MONDAY'S FUN FINDS....

BEFORE!!!
AFTER~

I HAVE NEVER RUN ACROSS ONE OF THESE FANS BEFORE, BUT I HAVE SEEN QUITE A FEW USED IN PHOTOGRAPHY AND DESIGN INSPIRATIONS AND HAVE BEEN FASCINATED WITH THEM. SO WHEN I CAME AROUND THE CORNER AT ONE OF THE THRIFT STORES AND SPOTTED THIS-I WAS QUITE GIDDY AND COULD NOT WAIT TO GET IT HOME! IT WAS QUITE THE CONVERSATION PIECE THAT NIGHT AT DINNER, WELL, ACTUALLY IT WAS THE OBJECT OF TEASING ME BY MY BELOVED FAMILY-HOW RUDE. YES, I SUPPOSE I HAVE A SOFT SPOT FOR ECCENTRICITY. BUT IT WAS PRETTY FUNNY WHEN MY HUSBAND CAME HOME AND FOUND IT PRETTY IN PINK ON MY DRESSER, HE SAID HE THOUGHT I WAS JOKING WHEN I SAID I WAS GOING TO PAINT IT PINK. SEE, I AM GOING THROUGH A SORT OF PINK STAGE RIGHT NOW AND ANYTHING NEEDING A MAKEOVER IS IN DANGER OF THE PINK SPRAY PAINT CAN.

ON A SIDE NOTE, THE FAN ACTUALLY DID STILL WORK~BUT IT WAS PRETTY DARN SCARY TO THINK OF THE LITTLE FINGERS AND THE WIDE OPEN GRATES! YIKES, NO WONDER THEY DON'T MAKE UM LIKE THAT ANYMORE! WHAT WERE THEY THINKING! I WAS AFRAID I WOULD CUT MY FINGERS OFF! I RESTRAINED MYSELF FROM TAKING A SCISSORS TO THE CORD, BUT I AM SURE THE PRETTY PINK PAINT TOOK CARE OF IT WORKING ANYMORE:)

AND THEN THERE IS A NEW SET OF DRAPES FOR OUR LIVING ROOM. REMEMBER I HAD TRIED USING THE QUILT ON THE WINDOWS AND IT ENDED UP WORKING BETTER IN MY ROOM....

WELL, LAST WEEK, I CAME ACROSS A WHOLE BUNCH OF VINTAGE DRAPERIES WHICH MUST HAVE COME FROM AN ESTATE. MOST OF THEM WHERE NOT IN USEABLE CONDITION BUT WILL BE FANTASTIC FOR FABRIC (AND WILL BE SHOWING UP IN THE STORE SOON:))BUT I HAD SET THIS SET ASIDE BECUASE THEY WERE IN SUCH FABULOUS CONDITION. I HAD INTENDED ON PUTTING THEM IN THE SHOP, BUT I WAS READING THROUGH A FRIENDS BLOG(EAGERHANDS) AND SHE HAD SHARED SOME INSPIRATIONAL DESIGN PHOTOS. ONE OF THEM STRUCK ME AND I REALIZED I WOULD BE ABLE TO USE THIS SET FOR MY LIVINGROOM! FINALLY! I HAVE CURTAINS UP ON MY FRONT WINDOW! THEY ARE PRETTY WILD-BUT I JUST LOVE THE DESIGN AND THE WARMTH THEY GIVE THE ROOM WITH MAYBE A SIDE OF FUNKY FUN!
AHH! VINTAGE....

I WILL TRY TO GET A PICTURE UP SOON OF THE OTHER FABRICS THAT I TOOK FORM DRAPES. I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON GETTING THEM WASHED AND CUT. I PROBABLY WILL NOT HAVE THEM IN THE SHOP UNTIL NEXT WEEK THOUGH.

AND THE WINNER IS....

AND THE WINNER OF THE BIB FREEBIE IS....
YIPEE FOR KRISTIN AKA BEAUTIFULORDINARY! LET ME KNOW YOUR ADDRESS AND WHICH BIB YOU CHOSE AND I WILL GET IT RIGHT OUT TO YOU! NO WORRIES EITHER, I WILL NOT PUBLISH YOUR ADDRESS:)~ BLESSINGS, MANDY

Happy Anniversary!!!!

