I can't believe it's been since May since I've been here! I'm a doofus. Well, it it wasn't so late, I'd write now, but you''all will have to wait til tomorrow. OK, well I need to display all my garlands, so here's the best place to do it. These garlands are becoming so popular. I'm actually working on one for a wedding and it is SO pretty! I'll show that later. Here are the ones I have sold:

Baby Shower

Wedding Reception

Baby Boys Nursery

Baby Boys Nursery

Boy Nursery

Girls 1st Birthday

Girls Birthday

Double 4 foot garland for backsplash for a Wedding Sweet Bar

42 X 84 Garland for doorway.

Wispy Slip Dress Blue Teal Navy

Exquisite slip dress in beautiful shades of blue and teal is the OOAK dress you are seeking for your upcoming event. The dress is wispy, flowy, sexy, unique and perfect for a prom, wedding or other special day or could be worn with flip flops for a beach picnic.

The base of this dress is a simple blue full slip with yards of flowing printed fabric attached above the bra line of the slip. Flowers made from sheer teal and purple fabric were added to the seam line. The fabric has 3 sections, so it opens in the front and on the sides when you walk or when a breeze blows. The original bra area of the slip remains intact, so it fits over the chest perfectly and fits nicely. The straps are adjustable. The edges of the fabric were left raw for a different look. The dress is41 inches long and the chest is 38 inches.

Finding the perfect dress for a spring dance, wedding or other special occasion can be frustrating to say the least. Finding unique, one of a kind dresses can be a a challenge, especially if you live in a small town. Isn't it devastating to arrive at an event just to see a mirror image of yourself across the dance floor! So buy a OOAK dress, upcycled, repurposed, recycled...whatever term you give it.

My New Passion

Are you looking for something different to give as small, personal and inexpensive gifts? Flowers are always the right gift, right? And you can't go wrong with jewelry, right? Well... this is my new passion. Making these adorable fabric flower rings. I LOVE to make them, give them, show them off. Adorable and cheap, these are the perfect adornment for little girls, big girls, wedding parties, shower gifts or party favors. Check back because I'll be making more. These rings can be made in any color or combination of colors, and I can make as many as you need.

Cute little plum colored rose made from silky fabric and added to a silver adjustable ring base. The ring is adorable and perfect for little gifts. Give one of these to all the kids in your class on the last day of school or buy them for the kids in Bible School this summer. Use them for Holidays, Birthdays, Weddings or just for yourself!

Fabric flower ring made from rust, coral and blue print fabric is a perfect gift. Buy sets of them and give them to all your nieces. Give them to your Bridesmaids as a fun gift for your wedding day. Buy one or 2 for yourself.

The ring base is brass and adjustable.

Navy Blue and White Wedding Garland

Newest garland added to my Etsy store. I LOVE navy blue and white and this is perfect. Any size can be made so you can use it for tables, chairs, doorways or even across the ceiling.

Yard Sale Day!

Yard sales have finally started, well for me anyway. I'm going this morning to about 8 yard sales in the area. Starting with an estate sale across town. My hubby's even going! I love it. He's as bad as me. Loves to rummage through junk. I'll post pictures later. I don't even know what I'm looking for, just looking. Check back later!

Later that day...
OK. Today was a completely sucky yard sale day. What is up with people? No antiques. No old stuff. Not even any good new stuff. I bought an old bowl that I collect, a war medal (OK, that was pretty good), 2 old slips and a shelf thing. I'll get pictures on tomorrow. I don't know. Maybe it was too early. I'll try again next weekend. I think we're gonna find an auction tomorrow.

It's EASY to upcycle clothing

There are hundreds if not thousands of ways to revamp clothing to make them new and exciting. Clothing that's too small, too big, too out of style or even clothing with stains or other damage can be revamped to enable them wearable again. Here are some ideas.

