Pj pants can be more.

Since my love for the ARC stores (or thrift stores) has been made pretty clear at this point it shouldn't be a surprised that I found something there that I liked. I ran across a pair of pj pants that I really liked, but sadly they didn't fit like I thought. The pattern and colors were what I really liked and so I wanted to keep those pants. I cut them along the seams and across just below the crotch.

I rolled the seams over and sewed them to keep the edges from fraying. I then sewed those edges together and made it into a bag. The material is a little thin, but that's not really my concern. I don't plan on using it for anything that would rip it or poke through it.

It was an easy project and a good use of the pants. The remaining material will get used for other projects. It was entirely worth the $3.99 I paid for them.

Don't ever think that just because something doesn't fit it should be 'dead' to you. Try being creative and think with an open mind.

Personal Storage Touch

Since I have started helping my mother get thing a little more organized and under control, I have started to find (time and again) things of my own I could keep more organized.

I find it more personal to make my own cards. This normally entrails that I have a lot of supplies (such as stamps, inks, blank cards). I found these plain photo storage boxes at Hobby Lobby that I thought I could dress up to make them fit better in my craft area.

I took the covers off and painted them a light blue color to go with the overall color theme of my room. Once I had completely painted the covers I set them aside to dry.

I had one box that would hold all my stamps and another that would keep all my inks and paints. It only seemed appropriate to decorate the stamp box in a decorative stamp. For the box that would hold my inks and paints I went with a more vintage, old English look for the main box sides, front and back.

Once I finished doing those stamping, I took the lid that was dry and picked a slight eastern looking stamp and positioned it several times on the lid. Then I stamped the sides of the lid with the same stamp, but in different positions in order to see different parts of the detail on the side of the lid.

This is the completed version of my storage box for ink pads and paints that I use.

The stamp I picked for the box that would hold my stamps looks much like a letter. I used that all over the main box, but not on the lid. I also used a stamp that looks like postage stamps and paid markers. I used that in certain sides of the main box and positioned between another stamp on the lid. I used a new stamp I found that is two pens together with wings. I used that only on the lid of the box.

They feel more like.... me now. I like that. They are practical, but also creative and personal. I don't like having random, boring, lifeless items around me, especially if I can make them SOOO much more.

Sweater's repurposed

Just because something is not your style or doesn't fit, does NOT mean it isn't worth your attention and consideration. Take previous owned sweaters. The A.R.C. stores here have a sale every February on sweaters for .99 cents. Means the stores will be busier than normal, but its worth it.

Mom has been looking for wool sweaters that have interesting patterns or designs on them for a purse project. She wants to felt the sweaters and make them into a purse. We got the idea from a lady that goes to our quitting store in town. She had a really lovely one and she told us both how to do it.

I wanted to find some ones to wear and I wanted to find a few for projects of my own. I have found two of three projects online that use old sweaters, so I thought I would give them a try.

We found MORE than enough to do our projects, to enjoy for ourselves and then some more!

These are mine.

These are Moms.

Boxes are so much more than cardboard!

In the spirit of helping my mother get the house more organized and getting used to keeping it that way, I took an entire afternoon (and then some) and went through EVERY piece of clothing I own. I ordered a book from my book club/program called What is a disorganized person to do? by Stacey Platt and it suggested in the bedroom section that you take a look at your clothes and think 3 things:
1.) Have you worn this in a year?
2.) Are you keeping this for a specific purpose? (like say I would wear this if I ever went on a cruise to Alaska) and
3.) Are you keeping this because you feel guilty? (like your aunt knitted it and she is 80 years old with bad arthritis. Wear it once for her and get rid of it)

I applied these things to everything I owned. I ended up with two very large boxes full of clothes I did not wear, fit into, or really like.

 A few of the items ended up with my Mom, but thats fine because she will wear it/it fits her. The boxes have since been getting fuller and fuller. Once I went through everything I made a list of everything in there for when we give it away. At the same time my Mom, randomly mind you, went through her own closet and got rid of about 20 items she never wears or doesn't fit into. I had to really push her to get rid of some things, but it was for the best! =) Since then we have regularly been adding to the boxes. Really anything that we suddenly think we don't want or care for anymore.

The cats got a joy out of the boxes the first night. They just can't help themselves.

The part that always gets me is the differences in both cats. Stue (the black one) will explore, but only to find a place to sleep. Grace explores to explore and destroy. She loves to chew on boxes. During Christmas its hilarious to hand out gifts and notice the teeth marks. Ah got to love cats!

Under sink is under control

I finally got around to finding decent baskets to finished organizing the bathroom. I did under the sink and used two baskets from Target and one cloth one I had over from my own room. I wasn't using it so it seemed a waste to not use it some where. 

There was about 7 bottles of cleaner that were mostly empty (as in about one or two sprays left), so those got the heave-ho. I found about 7 different types of leather cleaner, which is an odd place for these to be located, but until I get around to cleaning out the front door closet they will have to stay under the sink in my bathroom.

Thankfully this house was so new and well maintained that I didn't have to do any scrubbing or anything under the sink. I did put a few cedar balls down there to try and overpower the cleaner smell.

The fabric basket is holding all the leather cleaning supplies, shoe cleaning items, and my bra cleaning solution.