Salvaged shirt

There's thrift stores and charity shops and outlet centers but you haven't "pirooted" for treasure until you've been to a "salvage" store with an eclectic array of liquidated or closeout merchandise AND every weirdo in the joint wants to chat with ya. (Shut up, freak, you're cutting into my shopping time.) Anywho, while visiting Chrysanthemum in Mississippi, we hit the local salvage store. Fancy schmancy decorative tile, oscillating fans galore, random bedding and a ton of Target clothing. Remember this blouse from Target's spring Liberty of London collection?

(yeah, that's not me)

Slap a $4 tag on it and watch it gain potential. The peacock feather print is cute so what's my hesitation/objection to a $4 blouse? Um, could it be the completely unnecessary and very stoopid gathered ruffle at the hem? Yes, dear one, ruffles at the widest point of the body are not figure flattering bu-uut . . . $4 is a throw-away price, why not try a revamp.

Firstly, the ruffle is cut off.
It's gone, I tell ya!
Hacked a few inches from
the sleeve length too.

Serge the cut edges on hem and sleeves.
Apply Wash Away Wonder Tape.
Remove tape backing.
You got yourself a
self sticking hem fold.
No pins!

Top stitch hem.
Spritz hem with water
to remove tape goo.

Earring rub and buff

Left earring: after application of rub and buff
Right earring: before

These faux turquoise earrings weren't the correct shade for my ensemble so craft supplies to the rescue. A little rub and buff and earrings are ret' to go.

Park your butt

My buddy Dawn decoupaged and glittered some kick-ash clear glass ashtrays for her smokin' friends.

Remaking my life

Haven't crafted a lot lately but instead seem to be mending and recycling not only clothing but my entire life. For the last 11 years, I've had a comfortable but somewhat boring job with excellent perks but not great pay. I felt stuck. The upside was a certain amount of freedom. The down; feeling trapped and wondering if the next 11 years would pass as quickly with no expectation of change or excitement. I had a little talk with myself and focused on what I wanted without worrying about the financial aspect.
Well, be careful of what you pray for because you might just get it. An employment offer from a chance meeting included doing the most enjoyable tasks ever: spending other people's money and trying to be the boss of them. Yep, I'm in sales again. My true calling. And can you guess it? Shiny things! Caw! Caw! The last 5 weeks have been crazy with ups and downs. Even while Mom counseled me about the agony of starting a new job and the middle-of-the-night heart stopping sweaty feeling of Oh-my-God-what-have-I-done, it's taking awhile to find my rhythm. My groove is somewhat elusive these days.
I am waking earlier,
NOT going in later,
NOT blogging at work,
NOT talking on the phone with friends,
NOT listening to satellite radio via broadband internet streaming at my desk,
NO longer enjoying a casual 3 minute commute.
The volunteer work has suddenly felt like an onus.
The dearth of creative outlets has cramped my style.
And this is the first Friday I have come home absolutely happy. Dog ass tired but happy. The house is a wreck. Mail is unopened and in a growing stack. Sewing projects are gathering dust. I can barely keep my eyes open. But I just restrung some beads because my "make something" urges needed an exercise. Wish me well as I struggle to find my mojo, get a good routine and level out the demands on my now very limited time.
And in return, I'll hope your days are filled with promise, fulfillment and shiny things.
Listen in on my talk with self HERE.

I'm a hanger-on

I've told ya before if we were in prison, you would want to know me. Not only do I know where to find stuff but I also have an uncanny knack for listening to and gleaning folk's preferences, wish lists and wants.
I had a small pile 'o stuff left over from estate sale finds and People Give me Stuff stash that was too cool to toss in the trash but not desirable enough to sell on eBay and not useful enough to donate to Goodwill.

Box o' stuff from Kay:
I kept the faux cameos & keys
and gave the ephemera to Cathe

What's a pack-rat-crafter-afraid-of-becoming-a-hoarder to do? Puh-lease, I knew exactly the most suitable recipient - Cathe Holden of Just Something I Made fame. Cathe is a graphic artist, swell crafter and fantastic blogger who appreciates the often overlooked and is super generous in sharing her talented ideas.

Take a look at what she did with a little bank "gimme" I gave her via Kay's box o' stuff. My recycled junk in an artist's talented hands, it's a good thing.


What can you share today?

You give what you get.
You get what you give.

This week, I get to be a hanger-on because Cathe's growth chart posting was shown on yesterday's One Pretty Thing printable round up.
Woo Hoo!

Jar head

If silver and somewhat shiny and found at an estate sale, I'm gonna snatch it up in my greedy little hands before anyone else notices.
Found these vintage antique old canning jar lids made of aluminum and glass.

And dang-it-all if I didn't spy NEW jar lids just a day or two later IN BRUSHED SILVER!

AFTER I spray painted gold jar lids in coordinating colors for my button jars.


Way to get in the white metal trend of the last 15 years, Ball.


Please to enjoy, a study in anal retentive organization.
And an excuse to use my new/old label maker.
Good times in the Skitzo Leezra world.
Yeah.

