New Year’s Resolutions 2016 to 2017

It’s a new year, a time for reflecting on the past and looking forward to the future.  And that means setting goals.

This is something I attempted to do last year (see 2016 New Year's Resolutions), but I wasn’t as good about updating you all about my resolutions (my last update was 9 months ago!).

So here’s how I did:

Make more tutorials

My goal was to make 12 tutorials last year and I made 10.  Two shy, but that’s not too bad. 

Here’s all the tutorials for 2016:

• Lace Twin Hearts Hair Clip Tutorial
• Easy Fitted Bodice or How to Make a Dress for Any Doll
• Lace Rosette Tutorial and Kitties!
• How to Make a Ribbon Bow
• Lace Rosette Shoe Clips Tutorial
• Cute Doll Drawstring Tank Tops Tutorial
• Cute Felt Bags for Dolls Tutorial
• Lace Sandals for Dolls Tutorial
• Doll Head Bands Tutorial Including a Cat Eared Head Band!
• Rhinestone and Pearl Pins, A Quick and Easy Tutorial

 

Reduce craft stash

This one was mostly successful thanks to the basket trick I used (see Major Craft De-Stash, Part 2).  The problem was in staying away from craft stores.  Thanks to that, I think my craft stash is almost a large as it was at the beginning of the year. :(

Exercise and Stretch

I put these two goals on hold to focus on the others, but I found I made some progress on them anyway.  I found myself squeezing in small bits of exercise most days without thinking about it.  And stretching too, especially during slow periods at work.

Save money

I changed this goal from building up my savings account to paying down my credit card.  I’m happy to say that I brought the total balance down to $1000 and should have it completely paid off in less than two months.  Yay!

Clean out my closet

This goal was was successful too because of the basket trick, sort of.  My closet and drawers are full of clothes that I love that actually fit me, and now I can actually close the door.  The problem is I also have bags of clothes that don’t totally fit me, but I love them enough to alter them.  I just need to get to them all.  I at least made some progress on that this year (see Blue Plaid Revisited, a Dress Makeover).

Despite a few issues, I’m pretty happy with how the year turned out.  But now it’s time to look forward. 

So here’s:

My 2017 New Year’s Resolutions

 

Pay off Debt

This one is obvious.  Since I’m so close to paying off that card, I might as well add it to the list.

Say No to New

This one is a little more interesting.  I’ve been thinking a lot about our planet and how much space we take up on it.  When new products are made and purchased the old ones have to go somewhere, and many times this somewhere is landfills. 

I thought to reduce this somewhat in two ways.  First, avoid buying anything unless I really, really need/want it.  This way I have less stuff that occupies valuable space.

The second way is to only buy stuff second hand if possible.  This means searching out items at thrift stores, yard sales, consignment shops, antique stores, etc.  The bonus for this is that I will save money and may end up with more interesting stuff.  Thrift stores and antique shops are full of fun stuff.

Organize and Plan

I’ve been thinking that so much of the stress in my life is somewhat linked to a failure to plan things out and organize them.  True I’m good at making to-do lists for crafts and stuff, but I think I need to go a bit further than that. I’ve got a lot of stuff in my life to juggle around, and as I get older I will probably gain more to juggle.

So I’m starting out in search of a system that works for me to plan out everything in my life.  From blog posts to birthdays, work schedules to workouts.  I intend to keep it all in order so I don’t end up pulling my hair out toward the end of each week.

And that’s it.  I’m keeping the resolutions short and sweet this year.  Doing too many makes it too overwhelming, just failure waiting to happen.

What about you?  Got any goals for this year?  Let’s work on them together!

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Another Late Post: Black Friday Thrifting

I meant to post this well over two months ago, but things tend to happen, like Christmas.  Oh well.

Epic Thrift had another bag sale on Black Friday that I just had to check out.  This makes for the third bag sale I’ve gone to of theirs (see It's in the Bag! and Bagging it on Black Friday).

Behold!  The contents of my bag.  Looks pretty good right?

Here are few of my favorite items.

On the top left is a tarnished silver tray of some sort, I’m sure it will look great cleaned up. 

The top right is a small glass box, possibly for jewelry or candy.  The other three items are another little box and a couple of tiny vases.  The blue one looks like a smaller version of one I got years ago at a yard sale.

