T-Shirt Diaries

And Then There Were Two...A Casting Call

2012-02-26T20:51:00.001-05:00

I can not believe that we will be on our last week of Project Recycled tomorrow. Seriously, the time has just flown by.

That being said congratulations to the winner of this weeks Project Recycled...

Erica of Recycled Fashion

I guess I really need to take a more fashionable picture of myself because I just have the head shot cropped out of a party picture. (Sorry for the rambling the Oscars are on and Billie is distracting me).

And sadly we will be saying good-bye to the talented beauty over at Threading My Way - Pam. It was a close one and she will be missed.

Pam - Threading My Way

She did some amazing things so please hop on over to her blog and check her out!

With that being said I am happy to announce that there will be a Project Recycled Season #2. I don't have the date set but please email me and let me know if you are interested in participating. I already have one contestant signed up. It will again be a clothing challenge using all recycled items. There will be different challenges each week and I would really appreciate it if you would only sign up if you are able to complete the crafts for all of the weeks.

I will also be looking for some fabulous sponsors for season two. Again just email me rneorr@gmail.com if you would like any more information.

Thanks so much and I can not wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Book Review: Rules of Inheritance

2012-02-23T17:18:00.001-05:00

Grief.

It sucks.

It is a horrible fact of life. Something I have a hard enough time talking about it, and would never dream of writing a novel to tell the world how I dealt with it.

Claire Bidwell Smith wrote The Rules of Inheritance, which details the way she handled losing both of her parents to cancer. Both parents were diagnosed with cancer a month apart when she was only fourteen years old.

She loses her mom at the age of eighteen and her father in her twenties. She deals through drinking, an abusive relationship, and self-destructive behavior.

Through the book she goes through the five stages of grief by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. The truth about grief, and this book is that everyone deals with it differently. She goes through the stages and her life in a non-linear manner jumping from the twenties to her teens and back.

It’s a hard read, but it is an honest read and one I had a hard time putting down. One thing that struck me was the lack of religion in a book dealing with death. I was actually refreshed by this because I didn't feel like I was being preached at. I felt like a friend was simply relaying her story to me.

I recommend Rules of Inheritance. I was given this book We will be discussing it over the next several weeks with the BlogHerBook Club. Please come join in the conversation!

*Disclosure: As always, this is a paid review by BlogHer Book Club, but all opinions stated are fully my own!

T-Shirt Dress Tutorial: Week Three Winner Project Recycled

2012-02-23T08:24:00.000-05:00

Congratulation to Pam of Threading My Way for winning the T-Shirt Challenge.

I'm very pleased to be back again for Round Three, this week showing how I upcycled some old t-shirts into a little girl's top. I began with this pile of old t-shirts, but ended up not using the yellow t-shirt. All three garments I used had been women's t-shirts.

First up was to alter the neck line to suit a little girl.

Secondly, the t-shirt needed to be recut to a much smaller size. I used a child's t-shirt as a guide.

Cut off the sleeves.
Cut new armholes.
Take width from the sides.
Shorten the sleeves.
Reattach the new sleeves.
Finish the bottom of the sleeve with a band.

I used a pattern as a size guide for cutting the strips for the skirt.

Join the eight strips to form the skirt.
Hem.
Gather the top of the skirt.
Attach to the black t-shirt.

And to finish off, I used a black tie that was originally on the floral t-shirt.

Make a fabric flower.
Sew it to the black tie.
Make tabs to hold the belt.

front view...

back view...

There you have it, three old t-shirts turned into a little girl's top, ready to be worn with a pair of black leggings...

Exit Interview: Brandi from Crafty Girl Squared

2012-02-22T02:00:00.000-05:00

Exit interviews are kind of a love hate thing with me. I hate to see any of the contestants go, but I love learning more about them. So this week we are saying good-bye to Brandi of Crafty Girl Squared. Please I beg you pop on over to her blog and check her and her bestie Meighen out!

Brandi - Crafty Girl Squared

1. Can you tell us a little bit about you and your fabulous blog?

My blog Crafty Girl Squared is new, it started in August of 2011. I blog with my best friend Meighen and we have been crafting together for as long as we have known each other. We do a little bit of everything, crochet, sewing, painting, decoupage etc.

2. What is your favorite item to recycle.

Anything that is usually thrown away. I lose using things in a new way.

3. You have $5.00 to go into a thrift store, what crafting goodness do you buy and why.

Sheets! I love good vintage sheets, I look at it as a big cheap piece of fabric.

4. Where do you get your recycling inspirations

A lot of the time its when I see stuff that is put out for the trash on the side of the road, its not like I go digging through peoples trash but last summer I got a nice singer sewing machine and an end table, a little paint and love and its like new!

We were lucky enough to have Brandi create an adorable outfit for this weeks kids challenge. It was just so cute I had to share it!

