It’s All a Shim-Sham

Helloooo!  Elizabeth here again on this chilly and blustery Thursday with another DIY St. Patrick’s Day project ... a Faux Pallet Shamrock Sign.  

I pinned this tutorial a long time ago and ever since have been itching to try it.  I decided that this was the perfect time to give it a go because my St. Patrick’s Day bookshelf décor has an empty space that needs filling ... and even though I’m a HUGE proponent of white space on my SB layouts, yeah, not so much in my holiday décor. Drives. Me. Crazy.  

Thus the reason why I have single handedly kept my local Home Goods in business.  LOL.

So here’s my take on the faux pallet process ...

First ... gather supplies.

• constructions shims (found in the door and window section of the home improvement store)
• hot glue gun & a ton of glue sticks
• hammer & small nails
• shamrock clipart & pencil
• wood stain (or watered down paint like I used bc of my laziness to not go into the cold and chilly garage)
• green paint
• cotton rag, foam paint brush & sanding block

 

Second ... layer shims in pairs (putting thin sides to thick sides) then adhere them together using hot glue ... this step will create “pallet slats”.

Third ... place the “pallet slats” in desired positions and check to be sure clipart fits.

Fourth ... turn slats over and glue three bracing slats on back to secure everything together.

Fifth ... hammer small nails at strategic spots to give it further strength.

Sixth ... stain front and sides of sign.

Seventh ... trace shamrock clipart onto sign then fill in with paint.

Eighth ... sand sign to give it a distressed look.

Wishing you loads of LUCK as you work on your own “SHAM” of a pallet sign ... Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Sew Easy Shamrock Sham

 

Hey everyone ... Elizabeth here today with an easy envelope pillow tutorial.  I love making envelope pillow covers (or for the purpose of an engaging blog title ... “shams”) because they are easily removable, fast to make and, most importantly, do not require any hand stitching!  Ain’t nobody got time for whip stitching! So follow along below to see how I construct one of these with, as a bonus, a timely themed applied applique ... sorry ... that last sentence section was a real tongue twister : ).

 

STEP 1: Gather Supplies

• Pillow form
• Fabric for pillow cover & applique
• “Wonder Under” fusible interfacing
• Thread for pillow cover & contrasting color for applique
• Shamrock clip art
• Sewing machine & basic sewing supplies
• Ruler or tape measure
• Pencil
• Iron & ironing board

STEP 2: Cut Fabric Panels

• Cut ONE front panel and TWO back panels
• Front panel = 1”added to both the width and length of the pillow form
• Back panel = width of pillow + 1” by length of pillow/2 + 4” (for hem and overlap)
• For example: if the pillow form is 16” x 16” the front panel will be 17” x 17” and one back panel will be 17” x 12” (or 16/2 + 4)

STEP 3: Measure and mark the center point of the front panel

STEP 4: Size, print and cut out shamrock clip art

STEP 5: Iron “Wonder Under” to shamrock fabric according to manufacturer’s directions

STEP 6: Trace shamrock shape onto the paper backing then cut out

STEP 7: Peel away paper backing then fuse shamrock to the center of the front panel

STEP 8: Zig-zag stitch over raw edges of shamrock to finish applique

STEP 9: Hem one long end of both back panels

• Fold over ½” and press
• Fold over ½” again and press
• Top stitch to secure

STEP 10: Layer and pin panels

• Lay front panel on work surface with right side up
• Layer backs on top with right sides facing down and hemmed edges facing towards center
• Pin layers together

STEP 11: Round corners

• Trace rounded shape onto all four corners and cut
• This step helps to lessen the “pointy rabbit ear” effect on the corners

STEP 12: Stitch around all four sides of pillow cover

STEP 13: Turn cover right sides out and press then insert pillow form and enjoy

Hope you have fun constructing your own themed “shams” ... and don’t hate me because of the math ... once you get things laid out ... it will all become clear ... clear as mud ... Lol.

See you back here on Thursday for another shamrock project that will surely ... well ... ROCK! : )

Love Is Kindness

I have another flower card to share with you.  This was one of my swap cards for the Stampin' Up! Leadership in Orlando last month.  I favor our stamps that have floral and botanical images, and this one is such a great single stamp.  Love Is Kindness is a wood mount stamp and sells for only $8.95.

 

This is the supply list (all Stampin' Up!) ~

• Paper ~ Pink Pirouette, Basic Black, Whisper White, and Typeset DSP
• Ink ~ Memento Black
• Blendabilities (alcohol markers) ~ Pink Pirouette and Wild Wasabi
• Accessories ~ Pink Pirouette seam binding
• Stamp ~ Love Is Kindness 

I am really ready for spring, and lately I have been bringing home flowers from Trader Joe's.  They help me look forward to warmer days and really perk up the kitchen as well as my spirit!  Here is what I am enjoying now.

If you are interested in any of these Stampin' Up! products, you can order them here at my online store.

Think Spring!

It's hard to believe that those of us in the Northeast are in for another nasty, wintery weekend!  I am so ready for spring this year.  How about you?  Well, I can't hurry it up, but I can give you a breath of spring in a card.

What do you think?  I was inspired by a beautiful new stamp set from Stampin' Up!, Butterfly Basics, which includes a matching set of thinlits dies.  I honestly don't know what I would do without my Big Shot, my tool of choice for die cutting and embossing.  Here is the supply list for all of the Stampin' Up! products.  

• Stamps:  Butterfly Basics, I Love Lace Background
• Inks: Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Soft Suede, Hello Honey
• Paper: Whisper White, Crisp Cantaloupe
• Accessories:  Big Shot, Fast Fuse adhesive

I hope this leaves you with a little bit of crafting inspiration.  Think spring!