Simplify - In Danger of Cute Box Overload

Recently I bought a recipe binder for the recipes we print off of the internet. It came is a beautiful box decorated with strawberries. Strawberries are one of my favorite motifs, so I wanted to keep the box to cut it up for some purpose. However, it suddenly occurred to me that it is probably the right shape and size to package up a plate that I have been needing to send overseas for some time. The plate needs to be double boxed, but I was having trouble getting a box for the inner one that would be close to the same size as the plate and help stabilize it in the bigger box when surrounded by packing materials. I resigned myself to the probability that I will use it for that and, after all, it's a good use of it!

Do you have a problem with wanting to save cute or useful boxes that come in the mail or with products inside of them? I don't know if anyone else here does, but I do. I am always thinking that a box "could be useful" or is too pretty or sturdy or generally "useful" to just put it in the trash. Thankfully, Dana K. White at A Slob Comes Clean has the same issue. She also has a useful solution that can really help in dealing with these things.

Enjoy! :-)

I have no control over ads or suggestions.

A Simple Denim Rag Quilt

Photo property of Simple Inspirations.

Here is a link to instructions for a simple denim rag quilt. This is posted at the blog of "Sister in the Mid-West" - Simple Inspirations.

Denim Rag Quilt

This quilt is a good way to use up denim scraps, old clothing, and other fabric scraps as well. I'm not sure, but I think you could make this with corduroy in place of the denim, although, that might get a bit messy, and you might not want the super bulky types. :-)

Cheap, Pretty, and Good - Gift Wrapping Ideas

 

Although gift bags are all the fashion these days and are great for reusing, some of us still like wrapped gifts upon occasion. :-) But wrapping paper can be expensive. Here are some ideas for making do or using less expensive methods.

Here are some ideas from "Sister in the Mid-West" at Simple Inspirations:

Cheap and Creative Gift Wrapping Paper

Among a number of good ideas, she shows an example of writing on paper to decorate it for gift warp. The image above is an example of this that I made some years back. I used my colored Sharpie markers to write "I love you!" in different colors on plain white tissue paper. This was for my husband for our anniversary one year. :-) As she points out in her blog post, you can save paper from packages and reuse paper grocery bags for this as well.

You could also make the wrapping part of the gift. 

Here are some suggestions:

Wrap a gift for a sewist or crafter in fabric for her to keep.

Wrap bridal shower gifts or a gift for a home maker in kitchen or tea towels.

Wrap a baby shower gift in a light weight fleece blanket.

Wrap a summer birthday gift in a beach towel.

Wrap a house warming gift in a fleece throw or table cloth.

Wrap a set of bed sheets in one of the pillow cases or an extra pillow case.

Wrap various home gifts in a pillow case.

Wrap a kid's birthday gift in a specialty pillow case.

Wrap books in a lap throw (for cozy reading). :-)

These gifts can be held closed with safety pins, ribbon, or low-tack tape that won't ruin the fabrics.

Repurpose jeans or other trousers to make gift bags too.

I have made gift bags using old jeans. I used ones that had the hem still intact, but you could use trimmed ratty ones as well. If the jeans are worn too much around the bottom edge try cutting off the hem and washing them to give a frayed edge to work with. Do this before cutting off the legs for the bags. The hem end will be the top edge of the bag.

To make the bags I just cut the bottoms of the legs off below the knee at whatever length I wanted. I turned the pant legs wrong side out and then sewed them shut along the cut edge. Be sure to use a stout needle size for this. Also, it may be difficult to get the machine to sew through the thickest side seam on the jeans. To avoid breaking a needle I used the wheel on the side and gently worked it by hand so that the needle went through slowly and firmly. You could also sew these up by hand if you don't have a sewing machine. Add decorations as you like. In the one in the photo I added a ribbon on one side to tie the bag shut and some "yo-yos" just to pretty it up a bit. You could also paint them with fabric paint.

-------

While I was looking for another photo I found this one of that white tissue gift wrap that I wrote on years ago. :-) 

Also, this basket came to me from my mother and she received it as a gift. The lady who gave it to her spray painted it blue, as I recall, to make it fresh. This is another way you can repurpose or re-gift a basket. A little paint can make something look quite new. 

Sew Happy Friday - A Tutorial for Memory Projects with Jenny Doan

Here is a tutorial from the Missouri Star Quilt Co. where Jenny Doan teaches how to make some memory quilt items with your loved one's clothing. There is also instructions for a simple pillow to make with a shirt. I suggest putting a pillow form inside rather than stuffing it directly with the poly-fiber filling because then you can take the outside cover off and wash it (it is made from a shirt, after all).

