My little piece of Liberty London

I'm sure you've already heard as it's already been around the blogosphere at least a hundred times, Liberty of London for Target hit stores on March 14th. After first catching wind of it's imminent arrival I'm one of those crazies who promptly marked the event on my calendar and watched and rewatched their sneak peek vid and generally got caught up in the hype. Needless to say I wanted one of everything! Unfortunately though Target does not ship internationally... sob sob (get with the program "Tarjay" we want to shop too!).

I really wanted the tiered serving tray and some throw pillows, but while I debated and desperately tried to secure a stateside shipping address, to no avail! just about everything I wanted was out of stock... Target should have anticipated the sell outs.... oh well. from what I read though the tray has received low ratings and has broken for many people...which really sucks. Also on closer inspection of the pillows via their site I wasn't convinced that the quality of the fabric was that great... Then I thought about getting the girls matching sundresses but alas those sold out too. But heck I still wanted something... anything! So I promptly turned to Ebay and was quickly disappointed not by the selection but by the jacked up pricing with some items going for as much as four times! their original price. Note to said sellers... not cool, really not cool!

After much deliberation I came to the conclusion that it was much hype about nothing and that I'd fallen badly for all the advertising. In all honesty I didn't need a tiered tray or any more throw pillows and their canisters while lovely do not fit in with our current Kitchen decor. I did however *need* gardening gloves and thought how nice it'd be to get some girly ones to kick start some spring weeding and planting work!




I won these on Ebay for just $2.21! totally justifiable and cheaper than most run of the mill, i.e dreary! gardening gloves. Though the Dunclare pattern certainly wasn't my fave I've still got a little piece of liberty in something I'm already putting to good use. The quality is nothing to write home about though and makes me happy I didn't attempt to break the bank getting my hands on some of the other available products. Though I still think the Bike is awesome... and the storage bins are pretty cool too... How about you? have you gone wonkers for Liberty or have you let it pass?

A soft spot

I love pillows! no actually that's not the whole truth.... I lust them! Shelves, bedscapes, and big bins of brightly coloured pillows at my favorite home dec stores get me swooning! There's always room for one more, so many patterns, shapes, textures..... how could anyone possibly stop at 20? 30? or 40?!

When DH and I were first married we lived in a teeny tiny! (were talking 30 sqm...) apartment if you can call it that... needless to say storage was a hot commodity... nonetheless one of our cupboards was home to pillows that would be just perfect for our "den". Yes I know how could you possibly have a den in 30 sqm.... well you're right we didn't.... but we do now! and I've been saving up for years!! nothing brightens up a drab room, chair, couch, bed? like a brightly coloured and patterned pillow. I love pillows on beds, couches, casually tossed on the floor... ooh and I'm a rug person too... love getting cozy with a favorite interiors book on our shaggy carpet propped up by, you got it! more pillows!





To help foster my love of the cushiony stuff, I bought the Pillow Book by Shannon Okey, it's home to over 25 patterns for fun decorative pillows for use around your home, as well as Amy Butlers Gum drop Pillow pattern. This is my attempt at making this addiction a little more affordable.... you can get whole yards of gorgeous fabrics for the price of your average tossing pillow. You don't need to be to an accomplished seamstress either to make the most basic of square pillows. Like all home accessories you'll get the most bang for your buck if you invest in quality home dec weight or upholstery fabrics. I always keep my eye out for great remnants, they're generally large enough for at least a pillow or two and for a fraction of the original yardage cost.

These are just a few samples from my collection...



To spruce up our playroom a little, I decided to make a little "house" pillow/plushie to sit on my daughter' rocking chair when it isn't in use. It's put together entirely from scraps I had lying around, and a button for a door knob. It was very simple to put together, just two rectangles for the body of the pillow and I eye balled the roof... finishing it off with a scalloped edge. I cut the windows, door, flowers and grass freehand and zigzag stitched them in place. The possibilities are endless, using different fabrics and whatever embellishments you prefer. I love it! How about trying your own?