All I can say is.....WE HAVE A REAL BED!!!!!!
SPECIAL DELIVERY......ISN'T HE A CUTIE!!!
GUESS WHAT IS IN THE BOX!!!
AFTER 14 YEARS OF MARRIAGE, WE FINALLY HAVE A REAL BED:) WELL, A FOOT BOARD AND HEADBOARD. THIS IS OUR ANNIVERSARY PRESENT TO EACH OTHER THIS YEAR.
A LOVELY SLEIGH BED.
AND THIS IS WHAT OUR BED WAS BEFORE. WHEN OUR OLDEST WAS BIG ENOUGH TO PUT IN A REAL BED, WE DECIDED THE COMBINE OUR BOX SPRING WITH A NEW MATTRESS FOR HIM AND THEN WHEN WE HAD OUT OF STATE FAMILY VISIT, THEY COULD HAVE HIS BED WHILE THEY VISITED. BUT THAT MEANT WE HAD TO BUILD SOME KIND OF BASE FOR OUR MATTRESS TO SIT ON. THERE WAS JUST NOTHING EXTRA IN THE BUDGET, SO WE GATHERED SCRAPS OF WOOD THAT HAD BEEN LEFT BEHIND IN OUR GARAGE AND BUILT THIS PLATFORM. WE HAVE USED IT FOR THE PAST 11 YEARS. WE HAVE HAD A PICTURE OF THE BED WE WANTED SET ASIDE FOR SOME TIME AND I JUST CANNOT BELIEVE WE FINALLY HAVE IT IN OUR ROOM! WHEW, WHAT A LOT OF WORK GETTING THE ROOM READY FOR IT THOUGH! THE ONLY BUMMER IS, MY HONEY WORKED SO HARD TO GET IT BUILT THIS MORNING AND NOW HE IS GONE ON A RETREAT WITH THE YOUTH. I DO NOT EVEN GET TO SLEEP WITH HIM IN IT THE FIRST NIGHT!

TIME FOR ANOTHER FREEBIE...

OK LOVELIES! HERE IS THE NEXT FREEBIE CONTEST. THIS ONE IS FOR ONE OF THE NEW WHIMSIE DOTS ECO FRIENDLY BIBS. SAME DRILL...LEAVE A COMMENT AND THAT WILL ENTER YOU IN THE DRAWING. ONE CHANCE PER PERSON. DRAWING WILL END ON SUNDAY AND I WILL PICK A WINNER ON MONDAY. THE WINNER WILL HAVE THEIR CHOICE OF ONE OF THE FOLLOWING BIBS...
THESE BIBS ARE REVERSIBLE-HERE IS ONE SIDE.
HERE IS THE REVERSE SIDE.
ONE SIDE ...
AND THE REVERSE SIDE.

THEY ARE ALL MADE FROM RECLAIMED MATERIALS. COTTON AND POLYESTER FABRICS WITH FLEECE LINING. THE CLOSURE IS A VELCRO CLOSURE. THEY ARE LARGER BIBS THAT WILL FIT THROUGH THE TODDLER YEARS.

THERE ARE MORE STYLES IN THE SHOP. REMEMBER TO CHECK BACK ON MONDAY FOR THE WINNER. BLESSINGS!!

Monday's Fun Finds....

I so enjoy reading blogs of friends and customers that have a day to share their newest treasure found while hunting in their favorite thrift and antique stores. I am always able to feel their excitement for the simple pleasures in life. I cannot tell you how many times I come home wanting to share something found that fills a need, makes me laugh, or makes our home a bit more cozy. I love the chance to dust off something forgotten or neglected and give it new life. I will second what so many of my friends who share this passion will tell you. It reminds them of how Christ has picked us up out of a grand mess, seeing His plan for our lives that has been covered by years of neglect, wounds, and struggle, and will make us lovely sometimes for the first time with his love and gentleness. Now, what I do with little treasures from a thrift store obviously could not even compare to what He does for me in my life, but it does give me a small glimpse of the excitement He must feel and the joy He must find in seeing us bloom. So, with all of that said, I am going to start sharing my Monday finds. I have mentioned before that Monday is Matt's day off, so every Monday morning is my time to get out of the house alone and have some time to think, and be alone-oh yeah, I said that already. Hum, yes, that in itself is a treasure:)-I love being with my kiddos every day, I cannot imagine it any other way! But, I have finally gotten to a place where I can say without any hint of guilt somewhere in there, that I need some time away from them and THE HOUSE and that it actually does help me to be a better Mom, wife, and person. My mind is able to think on things that never pop into my head at home and I get to interact with strangers which can either challenge or encourage me. Monday mornings are sacred to me, they are slow and refreshing with the added bonus of finding treasures to create with! The wonderful benefit of being my own buyer for the shop is that i come across things for my own family without filling up my schedule with shopping trips. Here are some of my latest finds.
This clock I found a few weeks ago and almost cried when I came across it. I was standing in a very long line that is pretty normal in the first store I hit on Monday morning. But while I was waiting I spotted this behind their counter. At first I thought, "I really do not want to pull myself out of line to get this" and attempted to put it out of my mind. But, this was one of those times I would be haunted if I did not grab it. The reason that I was so taken with it is because, Joslyn, my second grader has really struggled to understand how minutes work on the clock, and I have struggled to find how to relate with her learning style in this subject. But this clock was exactly what we needed for her to visually understand and connect what I was teaching her. The numbers rotate to show four different forms to help them understand time in whichever way it is given to them. This one was a big "thank you Jesus" moment for me. Teaching our kids sometimes bears a heavy wieght on my mind and when that lifts for something like this, it is AWESOME! I had already determined in my mind that i would pay anything for this, but to my surprise, it was only $5.00 and in mint condition! My only wish is that i had had it for our older two when I was teaching them how to tell time!