Also, remember that a lot of ties are not washable, so you may wish to make a wall hanging rather than a table runner if the ones you are working with require dry cleaning. Table runners used on the dining room table are more likely to get dirty and need to be cleaned.

This would be a nice way to use up clothing that you no longer use that still has a lot of wear in it as well. If you have some things that you especially like that you can't or don't wear any more, you could make a memory quilt of your own (or any family member's) clothing.

Fabrics that cannot be ironed are not a good idea for this project.

Cheap, Pretty and Good - DIY Tin Can Lanterns

Photo property of DIY & Craft Ideas

These tin can lanterns would be fun and pretty for summer nights outside, either eating or visiting.  You could make them useful by using citronella candles to keep the mosquito away, I suppose - assuming those things actually work. (I've never tried them.)

This site offer very simple instructions.  Pay attention to the instructions about filling them with water and freezing them as this would help to keep the cans in shape. :-)

DIY Tin Can Lanterns at DIY & Craft Ideas

"This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine...
Let it shine till Jesus comes, I'm going to let it shine."

Sew Happy Friday - Two Ways to Make Pretty Tote Bags

Since so many places are not allowing the use of plastic bags, it's nice to be able to make your own tote bags from inexpensive materials.  These two tutorials have some fun and fairly easy methods for doing that.

Photo property of Btez White.

Here is a great little tutorial on how to use an ordinary, boring tote bag as the lining and handles of a pretty tote in your choice of fabric.  This would also be a good way to make a stained or discolored tote look good again.

Tote Tricks 

Betz White tells us how to do this, and it is pretty simple stuff - if your tote doesn't have a box bottom.

At the end of the tutorial Betz says that you can do this with box bottom totes as well but, in thinking about it, I'm pretty sure you'd need to add some extra fabric to the top if you are going to box the bottom.  This might take some math so as not to end up with a shortage at the top edge.
Instructions on how to make boxed corners.

I don't have any totes to recover at the moment, but it would be an option to buy inexpensive, plain totes and use them for this purpose.

Here is a place where you may be able to find some inexpensive totes if you want to make a selection for yourself, for gifts or to use as gift bags for "wrapping" presents.  Be sure to pay attention to what how they are made.  Some of the totes here look like the flimsier "press fabric" that is not woven, but some kind of plastic product.  If you want real fabric, make sure to find some that are made that way.

--------------

Photo property of The Sewing Dork.

Here is a tutorial from The Sewing Dork on how to upcycle a thrift store pillow case (or  one inherited or that you don't use) into a reusable grocery bag.  You can also use fabric that you already own, which is even better since you won't be spending any more money. :-)

Note: the pocket is totally not necessary.  Skip it if you don't want the hassle.

Card Making: Save the Used Christmas Cards

I like card making.  I haven't done nearly enough of it for a long time now, so this year I want to try to get back to it.  It is very enjoyable and refreshes my creativity, I think. :-)  Plus, they don't have to take very long and when you're done you have a handmade card to give someone.

Since we're just past the holiday season, I wanted to talk about recycling holiday cards into other greeting cards.  Even those of us who don't celebrate Christmas sometimes receive cards that are recyclable, so this applies to everyone.

First of all, check the envelope. Sometimes they are lined with really nice gold or metallic paper that can be used to cut out smaller pieces.  Also check both the envelope and the card for background prints that could be used for another purpose.  Then notice if there are features, parts of or whole pictures that you can cut out which won't be necessarily "Christmassy".

The card above is one that I made by cutting out just one section of a Christmas card and an edge.  I trimmed along the graphic to give it the flowing look and then added a strip from the edge of the card. Finally, I added hand drawn art work that would compliment the recycled graphic.  This card made a nice winter birthday card (and it was one of my favorites, too, I might add).

This card was made from a Christmas card also, as far as I can recall.  I cut out the picture of the pine trees and added it to a blue card.  The decoration along the bottom was made by cutting white paper or velum on both edges with decorative scissors.  As you can see I had a little trouble with it, but this is a recycle project, and isn't about being perfect. :-)  You can make different looks depending on where you place the scissors as you start to cut.

I also made the snow sparkle by "painting" glitter glue on just the snow areas of the picture, which you can see better in this picture.

