on the pattern and measure the pillow.  Lay the pattern on a double layer of fabric.  If the fabric you are using has a pattern with large designs or a nap, check that they are aligned correctly.  Pin the pattern in place and cut out the fabric pieces.

2. Tacking the Panels

Lay the fabric pieces right sides together. Ensure that the grains of both pieces align. Pin the panels together along all four sides. Tack 3/8" (1.5cm) or pin from the edge along three sides of the square. On the fourth side, stick only 2" (5cm) from both ends, leaving the center open.

Tip: If you want to ensure your edges are sharp and even, first fold 3/8" in (1.5cm) in on the fabric and press with the iron.  Don't worry if the ends are not even, this fold allows you to ensure the fabric edges are even.

3. Sewing the Pieces

Use either the machine or sew by hand along the edges of the tacking stitches or pins. Careful not to stick into the ends of the opening.  Fasten off at the end and remove the tacking stitches or pins.

4. Corners Be Gone

Within the seam, cut off each corner to ensure the the pillow corners will be straight and pointed when turned out.  Cut away from the seam allowance to within 1/4" (6mm) of the stitching.  This will reduce bulk and prevent tucking and wrinkling.

5. Closing the end

Once you turn your fabric right side out, you still have one side open.  This can be closed with a simple slipstitch, snaps, or buttons.  

(cited from The Complete Home Decorating Book, Nicholas Barnard)

I was recently having a conversation with a close friend of mine about career changes being okay and she said something that really stuck with me; "I certainly hope we aren't too old to change our careers, I love what I'm doing, but if things keep going they way they are, I might have to make adjustments."  It's so true though, we start an education and believe truly that this is the path we want to take for the rest of our lives.  Of course we do, otherwise why go through all the effort in the first place.  The question we are faced with five to ten years later is "Do I love what I'm doing and did I waste all that time training for this and I don't even like it."  I don't believe it's wasted at all, every experience every opportunity teaches you something that might be applicable to a completely different situation later in life.

I've recently been reading Ivanka Trump's book "The Trump Card" and I found a few really good points she states incredibly helpful.  Not only does she really focus on what it is to be a young women striving to be strong in the business world, but also how to keep the femininity along the way. One point she focuses on is that it's never a bad idea to take a job that holds interest to help figure out if you are heading in the direction your passion supports.  Gaining experience is always experience, the difference is knowing whether you should push harder or get out if you are not getting the results you would like.  There is never more of a disservice you can do to yourself by not putting in the time and working towards your goals, even if that means not getting there as soon as you wanted to; where you do need to take a closer look is evaluating if you can ever reach a higher career goal or if you truly are stuck.  If you are stuck, it is probably time to move on.

My generation is currently being called the Millennials, and there are some significant criticisms associated with our generation, one being loyalty the other dealing with a sense of entitlement.  I truly believe we need to watch out for the latter, we don't want others to feel we are not working for what we get.  However, a sense of loyalty and entitlement are different subjects than when you are considering if you in the right industry.  If you are truly unhappy and not enjoying what you are doing, whether you have earned your place where you are or achieved it through a sense of entitlement; if you do not enjoy it, a career change is the best thing you can do for yourself and for the company.  Let someone else have that position who truly is passionate for it.  If you want to have integrity, be brave enough to know when you are not the right person for the job.  

Another tip Ivanka Trump points out is the power of a Thank You card/note, a handwritten one.  Our Millennial generation has definitely moved away from handwritten anything (as I type a blog haha) and onto technology, but thanking or even just acknowledging those who have helped up or inspired us is how we bring back the loyalty and curb the entitlement.  If you've been helped, thank the person who has helped or inspired you.

One more thought and I'll put this subject away for now.  A point in this book I don't identify with as much is the one I believe many people are currently struggling against.  We all know we need to work hard, prove our worth, and go the extra mile.  In fact, if you want to get ahead in business, you need to "write the note, make the call, attend the meeting, whatever it is..." (Ivanka Trump). I don't disagree with this at all, but I do believe America greatly under values the right to time off.  To unplug from everything and focus on family, friends, and oneself.  We have created this go-go mindset that if we are not doing something for work, we are falling behind and someone else is passing us.  Meanwhile, mental health issues like depression, suicide, aggression, etc. are at an all time high.  We are so amped up and motivated that we never relax.  Our marriages are falling apart and our relationships are fragile and surface.  If we put as much dedication into our mental health as we do our physical and employment health, we might find we are a great deal more balanced.  

