Mug Rug Tutorial

Mug Rug: A cute mat to place your mug and muffin on. 
Enhances the morning coffee experience and protects your coffee table in a fashionable way.

That's not the dictionary definition, in case you were wondering. It's my own version. 

Have you priced coasters lately? They can be expensive. And ugly. I had been looking for some coaster ideas to make at home and ran across the mug rug idea. It was love at first sight. After all, fabric is so pretty, it's almost an art form itself. And sewing my own mug rug allows me to use cute fabrics that match my decor, or just make me happy. Plus an extra bonus is that 'mug rug' is way more fun to say than 'coaster', right?
If you are an intermediate sewer, you can make some cute mug rugs for yourself. 
But be careful, when your friends see them, they are going to want some too. 

You will need:
Fabric scraps
Interfacing
thread
sewing machine
rotary cuter
cutting mat and ruler

I used some pretty stiff interfacing because  got it for free from my sister. It allows the mug rug to lay nice and flat which I really like. There can't be any wobbly coffee mugs near me. I'm an over-filler.

Here is the one I used:

You are going to cut your interfacing 6" x 7" 
(you can really make these any size you want, this is just what I did)

Here we are; nice neat rectangles.

 

Next, you will want to go to your fabric stash. Or maybe you'll pick your fabrics first and then cut your interfacing. Whatever works for you. I like to let everyone be an individual.

I picked out a few scraps I liked. I decided to just piece strips together to make the top. 

I use one solid piece for the back. If you feel ambitious, you could piece the back too. (I wouldn't do that myself unless I was feeling a little overly ambitious. That rarely happens.)

Sorry, no measurements for you here because there is no real pattern. Obviously you want your finished size to be the same size as your interfacing which is 6 x 7. I pieced my fabric together randomly and made sure it was at least too big so I could trim it down.

When you are done, you will iron your face and back onto your fusible fleece. I like this because it keeps everything from shifting during the binding process. 

Trim off any excess fabric.

And, voile! You have an interfacing sandwich. 

Next, we are going to make our binding. 

This is the most complicated part of this project. But a binding really finishes off a project and adds just the right amount of pizzazz. 

That's right, I said pizzazz. 

You need to cut 2 1/4" strips. Enough to go all the way around your project.

Here's how you join two strips together: lay them down right sides together at the ends, it helps to over lap a little like in the upper picture.

Then you will sew a diagonal line from the top corner of the bottom fabric to the lower corner of the top fabric. I always have to make sure of which way I am supposed to sew BEFORE I begin sewing. I've done it wrong too many times.

When you are done you will have a little flag. Trim that off about 1/4" from your seam.

Press the seam open. Now your strips are joined together!

Cut one end at an angle, fold over 1/4" and press

Now take that long strip of fabric and fold it all in half, pressing as you go.

Your are going to lay the pointy end of your binding strip on the top of your mug rug about an inch down on one side. Put the raw edge of the binding strip fabric on the outside of your mug rug project. Give your self about 2 inches from the top of your binding strip before you start sewing. Sew a quarter inch in from the raw edge of your binding strip. Stop sewing a 1/4" from the end of the side you are sewing.

Fold that binding fabric up off of the mug rug.

Then fold it back over the top of that fold you just made. (This is where I hope the pictures are explaining this process better than my words.)

Continue sewing in this manner all the way around your mug rug until you get to the beginning.

The end of your binding strip is going to tuck inside of the beginning of your binding strip.

See, just like that. Then you sew it down. 

Ta! Da! That was a big accomplishment.

After taking a moment to admire your hard work and mostly straight stitching, it's time to move on the the next step.

Peel that binding back and press it open. 

It will look a little like a hot dog basket. But I would't go putting any hot dogs in it.

Now you have to fold the binding around to the back side and pin, pin, pin. Miter those corners so they look nice.

I admit, I hate pinning. But there really is no other way to get this done right. 

Now flip that bad boy over to the top and you are going to stitch in the ditch all the way around.

At this point I pray that my measurements weren't off and that I pinned well enough. It's important that you catch the binding on the back side all the way around. This isn't as neat of a way to finish off a binding as hand stitching it. But who has time for that? Not this girl.

You did it! Stand back in amazement at what a beautiful thing you have just created. Mug rugs are fun and pretty. They are also more effective at soaking up drips than most coasters I have seen. 

Your morning mug will thank you for making this. 

Put Some Stripes on It - A Quick Bathroom Update

Today I want to talk to you about a simple paint technique that made a big impact in my main bathroom:

Stripes! 

When we moved into our home 7 years ago, I chose a nice light turquoise for our main bathroom. This room doesn't have any natural light and it has medium dark trim and closet doors. I wanted a light paint to brighten up the space. After all, this is where I get ready to face each day. 

I really liked the color, but after a few years I felt like the room needed something to give it a little punch. I thought about repainting the room a different color, However, I still really liked the color and didn't want to go through the work of repainting. 

I decided to take the big wall you see when entering the room and paint some large stripes on it. 

I dug out my tape measure and painters tape and got to work marking off the stripes. 

I didn't want the wall to be too busy, so I decided wide stripes would be best. 

Also, by doing wide stripes, it shaved a lot of time off of the taping process. My walls are smooth drywall, which makes taping off a fairly easy process. Although trying to tape straight lines will accentuate any flaw in a wall,

I made my measurements from the ceiling to the floor. Straight lines require accurate measurements so be careful.

