I LOVE Goodwill (and I don't care who knows)!

A birthday gift from a very dear friend!  I go to Goodwill at least once a week and go EVERY 1st Saturday of the month-everything in the store is 50% off.  It is a mad house but worth the savings.  I find the greatest items-friends have suggested I create a blog of my finds. I'll have to think about that, I barely have enough time to do what I do now.


As soon as it's empty, I'll get my husband to put more money on it.:)

And least I not forget, my other addiction-STARBUCKS!

I don't think I need to say anything else.:)

Thanksgiving Day Skirt

I have been in love with this fabric for a long time but it was waaaay out of my price range. It is a home decor fabric at Joann's. Earlier this month it went on sale for 50% off and than I also had a coupon for an additional 10% or 20% (can't remember exact percentage) off of total purchase.  I bought a yard and half.  If I had bought it at regular price, it would have cost me $82 but my final total was $33.  I was soooo happy.

The fabric has an Anthropologie (my favorite store) feel to me so I thought it would be perfect to use for a skirt.  Home dec fabric can be awesome to use in making clothing.  I often go to the home dec department first when looking for fabric.  The fabrics there are always stylish and unique and at Joann's very often 50% off.:)

The finished product.  I really like this skirt.

When buying home dec fabrics, I keep a few things in mind when selecting a fabric to use for clothing.  (Most often I make skirts or dresses.)
1.  Don't pick a fabric with a very large pattern.  Many of them will have large patterns because they are intended to cover large pieces of furniture or to make draperies.
2.  Don't pick a fabric that is too stiff.  Some home dec fabrics are really stiff.  When you make clothing, you want the fabric to drape your body well.
3.  Some home dec fabrics are thickly woven, so snagging can be a problem depending on how you plan to use your finished product.
4.  Depending on what you are making, be aware of how the pattern runs on the fabric.  If you cut a pattern on the bias and the fabric's pattern runs up and down, you may not like the way it looks after being cut.
5.  Always use a new sharp needle.
6.  Keep in mind, most home dec fabrics are dry clean.  If you are like me, you will just hand wash.:)

This fabric is thick. I didn't want to fold it twice so to give it a clean finished edge, I used grosgrain ribbon to cover the raw edge.

This is the hem. I used grosgrain to give it a clean finish.

IT'S A GIRL-Baby Shower Gift

A friend of mine is having her 1st child and it's a girl. This is perfect for her because my friend is indeed a DIVA (Her poor husband)!
The nursery theme is zebra print and pink. Animal prints are still really popular so zebra print fabric is sold every where. I chose a flannel fabric because I decided to make a blanket and I wanted it to be soft and machine washable. The reverse side of the blanket is made of a pink and white flannel fabric. I also made a reversible pillow with the same fabrics. I chose to do a euro flange on the pillow and used a zebra print ribbon to tie the pillow close.

Can't wait to meet the Little Diva!:)

Preparing for Thanksgiving

I was really excited about this project. I have always liked the square planters but I could never justify spending $80 for one. As luck would have it, my current favorite website, Pintrest (if you have never been on it-a must) had a posting of someone who had taken a metal two drawer file cabinet, removed the drawers, spray painted it and used it as a planet. GENIUS!
The 1st Saturday of the month at Goodwill, everything is 50% off. Wouldn't you know that at this months sale, I scored a metal two drawer file cabinet. It was originally $7 but I got it for $3.50. I bought a $0.97 can of black spray paint from the hardware store and I was in business.

I bought the fall garland and flowers from Joann's for 70% off. The pumpkins are leftover from Halloween.
(I learned to paint faces on the pumpkins instead of carving them. They last longer.) I painted the words with craft paint I bought on sale for $0.33.
I may put a design on the side of the planter. Right now, I'm just excited that I was able to make something that I have wanted for a while.
I love when things come together (and just in time for the holidays)!

11-11-11

My son's actual birthday. (We had his birthday party last month to be sure the weather was nice.) I took a few pics of him before we went out for the day!

He originally had on a jacket. I opened the jacket so the t-shirt could be seen (since I took the time to make it). He decided to take the jacket off completely. After taking a few photos, he walked over to me to look at the pictures in the camera, gave a smile and walked back to the wall to take more pictures. He is a true character and I'm madly in love with him!
Happy Birthday my Baby Boy!

My Inner van Gogh (Sort of)

A few friends and I got together and attended a painting class. The reason for the gathering, my birthday is approaching soon and I wanted to celebrate by being creative with my friends and just because! We had a great time. I will have to do this again for sure.

I hope you can tell that the painting is of Koi fish swimming in water with lily pads.