One thing I do recommend when making cards from recycled photos is that you write on the back that it is a "recycled design."  This way people will know that you are using someone else's photography. I'd also be careful about reselling things like this.  It would be good to check about laws and rules relating to copyright before selling much like that. :-)  I'm not familiar with such things myself as I never sell my cards - so far.

Upcycle An Old Dress Into A Maxi Skirt

Here is a neat tutorial from Rebekah at Verdant Bents, showing how she transformed an old wedding dress from a thrift shop into a maxi skirt.  This is a great idea and could be used for anything from everyday skirts to formal or church clothing.  You could even make a skirt for a wedding ensemble. (Yes, some ladies wear skirts for their weddings.  I am one of them.) :-)  You also could use this on a dress you own that you no longer wear but you still would like it as a skirt.

Tutorial: Turn an old dress to a maxi skirt

Photo property of Rebekah Markewich, Verdant Bents.

How Polyester Is Made

Last Friday we learned how Polyester Fleece is made.  This week we’re learning how polyester fabric itself is made from plastic bottles.  Polyester becomes many things besides fleece.  Some of them are used often in sewing and crafts.  It is mixed with cotton in some fabrics to reduce wrinkling.  It is made into a number of other types of fabrics as well.  It is made into threads and yarns of various types.

Did you know that some people are intolerant of wearing polyester on their skin?  I am one of them.  I can wear it only in limited amounts.  My dad used to tune pianos and he had a customer who told the horrible story of how his wife developed a terrible intolerance or allergy to polyester after wearing in constantly for some years.  Her whole body broke out in a bad rash and it really affected her health.  At the time my dad met them she was having to wear only clothing made from all natural fibers.  Recycling plastic is a worthy cause, but the fibers God created are the best after all is said and done. :-)

How Fleece Is Made

Here’s an interesting video that explains how fleece is made.  Did you know that it is partly recycled bottles? :-)



Next Friday we’ll find out how they make the polyester from plastic bottles! :-)

Hard Questions – Who Is Polluting the Environment?

 

Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

The Problem

There are a lot of people who are all worked up about pollution (of the earth and in food sources), global warming, endangered "species", and so on. Because almost all of them start with an evolutionary perspective, and some with a "mother earth" religious view, they miss the root cause of the problems and so cannot offer a truly useful solution.

Now it's true that some of their "problems" are highly exaggerated or not even real. Some of them are genuine, though, and sometimes they have been able to bring about changes that improve the situation. The Industrial Revolution was marked by rampant polluting in Europe and America, which generated dangerous smog, waterways, etc. This has been true at other times and places as well. Some of these messes have been cleaned up remarkably; but it's a curious thing that for all the progress that is made, on a regular basis some new and horrible polluting or abuse of God's creation comes to light.

Continue Reading

Sew Happy Saturday – Organizing to See what You Have

 

Here is one way to organize some of those loose bits and pieces in the sewing room.  This can be done by recycling or reusing large plastic jars or tubs which came with food in them.  My husband likes to buy pretzels at Costco (warehouse store), so they come in large quantities – meaning they also come in large containers which happen to be clear plastic.  Be forewarned, though – pickle or sauerkraut jars might make your finery and fabric smell, well…odd. :-)  It’s hard to get some smells out.

(No, those fabric scraps are not perfectly organized by color.) :-)

One nice thing about this method of storage is that it’s easier to see what you have at hand, and find just the right scrap, width of ribbon or eyelet that you want.  You could also store other items such as zippers, bias tape, etc.  Buttons could be separated by color into smaller jars.

A word of warning:  If you have a sunny sewing room, or if you have florescent lights that you use often, and you cannot close the containers away in a closet or other dark storage area, I don’t recommend this method.  Light will fade colored fabrics, ribbons, laces, etc. 

Sew Happy Saturday – Vintage Handwork Recycled Into An Apron

 

Here is a cute little apron that a friend of mine has hanging in her kitchen.

