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cheery flower brooch

attic 24 flower brooch pin

Yep, I’m still crafting over here. Now that the holiday pressure is off, I’m doing some fun small projects. Last Spring I became a little obsessed with crochet flowers and I’m at it again. They are so quick to whip up and are a great way to use up odd bits of yarn. I’m thinking these would be nice to send to someone instead of sending actual flowers. They’d last longer and can be pinned to almost anything. They definitely bring good cheer!

stash: Thrifted yarn from my amigurumi stash. Brooch pattern from Attic24.

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thrifty finds: advent calendar

I’ve also been kicking it into high gear for the holidays. Unfortunately, that means it’s hard to show you work-in-progress pictures. I’ve knitted quite a few gifts over the past year and spent yesterday weaving in ends, soaking them in wool wash and blocking.

I’m also trying to play catch-up for Advent. Two summers ago I found this wooden L.L. Bean Advent calendar at Goodwill. I couldn’t help noticing how cute it was—especially for $4.99. Then the Goodwill lady told me everything in housewares was 50% off, so I bought it.

wooden advent calendar ll bean

It’s pretty much in mint condition except for a bit of double-sticky foam tape in a few boxes that needs to be removed. Here’s what it looks like when you open the little door.

wooden advent calendar l.l. bean

It came with a little bag of holiday trinkets. Most of them are ornaments with the strings removed. I guess they stuck them in the boxes with the sticky tape.

wooden advent calendar l.l. bean

I’m going to re-glue the thread loops and turn them back into ornaments. My daughter has a little tree in the kitchen and each day we’ll take an ornament out to decorate her tree. We even have a Joseph, Mary and little baby Jesus for December 25th!

wooden advent calendar l.l. bean

I know I am late getting started, so I’d really like to get it finished this weekend. It will be my second project using hot glue. Wish me luck!

thrifting: Sometimes I can’t believe the little gems I find at the thrift store. I think I even like it better than the one they sell now.

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custom bag: laurel burch fanciful felines

custom bag

My friend Cathy loves bags, loves fabric and loves cats. When she saw my faux leather bag, she wanted the same thing, only bigger and with two handles. She’s going to use this to store and transport her mini swift and yarn winder. (Yep, she loves knitting, too!)

tapestry bag

thrifting: Most of the bags I make for Cathy are from thrifted materials. She’s the only one I know who goes to Goodwill more often than I do. I forgot to ask her if that is where she got this tapestry, but I’m betting it was! It’s a Laurel Burch from the Fanciful Felines collection.

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finished: granny square scarf

granny square scarf

Yay for pictures! I was so excited that the sun was out today, as we were expecting more rain. It’s still kind of chilly — perfect scarf weather.

lion brand wool ease scarf

Some squares were a little smaller than others. I’m not sure if it was daily life that messed with my tension or my learning curve. I arranged them smallest to largest for seaming and you really can’t tell.

woolease granny square scarf

I got 7 squares out of each skein for a total of 14. It blocked nicely considering it’s only 20% wool. I can’t wait to wear it tomorrow!

project details: here and here.

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handmade, no-sew abby cadabby costume

abby cadabby sesame street

I hope that all of the handmade costumes in my future are as easy as this one. Remember the tulle I found at the thrift store awhile back? Even then I had a feeling it might make its way into an Abby Cadabby costume.

handmade abby cadabby costume

Tutu
I found both of these tutorials very helpful: how to make a ribbon tutu (video) and how to make an elastic tutu. The first one is totally no sew. The second one needs a little bit of hand sewing— you need to sew the ends of the elastic together. I made my strips 40 inches long, so folded and knotted they fell right above the ankle.

Magic Wand
I had never used a glue gun before and borrowed husband’s for this project. Why was I so intimidated by hot glue? It was so easy! I used this tutorial for the wand, and the wooden dowel was the only part of this costume that wasn’t from my stash.

Hair Poufs
These are just smaller versions of the pouf I made for the wand. I tied them to elastic hair bands.

Wings
I didn’t make wings. Actually, I don’t know if my daughter even realizes that Abby has wings. She is all about the magic wand. I figured they’d just get in the way, especially if she wore the costume all day, which she did.

Everything Else
The shirt, pants and shoes all came from my daughter’s closet. The trick or treat bag is from last year’s Halloween crafting.

no sew abby cadabby halloween costume

stash: My whole family was sick the last week in October and I didn’t start this until the night before Halloween. I was thankful that I had everything I needed in my stash, as I was really not up to shopping for costume supplies with a sick 3-year-old. Luckily, we were all well enough to go trick-or-treating on Saturday!

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how to sew a remote control pillow in five easy steps

I’m not sure why I’ve had pillows on my mind. Maybe because the sun has been hiding behind the clouds for too many days to count? Maybe it’s because I’ve been feeling under the weather? Maybe it’s because the holidays are fast approaching and I need some gift ideas for the guys in my life? Whatever the reason, I’ve been having fun. These are really easy. I know you’ll have fun, too.

remote control pillow

Notes

  • Remote Control Pillow v 2.0 is for those who only have one tv remote or are using a universal remote for all of their equipment. If you need a multi-pocket pillow, check out my Remote Control Pillow v 1.0 pattern.
  • Most likely, your pocket will have to be flipped and moved to accommodate a remote control. If your shirt doesn’t have a pocket, you can easily make one out of the sleeve or a contrasting scrap fabric. Be creative! Try a denim pocket from a pair of jeans.
  • Some men’s shirts don’t have buttons past the belt line. You can take one from the collar or cuff and stitch it on the band.
  • If you are using a smaller shirt, simply use a smaller pillow form. I usually sew the cover 1″ smaller than the pillow form size so the final pillow will be nice and firm.

denim pocket men's shirt pillow

Materials
1 – large men’s button shirt with pocket
1 – 18″ pillowform
seam ripper
matching thread

Step 1
With the shirt buttoned, cut a 17 1/2″ square out of the front of the shirt. Cut another 17 1/2″ square out of the back of the shirt.

