Easy Envelope Pillows

First and foremost, this blog post is for Nina. I know it's about a month later than I had promised, but it is here. Today I went to the Bijou Market in Provo. My boss informed me of these fun craft fairs around UT where local crafters sell there wares. Needless to say, I was inspired by all of the super creative people out there. These are some of the cute things I picked up:

"Donuts are the new cupcake." I love this little print and thought it was perfect for Brian... We bought this frame from Ikea today and I need to have the mat cut a little on the top and bottom.

I love this necklace and barrette I bought as well. I was so excited I wore both of them today. There were so many cute things there- especially for little ones.

As I was inspired, I thought I would finish the pillows I bought fabric for probably 6-7 months ago. I made easy envelope pillows. Probably the simplest sewing endeavor I have undertaken. I like reading how people make things on their blogs, so I thought I'd do the same.

First I "measured" out the fabric squares. I laid out the pillow and roughly measured 1-2 inches out from the pillow. We don't actually own any measuring stick/rulers, so I just eye-balled. Cut out this panel. It will be on the front and will your guide.

The back panel will need to be roughly 4-6 inches longer than the front panel. Cut the back panel in half, "hamburger style."

This is a picture of the three pieces I cut out. Poppy seemed to jump in at the last minute, so this photo is not the best.

You then will take the two smaller, back pieces and fold them over about an inch and sew the seam down.

Next lay out the pieces of fabric with wrong-sides coming together. Overlap the seams you hemmed and pin the pillow together. This is the longest and most boring step of the process.

Sew the around the edges of the pins, being careful when you go over the hemmed areas as they are much thicker than the rest of the pillow and may get caught on the sewing machine foot.

This is what the finished product will look like. turn it back the right way and insert your pillow!

So that is the easy envelope pillow. I'll try to keep posting regularly.

Under Contract

We are so close to owning a home! On our first venture to UT, we found a home we loved--but so did everybody else. There were two other offers on the table when we went in and even though we offered above asking price we were outbid. So we sent Brian out again last weekend and he found a lovely home in Draper. He did an excellent job, and it is about 75 years newer than all the homes we've been looking at previously. It's four bedroom, three bathroom, and about 2,000 sq ft. It's pretty barren inside and out, but we have lots of plans for that! Inspection is on Tuesday and we are hoping there is nothing too seriously wrong with it so we can move in!

It's amazing how fast the time has flown by. We leave in about six weeks for UT. My internship is coming to a close and I cannot believe it. All the major papers have been turned in and all that is left is wrapping up the loose ends and presentations. One more week of Renal, two weeks of staff experience and two weeks of special interest and then Pinning Ceremony!

My brother is still in Tooele, but he's back in Spanish, so I think he is very happy about that. It was so much fun because a lot of our friends were able to see him over Conference weekend -- it makes me excited to be able and go stalk him down on Temple Square some time.

Antsy Pantsy

We're in the throws of it all. Less than two months of internship left and there seems to be an insurmountable amount of items to accomplish. Unfortunately, those things I choose to spend my time on are not necessarily those things I should be doing. For example, one of which is causing me much too much stress and absorbing much much much too much of my time is house hunting. We're at a gross disadvantage living in Mississippi and trying to purchase a home in Salt Lake. In exactly one week we will be on a plane to Salt Lake. Once we arrive we'll begin a grueling house touring marathon where we will find our "dreamish" house. I say "dreamish" because A) we can afford hardly anything, B) our expectations are different, and C) we are so limited on time. We're trying to meet the first time home buyer's tax credit. I'm beginning to have serious doubts, mainly because it seems like every house we like magically flits off the market before we make it out to the great lake and everything in our price range has something tragically wrong with it.

Dream Home

More realistic future home

While at times the future can look so bright, when it comes to homes, the outlook is slightly grim. I'm just crossing my fingers we can work a miracle. I'll keep you updated on the hunt and the outcome.

It's amazing how fast time has flown by. I just finished my PEDS rotation and all I have left are nutrition support, renal, staff experience and special interest. Two weeks of each for a grand total of eight weeks. Hardly any time at all. I'm in panic mode actually. Clinical rotations have gone by so much faster than management rotations, I love it. Next hurdle: job hunt.

Ushering 2010

Brian and I got a Nintendo Wii for Christmas from his parents. One of the smarter moves I have made in life was convincing Brian that we should purchase a Wii Fit in lieu of Christmas presents for one another. I have been diligent in Wii Fitting daily, much to the pleasure of my Mii's trainer. I actually can exercise for an extended period of time without becoming bored. Hopefully this will stick in the upcoming year. The only unfortunate part is that I am weighed daily.

New Years is rolling in uneventfully in suburban Jackson. Luckily I was able to secure a bag of blackeyed peas for the new year. I'm 99% positive that Mississippi is the only state in the US in which blackeyed peas are flying off the shelves. I am excited to start this tradition and plan to carry it on the rest of my life. Blackeyed peas bring good luck in the upcoming year--and luck is something you can never have enough of.

Exhausted

I am exhausted for two reasons: the first being that I got home from a two week stint in Mississippi where I did nothing but homework for twelve hours a day so my brain is mush, and the second that I am in the midst of packing up everything in my apartment--I say "I" because everything happens to belong to me so Brian can't really sort through any of it.
Needless to say, we have a long couple of weeks ahead of us. But we are still having lots of fun despite all the madness and are excited to be moving!

A Reluctant Beginning

So I've been vehemently opposed to blogging for numerous reasons, but I'm finally caving in. More blogs will follow.