Houndstooth Skirt and Leggings

I started with this very large houndstooth suit jacket, shoulder pads included.

I also had this old t-shirt with lace trim at the bottom

I was able to make leggings out of the t-shirt, if you have ever made yoga pants from a t-shirt I did it pretty much the same way just tinnier.

The back bottom section of the jacket is what I used to make the skirt, pretty basic but I added elastic to the back of it to avoid needing a zipper and still having a flat front.

I used scraps from the t-shirt to make the big bow.

The final product

Its a great winter skirt because its made of thick wool and of course the leggings help.

Thank you so much Brandi. We will miss you!

Project Recycled Week Four: Bottoms-Up

2012-02-20T00:30:00.000-05:00

I do not envy you guys.

These projects are amazing! As always the voting is open until Friday at midnight, but this one is a HUGE deal because the top two will be chosen. You can vote once a day so click back often to make sure your favorite makes it to the finals.

Petticoat from a Thrifted Slip and Cushion Cover.

Petticoats give volume and interest to otherwise ordinary skirts. I've made my own petticoat, using a slip and a frilly cushion cover purchased from the op shop. Slip $2, the cushion cover was sitting in a bag out the back of the op shop, deemed as unsellable. I gave the op shop 50c for it!

First up, I cut the slip to an appropriate skirt shape, there are two pieces of fabric here..
I cut the cushion cover into strips, leaving the frilly bit for the bottom hem. I serged (overlocked) the edges of all strips to prevent fray. I did not have enough strips to completely fill the skirt, but that's Ok because only the bottom 1/4 is seen. Included elastic band casing at the top, and serged (overlocked) each side of the skirt together..

Petticoat worn under skirt, notice how it goes volume?

And if gallivanting around! here's what you see..

Black And White Skirt Sets

I'm pleased to be back for Round 4 of Project Recycle... Bottoms Up. This week, my refashion started as two skirts, one top and a t-shirt...

The first item I cut, was the black skirt with white lace.

Cut off the elastic waist.
Cut the skirt just below the first line of lace.
Add a casing and insert elastic for a smaller waist.
Add a row of polka dot bias (from my stash).
Finish the hem with red bias (from my stash).
Add red lace to the original skirt lining (from my stash).
Add a bow made from lace and bias (from my stash).

... to create a short, little skirt.

Next up was to use the remaining portion of the black, lace skirt and the blue, denim top.

Cut a strip from the blue denim skirt.
Gather the black fabric and attach to the strip of denim.
Add a casing and insert elastic.
Add a bow made from bias (from my stash).

... to create a longer skirt.

The short skirt needed something to be worn underneath, so I cut into the second black skirt.

Cut and make a pair of three quarter length pants, using a pattern.
Add shirring to the legs.

... to create a pair of pantaloons.

And to complete the set, I used the red t-shirt.

Cut the t-shirt using a pattern.
Add elastic for the waist.
Use the neck from the t-shirt as the hem.

... to create a pair of leggings.

The long skirt can be worn by itself or with the pantaloons.

The short skirt can be worn with either the leggings or the pantaloons.

Four items of unwanted women's clothing, turned into four little pieces of clothing to mix and match, for a little girl.

Snappy Pool Skirt

If my windows are open in the summer, I can hear the splashing in the neighborhood pool, we are that close to it. So when I found this cloth table cloth at the thrift store for only $3, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it: make a pool bag! But, the "Bottoms Up" Challenge made me look at it a bit differently. I realized it has all the colors of my mix-and-match bathing suits in it and it would make a great, quick drying skirt as a pool cover up.

Since it was already a circle, I folded it in quarters. I measured my waist and divided it by 4.

And using my bendable ruler, I cut the top off, using that 1/4 of my waist measurement as a guide.

Since this was an outdoor table cloth meant to fit around an umbrella, there already was a zipper up the side. I left the zipper in place and added a band of coordinating fabric to finish off the waist. And a little fabric rose to cover a small error, because let's face it, when you are upcycling, you've got to go with the flow and mistakes happen!

I think it looks great with my aqua suit and my yellow one (excuse the sideways picture, it keeps loading this way, not sure why...).

How many weeks until the pool opens?!?!?

Peace be with you.

Week Three Results - And Some Updates

2012-02-19T20:17:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to all of the awesome crafters.

First the news, we started out with seven wonderful ladies, we had one drop out before the contest began, and if you noticed we were short another lady last week. That means this is the semi-finals! The winners of this next round of projects will go on to the finals!

This weeks winner for the T-shirt challenge on Project Recycled is Pam from Threading My Way with her dress from three T-shirts:


WINNER!

Sadly, we will be saying good-bye to a fellow Ohio girl Brandi from Crafty Girl Squared and her Valentines Day.

