My major accomplishment in the past week... making throw pillows for the living room

In the last couple of years as we've made some minor changes to our interior environment, Hubby and I have fallen in love with the colors of the sea--light aquas and turquoises paired with pale creams and beige like the colors of sand on a pristine tropical beach.

Believe it or not, we make design decisions as a couple. We go together when we shop for anything related to home decor. In case you're wondering, Hubby does not go on these shopping adventures under duress. I am more likely to hate going shopping than he, so when I ask something like, "Honey, do you want to maybe go to the fabric store to look for fabric to make throw pillows?" if he isn't completely exhausted by some other task he's had to tackle that day, his answer is always a sincere and cheerful, "Sure!"

At the end of last week, the above scenario played out as I got a wave of energy to feel up to finally tackling the task I'd been threatening to take on for way too long--updating our throw pillows. I know how to sew (I've been sewing since I was around 10 years old). I have a sewing machine (although at the time it was tucked into a never-accessed corner of my current studio covered with cat hair, dust and looking really disgusting). More and more those waves of energy come less and less, if you know what I mean. So when it does happen, I know I need to jump on the opportunity.

It turned out that my fit of creative spark happened to coincide with a 50% off sale I didn't know about (pillow forms were on sale too). So the home decor fabrics that I would have loved but dared not buy at regular price, were miraculously attainable. It was great. I pushed the cart up and down the aisles as Hubby and I mulled over all the possibilities. We ended up coming home with some nice choices.

The following evening I had to do the thing I was dreading most... dig out my sewing machine and clean it off. It spiffed up quite nicely and was ready far faster than I had mentally projected it would be.

In one evening I got two pillows done while we watched episodes of Once Upon A Time on Netflix. Since I had to hand-stitch the pillows closed once the forms were in, it was nice having something whimsical and fun on the TV while I pushed and pulled the needle back and forth.

I sat in the recliner in the living room while I sewed--the recliner we bought a couple years ago when we first started making the transition to the sea colors in our decor. It was fun making the pillows in the same chair that they match so perfectly.

The pillows also coordinate with our dark brown leather couch that always has a pale cream quilt thrown over it. We wanted the pillows to be interchangeable wherever they are needed (or wherever a cat isn't snoozing). And we accomplished that with our fabric choices.

It still is somewhat of a surprise at how much something so simple as adding new throw pillows can do to a space. Suddenly the sea colors we love are becoming prominent just because of these simple additions.

And the area rug that we thought would have to be the first thing to be replaced, doesn't look quite so bad now. Isn't it funny how that happens? We'll still change out the rug, but I don't feel this sense of urgency like I have to get it out of here as soon as possible like I did before. I don't like making design decisions in that state of mind. It's better for me to be calm and methodical making a choice that has to last for quite some time in order to be economically responsible. It's amazing that new 16"x16" throw pillows achieved all that.

Last night (again while watching episodes of Once Upon A Time), I finished recovering two old throw pillows we already had with fresh and new fabric. I couldn't just throw them away. The old saying, "Waste not, want not" is too ingrained in my psyche. Now I'm happy I didn't.