Wishing For Pine Needles

Flour Sack Tuesday: On Thrifting

Five Reasons Why We Thrift:

1.  It's fun!  We enjoy browsing through racks and shelves of interesting things that we would certainly not find at Target.  It's the honest-to-goodness, old-fashioned thrill of the hunt.

2.  We can still be picky.  When we go to a thrift store, I am quite choosy about what goes into the cart.  It can be tempting to buy something for 10¢ because, hey, it's 10¢, but I also don't want to add unnecessary clutter to our home.  We try to limit our purchases to what we truly need, with the occasional splurge on a home decor item, book or toy. 

3.  Brand names.  I admit, I am a brand-name junkie.  When we thrift,  I often find my favorite clothing brands that I buy for my family for pennies on the dollar.   In most cases, I would rather buy my favorite brands used than less desirable or unfamiliar brands new.  The selection of brands when thrifting is huge!

4.  Teachable moments.  I have been able to use our trips to the thrift store to show our children just how far a dollar can stretch.  I explain that we could either go to the mall and get 2 shirts for $30 (maybe!), or go to the thrift store and get 2 for $2.  A $28 savings is a fairly easy concept to understand, even at a young age.

5.  More for less.    You can still be just as well-dressed even if the clothes aren't brand new, and you're reusing and saving lots of money all at the same time!  Some thrift stores even offer coupons or discount days.  Our favorite store runs 25% off every Monday and 50% off on holiday Mondays.

One concept that we strive to implement more of in our family is to "buy used and save the difference." 

What are some things you buy used???

 

Sugar and Spice and All Things Nice

It's A Girl!

We've known for a while now.....since June 3rd to be exact.  After having not known the gender ahead of time with our last two (of three), we decided that this time we really wanted to know.  All of us. 

Only Hans complained the slightest bit.  He had been planning for a brother, you see.  But that only lasted a couple of minutes (thankfully) and he quickly joined the ranks of the rest of us who are just plain excited about this baby girl.

So preparations are officially underway.....room swapping and repainting and a wee bit of baby girl sewing!  (I made this dress in just a couple of days using the very simple McCall's 8574.) 

The sweet giraffe fabric was a gift from this gal, and the star and moon shelf was a barn sale find for $2.  It still needs a bit of polishing, but I think it will be a darling addition to this baby girl's room. 

So we're having fun here, and quite certain that there are few things better in life than prepaing for a new baby!

 

Flour Sack Friday - a new skirt, Repurposed

This week brought us sniffles, fevers, chills and tummy aches.  But the good news is that we are mostly recovered...well, all but the girl in the middle who we pray is at the very tail end of this little bug herself!

Because we spent a lot of time here at home this week, I tackled a fun, little project that made me feel somewhat 'productive.'  (I guess one could achieve 'productive' by cleaning one's house, but that's not nearly as fun, now is it?)

I rescued this jumper from a church clothing swap a couple of years ago.  I never intended to wear it (um...not really my style...), but I absolutely loved the thick, red cordoroy fabric and knew it would be a perfect addition to my fabric stash. 

 

I'm happy to say that I finally tackled the project of repurposing of this lovely jumper.  (And it was so fast, easy and fun!)

 

I simply cut out the mid-section of the jumper because I loved the pockets and the buttons.  I made a casing for 3/4 inch elastic at the top, and trimmed the bottom with some left over quilt binding that was a perfect match.

 

And, wa-la,  my big girl has a new skirt!

  

Rylen, who loves all things homemade, was delighted with her new red skirt.  (And what do you know?  Just in time for Valentine's Day!)

 

Weekend Fun and a Quilt Update

This past weekend was one to be mentioned...it was the kind where good times and good news were both had!

Saturday morning began with some coffee, conversation and thrifting with a friend and it couldn't have been more enjoyable!  So much to talk about...so little time.  So much thrifting to do....so little time.  (Looks like we'll have to plan another outing soon, Ellen!)

Know what I like best about this old thread?  Right, the wooden spools!

Saturday afternoon.  We received word that a dear, little friend who we love a lot got good news from his doctors.  Praise God!  (He spent a couple of days in the hospital and gave us quite a scare.)

Saturday evening...kids sleepover at grandma and papa's.....Dan and I out with friends....nice restaurant...good food...gift card...no kid's meals....no high chairs....ending up at Border's.....so....peace...ful....*sigh*.....!

Sunday morning we woke slowly to a completely quiet house.   Dan and I read the paper, drank coffee and ate donuts before heading off to church.  (And, we had nursery duty.  I guess we are just not meant to have a completely kid-less morning!)

