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! :-)

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Sew Happy Friday - Vintage Doilies Made into a Banner or Garland - Tutorial

Do you have vintage doilies that you like but don't enjoy having them out because they make extra work for you? Here is a clever way to make them into a banner that can be hung up for decoration. You could use this all the time, or you could use it for parties or celebrations. Do be sure to sew the cut edges very well so they don't come apart. :-)

Vintage Doily Banner

Thanks to Lauren at My Wonderfully Made for this pretty project.

Sew Happy Friday - Tutorial for A Tissue Holder

Photo property of Stephanie at The Enchanting Rose.

Here is a tutorial from Stephanie at The Enchanting Rose on how to make a super easy tissue holder from a vintage handkerchief. You could also use just a piece of fabric of your choice. I love vintage handkerchiefs, but I don't want the bother of washing them, so I don't use them. This is a very appropriate way to upcycle one, I think. :-)

Handkerchief Tissue Holder

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 - Tea Cup Candles

Do you have some cute or pretty tea cups you inherited that aren't worth all that much and you don't know what to do with them? Let's face it, some tea cups are pretty, but they aren't necessarily worth much, and if you don't use them or you have too many, they can become clutter. This tutorial shows how to make them into pretty candles so that they can actually serve a useful purpose and add ambiance to your home as well.

DIY Vintage Tea Cup Candles

Photograph property of Rhiannon Bosse.


I know, someone will probably object to this, saying that tea cups ought not to be "ruined" this way. Well, there are a lot of china tea cups floating around second hand stores because someone didn't have any use for them and donated them. If someone can find a use for their grandmother's tea cups as candles, why not? And, the tea cups don't necessarily have to be ruined by this usage either. Oh, another thought - these would make cute gifts too, and if you don't have tea cups, you could probably find some at the second hand shops I mentioned. :-)

Also, note that these candles could be useful during a power outage since they are easy to carry.

NOTE: Do not use plastic or melamine tea cups for this project!

Cheap, Pretty, and Good - Tutorial for Recovering A Lamp Shade

Here is a tutorial from The House of Hepworths blog showing how to make a tired lamp shade over again.  I thought it could be quite useful, and it could save some money as well.  I haven't had an opportunity to used this method yet, but I might at some point.

How to Recover A Lamp Shade

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.

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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.

Our Guest Room Do-over – Part 1

 

Our guest room has been either a mess or mostly empty ever since we moved into this house.  At first it was used as a dumping place for things I didn’t know what to do with, or wasn’t using at the moment. 

When my in-laws came to visit and stay here a few days, we did a massive clean up and got it presentable, but the accommodations were very sparse.  (My brother and sister-in-law also spent a couple nights in here when their 5th wheel was being worked on.)

I used the room for sorting stuff between visits and then would have to clean it up whenever my in-laws came, at least to the point where we could set up an air mattress.  We set up a double layer, queen-size air mattress when we had overnight guests. 

It worked out OK for a few years and my in-laws were fine with it for awhile.  But then, last winter when they were here the wrong mattress was set up and they didn’t sleep well at all.  They said maybe they would stay at a motel the next time they came. 

I felt really bad, and so it occurred to me that it might be a good time to really fix the room up and get a real bed!  I wanted them to know they are welcome in our home and that we want them to come and visit, especially since I have been unable to travel to their home for a few years now.  My husband was onboard, and we could afford to do it at this point, so we began to make plans.

My Inspiration

A new housing development is going in “up the road a piece” from us.  They are building large, fancy houses, and when my in-laws were here to visit last January my mother-in-law wanted to stop in and look at the model homes that are open to the public.  It was a fun little sidetrack “just because we could”. :-)  These houses were definitely out of our league!  I would feel very uncomfortable living in anything so grand.  But, in one of the houses I saw a room that I REALLY LIKED.

I loved this pale blue color because it felt so airy and light.  It made me feel like I was up in a high open space.  If fresh air had a color, this would be it, especially near a fresh water lake. :-)

(By the way, this was a secondary bedroom, not the master suite in this luxury home!  Also, although this room was my inspiration, anyone who has spent much time on this blog or The Home Maker’s Corner should know that my style is not exactly “chic”.  :-)  My husband says my style is “eclectic cottage”.)

I got to wondering if I’d like this color in my own bedroom “if we build our own house someday”.  But, blue can be depressing to me, so I wasn’t sure.  When I started thinking about re-doing the guest room, it occurred to me that we could paint it this color so that I could see how it looked in a more “normal” house and decide if I liked it.  After getting some paint chips at a couple stores we headed over one day to see if we could match it, and we did.  It turned out to be a pale shade of aqua.

We bought our paint and primer and some odds and ends for the job and were planning to start on it “soon”.  Then my in-laws let us know they were planning to come for my husband’s birthday in June.  I don’t remember exactly when they told us this, but it seemed doable to me at the time, so we decided to try to get it done before they came.