Great pair of pants for lounging, bummin, working out or sleeping, these capri length 'scarecrow pants' are funky and fabulous and a great color. The electric blue light weight flannel is cozy and soft. They have tattered scrappy pieces on the bottoms of the legs, adding a neat flare to these everyday pants. These capris started out as regular long length pants but are now more stylish. 

Pajama pants that were too short and a little gawky can be cut into capris, add a ruffle at the bottom and WA-LA!




A large woman's top that has been cut off short, opened in front and closed again with corset-style ties. How simple is that!

Cute Guess sweater that has been revamped to make it more stylish and comfortable. The sweatshirt has been opened in the front and the cuffs were split to give you more room and comfort. The sweater is dark gray thermal with black under arms, on sides and on cuffs and neckline. The sweater is a large and has white writing and graphics on the front.

Fabric Garlands -Recycled Fabrics... GO GREEN!

Perfect decoration for wedding shower, baby shower or decor in your home. These garlands are perfect and versatile, too. Decorate the baby shower then take the garland home and hang it in the babies room, doorway, playroom or any room in your home.

One of a kind decoration for parties, showers, babys room, playroom or outside. I love it! Perfect for over a mantle, as a window valance, above your table, over the buffet, to decorate a cake table or gift table at parties. It could be used at weddings, showers, birthday parties or for everyday decorating. It's made of ripped fabric from blankets, sheets, clothing and scrap fabric.

The garland measures 60 inches long and has nice long loops on each end for hanging. The strands very in length from 12-18 inches. The scraps are tied onto twine.

These garlands can be customized by color, size and fabric.

They're versatile and reusable!!

Imagine these garlands hanging from the wedding party tables, over the cake table or hung between trees or on poles and scattered throughout an outdoor reception. Wouldn’t they be beautiful on the backs of chairs? They can add softness and charm and maybe a final touch to your beautiful decorations.

I can make the garlands out of any type of fabric, make them any size you need and use colors that can go with particular themes or décor. They can be used for baby or wedding showers, receptions and weddings or other special events and dinners. The garlands can be used for Holiday decorations or be themed towards parties for house warming, Graduation, Retirement, job promotions, Birthdays for any age or simple summer barbecues. They can be soft and pretty, wild and carefree or simple and elegant. They are eco-friendly too, because the fabrics I use are from vintage and recycled clothing, linens, blankets, curtains, quilts, bedding…etc. They are made from pretty much whatever I can find at yard sales, flea markets and even Goodwill.

Here are some more of the garlands I currently have for sale.

The garlands are priced right, too. The average price is $5.00 per foot for standard colors, prints and fabrics. If specialty fabrics or hard to find designs are to be used, the price will be $10.00 per foot. So for a simple 5 foot garland, like the one in the pictures, it would cost $25.00. For a garland that uses velvets or silks or hard to find fabrics, it would be $50.00 for a 5 foot garland. Either price is still a steal because these garlands can be used so many ways! 

I think these are perfect in a lot of ways. After your wedding, you can use these in a guest bedroom, in the baby's room as valances, over a set of closet doors or as a wall hanging. Hang one done in your baby room colors over the crib or on the side of the crib.

What are Earth-Friendly Fabrics?

As more and more companies shift and offer fabrics made of environmentally sustainable sources, people have also begun re-thinking of their options in buying fabrics. In the past, comfort or style were the primary consideration in buying fabric. At present, the fabric's impact on Mother Earth must be factored in.

A fabric is generally considered eco-friendly (or green) if it possesses the following characteristics:

- Minimum chemical and/or pesticide use on the raw material
- Sustainable planting and farming practices
- A certification of the growers' and manufacturers' eco-friendly operations
- Animal-friendly business practices
- The production of the fabric abides by existing trade practices

Green fabrics are not only healthy to the environment but also to consumers. Consider this list of the options when seeking green fabrics:

1. Bamboo Fiber - Fabric made from bamboo, which is incredibly soft and smooth, luxuriously comfortable, and 100% biodegradable.

2. Hemp - Hemp fibers are longer, more durable and more absorbent than cotton fibers. This plant has been grown for fiber and food production for centuries.

