Finally got out of the House

Phew. The main roads were cleared enough that I ventured out this afternoon. The side roads were still terrible, but I can handle that. I just HAD to leave the house. I've been cooped up for three days.

We're celebrating my friend's birthday this weekend, and I needed to go out and pick her up a few more things. I ordered one thing on etsy already, and it arrived yesterday. I apparently was her first sale, and she sent me two of what I ordered as a special thank you. Wasn't that nice?!

I visited three thrift stores to try to find what I was looking for. Did I find it? No of course not; thrifting doesn't work that way. I should know that by now. I still can go out Saturday morning; maybe I'll find it then! I can't say what it is yet because she might read this.

I was really excited that one of the stores was having a 50% off sale on EVERYTHING today. Woohoo! I spent a whopping three or four dollars at that shop. So here's a quick list of what I did purchase today: three children's books for 50-60 cents apiece (two are about conductors and music, and the third is a firetrucks book); a bag of vintage buttons for 50c, a bunny picture frame for under a dollar, a photo album for $2, a "baby's first year" picture frame with slots for one picture per month- $2, a car roller shade still in the original packaging for a dollar; a dress pattern for 30 cents, a bag of Sesame street toys for 75c (one of which was crafted into something for my friend and the rest of which will be for Joel), a painted canvas to go with the Sesame street toy for $1.50.


This was a really quick craft. I simply used LocTite to adhere the foam puzzle pieces onto the canvas, and voila! Instant art work. I liked this so much that if I had more canvases, I would have liked to make several to use as wall art in the nursery. Oh well, Joel's room is done in rabbits anyway, not Sesame street characters.

Finally, I bought a "Guess How Much I Love You" poster for $3. It didn't have a frame, so I still need to search for one. That poster is absolutely perfect! I had found some "Guess How much I love you" wallpaper border for the nursery, however when push came to shove, I didn't feel like stripping the border that's in there now, paying for new border, and then going through the process of putting the new border up. Hell, we have border in the basement that we started to put up on our SECOND DATE, and we just finished it a month or two ago ("What? You put up wallpaper border on your second date?" Yes, my husband is a saint and agreed to help me hang wallpaper border as part of our second date)! So anyway, I never bought the "Guess How Much I Love You" border. But now Joel has the poster, and it was much cheaper than buying the border... not to mention easier to hang!

I also got some sewing done this evening. I finally finished the capes I was making for Joel and his cousin Brent. I upcycled an old orange sheet (free from an ex's uncle who wasn't using it anymore after he got sent to prison...) for the cape itself, and some scrap fabric for the appliqued lightening bolt and initial. I also used some orange bias tape that I thrifted a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, I don't have a little tike to model the cape.



Joel and Brent, future fighters in crime


A closeup of Joel's cape

The other project I finished was the blue baby blanket binding. Say that five times fast. Actually, say "I butchered the blue baby blanket binding" five times fast. Yes, that's right. BUTCHERED. It took me forever, and I am not pleased with the results. I had some white satin that was purchased eight years ago on clearance when I was a Joann Fabrics employee (loved that discount...). I used some of it at our wedding, but I still had a lot left. So I carefully cut strips of the satin, sewed them together, and ironed them into a bias-tape-kind-of thing (except I didn't cut it on the bias, so it's really not bias tape at all...). Then I pinned it around the perimeter of the blanket, and tried to sew it on. Here's where things started to suck. Oh well, I don't think Joel will notice the chop-job that I did.



Lastly, here's the felt applique that I've decided to go with for the little sweater Nan made eons ago. I think it will spruce it up nicely. The only problem is attaching it. I tried yesterday with a scottie dog applique, however it wasn't looking right. I am decent at the basic whip stitch, but what I really want to use is a blanket stitch. I suck at it, quite frankly. I'm going to need to practice some before I actually get this sweet little applique onto the sweater.