Brandi - Crafty Girl Squared

Stay tuned to see tomorrows projects, bottoms up and vote for the crafter who will be headed to the finals!

Project Recycled Week Two Winner: Emily From Domestic Deadline

2012-02-16T05:30:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Emily from Domestic Deadline for winning this weeks shirt challenge with:

2+3+5=1 otherwise known as a lesson in math!

My math was off on the project I originally planned for this challenge. I figured while my son was at school, I'd figure out if I was going to salvage it or start over. As we pulled up to his school, a little voice said, "Mommy, are you going to make something for me today?" Since he doesn't usually ask for much, I knew I had my answer!

So, $2 for a giant thrifted button down shirt + 3 hours of work + 5 project from that shirt = 1 happy little boy! But I learned more than just how this added up.

First up, I made a "handsman" (aka handsome) apron with the front half of the shirt and repositioned the pocket. Since he has a tendency to wipe his hands on the sides of his pants, I made the apron so it wraps around him, covering the sides of his pants. Lesson learned: I mentally size everything for my daughters, I need to keep his measurements handy.

Then I thought I'd solve a problem we've been having with boots... he doesn't want to wear socks but his feet stink. Before leaving for school he'd ripped off his boots and socks and changed to Crocs. Boot liners! Since this shirt was rather soft, I figured if the boots had a washable liner, that would solve the stinky foot problem. Again, he was thrilled but still wouldn't wear them. Lesson learned: make sure the boots actually fit him before making custom liners... good thing I have the next size up boots and enough fabric left for another set.

Hey, look, one of the sleeve cuffs fits perfectly on my coffee cup! Ok, no real lesson there, but now I can button it to my wrist until I slip it on the coffee cup and not use one of those cardboard ones, green in more ways than one!!!

My little guy earns pennies for doing different jobs. He also gets a dollar to put in the offering plate at church. He's asked for a purse like his sister's to carry it in... A quick seam up each side of the other cuff and he has his own "wallet".

This project was a bit of a two-fer. When buttoned on the lower button, his pennies don't fall out. When buttoned on the top button, it can slip on a belt to hold a few bucks and a chapstick! Lesson learned: Bribes work, he asked what he could pick up to earn pennies to put in his wallet!

Finally, I had the whole back side of the shirt. Daily we battle over needing "soft pants." He is super skinny so fit is always a problem. Time to try my hand at pants. I had hoped to get a better picture, maybe of the pants hanging up... alas, he is sleeping in them and has informed me he will wear them to school tomorrow. Lesson learned: the mummy shirt goes with everything even in February! He thinks they are a perfect match!

The biggest lesson is something I learned a while ago: Upcycling is a great opportunity to not only be environmentally friendly, but a great way to practice and learn. If I spend a few bucks on an item at the thrift store, I'm not concerned with failure, I can always pick up another one and try again! Plus, it's a great opportunity to try things new for little money... I practiced using my new rolled hem and blind hem presser feet and wasn't worried about wasting brand new fabric! All that for only $2.

Congratulations on your big win!

Interview: June of Creations By June

2012-02-15T06:30:00.000-05:00

The downside of this contest is that we have to say good-by to some pretty talented people each week. As much as I am not a fan of it, I love reading their exit interviews because you learn so much.

So Meet June from Creations By June:

1. Can you tell us a little bit about you and your fabulous blog?

My name is June and the best thing I have done is have two great boys! They are now older and I actually have time to do thing I enjoy rather then be the chief chauffeur and bottle washer, as well as work full time. I have always loved to create new things and in the last year have really started to sew more.... even trying new things that I have never done before. I am also tired of the disposable mentality you see a lot. Instead of fixing items, it is toss them and buy more, and nothing is as well made. So I have started to re-use, upcycle, rework and even joined Robin on the 6 month challenge of not buying any clothes. My blog started out as a way to share with friends and family that do not live near by, but it has expanded and I really hope to continue to do so!

2. What is your favorite item to recycle.

Clothes is probably number one, next is furniture! I love how you can take something that no one wants or thinks is beautiful and change it into an item that is wanted

3. You have $5.00 to go into a thrift store, what crafting goodness do you buy and why.

Do they have chocolate? (I feel like you read my mind)

Ok, back to crafting.... fabric...in the form of table clothes, sheets, curtains, blankets, clothes... oh and notions-- lace, buttons, purse to take apart and don't forget the bargain bin!

4. Where do you get your recycling inspirations

Sometimes, I just look at something and know what it will be.... sometimes it depends on what I have on hand. Etsy, Blogs, magazines and catalogs. I love to see something and try to make it my own

5. Anything else you want to share?

The best thing about upcycling is that you are not limited by anything... what was a shirt can be a skirt; sheets, a dress; doilies a new collar, don't like the color, dye it.... there are no wrong answers!

