I've been sewing

Sometimes when I'm at the thrift store, it's so frustrating to see cute clothes in the wrong sizes, so I decided to take matters in my own hands and take my sewing machine to some. This Gap shirt was to big for Jack, so I cut it down and sewed back together to make it fit.

My favorite part of the outfit, however, is the pants. I took a men's shirt and made these plaid pants. I used a pair of Jack's pants as a basic pattern. I took off the pockets and reattached them to the sides to make the pockets. I made the pants mostly last night while watching "Dancing With the Stars."

I found this tutorial very helpful.

The nice thing about working with thrifted items is that there's not a lot of money invested, so if you really screw up (ask me about a recent felted sweater mishap)... no big deal.

The Ikea "As Is" room

This sign was actually a cabinet door I got for $1.99 from the As Is section of Ikea. I can't go to Ikea without perusing the scratch and dent section. I usually find something unique and usable. I found two nice paneled cabinet doors and decided I needed to get them for future use.

I decided to upgrade our coat rack and made the "Hang Up" sign using old sheet music and great hooks my Aunt Lyla gave me from her barn. I sprayed the hooks with clear coat to keep all the great patina and to keep that "rusty patina" from getting all over our coats. The hooks are so handy and since I redid the coat rack, I don't find myself picking coats off the floor anymore... this baby can be overloaded and still function.

This sign is sentimental to me. Budd Lake is where my grandparents have their cottage and I spent many happy moments there. When my grandmother died this summer, I decided to paint this sign as a personal tribute to her and a reminder of a place I love. My grandparents really gave me the gift of the beach... an inland lake beach and the ocean beach... they arranged vacations (family events really) to Myrtle Beach each spring. I can't help but think of them when I look at this sign and my shell display, made out of a typesetters draw.

I just recently went to Ikea and passed up a cabinet door. I may have to go back.