Monster Madness: DIY Plush Monster Pillows from Walmart

DIY pillow monsters for kids - halloween DIY

Okay, I walked by these adorable plush pillows at Walmart for months. They were so cute, and such a good price (less than $5), I wanted to buy 20 to give to my kid’s friends for playdates and sleepovers, or teachers for their classroom reading nooks. I couldn’t buy them for everyone, unfortunately. Then they went away, so I got over it. Well, now they’re back! This time, I didn’t let the opportunity pass me by before I could do something with them.  I spent about 30 minutes transforming them into cuddly, DIY monster pillows! There is at least 4 amazing things about this DIY project.

  1. They make great colorful Halloween decor for couches and beds (especially if you have kids).
  2. Kids love to cuddle and play with them.
  3. No sewing machine is required. Just a needle, thread and embroidery floss. Yay!
  4. After Halloween, I can cut the embroidery floss, remove the clothespins hands, and they will go back to being fluffy, non-monster pillows again. Therefore, they can be used year-round.
  5. I made each one for less then $6, and that includes the cost of the actual pillow, which was $4.88. Score! Yes, I had the clothespins and felt, but those are cheap regardless.

Here’s how to make them.

Materials:

  • Pillows, fluffy shag decorative pillow for $4.88 (in and out of stock online, but in bins throughout the store)
  • Felt, colors black, white, blue, and red
  • Scissors
  • Clothespins
  • Hot glue gun and hot glue

Directions:

Step 1: Cut round circles for eyes, and hands from the felt. I traced bowls around the house for the eyes, and drew the hands freehand.

Step 2: Glue the hands to clothespins. To attach them to the monster, pinch a piece of the fabric on the side of the monster, and pinch the clothespin on it. Easy-peasy!

felt project for halloween - diy pillow monsters

felt project for halloween - diy pillow monsters

Step 3: Thread fine string or embroidery floss (I used embroidery floss because I had it on hand) through a needle. Tie a knot on the end, then begin on the backside of the eye, insert it through the white part of the eye, and then back in.  As you push the needle in and out of the felt, make sure it goes through part of the pillow so the eye stays in place. I don’t have sewing skills, but I literally weaved it in and out of the felt and pillow…and it was totally easy.

felt project for halloween - diy pillow monsters

Now, you have adorable shaggy DIY monster pillows! I’m going to name them Beasty and Blushie.

diy pillow monsters - halloween craft

diy pillow monsters - halloween felt craft

diy pillow monsters - halloween craft

*this post contains affiliate links. 

DIY Sleep In Pillow Case

sleep-in-pillow-white-bedding-eyelashes-black-and-white
Let’s get real – sleep went out the window when we became moms, and we’re not convinced it ever comes back. Our children were not born good sleepers, they don’t know the meaning of sleeping in {no matter how late we keep them up}, and even when they are teenagers and we won’t be able to wake them up, we will be up late waiting for them to come in {and lose sleep over our worries about where they may be or what they may be doing}.

Just one day a year, it would be so lovely to sleep in. Not wake up at 7 a.m., then go back to bed for another hour. Like, really sleep in where we lose track of time. Remember those days?

Don’t get us wrong, we love motherhood, and feel incredibly grateful for every day on this earth we get to wake up to our beautiful children. It’s a gift, a priceless treasure. But, just one day of extra zzz’s would be so amazing.

Mother’s Day seems fitting for such an occasion. We made a pillowcase so everyone will know what we have in mind when we lay our pretty little heads down on Mother’s Day Eve.

When our DIY Sleep In pillowcase is on the bed, don’t even think about waking us up, ok?! Even if our family misses the memo, at least we can dream about sleeping in. We were inspired to create the pillowcase after this mirror at West Elm caught our eye. We love it, just like we love everything in West Elm stores.

sleep-in-pillow-case-eye-lashes

If you’re looking for a cheap, fun and last-minute gift this Mother’s Day, this is it. Anyone can do it with just a few supplies.

Materials:

Directions:

Pencil in your design, or trace a design. We styled our pillowcase just like the West Elm mirror.

white-pencil-sleep

Trace your pencil marks with the Stained fabric marker, and then color in.

black-and-white-sleep-in

sleep-in-black-sharpie

 

Insert a pillow in the pillowcase. Set it on your bed and sleep in.

white-bed-sleep-in-pillow-eye-lashes

 

Sweet dreams to all you amazing mother’s out there!

Ampersand Home Decor and Gifts

With Valentine’s Day coming up, there’s a lot of YOU & ME and ME & YOU talk. And, I can’t help but notice and LOVE the & in between it all. I’ve always loved the & symbol. I love the way it looks ~ against a wall, on an invite and on a piece of jewelry. So, today we’re all about the ampersand, &.

1. rustic gold leaf wood ampersand, Edie’s Lab via Etsy {$7}
2. ampersand wedding art print, between everything {$24}
3. ampersand bowl, pure home {$28}
4. ampersand brass letterpress necklace, Gwen Delicious Jewelry via Etsy {$37}
5. small ampersand cutting board, house industries {$90}
6. french style ampersand cushion, the wooden crate {$30}
7. ampersand coin purse, alphabet bags {$22.25}
8. galvanized ampersand single hook, the country porch {$7.95}
9. vintage ampersand marquee sign, saddle shoe signs {$35 to rent and $150 to purchase}
10. ceramic ampersand dish, iron accents {$7.95}
11. DIY mossy ampersand tutorial, two twenty one

{images via House Industries, Gwen Delicious Jewelry, alphabet bags, edie’s lab, the country porch, iron accents, the wooden crate, pure home, between everything, saddle shoe signs, and two twenty one}

sweater weather

We busted out the sweaters this weekend as the first flakes flew. As I put on my sweater, I thought about how cozy sweaters are, and how they feel like the warmth of “home,” curled up on the couch with my kiddos and hubby, with a cup of tea or coffee close by. So, why not incorporate a sweater’s feeling of “home” into the home. Some fantastic ideas below…

1. Sweater Box, Thrifty and Chic {DIY tutorial here}
2. Sweater Candle Holder, Knick of Time
3. Sweater Pumpkin, Confessions of a Plate Addict {DIY tutorial here}
4. Sculpted Origami Sweater Knit Pillow Cover, West Elm {$34}
5. Sweater Pumpkin, The Painted Home {DIY tutorial here}
6. Cable Knit Napkins, Elizabeth Anne Designs
7. Mug Cozy, Knit Storm on Etsy {$17}
8. Recycled Sweater Vase,Under the Table and Dreaming {DIY tutorial here}
9. Sweater Yet Vase, Modcloth {$17}
10. Sweater Lampshade Cover, Thrifty and Chic {DIY tutorial here}

{images via Modcloth, Confessions of a Plate Addict, Knick of TimeThrifty and Chic, West Elm, Elizabeth Anne Designs, A Painted Home, Under the Table and Dreaming, Knit Storm}