Okay, this dresser isn’t snappy, but hopefully the story will be. When we moved in I realized we have this little nook in our bedroom that is perfect for a dresser, but was just a bit too narrow to fit either of the two dressers we already owned. Since we could use another dresser for our family of four anyway, the search was on for one that would fit. I found this one at a thrift store and I loved it. I loved imagining what this old antique dresser would look like in our old antique house.

But, even though it passed the sniff test in the shop and passed the sniff test on the way home in the car, and passed the sniff test once it was in the house, for some reason when you put something into the dresser it would absorb odors that were not detectable, but obviously hiding somewhere. So good smelling clothing would come out of the dresser smelling like they had just smoked a pack of cigarettes while your back was turned. So I scrubbed it top to bottom, inside and out, in every nook and cranny that I could get to. I aired it, sunned it, smothered it in baking soda, let it sit with odor absorbing charcoal, and ended up coming to the conclusion that the one thing missing was time. It was just going to need to sit and I didn’t know how long. Bummer. So the man and I had to creatively arrange our clothes in a tiny kid size dresser and wait. After three months I put something in the dresser and it came out smelling like it had smoked a few cigarettes instead of the whole pack. But after five months, I put a clean towel in and it came out smelling like a clean towel. Yippee. Now that the dresser was no longer converting all of our clothing into smokers, we could use it in our bedroom, in the little nook where it belongs. It looks so happy there. And our closet is happy that it is no longer having to house t-shirts, sweaters, and pajamas on hangers!

The man was photographing ice crystals on the windows early this morning when he trained his camera on my newest Handmade Rescue.

I stopped into the local Goodwill to try to find some cheap food bowls for the rabbits. When I spied this I had to get a closer look. I was so fascinated by the design. I haven’t seen anything like it before. It seems to be re-purposed wool. Each rectangle is stitched on all four sides and then the pieces are stitched together. Add that fancy crocheted edge and… Viola!

As if I need more ideas for projects. But I am not sure I can resist trying my hand at this.

So what I was going to say was that this is the second Handmade Rescue that I can think of and it just gives me a thrill to rescue something that someone put so much effort into. The other one was a gorgeous hooked rug, that I will have to post about sometime. I thought it would be fun to spread the fun around. Please share your Handmade Rescues if you have any! You can link from the comments sections so we can all see. And maybe I will have to figure out how to set up a flickr group. Anyone interested?

Hey, I actually figured out how to set up a flickr group. Here it is if you care to join or just browse!

While waiting for closing day (which kept moving back, and back again, and again) I made two more outfits for the girl. I took pictures of the other, but after moving to a newer computer, I can’t seem to find them. So I noticed she was wearing this one today and I had to get a few pictures of her with her new rabbit.

The yellow floral at the neckline I picked up from Joann’s clearance rack. The lining I picked up from Goodwill. The oriental calico I found at a garage sale. The calico for the capris was handed down from my great aunt. And the yellow bias binding I also found at a garage sale. I love mixing fabric! I also love that this outfit probably cost less than $2 total.

And of course, I love that my daughter still thinks it’s cool to wear stuff that I make. She got a sidelong glance from one of the older girls in band. But when she saw the same girl give me the same look she decided it must just be because that girl has no style!

It is time to reveal a big secret. I am actually quite embarrassed about this. But here it goes…

Yes, I use empty tissue boxes to organize my socks and other unmentionables. I am not sure whether I am more embarrassed about the fact that I save empty tissue boxes, the fact that I can hardly bring myself to buy tissue unless the box is aesthetically pleasing to me, or that I compulsively sort things by shape and color. But really, this comes in very handy. It’s free, unless you never buy tissue and have to start. And, I never have to rummage around looking for something just to find out that I have run out. I always know when I am running low.

I also wanted to make sure no one missed any of the great ideas in the comments. Mirre sent links to the pocket tidies she made last year. They remind me of the wall pockets I keep seeing all over blog land, but hers are much more colorful! Definitely, more my style! And they can be tied to the back of a chair or on a changing table, or wherever you need extra storage. Lauri mentioned using empty Crystal Light containers to hold pens, pencils, paintbrushes… you name it! Decorate these babies up with paper and ribbon and your in business. And she also says they make an easy kids craft if your looking for a gift the kids can make for someone special in their lives. Perry suggested using old test tubes (cleaned of course), man I would be in heaven if I could get my hands on something like that. Actually, I discovered after a quick internet search that you can buy them at pretty reasonable prices… hmmm… my beads might need a new home! And everyone loves mason jars! All the great ideas are making me feel like I should dig a few more out of the basement.

A little time out from thinking about the holidays to put together a gift for the boy.

It was a fun, one hour project. Which is something I have needed after a long quilt project. Small projects feel so satisfying. I used a little thrifted corduroy in this lovely mustard color. I also found two HUGE spools of bias binding today at the thrift store for 50 cents each. I love bias binding… so useful! Thrifted buttons, garage sale blue fabric, and factory scrap vintage style print. Wow, I am feeling particularly resourceful today!

What you can’t see is that this bag is actually 3 1/2 feet long. And we filled it with PVC pipe to engage some of that boys abundant creativity. Here is dad trying it out, before it gets stuffed into the bag for tomorrow’s big day.

I must mention that this isn’t an original idea. My husband got a duffle bag full of PVC pipe and connectors when he was a kid from his creative parents. Since it was such a hit, we couldn’t let our son grow up without the experience. Considering how much time he spends trying to turn everything into a tent, I am sure he will enjoy it also. Any bets on how long it takes him to come up with the idea to make a light saber?

