Crocheting & Reading

Crocheting:

I spent my Memorial Day weekend cleaning and crafting. Unfortunately, my organizing was pushed aside, so I'll be posting more of my 14 day organization challenge as I complete each task.

I did get around to doing one of the craft projects that has been on my todo list since the winter. I've been wanting to revamp my living room with some softer and more feminine colors. My inspiration is English cottage and Cath Kidston. I've been living with a Pottery Barn type look for awhile and I think it is time for a change.

The first project was to recover my pillows. I have been stockpiling fabric as I find it, especially when it is on sale. This past weekend I hit the jackpot at Joann Fabric with an extra 50% off of their sale fabric. I got a really pretty pink and rose fabric for $1.50 a yard! The lady at the cutting counter said it looked very vintage. I told her that is exactly what I wanted.

Before

After

I really like the way the new pillows look. Plus, it lightens up the room so much. It helps that I took the leopard throw and pet hair cover off of the couch too.

Daphne was my helper while I stitched all four of my pillows (the fifth is going to be cross stitched). She didn't leave my side the entire time. It is funny how the girls never slept on the couch when the cover was on, but now that it is gone they are never off of the couch. Go figure! Oh well. That is what lint rollers are for.

At least she tried to stay awake to help me. :)

When I got all of my pillows done I started to think about my recliner. I am still working on my bobble throw, but I am now thinking I'll use that on my recliner instead of the couch. I need some sort of throw for my couch too, so I went through my yarn and found some bluish-green that matched my checkered pillow perfectly. I added some white and pink and made my first granny square. I guess I'll have a granny throw for my couch after another 30+ more squares! 

I also found some really soft alpaca yarn, on sale of course, at Joann. They only had one skein left, so I decided to make a small pillow for either my couch or chair. I don't think I'm going to have enough on this skein to make both sides of the pillow pink, so I'm thinking of maybe a pink side and a white side. We'll see. 

Reading:

I know I just said I was moving away from the Pottery Barn look, but they do offer some great home ideas. I was surprised when I found a couple of Pottery Barn decorating books at the library. I didn't even know Pottery Barn had their own books. I checked out the living room, outdoor spaces, and storage & display books. The bedroom book was already checked out, but I should be getting it in the next few weeks.

They are all pretty nice, with a lot of pictures and ideas to decorate, design, and organize your home. They also have layouts of different shaped rooms. I really like that since my living room is such an odd shape. Unfortunately, they didn't include a shape like mine, but I still got some layout ideas that I hope to try out in the next couple of weeks!

Linking to Yarn Along.