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Life On Virginia Street

Life On Virginia Street

DIY . Home Decor . Travel . Style . Life

Brushstroke Plaid Pillows and Other Last Minute Christmas Projects

Christmas, DIY Projects

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Today I’m sharing a fun project I made using some scrap fabric and chalk-based paint. This fun little DIY brushstroke plaid pillows project is one of fifteen last minute holiday decor ideas that are being shared across 15 blogs. So, if you’re stopping in from Desert Domicile, welcome!

Earlier this week on my Christmas Home Tour, you caught a preview of this cute little pillow in our entryway and now I’m sharing all the details on how you can make your own. While decorating for Christmas this year, I was craving plaid in all of my rooms. The only problem was that I had a limited supply of plaid fabric and pillows. Nothing a little paint and scrap fabric couldn’t fix!

Brushstroke Plaid Pillows - Life On Virginia Street
I started out with with a scrap of white fabric that I knew would be wide enough to make two pillow fronts, and laid it out on a large cardboard box scrap I had. I then started randomly painting lines {with a foam brush} both horizontally and vertically with three colors of Country Chic Paint. I started with Devotion {red}. Next I layered on lines with Liquorice {black} and then followed with additional lines in Sweet Pea {green}, all the while creating the look of a plaid pattern! I wasn’t looking for perfection as I wanted it to clearly appear to be painted fabric – almost like a watercolor effect, just a little more opaque, and I didn’t want perfect lines.
Brushstroke Plaid Pillows - Fabric Scrap
Brushstroke Plaid Pillows - Fabric Scrap Red Paint
Brushstroke Pillow - Black Paint
Brushstroke Pillow - Green Paint
The fabric dried relatively quickly, but I did let it set overnight before I sewed the pillows. I followed my tutorial for a throw pillow with a zipper and used a gorgeous red velvet on the back side of the plaid. My pillows are 20″x20″.
These brushstroke plaid pillows are the perfect accessory for the holidays! I just love the watercolor-like effect I was able to achieve using this chalk-based paint!

Christmas 2014 Home Tour - Life On Virginia Street - Entryway Chair

Christmas 2014 Home Tour - Life On Virginia Street - Brushstroke Plaid Pillow

Brushstroke Pillow Details

Next stop on the tour is Anneke over at This, That & Life. Be sure to check out her last-minute project idea! This is a blog hop format so if you click the next person on her blog, you’ll continue on through all 15 blogs and will eventually get back to mine.

Tuesday, December 9th:
Decor Adventures | the space between | That’s My Letter | Chic Little House | Simply Designing

Wednesday, December 10th:
Rappsody in Rooms | Decor and the Dog | Ciburbanity | Primitive & Proper

Today, December 11th:
Gourley Girl and Guy | Desert Domicile | Life on Virginia Street | This That and Life

Lastly, if you haven’t done so already, be sure to enter my giveaway for a Boda Table Lamp! You have until Sunday at midnight to enter! If you would like to follow along on more of my home decor, DIY, lifestyle and other posts, I’d love to have you follow me on any of the following:

Pinterest / Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / Bloglovin’ / Google+

Thank you to Country Chic Paint for providing me with all the paint for this project!

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December 11, 2014 · 16 Comments

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Comments

  1. Julia@Cuckoo4Design says

    December 11, 2014 at 6:33 am

    The pillow looks fabulous. I love that you made the plaid with brush strokes and not exact lines. It’s the perfect addition to your chair.

    Reply
  2. April Hoff says

    December 11, 2014 at 6:59 am

    They are SO cute, Sarah! I wouldn’t have guessed that you could use Country Chic Paint that way!

    Reply
  3. Karah @ thespacebetweenblog says

    December 11, 2014 at 12:07 pm

    Wow, these came out so great! I love the handmade look of the brush stroke, totally stylish!!

    Reply
  4. cassie says

    December 11, 2014 at 12:23 pm

    love how this turned out, sarah! love the modern plaid look!

    Reply
  5. Megan @ Rhapsody in Rooms says

    December 11, 2014 at 12:55 pm

    This came out great! I’m so impressed that you free handed the whole pillow. I don’t know if I would ever be brave enough to do that. What a welcoming and festive entrance you have!

    Reply
  6. Krystine www.KrystineEdwards.com/blog says

    December 11, 2014 at 2:21 pm

    THIS is fabulous! I may need to copy this idea, bravo!

    Reply
  7. Charlotte @ Ciburbanity says

    December 11, 2014 at 3:29 pm

    I LOVE that you did it more free hand and didn’t tape off the stripes. Looks SO pretty that way!!

    Reply
  8. Caitlin @ Desert Domicile says

    December 11, 2014 at 3:30 pm

    These are awesome! I love the freehand look of the brushstrokes 🙂

    Reply
  9. Corey @ Tinysidekick says

    December 11, 2014 at 3:41 pm

    These turned out so good Sarah! I don’t think I would have known they were so simple by looking at how stunning they look in the picture. Way to go!

    Reply
  10. Julia at Home on 129 Acres says

    December 11, 2014 at 8:08 pm

    I never would have guessed from the first picture that this was painted. I think you might need to load this into Spoonflower and print some additional fabric. I love the shock of the bright green. Such a great modern plaid.

    Reply
  11. Jessica says

    December 11, 2014 at 8:32 pm

    I mean. When I saw the picture, I couldn’t tell what you DIY-d. I. Love. It. Gorgeous and great job! 🙂

    Reply
  12. Jessica @ Decor Adventures says

    December 21, 2014 at 7:58 pm

    You made pillows! Love them. I’ve been wanting to make seasonal pillows but never get to it. They look great! Thanks for joining the blog party!

    Reply

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