another cover

I'm borrowing a swing from a friend. Only, she doesn't need it back when I'm done with it. It will find its way into another home when this new babe grows out of it.

I love that baby gear can be shared....is meant to be shared...

The swing we had with our first rocked many many more babies than my own. And an entirely different swing rocked my third.

This new-to-us swing had a navy blue plaid cover. It wasn't ugly. But it didn't match my mood. And I was on a sewing roll the day I covered my bouncy seat, so I threw together this:

It had to have some navy in it, since the frame is still navy. I thought about spray painting it...but since it isn't mine, I didn't want to make any irreversible changes. The cover can be removed, and it can be changed back to its original state.

bouncy cover

I had an old bouncy seat that lived through my two other boys. It looked boyish. Plus six-years-ago-ish. With a hefty dose of ugly. So I covered it:




It still has light blue buckles and frame...but one can no longer make out the random zoo animal print beneath. And now it matches my furniture.

Am I happy with the results? Meh. It's better than it used to be. I'm okay with that.

for the teachers

We had some fun last week getting the kids' teachers gifts ready.

They were quick, easy and budget friendly. And green. (Bonus!)

I let the kids choose jars from the "jar drawer." Then we glued a votive candle into the bottom of said jar. Tied some bits and bobs from the sewing box around the neck of the jar. Added a jingle bell, and voila!

Lamp ReVamp

I have an awkwardly shaped living room. In my awkwardly shaped living room, I have an angled sofa, with an ugly lamp behind it. The lamp was one we purchased for around $10 when we were first married. You know the kind; black with accents in brass and green glass? From the '90s? That kind. Some where along the way, I spray painted it all green. Not good. Not good at all.

Well, I got SO sick of that stupid lamp, that I began a nationwide search to replace it. However, I have exactly zero dollars to spend on a new lamp. And I don't steal. So, my options are pretty slim. And none. None options. But! I have an active imagination and too much time on my hands AND a glue gun. Plus I had all of these things:

I cut apart that old lamp shade and used the bottom ring. I smooshed it into an oval shape and stitched some fabric around it. I borrowed some wire from the garage for the bottom oval. Stitched the fabric to it, and slipped it all on top of the old lamp's original shade. It just rests there. To cover up my goofy stitching, I glued some red ribbon around the top, bottom and inside bottom of the new shade. Then I pulled some loose stitches up through to give it a little rouching.

It's not what I would go for if I had, say, $500 for my nationwide lamp search, but it works for today.

re-fest

I'm doing a few pieces for a green living event in town. Some girlfriends and I are pooling our creative resources, and each pitching in a few pieces for a "green baby" booth.

My contributions will be these. The frames are made by my husband out of 2 x 4s rescued from a building before it was torn down in the name of redevelopment. The fabric stretched over them are a mix of random scraps from my stash as well as repurposed old linens...table cloths, bedding, and curtains.

Inspiration found here.

I started by sketching out animal shapes, cutting the sketches as templates, then either tracing the template on the fabric and painting it, or cutting out the fabric and stitching it on the canvas.

the solution

Remember this corner? Does it look a little different? Like, no toys? {ahem, no visible toys?}

Did the children move out? No. They're still here. For a long time. With all their stuff. But now, some of their stuff lives in these boxes.



The top two hat boxes...I painted them. And then painted them again. And then smeared on a little more paint. And then I did that again. And again. I couldn't stop myself. I just don't know when to quit. So I didn't. I kept going and going until I wasn't quite sure if I liked them anymore.



Then I tried a new technique with the bottom one. Just some smearing of paint. Once. I like it okay. They're all okay. For now. I figured I needed to call them 'good enough.' They look so much better than the random chaos that was residing in this corner fifteen minutes ago. And I was really sick of them drying in between coats on my counter.



So here they are, for now. Good enough, I say. Good enough!

That'll do, pig. That'll do.

recycled clothing

While going through my closets, I found several shirts that weren't in the regular rotation. One is this lovely natural linen blouse that a friend had given to me. I love the fabric. The buttons. But it didn't look quite right on me. I also had this sleeveless maternity shirt. It was something I found on clearance 6 years ago for under $2. I love the fabric. The fit is good...but I can't help but feel like a picnic table every time I wear it.



What to do? What to do?

Then it hit me. I'll cut them apart, and make them into dresses for my girl.

So, in my usual style, I started cutting. I cut away everything that wasn't a dress:



Finished the edges around the shoulders, sewed up the sides, which was all it took to get this:



Did the same with the picnic wear:



I snazzed this one up a little with extra edging around it all, added a button, and sewed up the v-neck a bit, and that's all it took.