This apron was made using a vintage embroidered dresser scarf/table runner that had been spoiled by at least one stain.  The lady who made this cut the dresser scarf up, pieced it together avoiding or covering the stains, added a few embellishments (crocheted butterflies – which might be covering spots), and added ties.  Isn’t it a cute way to use up an old marred piece?  Really the embroidery on it is too beautiful to throw away, so this was a great way to recycle it.  My friend thought it too pretty to wear, so she made this sweet arrangement including a vintage crocheted potholder, a wooden spoon, and an old family recipe for biscuits. :-)

Do you have a piece of vintage embroidery or handwork that has been marred with a stain?  Maybe you could figure out a way to transform it into something “new”.  It’s a great way to shop your own stuff.  I have an old pillowcase with some lovely embroidery along the edge that I’d like to recycle into another project – a sofa cushion cover, worked into a quilt or garment…something.  If I get it done I’ll try to remember to post about it. :-)

Sew Happy Saturday – Recycling A Book for A String Quilt

 

Some time back I bought a book on the history of food.  I didn’t get very far into the book before I came across something rather basic that I knew historically was totally inaccurate.  Usually when I’m reading an informative book and something like that happens, I discard the book because I figure if I can’t trust them to get something fairly basic or well known right then there are probably other things I don’t know about that are inaccurate too. 

Well, here was a useless book which I could have thrown away, but I happened to notice that the paper was of the sort that would tear somewhat easily.  As some of you know, I’ve been trying to shop my own stuff – to reuse and repurpose things I have rather than buying.  So, it occurred to me that this might be useful for paper piecing.  The pages were a little small for my style (smaller than a phone book), but they weren’t smudgy, so I decided to give it a go. 

It worked out quite well, I thought.

For this block I made the piece of paper square.  I put a yellow strip in the middle and built it out on each side.  (I’ll give a link to show you how to do this.)  I did draw some lines to help myself line the first strip up, but this may not be necessary.

I trimmed it down to the size of the paper (use scissors or a rotary cutter) and then I tore the paper off the back.  You can see that it came off in decent sized pieces without much trouble.

Normally, for constructing a quilt, I wouldn’t take the paper off till I was ready to sew the edges together, or perhaps even till after I’d sewed the squares together.  These strips are running at an angle and on most or all of them the bias is on the edge.  In this case, it might be better to sew the squares together with the paper intact.

This is a great way to use up scraps.  You might make it totally scrappy and sew the pieces on in random patterns, or you could make all the center strips of one color and make a “secondary” pattern with them based on how you put them together.  You could also border every square or you could put four together and border them to make blocks.  The options are limited only by your imagination. :-)

Here is a picture of a beautiful string quilt made in a similar manner.  (I don’t know if she used paper.) 

Here is a video showing how to do this.  Quilting with Scraps – Make the String Quilt!  This is done by Jenny Doane and the Missouri Star Quilt Company.  She is selling the papers for this project, but you can certainly do it on any paper that is of a good tearing quality. 

If you don’t have a book you want to dedicate to this project and you don’t want to pay for the 10” squares she’s selling, you might look for a book at a second hand store or yard sale.  Of course, you won’t be able to actually tear to paper to see if it will tear well, but a cheap paper back with that roughish kind of paper that you probably know from experience tears easily is what you’re looking for.  I bought a larger book for this purpose at a used book store.  It is an outdated study aid for an art test and is probably about 8X10” in size.

With this method you are making the quilt according to your own specifications, so you can make a 1/4” seam allowance on the edges when you trim the blocks, or you can just cut it at the edge of the paper as I did.  You can also leave the pages their original size.  I’ve started another scrap quilt idea using the pages from the smaller book and I’m using them at their original size and shape.  (Hopefully I will show you what I’m making at some point.  It is also a project designed to use up scraps.)

Sew Happy Saturday: Make An Apron – Links

 

This picture of my mom was taken several years ago.
Isn’t she cute in her apron and slip on “tennies”? :-)

Here are some links to help you make your own apron.  Whether you want a video tutorial, a written tutorial, or you want to find a pattern and need tips there should hopefully be something here to help you.  Some even repurpose/reuse old shirts!

Disclaimer on some content of some pages – as usual.

How to Make And Apron – A large collection of varied information here.

Dishtowel Apron written tutorial

Dishtowel Apron video tutorial PART 1 – with Jenny at Missouri Star Quilt Company
Dishtowel Apron video tutorial PART 2

Dress Shirt to Kid’s Apron

Adult Apron from a dress shirt PART 1
Adult Apron from a dress shirt PART 2

Make-do Apron – PDF pattern

Shop Your Own Stuff – The Corner of the Living Room

 

You will hopefully remember that I’ve been doing a sub-series in the Laying Aside Weights theme by challenging us to “shop your own stuff”.  This post is a demonstration of how I tried to do that to improve a corner of our living room.  I know a lot of us have corners like this around our houses – maybe more than one.  This is not a T.V. reality show, so expect anything too stunning. :-)  Still, I hope you enjoy reading about it.