I’d already decided to try to “shop our own stuff” on this project as much as I could, and had been making a mental inventory of things I could use in the room.  My sister-in-law offered a queen size bed frame she had, and my dad let me have some of his 1950s collection that he was planning to get rid of.  So, it wasn’t like we were starting with just paint.

This is what our guest room looked like when we started.  I may have removed a few things already before I took these.  I can’t remember now.

It was a real hodgepodge of stuff, but not nearly as bad as those first pictures at the top which were taken around 2009 or ‘10.  It definitely needed a lot of help, though!

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Due to the size of this project, I’m breaking it up into parts.  Stay tuned for more installments! :-)

Part 2 – In the Process

Sew Happy Friday – Egg Cup Pincushions

 

Photo property of Christina Lane of the Sometimes Crafter blog.

Here’s a clever way to up-cycle your unused egg cups, or ones that maybe have a hairline crack or internal damage.  I don’t have any egg cups on hand at the moment, but as I sort through our garage (I think the stuff is multiplying and dividing out there) I may run across one or two.  This is another opportunity to “shop your own stuff” and to use up scraps of fabric.  (I’m wondering if I could figure out a way to use some cute little china napkin rings for this purpose.)

Here’s the tutorial from Christina Lane at the “Sometime Crafter” blog.

Enjoy!

Sew Happy Friday – Keeping A Little Guy’s Dress Shirt Tucked In

 

This is a GREAT idea for moms who like to have their little guys dressed up on Sunday or whenever.  This lady combined a onsie and a button down dress shirt to make a shirt that stays put.

The "Always Tuck Me In" Shirt

Photo by Cheri from I Am Momma Hear Me Roar
This blog is officially closed, but is still available.

Sew Happy Saturday – A New Pillow Cover

 

Years ago my mom covered a foam cushion for me with crocheted granny squares.  I’ve loved that pillow ever since she gave it to me.  It was the only pillow I could stand to lay my head on when I had sever migraines in my teens and early twenties.  It has even traveled with me.  I use it still for my afternoon naps in the living room because it is still a comfortable cushion for sleeping on.  I really wish that we could get foam pillows of that type today!  It’s the best I’ve ever had.

But, as with all things, age has caused some wear and tear.  Though the foam itself is still comfortable, the fabric covering on the foam is starting to disintegrate.  I was afraid of damaging the the crochet cover by taking it apart to re-cover the foam itself, so I have been using a pillowcase over it.  Recently, though, I decided to make a new cover for it – something that would go in our living room.

I got this pretty white poinsettia fabric on sale at Fabric.com.  For some reason this fabric is nostalgic to me.  My mom and Gramma Hoover both loved poinsettias, so maybe that’s part of the reason. :-)  Anyway, I made a simple fold-over type cover.  It isn’t tricky at all, and I didn’t even add a closure on the back, though I may later.

First, I measured and cut the fabric to the width I thought I needed – in this case about a half yard.  I folded under one selvedge edge and sewed it.  Then I measured again to see how much I needed to have it overlap and added some extra for hemming.  I cut off the excess, then folded under the raw edge twice and sewed that.  Lastly, I folded the whole thing right sides together with the desired overlap (making sure the double-folded edge was on the actual outside), lined up the sides and sewed the side seams.  Then I just turned it right-side-out and ironed it one last time.  Easy-peasy.

Here is what the back looks like.  It is a little loose because I got it a bit too wide.  This could be easily improved by turning it inside-out and sewing one end in a bit farther so that it fits more snugly.  Also, I could add a Velcro® closure here.

Over all I’m quite happy with it, though, and this cover will be easy to remove for washing.  I have another half yard of the fabric and I may make a second cover so that I can simply swap them once in awhile for washing purposes.

Side note: The lace covered pillow beneath is a bed pillow in a pillow sham from a lovely crocheted bed set a friend gave me.  (Yeah, I used “pillow” three times in one sentence.  Keep reading.  I outdid myself.  hehe)  The bed coverlet itself was stained and I couldn’t get it clean, so I am using the pillow shams in the living room.  I put a solid colored pillowcase on the pillow first then put the crocheted sham on over it.  Since I have two, I swap them out once in awhile for washing and ironing.  The pillow is part of my napping arrangements, and it looks much dressier and appropriate for the living room in it’s pretty sham.  It’s a nice way to “upcycle” or repurpose a pillow sham, and at the same time have a bed pillow in the living room that looks like it belongs here. :-)  (It’s also handy for shorter people sitting on our couch to have this pillow to put behind their backs.)

Here’s a video tutorial to help you make your own, using a slightly different method.  This is a very easy project.  You could give your living room a whole new look in one afternoon with some fabric from your stash. :-)