~~ Refreshing your home's decor ~~

The cold days of winter is a great time to take a look around your home and see what needs to be refreshed.  Here are a few inexpensive ideas:

~Move accessories from one room to another.

~Change the color of a home decor item with a little paint.

~Change the knobs on your cabinets. 

~Rearrange your furniture, try angling the furniture for a different look.

*What are your ideas for a quick home decor makeover?



White Sale!

For Saturday Blog Shoppers

Change the look of your rooms,

simply by adding pillows!

$5 off each pillow or pillow set

regularly priced at $20 and above

in these 2 sections:

 http://www.sewninspirations.com/decorative-pillows.html

or

http://www.sewninspirations.com/decorative-pillows-for-children.html

Refunded through Paypal
Valid through Jan. 23

If you have any questions, please contact me:

admin@SewnInspirations.com



http://www.quiltsgaloreandmore.blogspot.com/
Please click the link above to visit other handmade shops.


Enjoy your weekend!



~ Decorating with bolster (neck roll) pillows ~

~~ Bolsters or neck roll pillows can bring interest and comfort to your furniture.  ~~

The bolster fits perfectly on the side of a sofa or love seat.

Here the bolsters are used to divide the couch and provide arm support.

Used on the back of the sofa, this pillow will provide back support. It also pushes you forward a bit, which is useful when sitting in a larger sofa.

The most classic use of a bolster pillow is on a bed centered between two pillows.

Here were two examples of how the ends of the bolsters can look.  One way is the flat end and the other is a gathered end.  The more casual approach and another option would be an end with ties. 

On my bolsters, I like to add a bit more interest to the pillow by using the gathered end.  I believe this pillow looks more fun.

Which way do you prefer?


If you have a moment, take my survey above.  I would love to see how you vote. 

I am hoping to have my first giveaway soon but need more followers.  Do you know someone that loves home decor too?  Send them over.  Thank you!  ~Sewn Inspirations~

~~~ Animal Prints, the new neutral? ~~~

Have you have ever thought of using animal prints as a neutral background?  I never did until I started taking pillows from various collections and putting them into different combinations.

I am using a tan leopard print as an example.  (Using a tan background wasn't the best choice for the photos, but you will see the idea.) 

Here the leopard print is used in the background with the accent pillows in front.

Since the tan color tones were close, mixing a traditional type of decor with the leopard print brings more interest to this setting. 

Along with using the leopard print for a backdrop, I mixed the two collections, Congo animal  print with the leopard print, to bring more drama and focus to the elephant.

Here the leopard print soothes the eye from the busy print and bright colors of this beautiful fabric.

Have you "dared" to use an animal print as a neutral?  I would love to hear what you have done.

~~ How to decorate with pillows ~~

Why decorate with pillows?

Decorating with pillows is one of the quickest, cost effective ways to change the look of your rooms. You can choose to make your room warm and inviting, add a "pop" of color, add "interest", etc.



To decorate with pillows first you need to determine your color scheme and style. Next, think about layering. Choose pillows in various sizes, styles and complementary or contrasting colors. Choosing a solid or subtle print, can be used as a "back drop" to a busier fabric or to highlight a particularly interesting pillow. Use oblong (12"x22" or 12"x16") pillows for back support or to line the back of a sofa, chair, bed or bench.

12" x 22" on a seat gives you that support you may need and adds a bit of interest.

12" x 16" in a rocker is perfect to support your lower back and makes the seat more inviting.

How many pillows do I need?

For a formal look, use symmetry - two pillows on each corner and one in the center. For an informal look, use more color schemes and place randomly. Using odd numbers in either case is appealing to the eye.

Seeing the progression of adding pillows one at a time shows how the furniture becomes more inviting.

Odd number of pillows, formal look.

Odd number of  pillows in a symmetrical setting.

An even number of pillows in an informal setting.

Here's a great example of  a complementing contrast, mixing traditional and modern.

~It's a personal preference, which speaks to you?  Leave your comments below. ~

More information about these pillows may be found here.

http://www.sewninspirations.com/

What inspires you?

Words?  Nature?  A passion?  A person?

There are so many ways to become inspired.  Sometimes you know exactly where to go to help you get inspired.  Be it a quote that touches your heart or a wonderful friend that is ever so supportive or just getting out in nature.  Other times it just happens at the moment you need it most. 


For me, it's all of the above plus color and fabric. When I step into my studio and see all the brilliant colors in the fabrics that surround me ~ I'm inspired.  Inspired to create.  Inspired to design. 

Inspiration became a passion. I became passionate about design, in particular, decorative pillow design.  Sew Inspired.  Sewn Inspirations.

Please join me as we explore inspiration and passion through fabric and color in our homes.  I will share tips on decorating, introduce you to others that share this same passion and we'll look into the color trends.  I am not an expert, just someone that loves to share ideas and loves to learn. There will be the occasional "field trips", where we'll go off topic, who knows where it will lead but this blog will be fun, uplifting and inspirational........

I would love to hear what you have to say.  Questions, comments, topics.

So, what inspires you?  ~~