A year or so ago we rearranged our living room.  The corner by the T.V. had the walking machine in it, and I was ready to get it out of our sitting area.  Partly this was just to make a little more seating, but also, it would make the bookshelf there more accessible and make the sitting area more pleasant looking.  So, the walking machine was moved kitty-corner from where it had been.  It is now in the computer area.  I added a wicker chair (which I already had) for seating and the books are more accessible.  But…..after it was done the corner was dark and lacking something.  Also, the window ledge that sticks out there from the kitchen didn’t seem to go well in the living room. 

In the spirit of this challenge to “shop your own stuff”, I decided to see what I could do.  Initially I wanted to put up some Oriental paper lights in the corner, but it seemed like a better use of money to use something we already had.  Plus, it challenged me to see what solution I could come up with.

Here is a short chronicle of how the corner has “evolved” so far. :-)

Before:

As you can see, this corner is also a “piling area” for stuff leaving the house – especially things going to one of the other two houses on our joint properties.  The large basket on the bookshelf is my “Out” basket, but at this point it was rather overflowing!  You can also see that the window ledge is rather odd.  I think they made that wide ledge on the living room side for serving food – I assume.  Also, the cushions in the chair do not match.

The ledge décor didn’t look actually bad, but it wasn’t great either.  I didn’t think there was a good transition into the living room.  It was more in keeping with the kitchen.  The artificial marigolds in the vase just lacked something.

From the kitchen side looking into the living room:

Again, it wasn’t terrible, but it felt cluttered to me.

Some improvement:

Ok, this isn’t entirely an improvement, but it was better.  I worked on the window ledge and now there is a barrier between the kitchen side and the living room side.  This was partially accomplished by adding the wind harp on the edge and also removing the marigolds so that their orange heads weren’t “interrupting” so much.

The most significant change, of course is the hanging light!  Yay! :-)  Now we can sit here and read, and also anyone sitting there in the evening while visiting doesn’t have to sit in a dark corner.

The shade was something I got out of the garage “store” – actually it came from my dad’s collection of 1950’s items (which he’d planned to resell, but which hasn’t happened so far.  Thankfully, he’s just happy to see the stuff used).  The cord to hang it did cost us somewhere around $13 at a hardware store.  We could’ve gotten something cheaper, but the shade would then have been hard to use.  This particular hanger is designed in such a way that you can use a normal table lamp shade on it!  What a handy gadget. :-)  It served our purposes very well.

Here’s a closer look at the living room side of the window ledge.  I like it better.  I’m also glad to get this beautiful piece out of the pile, I mean “store”, so that it can be seen.  This wind harp was made for my family by a good friend who is now with the Lord.  It is a beautiful piece of workmanship and has a good message, and is a sweet reminder of our friend – an A+ item.

From the kitchen side:

I really like the berries in the basket a lot better than the flowers!  Also, this seems less cluttered to me.  I’m not sure yet what I’m going to store in the cute strawberry jar my sister-in-law got for me, but I really like it. :-)  I usually keep my drinking glass on the stone coaster.  It’s nice because it keeps the liquid off of the wood.  Of course, the fresh rose was only temporary.

More progress:

This is a more recent shot of the corner.  I had originally thought I would make a new cover for the rose pillow in the back of the chair, but after moving that green cushion from another part of the house to replace the red and white misfits, I realized that it was a perfect color match and that I didn’t need to recover the back cushion!  Yay!  Another unnecessary project eliminated. :-)

Another addition here that I really like is the two baskets on the end of the bookshelf (right).  I’m sorry they don’t show up better in the picture.  In rummaging around in the garage “store”, I found these African baskets that I think came from my grandmother.  They work great for easy access storage near the door.  The larger one is holding our winter hats, gloves, etc. The smaller one has not been designated for anything yet.  I’m really happy with them because they look decorative, but they supply some needed storage and reduce clutter.  In central Texas we don’t need hats and gloves every single winter day, so I know exactly where those only-occasionally-needed winter items are. :-)

The dog’s winter rug is laying there still waiting for repairs.  I do need to get that done and out of there.  Sigh.

I plan to make some more changes here eventually.  I would like to get the guitar stored somewhere else since it is almost never, ever used.  I also have an idea for putting a curtain on the bookshelf because I don’t like the black, I think it will look neater, and also it will improve the overall décor of the living room.  But, we’ll see.  That may be one of those abandoned projects. :-)  I’ll try to make a later update if/when I make more progress on shopping our stuff to improve this corner.