Project Recycled Week Three: The T-Shirt Challenge

2012-02-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

I absolutely adore T-shirts.

They are readily available and I have been able to create some amazing crafts with them. So in hosting this upcycling challenge I had to throw a T-shirt challenge in the mix. The challengers got to take a plain old T-shirt and make whatever they could dream of out of it.

A HUGE congratulations to the winner of Week two: Emily from Domestic Deadline!

Emily of Domestic Deadline

Sadly we are at the part of the contest where we must begin to say goodbye to some very talented crafters. This week we are losing June of Creations By June. She is gone, but her wonderful crafty goodness will be remembered. Look for her exit interview on Wednesday.

When she's not crafting she hangs out with exotic men!

Now to week three after the jump.

Stripes Turned Skirts

Knits used to scare me but now I truly love working with them, especially old t-shirts, so I've been looking forward to this week's challenge! Even before Pinterest, we all searched the internet, magazines, stores and more for inspiration. One of my favorite bloggers is Lindsey from The Pleated Poppy. When I came across an enormous striped sleep shirt, I knew what I wanted to make:

Source: Uploaded by user via Mrs.G on Pinterest

Of course, wouldn't the whole outfit be wonderful in t-shirt fabric? Good thing I hoard t-shirt! Here's what I started with:

A pile of yellow scraps, a white maternity shirt, a long sleeved pink tee with pretty stitching that didn't lay flat and a huge striped sleep shirt that said "Property of Alcatraz" um, yeah! A few snips hear, a few stitches there, a bit of hot glue and a ribbon later and I'm pretty pleased with the results;

Now, if I could only make my kitchen look as good as Lindsey's!!!!!

Valentine's Day Dress

Hi everyone! Happy to be in week 3. This week I decided to kill two birds with one stone. I needed a Valentine's Day dress for my little girl and I needed to Recycle a t-shirt, so here is what I came up with. I started with one of my husband's old worn out t-shirts. I didn't like how the regular t-shirt collar looked, it was big and plain so I made a two layer collar from some of the t-shirt scraps.

I added the hearts by making a freezer paper stencil and fabric paint.

I like how soft the fabric feels because of the years of wear. When I hemmed the sleeves I stretched the fabric just a little as I sewed and it made them a little loose and flowy.

3 Shirts = 1 Girls Dress

I'm very pleased to be back again for Round Three, this week showing how I upcycled some old t-shirts into a little girl's top. I began with this pile of old t-shirts, but ended up not using the yellow t-shirt. All three garments I used had been women's t-shirts.

First up was to alter the neck line to suit a little girl.

Secondly, the t-shirt needed to be recut to a much smaller size. I used a child's t-shirt as a guide.

Cut off the sleeves.
Cut new armholes.
Take width from the sides.
Shorten the sleeves.
Reattach the new sleeves.
Finish the bottom of the sleeve with a band.

I used a pattern as a size guide for cutting the strips for the skirt.

Join the eight strips to form the skirt.
Hem.
Gather the top of the skirt.
Attach to the black t-shirt.

And to finish off, I used a black tie that was originally on the floral t-shirt.

Make a fabric flower.
Sew it to the black tie.
Make tabs to hold the belt.

front view...

back view...

There you have it, three old t-shirts turned into a little girl's top, ready to be worn with a pair of black leggings...
TShirt to sleeveless drawstring top and scrappy flower headband

T-shirt to fitted sleeveless top, and scrappy flower headband

A souvenir t-shirt from my wardrobe, originally purchased second hand because I liked the palm tree print on it. As a t-shirt, it's a bit boring, so I've changed its shape to a halter/sleeveless top for summer, by cutting off the sleeves, adding ribbon to the neckline for a tie, elastic around the waist, and taken it in either side.

Here's how:

1. cut off sleeves and neckline

2. tidy up arm hole raw hem

3. Stitch casing for neck ribbon tie, and the same for elastic casing for the bottom hem 4. Thread ribbon through the top casing, elastic through bottom hem casing Wear it ...
I don't like to see much waste with refashion projects, so I've used the cut off sleeves to make a flower headband..

I'm pleased to say, the only scrap pieces of fabric leftover as a result of the above refashion, is this little pile..

Review: The Weird Sisters

2012-02-09T19:31:00.002-05:00

I have been living in a closet, or maybe just consumed by the never-ending world of potty training, because I had never heard of The Weird Sisters until being selected to review it for the Blogher Book Club.

Living under a rock allowed me to read this novel about three sisters, Rose, Bean, and Cordy, who return to live in their family home in Ohio upon learning of their mother's cancer diagnosis with fresh eyes.

