Sun Tea, anyone?

I miss summer. We are having a small taste of spring right now with temps in the 40s-50s and a rain storm! It’s making me really, really, really antsy for warm weather!

A few weeks ago I thrifted this sun tea container for 99c. I obviously haven’t been able to use it so far because 1) we aren’t getting much sun, and 2) any liquids left outside would have frozen almost immediately with those extremely cold temps we had been experiencing.



In the meantime, we can all enjoy these photos of the sun tea container, and we can imagine what the delicious tea will taste like! The above photo is where I keep my tea stash- on the kitchen window ledge in a vintage thrifted wire basket. I heart wire baskets!

Valentines Day Magnets

I couldn't wait to give my husband these little magnets I made for him for Valentines Day, so it's okay for me to post them now. I made ten, however I was having some trouble photographing them, so not all of them are shown. I also had to adjust the lighting with my editing software, so the colors aren't exactly true to life. It is neat, though, how you can change the photo by fine tuning the brightness, color, etc.



Holding my heart in the palm of his hand

These weren't made for my husband; I just wanted to make some neato red magnets. I found a page in a magazine with several different red tablecloths that was perfect. I like the speckled one so much that I think I might make a necklace out of it.


Want to make some for your sweetie? It's easy! I posted how I did it a few days ago, so check it out :) I'll warn you though, once you start, it's hard to stop!

Making a Hobby Horse

I went out shopping today to look for a frame for the pop art photo of my husband's cousin's child. I visited several dollar stores and the two thrift stores by the mall and found several that would work, however none that really floated my boat. I didn't get a frame yet, so I'll have to go out again hunting this weekend.

The thrift store that was having the 50% off sale on toys the other day now has 75% off of toys! I found a new-in-the-package digital timer/bookmark that students can use to time how long they read. It was originally marked 30c- you do the math! Its tag said it was originally 9 bucks. Also, I picked up a hard back book about a singing moose (this band director can't pass up a book about music). Children's books are 50c, however apparently it was 75% off too! I got both for twenty cents. Now that's a good trip to the shops!

Next door I scored four magazine holders (I've been eyeing them at Staples and Office Max for awhile, but ten to fifteen dollars each is just too steep for my blood). They're pretty dingy right now however it's nothing that a bit of spray paint can't fix. They were 60c each. I might do something with them to make them Valentine-y for Jason since he's finally agreed to have a make-it-yourself V-day. I also found two little children's clip-on ties that had yellow tags. Yellow= 50% off. One ended up being a quarter, and the other 35c.

I have been wanting to make a hobby horse for Joel since I found a dowel rod the other day in my room at school. I have no idea where it came from, and no one has claimed it, and it's been a couple weeks. I figure it's trash and otherwise free for the taking. Either that or I could reinstate corporal punishment with it. That sounds good to me, but I might get some pushback from parents and kids...

Anyway, so today at the 75%-off-toys-thrift-store, I found a hobby horse that was originally $1.91. That would make the darn thing less than 50c. Geesh. I contemplated getting it and saving myself from sewing one, but then I stopped myself. Where's the fun in buying one, when I can cuss out my sewing machine for a few hours while making one?

So when I got home, I got busy. I picked out a piece of Nan's hand-me-down vintage 70s brown and tan fabric for the head of the horse. Let me warn you, when you look at this fabric too long, it will make you hungry for chocolate and butterscotch pudding. Seriously. Unless it's just me.

I used some yellow yarn for the mane, some buttons for the eyes, a solid brown for the reins, and little key chain thingies for the circular metal parts that the reins go through. I was especially pleased with myself over that last one. A pure stroke of genius if you ask me.

I put it all together (minus the dowel rod which is still at work), and have posted a picture of what I have so far. Here's a close-up of the reins.

My son, the unborn-rock-star-in-training

I fell in love with these guitar softies today. And I had just the right fabric for it... leftover music themed fabric that I bought years ago when I first started teaching. I have a window in my office that looks out to the practice room next door, and I wanted curtains for that window.

It really wasn't hard to make this guitar. I looked at some pictures, then freehanded one onto a few pieces of junk mail taped together to make my pattern. I then did all the obvious stuff, like pinned it onto the fabric, cut it out, put the fabric right sides together and repinned, and then sewed around the perimeter. I left two holes for stuffing, one at the bottom and one in the neck of the guitar. I turned it right side out, ironed it, and then realized I forgot to sew on the felt pieces. I ended up just using hem tape and my trusty iron to attach the felt pieces. Hem tape is my best friend.

I then stuffed the little guitar with thrifted still-in-the-package polyfill, and then topstitched the openings closed. That part sucked, but I don't think Joel will notice. He'll be too busy rockin' out to Def Lepard and Guns and Roses. Ah, those were the days.




