crafty exploration! I made a shirt...

Well, I didn't exactly make the shirt. I added embelishment to a shirt I already owned, using things I already owned... during naptime today. It took me 5 minutes. You may not like it, but I do...

Here's where I got the tutorial for making it.

the end... of part 1

Well today is day 45 of my challenge. I am done the first half of the no-spending challenge and done my first clothing challenge.  For a quick refresher of what these challenges are, see "Am I up to the challenge?"

 

For the most part this has been pretty easy actually. I had only one day where I really longed for a larger wardrobe. I was feeling blah and nothing made me feel "WOW!"... after texting a friend she said "If only we could see ourselves the way God sees us." It made me think about how I still put so much focus on appearance. Sigh.

 

I am glad I kept it at 45 pieces of clothing for 45 days... with our crazy weather I don't know how I could have done 30 pieces of clothing! I have added a few things to my closet in the last 45 days that has made it easier too- I did some dyeing and a bit of sewing and repurposing. It was quite fun actually! I have started looking at things differently- a more economical way maybe? Old sheets can become fabric. An old scarf could be made into a skirt or belt. Three pieces of discarded clothing can become a dress!  

 

BUT that said, I am going to try... I am going to attempt 30 pieces of clothing for 30 days. I am going to go back through my clothing and take out even more... maybe add a few things back in, but the end result will be 30 for 30. That means that by August 15 I will be done this next section of my challenge.

 

On the other side of my challenge was my no-spending for 90 days (until Sept. 1). I would say that I have really grown in this area personally. We have been spending money.... we have done things around the house, like finish our deck and fire pit.

 But I have not bought anything for myself for 45 days. I have not bought my children anything for 45 days. They did get one happy meal. We did pull out some new sticker books and games that I had previously purchased.

 In thing 45 day period, we were given several bags of clothing as hand-me-downs, we set up our trampoline - also a hand-me-down, and we received some other new things from various places without spending a cent. The one thing I almost did buy was a pair of shoes for Levi- I even had some in my hands in the store but decided not to, we would have to find a way to get by. That was Wednesday, and on Friday my mom shows up with 2 pairs of crocs for Levi that she had gotten at a garage sale. She didn't even know I was feeling like he needed them....
I have been missing garage sales. I am also kind of missing the hunt of the deal. But why hunt the deal when you don't need the stuff anyways?

 

I have been looking for ways to be more helpful financially. I have been using coupons more. I have been seeing things we can make at home instead of buying them. This has been fun- making creamer (yummy!), granola bars- thanks Cara!, bagels - thanks Erin!, and yogurt! 
I have been becoming more aware of the fact that none of our money really belongs to me anyways- its all HIS anyways.

my first batch was a bit runny- but the boys loved it anyways

 I have begun the fruit gathering and preserving with strawberries- first at the grocery store, and then this week the boys and I went strawberry picking. It was raining so I have no pictures of them in action- but they were AMAZING... my bigger boys each picked an ice cream pail, and my 2 year old ate and ate and ate!

we picked 6 of these ice cream pails!

I am looking forward to the rest of the fruit season, and though my garden is currently under water, I am excited about what may be. The next 45 days (until Sept 1) are very important in our life... the next 45 days will stock our freezer full of fruit and vegetables, they will tell us what kind of crop and harvest we will have this year, we will enjoy family time in BC together, we will say good bye to friends who are moving, we will celebrate the birthday of a soon to be 6 year old, we will begin gr.1 officially with said 6 year old... 

A few things I am learning...

• sometimes the life you never imagined, is better than you could possibly have imagined.
•  And when you surrender yourself to servanthood the feeling of being sentenced to this life as a mother disappears, replaced by excitement for each step ahead.
•  Oh... and HE provides you what you need for every step of the way.
• If you open your eyes to see, there is beauty everywhere!
•  When you are thankful for even the little things, joy flows- unstoppable
• Nothing is as hard as you think it will be, so just try it- it's ok if you fail

All things new!

I mentioned that I am trying to repurpose and recreate things from old. I did dye some clothing. And for the most part that worked good. But I am LOVING (and I mean LOVING!) remaking some old jewelry. I borrowed hubbies tools and got to work, with a $4.50 pack of jewelry supplies. I have no idea what I am doing, but it's been so fun. Everything is really basic, but I am not fancy so it works for me. So for $4.50 I have a whole new jewelry wardrobe.

