Happy Valentines Day!

image via Vanity Fair

Julia and Paul Child really new how to keep the romance alive!  Cheers to all! 

photo credit

Just Clowning Around - I'll pass thanks!

Clown Art, creepy or awesome? I am fascinated by all the clown art I have been coming across.  But I really find most of it very creepy.  

And these were just a sampling of the best stuff I saw. Creepy Right?   Anyway onto better posts I promise.

LOVE me Some Pillow

I love me some crisp new pillows! Not as much as James Franco on 30 Rock does but I do get excited when I make a custom pillow for zero dollars and zero sewing. This project was so quick and easy!

The project was free to me because I had all the supplies on hand but here are the supplies you need to complete the project.

The Pillow Case is from ikea. I used AINA in white, $6.00 but there doesn't seem to be white online. The RITVA look similar and are a $1 more. I bought mine 2 or three 3 years ago for another project that never happened. I also used a FJADRAR pillow (20"x20") to fill the case which cost about $7.99.

The LOVE stencil comes from The Street Art Stencil Book from On Studio, and it was created by street artist Eine, Ben Flynn. The fabric markers I used were Sharpie's Stained collection and Tee Juice fabric makers. Both can be found at craft stores like Joanns or Michaels. I had these items as wells a pretty good supply of fabric paint left over from hosting 2 baby Shower where we did decorated onesies. I also used a bit of cardboard to prevent any bleed through to the other side of the pillow case.

I didn't take a picture of the stenciling but here is the process in a nutshell. Place the cardboard in side the pillow case under the area you wish to paint. The prevents bleed through to the other side. Then attach the stencil to the pillow case, I usually use tape. This is important because you don't want any movement once you start stenciling so you can get a crisp image. If you are nervous about this part I would do a practice run on a paper towel. Once your image is attached start filling in your stencil. What I like about the Tee Juice markers is that you can use a blotting technique which is really easy and effective. The Sharpies have some benefits too, they have little to no bleeding. So they are great for crisp lines but not as fast for filling in large areas. They both have uses. The L & V are in sharpie and the O&E are Tee Juice.

Once the paint is dry remove the stencil and cardboard. And marvel at your awesomeness! But you aren't done yet. Lastly you need to heat set the image so it will last.

Turn the pillowcase inside out and iron over the image. In my case the whole pillow case was pretty wrinkled from being in my fabric bin. So I went ahead and ironed both sides. But I did give the painted bits a little extra attention.

Once that is done put your insert in and you have your new custom pillow!

So crisp and Poppy! So Free! I have one more case to play with. So I am off to pick another stencil!