Great Christmas Gift Idea: Bed of Clouds Tutorial

While I put the finishing touches on my project for
{Day FOUR} of It's a Wonder*Filled Christmas,
I'd love to share a project with you that would make 
a fantastic Christmas gift.  

{This post was originally shared in October at 

Alison's lovely blog Oopsey Daisy.}


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The project I am sharing with you today has great gift potential!  It has been appropriately titled, by my 6-year-old, BED OF CLOUDS, sounds dreamy right?!  I was thrilled to have the chance to make something girly for my niece's upcoming seventh birthday!! 

This sweet little bed is made up of 5 pillows all enclosed in separate cases.  The cover is removable, and washable.  It is perfect for a slumber party, at home movie night, lounging.  The best part is that you can use your own spare pillows to cut down on some of the cost.  As this was a gift, I bought new pillows at Target for a very reasonable $4 a piece.

{supplies}

printed washable fabric (3 yards)

A great pattern makes all the difference

plain washable fabric (3 yards)

I used a lightweight soft flannel

sew-on velcro

grosgrain ribbon

coordinating thread
pillows (5)

  

Note if you use spare pillows, that's fine, just make sure they are all the same standard size.

The measurements below are based off  20w x 28l" pillows.

Essentially we will be making one big pillow case and then dividing into 5 different sections.

Let's see if we can do this in as few steps possible!

{1}

Cut fabric to 28" width by  97" length.

{2} 

Fold each piece of fabric over 1" along the length and pin.

This will be the side the pillows are placed in/removed from.

{3}

Sew along the length of both pieces of fabric.

Give yourself a large workarea, the floor always works best for me

when working with this much fabric.

{4}

Lay right sides of fabric together and pin together.

Folded over sewn edges should match up

{5}

Measure along fabric starting at top and pin at 19" {4 times down the length} 

This is to mark off the five pillowcase openings.

Next we will work on pinning and sewing on the ribbon and velcro as all

ends will be sewn together except for the finished end which will be use to place and remove pillows.

{6}

Cut four pieces of ribbon a foot long.

The head {top} pillow will be tied with ribbon

Put velcro together and cut  into eight 2" pieces.

Two will be used per remaining 4 pillow openings.

{7}

Placing fasteners

Pin ribbon onto top pillow case opposite fabric side, about 4" down from top of pillowcase

and then again 4" up from bottom of pillowcase.  Match up as shown, so ribbons can be tied.

Pin velcro in the same manner.  About 4" down from top of pillow case

and then again 4" up from bottom of pillowcase.  

It doesn't have to be perfect, just make sure the velcro pieces line up

and they are somewhat evenly spaced to hold the pillow once place inside.

{8}

Unpin the large pieces of fabric from one another.  

Sew fasteners on making sure they stay aligned while sewing.  

Sew onto patterned piece of fabric, then onto solid.  

{9}

Repin all sides of fabric together except for finished {folded edge} length.

Sew all sides twice to reinforce seam

Trim any excess.  Pull inside out and trim any hanging threads, push out corners. 

Essentially you are making a super-large pillow case leaving the finished side (from Step 3)open.

{10}

Repin or if still pinned, check measurements of 19" markers down length of fabric.

These markers will be used to create the 5 pillowcase pockets.

{11}

Creating separate pillow pockets.

Sew a straight line along the width at each pin.  Keep fabric taut so there are no bulges.

Sew twice at each line to reinforce seam.  

Check 19" distance between seams before sewing each pocket.

 

{12}

Place pillows inside each pocket, fasten, and Voila! you have your very own bed of clouds!

In only 12 steps, pretty impressive my friends!!

Camouflage p-jams and all, he loved it!  Enough to forget all the pink and hearts in the test run.

Mom, can you make one for me?  That's a great review in my book!!

If you pin any of these images, please add them to

Our Wonderfilled Life's Pinterest Board

{thank you kindly!!}

Roll it up, tie with a ribbon, put a favorite book, movie,
or pair of cozy slippers with it and cross of the
nieces and nephews off your list!
 
See you back here soon!
{michelle}

It's a Wonder*Filled Christmas! {Day THREE}

Hope your Saturday morning is lovely!

Here it is a little gray and chilly, so

let's add some color to it!  

You with me?!

So glad you are sticking through 

my burst of creativity...err...

twelve days of Christmas fun!!

Every year we get bundled up from head to toe and 

LOVE going to the 

Geneva Christmas Walk.

It draws a HUGE crowd, in the thousands.  

They have a Live Nativity, candy cane pull at our

favorite place for sweets, Graham's Chocolates, carriage rides.

