Vintage Sheets Solution To Small Space Storage.....Hang In There... This is a Long Post...

Maybe you have been there too, wanting to pare down, wanting to get rid of excess, wanting to want less, need less, be content. For me, being the mom of 5, homeschooler, keeper of a small army of pets, creative recycler, and home- "cozy"-maker, means that that is an ongoing lesson with ever-changing perameters. I have found that even after being generous with the garbage can and donations, being careful with choosing what makes it through the front door, there is still a struggle to find storage in a small space. Every once in awhile, I have a success, and AHA! moment and I enjoy getting the chance to pass it on from one, mom -in -practice, to another. And maybe this is not even a solution that you may need but it may just evoke an AHA! moment of your own!

So, here is the back story to how this solution came about. We adopted our dog Ellie almost a year ago now. She was a true blessing from the Lord. It was amazing how she seemed to slip her way in without any upset, adjustment, or frustration. As a matter fact, you probably would have never known she came to us as a 6 year old mama dog, she just "FIT" us. But we think she had been custom made just for us-thank you Lord-your creation is always good! Anyways, Ellie is a big old mama lab, that has a real adoration for comfort, which always gives us something to laugh about. After being a dog free home for sometime, I thought I was going to be quite strict about letting her on furniture, in the bed, etc. But, here you go...

Yep, we have spoiled her a bit, but oh how cozy she makes this home feel! So now that you have veiwed our entire family album-haha-let me get to the point.

We have a small, 3 bedroom, house for seven of us, some of you know that from previous posts. And the reason I mention it(often) is to hopefully be an encouragement to those of you sharing small spaces as well, and be hopefully sharing some useful solutions for making it work comfortably. Hopefully these will provide a few ideas for multi-functional uses of everyday things-or, not-so-everyday things that are still important to keep around. So, I had one of those ideas today. I had a few goals needed to be reached before the winter shut in starts. The odds and ends in the garage from summer projects and events needed to be stored before it is too cold to work out there, I needed to make some kind of dog bed for Ellie, because even though she is too cute cuddled up in our furntiture, she is wearing them out faster than all five kiddos put together, and I am attempting to finish some of my "unfinished" projects. And guess what, I was able to combine all 3 of those odd goals into one solution!! Curious yet!?

I took an unfinished quilt(it just needed to be bound-for like 3 years now) and yes, it was made from vintage sheets, big surprise:) and decided to turn it into the casing for the dog bed. Then to fill it(and here was a budget saver-not to mention a "need less" situation I mentioned earlier). I have some old comforters and quilts that are not being used for beds anymore, but we have kept them for summertime picnics, forts outside, etc. They take up a lot of room and having them sitting in the garage collecting dust, hasn't worked so well-so I used them to fill the oversized case. This will keep them stored and clean(I have some soft plastic garment bags that they will stay in while inside the dog bed slip cover) . And here you go with a few pictures of the process....

..................Here is the unfinished quilt I used in the project.

......................I folded the quilt in half and sewed it up like a pillowcase.

.................I used velcro to make the closure. I prefer sew in velcro, it handles best in the wash-which this will get a lot of.

Here is my stack of comforters needing a storage solution. They have become my filling for the dog bed.

And here is a perfect picture of success....

And when Ellie is not enjoying it, someone else will. I knew this project would have no shortage of attention. How about an afternoon nap in the sunshine:)

SECRET SALE....

I AM RUNNING ANOTHER SECRET SALE THIS MORNING! IT IS FOR 2 HOURS ONLY-10AM TO 12 NOON. TO QUALIFY FOR THE DISCOUNT, YOU MUST TYPE IN THE COUPON CODE "SECRETSALE35" -I WILL NOT BE REFUNDING DISCOUNTS, SO THE COUPON IS VERY IMPORTANT. EVERY PURCHASE WILL RECEIVE 35% OFF. HAPPY SHOPPING!!

WeEkEnD sALe-FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY....

The weekend sale is underway...

Every purchase is 25% off. Happy shopping!

Don't forget to get in on this week's giveaway...

Sitting at My Table....

It has been awhile since I have done any quilting. Bell's quilt for her birthday was the last time I sat down to do any quilting and after doing her quilt while we were away for our Anniversary, I have had a strong desire to get back to quilting a bit more. So many ideas to work out and such beautiful prints to combine. So, this past week I have stolen away little bits of time to get these quilt tops quilted. They are all smaller baby and toddler sized quilt tops making them manageable in small windows of time.

This first one is a combination of modern and vintage linens along with some beautiful modern quilting fabrics. The center floral panel was taken from a pillow sham I found while in Door County for our Anniversary. I was so taken with how well the new and old came together! And of course the dots add some fun.

