How To DIY Election Day Pins

Supplies For Your Own "Cruel Summer" Taylor Swift Fuzzy Dice:

• Sewing machine
• Pink fleece fabric
• Pink thread
• Pink felt
• Scissors
• Blue rope/cord (I took mine off a loofah)
• Needle + pins
• A copy of Lover to listen to while you sew ;)
• Poly-Fil Stuffing (not pictured)
• Ruler (optional)
• Glue gun + glue gun sticks (optional, use it to touch up your seams if you need)

Instructions:

Start by marking your fleece with the measurements for your squares. Since the size of the dice on Taylor's official website was listed as 3.5", I marked them just above 3.5" so I could leave room for a hem. You'll need 12 squares total.

Next, cut out your squares. I used the first square as a template for the others, then went back in and cleaned up the edges where necessary.

The first image I made was a sun, and I started by drawing a circle on my felt. I used the rim of my thread spool to make sure I had a perfect circle but you can also free hand if you want the circle to be a different size.

Pin your felt to the center of a fleece square.

Sew the circle to the fleece using a regular straight stitch.

Next, move your sewing machine from a straight stitch to a zigzag stitch and decrease your stitch length to a lower number like 0 or 1. This will allow your art to have more of a filled-in border, instead of a messier, chevron finish.

Go back over the rim of your circle with the zigzag stitch to give it that embroidered look. I did this with the fabric right side up, then I did it again with the fabric flipped upside down just to be extra thorough.

After your circle is complete, it's time for the sun rays! Use the same zigzag stitch and 0 stitch length to move from the circle outward. This is where you'll want to add another element: stitch width.

To give the sun rays their triangular shape, adjust your stitch width as you move out from the heart of the sun. While the stitch length ensures your sewing won't have empty spaces, the width will let you move from a wider sunbeam base to a thinner point. I just decreased the width every few stitches as I went along.

Your finished sun will look something like this! I went back in with a needle to clean up loose threads by hand. I waited to trim them until I had threaded them to the back so that the front image had a more polished look.

Repeat the above steps for your devil and angel hearts. There are only a few differences between these and the sun; you'll cut the felt into hearts instead of circles, and to fill in the horns and the wings, I used a straight stitch to give it a colored-in look, reserving the zigzag stitching for the borders.

I know the original dice had "Cruel Summer" lyrics stitched onto these squares, but I ended up leaving them off. It makes the design more minimal and easier to work with.

One thing to note about this step: beware of bunched fabric! Filling in the angel wings brought the edges of the squares in a bit, but I wasn't too upset about it. I think flaws give a craft some personality!

The "Lover" stitching got a little more complicated than the images. I first traced the word with my pen so that I would have some guide as to what the word should look like. Move the stitch width back down to one of the lower settings.

Then instead of just moving the fabric in a circle like I did for the sun, I moved it all around to follow the word I had written in marker. Repeat this a few times until you're satisfied with the thickness. I definitely tried this step a couple different times so don't worry if you don't get it on the first go!

For my final embroidered square, I did a simple "TS," which of course stands for "Taylor Swift."

Before you can sew your squares together, line the edges up and pin them. I used my ruler to mark how far I wanted my hem to go (I did 1/4" at every edge) for a sewing guideline.

I pinned the squares one at a time, checking at each step that they were pinned the right way (especially after I sewed two together incorrectly and had to pick out the stitches. Oops.)

Arrange the images in a similar way to the official dice, or change it up however you'd like! I chose to arrange the squares so that there was a blank in between the images.

Pin and sew your remaining three squares around the middle square so that you end up with a cross.

I continued pinning and sewing the edges to one another until I had an inside-out cube. Here's a tutorial to help you better understand which edges should be sewn together.

I did one square at a time, making sure to focus on the corners and going back in to tighten them up once I was done. You only want one gap, which is where you'll flip the cube inside out and then stuff it.

Once you have a cube, flip the fabric inside out. I used my pen to make sure all the corners and edges were good to go.