At the very beginning a 50 ft. tree is lit on the courthouse lawn.
{Clark Griswold eat your heart out!}

Somehow we always miss this part, but when we arrive

later the crowd has diminished a bit and we can walk 

along the streets.  It really is magical!!

We still get stopped with lots of questions, but

with carolers singing and lights all around,

everyone is nice and in the Christmas spirit!!

So from now on hear ye...on this day it is set forth...

proclaiming to lands far and wide...

Christmas shall be every day!!

Ok, I realize that can't really happen,

but man I wish the spirit on those streets 

tonight could linger in the hearts of 

many before returning Grinch-y!

While I am usually a white-lights kind of gal,

I adore how colorful this tree is. 

It inspired me to make this pretty little tree...

If we put it in Vegas alongside the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty, 

well it just might be to scale!

Isn't she adorable?

I am giving this one to my niece

along with a giftcard to Charming Charlies.

If you have never been in the store, it's 

inexpensive costume jewelry, and the best thing

about the place is it is organized by color.

Green scarves, hats, purses, pins, necklaces all in one vignette 

and so on.  Visual eye candy!  

So, these go together perfectly!

To make one of your own you will need:

assorted colors of felt

floral cone {mine was 6 inches tall}

colorful sewing pins

an object to use as a circle template

scissors

pencil or marker

1. Gather supplies.

2. Trace circle onto felt using template.

3. Template used here is about 1.5 inches.

4. Cut out circles 

{I used 39 and folded felt

over to cut more than one at a time}

5. Pin circles onto tree, overlapping circles

as shown and centering pin.

6. Continue wrapping circles around.

7. And some more, use a pattern to ensure all colors

are being used.

8.  Flatten circles and make sure all pins are secure.

9. Enjoy your merry-n-bright tree!!

This adorable tree would be a great teacher gift 

{with a giftcard attached}.

You could also make an assortment of solid color trees 

and place them along a mantel, on a child's shelves,

so many different options and so simple!

More MERRY and BRIGHT to come as the 

12 days of Christmas continue!!

{michelle}

Linking up to these fabulous parties!

It's a Wonder*Filled Christmas! {Day TWO}

Today it makes me so happy to have one of my favorite mamas {she has boys too!} in blogland stop by!!  Sweet Meg from little blue prints is here to share the most adorable holiday pillow and she gives you all the steps to make one for yourself {even better it is super budget-friendly!}. 


In turn, I am over at Little Blue Prints {blog swaps are so fun!} sharing these silhouette plates {here's a sneak peek}.  First, you need one of Meg's pillows...

 Take it away Meg!...


{Day 2}

for the home

Hi! I'm so glad Michelle invited me over to guest post. My name is Meg and I blog over at Little Blue Prints. This is my favorite time of year, especially because of the fun decorating and craft ideas that go around. Not too long ago I saw a Christmas pillow in a magazine, I can't remember which one it was now, Crate and Barrel or West Elm maybe, and it was of some simple triangle Christmas trees. I decided I could make my own version and tweak it to be more my style.

First you need 2-4 different colored fabrics. {I used 4} One of the fabrics will be for your pillow cover so make sure you have enough to cover which ever pillow you will be re-covering, mine is an 18x18 inch. The other fabrics are for the trees and tree trunks.

Cut your pillow cover front fabric to size {about 19 x 19 in if you are covering an 18 in pillow like me} and some fabric for the trees, making sure they aren't too big and will fit nicely on the front.

Like this...

Next cut out some tree trunks and tuck them under each tree...

Place all of your trees and trunks how you want them on the pillow front and pin them down so you can sew them on...

I double stitched each tree and trunk to give it more of a whimsy and organic feel to it...

If you have overlapping trees and you have a hidden pin under one, be sure to remove it after sewing that particular tree it was holding down before sewing the tree that is overlapping it, or you'll end up with a pin sandwiched between your fabrics... yep lesson learned, I just cut a very small hole with my seam ripper and took it out.

Once your trees are sewn on the front it's time to get the fabric for your backing. Cut two pieces of fabric {same as the front} 2/3 of the size of your front piece. This way when you line each up with the front piece they will overlap and you will have an envelope closure...

Make sure your top piece goes down first and the bottom piece lays on top... also if you want to sew each exposing edge so it's not raw or will fray you can, I used the raw side of the fabric so it won't fray and since I was too lazy to sew.

This is what it should look like when it's all lined up and pinned together before sewing it...

Once sewed together I decided the trees needed a "star"... I choose between a pom pom, a button, and a jingle bell... can you guess which won?

