Making your Own Christmas Card

Every year, I would spend hundreds on family photos because I figured I'd get great pictures. After a few disappointments, I decided a couple of years ago I would start taking my own family portraits.  If they didn't turn out, I could always go find yet another photographer.  The last two years have been interesting using a tripod, timer and running back and forth, but we were able to actually get a lot of great pics, some of my all time favorites.

This year, I solicited my sister to snap the pictures for me since it is a lot easier than arranging everyone and trying to snap the pictures while being in it as well.  I generally scope out a location that I love, but this time, we winged it.  My husband suggested a local park I'd never been to and to my amazement, it had a secluded path that was completely private.

We had 1 hour of overcast (according to the internet) so we had to work quickly.  I decided this year, I wanted to have fun Christmas cards so I made A. wrap lights around us because he is the mischievous one in the family. I am so happy with the results. 

Then, I went home and added text using photoshop and voila I have my Christmas card.  I love it!

Turning a Placemat into a Pillow

 I saw this yellow lattice place mat at Target and loved the fabric.  I looked for the napkins, thinking that I could make a pillow out of it.  When I found the napkins, I discovered it was a print while the place mat had an embroidered surface that I liked so much more.  It was also only $3.99 so I was sold.

First, I removed the bias tape on the edge.  I used a seam ripper which made the job a cinch.

The place mat was a rectangle and I wanted a square pillow so I folded one edge over. 

I cut right on that edge to make the square.  

I'm left with this piece.  I hadn't cut the trim off yet.   The next step would be to cut off the trim, saving the far right edge to be re-used.

 I stuffed the place mat to make it into a pillow and pinned the white bias along the edge.

I hand sewn the white trim.  You could skip this step and automatically pin the yellow bias tape right on top, but I thought it would be easier.

I added the yellow bias tape and pinned in place.

I machine stitched it to complete the look.  

It goes great in the room.

Who knew a place mat would be such a lovely pillow?

Total price was only $3.99 since I had the pillow stuffing already.