Here is last weeks find...
It is delicate looking but is actually very heavy! Must be a glorified paper weight:)~ But it ended up on my desk which needed some attention anyways and it gave me a good reason to clean and reorganize it.

Here is today's find...
Now, the picture is absolutely precious! Child like faith and purity bowed in prayer with the wonderful creator! Another one that almost makes me cry. I will love looking at this everyday! But the frame was not so charming. That was the fun part~ I knew I had a beautiful frame that I had refinished in a weathered look waiting in the garage for the perfect picture! Here is the finished product-it makes me completely giddy!
And here is where I have it now. Put in a place i will pass a hundred times in a day.
The picture was $1.95 and the frame had been $1.45 when I bought it a long time ago. I love it!

I have a Birthday edition favorite finds in the works and am very anxious to show that to you, but one of the finds I bought with some of my birthday money is at the cleaners:) and the other one is a work in progress and should be finished in a few days! I actually used my gift money on me instead of the shop-haha. My grandma always gets mad at me if I spend it on something other than myself, so for this year Grandma, I will make you smile with what I did! You will be proud.

WEEKEND SALE IN THE SHOP...

JUST A QUICK NOTE TO REMIND EVERYONE, THERE IS A SALE IN THE SHOP THIS WEEKEND. 20% OFF OF YOUR ENTIRE PURCHASE. SEE DETAILS IN SHOP ANNOUNCEMENTS.HAPPY SHOPPING.

mAKING THE mOST oUT oF yOUR rECLAIMED wOOL sWEATERS...

I do not always work in this order but I thought it would be fun to share a bit on how to reclaim a wool sweater for quite a few wonderful new purposes! Whether you "accidentally" washed a lovely wool sweater or did it on purpose, now you have a fabulously felted piece of cloth. And once you get a tiny taste of this little miracle and the creativity waiting around the corner for this scumptious fabric, no wool sweater will ever be safe again and neither will your washing machine or dryer! If you have felted wool, you know what i am speaking of.

Usually, I work in bunches, I gather, gather, and gather and then I explode into a big ol mess of possibilities of one item. If I am doing a hat, I do 15, if I am doing a coffee cozy, I do 20, etc etc. But today, I am taking 3 sweaters and showing all the things that can be done with them.

First, they had to be felted(this I do as soon as they come in the front door. ) Hot water wash, good amount of soap and a hot dryer and that will shrink, soften and make that wool much denser, and in my opinion, much warmer! I wash like colors together, otherwise, if you mix colors, they will come out a mess of mixed colors and be much more difficult to work with. So, do it in small loads, many times I have to wash each sweater individually. When you dry it, throw in a clean towel which will help it to felt and dry quicker.

This time I am working with 3 sweaters in grays and blacks. My sweet sis wanted a pair of the mittens I started making a few weeks ago. She loves simplicity, so black is the winner.

The pieces of the mittens can be cut from the bodies of the sweaters. The cuffs on the sweater are perfect for the cuffs on the mittens. I have shown those peices in the picture.


I do line my mittens with fleece-but they can be lined with wool also. So Nic! They are finished and should be in the mail by next year:)-just kidding-you should have them soon! Just need to get Mike's done!

