Lay Down Your Sweet Head.

Moving right along with our minimal Christmas decor. As you probably know by now, I love to have a feeling of the season in my decor, but I don't want to change everything in my house to make sure there is a Santa head on it. Who knows, maybe one day my decorating sense will change and I will want a Santa head on everything. But for now I don't.

Which is why, when I decided to cover up the nautical pillows on the couch, I did not decide to go with fleece snowmen and real, glittery Rudolf noses. No, instead I went subtle. Subtle Christmas colors, in two non-traditionally Christmas patterns: floral and striped (of course). And thus, my couch went from looking like it belongs in Seaside, FL...

To warming us with its Christmas Cheer!

The pillow covering project actually started as a sewing lesson for my good friend Jill (don't ask me why she thinks I am an expert at sewing. She also thinks I am an amazing yoga-ist. Yes, it's a word.). She had bought a sewing machine from our favorite thrift store and wanted to see if it worked, all whilst adding a little holiday cheer to her couches.

Long story short, her sewing machine did not work, so it was more a lesson of how to use Mallory's sewing machine, which turned into, how to watch Mallory, and trying when she makes me, make a pillow. I love that girl.

So two of the pillows have zippers so I can reuse the pillow cases next year. And because I had originally only planned on using the flower fabric for one pillow, and was going to have a seam in the back if I used it for a second (which I did, we all know I break all rules of crafting. Martha would hate me), I did not use a zipper for the final pillow, but instead, made it like an envelope. I really don't know what the method I used is technically called, but you know the kind... Where the back overlaps by a few inches, but there is a big whole in the middle? Like a pillow sham.

And that was it! Now our couch is festive as well. And subtly so, just the way I like it. Do you like it subtle? Or are you a loud and proud Christmas fiend? I find myself going back and forth, year after year. This year I'm minimalistic. Maybe it's because I'm a little birdy (cheap cheap). What do you think?

I am the Striped Lady.

I had to fight Genevieve Gorder long and hard for the title, but I won. I am the striped lady.

I love stripes. I can't get enough of them. I'm absolutely, positively wild about stripes. Stripes, stripes stripes.

If you say it enough, it sounds (and looks) like a made up word.

I got this fabric on sale for $3 a yard at Ikea. There were only about 2 and a half yards left, but I snagged it up.



I wish I had more. It's stripes. And its white. And navy blue. Can you get anymore perfect? Maybe Taylor Lautner my husband can, but in a fabric, I don't think so. I have made two pillows...



A table runner...





And an apron with this fabric.





(Did your eagle eyes catch a project worthy of revealing later this week? It's in there somewhere...)

I have definitely stretched my 2.5 yards pretty nicely, but I'll tell you this. I'm not throwing away even a scrap of this fabric. I can make flowers or something with it. I know I can.

Oh and ps, these projects were super easy. The pillows? Our couch came with these ugly babies:



I hated them. I always kept their backside facing out. It was the exact same fabric of our couch. It was boring. But it was better than the front side. But with my sewing machine, awesome stripey fabric, and 10 minutes, I covered them up. Easiest job in the world.

And the table runner? Yes, it has a seam down the middle of it, I know. I didn't have a piece long enough for the table. And since I had to sew that seam down the middle, the project took me all of 7 minutes, instead of 5.

As for the apron, that baby took me about 20 minutes. I love it. I can't stop wearing it. Making spaghetti? Apron time. Making asparagus? Apron time. Making cereal? Well, maybe not apron time. Yet. I didn't have a pattern for the apron, I basically cut it how I wanted, sewed a hem all the way around, and sewed it onto some ribbon. And voila, my new favorite accessory.

I'm not sure why I love stripes so much.. Could it be the straight lines, looking so nice and clean? Because they are simple? Fresh? Don't know. How do you feel about stripes? Love em? Like em? Any other pattern tickle your fancy? I know my mom loves polka dots, what about you?