thrifting

V and Co: visits home ec in iowa city

 the other week i was invited to hang out with a few wonderful people. we went to a great shop down in iowa city, iowa. it was a pretty crazy weekend as there was a hawkeye game (and not just any game THE game against the cyclones. heaven help me i don’t even follow football […]

second hand re-creation

while in my cleaning organizing fit, i’ve been able to move things around and re-create with some second hand stuff that wouldn’t normally go together. i took my thrift store find silver basket, and my thrift store find glass candle stick holder (total cost $1.00) and created my new center piece for my dining room […]

mini tutorial: vintage looking signs

first off, i just have to say you have entertained me for the past few days with your comments! everything from laughing and agreeing with my sentiments about the tree, to stories about how much more crazy you are than me, to touching stories of memories of when your mother finally gave in to the […]

best second hand find (in my eyes)

i got to go this past week to the second hand store. when i got there. i instantly spotted this little wood hutch. i think i pooped my pants when i saw it. not really, but i was that excited. we brought it home after i paid the $25 that they asked for it. i […]

tutorial: dress made from a skirt

here’s a tutorial on how to make a romantic inspired dress out of a woman’s skirt. what you will need: one woman’s size skirt. (large with a zipper is most recommended.) this skirt having a zipper in the back made fitting this much easier. so i suggest you get a skirt with a zipper. first […]

very good thrifting day and keeping it real

this summer i wasn’t able to go on my weekly thrift store run. a) i don’t have the greatest track record when i take all 4 kids someplace on my own b) i’d end up having to fight against a lot of questionable toys making their way home with us so when i got to […]

what to do with glass hurricanes

i became obsessed with hurricanes when i saw them in the pottery barn catalog last year. loved them! so when i found these lovelies at my second hand store, i pushed over a nice lady that i thought was going to take them i quickly put them in my basket before anyone else could claim […]

tutorial:make a fabric covered lid for your picnic basket

before i begin…there will be a GIVEAWAY on monday. yeah you are going to want to come back. with picnic season here…i wanted to take my second hand find and spruce it up to take it out with us on park trips this little beauty only cost me $3…but the lid was less than desirable […]

things i love…

re-purposing old sheetscute little sundress made out of second hand find sheets. this skirt and this quilt were my first projects with old sheets. then i attempted the barcelona skirt pictured above. by far this is my FAVORITE skirt i own. and then i started making dresses for the little one with old sheets, love […]

before and after::second hand store finds

found two different times and i had no idea that it would fit so well but i got lucky. not bad for a little spray paint and $2… i also found some AWESOME fabric and an apron (you can find it here in my store) see you soon! promise.

things i love

salvation army finds: tall glass hurricane $3 medium size $2 50%-70% off “christmas” decorations that can be used all year long finished quilt tops: i finished two this last week and was suppose to quilt this one but the boys made… this fort around my computer and sewing area so i got nothing creative done […]

before and after::small changes

you know sometimes you just get tired of the same ‘ol same ‘ol. you just want a new look, well you don’t have to go out and buy all new stuff, you could always just look around and move a little thing here and a little thing there…or get rid of something and add some […]

great second hand finds

because i live out in the middle of nowhere, i get to go into the “big” town about once a week. we make the trek of 45 minutes and that’s where i do all my shopping for the week, and all the fast food eatin’ for the week, oh yes, and my weekly venture into […]

great finds and a redo teaser

found these lovelies for the little ones wall over her second hand dresser, found at the second hand store for $.50 to $1 each… i’m super excited about it coming all together. this thing is a beast and i want to make it look real good so it’s taking me a few days to do […]

before and after::second hand dresser

remember this tired old gal i got for $30 on my trip in california? yeah the one i threatened my kids that they were going to be strapped up on the roof of the car if i didn’t get to fit it in my trunk? well take a look at her now: with just one […]

fall decor::using nature

so i love fall, it’s my favorite season, i love everything about pumpkins and i love the colors. there’s only one thing i hate about it…when its done we get winter. but lets focus on fall… i was walking in our back yard and started to pick up the rotting apples on the ground and […]

pj’s made by me

oh oh people i don’t have enough to make all those that want them, i will figure out how many i can make out of these particular sheets, and then i will also show you guys some other sheets if you are still interested in purchasing the pj’s made out of other sheets! thank you […]

new dress made by me

made out of vintage sheets… i’m trying to decide if the little one “needs” yet another dress or if i need the money more…so i think i’m going to put it in the shop either the etsy one or the one here in town i don’t know just yet. but making this made me feel […]

second hand find and some lampshade lovin’

so my fabulous friend who just so happens to be a professional quilter was in the town 45 minutes away and she gave me a call from the second hand store “i have a table here for behind the sofa you want it?” “is it wood and can i paint it?” i ask “yes” she […]

simplicity 5695

so i don’t speak pattern… this was a little harder for me to “get” but it’s done. a little too big for the little one this year but i think that for next summer it should be just about right.i hate to use “real” fabric just in case i totally mess up so this was […]

another drab to fab

found on my little excursion this last time at the second hand store for $1. all painted up (with the never ending red spray paint… seriously its ’cause i’m trying to use it all up before i buy a new color isnt it?) still thinking of painting the tops of the bottles red…(to use up […]

great second hand finds

while my mother was here this past week, the plan was for me to “get away” for a few days with a friend and do…anything. so of course that included some second hand shopping. i would of liked to stay the whole time that was originally planned, but the kids being sick was not foreseen […]

a very good saturday indeed!

the little one played with her new toy food that i found this morning at the garage sale before i started working like a madwoman on little doll quilts…which by the way 3 down 2 more to go. hopefully all done and bound by monday sometime. did i mention my mom’s coming? oh yeah my […]

little chair before and after

remember the little chair i got for katie’s room for 50 cents? some spray paint (i know red AGAIN, i’m trying to use it all up before i buy another color) cardboard to hide the hole… batting to make the chair pad… i then hot glued the fabric on the bottom of the cardboard and […]

i heart this plate

found at the thrift store for $1 i’m going to do a giveaway later on today so come back soon.

i found her…

i decided to stop by an antique mall on my way home from the weekend celebrations. yes i took all 4 monkeys in with me and just as my nerves were about to be too much to handle with all the “please don’t touch that!” “you are going to break something!” and “i swear if […]

great second hand finds

so this weekend my fabulous friend that just so happens to be a professional quilter, decided that she was going to *pay* me back for watching her boys one saturday so she could go to the town 45 minutes away…she told me to take my time…oh and i did. so with just katie in tow […]

le skirt

made out of two pillow cases i found at a thrift store for a total of $1. I tried to take a picture of le skirt by myself but i couldn’t get the right angle, so i gave my 6 year old le camera, and before i could even get situated to ask him to […]

what i realized on my trip…

** my 6 year old can read REALLY well. well enough that i had to ban him from reading the billboards in las vegas. **going cold turkey off of diet dr. pepper, projects, and blogging…after shakes and rocking back and forth in the corner for a couple of days…it was nice to see that going […]