Peppered with one too many italicized Shakespeare quotes, which served to pound into the readers brain that the weird sisters were brought up with a father who communicated through literature, the book was a very beautiful story of the relationship between three uniquely different sisters.

It really analyzed the familial relationship. The father seemed so absent, the mother, off in the world of her mind the sisters seemed to have been raised by books. Pounded throughout is that fact that while the sisters were at one point close, they no longer like each other. At the core is a sense of envy each feels towards the other.

Brought back together to deal with their mothers cancer they do reconnect and mend there issues while finding themselves. Pretty convenient if you ask me.

I did like this book. It was an endearing read and I loved finding out more about the sisters, but I really felt thrown off by all of the Shakespeare quotes to the point where I would skip over them. This was not the authors intention, but about half way through the book I couldn't do anything else.

Bottom Line: Enjoyable, but I probably won't be hoping for a movie to come out.

This post was sponsored by Blogher Book Club, but the opinions and ideas expressed are all my own.

No New Clothes Challenge: Month One Results

2012-02-08T10:34:00.000-05:00

A little late I know, but I wanted to share the results of the No New Clothes Challenge.

I survived the month of January and did not purchase anything (well the butterick pattern, but that isn't actually a clothing item yet).

So what did I spend my mass quantities of excess money on?

Skiing in Ellicotville New York (that is until my feet betrayed me)
One bag of Cipro - on my Ellicotville trip.
Butterick 5260
Boots for Holden
Ice skating lessons for Phoebe

I know I lead a very exciting life. Jealous?

I survived and I didn't even buy clothes for the kidlets. It was hard, but only five months to go.

Now to finish that dress (oh yeah I never did get it done before heading to the Dominican Republic). I just ended up wearing an old maternity dress.


I was supposed to be wearing that dress I started and haven't finished.

Oh and if you haven't had a chance to please vote for round two of Project Recycled.

-HERE-

The contest is heating up and you can vote once per day for your favorite.

Project Recycled - Week 2: Shirt Challenge

2012-02-06T13:01:00.001-05:00

Thank you so much for joining me to celebrate another wonderful week of recycled goodness!

I am so happy to welcome back all six contestants and show you what they created from an old shirt. The creativity is just making my jaw drop to the ground!

Please click on through to check out this weeks amazing entries and vote. You can vote once every 24 hours so feel free to come back and pick your favorite again tomorrow.

Paisley shirt refashion

A thrifted large paisley shirt, which cost $2.

Has been refashioned into a sleeveless tunic, together with a thin obi belt.

Using craft ribbon and one of the shirt sleeves to make an obi belt, and the other sleeve to make ruffle flowers handstitched to the front of the tunic. The front of the original paisley shirt, is now buttons down the back.

Women's Shirt to Girls Dress

I enjoyed looking at everyone's entries in round one of Project Recycled. There were so many fabulous ideas. I'm pleased to have made it into round two. Thanks to everyone who voted for my first project.

This week's project is to take a shirt and turn it into something else. I've used a woman's shirt and turned it into a little girl's dress, complete with flower headband. Just as well my photography skills are not up for voting. The photos were taken on different days under different lighting conditions. First step was to take off the sleeves and reshape the armholes to fit a much smaller arm. I finished the armholes with some bias I made from purple and white polka dot fabric I had in my stash.

The neckline on the original shirt was way too low for a little girl. To overcome this, I made a gathered insert and hand stitched in place. The shirt was the perfect length for a dress, but too wide. To take width off the top, I unpicked the bodice and side seams, took out the gathering for the bust, cut off fabric at the side and restitched. I added a belt and tabs on the waistline.

To complete the outfit, I've made a little flower headband, using offcuts and a button from the sleeve, as well as the purple polka dot and elastic from my stash.

The old shirt is now a cute, little girl's dress and headband. All that remains of the original is one sleeve and the band from the second sleeve, both added to my stash for another day...

Button Up Shirt too Skirt

Oh Happy Day! Week 2 and time for some shirt Rehab!!!

Oh decisions... I knew what shirt but what to make.. think it is time for another skirt,.. and this from the girl who had to be forced to wear skirts and dressed when a kid! I found this wonderful reddish brown silk like shirt at Goodwill... fabric is very silky like and love the color. I also wanted some contrast so grabbed this striped shirt out of my closet... it was a tad too short, so did not wear it as much as I should!

(can you tell I forgot to take a photo until I cut the sleeve off?)

Now, what kind of skirt... there are several tutorials about making a skirt from a men's dress shirt, but I wanted something different.. I also did not want elastic.... soooooo decided to use the cuffs as the skirt band!!! Yeppers, then to put on.. are you ready for it?

All you have to do is, unbutton the cuff!! And, with these cuffs.. they actually have two buttons so you can make your "waist" bigger or smaller (depends on the day or the meal!")