Step 2
Carefully remove the pocket using a seam ripper. Spritz shirt with water and steam press to close up any holes. Reposition the pocket and topstitch in place.

Optional Step 3
If your holes don’t close, if you accidentally rip your fabric, or you are using a shirt like corduroy and the nap won’t fluff back up, you’ll need a patch. Just cut a square from the sleeve and topstitch it over the original area.

Step 4
Lay the pieces together right sides together and sew around the whole square with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Make sure to undo one or two buttons before sewing so you can turn it right side out afterward.

Step 4
Clip your corners, turn right side out and press.

Step 5
Insert your pillow form and button it up!

affordable decorative pillow button down shirt

This is an easy way to make decorative pillows, too. If you go to Goodwill on 99 cent day, this becomes a really affordable project. Plus, they organize their clothes by color, which makes it easy to find shirts that match your fabric. I used a little less than a fat quarter of fabric for the decorative pillow.

home decor pillow on a budget

recycle: Before you head out to the thrift store, check your own closet. All three of these shirts came from my husband. In fact, I have him trained now to ask me first before donating any of his clothes!

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wardrobe refashion: trying to keep my pledge

I made a deal with myself that I was going to lose some weight before fall. I didn’t want to have to go out and buy new clothes just because the ones in my closet didn’t fit. I was doing really good until vacation. Pretty much all of the weight I lost at the end of the summer came back home with me on the plane. When we landed, there was snow on the ground. I couldn’t put it off any longer. I had to buy some new pants.

My wardrobe refashion pledge actually made me feel like this process would be easier. At a thrift store, you’ve got all kinds of brands and sizes on the same rack. I figured I would have a better chance at finding something than at a single brand store. I was wrong. It took 3 different stores and trying on about 20-30 different pairs at each store, to find one pair of jeans and two pairs of corduroys that fit.

Although this was harder work than just heading over to the mall, I feel much better with the quality of clothing I bought. Those capris that I complained about last spring barely lasted the season. I am not about to put that much time and effort into clothes that don’t last.

So why am I having a hard time trying to keep my pledge?
I know that if I walked into The Gap and found a pair of pants that fit perfectly, I’d have to buy a pair in every style and color. Seriously. And I won’t lie to you. I’ve been saving my Get out of Refashionista Jail Free card just in case. Pants that fit well make or break how someone looks, in my opinion. I can look past ratty sneakers or a worn t-shirt any day, but I can’t be busting out of my jeans. I just can’t.

What about you?
Are you fed up with the lack of consistent sizing in women’s clothing? Do brand new clothes last more than one season for you? Am I the only one who gets this darn frustrated over a pair of pants?

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thrifty finds

I posted over on facebook that I found a brand new cashmere sweater for $3.50 and had a request for a picture. It’s brown, super soft and fits perfectly!

cashmere sweater

I found it at my neighbor’s garage sale. I always stop by her sales because she has such cute kids clothes. (This dress was from her, too.) I was excited to find something for myself! I also came home with a few things for my daughter. I tried really hard to focus on fall and winter, but couldn’t resist this sundress!

toddler dress with blue bow and flowers

That was Thursday. Friday I went to Neat Repeatz, which is a huge kids consignment sale. This year there were so many clothes to go through! I had good luck and came home with some nice shirts and corduroy pants.

My biggest challenge was keeping my daughter occupied while I shopped. As soon as we arrived, we headed straight for the book section. After she was done “reading” what we had picked out, I wound up getting her this little electronic Cars game. It’s pretty dumb and I really hate it, but it got us through! Hopefully it will settle at the bottom of the closet and we can donate it soon.

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project to do: beach blanket to go

amanda soule mama handmade home beach blanket to go

Have you read Amanda Soule’s new book Handmade Home? I love all of her projects, but the Beach Blanket to Go really got my attention. I’m going to a beach wedding in October and have been wondering what to make for a gift. I think this will be perfect! I’m going to add a label that marks the date and place, too.

Finding the bedspread and sheet for this project was like a little bit of crafty kismet. Friday morning I was searching vintage fabric on ebay and put a red bedspread exactly like the one above in my watched items list. That evening, I headed out to a few thrift stores to see what I could find. I wasn’t planning to go to the store where I found these, but I felt a pull toward that direction.

I decided to follow my instincts and was shocked to see the same exact bedspread that I had bookmarked earlier that day. What’s more, this sheet was right next to it on the rack. I opened them both up and they were in excellent condition. It was almost as if they were destined to become this blanket. Now all I have to do is figure out my binding and put it all together.

Do you ever get that thrifty feeling? Like something is pulling you to a particular store because the exact thing you are looking for is there?

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thrifted placemat dilemna

crochet placemats

I bought these crocheted placemats at daycare garage sale a few months ago and I still can’t decide what to do with them. At first I thought I’d make two tall totes, but after seeing them folded in half on my shelf, I also considered four zipper pouches. Then I thought maybe just one large tote. I can’t make up my mind. (Yes, I did consider actually using them as placemats, but they are kind of small.)

Any suggestions?

thrifting: Usually I pass up things I can easily make myself, but I really liked the pattern of these. Plus, they were only 25 cents. I wonder what the person who made these by hand would think of that price.