The jingle bells...

And there you have it! A simple and cute holiday pillow cover to dress up your sofa for the season. Whats even better is all the materials came from my craft closet so it ended up being a budget friendly project.

I hope you all enjoyed this little project. Have a wonderful and merry holiday!

Thank you Michelle so much for having me!

*~*~*~*~*~*

I told you it was adorable!  Stop on by Meg's , I know you will just LOVE her style and fantastic projects and her.  She's always leaving sweet messages here and well, she spoils me like that! {smile} 

Happy Friday to you all!  We have a few Christmas walks and celebrations going on around here...what are you up to?

I have a fun project lined up for tomorrow, so plan on swinging by! 

{michelle}


Linking up my lil' drummer boy silhouette plates to these fabulous parties!

It's a Wonder*Filled Christmas! {Day ONE}

Well hello hello there.

I am excited today to begin,

It's a Wonder*filled Christmas!

Let's get a little business out of the way before we start.

For the next twelve days I will be featuring a Christmas-related

project, tip, recipe.  A few of my blogging friends

will stop by too and share some of their own 

Christmas inspiration!

So grab a cup of egg nog, don your favorite Christmas 

sweater, turn up some Bing Crosby and enjoy!  

{DAY ONE}

for the tree

I have been coveting these gorgeous onion ornaments

since I first saw them that fateful day when the 

West Elm catalog arrived on my doorstep.

No they are not made from onions!  

They have an onion shape and have lots of layers,

at least that's my definition of how they got their name!

They sold out quickly and I knew I could make them

for less than their price tag.  

I just love the kraft paper/silver glitter combo.  

{west elm}

They were a little tricky to deconstruct, but

I broke them down and recreated them

in the simplest way possible.
I am a bit of a tutorial nerd and 
love getting all the steps together.
{I used to write training documentation as part of my job,
now it all makes sense...grin}
Once you get how it all goes together,
it is super easy to replicate.  

Supplies:

cardboard in good condition

glittered adhesive paper

kraft paper

glue gun

large needle

cording

This stuff {below} is so fantastic and I had no idea it existed until this project!

 

First, trace onion shape onto a piece of cardboard. 

A hint to make sure it is symmetrical, draw a line down from center

and across at the widest part.  It's easy then to eyeball any differences.  

About 1/2" in draw the shape again.  Cut out from cardboard.

for the dimensions in this tutorial, use 5" at center width

and 6" at the height

Place shape onto glitter paper and cut out.

Repeat again on blank side of cardboard. 

The thread your needle and push it right through the top
of the cardboard to about halfway down.  Tie off the top into a
loop for tree-hanging and tie bottom in a knot.  

Here comes the part that is a bit tricky,
for me anyhow it was, but I have broken it down
so I promise it'll be easy!


You'll need two sets of squares to create the inner 
3D layers.  First set of squares 3.5 inches.
Cut out the center.
Fold backward at the middle.
Put one dab of hot glue on to secure.
Repeat with second square.

Glue first piece onto one side of the string at top.
Glue second piece onto the other side of the string at top.
string should be between the two pieces at top
Glue both pieces together at bottom
without string between

Next cut 2 inch squares out of the glitter paper.
The leftover scraps are fine, just stick them to a piece of 
kraft paper and cut out the squares.


For the first square...
Again you'll cut out the center.
Fold backwards and glue.

For the second glitter square...
You will not cut out the center.
Fold it into a triangle,
cut up one side and then the other,
without the two cuts meeting.

Take the smaller glittered scrap from the first square.
Stick it onto the back of the second square.
This will form the center of the ornament,
making sure both sides are glittered...glitterfied...full of bling?
{take your pick on my made up adjectives!}
Then again loop it back and glue. 
{the little center piece is missing in this photo, but we'll get to that part next!}

Again glue both pieces to the top of the string,
wedging the string between them at the top.
Glue the bottoms together without string.
Cut the excess string {shown in the picture below}.
Bend the center so it adds another layer to the ornament.

There you have it! 
This is one of those projects when you do it once,
it's committed to memory and easy to replicate.

It holds up pretty well next to the original!



It looks so pretty on the tree!


The glitter sparkles beautifully and the light shines through the kraft paper.
need.to.make.more.
And cover our tree with some bling!!  

I will have a new surprise for you tomorrow!

{No, not two turtle doves!}

Go on and grab one of your advent chocolates in the meantime and
I will meet you back here for day two!  

{michelle}


If you are visiting and like what you see,
c'mon and follow along with us.
You will surely be entertained!!

Linking up to these fabulous parties and these...