seasonal pillow

I've always liked how fesitve throw pillows can make your living room.

They're an easy way to add seasonal impact during the year.

They also cost a million dollars.

I've seen throw pillows cost anywhere from $15 to $100, and if you're only using them for a few months (or for Christmas, ONE month!) then that extravagent amount of money seems foolish.

If you're a regular follower you probably have picked up two characteristics of mine: The first being that I like pretty things. Everything deserves to be beautiful. The second being that I'm not a fan of paying full price for anything. If I can find a cheaper version, or make something myself, I certainly will.

And I'll share that with you.

Hold on to your socks, folks.

 Here is my new fall pillow!

And I'll share the fabulous secret to its creation.

It is a placemat from Hobby Lobby.

For this project, you need to make sure that you buy a lined placemat. That is, a placemat that has a front piece of fabric as well as a back piece of fabric. This one cost $3.50 at Hobby Lobby, but I've seen cute ones at Walmart and Target for even less... those will probably be coming into my home soon, too :)

Grab a seam ripper and pull out the seam in a bottom corner, just big enough to get your hand through. Stuff your pillow with batting, making sure to get into the corners. It is best to overstuff a bit since the batting will shift.

Another secret? Walmart sells cheap pillows for $2.50... they may not be best for sleeping on, but for stuffing decorative pillows? PERFECT! You can spend a small fortune on batting, therefore making this project a bit pointless and way more expensive than it needs to be. Depending on the size of your placemat, you can get 2 projects out of one cheap pillow.

After you get your pillow stuffed how you'd like it, hand stitch the couple inches you ripped open, keeping the seam allowance already there folded in.

This took less than 10 minutes, and cost less than $5 (especially since I already had the pillow, unused in the closet!)

well loved already :)