Another Journal to Fill

I created yet another journal that I hope will be filled with memories, reflection, random thoughts or whatever her fancy. It was a present for my mother for Mother's Day.

My mother's faith is a significant part of who she is so I used scrabble pieces and paper clips to form the section dividers. She loved it!!! And I loved making it.  

The best part is I used found objects found around my home.  It started with a box I repurposed from a package I received. It was the perfect size for the cover.

I layered the front and back with muslin using mod podge

to make the cover sane as I did for this one.

I used a scrapbook paper on the inside cover.

The library pocket was made from the corner of a manilla envelope. These days, I look at the mail I receive in a whole new way. Anything can be repurposed and upcycled.  I found a template for the library cards which I printed 4 to a page on heavy cardstock.

I couldn't find paper the exact size that I needed so I cut and trimmed  pages from a  half used composition notebook. 

Included labels and photos from her younger days to spark writing content.

Soon after I completed  it,  I was shopping at TJ Maxx and stumbled upon color pencils wrapped in a fabric holder that was almost identical to the cover! I thought they would be a nice compliment to the journal.

I have a thing for notebooks and journals with blank pages to fill and I love repurposing odds and ends to create something meaningful. There are so many ideas rattling around inside my head so I think I found yet another creative obsession calling:)

What creative obsession that is currently monopolizing your thoughts?

A Little Holiday Angst

I love the holiday season, really I do, but it seems like every year it comes around faster and faster. No sooner than you pack away the holiday decorations, then it's time to pull them out again and start all over. Is it just me who feels that way? I sure hope not.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love that the  focus is on blessings, family and food. Speaking of food, although there is nothing better than sitting down to a nice spread,  quite honestly, I find the process of getting it to the table a bit overwhelming. I envy people who look forward to preparing their holiday meals. For me, however, by the days end, I'm exhausted. I sound like a holiday Debbie Downer, don't I?  I assure you, I'm not.

Now when it comes to table decor, that's where I love to dwell. Although my table never looks quite like the grandiose ideas and pics I see in blogland and on Pinterest, I have to say I sure have fun trying. LOL.

I love tablescapes, however, I don't love the storage requirements that come with accumulating tabletop accessories and multiple sets of dinnerware. Instead, I prefer to repurpose  reinvent, rearrange and use what I have. I have to say, it's extremely hard to resist all that retail tabletop goodness, especially around the holidays, but I'm getting good at doing just that.

I love this centerpiece box. I am putting this on the top of my DIY to do list.

You can find instructions for this one at The Idea Room.

I'm on the hunt for grey plaid napkins. I'm turning into gray fanatic.  Haven't found any just yet so I might even settle for a grey print or solid grey.

I found these linen napkins at Anthroplogie. The color description reads neutral but they sort of have grey undertones, I think.

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Although they are adorable, the $118 price tag, most definitely is not. Ouch!

And since blue is my other favorite color, these caught my eye as well.

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This lovely is $12. A set of 6 for $72? That's still a little pricey for napkins. Perhaps, I will  resort to making them as well. Hopefully, it all will come together in time for the big day.

How about you? Are you ready for Thanksgiving? Do you enjoy the large meal preparation?

Repurposed T-shirts

Can you recognize the origins of this crocheted piece?




I don't know why, but I have a fondness for undershirts, specifically white undershirts that are no longer suitable for their intended purpose. Yet after they have yellowed or lost their shape, their softness lingers, making them deserving of repurposing.

I wanted some color so I dyed some of them in varying shades of blue and grey.

Next, I ripped the shirts into strips and started crocheting the strips together. Since I was making a bath mat, I wanted to capitalize  on the natural  softness; however, the softness disappeared into the texture.

I needed some inspiration and happened upon this Pin.

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Immediately I was smitten and used some blue yarn I had laying around to try out this technique.

I like the result, however, due to the thinness of the yarn there was openings I really didn't want. I will have to invest in some thicker yarn and give it another try.

I do enjoy the experimental  phase of  maker projects; it gets the creative wheels turning,and imagining different scenarios while incorporating inspiration all around. It doesn't matter that things don't work out as intended. Making is a process that doesn't need to be rushed but savored.

To be continued......

What have you repurposed lately?

Time to Garden

It's time to transplant the seedlings outdoors. I started them about three weeks ago from seeds I had left over from last year.  

I thought I give the seedling process another try as I had a successful harvest last summer. 

This year, however, instead of buying a plastic seedling tray, I decided to go into reuse/repurpose  mode and use eggshells and egg cartons to get the seedlings started.  I carefully washed the eggshells in hot soapy water and punched a hole for drainage. If the shell was too shallow, I would stack two of them together to create a taller and wider vessel.

So far I started onions,

Beefstake tomatoes,

and Sugar Daddy peas.

I thought the peas would take longer to sprout because the seed was so large and hard, but it shot up in a matter of days. Look at them now!

I  was hoping to have a vertical garden structure ready before transplanting anything but it looks like I will be in for another season of ground level gardening. No worries, I will continue to dream of a vertical garden oasis and rely on Pinterest to keep me inspired.

What will be growing in your garden? Have any gardening plans or stories to share?