Redecoration Nation Part II

Everything in this home is such a work in progress. I've finished the backdrop wall at the dining room and have migrated my redecorating fever to the family room.


Lately, I've been teaching myself how to sew.
Thank goodness that a few weeks ago, my mother-in-law came to visit
and she gave me a few pointers on how to use my sewing machine.


One of the first things I wanted to make was new pillowcases for my throw pillows in our family room.


Inspired by finds from my favorite Pinterest boards, 
and armed with some new muslin fabric
and adorable stencils from Mary Labarre, Artistic Stencils, and Your Memories Captured all on Etsy
I began the daunting task of putting together designs and a color scheme to make my family room look more like it belongs in a home.


More than anything, I wanted to prove that I could actually sew something
with nothing more than a YouTube sewing education in my resume.


You tell me.


The room started out like this: free pillows with cheap hotel looking covers.

God-awful polyester quasi velvet ugliness:

As soon as we first bought the couch last year, I bought some lumbar pillows from Home Goods so as to soften the look of the room and to add a pop of color in what would have been a mere collage of poop brown.

Naturally, the first thing I did was to remove the Fruit Roll Up looking striped pillowcases and stashed them in depths of my laundry room that are only inhabited by lost socks.

And I replaced them with happier, self-stenciled, self-SEWN pillows.

{Yes, I know, the new pillowcases are wrinkled. That would be in large thanks to my brother and stepson, visiting for the weekend, and throwing their lanky, adolescent appendages haphazardly all over my furniture. Forgive me.}

Otherwise, I'm happy so far to have gotten rid of the velvety stripes. 

Next, the family room, and that lonely wall ascending by my stairs.

Have a lovely Sunday!