I’m thinking about trying to make the curtains fit the theme somehow.  I’ve already told my hubby that he has to help me with the curtain rods – I told him that they somehow have to have a “motorcycle feel” to them, which means that they will have to be chrome and will have to suggest either motorcyle exhaust pipes or motorcycle handlebars.  I’ll be curious to see what he can come up with!

I’m not quite sure what I will sew to hang off of the curtain rods, I’m thinking about something made from denim squares cut from old blue jeans, or maybe something made from faux leather, or maybe something from very silvery-chromy shiny fabric.  Maybe try to make some tie-backs that look like motorcycle chains…….

Suggestions welcome!!!!!

I really enjoy seeing the occasional decorative mailboxes that pop up among the old rusty ones. Some of the more popular ones around here seem to be the John Deere tractor mailboxes, but I have also seen some that look like school buses, and some that look like animals (most specifically cows) and from time to time an airplane.

My favorite ones, however, are the ones that have been hand painted. The reason I like them the best is that somebody was using their artistic creativity to decorate the mailbox. I value handmade things much more than mass manufactured things.

She was beginning to wonder if she was EVER going to get married!

They want to have a medieval theme wedding.  They love going to Renaissance Fairs.  They will be planning their wedding around the medieval theme as much as possible.   I guess I’ll be sewing a medieval costume!  Good thing I love to sew!

They are planning to have their wedding at Bull Run Castle in Aldie, Virginia.  The Bull Run Castle is a romantic bed and breakfast that they think they can rent for the wedding.  The Bull Run Castle is eight miles away from Dulles Airport, which should make it very convenient for their guests to fly in from the four corners of the world.  They are going to have the wedding reception the next day at the Medieval Times Restaurant in nearby Hanover Maryland.  The Medieval Times Restaurant has a very entertaining show that is included with dinner.  The bride and groom are asking their guests to dress in medieval costume if possible.

At first I was going to just toss the sock in the trash, but then I decided that I will try to darn it to repair it.  In this economy, I’m trying to pinch every penny and stretch every dollar.  It’s been a few years since I’ve darned socks, but it isn’t hard to do.  So I’ve put the sock aside for now, will try to get to darning it this evening after supper.

I found that when it ripped and I was looking at the rip, thinking about darning it, memories of my step-mother teaching me how to darn socks came to mind.  I remember how she had a wooden bulb to use as a form to put inside the sock while working on it.  I don’t have one of those; I’ll just use a light bulb.  I find it interesting how often small and seemingly insignificant things will trigger a memory of a person!

I love to sew, and I have to confess that I have bought fabric and patterns with good intentions to sew some clothes but then did not get around to doing it.  I really hope that I DO get around to that sewing soon! My mother-in-law tells me “she who dies with the most fabric wins” but I hope to actually DO stuff with mine!

The vast majority of my home made gifts have been well received, and I often get special requests from the people who are on my gift list.  I have been surprised, and sometimes dismayed, when I discover that my gift ends up being turned into a cat toy (by a child too young to appreciate the money, time, and effort put into making the gift) or tucked away in a closet because it is appreciated so much that the recipient thinks it is “too good to use” and is afraid to use it!  Or even more dismayed when the recipient turns up their nose at the gift because they think that the homemade gift represents the thought that I was “too cheap” to “buy” them something from the store.  Those people don’t realize that the raw materials used to make the gift often will cost more than buying a gift from the store.

So, giving home made gifts can be tricky sometimes.  I need to research the individual and make sure that they will actually appreciate the home made gift before I go through the time and effort to make it.   Sometimes the best gift to give someone can simply be a gift card, to let them buy what they REALLY want.

I love to craft.  I especially love what I call “T2T” crafting.  T2T means “Trash to Treasure.”  This is a picture of a burnt out light bulb that I decorated with paint, beads, ribbons, stickers, and discarded bottle caps.  It was a lot of fun to do, turning a burnt out light bulb into a pretty ornament!

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I changed it a little bit by using a burnt out vanity light bulb instead of a Christmas ornament ball.  I think it came out adorable!

Isn’t this the cutest thing? I saw this online and could not get it out of my mind. What a great imagination the person must have who thought of tree art. I would love to find more of his work, but I don’t even know the name of who did this.

So then I started looking around for other places online that might demonstrate or even talk about how to refill the boxes with standard tissues, and that just seems impossible to do! So I’ve decided to share it with you here and now.

First of all you need an empty boutique tissue box, and a full standard tissue box. Gently open the sides of the boutique box. With a pair of scissors open the top of the standard tissue box large enough so you can reach your hand inside to pull out a handful of tissues. Pinch a large handful of tissues in half. Tuck them into the boutique box (with the ends away from the opening and the pinched middle towards the opening) and partially pull out a tissue to get it started. Fasten the box closed with an elastic band, tape, or slip it into a decorative tissue box cover.

One standard tissue box usually refills two or three boutique boxes at a time.

Works like a charm every time!

I thought I’d share with you one of my T2T projects in greater detail.  This is a picture of the supplies that I used to turn an empty chicken can into a pretty trinket box.  Not pictured are the Plaid Folk Art Outdoor Paints, and the glue that I used.

This is a picture of the chicken can, after I was finished with it.

This is a picture of the inside of the jewelry box.  It is lined with a velveteen fabric.  It came out very pretty!  I gave it as a gift to my sister-in-law, and she was thrilled with it!  I’ve had several requests from friends/relatives to make some for them!