T Shirt Tuesday: T Shirt Totes

Hold onto your hats folks... this is the easiest project ever!

These cute T shirt totes have been all over the blog land for a while and I finally got around to making some... So here they are. We are talking 5 minutes worth of work and total cuteness.

Gather your supplies because this is a quick ride!

Old Shirt

Pins (completely optional)

Scissors or rotary cutter or both (unless you are a savage beast and can rip knit...)

Dinner plate (or sharp eyeballing it technique)

Sewing machine and thread

Step 1: Cut the sleeves off of your T shirt. I know what you are thinking... this looks a little, well, how do I say this... "redneck." Please don't be offended. I hemmed and hawed about what term to use here and then realized that this is part of who I am, where I'm from and what I am proud of. This is a style my brother Jim (love you...) is completely comfortable sporting, and I can show you how to jazz it up next week...

Step 2: Use the dinner plate as a guide to cut a large half circle out of the neck line. Eyeballers, this is your moment to shine! You can go ahead and "eyeball it." (I love to think I can eyeball it. I should attach several images of projects that prove that I have no eyeball ability whatsoever.)

Step 3: Pin the bottom of your shirt. "Turn your shirt inside out and pin the bottom together" silly. Oh and by the way, I may not be a great eyeballer, but I did a perfectly wonderful job of skipping this pinning nonsense on totes #2 and #3. (I know, so naughty and talented!)

Step 4: Sew the bottom seam. I gave it 2 good runs with my machine, just to be extra official...Enjoy your new super fabulous T Shirt Tote!

The one with the peace signs is Kiley's. She has big plans to take it with her to the Community Center and to sleepovers.

Come on, you know you want one... Take 5 minutes. Make one or ten!

Dear Bench

Dear Bench,

I have been looking for you for months. I want to take you home and paint you and make pretty pillows for you so you feel super special. Why are you hiding and teasing me so? I know you are out there. I have waited for you at Goodwill, I have looked for you on Craigslist. I will do whatever it takes to have you in my home. (OK, not anything, but I will go to extremes...)

Your ugly cousins are all creeping on me. I see them everywhere. They are at Goodwill, they are on Craigslist, they are sitting at the end of people's driveways. I don't want them, I want you.

So show your face dear sweet, lovely, bench with a curved back and no storage compartment.

I Had a Vision...

From across the thrift store, I spotted the most amazing print... My heart skipped a beat and I rushed in a not looking like I was rushing sort of way. (This was so other thrifters would not see my excitement and in turn rush to where I was rushing to get what I was wanting to get. Yes, I believe/ know this to be true...)

ONE PROBLEM...

There is enough skirt here for me and one of my kids.

Think, woman, think. Can I use this to make something fabulous?

I had a vision...

I snatched this baby up and took her home.

The skirt was made from 4 panels, so I removed 1 1/2 panels and created a new side seam.

Paired with a belt and a tank we have a new semi fabulous dress for $2.99! I am in love.

Now let's work on my photography skills...

Oh, and some actual, real live spring weather...

Did you know that "thrifters" is not a word in the blogger spell check? Seriously?!

It should be.

T Shirt Tuesday: Pretty Little Tank

To make today's "Pretty Little Tank" you will need : -tank top - narrow lace or trim - wide lace or trim - thread to match - sewing machine

First make a ruffle out of your narrow lace. There are many ways to do this...

I use the longest stitch length on my machine and sew all the middle. Pull the bottom thread to create a ruffle.

Pin your narrow ruffle to the middle of the wide lace.

Sew the ruffle to the lace. Find the middle of your tank and mark it so you know where to attach the lace. (I did this by folding the tank in half and matching up the straps.) Pin the lace to the middle of your tank.

Stitch to attach your embellishment to your tank.

Admire your work!

I am all about instant gratification projects and this was a snap.

Less than 30 minutes ... That's my kind of project!

Meet Frank

Meet Frank..Frank was 3Bucks!

Yes, Frank is so ugly he's cute, but I love him.

If someone breaks in and is not scared off by Frank or my evil coldsore, I can just pick him up

and use him for a weapon.

Jesse has not met Frank yet. I have a feeling he will not approve. Keep your fingers crossed. I hope Frank can stay!

New Family Member

We have a new little guy running around our kitchen.

Meet our latest edition...


No, we didn't have a baby...


No, we didn't get a dog...




Tate built a robot!

This little guy was a kit was a Christmas gift from Nana Rena. Tate loved putting it together and is thrilled with how it scuttles around the kitchen cleaning up crumbs.

I love that we don't have to feed it or take it out to the bathroom... Way better than a dog!

Now we just need to name him... Any ideas?

Project Sweater Beautification: Part I

Inspired by Grosgrain's Embellish Knit Month, I started to play around with some sweater beautification of my own. Today I added some singed lace flowers to a silk cardigan. Just lovely...

Project Time:20 Minutes



Materials:

Plain Cardigan (Mine was 1.49 at Goodwill)

Lace (I have also used chiffon, tulle, etc to make this kind of flower in the past)

Candle or other heat source

Scissors

Needle

Thread

For each flower cut

2- 4 inch circles

2- 3inch circles

2- 2 inch circles

Hint: To speed up the cutting process and cut multiple circles of the same size at the same time, you can layer your lace.
Use a candle to singe the edges of the two largest circles. To do this hold the fabric about 2 inches away from the flame until the edges curl.

If your fabric starts on fire, you are too close... Some people use a tweezers for this part, but I am a risk taker...

Repeat this process with your two medium circles and your two small circles.

Stack your singed circles largest to smallest and give them a couple of basting stitches.

Next, arrange the flowers on your cardigan and pin them in place. TRY ON YOUR SWEATER. What looks good laying on your design table does not always look good on your bod! Trust me... I love the look of the four flower design pictured below, but I tried it on and felt like a double dork.

The final product only boasts two lovely lace flowers...

After attempting to wear this this afternoon, I realized that I am not a size small. (I think I already knew that, but I really wanted this to fit me. It is so pretty.) Any size smalls? Its up for grabs. FREEBIE!!!