The second is made completely from vintage bed linens. I just had to showcase the floral print with some retro stripes. The fabric speaks for itself!

And the third is similar to some I have done in the past. It uses some of my favorite happy bright scraps taken from clothing, linens, and vintage fabrics. I used a lemon striped bed linen for the longer strips.

Just need to bind all of these fun quilts now.

I have also finished this past weekend, a boy doll for Noah, which he has been asking for ever since Bell got her "Elizabeth" on Valentines Day. Joslyn has also been requesting a doll for just as long, so I have now done one for her as well. Both of them just make me giggle and seem to have a personality all their own. Looking forward to surprising them!

I Think I have a New Favorite Color...

Just finished another few brooches. The part that is the most fun about these, is the picking of the unique color combos. They all take on a life of their own when the colors get mushed together. No 2 are the same. Here is my new favorite. I think purple is my new favorite-too bad it is such an extremely hard color to find in old wool sweaters! Here is a peek at the new brooch.

A Little Late-BUT....

I have been "under the weather" most of this week, so my productivity has come in small "bursts". And it has come at a difficult time since we are still in the first weeks of being back to school around here as well. Allergy season has whooped my butt so to speak! Broncitis-again, same as last year this time. I thought with an early visit to the doctor this year, I could avoid it or minimize it at least, but today honestly had me in tears just simply because I felt so icky. Yesterday, despite how bad I felt, the kids really needed our morning walk before we started school, and it did feel good to be out in the fresh cool air, but I had to just keep praying for energy for that next step, and I thanked the Lord that neither of the wee ones asked to be carried at all. They seemed to have all the extra energy I was without;) and enjoyed running and hopping along. I managed to push through our morning and afternoon lessons, but as soon as school was finished, so was I. I camped out on the couch the rest of the evening and put the little ones to bed early. I watched some TV, although I can't remember what, talked with my dad on the phone and stocked the store with some new goodies, I thought about sitting at the machine, but just could not muster up the energy. Good to just sit for awhile. Anyways;)....

I realize it is just about dinner time, but I thought I would at least mention the sale today... It is the typical Thursday sale-Reclaimed bed Linens are on sale-20% off off any purchae of upcycled bed linens....

and after a very busy weekend, I did get quite a few new bundles listed throughout the week....

PJ's On A Budget ...

Like usual I have had a stack slowing growing in my studio of reclaimed Jersey bed sheets that I was intending for some pj bottoms for my little ones. Always good intentions but never enough time on the clock. But, we are about to take a crew up to camp in Michigan and are getting chance to stay for the week in a cozy little cabin, so, that has been my push to finally get some cuddlies made for the kids. I can hardly wait, slow pace, nature, chapels with hundreds of excited kids worshiping! Alright, back to the pants.

I am not a pattern sewer, and not normally a clothes maker, but every once in awhile I get inspired. I took the kids favorite pj bottoms and used them to draw out the patterns for each of them. That way, I knew they would turn out to be just how they like them.

Using jersey sheets are extremely inexpensive if you pick them up second hand. They are so comfy soft and easy to work with. You can even cheat and skip a few steps by using the hems on the sheets for the hems on the pants. I love shortcuts!

Here are some picks of one of the pairs I did for Joslyn.

Here is the sheet I began with.

I use a heavy recycled brown paper roll to draw out my patterns. I always date them and label who they were for.

All cut and ready to sew.

After I finished with them, I had her try them on to see if I needed to make any adjustments, she never took them off! Yeah, they were a success.

Wearinf these is like being in bed all day!

What To Do With Vintage Bed Linens-#2

I had to find a fun way to keep a small reminder of the fun prints I have found and passed on to customers or used in my creations. Our stairway to our basement is pretty drab and dark and for the time being and it will probably stay that way. I hate clutter and have a horrid time trying to concentrate in the midst of it, so I have not been able to bring myself to having a messy bulletin board up in our living space. Hiding that mess in the stairway since it is so close to the kitchen was a perfect compromise! I have taken varying sizes of cork board and foam board and covered them in random vintage flower power prints. It took a bit of puzzle piecing to arrange them, but that was fun. I had tried all kinds of sticky back tapes and adhesives but found that nailing them was the best solution. Now I have a whole side of my stairway to pin up important messages-but I have a confession to make! I can't bring myself to clutter it up-aughh! It looks too cool all by itself! My daughter Madison leaves tiny little notes taped everywhere and she was the first to break in the new bulletin board. I have left it and it is the lone sweet reminder. GOD MADE US.....