It’s hard to go to a thrift store and not find decent dishware.  I found two different sets of plates, plain white and a set with simple blue flowers. 

I also found a bowl.  I like bowls like this.  Good size, simple and cute design, easy to wash, and microwave safe. 

And a I got this cute mug, perfect for my tea.  I prefer drinking from a mug instead of a tea cup since they hold more and are less fragile but still pretty.  At least the mugs I use are pretty.

Now for clothes.  I thought these two blouses would be perfect to go with all my the dresses and skirts I make.  The one on the right has embroidered eyelets all over it and the one on the left is covered with pretty lace and other details.

I know it’s wintery and cold out, but you have to ignore the season sometimes to get a good deal on clothes.   Especially when it comes to these two tanks tops. 

The black one will be great and super comfy for next summer but the blue is actually good now.  It has pretty lace and ruffles and it looks great worn over long sleeve tops.

Long sleeved such as these knits.  The white sweater on the left I actually have already worn with that blue top.  They are perfect together. 

The pink cardigan I am not sure about though.  It is cute and I love cable knit sweaters, but it’s made with rabbit hair.  Not sure how I feel about that.

So many cute tops and sweaters, just need a couple of cute skirts to go with them.  Both of them are black and ruffly, though the one on the left is super ruffly.

Here are some more casual looking clothes.  Just a few t-shirts, several pairs of shorts because I needed more, and a few tanks tops including some pink ones.  It’s a good idea to stock up on things like this at bag sales since they take very little space in the bag and you always seem to need more.

Now the last few pieces.  On the left is a cute night gown covered with bunnies and other little animals, also a pair of pink Mickey Mouse pajama pants.  Yay! Cute comfy sleepwear.

On the right is a Hello Kitty make up bag and a Sanrio pocket planner.  I actually didn’t know it was a planner when I found it.  I just thought it was cute and could slip easily in the side of my bag. 

On the top right is a lunch bag.  That’s right, it’s a lunch bag though it would make a cute purse.  It has polka dots and has a cupcake shaped pocket on the side.  The main reason I got it was to shove other stuff in it.  I thought that if I rolled up t-shirts and stuff really tightly and crammed them in it, then the lunch bag could help keep them squashed down and take up less space in my bag.  Makes sense right?

Some to tally it up:

• 4 pairs of shorts
• 3 t-shirts
• 2 blouses
• 3 tank tops
• 2 dressy tank tops
• 2 sweaters
• 1 pair pajama pants
• 1 night gown
• 1 mug
• 1 bowl
• 2 jewelry boxes
• 2 small vases
• 1 platter
• 2 cute bags
• 6 plates
• 7 knives
• 1 cute day planner
• 1 small blanket
• 1 sheet
• 1 framed art print

44 items total, valued at over $120 at thrift store prices, and again it only cost me $20.  Pretty good haul.

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Thrift Stores and Easy Reconstruction

The second project on my craft list isn’t exactly something that I’ve been putting off making, but something I’ve put off wearing.

Sorry about the pictures, I still haven’t figured out how to successfully photograph black colored clothes and such.  I got this vest thing at the Black Friday Bag Sale at Epic Thrift (see Bagging It on Black Friday).  Over nine months later and I still hadn’t worn it because it didn’t quite work for me as is.  Just needed a little work.

So here’s the before…

…and after.  Much better right?

First I chopped off the ruffles and the waist tie thing and then cut off a few inches.  I then carefully re-attached the tie along the new hem.  It hits me slightly below the bust which is much more flattering on me.   Then I cut two pieces from the ruffle and attached them to the arm holes to give them a slight flutter sleeve look. 

So much cuter this way and easier to wear.  I actually wore it yesterday over a black tank top with one of my plaid skirts (see Plaid and Crochet for Dummies). 

Here’s the updated list:

• Purse
• Bag
• Mini-bag
• Dress
• Vest
• Fleece

Two down, just four to go.  If things go well, I’ll have the next project up by Saturday.  I may need to make a few trips to some craft stores first, and I may show off some of the goodies either tomorrow or Friday.  Look forward to it.

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It’s In the Bag!

