Switch Flops - Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

Last year, I walked into a home and garden store and discovered Switch Flops.  If you haven't heard of these before, I insist you check them out!

WARNING:  You will want to buy these.  Many, many pairs of these.

It's basically a shoe with interchangeable straps or buttons.  Genius!  I started my new obsession around my birthday, so Hubs bought me 3 pairs (black Lulu, tan Lulu, and black Lily) with a few extra straps.  Then the store I got them from had a sale a few months later and I picked up the cork Emma and a few more straps. 

I'm not quite sure how I ended up with so many straps (ahem), but I got tired of sifting through them in a pile on my shoe shelf.   I decided I needed an organizer for them.  They sell them online, but I wanted something really pretty to display my collection.  I found a pattern for a wrapping paper organizer and modified it slightly to the size I needed and added strips of Velcro instead of pockets.  I think it turned out really well.  I have it hanging in my closet, but it also folds up easily for travel.

This is the front with a large pocket made out of coordinating scraps.

Here is the organizer opened up with some of my Switch Flop straps.

This is the back.

I love how it turned out!

Living Room Update

I decided a few weeks ago that I want to bring some beachy-ness to my living room.  It's currently decorated with tropical accents, which I love, but I want to brighten it up and go coastal. 

I started with the easy stuff like updating the pillows on the couch.  I went to Joann Fabrics and found some indoor/outdoor fabric for half off in a pretty turquoise with a subtle stripe pattern.  Then I found some fabric called Sportswear Twill, also half off, in an off white.  I measured my existing tropical pillows and got to work.  I made a total of 4 pillowcases, 2 in the turquoise fabric and 2 in the off white fabric with some accents and bling (rhinestones).  Oh, how I love bling!  ;) 

While browsing the Internet, I found some really pretty turquoise coral pillows, but all the ones I wanted were over $50!  So rather than spend that much on pillows, I made pillowcase covers to go over my existing pillows.  I Googled a coral outline that would not be too difficult to cut out, copied/pasted it into Paint, printed it, then cut it out.  I pinned it to a scrap piece of turquoise fabric and cut it out.  After I cut it out, I used Fray Check around the edges.  It needed a little something extra, so I added the rhinestones to some tips of the coral.  I then used Liquid Stitch to adhere it to one of the off white pillows I made.  I wanted to add a real starfish to the other pillow (something I saw in another blog), but Hubs said he didn't want to lay on a starfish.  After I explained to him that they were not to be used (blank stare), I went ahead and cut a starfish out of the off white fabric and added some bling to it as well.  I used Liquid Stitch to adhere it to my turquoise and off white pillow. 

Before:

After:

I really love the way they turned out. 

Next, Hubs and I worked on creating some wall art.  Back sometime this summer, while spending countless hours looking through blogs, I came across an awesome piece of artwork that Kari from The Sunset Lane created using pallet wood and paint.

We wanted to make 2 of them, with the seahorses facing each other, which would go on both sides of the mirror over the couch.

I spotted some pallet wood outside a warehouse a few weeks back, but after reading some warnings on them, I decided to pass and go for some cheap pine planks from Home Depot.  I bought 4 planks, 4x8 feet long each for a little over $16.  I had Hubs cut them down to 3 feet each, use the remaining pieces for the backing, and put them together for me.  I used black stain that I had left over from the porch furniture.  I only used 1 coat to give it a somewhat aged look.  I copied and cut out the seahorse image that was on Kari's blog, but it was too small so I basically traced an inch or so outside the pattern using chalk.  For the second one, I traced the seahorse from the first one with tissue paper, flipped it around and made it a tad bigger, one to symbolize Hubs and the other myself.  ;)  I used left over paint from the garage for the seahorses, which is a light turquoise.  Hubs added some hooks and wire to the back and up they went!

Here is what it looked like before with the tropical wall art. 

Here is what it looks like now.

If you look in the mirror, you will see the existing mantle.  I'll be working on updating that next.

Still Here!

Wow, it's been almost 5 months since my last post.  I'm such a slacker!  I had a wonderful summer off from house updating and sewing, but it's time to get back into the swing of things.  We still have a few things to finish up on the garage, but hopefully this month, we will be done and can move on to something else.  Hubs cut all the baseboards and shoe molding but still has to install them.  He is having an issue with the trim work around the doors and windows because nothing is ever as easy as it should be. We may have to get a carpenter friend of ours to come over and finish that up for us.  Most of the curtains are made and just have to be hemmed. 

I decided I want to turn the living room from tropical to beachy.  There is a lot of black furniture in there, but I figure if I can make a billiard room with dark furniture look beachy, I can do the same for the living room.  I will start another post on my progress soon.