throw pillows | This Old Colonial Home

As if this time of year isn’t busy enough with all the decorating, shopping, wrapping, baking … I decided to throw a few Christmas crafts into the mix as well. I just can’t help myself!

It kind of all started when I saw this cute sign at Marshalls.I love its rustic vibe, but I didn’t love its $25 price tag. So I figured maybe I can make something similar.

I ended up using this framed mirror that I had lying around.I didn’t want to keep the hooks, so I took them off and filled the holes with spackle. Wood filler would also do the job.While I waited for that to dry, I covered the mirror in a brown paper bag and then some burlap. Once the spackle was set, I lightly sanded the entire frame. Then it was time to spray paint!It only took 2 or 3 quick coats. After it was dry, I reinserted the now burlap backing.Then I simply used a snowflake stencil that I picked up at Party City for 99 cents. I used white paint I already had on hand and bought a foam pouncer from Michaels for around $2.50. Now granted my sign is a lot smaller than the one at Marshalls, but for less than $5 I’m pretty happy with it!

Eventually I would like to add some wording along the bottom, like ‘Let it Snow,’ but for now it still brings some holiday cheer to our living room.In addition to the sign, I also made some fun, Origami stars using festive scrapbook paper.I’ve only done Origami a few times and the last time was probably when I was in 6th grade! But this video tutorial I found through Pinterest was really easy to follow! If I can do it, so can you!

And last, but not least — I couldn’t resist making some more no sew throw pillows! I followed the same method as my placemat pillows, but this time I used kitchen towels. The red one was actually plain, but I stenciled on a big snowflake!It’s another easy and inexpensive way to add some more Christmas cheer around the house!

If you want to keep up with more of my Christmas decor, please be sure to follow me on Instagram at @oldcolonialhome and check out the hashtag #oldcolonialhomechristmas 🙂

Merry Christmas, my friends!

I’ve been wanting to paint our master bedroom gray, but little did I know how hard it would be to find the right shade. I picked up a few paint cards from Lowe’s. But I really didn’t like any of them once I had them on the wall.The problem with gray is it has so many different undertones – brown, blue, green, etc. I was really looking for a true gray without an undertone. After doing a lot of online searching, I then started looking at Benjamin Moore paints. After going through several options …… my husband and I finally decided on Cliffside Gray by BM. It looked to be the truest gray in the lighting in our bedroom.

Of course, once we actually got the paint on the walls it was a little darker and had more blue in it than I wanted, but it still looked nice. I think part of the problem was that our blue bedding was affecting the color.I hadn’t anticipated needing or wanting to change our bedding, but I had to do something so the room didn’t look so dull.

In between that search, we also planned on adding an accent wall using a stencil. I found this one called Marrakech Trellis from Cutting Edge Stencils.Jamie had painted the whole room in a matte finish. For the stencil I used the same Cliffside Gray color, but in a semi-gloss finish. This is a shot taken during the process.It was fairly easy, but painstakingly slow. The main thing I struggled with was getting each section to line up. But I love how it turned out! Here are some pictures of the transformation from when the room was all white to where it is today.

Before

After

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After

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After

Did you notice the improved bedding as well?! Instead of breaking the bank by getting a whole new set, I made 3 simple changes. I added the white and gray chevron patterned sheets, which I found at Kohl’s for only $30 (after a 30% off coupon). I added the colorful pillow, which I found at Marshall’s for $17. And I simply changed the way I make the bed – pulling the comforter down and folding it halfway up to expose more of the sheets. I feel this helps break up the blue. Doesn’t the bed look so much more inviting now?!