Shop Your Own Stuff – Bringing the Outside In

If you’ve read the previous posts in this series, you know that I am making an effort to inspire myself and others to “shop your own stuff” instead of always thinking that buying is the solution.  It is a challenge to improvise and think outside the box a bit.  In this post I’m really talking about thinking outside – as in going outdoors to “shop” for things. :-)

Of course, fresh garden flowers, fruit and vegetables are obvious ways to “decorate” by bringing the outside in.

My sister-in-law made an interesting bookend out of a piece of limestone she found. She intends to find another one so she can have two “matching” limestone bookends. :-) (We have lots of limestone on our property here in central Texas!)  To do this it’s recommended to clean off excess dirt, bake the stone to kill any critters and, if you’re placing it directly on a wood surface, you may want to place a piece of felt or thick cloth under it or attach self-sticking felt pieces on the bottom.  As you can see in the photo, my sister-in-law tacked a throw to the wall behind the books and rock, folded it down to protect the top of the bookshelf, then ran it behind the shelves to protect the wall as well.

Rocks also make great door stops.  An addition of felt may again be needed to protect you floor.  If you want something colorful, paint it with an interesting design.  Use your God-given creativity.

More ideas for shopping the outdoors –

Use larger shallow seashells for soap or candy dishes.

A piece of drift wood becomes a coat and hat rack when attached to the wall and with hooks added. My dad went to a sawmill once and got a number of the outside cuts of wood – the pieces with the bark still on them. I don’t recall what they charged him, but it was scrap, so it wasn’t much.  He selected trees that didn’t have extremely rough bark. He used these to cover the open area by a stairway to make it safe for small children. He screwed the pieces on with the bark side out toward the lower hall and the cut side in towards the stairs. Then he screwed hooks into each piece on the bark side to make a long row of coat hooks (something very useful in northern climates, especially if you have large groups in your home regularly). I wish I had a picture of it; it was a very unique and interesting solution to two needs.

You can make all kinds of art out of driftwood as well.

If you need bookshelves and you have a pile of old bricks or cinder blocks (see number 2 on this page), you may be able to work them into something useful with some leftover shelves or wood planks.  It’s important in this project to use wood that is sturdy enough to bear the weight of books, and also that it not be cut in long pieces, unless you add extra supports in the middle.  Paint, contact paper, leftover wall paper, and even fabric “skirts” can dress these shelves (and bricks) up and make them more presentable if you don’t like the “rustic” look. :-)

For décor, don’t forget the flowers.  There are a number of flowers that can be dried to make attractive floral displays, making your flower garden do double duty for you. They can make a nice alternative to buying artificial flowers.  There are several ways to dry them, including pressing them for various flat art.  I’ve even spray painted the centers of Echinacea (purple cone flowers).  I used them once in the rich brown they were to start with (petals removed), and then later when they got kind of dusty, I cleaned them off (use a soft, dry paint brush), spray painted them gold and used them again. :-)  I had a friend who collected and dried pepper grass from near their house, painted it with red, white and blue spray paints, and made some really pretty little arrangements for her country style kitchen.  Hydrangeas make an interesting and somewhat impressive dried flowers.  Strawflowers (pictured above) are, in my opinion, one of the easiest flowers to grow for dried flowers, and they are so colorful both in the garden and dried.

Of course, autumn foliage can make lovely decorations too in areas that have the vibrant color changes.  Two comments regarding this link: 1. Be sure to put water in the vase when using cut fall foliage otherwise it will wilt or shrivel. 2. Dream catchers are an instrument of American Indian spiritism and we do not recommend using them in any shape or form.

There are many ways to use pressed leaves, pinecones, seed pods and acorns.  For using acorns or other nuts for décor, I recommend baking them at a low temperature (150F) for 45 minutes to kill critters inside.  Just don’t let them burn.  If you don’t do this those critters may eventually decide to come out and your décor may be ruined or marred.

I had a friend whose family had lived in the same area where she lived for many years.  She found the old spot where they had dumped their trash and garbage years and years ago.  She rescued some brightly colored old glass bottles and possibly some other artifacts to use in her décor.  It added some nostalgia along with it in that case. :-)

What other ideas can you come up with?  Challenge yourself to think of ways to “shop” outside.  You might be surprised at what you find.  (Note: Do make sure you’re allowed to carry things away from the area where you’re “shopping” if it’s not your own property.  For example: National Parks and historic areas may not allow you to carry things away – even rocks.)

