A Summer Project!

I've been saving up for a new television stand I saw at Target.  It wasn't fancy, but it was red and close to what I have had in mind.  We've never had a decent TV situation at our house.  We've never had cable (because we don't want cable). That aside, we have a smaller TV and I wanted to have something interesting to set it on.  My $165 Target stand was red.  Hmmm.  That's not super interesting.  I like the idea of accent furniture and even making something uninteresting, like a TV stand, into a conversation piece.  I found it.  My grandmother and grandfather's old house is coming down this year.  Within are many odd furniture pieces, broken things, weird things.  I found this old dresser and knew it was way more interesting than the dumb Target piece I'd been saving for.  I love it.  $8 for red paint.  A few holes here and there.  Some new hardware for $20.  LOVE IT!  This so easily could have been tossed away.  Luckily, it is a super solid piece of furniture and will probably last until the end of time.  What fun!  I wish I could show my grandmother.

Extra Fabric...

With extra fabric from my last post I decided to copy some fabric bins I found on pinterest. One is my morning vitamin mini bin. I take different things through the day and thought a little mini bin would be a good way to keep track of what I have left to take. The other is a less healthy bin for candy. We have tons left from Easter.

Oil Paintings!

A few years ago my sister and I went to the Alexandria Technical College garage sale and bought the ugliest mural you can possibly imagine. Together, we had attained 15 ugly canvases for about $16. Luckily, my husband was once an art major and I happened to have tons of oil paint. These canvases inspired me to hit Goodwill and find a few more cheap canvases. The elephant "Mommy and Me" painting actually was a canvas of Madonna's face. It's fun to make something from nothing. I have had so much fun painting these pictures.

Vanity, Vanity!

When I was sixteen my parents bought me a honey oak vanity for my bedroom. Now 28, I cannot help but look at the shiny gold handle and honey oak and think, "This was, indeed, made in the 90s!" The shape was cute. It seemed to have potential. I set out to sand it down, only to feel that crafter's remorse, "You've made a mistake here." The stain made it look dirty and much worse than the original honey oak. "Ugh! I just ruined a perfectly good piece of furniture!" Paint seemed my only option. Painting over wood seems like a sin sometimes. Once you start painting, there really isn't an easy solution, but, perhaps, more paint. Other paint. So, I found a three dollar can of 'nutmeg' spray paint and covered the mess I'd just made. Then I bought some $5 fabric over the seat and a new handle for the drawer($3.5), then made a good decision to hack off the dated mirror... YES! Love it! $11.50 later I have a desk I love! I'm super excited about this vanity/desk.

Experimenting with Fabric

I gave this a try, and I plan to try again. I've seen sweaters into mittens on pinterest and other places. I had a pink wool sweater from Old Navy, which I never even wore because, let face it, wool is the worst. I made a practice run for mittens. I will try again. For now, here is mitten number one.

A little kitchen for a little girl

Actually, this kitchen will be for several little girls. My parents are in the process of building a playhouse. My mom and I found this plain white piece in Osakis at the consignment shop (which is amazing, by the way! Kornerstone Konsignments is located in Osakis, MN. I ALWAYS find something in there. When we found this, I decided it would be perfect as a little kitchen. I still need to find a decent faucet, but I thought I'd post it anyway. $25 for the piece. I didn't spend anything on the rest. I had the paint, fabric... So much fun!

Little Artist

I'm a fan of burlap, particularly because it adds texture to things. It gives off the coffee house feeling. I have seen several versions of this art display idea and thought I would come up with something on my own. We put this in our hallway to display my daughters art work. She loves it, and so do we. Burlap is inexpensive. I stapled it to a 2 by 4 from our garage. The letters were from a stencil pack I bought at WalMart for about $4. Over all, I am pleased with this project. It didn't cost a whole lot, and we use it every time we have new artwork to be proud of.

Chalk Board Idea

Today I would like to share something I made for my daughter to keep next to her toy basket we keep in our formal living room. Every six weeks or so I update the chalkboard with a new Bible verse or sonnet. It helps me to memories things and hopefully will do the same for her. I found the board at Savers for $6. Chalkboard paint isn't super expensive, and luckily I have a good friend who bought it in bulk. Thanks, Kylie! I drilled a few holes in the top and added some string so we can hang it if we want. Overall, I was happy with how this turned out.