I'm hoping to find more inspiration soon. That sewing machine and I are getting along really swell lately. I'm feeling some projects coming for Handmade Christmas 2008.

nesting

Two months before we found out we were expecting baby #3, we cleaned out the basement. I was getting a bit tired of looking at all the stuff down there, and we decided to donate all the baby furniture to a local caring pregnancy center. The swing, the highchair, the bouncy seat, some bigger toys, a car seat, etc. The crib was in the corner, and I was just itching for it to find a new home. To be used. To not be gathering dust in my basement. But where was the hardware? Ugh! Somewhere safe. Where I had placed it. Some where I would remember....

No such luck.

Which was lucky. Since two months after that big clean, we were blessed again. Thank the Lord for sisters with extra baby gear gathering dust in THEIR basements. And that I couldn't find the crib hardware that day!

I had decided some months ago that the crib would wait to be put up until the baby was a few months old. You know...because all my babies just sleep with me anyhow. Why waste the energy putting up something that won't be used for a long time anyway?

Well, Monday, I decided to waste the energy. For some unknown pregnant reason, I NEEDED to have that crib up. Monday. I gathered all the parts and carefully (you know, so as not to tweak my back again) brought each piece up to "the boys' room." (I like the sound of that.)

And then I remembered. The hardware. I still didn't know where it was. I racked my brain. There was nothing in there. Just some random cobwebs and an innate desire to put together a crib. And a hankering for some chocolate. Those were the only things rolling around my otherwise useless brain. My crib plans were foiled.

Then, Monday night, I was putting away laundry, and in my boy's dresser drawer I found a screw....looked further...lots of screws...and some random other hardware. Bingo! Of course. Of course I put them safely away in his sock drawer. That is the only logical place for crib hardware to go. Why hadn't I remembered?

Yesterday morning I got straight to work. I assembled the crib, and set about finding its bedding. All I could find were random piece's from both his and her crib sets. Thankfully her crib skirt and blanket were green and cream. But his bumper pad had these weird splotches of discoloration. (thank you, Rubbermaid.)

I fished out some tan and green Rit dye, and voila! The crib is ready!

Here's the bumper pad before:

And after:

And the whole thing put together:

I'm moving on to closets next.

A metaphorical refurbishment project

Because this girl is mine, full of genetic grace, we have a lot of clothes that look like this:

Sometimes, we throw a bunch of stained goods in a batch of dye. I didn't have any on hand, and thought that this particular stain would be perfect for a strategic applique. We found the perfect piece to patch, and began:

The results pleased us both, and said spiller wanted to wear the renovated shirt "straight away."

Sure thing! That was last evening. Just before dinner. So before I could take this picture:

This happened:

Daddy didn't know that red Koolaid is contraband in these here parts.

Here we go again. This situation holds so many metaphors for my life. Spiritually. Daily motherhood-ly. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Christmas outfits

I'm in a whole new mindset with my handmade Christmas mission. What do I dress my children in? (Such a quandary, right?) Well, we had this great dress that my daughter wore in a wedding, as a flower girl, this summer. Adorable dress, but ivory. Ivory is perfect for a wedding, but not so perfect for the Holidays. (I realize that these are small beans...not the hugest of deals, but fun problems to have.)

I remembered a blog I read a few months ago, where this clever gal dyed some stained onesies to bring them back to life. I thought, "why not try that with the dress?!" So I did. And it worked! The dress was dyed in the same bath as the oxford shirt my son will wear. The shirt is a great burnt orange, and the dress a very light coral. I dyed a stained pair of khakis, a turtle neck and some tights in cocoa...and the results are as follows...

The bow came with the dress. I'm loving the goofy mix of colors.

Even the pearl buttons took the color. (I know!)

This used to be a stained white oxford with grass knee khakis...

The Post

I can't believe it took me this long to take care of this project. It was the kind of th ing that I made several mental notes about, but got so used to seeing it, it almost became invisible. ?? Perhaps that only happens to me...at any rate...our rusty old mail box got a fresh coat of paint. It looks much happier now, if you ask me.

(please do not take any notice of the hand prints all over my siding)

((thanks))

Still {wip}

In the process...but, as promised to Kara...here are a few pictures of the wicker project:

{wip}

While walking in the wee hours of the morning (hi, Kathy!), I came across these poor sweet things. I had to rescue them.

Had to!

For one; I have NEVER been able to pass up good garbage. (Did you know there was such a thing? Oh yes!) And for another; I have been wanting wicker for a long time. I don't care that it's going to take a bit of work to bring them back....I realize they'll always have scars, and I'm okay with that. (I've never been one to worry about looks--kind of, a little)

They'll need cushions...

and a few {sort of} minor repairs...

....ummmm, I'm hoping that this will work for something. Right now the plan is to wind it around the arms and up around the top of the back. Then, I'll purchase stock in Krylon, and go to town. I'll keep you posted with the results.

My husband has noted that, if nothing else, they'll be fine kindling. (Shame!)