Next, stuff your cube with whatever filling you prefer. I didn't stuff it super full because I didn't want it to have a rounded look when I was done.

Ta-da! A little wonky but very cute :)

When you have both dice, cut a small hole in the top for your cord. Knot the ends and stuff them into the holes, then use your needle and thread to attach the cord and the fleece together.

Voilà!

They're soft, fuzzy, and pink. What could be better than that?!

If you don't want to hang these in your car, they also make excellent Valentine's (or Galentine's) decor.

If you need me, I'll be blasting "Cruel Summer" for the rest of the month.

FLOOR LAMPS

Wavy Shade Collection with Ceramic Base Floor Lamp

With its playful wavy shade and three-way light setting, this floor lamp lets you customize the brightness to suit any moment—whether you're reading, catching up with friends, or settling in for a movie night.

Gooseneck Floor Lamp with Natural Shade

This gooseneck floor lamp, featuring a rattan shade, looks so elegant and natural and offers adjustable lighting.

Traditional Oil Rubbed Swing Arm Floor Lamp

This bronze floor lamp features a classic swing-arm design, so you can direct light wherever you need it most, such as in your workspace or living area.

Cantilever Drop Pendant Swing Arm Floor Lamp

I've owned Target's most popular floor lamp for about a decade and it still looks and works as well as it did back then. It's a keeper!

Oak Wood Tripod Floor Lamp

This oak wood tripod lamp looks great in your modern space with natural decor.

Table + Desk Lamps

Threshold x Studio McGee Woven Table Lamp

This charming design lamp designed with Studio McGee has adorable scalloped edges and looks sweet on a nightstand or desk.

Threshold x Studio McGee Task Lamp

This retro metal task lamp features a flexible neck to focus the light where you need it the most.

Mini Printed Ceramic Base Table Lamp with Pleated Shade

Love the blue Pollock-like print on this ceramic mini lamp. It's great for teen and dorm rooms!

Hearth & Hand with Magnolia Brass Accent Table Lamp with Plaid Shade

Plaid is always in style in Magnolia's design playbook. This accent table lamp is a stylish addition to your office or side table.

Assembled Ceramic Table Lamp

This blue and white abstract pattern adds a bit of texture to your overall design. Pair two on each side of your bed.

Hearth & Hand with Magnolia Fluted Ceramic Table Lamp with Marble Base

This fluted design is very hot right now and looks elegant solo or in pairs.

Threshold x Studio McGee Round Faux Wood Lamp Base

Give your living space some mood lighting while also adding a cute decorative pattern with a checkered shade.

Farmhouse Ceramic Urn Pot Table Lamp

Go for organic vibes with this modern cement table lamp.

Hearth & Hand with Magnolia Fluted Metal Rechargeable Library Table Lamp

Give your bookshelf a dose of classic elegance with Magnolia's fluted rechargeable library lamp.

SCONCES

Hearth & Hand Magnolia Milk Glass Striped Wall Sconce

Milk glass is always in style for any vintage-inspired decor. These would look great in a kitchen for a modern-retro vibe.

Hearth & Hand with Magnolia Fluted Ceramic Sconce

Here's the fluted lamp in a sconce variety. Matching lamp styles is actually a great way to create cohesion in your design.

Threshold x Studio McGee Metal Sconce Wall Light

Add metallic appeal to your home with this Studio McGee sconce that gives off a warm golden hue.

Threshold x Studio McGee Wall Sconce with Plaid Shade

An affordable sconce with a unique shade is a great way to add personality to your space while saving space too!

Your aesthetic is known for being sophisticated yet warm. What’s your best piece of advice for someone looking to make their home feel more personal?

Jeremiah: Theresa, that's my life mission with design. It’s become super-prescriptive design. The most memorable rooms and homes I've ever been in had nothing to do with how much money they spent or if it was from Architectural Digest, it just looked like them.

My biggest piece of advice would be: Really think about the moments in your day that matter most to you. Are you an early morning person who needs coffee? Are you an evening person who wants to lie down and watch TV, or are you somebody who's very ceremonial?

