Hello! Lately I have been learning a new skill......the Cricut Explore Air. If you have been following me (which I would love it if you would!) you know I have painted just about anything that stays still! Lately, it has been pillow covers/cases/shams. Painting a picture of the upcoming holiday is where it all started. In my Etsy shop I have painted quite a few holiday themed cases.
I have sisters from another mother who have purchased just about every pillow case I have ever made!! They are the ones responsible for the St. Patrick's day designs! A few weeks ago one of the sisters asked me to paint a "one liner" that my mother-in-law, Annette, always says when a person comes to your party with a chip on their shoulder cause they really would rather be somewhere else. This line comes in handy also when you are awaiting responses from an invite to a party you are hosting. I come from a large family as do my sisters from another mother and this saying makes you feel better. I no longer get upset when people don't come to my parties.
As a matter of fact, this lovely saying puts everything in perspective. Because really, who wants a party guest who is going to be smug and pouty?! Not me and apparently not my "sisters"!
So with all this said, I needed to be able to write on the pillow and have it look "professional". This is no easy feat, especially when painting on a drop cloth! My brain went into overdrive and I asked my daughter, Shannon (who is my techie) to teach me how to use her Cricut Explore Air machine that she uses for card making. I thought I'd just make my own stencil and there you go! Well, it was not that simple. The hard part was finding a font that would cut easily and leave me with a perfectly made stencil. It took me over a week to get to this point! The original font I originally chose had a cross stitched look - every time I would get all the cut marks marked, the system would drop me and I would need to begin again.
I felt very discouraged but knew if I kept trying I would find a font that didn't drop all the circles in the o's, d's, f's, etc. Are you following my thought pattern? Anyway......Here is the finished product! The font is bird feet in the letter. I thought of putting birds on a telephone wire inferring this is their conversation......perhaps I will - as each design is original and varied.
This is the front and on the back is the golden tan fabric which has a pocket to slip your current 18x18 pillow into! Because these pillow cases are interchangeable, it makes for much less storage space! I'd love to hear your thoughts!
God Bless you,
Trisha
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