Sewing, Sprucing Up & Recycling...Works in Progress

My mind is a-buzzing these days, thinking of all kinds of projects and things I want to do in our home.

But...I get so overwhelmed, so I'm going to try to pace myself. We'll see how long that lasts!

Some of my friends make such cute things with Mod Podge and canvas, and I wanted to try my hand at it. Let me tell you, there were tears involved. Many tears. I don't love the end result, but I like it; there was a small rip on the canvas so I added the ribbon to cover it up, and that 3-dimensional part became my favorite!

The real problem began when I didn't have the color pink I wanted for the canvas background, so I got into a spot of trouble when I tried to combine red and white. It's not terrible, but it isn't great either.
I surprised myself when I actually took the time to cut out stencil letters for templates! Well, maybe it was because I kept making mistakes and wasting gorgeous scrapbook paper. You decide.  :)

{I don't know why, but all my pictures are coming out fuzzy after I edit them in Picnik...anyone else?}

And the tears? The mod podge kept bubbling up in all the wrong places! I thought for sure I'd ruined the whole thing, which meant I'd wasted an entire afternoon on absolutely nothing, argh. But that M.P. is some magical stuff ~ the bubbles vanished, the pieces of paper that wouldn't lie flat are now perfectly smooth. Magical, I tell ya!
I want to make another canvas with a scrapbook ballerina...I think that would look so adorable for my little girl's room!

I painted Isabelle's room a pale pink last spring, but I just couldn't find anything I liked for her walls, so they sat nekked since then.The good ol' Dollar Store has come to the rescue yet again with some really cute fairy princess wall decals.

Also, I have to say I got used to seeing all those pretty tissue paper pom-pom flowers suspended from the dining room ceiling from Isabelle's party, and I knew I was really going to miss them! So...I decided to hang a few in Isabelle's room, and we both love how they look!

 {Isabelle's beautiful antique window all ready for Valentine's Day}

 {Leftover birthday balloons are lots of fun, too}

**I've misplaced the special picture that usually hangs above her bed- I don't know where I put it when I went to switch the frame! Seriously losing my marbles!**

In my bedroom, I finally finished a project ~ new valances and shams-but-really-just-pillow-cases. I'm really happy with how they turned out.

Oh, I guess I didn't take pictures of the pillows. I added a ruffle to the opening; the valances are lined with cream satin, which I'm not sure how I ended up with ~ I've been on a mission to use what I already have, and though satin isn't a typical lining fabric, it worked great for this project!

Hmm, that wall above the bed looks a little bare. I'm thinking of adding something round, maybe nature-inspired, and making one more pillow with a big ruffle-flower sewn in the center (like the one I made on Isabelle's dress)...I think I may be getting a bit obsessed with them, ha!

I hear Caleb barking upstairs, so I wonder if we'll be getting to church in the morning. Poor guy had a fever earlier. Speaking of barking, just this very second, Ryder started barking and it nearly scared the pants off me, ha ha. Normally he reserves that for more important matters, like the vacuum cleaner. And the poor cats.

Linking up with these awesome crafty blogs...check them out!

Sew Many Ways 

At The Picket Fence

Sew Can Do
The Girl Creative