The other thing I wanted.. an asymmetrical skirt.. Love them! Ever since I had a handkerchief skirt and fell in love with the different lengths. Now with this skirt.. there is no specific front or back, you can move it around to fit your needs! Pocket in the front? why not.. The back.. Perfect!

Or you can add a belt!

2+3+5=1 otherwise known as a lesson in math!

The front is just like the front of the shirt, the pocket is perfect size for a cell phone.

The tie is tied just as it would be around a neck.

I used the cuffs of the shirt to make a larger pocket on the back of the purse.

Sweater X2

I bought this sweater a while back primarily because I liked the cowl on the neckline. However the rest of the sweater was shapeless and too short (both in the torso and the arms). I decided to take it apart and turn it into a shrug and a separate cowl.

The cowl was the easy part. I simply snipped it off at the neckline, keeping the seam on the edge so it wouldn't unravel.

The shrug was more involved. I took the hemline and used it around the front and neck of the shrug. I also re-used the hems of the sleeves to make short sleeves.

And The Week One Winner Is...

2012-02-06T12:30:00.002-05:00

Brandi from CraftyGirlSquared!

Here is another look at the entry Men's Pants Turned Into an E-Reader Case.

Since we had someone drop out of the program all six crafters will go though to next week. The challenge: Shirt Rehab – take a shirt and make it into something else (another shirt, a skirt, a necklace). I will have the project up by the end of the day! I am running a little behind thanks to my every so relaxing trip to the Dominican Republic (and my refusal to bring my laptop)

This little case is made from a pair of men’s corduroy pants.

I centered my tablet over the back pocket and traced around it to make sure I cut the right place because I wanted the pocket to be on the outside of the case for cuteness and to be functional.

See you can use the pocket! That’s my favorite part. It’s lined with fabric from the same pair of pants. It closes with the zipper that was on the pants. It was a little tricky but I used my seam ripper to get the zipper out of the pants.

It fits snuggly into the case and is safe in my purse.

Live from the Dominican Republic

2012-02-05T17:27:00.001-05:00

Right in the middle of Project Recycled I decided to go on vacation. Heidi Klum would do the same, right?

I promise as soon as I get back the winner will be announced.

Until then recycle away!

Robin

Looking for Upcycled Awesome? Great Lakes Science Center?

2012-02-01T15:41:00.002-05:00

Upcycled Awesome has said goodbye for now.

It might come back, it might not?

In it's place is that fabulous Project Recycled.

Check out our fabulous six crafters and vote once a day for the top crafter.
I am so excited to be hosting!

Until the next post...I am taking it easy recovering from some stupid illnesses...here are some outtakes from a shoot I did at the Great Lakes Science Center on MLK day. I was going to do a grand blog post, but I am a slacker.


Bubble Fun at the Great Lake Science Center


When Blocks Attack

The Electrostatic Fence = Crazy Hair


To The Moon

Till next time,

Project Recycled Week One

2012-01-30T05:13:00.000-05:00

It is here, the contest you have all been waiting for: Project Recycled!

Six excellent crafters tackling different challenges each week to see who can recycle there way to the crown. I am so excited to introduce the first round of projects. Check them out and then vote on your favorite. The polls will be open until 12 midnight on Friday.

Please check out the projects after the jump and make sure to VOTE!

The Wildcard Round

Pillow Case to Top

I must admit, I'm a bit selfish when it comes to clothes. I want stylish but unique... oh, and earth friendly! Lately I've been looking online and at magazines for cute outfit inspirations. I start by looking for outfits that have some aspects similar to pieces I already have in my closet. From there, I refashion things I have, stuff from my stash or thrift store finds. Recently, I've been into yellow but it just wasn't in my closet and the few yellow t-shirts in my stash weren't inspiring me. When I stumbled upon a great pillow case, my first thought was a dress for one of my girls, but I just loved the pattern and decided to be selfish and use it for myself!

Here's what I started with:

Instead of the typical pillow case dress, using the opening as the bottom hem, I used it to create a casing at the neckline.

I cut a large circle out of one of those t-shirts. The largest circle I had was this basket, but it worked. Once I had the circle, I cut it into a spiral. This became one option for the ties, a black polka-dot ribbon was a second choice. Since the t-shirt fabric is streachy and spiral cut, it makes a great ruffled tie.

To make the shirt more form fitting and less pillow case-ish, I added several rows of shirring (elastic thread) in the back.

My friend modeled it for me and is now on a mission to find cute pillow cases for herself.

We had fun styling my new top a few different ways, including the traditional way, as a dress on her daughter

It's a simple upcycle, but sometimes it's something simple that can make a big impact!

Goodwill Cowl to Vest

Hello! I am so excited to be on the very first season of Project Recycled!!! This is such a great idea of Robin's I had so many ideas and just did not know what to do....was laying in bed, trying to sleep and I remembered this sweatshirt thing I had picked up at Goodwill a while back....

