Thursday, July 26, 2012
Thrifty Thursday: school supplies
Is it too early to be thinking back-to-school? Some may think so, but if you want to find some neat school supplies and educational aids, NOW is the perfect time to hunt them down in thrift stores! I usually find the best, most unique supplies and learning aids right after school ends, and right before the new school year begins.
Typical finds (and usually pretty good buys) . . .
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Easy t-shirt tote tutorial

This is such an easy project, it barely qualifies for a tutorial. Probably THE easiest tote you can make. These t-shirt totes are strong, roomy, durable. . . washable! We've been using t-shirt totes for a few years now, for shopping (when I remember to bring them in the store,) for picnics, hiking, day trips. If they can haul lunch for a gaggle of hungry Monkeys, you know these suckers are roomy and tough.
tags:
diy,
easy,
eco friendly,
market bag,
reclaim,
recycle,
repurpose,
reusable,
reuse,
sewing,
shopping bag,
t-shirt,
tee shirt bag,
tote,
tute,
tutorial,
upcycle
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Thrifty Thursday: sewing notions
The thrift store is an excellent place to source sewing notions! I usually find notions in lots, done up in plastic bags, or sometimes in boxes or baskets. (Always peek inside shoe boxes at the thrift store. Always.) I usually find these lots priced very cheaply. If the price of the lot is about the retail price of one or two of the items inside the bag, I buy it.*
Like zippers. Once in a while, I find a giant ziploc bag stuffed with zippers for around $2 or $3. If I were to shop at Joann's, a couple of zippers would easily cost me $3. This batch of zippers was a mere $2. BOOM. Bargain.
A great tip from a facebook fan -- be sure to do a sniff test before you purchase your notions! They're unusable (and therefore not a bargain) if they stink like smoke, mildew, mothballs or the crazy cat lady. I don't purchase them if they smell funny. These notions, however, passed the sniff test with flying colors. :)
Like zippers. Once in a while, I find a giant ziploc bag stuffed with zippers for around $2 or $3. If I were to shop at Joann's, a couple of zippers would easily cost me $3. This batch of zippers was a mere $2. BOOM. Bargain.
and the cute wire basket was $1.99... it's going to become another project soon!
A great tip from a facebook fan -- be sure to do a sniff test before you purchase your notions! They're unusable (and therefore not a bargain) if they stink like smoke, mildew, mothballs or the crazy cat lady. I don't purchase them if they smell funny. These notions, however, passed the sniff test with flying colors. :)
don't you love the packaging? and 30¢ for a zipper?!
tags:
crafting,
eco,
greener,
money saver,
notions,
rick rack,
sewing,
thrift score,
thrifting,
thrifty thursday,
zipper
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
I must have made God laugh. . .
. . . because I made some plans. Simple plans, like "do school," or "sew," or "take a bath." The Littlest Monkey has been sick for about a week now, and demanded to be held 24/7. (I wouldn't mind so much if my arms didn't cramp up from holding the chunky little guy, and an occasional hour of sleep would have been nice....) He's still not 100%, but no more fever, no more puking in the past 48 hours, so I'll take a little crankiness and be grateful.
While I've been in a sleep-deprived daze, my girls have been busy. . . .
These 15-pound boxes arrived a couple of weeks ago. They contain a never-ending wellspring of silky fabric goodness! I opened the boxes, and more and more and more colorful, gorgeous fabric scraps ooooozed out. They were all medium- and large-sized pieces, too, and so many lovely colors.
The cutting of circles has begun.
These are the scraps of the scraps.
tags:
baby,
bobby,
fabric,
hair,
hair clip,
hair flower,
singed flower,
stash,
tute,
tutorial
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Thrifty Thursday: cloth napkins
Welcome to my new weekly feature, Thrifty Thursday! Every Thursday, I'm going to post either a cool thrift store find, or share a thrifty, eco-friendly tip you can try. Today's post is both thrifty and a thrift store find!
. . . and my family actually loves using them. In fact, each of my kids has their own favorite print, and some are quite protective of "their" napkins! ;)
Several months ago, I blogged about our dependence on paper towels. And I don't use the word "dependence" lightly. We were using a case of paper towels every few weeks! We used them to clean up messes large and small, as dinner napkins, baby wipes... everything. I committed to using fewer paper towels, so I sewed dozens of cloth napkins for our family. . .
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Happy Cloud Baby Toy Tutorial
Finally! A tutorial! (And a cute one, at that!) I like this little plush cloud and rainbow because it can be a toy, a teether, or even a nursery decoration for boys or girls. It's easy to make, and great for using up little scraps of fabric! I made this one from 100% stash fabrics and scraps.


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