Repurposed Wine Rack Is DIY Fabric Organizer

Let me set the stage:

I don't have a fancy schmancy craft room. What I have is the unfinished side of our basement where, for the original owner of our 50-year-old quasi cottage-style home, the wood and metal shop resided.

After we became empty nesters, I was determined to take up creative endeavors that I had abandoned more than 25 years ago, when the kids were young.

I know my way around a sewing machine and other artsy crafty tools, but neither hubby nor I are handy around the home. So, I made do with a simple facelift to the workshop. I pulled the doors off the cabinetry above the workbench, painted the cabinetry and bench and have called this crude space crafting home ever since.

I have an overabundance of fabric. The bigger pieces are stacked by color inside those cabinets I painted, visible at a glance without the cabinet doors. Organizing the remnants after I cut into the yardage has been more of a challenge.

Enter this odd-looking and probably homemade wine rack.

Standing more than four feet high, it's probably no surprise that it hadn't been snatched up by the second day of the rummage sale where I found it. For me, it was repurpose love at first sight. I knew instantly it would be the answer to my snarl of fabric remnants.

Even though it looks as if it were made of Tinker Toys, it is rock-solid sturdy.

Gave it a nice wash of Annie Sloan chalk paint. I liked the dark wood peeking through, so I only gave it a light coat, not worrying if it covered completely. And, frankly, the design of the piece made painting tedious.  Now it just looks distressed--without the extra effort to distress.

At first, I set the rack up vertically, which is the way it was designed.

After moving it around the workshop, I decided to place it horizontally on an old steamer trunk, which made it more accessible. No stooping all the way to the floor to reach the low rows.

So nice not to have to dig through piles to find just the perfect scrap.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
You're Gonna Love It Tuesday

What's It Wednesday

Whatever Goes Wednesday

Swing Into Spring
Work It Wednesday
Thursday Favorite Things
Share Your Cup Thursday
City of Links
Creativity Unleashed

It's a Vintage Cover-Up

It's a wonder that because my mom was an accomplished and prolific seamstress the first sewing project I completed was in 8th-grade Home Ec class. I suppose it may have been a good thing that Mom waited to let someone else teach me to sew. It may have saved some frustration and hurt feelings for both of us. That mother/daughter thing, you know.

My first project was a simple apron. Nothing fancy. Just basic straight stitching. It even had a self hem--no hand hemming.

Oh, did I love the fabric I chose! I've always been a butterfly lover. These winged beauties are straight out of the '60s. Pink, orange, avocado glory.

When I completed that first sewing project, I felt as if I'd been crowned Queen for a Day. I don't think I realized it then, but I know now that sewing gave me a special bond to my mom. I never became the exceptional seamstress she was, but I definitely know my way around a bolt of fabric and a sewing machine. I've done all right and Mom always was the biggest fan of my creations.

My first sewing project has served me well--for 45 years. It's experienced a bit of the kitchen, but cooking isn't my strong suit. Instead, my apron grew old and thin in the craft room and serving at money pouch and catch-all at my many garage sales over the years. The pockets are amazing. I can pack a week's worth of goodies in those roomy pouches.

Over the years, that first sewing project has taken a beating. I've had to restitch the pockets numerous times, as the stitching wore thin. It had a run-in with a Sharpie pen a while back. And, yet, it remains my Old Reliable.

On my more recent thrift adventures, I've lucked into some lovely vintage cover-ups. And, while I personally don't need any more aprons, I'm drawn to them like a fly to honey. For me, vintage aprons conjure smells of fresh baked bread, oven fried chicken and applesauce cake. Not to mention remembrances of summer days on the farm, church picnics and picking fresh vegetables for dinner.

Each carefully crafted gem reminds me of my mom and my grandma, neither of whom ever worked in the kitchen without a nice, handmade cover-up.  They made their aprons from flour or feed sacks and trimmed nearly every one with coordinating rick rack like this lovely one I found at an estate sale last summer.

Grandma, a farm wife, favored the full cover-up, similar to these. Every Monday, she churned butter in her apron. Tuesdays, she baked enough bread to last for the week. Wednesdays, she baked the week's pies and cakes. Other days, she canned meat or fruit and vegetables. That kind of messy kitchen work called for full coverage.

My daughter inherited her love of aprons from the older women in her life. A barista at a small, local coffee shop, she cultivates her unique image behind the bar with a variety of wonderful vintage aprons she's personally collected or received as gifts. A couple of weeks ago, I found a fun candy stripe full apron at a sale and gave it to her for her birthday this past weekend. Red is her favorite color.

I love the soda shoppe feel of the fabric and color. Grandma would have loved it, too. It's trimmed in matching rick rack.