But, of course,  we had an awesome reunion with Rylen, Marianne, and Hans.   (How is it possible that it seems like they grow in just one night away?)  And to top it off?  Lounging on the couch Sunday evening watching more Olympics.  

Sometimes, even in the midst of our busy life, we have found that truly embracing the weekend and laying aside work and schedules really lets us all come up for air.  Fresh, cool winter air!

As for the quilt?  Well, all 200 of my squares are cut.  The dimensions of this quilt, given by Randi, will make a nice-sized lap quilt.  I decided that I would like to turn it into a queen-size quilt, and am in the process of figuring out how many more squares I need to cut for this.  I am using a very complicated formula which is not good for someone of my meager math ability.   (Dan says he will help me...he takes pity!)

So, even though I am a couple of weeks behind in this quilt-a-long, I am having a great time!

Wishing you moments of fun with the folks (and the hobbies) you love the most!

a Love Language

Around here, at Christmas, we make things.  For one, it is the perfect time of year to hibernate inside with a fresh pot of coffee, Christmas carols on the radio, scissors, glue, glitter, fabric, and whatever else we come up with to turn into a creation to give to someone special.

And, in the current culture of saving money, saving resources, reusing, and recycling, the making of Christmas gifts seems to fit right in.

Gift making is also a way to try out new projects, patterns, and recipes. It is a way to involve my children in the process of giving, while teaching them new skills along the way.  

This year, like every other year , I had a huge list of projects that would be the "perfect gifts."   Yes, ideally they would be perfect, but lest I forget one minor detail of what the making of all things takes, and that, of course, is time.  And after realizing this, I pared down my list to a more reasonable number of handmade creations, the first of which were new stockings for some well-loved nieces and nephew!

They were made from this pattern, although I did tweak it a bit by not adding the fringe or the pine cone ornament.  I thought it looked a bit more classic this way.  The pattern was slightly more detailed than I originally thought, with each stocking involving 21 cuts of fabric.  This is mainly because of the 3 layers - the knit on the outside, padding in the middle and a lining on the inside.  Let's just say lots of cutting!

But what I love most about these stockings is that the knit fabric on the outside comes from old, wool sweaters of none other than Uncle Dan!  How is that for recycling?

But somewhere in this flurry of making things; late nights, early mornings, whatever it took to get them done, I realized that there is another reason, probably the biggest, why I make things to give away.

It is my love language.

Best Deal Ever

Library book sale.

$1 for a hardcover; .50 for a paperback;

or

$5 for as many books as you can fit into a grocery bag.

 

$5 = 41 *new* books in this house!

I encourage you to look in your local papers for these practically-give-the-books-away sales.  Oh, and if your library will be on the upcoming ballot, please support it!

An Off-the-Beaten-Path Kind Of Day

When we awoke to an absolutely gorgeous morning on Saturday, we knew that it simply could not be a day spent working inside, no matter how much we would like to have our door project completed.

So, after chatting for a few moments on what to do with our day, Dan and I decided that we both had the urge to do some garage sale-ing.   We have not been to many yard/garage/barn sales this season. This is mainly because we have been very intentional about ridding our home of items that we don't really need and are leery of bringing more in!

But after all, it was an amazing day for walking around outside and hitting a yard sale or two sounded like lots of fun.  We looked in the local paper and found the most perfect sale for us!  The ad claimed to have educational books and materials for sale - again perfect for this first-time homeschooling family!

This particular sale happened to be out in another town in a more rural community.  Even better.  Now our day was to include a drive in the country!

Our directions led us to this farm.  It was a darling alpaca farm, complete with a barn filled to the brim with homeschooling books and materials for sale.  This, to us, was a gold mine.  After filling our arms with books, books, and more books, we talked with the owner of the farm and discovered that she homeschooled all five of her children.  She was kind and knowledgeable, and just a delightful person to have met.  

I mentioned to her the angora goat giveaway at Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm, and she seemed genuinely interested.  So I would be thrilled if, the next time we visit the alpaca farm, there is a small herd of angora goats roaming her pastures!

From there our travels took us to a small town known for its cute shops and antiques. With three young children, cute shops and antique stores are not so fun, but we did manage to walk through a couple.

I have mixed feeling about antiques.  Mostly I think they can be mildewy, dusty and just plain too old.  I know, I know....this is part of the charm, but I have just never quite gotten into it.  That being said, my grandmother used to own an antique store and there are things left from it that are fabulous.  And I actually have come to appreciate old quilts, fabrics and fancy work.  I have slowly gathered a collection of them over the years, and would love to share them someday.  (Now there's a future post idea!)