Here's a closeup of the fabric choice

Magnets from Dollar Store Glass Gems

I've seen these all over the internet: these adorable little magnets! I decided I wanted to make some of my own. I scoured magazines and cut out little pictures that made me think of someone. Pictures I've cut out range from vintage cowboys to music notes to cats to toilets. Yes, my friends, you heard me right.


I have a sick sense of humor. This little guy is going to my brother, John, for Christmas. You see, when I was little I used to tease him because his name means "toilet."


The first one I found was the plunger. I thought it was funny but didn't know if I'd end up using it or not. I cut it out and sat it in the pile. A little while later, I ran across the picture of the toilet, and I couldn't believe my good fortune! And then a little later, I found the word, "toilets." At that moment, I knew my brother was going to be a lucky man at Christmas.

After I found enough pictures, I traced each gem onto the picture, and then cut it out, just inside of the traced line. I used a little Uhu glue on the front of the picture, then pushed the gem onto the picture. I pressed hard to get as many air bubbles out as I could. I have not actually attached the magnets yet, however I have about ten freebie magnets that came with pizza places, doctors offices, etc. that I plan on cutting up and using hot glue to attach it to the back. Hopefully that works out.

The gems were not perfect to begin with, and I suck at photography, so please keep that in mind as you look at these photos. I just can't seem to do them justice.


These are for my parents who love Hilton Head, SC.

Cute little people at a party

I love this cat.

A treble clef for yours truly, the music teacher.

More music teacher-y stuff

I "Heart" Pop Art

I ran across a very cool website today called the Warholizer. It lets you take a photo from your computer and turn it into a piece of pop art. I think I am going to frame this one of my husband's cousin's baby and give it to her for her first birthday in a couple weeks.



And here's one of me from our wedding:

Sunday Stash and Yesterday's Thrifty Finds

While hubby was at work yesterday, I went over to the Eastland mall area and visited the VOA and Salvation Army. They're right next door to each other; it's so convenient. The walking path between them was a muddy, snow-melty, puddle-y mess, but I braved it and continued anyway. Puddles mean that it is warming up- horrah! It actually hit 50 yesterday! I tried to tell Joel that the weather is perfect and that he should come on out now, but so far he has not listened. I'm told to get used to it because children in general don't listen to their parents. (What have I gotten myself into?)

Yesterday I mostly perused the baby and toddler clothes sections and got some good finds. I actually found several shirts that were still new with the tags! Most of what I got was either 50% or 75% off, however I did "splurge" and pay full price (99 cents) for some of the shirts that were too cute to pass up (like a couple hockey shirts... like father like son!). What the heck; it's for a good cause, right? I focused on 12 month clothing. Joel should fit into 12 month clothing this fall, seeing as what a fattie he is. Hopefully 18 month clothing would finish out next winter and early spring, when he would be about 12 months. I figure that once he's born and I'm back to work (hopefully...), I won't have that much time to go shopping so I might as well get at least some of it done while I do have the time.


A little Old Navy sweater with the plastic tag thing still attached



Planes, trains, and automobiles.

Maybe Joel will like football.

Or perhaps hockey will be more his thing.


Brand new with tags still attached! And all that for under $12.50

At one of the two stores, all toys were half off but they were pretty picked over so I didn't get any. Usually you can find toys still new in the packaging, but no such luck yesterday. I did get a few other things though: a piece of fabric with a fishing motif on it to add to my previously-non-existent "little boys" fabric stash (59c); a western themed bandana for Joel's room someday (50c); a baby bottle warmer for the car that plugs into the cigarette lighter, new in the box, for under $3; and an el-cheapo plastic "X" and "O" cookie cutter set, new in the package for 90c (although later at the Dollar Tree I saw an 8 pack of plastic Valentines Day cookie cutters for a buck...*grumble*).





I told hubby that I wanted to do a free Valentines Day, and that we should make each other gifts. He's not too keen on that idea. He says that he doesn't know how to make anything. I've told him numerous times that he makes stuff on his computer all the time, but he just isn't getting it. I just don't want to be spending a lot of money when I very well may be losing my job for next school year due to budget cuts. We need to save, save, save! I'm planning on cooking a nice dinner for us, complete with V-day cookies. I've also started making those little flat marble magnets that I've been seeing online everywhere, and I've made ten for him in a Valentines Day theme (as well as dozens for other people for gifts). They are so A. D. D. I. C. T. I. N. G. They are tons of fun to make! I went through some of my magazine stash, cutting out little pictures and have it all spread out on the dining room table. I'm planning on writing a separate post for those though so I will move on to my next topic now.

Last week I joined a group of gals who take photos of their fabric stash and post it on Sundays. Here's mine for the week!

These are all shots of one large drapery panel that I thrifted last week to use in Joel's toddler bedroom once he gets to that point.