I got it since it had no stains, material in good shape, and I like red! It was on my "to do" list. The cowl had a weird elastic in it it.. who knows why. First things first.....I washed it!, Then laid it out and folded in half and marked the center with chalk, grabbed my handy dandy scissors and cut straight up the center... hem line through neckline and through that weird cowl.

Next up....sleeves off!, tried it on, marked how low I wanted the arm holes to extend, and cut it also.

Then hit my stash and found a lloonngg zipper for a jacket, and it was blue. Which means my color scheme is going to be blue and red. Then it the fabric stash and found a blue (matched the zipper exactly!) knit and thought it would be great for the lining.

Can you see how the zipper and lining match almost exactly? I have had the zipper for at least a year from a yard sale and the knit I picked up at an auction in a box of "stuff" After the vest was completed, I thought it needed something else.. I used the scraps of the knit fabric...maybe a half yard, and made a braided scarf. I actually braided three sections and then braided those sections together and tied the ends with another scrap so I had some fringe left.

I just love the way it turned out.. the best, the youngest boy did not even realize that it used the be the long sleeve cowl neck

Men’s Pants To E-Reader Case

This little case is made from a pair of men’s corduroy pants.

I centered my tablet over the back pocket and traced around it to make sure I cut the right place because I wanted the pocket to be on the outside of the case for cuteness and to be functional.

It fits snuggly into the case and is safe in my purse.

Upcycled Beaded Necklace

The following upcycled necklace has been made using fabric from a thrifted shirt sleeve (I am using the shirt for another refashion), and wooden beads from another thrifted necklace purchase.

It started off looking like this:

White Dress/ Black Bag

Here's what I began with:

a black, cotton jacket
an adult's halter neck baby doll top

The adult's baby doll top was easily turned into a shirred dress to fit a child, by cutting off the top of the dress, adding extra shirring, altering the halter neck strap and reattaching as four ties.

The fabric flower was made with a facing from the jacket, left over fabric from the baby doll top and a button from the jacket. The striped edge on the flower, was originally the bias tape on the edge of the facing. A hair clip has been added to the back, so it can be worn either in the hair or attached to either the dress or the bag.

The outer part of the bag was cut from a piece of the jacket which included the pocket. A remnant from another sewing project was used for the lining and the jacket belt became the bag handle.

There you have it, a cute, little outfit, that effectively, cost nothing to make.

Leather Trench Coat to Accessories

First of all I'd like to say thank you to Robin for organizing Project Recycled. I think it's a wonderful idea and I'm so excited to be a part of it!

My projects started out as a leather trench coat I purchased at a thrift store, leather scraps I purchased from a seller on Etsy, hardware from a purse I purchased at a thrift store, a fat quarter of fabric and a few jewelry supplies, plus thread. (The photo doesn't show the zipper, which I had laying around already.)

I started out by making a simple necklace of pieced leather connected with jump rings.

Next I made a wrap bracelet from two strips of leather sewn together and clasped with a heavy-duty snap.

And finally I made a lined clutch/wristlet purse with a reverse applique flower.

The strap can be doubled and worn on the wrist, or pulled out and hung over the shoulder.

Thank you so much for everyone's submission. Voting will be open until Friday at midnight!

Now Live From the ER

2012-01-29T18:02:00.001-05:00

I went on an amazing ski weekend to Ellicotville, New York with a group of friends this weekend.

When I planned the trip I was nervous, but not because I thought I would end up here:

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital

Yes I managed to get myself checked into the hospital, scored a sweet IV, and lived to tell about driving for thirty minutes with the hubster in the middle of nowhere through a bunch of backwoods streets in a snow storm.

I am still recovering, but I am back home getting ready to launch Project Recycled tomorrow. I had some great suprizes planned for tomorrow, but right now I honestly just want to get the contest up and running and go back to bed.

So please check back tomorrow for the first round of Project Recycled!

I can't wait.

Now I am about to head back up to bed (I will spare you the details but I didn't break anything, it was just a complication that stemmed from having interstitial cycstitis)

Peace, Love, and Recycling,

Upcycled Awesome - The Final List

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

Don't be sad it is time to CELEBRATE.

This is THE final Upcycled Awesome and everything else. I have enjoyed this feature on my blog for the last year and a half, but it is time to move on.

So lets celebrate! Let's post as many projects (upcycled or not) and make it and amazing celebration of our upcycling awesomeness!

Project Recycled - Starting Monday

2012-01-24T16:35:00.002-05:00

I can not believe it is almost here.

I have been working diligently behind the scenes to got a new and exciting contest up on the Internet.

That contest is Project Recycled!