I think about this when I travel and find an establishment closed for the afternoon so the employees can go get a nap, drink a glass of wine with friends, or just hang with the family at home.  There is truly something to this.  So as you are evaluation your current and/or future career goals or struggling with your own mental health, think about a career that allows you to be you, pushes you to be your very best and drives you to do the extra mile, but most importantly, makes you happy.

(Image source http://chrisstuff.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/f/i/file_20_8.jpg)

I was recently married and moved into my husband's home.  Now don't get me wrong, the place is nice and well done and truthfully, not too incredibly 'manly'.   Our home is really a nice place to live; what is irking me though is the PURPLE SOFA.  Yes it's purple, and really it wouldn't be too bad if I also wasn't dealing with the sage green kitchen walls, the coffee colored accent wall and the all over main yellow color, aptly names 'paper lantern'.  Then add the black furniture and the black, brown, sage green, yellow/tan, and RED rug.  Seriously, the lack of cohesiveness is driving me crazy.  Now, when the puppy grows up and we move, we will get a new sofa and I will be able to decorate how I really want.  Until that time, something needs to be done.  So rather than replacing the furniture, painting the walls, buying new rugs, I've decided to go a different, simpler route.  I'm going to add some fabric.

There are many different ways to redecorate a room.  Everything from a complete remodel, changing out furniture, pictures, colors, everything renovated!  I don't knock a whole room makeover, in fact, it's a great experience and gives the space a kind of rejuvenation that gives you have a newfound appreciation for your home.  However, that type of remodel isn't always feasible and sometimes, you just need a little something to pull everything together.  Fabric has the power to pull random colors and themes into one cohesive statement and will give you that 'ahhhh' moment when you walk into the room that you are looking for.  The best part, it's easy and you can do it yourself.  

I started my mini renovation with some drapes and recovered pillows, adding little accents within my color scheme as I went along.  Since the nearby kitchen is painted a sage green and the living room rug has the sage green incorporated, I went with a shiny sage green drape.  This brought in the color while also adding some much needed texture to the windows.  Then I found a cute patten with some of the colors I needed to incorporate. I brought in the sage green, the purple, hints of nature hues, and a few other bright colors. I recovered some previous throw pillows with the new fabric and also lined some whicker baskets on the nearby bookshelf.  The fabric is pretty bold, so I choose to cover only two seats from the chairs of the adjoining dining room.  I moved my potted plants into color coordinated pots and repainted a stool used for a stand for one of the larger plants to a light green.

My mini renovation is complete and I think this home is going to be quite comfortable for as long as we are here.

...check out my next post to see how to create your own throw pillow covers.

Why blog.  I asked myself this very question a few years ago.  I couldn't think of a single thing I really wanted to share with anyone.  But then, let's be honest, I wasn't doing a single thing professionally that I wanted to share.  You see, after years of making popsicle houses, cutting my own curtains, setting Barbie and all her friends up in the most beautiful spaces, (note: Barbie never really did anything but get dressed and get ready to be placed in the 'perfect scene') and every other creative aspect I could do as a child, I decided to go into aviation.  

I know, from aviation to design?  What?! So now, years later, I fly airplanes, teach airplane subjects, schedule airplane events.  Don't get me wrong, I loved it, and still do to an extent, but you have to be true to what makes you feel alive.  So, with the support of my amazing husband, here I am sitting on my sofa in my work out clothes, feet up, writing my first blog post.  I really must get up soon and actually get ready for the day, but I had a few thoughts to share.  

So what is this blog about?  Well, I want to create a place where people who know me, or don't, or are just curious, can hop on and get advice about their spaces.  This seems a bit minor right?  Well not the way I see it.  You see, there are thousands of people out there living uncomfortable because they either don't believe they have the knowledge, the time, the skill, or the money to make something better for themselves.  

They are sitting in rigid lumpy chairs, under fluorescent lights, looking at dreary colors, and living a life they don't love.  Sometimes just a simple switch from fluorescent to a full spectrum lightbulbs and natural light (I'll have more on this later) can make all the difference. Changing from red to light blue, or even adding a plant to a room can make a world of difference.

So that's my purpose really, finding the balance between "function and beauty".  Getting you the research you don't have time to do and helping you enjoy your space.  Whether you are shopping at Crate and Barrel, Ikea, or special ordering from Italy, there are options for your and your space.