Do you have a spot to read a book and have a glass of wine at night? If you start creating your space for your moments instead of for other people, it just changes the way you move through your own house.

Nate & Jeremiah by Design gave viewers a glimpse into your life with Nate and your family — what was it like working so closely with your partner on screen?

Jeremiah: He's my favorite person in the world. I mean, it's not easy to work with a spouse. It can really make or break you, but my husband has always believed in my talent and my perspective creatively and we have a lot of respect for each other. What it represented was us being able to show a family like ours to the world that maybe they didn't have access to, and it was really important and I'm really proud of it. It's also this beautiful timeline of the first 10 years of our lives as a family.

Now you’re joining Queer Eye. What’s something about working on reality TV home makeovers that people might not realize?

Jeremiah: This is going to be a weird thing to say, but I don't think people realize how real Queer Eye is. I've worked on a lot of reality television, which is aging me tremendously. [laughs] Queer Eye is different. I mean, I sat there every week watching people walk into new versions of themselves. It's an interesting thing when you see somebody the way they want to be seen and then you watch them change the way they see themselves. I got to watch my dearest friends do what they do and it was just wild. You can't produce that kind of energy.

What's one of your favorite moments on the show?

Jeremiah: There was a woman named Jen'ya who is a single mother and I was raised by a single mother, and it was particularly impactful for me because it's everything you wish you could have done for your mother growing up. To be able to have that full circle moment and say, "I know exactly what you're going through" and every chance you just can't seem to get, that felt really good.

Let’s talk weddings. What’s one design element from Say I Do that you’d love to see more couples incorporate into their own celebrations?

Jeremiah: The people that they love, which is a weird thing to say, but I think so much about weddings becomes about the conventional, like flowers and this and that. That personalized component makes it just this really beautiful, holistic, important thing. In our wedding we tried to incorporate the people that were really part of the fabric of our lives because we wouldn't have been there without them.

What are some ways that you and Nate incorporated your closest people?

Jeremiah: My mother's recipes for our desserts, certain flowers from my grandparents, certain smells. We incorporated photos in different areas. My sister sang at our wedding, which was super special. Tons of different little things, like little nods to people we love.

What’s one design trend that makes you cringe?

Jeremiah: Acrylic furniture because of fingerprints and dust. But I support people who have it, it’s just not for me.

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Given this sweepstakes, what are your best organizational hacks for the pantry?

Jeremiah: I think the pantry becomes kind of a catch-all for everything. And the next thing you know, half of it's expired. It kind of becomes like a pit where things go to die. In our own house, I'm constantly editing, even if it's just changing where things are spatially in the pantry, moving them around a little bit forces you to go through things and reassess them. And lighting. Buy simple, really inexpensive LED strip lighting that you can attach to the top of your pantry inside and light. It makes a world of a difference.

Why you decided to partner with Almond Breeze. Do you have a go-to recipe or favorite beverage?

Jeremiah: We're really aligned for a lot of different reasons. They are crafted obviously from the best Blue Diamond almonds. They're all about sustainability. The fact that it's this wholesome plant-based almondmilk. We use it in smoothies, cereals, Poppy [my daughter] just used it in her cereal this morning. You know, life is crazy and busy and I'm traveling all the time and I love that I don't have to worry in two weeks if I need to get rid of it because it’s shelf stable. It's just a matter of aligning with a company that their priorities are in the same place as mine, as a father and as a husband.

Do you like to cook?

Jeremiah: Love to cook. It's my favorite. I love the ceremony of it, preparing something and then people coming together and then watching them eat it. It's the best.

What's your go-to recipe that's not a beverage?

Jeremiah: I'll give you two. I make a weeknight bolognese, but I actually think the recipe is from Ina Garten because I'm obsessed with her. And then I do a jalapeño pomegranate glazed ham for the holidays, which sounds like a lot of flavor and very fancy, but it's really easy and it's so good.