What I have been doing :)

I have been building a little business taking shirts from mommas and turning them into dresses and for kidlets. I have been having so much fun I thought, what if their was a contest. A chance for other recycling and upcycling seamstresses to transform something old and mundane into something beautiful and wearable.

So starting next week we will have seven wonderful contestants competing for the title of the first Project Recycled winner. Hopefully you will not only stay tuned and check out the amazing items that they create, but you will also vote. Your votes will decide each week who gets to go on to the next round.

Everyone will have a blog button up on the side of the blog soon so please click over, check them out, and enjoy the contest!

No New Clothes Challenge: Butterick 5206

2012-01-24T15:48:00.000-05:00

So far so good. I haven't caved, although I am so drawn to the stupid sale signs at Target. I mean 70% off there has to be something that I need., right?

My biggest challenge seems to be overcompensation. The thought that if an item is on sale I need to buy it because it is too good of a price to pass up, it will never be on sale again, and I am definately saving the family money by purchasing it now. Most of the time I do not even try these clothes on. If I did I would see that they not only didn't fit but they were not the quality of clothing I really wanted.

These things I tend to purchase are not necessities and pretty much sit in my closet. They take up space, they are made cheaply, do not hang correctly, and for the most part are just waiting to get sent to Goodwill during a semi-annual purge.

I do need something. I need a dress for an upcoming vacation. I bought a pattern and some material for this:

Now I sew all the time for my kids, but frankly I never sew for myself. That probably explains why I bought this pattern, and material about two years ago, lost the original pattern and had to go out and find a new one. The problem was the pattern was discontinued so I had to search ebay. Can you believe it, I finally get around to sewing something for myself and I have to re-purchase the pattern I was going to use because I procrastinated a year and a half.

Honestly, I am really grateful I am embarking on this challenge because I might not have gotten the nerve to go ahead and make myself something. I probably would have just run out to target and bought another dress.

Wish me luck and I will post a picture when I finally get this piece finished!

Update: I got the pattern pieces all cut out and I just have to sew it together. Fingers crossed the children give me a little down time.

Update #2: Okay so I went on vacation and didn't have the dress finished. I am still working on it, but my husband stole my iron and used it for waxing his skis so I am stuck with a ton of fabric strips to make bias tape and no iron to iron it. hat and I am a slacker.

Power Outages Stink

2012-01-23T20:41:00.001-05:00

I had all of these wonderful posts in my head, and then the power went out.

So because of that I will leave you with one simple little picture.

To the beauty that lies ahead....

Upcycled Awesome and Everything Else #9

2012-01-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

It is the second to Last Upcycled Awesome Linky Party!

Are you sad? Yeah mee too, it's been fun, but better things are coming your way so no worries.

Since we are just about done Upcycled Awesome will be Upcycled Awesome and Everything else all in one linky party. Post what you want, have fun, and spread the love by commenting on fellow posters content!

It's easy and fast. Let's end this party in style and go ahead and link up as many items as possible.

That's it! Thanks you. 

Upcycled Awesome 

It's Coming

2012-01-17T21:40:00.002-05:00

It' almost hear and I had to get a new header to celebrate!

The contracts are in, the contestants have their assignments, Now to wait for the fun beginning Monday January 30th!

I am so excited to see what our awesome contestants come up with!

Operation Valentines Day

2012-01-16T15:58:00.002-05:00

I am truly blessed.

I know that. I have my health and my family.

With Valentines Day coming up a dear blogging friend Kimberely over at Bugaboo, Mini, Mr., and Me asked me to share this with you:

Late last week, my very dear 
friend Katrina lost her husband 

due to complications from diabetes.  

He 
was only 32.  

They have four beautiful, young children.  

Katrina lost 
the love of her life during the holiday season and is left to care for 
her children by herself.  Katrina has always been a stay at home mom. 
 She runs a daycare from her home and her husband - a jack of all trades
 who had been on disability for a
 number of years - was basically the sole provider for their family and 
had no life or health insurance.  

I know she is fearful of being able to
 take care of her children now.

Please help support Operation Valentines day to help Katrina during the Valentines Day this year. Proceeds will go toward buying her gift cards for groceries and Walmart. 

Please visit Bugaboo, Mini, Mr. and Me for more information:

Migrating to Wordpress

2012-01-16T15:05:00.002-05:00

Yes I am jumping on the bandwagon and starting my Slowwww…migration to Wordpress.

Getting to Know The Friendly People at Wordpress

The Lovely People of Wordpress

I cannot wait to show you the new blog, but it is going to take a couple of months (hopefully just one) to get everything over to the new site in the manner that I like.

Have any of you migrated?

What words of advice do you have for me and what type of timeline do think is reasonable.

Tips, tricks, and great websites I need to check out are more then welcome!

Thanks,