Simple Cushion Covers

While visiting family last weekend, we were watching HGTV and I was amazed to see my exact couch pop up on a decorating show. It's a lovely dark green microfiber suedey kind of couch, wears great and is pretty comfy. I got mine practically new from a neighbor with too much furniture on her hands. In the HGTV show, they kept the couch in the space, and in the reveal it was given gorgeous new accent cushions that took it from drab to fab. I was instantly jealous and determined to give my couch a little pick-me-up. My previous beloved khaki couch had an entire wardrobe of accent pillow covers, but for some reason I had never devoted any effort to dressing the green couch up as pretty. So Monday, I hit the fabric store, determined to recreate the look on the show. While I couldn't find the same styling of fabric their covers had, I did find 3 fabulous fabrics that worked well in my own home, so I immediately set to work on the sewing.

Disclaimer: I am NOT a seamstress by any stretch of the imagination. I can, however, sew a decent straight line, which means anything in a square or rectangle shape is fair game.

Here's the step-by-step for my cushion covers. Note I am too lazy to actually measure, so everything is eyeballed. I made 3 sets of cushion covers (plus a few other projects you'll see soon) in just a couple of hours after the baby went to bed. Since all 3 fabrics were in the same color family, I saved time (and thread!) by choosing one thread color to use for all 3 sets so I wouldn't have to rethread the sewing machine.

1. Measure out the fabric. I laid the cushion I wanted to slipcover on the folded fabric and just cut a square with a couple inches to spare on each side. Note the fabric is folded right sides together, so the unfold cut piece would look like a large rectangle. For my oversized pillow cushions, 1-1/2 yards made 2 slipcovers.


2. I hemmed the two sides that would be the opening of the pillowcase.


3. I sewed the sides shut, wrong sides out. Since I had extra fabric, I sewed with a pretty big allowance and then trimmed the extra away.


4. I checked the fit of the slipcover several times as I went along.


5. When the case was finished, I used iron-on velcro in a coordinating beige for closing it. I don't know how to do button holes or zippers, so velcro was the easiest choice for this sewing novice.


6. Voila! The couch is happy to be dressed!

Clean Closet Step 1: Purge!

The first step of the Clean Closet Challenge is the Purge. This is the most tedious part, but it's got to be done first so you can see what you have and get ready to make your space (and your wardrobe) work for you. If you can't see everything in your closet easily, you have too much stuff and it's time to toss. Clothes wrinkle if they're crammed in together, so don't overcrowd them. Your excess clothing can be a blessing to someone else, and some of it can even be sold to generate the funds for filling in wardrobe gaps or buying the supplies to upgrade your closet's look and feel. So, let's quit putting off the task, and purge the closet.

1. Sort clothes first, then shoes, then accessories such as belts and scarves. Start off by removing anything that:

• you haven't worn in the past year or so
• you don't feel good in or don't feel comfortable wearing or that you just don't like
  
• is out of style
• doesn't fit
• is worn out, ripped or stained

2. Sort out the out-of-season clothing and either store it in the back of the closet, another closet in a different room, or in a plastic container elsewhere.

3. Get rid of the castaways. This is where I usually get stuck. You have several options for getting rid of the clothes you no longer need.

• Anything that is stained or ripped beyond repair should be trashed or recyled appropriately. Check with your city to see if you have fabric recycling available in your area. A few items, such as old, sentimental T-shirts, can be given a new life with craft projects like this easy reusable bag.
  
• Clothes that are in good shape can be sold, consigned, traded (see my Wretched Excess party entry), given to friends or family, or donated to the church or charity of your choice.

That's it for now. Just concentrate on purging and actually getting rid of the castaways. Next time, we'll focus on organizing those keepers and easy ways to upgrade your closet storage. If you want to jump ahead, you can check out this post on Simplifying Your Closet.

Clean Closet Challenge

Our newest challenge is the Back-to-School Clean Closet Challenge. Even if you or your kids aren't headed back to school (no one in my house is), it's a great time to declutter and organize that closet for the impeding BTS clothing sales! Time to pull out the clothes that don't fit, get rid of the stuff you don't like, and see what you actually do need to get when the sales start rolling in. If you have kiddos, it's a good time to check the bulging closet for fit and start thinking ahead to what they'll need for fall and winter. More details coming soon, but go ahead and get in there and start poking around to see what needs to be done! Who knows...maybe there will even be a contest soon!

Rate My Space: Laundry Room

You saw my laundry room here in all its glory, so now head over to HGTV and Rate My Space!

Rate My Laundry Room Here

Update Your Bookmarks!

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Hostess With(out) the Mostest

A few of my friends were trying to come up with some new ideas for hosting Moms' Night Out or other women's group events, so I trolled around looking for some new party plans. Here is a great one I might try out soon!

The "Wretched Excess" Party: Each invitee brings at least four items they can live without, like clothing, art, cosmetics, furniture, books, toys or electronics. For large items, you can bring a photo instead of the actual item. You then have a lottery and draw three numbers each. If there are ten people, there would be 30 numbers. In numerical order, each person goes into the display room and chooses one item to take home. No matter how many items a person brings, each one person goes home with just three. The "wretched excess" is then donated to appropriate charities. Often, someone will bring 20 to 30 items, so there is a lot of excess.