Jewelry Wall Hangers

These jewelry holders were inspired by Pinterest. I'm a huge fan of Pinterest. These wall hangings costed.... $0. I had two boards in my garage, fabric scraps I sewed together, hooks from a previous project... easy easy easy. It's amazing what you can do with a staple gun and some hot glue. I use these in my bedroom for the pieces I wear most often. The smaller two I usually hang scarves from. Again, I love creating something from nothing! I have a larger jewelry box, but it is nice to have these favorites available next to the mirror when I get ready in the morning.

Infinity and beyond!

I recently spoke with a person who was sporting an infinity scarf. I complimented it, saying I was interested in getting one. They are cute. Scarves, indeed, are the new necklace. Or so I hear. She was excited to tell me she'd paid $50 for it. Gasp! It's not even a full yard of fabric. My inner need to create something for a fraction of the price kicked in and I went on a mission... a pretty successful mission. 3/4 of a yard of fabric is plenty to create an infinity scarf. Rather than paying $50 for one- again, good grief... people pay a lot for brand names these days- go to a fabric store and pick out fabric to your heart's delight. For about $4 tops you can an original scarf. I love the first one here.

The pink scarf is a copy of the $50 scarf which first caught my eye. I use it all the time. It cost hardly anything to make... and only 10 minutes at my sewing machine. Easy. Pretty. The second scarf is completely original, since I bought the fabric thinking it was so pretty, only to discover I was looking at the back of the fabric. Oh well, I thought. I will use the fabric the way I wish... so the backside of the fabric is what I thought was beautiful. I love love love this scarf and use it all the time. I think it added up to about $4.25.

A simple sewing project... $3

Project number one begins with pillows I've had in all nine of the apartments we have lived in. Now that we are in a house I'm trying to tie all the elements of each room together. Pillows are an easy accent to any room. These have been a number of colors. In keeping with my green/frugal attitude behind my projects I went to a thrift store and picked out a pretty curtain for $3, rather than spending more at a fabric store. It's amazing what you can find 'fabric wise' when opening your eyes to more than what the fabric store sells. There are beautiful textiles to be found in bed sheets, curtains, clothing and even an occasional shower curtain. This was once a window panel, but will now serve as my spiffy new throw pillows. It took about 25 minutes.

...and with a simple coat of paint, the elephant was beautiful again...

What is a painted elephant? I suppose the idea came to me almost a year ago. It was just a simple image of an elephant with a paintbrush in hand, painting himself. I thought it would make a cute logo, but didn't really know what it meant or if it would ever mean anything. Then it hit me. Through my life I have participated in many 'white elephant' gift exchanges. A white elephant, in Siam (which is now Thailand) was considered a sign of wealth. While a white elephant might seem beautiful and exotic, given as a gift it only becomes expensive to own and rather useless. Often at Christmas parties such presents are exchanged. In my life I have received a ceramic mermaid, a very old fur scarf and other useless, strange things. My idea of the painted elephant came to me when I walked through my house one day. So much of what we have in our home has been remade into useful, beautiful things. I recovered a chair which was about to be tossed out as garbage and now it is one of the most beautiful things in my living room. At Goodwill I bought two canvases with Madonna's face on them, which I painted over and now hang above our bed. I've recovered pillows, chalkboard painted signs, stenciled walls, tiled tables, refinished coffee tables, spray painted picture frames and lanterns, made scarves and blankets... So much of what sits in my house has a story, and that story usually didn't cost much. What might seem useless, like an elephant, can so easily be painted, altered, and made new for a small price or no price at all. Elephants are a symbol of love as well. They have always been a favorite for me. I'd like to use my inspiration and creativity to make lovely things from what other people might find useless. By reinventing things, making them lovely, we reuse what we have rather than spending money on more stuff to pile in our homes. Call it creative recycling, art, or maybe just a fun hobby I would enjoy sharing through this blog. It is my hope to inspire and use the crafty gifts God gave me. I believe he created us to create. So grab your hot glue gun... let's get to work.