If you’re a sentimental mama like me, then you’ll love this simple diy: Mexican fabric pillows that I repurposed from serapes I bought my sons on a camping trip to Baja California.
I have to tell you the story of these three serapes I’ve saved for the past nine years.
They belonged to my three sons: Noah, Diego and Sol. We went camping on the beach in Ensenada one summer and I really wanted them to have those classic Mexican serapes (ponchos). You know the ones the vendors sell right on the beach — the kind that resemble a blanket with an opening to pop your head through? Our parents used to take us to the same camping site, and we used to wear serapes, too.
I have so many fond memories of Mexico, since we spent every summer camping there. We would swim in the Pacific from sun up to sun down, feasting on the most delicious fish tacos I’ve ever eaten, visiting La Bufadora (just a short drive away) and enjoying one another as a family. My boys would rock their serapes at night and stay toasty around the camp fire.
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But, when our vacation was over and we came home, they never used them again. I guess it’s safe to say that Mexican serapes aren’t the most versatile or practical items of clothing to buy your kids. Oh, well. Still, I saved them, knowing that one day I would need them. It only took me nine years to figure out how…
You see, I’m a sentimental mama.
When I find something that once belonged to one of my babies, I can’t help but look at it with longing, flooded with the memories of how precious they were and how fleeting our time is. I think of their suntanned skin and their happy smiles munching on lobster tails and it makes me wish we were back there something fierce. That’s what I thought each time I saw those serapes, folded ever so neatly in my linen closet.
I wanted to utilize this distinctive Mexican fabric because I have a deep love for my culture — Mexican culture. I recently bought a new sofa and wrinkled my nose at the pillows it came with. That’s when I had a lightbulb moment. The serapes! Since they were small fry size, they would be perfect repurposed into pillows for our living space. And style-wise, the serape fabric blended well with our gallery wall of Frida artwork, Loteria prints, abstract paintings and bright colors.
Yasssss. High five, mama.
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Since I don’t sew *hangs head in shame*, I had my favorite seamstress cut the ponchos to size and she added a zipper so I could wash them. With six kids, you need to be able to wash stuff.
When they were done, I just stuffed them with the (ugly) pillows our sectional sofa came with.
And now I have a set of lovely and practical pillows to decorate my living space with that reminds me of my babies and our good times camping as a family in Mexico.
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I love to see my familia enjoying this space and cuddling up with these pillows!
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