Upcycled Transformation

Every fall our chuch has it annual parish festival. It is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and it is next Saturday.

Many years ago I started a "silent auction" as part of this event.  Calling local businesses and other parishioners asking for donations and organizing the entire event.  I am no longer in charge of it (by choice!) but I always dontate something to it, 

Here is my donation for this year...

 


It started out as these bits and pieces... 

... an old school desk that was originally in our parish school.  The school sold these for $5 each a few years back.  My neighbor was done with hers, she put it in her trash - and I took it! 

I am not too proud to take something out of the trash for a good cause!

... this stool, that I picked up at a local thrift store for $1 yesterday.  It was covered in rust and quite dirty, but I saw it had potential as a chair for my little desk.

... metal desk accessories, I found at Dollar Tree for... you guessed it... $1 each.

... some regular yellow pencils I covered with oragami paper (had both of those things too!) based on this tutorial I found Omiyage's blog (you can check it out here) ...

... some cute school supplies,
... a couple cans of spray paint (half of which I already had in my stash!)...

... some buttons and magnets (once again, I already had these too!) to use to hang paper and what-not from the metal sides of the desk...

... some ric rac around the bottom of the legs (had it)...

 ... and some fabric and batting (guess what... I had those already too!)...

Total out of pocket cost for this project:  $19!

I think it turned out quite cute!  

I hope that it will find a home and bring in some much needed cash to our church and school!  

 

What little girl wouldn't love doing her homework at this?

Original Paisleys!

I blogged about this pillow I made here and mentioned that I had another project I made with the same 3 paisley patters I designed to show you today, well here it is...

I used the same 3 paisley patterns but with different color pallet and arrangement, they look totally different!

I stapled this one to an 12" x 12" artist canvas I had to make it a picture.

All of these materials also came from my overflowing stash!

 

I'm thinking of some other color combos that would look great in these paisleys.

 

 I had so much fun with these I may even make a whole quilt with them... what do you think?

This post has been shared on A Soft Place to Land's DIY Day

New Original Creation

I love paisley!  I always have!

My daughter M and I were talking about re-doing her bathroom this winter, and she suggested black and white paisley.  I was searching for some black and white paisley wall paper - when I thought about designing my own applique pattern to make paisleys with some of my old scraps of fabric from my overflowing stash.

 I also used some left over ric rac pieces and some mismatched buttons...

 

 

 And I finished it off with some left over ball fringe...

And the back is a cute pink and white cotton gingham (you can't find cotton gingham anymore)!

I even had a pillow form the right size to fit (it is a little big, but just don't look too close at the gap in the buttons on the back)!

I am pretty happy with how it turned out, and it cost me nothing but some time designing and redesigning the paisleys! 

I have another creation that looks completely different using the same paisley patterns that I will show you tomorrow!

Sneak Peak...

Just a quick peak at something I am working on.  It is too cold to go outside (at least in my opinion) so I decided to try something I have been thinking about for a while.

These are 2 separate things, but using the same pattern I designed.  I will post more pictures when they are complete.

All of this was taken from my massive scrap stash!  I love being able to make a project without having to go to the store!

Trash to Treasure

This little foot stool was a garage sale item I got a couple years ago that has been sitting in my garage waiting for me to do something with. I got it for $1.

I finally decided it was time to do something with it or throw it out - and it is oh, so hard for me to throw anything away...

so I painted it and made a new cushion and cover...

I think it turned out pretty cute. The fabric is from one of the Cath Kidston duvet covers I bought earlier in the year. I am going to use some more of it to cover this chair...

(also in my garage for about 2 years, costing me only $2, but still waiting to be rescued) and use them both in my bedroom. As much as I loved my red rose velvet chair I had up there, it really belonged and was need at the lake.

A fresh coat of paint, and some strawberry and white polka dot fabric and it will look fabulous!!! Are you seeing it?

New Quilt for My Bedroom

I am in the process of redoing our bedroom. You can see the start of it here. I have decided to make a quilt out of various vintage sheets and pillowcases I have collected. I want it to be made from just sheets/pillowcases with red/pink and blue roses. I also have some sheets/pillowcases with yellow, green, and purple, but not sure if I should include them. Too many colors? Too busy? Not enough color/contrast with just the red and blue? Thoughts... suggestions...