Shop Your Own Stuff – Storage and Organizing Potential

If you read the previous post in this series, you will remember that I’ve been challenging us to “shop our own stuff” more instead of buying something every time we have a need, or imagine that we do.  These suggestions are things that I’d already done, but they show the possibilities.

------------------

Repurposing things has been a habit in my family for years.  My dad was especially proficient at it.  I still remember his overhead storage area for screws, nails, washers and various small bits.  He took a lot of baby food jars (which were available in our home at that time) and screwed the lids to a board, leaving enough room to grab the jars.  Then he attached the board to the ceiling of our pantry/storage area, filled the jars with the small items and screwed them to the lids.  If you needed something in that line, all you had to do was look up and you could quickly see which jar you needed, unscrew it and retrieve you items.  It was a clever storage solution, and out of reach of little hands. :-)

Mugs make great pen and pencil holders. We have more mugs than we need, so I have several serving this purpose now. They not only keep things in one spot, they have a built-in, easy relocation system. If you are concerned about sharp or heavy objects (such as scissors) hitting the bottom and breaking the mug, simply trace the bottom of the mug onto one or two pieces of craft foam or cardboard. Cut inside the lines, then trim the circles down to fit the bottom of the mug to reduce the risk of breakage.

By the way, this is something that was a result of the “Get Rid of Fifty Things” challenge.  Not only did I get a mug out of our crowded cupboard, but I also got rid of a tin can that I had long been intending to cover with fabric or contact paper.  The mug looks nice, and using it saved me from covering the can – so I abandoned an unnecessary project too. :-)

An extra large Altoids® tin makes a great holder for paper and pencils in the game drawer.  You could repurpose some other type candy box.

(A good idea if you live where there are spiders or scorpions – keep garden gloves in a sealed plastic bag or jar. That way when you go to put them on you can be sure they are critter-free.)

Plastic containers (a lot of these came from peanuts and pretzels purchased in bulk), can be repurposed for organizing and storage instead of buying a lot of “perfect” boxes ($$$) like the professional decorators/organizers do. In certain situations I do buy containers because this method wouldn’t work, but in the above situations it was fine.

An old suitcase or trunk, with or without a coat of paint, can serve as decorative storage, or even a coffee table. We use an old trunk of my grandparents’ as our coffee table/foot-rest/sometimes-seat and it also stores most of our games and puzzles.  My brother and sister-in-law did the same thing with a newer trunk of theirs (pictured above).  The great thing about this is you don’t have to worry about bangs and bumps from the kiddoes’ toys or adults’ shoes because it’s already “rustic”. ;-)

I bought this popcorn tin on clearance, but you may have one left from a holiday gift.  I use mine to store the garbage bags right next to the kitchen bin so it’s quick and easy to reline it, but looks nice at the same time.  It would work well for other storage purposes also – maybe cookie cutters or canning supplies.

You can also reuse tins like this to make gift “baskets” or to pass on food gifts to others.  Just be sure to put the food in food safe bags or containers.

Hopefully this gives you some more ideas of ways to shop your own things.  I hope you enjoy the challenge and the opportunity to be inventive with me. :-)

Shop Your Own Stuff – Another Perspective On Repurposing, Recycling and Saving Money

[Please see more links for this series below the article.]

This series is a off-shoot of the Laying Aside Weights series that I’m running this year.  The last post in that series was a little heavy, so I wanted to do something lighter this week. :-)

In an effort to rethink and reorganize some things, I “stumbled” across this idea and it inspired me.  I hope you like it as well.

My husband and I have a garage full of stuff.  Some of it belongs to us. Some of it belongs to my brother and sister-in-law who live next door.  Much of it belongs to my parents who downsized a few years ago and also live next door to us.  Some of it belonged to my grandparents who are now with the Lord.  And, amazingly enough, even my brother in Australia has stuff stored in our garage.  Yeah, I know.  What?  [That last one is a long story, which partly involved his marrying an Aussie and leaving the U.S. on relatively short notice, presumably to be followed later by his stuff.  But, life plays funny tricks on us all sometimes and the stuff is still here, though he’s long since settled over there. :-) And, yes, I do have a plan in mind for working on this, at least to some degree.]

Anyway, you get the picture.  We have a lot of stuff out there.  Some of it is obviously not up for grabs, but between our stuff and my parents’ “leftovers” and my grandparents’ “left-behinds” there is quite a lot of potential.  My local sister-in-law has observed that digging through stuff out there is like opening gifts, and I think she has mentioned that it’s like going shopping.  It’s true too.