An old necklace that had broken, remade into a pair of earings and bracelet

This bracelet I got in Hawaii, it broke, and so my sis in law added some smaller beads, and I used the left over big ones to make earings

This was a necklace I got a year ago at the local thrift store for $1. I loved the beads but it was always too long. I have never worn it. So I shortened it, used some of the bead in the bracelet above, and made earrings too.

Another old necklace that I never wore. Took it apart, made a pair of earrings, bracelet and pendant for my sis in law and myself. This is maybe my favorite.

I am also very pleased with this. My cousin Amanda gave this necklace to me for my 30 th birthday. It had two strands of recycled glass beads- made in Ghana by women.  My cousin is an amazing person and this necklace is a real treasure- but it was too long and too heavy to wear. So I took it apart and made it a little more me. I had beads left over so I made a bracelet. Fun! And its totally unique.

Another cheap necklace that was too long so  I took it apart, shortened it and made earrings from the leftovers.

Worth more than the money I spent to make these pieces is the experience I have been having with recreating and repurposing old things. I am really energized by this experiement and challenge.  

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the difference a few days can make

a couple weeks ago, I embarked on a challenge. Not the kind of 'challenge' my kids talk about and play knights with, but still a very interesting challenge.

This closet extends up and both to the right and left of what the picture shows. And it was previously FULL and spewing out onto the floor. The thing is that I had TOO much stuff, I couldn't see what I had, wanted or needed. Even though I purge regularily, I still lived in the land of the excessively excessive. So I decided to challenge myself to make some changes in my closet and my life. Am I up to the Challenge?

Well this is my closet now

Look back to the first picture and do you see that little section to the right of the mirror, that's all my clothes. I have some jeans above on the shelf but that is it! And I'll tell you something- I am reallllllllly enjoying it. I am actually happier, more satified, and overall enjoying my clothes more. I can find what I want in no time at all, and there is no spillage to sort through in the morning. Laundry and putting cloths away is a snap too! I haven't even really found myself yearning for things that I have put away. Interesting, right?

Another part of my challenge was that I would repurpose or make a piece of clothing. My friend over at sonneblomstudio  lent me this book :



"New From Old" by Jayne Emerson



And I have been SO inspired. I am looking all over my house and seeing things I already have in a new light. In typical me fashion, I went all crazy and started pulling things out and visualized half a dozen projects. When am I going to do all  this?!!

first project- a hand-me down sweater that I do like, but it is a bit tight. An idea in the book is to cut it down the middle and make it a bolero or cardigan. I'll attenpt it and see what happens. I may end up dyeing this too because it is yellowing.

This is a giant pile of nearly a dozen yellowing while t-shirts. Our country water isn't very kind to the whites, but DUH, I could dye these shirts and give them a new life!

Random items with beads on them. While being distracted the other day, I tried on my wedding dress and found extra beads in a baggy, and the little princess tiara that I wore. I decided to use the beads to do something timeless and pretty.

Garage sale find a while back- this table cloth was $0.25 and I loved the pattern and colors. I have no idea what I will make out of it.

Closer up pic of what the beading loks like on the tiara.

SO we had a pretty relaxed day yesterday. We got the brothers to our kitties so now we have 3 kitties and the boys were busy taking care of them. And they were making daddy father's day cards, looking through all of my scrapbooks (so cute!), and generally taking care of themselves. It was wonderful. I sat at my desk in the craft room and played. I love it!! This is what I've come up with so far.

A bracelet made from beads of an old broken necklace.

necklace made from old tiara beads. I really like this! I made earrings to go with it too

closer up of the tiara necklace

Sweater, nearly done I sliced it down the middle, and since it natuarally wanted to go together at the top middle, I ended up (not shown in picture) adding a huge brown button in the center. I LOVE IT. I think I will wear this lots this summer. I am going to wear it today, thats for sure.

                                             nice finished product picture taken by a 4 year old

I am inspired and challenged to do less shopping, and more recycling and repurposing. I am going to go find some good clothing dye and get to work on the pile of whites. I also love the feeling of being creative. It makes me feel alive and giddy with excitement. I am NOT a prefectionist so nothing is ever perfect, but I have fun doing it and I don't mind the imperfections. None of this is hard, but I normally don't think about it.

I wonder what else I am missing because I am not looking or am too busy?