 

This past weekend I stopped by the last day of Epic Thrift’s Back to School Bag Sale.  I really didn’t want to miss it because of how great the last bag sale was (see Bagging It on Black Friday).  I wanted to show off share what I scored at the sale. I’m afraid the pictures were taken as soon as I got back from work that evening.  Bad lighting ahead.

I found a pair of Julius the monkey pajama pants as well as some nice pillowcases.  Perfect for bedtime, or possibly to cut up for sewing other things.  I saw a pair of Hello Kitty pajama pants too, but they were too big.  It’s hard to see at the bottom of the photo, but I also found a pair of long white gloves.  They were easy to fit in the bag and I thought they might come in handy.  I also got a white curtain that I thought was a sheet until I saw the loops for a rod.  It will still work, I can either use it for sewing or for taking pictures. 

The blue dress on the left is actually made of terry cloth, as in towels.  I thought it was really cute and comfy, plus it would be perfect after swimming.  The other blue dress I kind of took a chance on, it may or may not work for me.  That’s one of the good things about bag sales, you can squeeze in extra items you may not normally consider otherwise. 

And yes, that is a Barbie movie.  Barbie’s The Princess and The Pauper, I actually like it.  It’s really funny, especially the bloopers at the end.  Remember, all Barbie movies have bloopers you don’t want to miss.  Plus, remember to check out movies from the library for free before buying.  That way if you hate them you didn’t waste any money.

Three pink tops, can you tell I like pink?  Two of them are polo shirts, I guess there is something about a pink polo.  It just looks so cute, on men as well as women too.  Of course that a completely different topic. 

It’s hard to see the black skirt, but it’s a short A-line skirt and simple but super cute.  I’ve already worn it, it works with practically everything and is really comfortable.  Can you tell I really like this skirt?

The skirt on the right has pretty embroidery on the edge and looks like it’s hand made.  It does remind me of a white and brown skirt I got before at a bag sale.  Sad this about that one is that I haven’t worn it because it doesn’t match anything.

I also took a quick peek at housewares and found three really pretty saucers.  They have gold edging and two of them have English violets painted on them.  I sadly couldn’t find the matching tea cups.  Maybe another time.

Why in the world are black clothes so hard to photograph?  Anyway, from the left is a see through lace top, a sheer black blouse and a black vest with lace on the sides.  Basically three pieces that require me to wear another top underneath for the sake of modesty.  They are also all small things I took a chance on.

Here is a couple of basic tank tops and a really cute red violet sleeve less top.  It has lace, pin tucks and ruffles and it ties in back and on the front.  It look really pretty on me too.  I wore it the other day with the cute A-line black skirt.  Told you it works with everything.

Another black top that wouldn’t photograph well, it’s a nice button down that fits me well.  It actually has nice looking cuffs with cute buttons.  I also got a pair of embroidered napkins and a wallet that looks just like the one I currently have.  At least it has the same design for things like pockets and stuff.  It even has a built in keychain, just like my current wallet which is why I like it.  It’s really handy to have my keys attached to my wallet.

I know it’s still Summer, but I like to plan ahead so I got these pretty long sleeved tops.  They will come in handy when it finally cools down here.  I also got this short sleeved bolero, it’s perfect to use year round.

More trouble with black clothing.  The black velvety dress is so adorable, I would actually wear it now if it weren’t so warm outside.  I also found another pair of black pants for work and a special pair of jeans.  Special because they actually fit me.  I have the most trouble finding jeans that fit me.  They are either perfect everywhere but the waist, or fit the waist perfectly and are baggy everywhere else.

And the best piece.  A coat.  Yes more planning ahead for Winter.  I’ve always had trouble finding cute coats on sale, no matter what the season.  That’s another good thing about bag sales.  It doesn’t matter what the price tag says, it only matters that it fits in the bag.  Of course things fit better in the bag when you know how to roll it.  Rolled up clothing takes up much less space than folded, meaning you can fit more in the bag than usual.  That’s why I could get so much in the bag.

