How reading design blogs ruined my life.

About two years ago or so, I had never read a design blog. I don't even remember how I started reading design blogs, or the first one I read.

Two years ago, I was perfectly content with my $9 chenille pillows from Bed Bath and Beyond.

But now....now I read design blogs. Like, alot of them. Maybe 80 of them or so. And I've discovered I have expensive taste. (This is not new to my mother, who is thinking as she reads this, You've always had champagne taste.)

And one thing that gets me every time?
Pillows.
Expensive pillows.

A few months ago I thought, my mother in law has a sewing machine, I'll just learn to sew and make my own pillows! I will teach myself, thereby saving money and having pride of accomplishment. Actually, I would be willing to take sewing lessons, except that there are no fabric stores up here in STUPID NORTH JERSEY. I know of at least five different fabric stores in south Jersey where I could take sewing lessons....but up here there is ONE, count it ONE stinking fabric store, and it does not offer lessons.

The Great Pillow Project of 2010 turned into the Great Pillow Debacle of 2010. It took me four hours, two tutorials on YouTube, and one phone call to my mother to thread the machine. (If you are not a sewer, apparently this is a task that should take about 30 seconds.)

Here is my attempt at making a pillow. From the top side, the pillow does not appear to be deformed. The seams are not straight, but for a first attempt, eh, it could be worse.

Lets turn the pillow over, shall we?

I would not describe myself as terribly crafty, but I'm pretty sure that there is not supposed to be a giant rats nest of thread holding the fabric together.

That's about a week's worth of work, btw, snuck in at night and at naptimes.

So I gave up. I will apparently just have to pay other people to make me expensive pillows.

So here's a roundup of my pretties. Etsy is a fantastic resource for finding beautiful pillows.

First up is Plum Cushion. I heart anything she makes. Anything. I am saving my pennies and she will make me a Schumacher Chiang Mai Dragon pillow someday. She does not know this yet. But she will. Here's some beautiful pillows from her shop:

(The first two images are from her etsy store.  The last image above is the Chiang Mai dragon pillows that she made for The Huntress Lives. I will own these pillows. Oh yes, they will be mine. My preshus...)


Nena Von also has gorgeous pillows. The first one is on my sofa (in red).

Milk and Cookies Canada etsy shop is very reasonably priced. I have three pillows in my bedroom from her shop.

 (the two on either end are from her, the fuzzy one in the middle is from Crate and Barrel.)

Ooh! Ooh! She also has the Chiang Mai Dragon pillows!!!  Here it is in the alabaster colorway.

I want these pillows from Modern Thread for my sofa, I love the turquoise piping:

So there you have it. Reading design blogs has left a fiery burning passion for expensive pillows in my heart and ruined me for cheap pillows.  (Design blogs have also given me a hankering for expensive rugs, curtains and furniture, but that's a post for another day.)