Awhile back I saw a blog post somewhere in cyber space, in which the author suggested the concept of “shopping our own stuff”.  She wanted a better furniture arrangement for their bedroom, and in looking around her own home realized she had a perfect solution in a dresser that her son was leaving behind when he left for college.  With a little TLC it suited her purpose exactly and cost her little to nothing, whereas a new or even used dresser would have meant spending money.

As you may know, I like to repurpose and recycle things (in the old sense of recycle, not the modern “save the earth” fad).  I also like “cheap” solutions – sometimes to my husband’s pleasure and sometimes to his chagrin.  Ahem.  Consequently, this lady’s experience and the memory of my sister-in-law’s comments have inspired me to not only continue something I was already doing, but to challenge myself to see what we already have that I could “make do” in place of buying something – to “shop our own stuff”. :-)  I admit, I have room to improve; however, I have found it not only to be a money saver, but also entertaining and challenging to my thinking. 

And, somehow I also feel that it’s in keeping with 1 Corinthians 7:31,  And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.  Sometimes I think we Christians abuse our abilities in this world by running after things in the same fashion that this world tends to do, rather than working within the means God has given us in the things we already have at hand.

I’ve been working on a corner of our living room in particular and have made a little progress that I’m happy about.  I intend to share that with you at some point (when it’s more finished), but for today I want to pass on some other ideas which may help you get interested in this too. 

First off, this is something that I hope to do in our dining room.  We have an eclectic mix of blue and white dinnerware, and since I have some quite pretty blue and white collector plates, I was thinking that, whenever I can lay my hands on them again (yeah, they’re lost in the garage, I mean “store”), I’d like to use them like this - Plates as wall art.  I also have two or three plates that would look quite pretty in the bedroom.  Yes, why not think a little outside the box while we’re at it? :-)  I found plate hangers at Amazon.com and they weren’t too expensive, but if I can find what I want at a better price locally I’ll probably go that route.

Do you have a fireplace that you don’t use?  This is a simple way to make it look more attractive, and if you’re a candle person, you probably have what you need already.  Kids a safety issue?  Scrounge up an old fire screen to put in front of it if you don’t already have one.  Give it a coat of paint if it looks bad.  It doesn’t need to be heat proof for this, so painting it is OK.  (Btw – Double your light effect by putting an unused mirror behind the candles.)

My dad made my mom a large sewing table once by attaching a large closet door to the back of a long dresser.  It was great for cutting out patterns and spreading sewing projects out!  Here is a desk made from a closet door.

I like this idea as well: Turning CD cases into picture frames for wall art.  I will have to see if I can free up some our nicer jewel cases as this would also make nice flat wall art for those areas that are just a bit crowded – like our tiny second bathroom.  You could also use this to display your kids’ art, and it would be easy to swap it out from time to time. Use magnet strips on the back to make it into fridge art. :-) This also would be an interesting way to display pressed flowers and leaves glued to plain parchment or paper.  And, you could switch out your art based on the seasons.  (If you’re into seasonal décor, that is.  I have a dresser  – posing as a buffet  – where I put seasonal displays.)

Here is a dresser impersonating a buffet in our dining room.
This was a “leftover” from my parents. :-)

I’m sure you have possibilities among your own stuff that you could repurpose or reuse in some way.  If nothing else, when the urge to change your décor comes up, think about rearranging what you already have rather than going out and buying new things.  It’s amazing how something that is “tired” in one spot will look better when swapped out with something in another part of the house.

More in this series:

Shop Your Own Stuff – Storage and Organizing Potential

Shop Your Own Stuff – Bringing the Outside In

Shop Your Own Stuff – Shop Your Own Photos

Shop Your Own Stuff – The Corner of the Living Room

A Modest Proposal – Rethinking Gift Giving for the New Year

 

Do you have a lot of stuff?  I don’t mean the things you use on a regular basis, or that are there to make your home look pretty.  I mean the stuff that is lurking in the garage, under the bed, in closets, perhaps in the attic or basement – the things that fall out on your head, keep you from finding the back of the closet, and make it impossible to park the car out of the weather.  I mean the things that you don’t use any more, that are not family heirlooms, and maybe you don’t even remember that you own!  That’s the stuff I mean…

A Modest Proposal

Go to my web page to read the rest of this article.  It got too long and I wanted to develop it too much to make it work well for the blog, so I moved it over there. :-)  I hope that it will interest you.  It should help us with our organizing efforts at the same time!  It’s always great to kill two birds with one stone.