Let’s stay home, okay? Just because the pillow said so. I am so in love with our new hand lettered pillow (and the sentiment) and my kiddos are crazy in love with the giant pom poms on each of the corners. I’ve been slowly filling up our new couches with fun throw pillows, and have been admiring some of the hand lettered beauties on Etsy. I decided that I could make my own and add some giant pom poms for a pop of color and fun. If you’re not a hand letterer, that’s a-okay too, I’ve got a free printable template of this phrase for you! You could also take any phrase printed from the web or a font you like to use as a template.

It took me a just a couple hours in one afternoon to create this pillow and I know it will be loved in our home for a long time. I’d originally planned on lettering a bold, adventurous phrase on the pillow, but honestly- the older my hubby and I get (and since having kids) we’re such homebodies! We love to be at home. So instead I chose the cozy, ‘Let’s Stay Home’ phrase that makes me want to curl up on the couch and catch up on trash TV even more than I did before. Here’s what you’ll need to make your own:

Pillow Cover (or grab a pre-made pillow to customize!)
• Drop cloth (unwaxed)
• Sewing machine with white or cream thread
• Sewing scissors
• Pillow form

To Customize your Pillow
• Fabric paint
• Small paint brush
• Template of your choosing (get ours below!)
• Pencil
• Yarn in colors of your choice
• Embroidery needle
• Round lid the size you would like your pom poms

Before you start, you’ll want to decide if you’d like to make your own throw pillow, or customize an assembled pillow. I chose to make an envelope style pillow out of a piece of drop cloth. I bought the drop cloth to make a pillow before Christmas and have now made 3 pillows, a tree skirt and a couple wall hangings. I love working with them- and they’re so affordable! For instructions on how I make my pillows, you can hop over to this post.

Once you have a pillow cover ready to customize, you’ll need to pick your lettering. You can download and print a free copy of the lettering I created here.

Turn your printed template over and use a pencil to color over the design (on the back). I like to use as heavy as a pencil as available (I used 7B for this) since it transfers without much effort. Lay the design on your pillow and trace over the template, pressing firmly to transfer a light imprint of the design to your pillow cover.

Now you’re ready to get painting! My favourite fabric paint is Tulip Soft Matte Black Paint because it kind of looks like graphite paint if you don’t iron it and it doesn’t have that awful shiny look of most fabric paints. Paint over your template transfer, slowly filling in the thicker lines.

Let your pillow dry and get started on the pom poms! I used two whole balls of yarn (although they weren’t large skeins) for this. I chose to have two shades of green in my pom poms, but you could have one or even three. Choose a circular lid that’s the size you would like your pom poms and start wrapping your yarn around the centre. Keep on wrapping until you have more yarn on than you think is necessary. Slide your yarn off your circular lid and tie a tight piece of yarn around the centre, snipping the loops on each end to create your pom poms.

When your pom poms have been created and your pillow case is dry, you can attach your pom poms using matching yarn and an embroidery needle (the needle with the biggest eye you can find). Tie a knot in a length of yarn and start from the inside of the pillow cover, looping in and out of the pom pom, then tying it off.

That’s all there is to it! I’m so happy I took the time to create my own hand lettered pillow instead of dishing out for some of the ones that I’d found online. If you were to create a hand lettered pillow, what would yours say? And are you a fan of pom poms as much as I am?

About the author: Colleen is the DIY and lifestyle blogger behind Lemon Thistle where she shares printable art and hands on tutorials for DIY home decor, parties and gifts.

Garlands are such a fun way to dress up a space. Although traditionally reserved for parties, garlands can add a touch of whimsy and childlike fun to any space. Lately, I’ve spotted them popping up in home designs, especially children’s rooms. My home is no different, I’ve fallen in love and I can’t stop making them. Currently, my hallway, office, kids room, and master bedroom all have at least one. This particular garland is extra fun since it contains a secret message.

By combining different colors of ‘beads’ for dots, dashes and spaces, you can create a garland that spells out a surprise message. I made mine to say ‘Love You’ and hung it in my kiddos’ nursery. This is a quick, simple and affordable project that makes a big impact.

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own:

• Styrofoam balls
• Wooden skewers
• Floral foam block
• String or Wool
• Paint in three colors
• Paint brushes
• Bobby pin

1. Before you get started, choose the phrase you’d like to spell. Keep in mind morse code makes a long garland for even the shortest of phrases. Then, map out your garland. You will need one ball for each dash, dot and space – I used 30.

2. Once you know how many you need of each color, skewer the balls carefully on to your wooden skewers. Make sure to leave a large enough gap between the balls to be able to paint all around. I put two to a skewer.

3. The type of paint you use will depend on how many coats you need to do. I did three coats on mine using a Multi Surface Acrylic Paint. The colors I chose were from Americana in Satin: Chartreuse, Overcast and Turf Green. The more paint you put on in each layer, the better it will hide the bumpy texture of the styrofoam balls. I should mention that this is a little time consuming. Spray painting was my first thought, but spray paint and styrofoam do not like each other! The spray paint caused the foam balls to shrivel up (not the look I was going for). A foam block (I used floral foam) can be used to keep the skewers standing while your paint dries.

4. When they are completely dry, take them off your skewers carefully. I found the best way to do this was twist. Since there will be a build up of paint around the skewers just pulling caused paint to pull up.

5. To thread your styrofoam balls on to your string (I used a gray craft yarn), I cheated and used a bobby pin. I like to use bobby pins in place of a needle for some projects for a few reasons. The most notable is that I don’t poke myself! But also, it’s much easier to ‘thread’ and is long enough to grab from the other side of the styrofoam ball. Just pop the thread in between and bend it flat.

Now you’re ready to hang it! It’s really simple and it’s light enough that you can hang it with a fun washi tape (no nails in the wall makes my hubby one happy guy). I love that you can have a sentimental or fun message on your wall without having to explain it to everyone that walks by, plus it sure cheers up my kids’ space! What message would you make with yours?

About the author: Colleen is the DIY and lifestyle blogger behind Lemon Thistle where she shares printable art and hands on tutorials for DIY home decor, parties and gifts.