Variations on the Wretched Excess theme include a jewelry-only theme, with the excess donated to Dress for Success. A similar clothing-only party was called a "Naked Lady Party" because everyone is trying on clothes. The excess can go to a local women's shelter. Toys or children's clothing swaps are great for mom's groups, with extras donated to local hospitals, women's or children's shelters, churches or other groups for disadvantaged kids.

Food for parties like this can be kept simple, snack-type treats or hors d'oevres, a light luncheon, or even a potluck. Games can be played while each person "shops" the items, and parties like these can be a great way to bring groups together for a terrific charity event. Sounds like fun, huh?

Functional, Organized Laundry Room

In the laundry room, organization is key. But if you spend as much time in there as I do, you want to make it both functional and pretty. Maximizing storage is always a high priority too. I recently did a few updates to my laundry room, so here's the breakdown of my organized, cute and {small} laundry room.

1. Shelving is a must. I have shelves above my washer/dryer for storing laundry supplies and misc. cleaning supplies. Since my W/D are on pedestals, I can't reach the upper shelves without a stool, so laundry supplies stay on the lower shelf where I can reach them. The upper shelves contain our light bulb supply, extra cleaning supplies and supplies that aren't needed on a daily basis like my handheld steam cleaner and supplies for the floor steam mop. When space is really at a premium, like it is now, the top of the shelving unit gets pulled into play by storing extra Kleenex boxes and such.
2. Protect your assets. About a year ago, I got this beautiful red W/D set, and I adore everything about them. Except I don't adore how easy the top scratches from laundry baskets and the like. So for a long time I had extra towels draped over to protect the top, then last week I came across some nice flannel-backed faux leather-look vinyl cheap at the fabric store. A pair of pinking shears trimmed the vinyl to size, and now I have streamlined covers that gently protect my W/D from scratches and can easily be wiped down in the almost certain event of toddler or preschooler-slimed clothing. I also have an extra white basket on the dryer as a spot to drop dirty clothes and wet messes so they don't stew on top of the machines.
3. Pedestaled. When we got the W/D, I insisted that we get the pedestals too. Since my kids are still very young, I can't use these non-locking pedestals for anything hazardous. So one holds our pool towels and the other holds zippered laundry bags, dryer balls, the stray sock collection and anything else soft, unbreakable and nonhazardous. They're very roomy, so if you have the option, I highly recommend them for the extra storage.
4. Air dry it. I've got a folding drying rack mounted on the wall across from the dryer. My husband wasn't sure about this addition when I did it, but it gets used every single laundry day. I don't use it for drip drying items -- that's done upstairs on an expanding shower curtain rod installed behind the regular rod in the kids' bathroom. This mounted rack is for damp items from the washer to air dry, like the boys' fleece blankets and delicates that shouldn't go in the dryer. The rack folds flat against the wall when not in use, and I was lucky enough to have a window right there that I can open and dry items even faster.
5. Trash. A trash can in the laundry is necessary for the dryer lint that accumulates, the playground mulch in the kids' pant pockets, stray gum wrappers, sales tags from new acquisitions, dryer sheets, etc.
6. Hanging space. Above the dryer is a hanging bar perfect for spare hangers, but as you can see it's way too short to hang clothes after coming out of the dryer. Instead, I have a hanging bar over the door where we can hang clothes as they come out and organize them for the trip upstairs to the closets. The door bar also makes a handy spot to drop the fresh dry cleaning when walking in from the garage.
7. The extras. A few little extras were added to make the space more cozy. Above the dryer is a cork message board, DIY-painted and trimmed with cording to match. It's handy for holding a permanent marker for marking up daycare clothes, a few comics to brighten the mood, and a stain-fighting guide for quick reference. I also have a little artwork here and there. On the window sill, I've added a couple of glass bottles, one of which currently holds the spare change I find doing a houseful of laundry. Maybe one day I'm collect enough change for a vacation?
   

World Market SCORE!

Special thanks to my friend Tracy over at Baby Spit is the New Black for sharing this great bargain -- she posts a daily Deal of the Day, and today's dish was that World Market/Cost Plus is doing 50% off their clearance prices. I headed over there right after work and came home with all of this:

that's

4 martini glasses, 99 cents each

2 silver pewter taper candlesticks, $2.49 each

a gorgeous carved wood tray, $3.24

6 embroidered placemats, $1.24 each

2 asian poppy jar candles, $2.24 each

6 aromatherapy salt candle diffusers, $2.49 each

The martini glasses match the fluted champagne glasses we already own, so that was perfect. And they look great with other cocktails too (see my frosty after-work cocktail above!) The pewter candlesticks fit nicely into the collection I already have going in my dining room. The wood tray was a huge score. It didn't even have a clearance price on it, but it was perfect for the bathroom vanity, so I was prepared to pay full price. I practically jumped for joy when I saw the $3.24 pop up. The placemats and jar candles are headed for the dining room. And all those aromatherapy salt diffusers? Well, those are for teacher gifts in the months ahead.


That stuff wasn't easy to find either. The clearance had been picked thru, but I diligently went through the whole store twice looking in every nook and cranny, and I'm thrilled with what I got. I had to restrain myself from dozens of other tempting buys -- but you know the old saying that it's not really a bargain if you don't need it, or in this case, if you don't really have a spot at home already for the lovely new item to be of use. Happy bargain-hunting!