Now, there is still ALOT of wool left in these sweaters, so here are some more ideas for what to make.

The next thing I made from these sweaters is a toddler hat. Use the bottom hem of the sweater that already has a finished and most of the time a decorative finish making it a wonderful asset to your hat. Most of the time I do not do a finishing stitch on my hats because -1. It is itchy and uncomfortable and 2. wool that has been felted almost always will not fray.

I used the grey to applique a giraffe to the front of the hat. And again, it does not need to be satin stitched or finished because it does not fray. You can find applique shapes in almost anything. Stencils, coloring books, fabric designs, doodles from your kiddos,art books, clip art, etc provide great designs for applique.

Next comes the smaller scraps you end up with from these projects. I do sell quite a bit of my scraps through the shop to wool artists, but the scraps that I keep, I store in a vintage suitcase. It is fantastic to tote to wherever I need to work.

From the scraps, there are a few things that I have done. First, I made a fun headband. I cut out circles from the wool and used a stippling foot on my machine to sew them together. The same foot I use in my free motion quilting.
Here are the modern forms of a wool penny. It is fun to create with things little joys.
I cut a strip from the black sweater for the body of the headband and handstitched the pennies to it.

I am so happy with this. With not alot of time to spend on my hair, at least this little wonder will help dress my doo up.

Using the same concept, I worked on a brooch for the first time. I am hooked!
I did cheat a bit on this and the hairband, I dug into my scraps for the reds. So in all honesty I used more than three sweaters in these projects.

Here are the steps for the brooch...

Oops, that is not wool! But they sure do help! My Coleman made up a batch of chocolate chip cookies for us...YUM! Nothing better to spur on the imagination.
Play around with the pennies and figure out how you want them arranged. I hand stitch them together.
Here is a picture of the back. Now even though you will not see the back of the brooch, it is still a good idea to back it with one solid piece of fabric. Not only does it give it a cohesive look to it, it also stabalizes the entire piece.
I pinned the brooch to a scrap piece of the back wool and top stitched it. I also added some leaves to the brooch in this step.
Next cut off the excess black wool.
Here is the finished back. Last you just need to sew on a brooch pin. Yeah!

Of course there are a few other goodies that can be made from felted wool, pillows, coffee cozies, coasters, etc. Happy felting!!!!

MY JOSIE IS EIGHT TODAY!!

THIS JUST ABOUT SAYS IT ALL...THE LONG AWAITED BUNNY HAS ARRIVED. JOSLYN HAS BEEN ASKING FOR A BUNNY FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW. JOSLYN ADORES ALL KINDS OF ANIMALS AND WANTS TO BE A VET WHEN SHE GROWS UP. SO MATT MANAGED TO BUILD A HUTCH AND SNEAK IN A BUNNY TUESDAY NIGHT THAT I KEPT HIDDEN IN MY LAUNDRY ROOM UNTIL THIS MORNING!! I THINK MATT AND I WERE ALMOST AS EXCITED AS JOSIE AS WE IMAGINED HER RESPONSE WHEN WE BROUGHT IN THE BUNNY. SO "THUMPER" IS THE NEW ADDITION TO OR CLAN. HE JOINS 6 GUINEE PIGS, ONE BETA AND TWO HERMIT HERMIT CRABS:).

Joslyn had her favorite dessert-turtle cheesecake...
Whenever a birthday falls on a Wednesday or Thursday we celebrate in the later afternoon since Matt is gone in the evenings. So it is desert before dinner-isn't that what every kid wants anyways:)

Joslyn spent a good portion of her day on the phone with many many birthday calls from Grandmas and Grandpas and Aunts and Uncles. It was fun to hear her share about her day. Matt came and kidnapped her at lunch and took her on a lunch date.

God is so good and has created such a magical little lady in Joslyn. It is fun to spotlight her for the day . My life is so rich having her in my life. What a treat to wake up to her whistling each morning and great big hugs throughout the day. She shares her heart openly, laughs without reserve, finds humor in almost anything, senses when someone needs encouragement, and spends hours creating what is blossoming in her precious mind. A true gift to us.

TODAY'S SALE...

Each day I try to run a different sale in the shop. I am going to try to make sure I begin to post the sale here as well. So, today in the shop, all of the reclaimed and upcycled bed linens are 25% off. You can view the details in the shop announcements.

HAPPY SHOPPING!