Anne of Green Gables April: Music Nursery Pillow

Miss Lavendar tripped off to the kitchen on hospitable thoughts intent and the girls found their way up to the spare room, an apartment as white as its door, lighted by the ivy-hung dormer window and looking, as Anne said, like the place where happy dreams grew.
"This is quite an adventure, isn't it?" said Diana. "And isn't Miss Lavendar sweet, if she is a little odd? She doesn't look a bit like an old maid."
"She looks just as music sounds, I think," answered Anne.

-Anne of Avonlea, Lucy Maude Montgomery

Naptime around here equals dish cleaning, laundry folding, or passing out. When I am very lucky, those things are mostly done, and I can get a craft made. Today, Little G fell asleep, and I made a pillow for her nursery with a quote from Anne of Avonlea. 

I printed the reversed quote onto freezer paper (Make sure you are cutting the paper as close to 8 1/2 X 11 as you possibly can, and that you are printing on to the shiny side.)
*I used a bubble jet printer. I cannot tell you whether laser works out or not, since I don't own one. Sorry!*

 Then I ironed it (Glossy side down) onto muslin and rubbed the letters before peeling back the freezer paper. AND I repeated the process because it was just too light for my tastes. (Make sure to line up the second sheet exactly with the existing letters or you're going to have an off centered mess.)

I think this would be adorable on a bolster pillow, but I had a square form laying around, so that's what you get!

Then I made a little flower from muslin scraps. I can't wait to move this to the nursery, but we DO NOT disturb naptime around here unless it's totally necessary. Trust me. 

Now tell me that face doesn't look like music to you :)


Linking up:
 Funky Junk Interiors - Tatertots and Jello - Family Ever After -I heart Naptime - Flamingo Toes --It's Overflowing -Craft O Maniac -Lil Luna - DIY by design - Savvy Southern Style -

Anne of Green Gables April: Farmhouse Silhouette Pillows

"The cow," gasped Anne, breathless from running, crashing into Gilbert, and being hysterical, 

"the wretched, miserable cow! I came out into the yard this morning—

and Dolly was IN THE MILKING PEN."

"What?" cried Gilbert. "But Dad drove her to Charlottetown last night—"

"That's the worst part," groaned Anne tragically, wringing her hands in her apron. 

"It WASN'T Dolly—it was Mr. Harrison's cow—the one he bought from Mr. Bell last year!"

Anne Shirley and I have at least one thing in common: we're not good with animals.  I've never ridden a horse that doesn't bolt.  I've never had a cat that didn't make me sneeze.  And once, while pet-sitting a neighbor's rabbit, I found the white little ball of fluff lying lifeless in the corner of its cage.  I'm not negligent---just cursed.  I've heard people say that you should try raising an animal before you raise children.  In my case, I'm thinking that once my children have all left the house, I might try my hand at raising a goldfish.

Despite my lack of luck with animals--and in honor of dear Anne and her cow Dolly--I decided to spruce up my front and back porches a bit with some fun animal silhouette pillows.  

(Thank you, Dear Lillie, for yet another brilliant idea . . . ) 

I found some red outdoor throw pillows in a bin at Walmart, purchased some some sticky-backed felt, traced on some animal silhouettes, cut them out, and ta da!  Farmhouse pillows!

 (Jennifer has a quick and easy tutorial here on how to do this.)

My husband thinks the color has partially melted his retinas, but I love the pop of red against the white rocking chairs, and the grey and black exterior of the front porch.

Anne of Green Gables April wouldn't be the same without some farmhouse charm.  And I must admit that I am thrilled to finally have some animals in my life that won't be going "belly-up" on me anytime soon.  Happy silhouetting!

Linking up:

The 36th Avenue - House of Hepworths - Stuff and Nonsense - At The Picket Fence - The French Country Cottage - One Artsy Mama - Grits and Giggles - Whipperberry - Shabby Nest -Funky Junk Interiors - Common Ground - My Romantic Home - Jennifer Rizzo - Delightful Order

... In With The New

(This post is by Erika- not Miriam. Blast you Blogger!)

Finally.  The paint is up, the fabric is on, and everything is tucked into place!  (Come to think of it, that sounds a lot like my ritual for getting ready in the morning.  Add "praying while standing on the bathroom scale," and you'd pretty much have it.)  The whole process of redoing the master bedroom has been a family affair:  my sweet hubby painted the walls, I wrestled with the sewing machine to line the drapes and pleat the bed skirt, and the baby vomited on the carpet to give it that "lived in" look.  I'd also like to thank Pottery Barn's clearance page for marking this Chinoiserie toile duvet down to half-off, and to Ballard Designs for creating pillows that I could never afford, forcing me to make my own.

Scroll mouse over picture below for a before and after look at the room.

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While I relish the room as a whole, I have to say that the pillows are my pet love.  They turned out SO much better than most of my other hair-brained schemes, including my 6th grade perm, my stint as a violinist, and the three ballroom lessons that my husband and I took together before quitting to save our marriage.

Here are the Ballard Design pillows that I used as inspiration.

 

And here are my knock-offs. 

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The best part--and I hesitate to confess it--is that these pillows are the product of 2 dollars worth of muslin, some scrap fabric from the bed skirt, and a metallic sharpie.  I simply printed the text onto computer paper, traced it onto the muslin with a sharpie and a steady hand, and sewed up the pillow.  And voila!  

I realize that sharpies aren't for everyone (like those with higher standards than myself who probably have a Ballard Designs credit card), but I'm starting to think I was on the "sharpie creation committee" in heaven.  Who knew those little hand-held darlings could make an ordinary pillow seem so perfectly romantic?

It all reminds me of a Charlotte Lucas quote from the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice:  "Not all of us can afford to be romantic, Lizzie."  

With all due respect, Charlotte, I disagree.  

We might not all be able to afford boutique burlap pillows, 

but with a sharpie in hand, we can all afford to be a little romantic once in a while . . .

(for those of you browsing in your reader, if the photos above didn't work, here they are)

Linking up:
Savvy Southern Style 
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French Country Cottage
Whipperberry
Between U and Me 
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A Blonde's DIY Life 
Be Different Act Normal 
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