I also can't decide what type of pattern/quilt block to use. I want it to feel vintage to go with the vintage linens, so something "scrappy" comes to mind but what? I thought about doing it as a nine patch and joining in Amanda Jeans "quilt-along", but am afraid that since most of the sheets have a white or whiteish background that it would be incredibly boring.

Since starting this post I have begun making it a zig zag quilt, but now that I have half the pieces cut, blocks pieced and laid out on my living room floor, I'm not sure I like it. Any suggestions on how I can fix this or do something else with the blocks I have already cut?

Please excuse the incredibly poor lighting...

And my left foot in the bottom of the picture!!! It's late and I need to get to bed!!!

Quite Taxing

It has been a "taxing" few days. Literally... trying to get our taxes done - I am the "accountant" in the family - that is scary!!!

And when the numbers get to be too much, I have been taking a break by sorting, folding (using this method - thanks Amanda Jean for inspiring me to get this started), and trying to organize my fabric stash.

Although both are "taxing" projects, and I have miles to go on both, I have at least taken the first step by starting them!!

I did steal a little time between these two projects to start a new quilt project. I will only give you a peak of it. I am still playing with the pattern (I am developing), colors, layout, etc. but a put a few sample blocks together into a small wall hanging or pillow (haven't decided which yet). I am hoping to develop my "vision" into a my first full blown quilt pattern. Keep your fingers crossed!

For Me?! You Shouldn't Have!!!

I received a present yesterday from my friend Jenni V. She is "destashing" her studio, and asked if I could help her list some stuff on Etsy and Ebay. For my "help" she gifted me with some of her stash!


I love ball fringe and rick rack, so I couldn't ask for a nicer gift!


I will have to now come up with something fun to do with them! My daughter M. whoes room is done in black and pink, has been eyeing them. I'm sure I will come up with something fun for her room!

(this is the quilt I made her for her new room last year)

Jenni recentlty started her own blog. You can check it out at Point of View Lens. Go check it out!

Finished!

I finally finished the "tree house" quilt I was making for my husband for Christmas. Better late than never I always say!

I finished it last week before I left for Florida to visit my parents.

I made the entire thing from my "stash"...

It gave me an opportunity to practice my "free motion quilting". I am loving free motion quilting! It is like drawing with a sewing machine!!! I'm not great at it yet, but can see a great improvement from the start of this quilt to the end. I can't wait to do another one!

Spare a Square Scrap Challenge Complete

I finally finished my "Spare a Square Scrap Challenge" that I signed up for over at JC Handmade. I had to make "something" using these scraps of fabric.

I have to tell you I was really stumped, and had a hard time with this. Being that the pieces were all differnt sizes and patterns and colors, my mind was swirling. I had houses on the brain, due to my participation in another quilt along, so here is what I came up with...
To me Home is where you feel comfortable. You are filled with things you love and everything doesn't have to match. Your neighborhood is flled with a variety of different people, whoes personalities meld together to make a place feel like home. That is what inspired me to make this pillow out of the fabrics that seemingly didn't go together. They were all fabrics that somoeone loved and were a part of that person.
I think they made a perfect neighborhood and Home!
I raw edge appliqued the houses on the pillow to add to the imperfect design. Because real HOMES are like that. Only brand new, unlived in show houses are perfect and don't have any cosmetic blemishes, places where the paint needs touched up, a lawn that needs mowed, a bike left outside, a roof needing attention, etc... and I wanted my homes and neighborhood to reflect that. This project also gave me an opportunity to try free motion quilting on my new sewing machine. The front quilting is a little too "busy", but for a first shot, I think it is ok. The back was actually just a piece I was practicing on, and I kind of liked all the different designs that I was trying, and ended up cutting it up and using it as the back for the pillow.
I think the pillow turned out quite cute. I you want to see more pictures, or pictures of what others came up with (some are really amazing!), go to this Flickr Group.