British Royalty Pillow Tutorial {Another Ballard Knock-off}

So, it's Royal Wedding Week & I'm wishing I could be in London taking in all that Royal excitement. I've always been a little fascinated by Britain & the Royals, and when Dave & I took our first trip to London last Spring, my fascination only intensified. I can't wait to go back someday, but until then, I've decided to add a little taste of British chic here at home.

It all started when I saw this super-cool British Royalty Pillow from Ballard Designs.

I knew I needed this for the library, but I also knew I would never pay $70 for a throw pillow I could re-create myself, so I got to work.

Here's my version:

Not an exact replica, I know, but still just the touch of Cool Brittania this space needs. If you want a little taste of royalty for yourself, here's a little tutorial:

Start with a couple of pieces of beige linen in the size you want for your pillow. Mine is approximately 13"H x18"W.

Set aside one piece which will become the back of the pillow later. Prepare the top piece for painting by taping it down onto some newspaper or plastic. Then, using a ruler or straight-edge, mark the lines of the British flag with a pencil. I kept an image of my inspiration pillow in front of me as a guide. If you don't feel comfortable "eyeing" it, you may want to print out a pattern of the flag in the size of your fabric.

After the lines are penciled in, it's time for the paint. I used craft paint in English Navy & Cardinal Red, then painted it on with a small artist's brush. If you want to create a vintage look, don't worry about applying the paint consistently or perfect coverage. Letting some of the fabric show thru will give it more of a worn look.

After I painted it all, I went back with a little more craft paint in Royal Blue (thinned down with a little water) & highlighted some of the navy areas to brighten it up a little.

For the crown, my own prince did his magic & came up with this image for me (thanks, Honey!).

Use heat transfer sheets for dark fabrics to print the image & create an iron-on transfer. I used these Transfer Magic sheets from Hobby Lobby. (Don't forget to use your 40% of coupon!)

After it's printed, use scissors & an exacto knife to cut away the unwanted areas of the transfer.

Then, follow the manufacturer's instructions to apply the transfer over your painted flag. Be sure the paint is completely dry before you do this step. And watch your transfer carefully as I noticed the red paint started pulling thru onto my transfer when the heat was applied for the full amount of time.

After that, you're ready to sew the pillow together & finish it off.

That's it! For less than $10, you'll have a cozy little pillow to curl up with early Friday morning while you watch the Royal Wedding!

And for those of you who still can't get enough royal romance, the internet has been a-buzz with William & Kate memorabilia of all kinds, but these two are a couple of my faves:

(Pillow or no pillow-I love that chair.)

Click here to see more cool William & Kate stuff. And then visit these sites I'm linking up with for more creative inspiration!