We also wandered into a small woodworking shop, where they made these wonderful-but-expensive owls.

This was exciting to Marianne since lately she cannot get enough of owls.  We have read owl books, purchased an owl stuffed animal, and are looking desperately for an owl costume pattern.  (She wants to be an owl for Halloween.)

     

The bear was Hans's favorite part of our day.  Aaahhh, so easy to please...

Our last stop was to look at fabric, because this town also happens to have a great fabric store.  Did I need any new fabric?  No. But how could I resist letting each of my daughters choose their own flannel fabric for a new nightgown pattern I have?

(Can you guess who chose the fabric on the bottom?)

We ended our day-long thrifting adventure at a rummage sale at the local fairgrounds.  As with any good rummage sale, the key is to arrive early. We got to this one about an hour before they closed, so as you might imagine, the pickings were slim.  And all three of our thrifting kiddos had just about had enough.

  

So homeward bound we were, complete with a carload of new books, new fabric, and a day spent not working on the doors!  (It was definitely worth it!)

Recycled Crayons on a Cozy Morning

Marianne's cousin recently spent the night with us.  She is our niece and Rylen and Hans's cousin as well, but this particular cousin is Marianne's age, so she insists that she is her cousin.  So be it.

We woke up to a doozie of a thunderstorm and a day of steady rain, so we resorted to some indoor activities, one of which included making recycled crayons out of old crayon bits.  My dear friend from Iowa (you know who you are ;) gave me this idea years ago. Since then we have used up a great many of our own crayon bits this way.

We recently inherited an enormous bin of crayons from our church closet clean-out, and let me tell you, there are bits galore.  (I wish crayons had dates on them like money, because I'm sure we have some genuine vintage ones in this mix!)

It is always fun to watch the colors mix and blend together, and the girls were very pleased with their results.

A perfectly colorful way to spend a rainy morning...

Enjoy this simple tutorial on how to make recycled crayons - it's fun!

Recycled Crayons

Clothing swap

Recently, I participated in organizing a "clothing swap" at our church. Read more and consider doing one with your own church, neighborhood, MOPS group, or whatever organization you may be involved in.

About two months prior to the day we set to host the swap, we announced to the congregation that we were collecting gently used clothing that they might be looking to get rid of.  (We wanted to capitalize on all of that closet cleaning that goes on during the winter months...)  So we collected and collected and collected some more until we had a small mountain of clothes that needed to be sorted and sized.  

Friday night before the swap, we had a "sorting party."  There were ten women, give or take, who came to help at some point throughout the night. It was very fun, especially when we all got a little slap-happy and decided to have a little fashion show with some of the dandies that we came across. (Christine, if you read this, you could have outfitted an entire Christmas sweater party with the selection we had!)

Everyone from the church was invited to come the next day and take whatever they could use for completely free!  I wish I would have taken pictures of the actual swap - there were tables and tables piled high with clothes for every size and shape.  People were incredibly generous with their donations and most everything was in great shape.  

The swap was great for my family.  Not only did we get rid of garbage bags full of clothes we no longer want or need, but we found some really great new assets to our wardrobes!  (We got rid of more than we took, which is always a good thing to the one who does the laundry :)  Below are a few pictures of some new favorites.

Here are some things I got for Hans - most of these will fit him in a year or two.  It was fun looking through the boy stuff!

My latest love - finally a 'new' jean jacket!

Some Hanna Andersson dresses that will fit Rylen perfectly next Christmas - SCORE!

Marianne's favorite new sweater and jumper.  We were having fun with the camera and trying some new tricks, so we didn't get one with great color. The jumper is a corduroy fushia color, and the sweater is a fushia/purple combo.  Very Marianne.

And last but not least, no wardrobe is complete (at least Dan's) without a Dunder-Mifflin t-shirt.  All of you Office fans out there will get this.

The clothes we had left at the end of the swap were sorted again and given to three different charities.

This was great fun to be a part of and such a wonderfully simple way to help each other out!  

Sand Art

For Valentine's Day, the girls and I made Dan a little something to brighten up his desk at work.  They had such a great time layering the sand and fighting over agreeing on what color should come next.

We were pleased with the way it turned out.  Marianne's project was gluing the buttons on the lid, while Rylen punched out the gift tags and did the writing.  (I did, however, write Dan one tag of my own!)

This craft was so fun to make and cost very little.  I think the jar was a jelly jar.  I bought the sand at a craft store on clearance back in the summer.  And we already had the buttons, scrapbook paper and ribbon.

I wish I would have taken some pictures of the actual process, but I think I was too distracted by the very real possibility of sand going absolutely EVERYWHERE!