I used a technique of painting the edge of the stripe with the original paint color. This is supposed to help prevent the new color from bleeding through. 

I used white paint for the stripes to keep things bright but calm.

I had good success with the pre painting technique on the stripes. I had very little white paint bleed through.

I painted the black frames coral to bring in a pop of color. 

I also updated the towel hook beside the shower with some cute bird hooks I found on sale at Hobby Lobby.

The overall effect of the stripes really gave the bathroom a modern pick me up without being overwhelming. 

Because I used paint and supplies I already had on hand, this reno cost me less than $10. 

This bathroom could use a little more work to be completely updated. However, renovations happen in fits and starts in our house. Some of the more expensive things like new cabinetry and flooring will just have to wait. Even with a talented carpenter for a husband, we just don't have the budget for those things. 

That is one of the reasons I love paint so much. It completely remakes a space for a very reasonable price and a little bit of time.

I think I will make it a goal for this summer to paint the trim and doors in this room white. That would be a nice addition to this bathroom. 

By the way, I have always meant to add a 4th element to the frames on the wall. Does anyone have any good ideas for me? 

I would also like to update the art work in them. I'm open to ideas! Please share in the comments.

'Pulling Back The Shades' on Fifty Shades of Grey - A Book Review

Fifty Shades of Grey is a movie coming out in Theaters this weekend that I will not be going to see and I don't think you should either. It is based on a New York Times Best Selling trilogy written in the genre of erotica. I am especially disappointed that this film is coming out in anticipation of Valentine's Day weekend. I am sad that our culture is embracing the ideas about sex and romance portrayed within this book series. 

Let me be clear, I did not read the Fifty Shades Trilogy and I won't be.  However, I was concerned when I discovered how popular this trilogy has been, especially among women within the Church. I wanted to educate myself on the issue and I was offered the following book for free in exchange for my review by icon media group. 

It is called, 'Pulling Back the Shades - Erotica, Intimacy, and The Longings of a Woman's Heart' by Dannah Gresh and Dr. Julie Slattery.

(I wrote a book review on a book by Dannah Gresh called Get Lost, your guide to finding true love, that you can find here)

I am so thankful that they took the time to write this book. 

They write with a definite love and concern for women and their relationships. They also weave scripture throughout the book and their love for God is very evident. Their writing is very real, down to earth and understanding.

 Here is one quote; "This book is not meant to be merely a reaction to the Fifty Shades of Grey series. Ultimately it is about YOU - your longings, your questions, and your wholeness as a spiritual and sexual woman." 

You see, neither of these authors believes that sex is bad. On the contrary, when practiced within the boundaries of marriage, they both believe in the beauty, pleasure and wonderfulness of a healthy sex life. They believe that a healthy sexual relationship with your spouse is Biblical and a gift from God. 

They did not write this book to tell you not to have sex, but to tell you how to have the BEST sex life. 

This book is not written just to the married woman but also the single woman. The authors talk about her desires and dilemma's as well.

No one is going to argue that sex is important. I also don't think anyone would argue that our society has redefined sex and that the common idea about sex is far from where God designed it to be. The author of the Fifty Shades series has been quoted to say that her agenda behind this series was to redefine morality. 

These Authors want to do what they can to help bring our hearts back to a healthy and Godly perspective of our sexuality. 

If you have ever read the Fifty Shades series, been tempted to read it or enjoy reading books like it, please read this book. If you have friends, loved ones, or neighbors who read erotica, if you aren't sure what erotica is or what to think about it, and if you don't understand what is so harmful about erotica, please, please take the time to educate yourself and read this book. It would be a great book to read through with your teenage daughter, your youth group or college Bible study. 

Let's be honest, women become addicted to erotica just like men become addicted to pornography. In fact both activities are equally damaging to a relationship. These temptations are all around us and abundant. 

Lets band together and decide to be different. Let us embrace a healthy and Godly perspective of sex and sexuality and encourage each other in that pursuit. That is what this book is about and why it is important to read. 

Also, let's make a statement about the movie coming out. We need movie producers to know that this is not our idea of good entertainment. I'm not going to see it in the box office or on DVD . Who wants to join me in boycotting this film?

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." 

John 10;10

A Bunch of Books

I went a little book crazy at the beginning of this new year. 

But, I feel like if you are going to be crazy about something, books are okay.

I am really excited about these titles (and more not pictured).

I can't wait to share my impressions of each of them with you.

Now, I am normally a fiction junky (I do a  lot of reading I don't share with you).

However, when I do book reviews, I like to share about the non-fiction books that have attracted my attention. I feel like these books have something positive and meaningful to offer me and maybe you will find something useful between their pages as well.

It's going to take me a few months to get through these titles, so I hope you aren't too disappointed in having to wait. I can only read so quickly, and I am by no means a speed reader. I have already begun a couple of these books and so far I am anticipating finishing reading each one.

I am going through 'Own Your Life', by Sally Clarkson as a group with some mom friends. We will read it a few chapters at a time and then get together to discuss what we've read. If you have a hard time reading non-fiction, this is a great way to keep you motivated and moving along. 

Most of these books are by Christian authors and can be found at your local Christian bookstore. 

So, if you can't find me, I will probably be reading! As you can see, I have a lot to get through. 

How many books can you read at once? It is going to be hard to read one at a time.