Grandma taught me to crochet when I was nine. My mother also crocheted. But, I don't recall Mom or Grandma crocheting one of these beautiful aprons. I haven't made one, either. Yet.

This was a recent Goodwill find.

Some of these sweet throwbacks I've found will end up in my shop. They simply must, as I could so easily become a vintage apron hoarder.

So many cute styles, heartwarming fabrics and creative twists on the old standard. Of course, you know a few will make their way into my personal collection anyway.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Knick of Time Tuesday
Be Inspired
What's It Wednesday
Primp Your Stuff Wednesday
Wildly Original
Thursday Favorite Things
Time Travel Thursday

Junkin' Joe Vintage and Thrity Finds
Sunny Simple Sunday

Cheep, Cheep, Cheap, Cheap

Finally! Thrifting life is returning to normal.

Each year, that period between mid-December and mid-January becomes so hectic that time is at a premium. In our community, estate sales are nearly non-existent during that time. And, this year, between holiday house guests and a bout with the uber nasty respiratory flu, I was out of commission for a good part of December and early January--even if the estate sales wouldn't have been.

Now, estate sales are back. They started slowly, with one last weekend. More are advertised for this weekend. Hooray!

Take a look at some of the items I found last weekend.

The sweet little ceramic chick sports a darling blue jacket for spring. How dapper. The underside of his beak has a small boo-boo that's not visible unless you turn him over. But, that might explain the 50-cent price tag.

A stamp on the bottom says "Joan Lea Creations." Not a signature I'm familiar with.

A couple of burlap tablecloths--one forest green, one a rusty shade of red--and a pile of buttons in shades of brown are another useful find. One can never have too many buttons. The tablecloths may reappear someday as something other than tablecloths. I have a couple of project ideas, but need to mentally prepare for working with burlap. It gives my hands an itchy rash.

These charming 1950s rayon placemats and napkins are so cute they make me giggle. Still in the original box with the tag attached, they're in mint condition. The tag describes it as a barbecue set.

Each placemat has a different saying on it.

Little excites me more than to stumble across vintage cameras to add to my extensive collection. What a delight to come across a small vintage suitcase containing two mint-condition vintage Kodaks, a significantly-less-than-mint Agfa folding camera and a couple of vintage flash attachments that fit the Kodaks.

Overall, the darling little wooden case is in very good condition. Looking into the repurposing crystal ball, I see a makeover with embellishments in its future.

Happy thrifting. Let the weekend begin  . . .


Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Time Travel Thursday
Thursday Favorite Things
Feature Friday

Pearls and Scraps

Halloween's over. No point in lingering. I'm ready to move on to Christmas.

What happened to Thanksgiving, you ask? For the past 26 years, we've traveled to Illinois to spend Thanksgiving with my husband's family. Over the years, weather has prevented us from going only a couple of times. Because we don't spend the holiday in our home, I automatically move directly from Halloween mode to Christmas mode in my decorating. And, now that our children are grown and gone, that's even easier.

Even though the Fall decorations are still up throughout the house, this weekend I was itching to make something Christmas-y.

After the holidays last year, my local grocery store, which has a fantastic floral shop, had what seemed like a mountain of Christmas items left for clearance. I bought out every one of these little feather trees, among other holiday items. The trees are small and sweet and whimsical.

Being vintage myself, I have a distinctly vintage decorating style. So, I didn't care for the bright white of these pretty little trees and planned from the outset to "age" them and give them some simple embellishments. I also planned to plant them in these small, vintage metal molds.

After giving the trees a tea bath,  I prettied them up with little scraps of a net crinoline and satin from a beautiful, but tattered 1940s wedding dress that I am using on a custom project for a friend. Then I added faux pearls from my collection of broken-down and cast-off vintage jewelry.

As I was preparing the vintage mold bases, I remembered I had three small vintage milk glass jars and decided to see how they looked. Can you believe it? The base of the trees fit perfectly in the jars. They seemed to be made for each other. I'll likely make more of these and put some in the metal molds.

I'm toying with the idea of a light dusting of glitter. What would you do? To glitter or not to glitter--that is the question.

Make it a great day!

Nifty Thrifty Sunday
Sunday's Best
The Cure for the Common Monday
Motivate Me Monday
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Cowgirl Up!
All-Star Block Party
Blissful Whites Wednesday
Pearls and Lace Thursday
Better Late than Never Christmas Inspirations

Re: 10 Win-Win Tips for Laundry

Reduce

Reuse

Recycle

Reclaim

Repurpose

Respect

Did you know that whether you do a couple of loads of laundry a week or a dozen, eventually nearly all your laundry products make their way into the world's waterways?

