DIY "My Color is Rainbow" Pillow Friends
" A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle."
- James Keller
I am so excited to be sharing a very special DIY with you today! My dear friend, Agnes Hsu, wrote a children's picture book called "My Color is Rainbow" and it came out last Thursday and is already spreading a message of kindness, love, and acceptance far and wide. This book is a beautiful, sparkly gem of a book and I am not surprised in the slightest because Agnes is a beautiful, sparkly, gem of a person. The story follows Little White Arch and his trusty blue unicorn pal on a colorful journey of self-discovery. The book is wonderfully illustrated in a bold, modern style by Yuliya Gwilym. It is brimming with color and playful shapes and is a perfect tie-in for K-5 art curriculum. My youngest is learning to read and she is able to handle most of the text on her own with just a little help from me or big sis.
You might be thinking but why the candle quote (or not)? Because 3 months ago I met Agnes for a cup of coffee in Westwood and she sparked my flame. That chance encounter with her (we had never met in real life, only on Instagram) is the reason this blog is up and the reason I have been pouring my ALL into my work every single day since. Agnes won't take credit for it... she thinks it was just a matter of timing and that I was ready to go long before we met, but I know in my heart that this creative flow I am riding was inspired by meeting her. Agnes is constantly acting on her inspiration and getting things DONE. This lady is a force of nature. She is an inspiration in her own right but the best part is that she is generous and inclusive and she wants to see the people around her manifest their dreams too. She is a rare and beautiful bird and I am so grateful to know her.
So let's make some hand-painted, no-sew pillow friends, shall we?
1. Fold your canvas or fabric in half. 2. Draw your pillow shape on your canvas with Sharpie or a fabric marker. 3. Cut your shape out of the doubled up fabric (this should give you two copies when you are done cutting). 4. Paint your pillows (we used tempera discs for the rainbow and acrylic for the unicorn). 5. Let your fabric dry completely. 6. Start to glue the pillow seams, little by little, stuffing sections as you go and then gluing a little more. 7. When your pillow is completely stuffed you will close out your final seam. 8. Add your felt embellishments (face on rainbow and mane and eye on unicorn). 9. Grab your copy of "My Color is Rainbow" and snuggle up with Little White Arch and his unicorn friend.