I found this bag at the Goodwill. I immediately picked it up, because I loved it, but it was funny because I couldn’t figure out why I thought it was so great. I have no other explanation for why I like this bag, except that it makes my heart happy and it makes me smile. I love it!

Here is a close up of that wonderful texture and patterned fabric. It was in absolutely pristine condition until my son insisted on carrying it to the car for me on the wet and soggy day that we happened to be out. I am not sure how many cars he rubbed the dirt off of with it, but it still looks good. I plan to use it and get it dirty anyway!

I got it home and explained to the man that I wasn’t exactly sure why I liked it so much. He took one look at it and said, “Because it’s funky!” Oh, yeah. Man what would I do without him to explain myself to me!

We have needed a new toiletries bag for a while now. I keep using a giant ziploc bag since I had not gotten around to making one yet. But this bag inspired me and so I made this:

It was the first time I used iron on vinyl (which I lined the inside with)… I am not sure I even knew it existed until I found it on clearance for 70% off. But I think I will use some when I start making more lunch bags. I cut the applique out of another sweet corduroy fabric that I am dying to use for something. Oh, if I the world would just stop so I could tinker in the studio.

I also lined it with this calico that my mom passed on to me from my great aunt. She gave me a whole stack of solids (which is what is missing from my stash) and this print. It went perfectly with the thrifted orange velour and leftover binding that I used.

So, this toiletries bag will work for us, but it could use a little tweaking before I could make a pattern that would be useful to anyone else. The zipper is too small… that is what I get for using a thrifted zipper instead of choosing one that was appropriate for this project. I also ended up having to rip out a lot of seams, since I tried to put on the binding the easy way, and it didn’t work! So a lot of seam ripping and hand sewing later, I am all ready to go with no place to go, and truth be told no inclination to go anywhere at the moment anyway! So it will be here waiting until the time is right.

I am always amazed at how easily I can lose track of time. I was shocked when I realized it has been almost a week since my last post. How did that happen? Here is part of the reason.

Do you know how easy it is to lose yourself in buttons. Ooooh, they are mesmerizing. And when you happen to be compulsive organizer, it makes it even easier to get absorbed in them. My mom picked up a gallon size bag of buttons at a charity sale for $1. She also gave me an old tin full of buttons from my great aunt. She picked out a bunch that she liked and gave me the rest. It was one of those times when I was really glad that our tastes are different. I like the buttons she picked out to keep, but she still handed over a treasure trove of buttons she didn’t feel the need to keep. Yippee!

Thank you for all the sweet comments on my last post. I feel a bit embarrassed having said something to invite that kind of response, but I can’t say it doesn’t feel good after all. Thank you, lovely friends!

I thought I would share this for those thrifty types out there. This is thrifting from your own computer… no need to hop in the car and spend hours browsing. Although, that is definitely fun, too! Just in case you haven’t heard of this yet, Lala is a music CD trading site. We have loved passing on some of our music that we no longer listen to and updating with a few things that have been on our wish list that we never got around to purchasing. A portion of the proceeds go back to the artist. A few creative members can’t pass up the opportunity to embellish the envelopes which always makes it fun to see what comes in the mail.

The other sight I have loved this summer is BookMooch. It is a book trading sight. It is totally free, except that you have to be willing to pay the postage to send your book to someone who wants it. Doing that earns you the ability to have someone else send you a book on your wish list. Using “book rate” with the USPS means that each trade costs you about a dollar or two to send out. Besides the obvious joy of getting a book in the mail that I actually want, it has been so fun to mail out books to people who want them instead of dumping them at the used bookstore wondering if anyone will ever want them. This was the first book that arrived. Score!

The kids poured over this book for a few days before school started. They also announced, “We still like it even though it is only in black in white!” Huh? I suddenly realized I am standing on the other side of a huge generation gap! Anyway, things are calming down around here. The dr. jekyll/mr. hyde that lives in my house was soooo excited to go back to school. He loves routine! So one of the things I have learned is that next summer I will need to start making chore charts and daily schedules in May before school gets out and way before things get out of control. Well, I have a busy week ahead. My sister and brother-in-law have a wedding reception on Saturday. They “eloped” in Thailand at the end of January, but are now back in the country so it is time for the rest of us to celebrate with them. We are busy turning our house into a hotel for all the family coming into town. I can’t wait to see all my nieces and nephews together! Fun! Fun!

As we were packing for our trip a few weeks ago, we were thinking about the fact that we would be “camping” for a few days in a newly purchased and still empty house. Not knowing what our accomodations would be like, we figured since we were indoors we could manage quite easily with a sleeping bag, a blanket, and a couple of small pillows. But I didn’t have another suitcase to fit that stuff into. I realized I could make a duffle bag quite easily. Having this trim on hand made it even more simple. I picked this up at the Goodwill and have no idea what it’s original purpose was. I know I can’t buy anything like this at my local fabric shop today!

So here is the finished duffle bag. Not too exciting, but it did the job. It held up just fine as checked baggage, and since it probably weighed less than 10 lbs. it was pretty easy to throw over a shoulder and be on our way.

I keep thinking of ways I could embellish it with pockets, etc. But since it will only ever hold the most basic of bedding materials, I’m not sure it is worth the effort. For now, I will just toss it up in the closet and I probably won’t see it again until our next camping adventure.