Mending is eco-friendly

--arthursclipart.org

Mending is probably the least fun type of sewing because you're not sure the end result will match your vision but it's gratifying when it works. Lately, lots of mending tasks have occurred in the Skitzo Leezra Studio. Ripped jeans, bra strap adjustment and slimmer fits in too large knit shirts. I gain a sense of accomplishment mixed with learning and the satisfaction of saving a few dollars.
A Sewing with Nancy television segment stated that the energy equivalent of mending one pair of jeans equals walking 300 miles. Whatev.
I've got a pile of stuff to alter due to recent weight loss. Yay!

Something old for Mallys

My buddy Mallys got married after 21 years of living in sin with her man. She was relieved to get the bastard stink off their two cat children and was most unromantic about the city hall nuptials but allowed a friend to host a party since there was a promise of wine and cake.
Because I couldn't attend, I sent a corsage and boutonniere substitutes.
Hers is a bridal dress from the scrapbook embellishment aisle. I personalized it with trimmed sleeves and a pinked hem.

His is the "About Time" dead watch, lace bow and Purrfect charm donated by Sammy (my cat).
Mazeltov ya'll!

Buck Face

Stitched a couple tea towels with images from Aunt Martha's Big Game Animals (3969) pattern.

The outline stitch was quick and easy but when I began to stitch the details on Buck Face, I wished I had trimmed to the pattern to omit the eyes and such. When stitching on looser weave, eyes are tough to get right. One shift of the weave or thread and you got a cross-eyed deer. It's disturbing, I tell ya.
Sooooo, I tried removing out the ironed-on transfer with laundry pre-wash and guess what, it worked! Next time, I'll trim their faces off before ironing.


Would love to take credit for the abstract silhouette look but it was the result of pure laziness on my part. As I stared at the finished towels, I saw a modern striped interpretation of camouflage animals.

Leezra dissolved my bucking face off!

I can't see you, dear

A housekeeping peeve

Trash cans should have liners.

Wastebaskets do not.

No.

Wastebaskets are not receptacles for wet, nasty stuff thus no liner necessary. A cheap plastic wastebasket ruins bathroom decor in a second. Add a plastic bag or worse, a plastic grocery bag knotted on the outside rim and prepare for me fling it down your hallway.

My fancy friend has a large Waterford crystal champagne bucket and for 11 months out of the year, it serves as a wastebasket near her make up vanity. For her big Christmas soiree, the crystal bucket is filled with cranberries and water to anchor fabulous red roses. I know, I know, I hate red roses too but I gotta admit, with the right flower it's beautiful.

Anywho, wastebaskets.


Keep it classy, people.

Painted wastebasket

No fan of plastic, much less fake plastic wood trickeration, I painted a bathroom wastebasket ecru with a crackle finish. It didn't work with my too subtle tone-on-tone colors.


The failed paint taunted me until I tried again during a late night ADD craft inspiration.
Go for color but muddy it up with brown.

Glop it on and be amazed the crackle finish still activates.

Be appalled at the ugliness but hope your next step works. Water down some brown glaze and glop it on with a sponge brush.

Forget the crackle finish activation and completely jack up the texture when wiping off the excess glaze. Do a bit more "correcting", decide you like it but forget to take a last photo.
Close enough, at least it no longer looks like plastic wood.

Frog skirt

Had a small scrap of frog fabric and made a tiny hiney skirt for a tiny hiney little girl. It's a curse and a blessing, I tell ya, to not toss fabric scraps because little girl skirts are super fast and super easy so why not make them?


Folded over top for elastic casing and had a stroke of genius.
Instead of also stringing ribbon through the casing, I simply tied it between the button holes. It makes for easy removal for laundering or switching ribbon colors plus a great way to use shorter lengths of scarce or costly ribbon. This ribbon is neither.

This is why I shouldn't sew while drowsy. I sewed the button holes through 2 layers of fabric. The fix: a small patch of fabric and lots of zigzag stitches.

How's about a cute hem? It's harder for me to tell ya how I did it than just doing it.

Turn skirt right side out.
Serge or zigzag raw hem edge.
Turn eyelet trim wrong side up.
Line up eyelet trim straight edge to skirt hem.
Pin.
Machine stitch close to edge.

Fold eyelet down.
Iron to press crease.
Top stitch.

Press again without creasing the eyelet ruffles.

Deliver to little girl and prepare to be delighted when her mom sends you a phone photo of said girl modeling "her new favorite skirt".

Lace and ribbon flower

Gathered a 12" length of grosgrain ribbon with a triangular pattern running stitch in a coordinating thread
Adjusted the gathering for consistent ruffle.

Knotted thread and sewed ends together.
Stacked ribbon atop gathered lace and topped with large vintage button.
An easy and thrifty corsage flower.

Estate sale find

Forget that lame-o label maker I had in grade school, look at this shiny ma'ama jamma!


And looka, I snagged some shiny aluminum tape from Grainger Supply. Yep, labels for button jars!
Holy Mother of Bargains! I just looked at Grainger's website for the tape link and spied a brand new metal label maker with a price of $363!
My shiny metal model? $5, make ya holla!