No matter how much you'd like to avoid doing laundry, that just isn't going to happen. So, this week's Re: tips will help you reduce your impact on the waterways whenever you take on that favorite chore. They can even save you a little time and some money.

All images via The Graphics Fairy

• About 80% to 90% of the energy used for washing clothes goes to heating the water. Turn the dial to cold for clothing, which makes up the majority of laundry in most households. Hot is best for bed linens and towels, though.
• Choose the shortest wash cycle possible. Unless you're washing heavily soiled items such as muddy sports uniforms, you don't need to use a long cycle. Saves time and money.
• Don't run the washer until you have a full load. One large load is more energy efficient that two smaller loads. Even the most energy-efficient machines use about 40 gallons of water per load. If you reduce the number of loads you wash by washing larger loads, you save time, water and money.

• Select natural laundry products. A good place to start is to avoid detergents with labels that carry the words "warning," "danger" or "poison." Avoid chlorine bleach and boost your cleaning power by adding a little baking soda or hydrogen peroxide to a natural detergent. Skip the fabric softener and add a 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle. Or, make your own laundry detergent. There are many recipes available on-line. Mother Nature Network has some recipes you can try.
• Add only the amount of detergent recommended on the packaging. Your machine runs less efficiently when it contains more bubbles.
• If you live in a humid area of the country, use the highest spin speed to remove as much moisture as possible before transferring laundry to the dryer. This reduces drying time and saves energy.

• Hang your laundry to dry, when possible. You will save energy (therefore, money) and extend the life of your clothing by saving wear-and-tear on the fabric.
• If you must machine dry your laundry, don't over dry. Did you know fabric fibers can become brittle, which results in faster deterioration?
• Clean the dryer filter after each use. Also be sure your outside dryer vent is clean and free from obstructions. These steps will help your dryer work more efficiently and help prevent fire.
• Whenever possible, do back-to-back loads of laundry on one day instead of spreading the loads out over multiple days. This will allow you to take advantage of retained heat from previous loads, reducing your total energy use. You got it--saves you money.

Sorry, I can't help you avoid doing your laundry, but perhaps these tips will encourage you to think a bit differently about how you approach this weekly chore. You must might save a little time, money, energy and water.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop at Homemaker on a Dime
Manic Monday at Serendipity and Spice
More the Merrier Monday at DIY Home Sweet Home
Cowgirl Up at The Farmhouse Porch

Chickens Come Home to Roost

Is it just me, or do you occasionally experience this, too? You find something you really like:  a pretty plate, a vintage linen, a compelling old photograph. So, you buy it. Then, all of a sudden you start seeing other items the same shape, composition or style everywhere you turn.

That has recently happened to me with chickens, particularly roosters.

It may have started with my son who, as he was looking to decorate his new apartment at about this time last year, seemed drawn to vintage roosters. Like this vintage trivet he found at a thrift shop.

Naturally, I began noticing roosters when I became aware he had an interest.

A while back, as I was browsing Karen's extensive library of wonderful images at The Graphics Fairy for a project I was working on, I came across a gorgeous rooster image. I had been saving a fabulous piece of Waverly fabric (an estate sale find) for just the right project and decided to stop right then and make a pillow with these beautiful elements. I can be impulsive like that.

The polka dot fabric is gorgeous and the large rick-rack row at the bottom is part of the print. I transferred the rooster image on a piece of vintage muslin using my inkjet printer. I added the black rick-rack frame to finish it off.

It even looks pretty from the back.

And, the chickens just kept coming. My husband and I grabbed a set of 10 embroidered fabric cocktail napkins at a recent estate sale. The proud white rooster is accompanied by his cocktail shaker. Won't these be fun for a summer get-together?

Then, on a recent trip to Illinois to visit my husband's parents, my mother-in-law asked if I'd be interested in some of her old tablecloths and linens. They are trying to downsize and have started sorting through their accumulation of household items. Lo, and behold, more chickens.

This beautiful brown tablecloth is in perfect condition and is adorned with roosters and hens. Yes, I told her. Yes! I'd love it! Thank you.

And, finally, last weekend, I came across this sweet vintage apron at an estate sale. My daughter, a barista in a cozy, locally owned coffee shop, enjoys wearing fun aprons to work. She has a nice collection of them, but is always looking for more. And, recently, she also seems attracted to the chicken motif. This cute apron will be a birthday surprise for her tomorrow (if she doesn't read my post today).

As you can see, when the chickens come home to roost around here, it makes for a fun and interesting collection of goodies.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Primp Your Stuff Wednesday
Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures
Sister Sunday at Sisters of the Wild West
Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Design
Pillowpalooza