3. Organic Cotton - Organic cotton is produced from cotton that is grown without pesticides. Organic cotton is more costly to produce than conventionally produced cotton.

4. Jute - Jute is known as burlap in North America. It is one of the most competitively-priced natural fibers in the market today. It runs next to cotton in production quantity.

5. Ingeo - Ingeo is a trademark of a man-made fiber made from corn.

6. Hessian Cloth - Hessian or Burlap is an unrefined fabric woven from jute or hemp.

7. Recycled Polyester - Recycled Polyester is a fabric made from used polyester items such as clothes.

8. Tencel® - Tencel® is a brand patented to Lenzing Fibers' lyocell. Tencel is made from wood pulp cellulose and is soft as silk, strong as polyester, cool as linen, warm as wool and as absorbent as cotton.

9. Ramie - Ramie is one of the oldest textile fabrics dating back to being used as cloth in wrapping Egyptian mummies. It is also known for its durability 8 times stronger than cotton and 7 times than silk. Ramie is resistant to bacteria, alkali, mildew and insect attack.

10. Organic Wool - Organic wool is produced without artificial hormones and pesticides. Most organic wool products available in the market nowadays are baby apparel and accessories. The production of organic wool is more expensive than other organic sources because of higher operational and certification costs.

11. Organic Linen - Organic linen comes from flax plants grown without the use of harmful pesticides and fertilizers.

12. FORTREL EcoSpun - Made from 100% recycled plastic bottles and containers. Fortrel Ecospun is known for its durability, color fastness and shrinkage-free qualities. This fabric is developed in the US by Wellmann Inc.

13. Milk Silk - originally produced by Cyran, a Chinese company, this silk is made from milk. However, because of the high cost of milk, this fabric option never gained popularity in the textile industry.

14. Soy Silk - SoySilk is a trademark owned by South West Trading Company, which produces this silk known to drape like linen and has a smooth sheen like any other silk.

15. Nettle Fiber - made from the stinging nettle weed. It possesses natural moth repellant characteristic and dates back as early as World War I as a cotton yarn substitute.

16. Spider-web fabric - Researchers have tried to extract fabric from spider webs. However, until today research on this kind of fabric has not produced significant results.

Whatever type of fabric you select for your clothing and household textiles, always check to see its source, and in addition to considering the impact it has on the environment during production, also consider the resources required to transport it from its country of origin.

Attitude

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, then what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company...a person...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change how other people will act. The only thing we can do is play on the one thing we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our Attitudes."

Mother's Day Gifts

Mother's Day is May 8th. There are some pretty special Mom's out there, so don't forget her. I love picking out things for Mother's. I usually buy a perennial that they can plant and then it comes back every year. My husband once joked and said 'Well if it comes back every year, then we don't have to buy anything next year.' Yeah. Don't think that would fly, do you?

Wispy Slip Dress from a Simple Slip

Wispy Slip Dress
Exquisite slip dress in beautiful shades of blue and teal is the OOAK dress you are seeking for your upcoming event. The dress is wispy, flowy, sexy, unique and perfect for a prom, wedding or other special day or could be worn with flip flops for a beach picnic.

The base of this dress is a simple blue full slip with yards of flowing printed fabric attached above the bra line of the slip. Flowers made from sheer teal and purple fabric were added to the seam line. The fabric has 3 sections, so it opens in the front and on the sides when you walk or when a breeze blows. The original bra area of the slip remains intact, so it fits over the chest perfectly and fits nicely. The straps are adjustable. The edges of the fabric were left raw for a different look. The dress is41 inches long and the chest is 38 inches.

Finding the perfect dress for a spring dance, wedding or other special occasion can be frustrating to say the least. Finding unique, one of a kind dresses can be a a challenge, especially if you live in a small town. Isn't it devastating to arrive at an event just to see a mirror image of yourself across the dance floor! So buy a OOAK dress, upcycled, repurposed, recycled...whatever term you give it.