Speaking of which, here are the totals:

• 4 white pillow cases (1 with lace!)
• 2 floral print pillow cases
• 1 white “curtain”
• 1 pair cute pajama pants
• 1 pair long white gloves
• 3 dresses
• 2 skirts
• 3 pink short sleeve tops
• 2 long sleeve tops
• 3 black tops
• 1 vest
• 1 bolero
• 1 small piece wall art
• 1 Barbie DVD
• 2 pretty napkins
• 1 pink wallet
• 1 pair black pants
• 1 pair jeans that actually fit
• 3 sleeve-less tops
• 3 pretty saucers
• 1 cute coat

38 items total for $20 plus sales tax.  A pretty good haul.  Still can’t wait for the next sale.

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Bagging It on Black Friday

Thanksgiving and come and gone, so has another “holiday”.  Black Friday, the craziest shopping day of the year.  Now here’s something totally shocking.  For the first time ever, I actually bothered to go shopping on this day of all days.  I always dreaded the thought of it, I heard too many horror stories.  But I found a sale that I couldn’t pass up.

The Stuff It sale at Epic Thrift store.  You basically get a paper shopping bag from the store, cram a bunch of stuff in it, and as long as it isn’t ripped and the handles still touch, etc. you get the whole thing for one price.  What was that price?

Twenty dollars. Here’s the receipt as proof, I only paid $20 plus sales tax for that bulging bag.  I got a ton of stuff for it, would have cost about $110 normally.  Plus it was so much fun stuffing the bag which was the main reason I went in the first.

Most of what I got was clothing, it’s easy stuff in especially if you roll it very tightly as opposed to folding it up. 

What I got by the numbers:

• 1 pair of shoes
• 4 t-shirts
• 6 tank tops
• 3 skirts
• 2 cardigan sweaters
• 1 knit dress
• 1 pretty vest
• 1 shrug
• 1 belt

For a total of 20 new(ish) items to add to my wardrobe.  Now for some of my favorite pieces.

My sister actually picked out this skirt for me.  It is tiered with lace at each tier and some pretty lace at the hem too.  Of course it is lined, thank goodness.  The best part is the fullness.  I could probably fit a petticoat under it for added poofiness, or just leave it as is for casual days.

When I saw this Hello Kitty t-shirt I lunged at it.  Anyone who knows me knows that I have an almost unhealthy love for just about anything Sanrio.

 

This tank top was just calling out to me.  It’s basically a plain ribbed tank, but the trimming makes so much difference.  Rows of lace and velvety ribbon down the front with ribbon laced up, plus the wide lace at the hem is surprisingly fitting.  I figure that I can used this tank for inspiration as well as for wearing.  

I think it’s important for those who sew clothing to spend time in stores and occasionally make purchases as a way to gleam ideas for designing and embellishing their creations. 

This shrug was just perfect.  It’s so pretty and it will look wonderful with all the tank tops I bought as well as many of my sleeveless dresses.  

Some may think it strange that I bought so many warm weather items since it’s December now.  I believe in planning ahead for things, like seasonal clothing.  If I can save a bundle buying spring clothes in winter, then I am a happier person indeed.  Plus, I live in Arizona, so much spring/summer clothing can still be worn in colder weather especially when layered appropriately.  Fashion-wise I actually love the look of layers, so there’s another bonus for me.  :)

Now in addition to clothes I got this graphic novel.  It’s Alice in the Country of Hearts.  It is actually very amusing, but I won’t spoil it for you with too many details.

And of course I got a few craft supplies.  A couple of bags with ribbons and random trims and two types of fabric.  The floral one is so pretty and I think I’ll save it for spring.  I think it will be perfect for my next Easter dress.  But knowing me, I might make a dress with it sooner than that.  As for the red plaid, I plan on using it right away.  It will be perfect for a new dress for Christmas and maybe for some extra holiday crafts.  

Speaking of holidays crafts, I have to start cracking at them right away.  I have some interesting ideas for this year that I will talk about later.  Look forward to it. :)

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Think Red

A while back I bought some red fabric from Goodwill.  The second I saw it I knew it would be perfect for a dress, something fairly summer-y too. 

Three days of sewing later and here is the dress.  It has puffed raglan sleeves and the bodice is fully shirred which took loads of time but was worth it.  It makes the dress very fitted while still making breathing possible.  Plus, it is so easy to pull on, no stretching like a pretzel to reach a zipper.

And what’s better than a great fitting red dress?  A matching purse.  I gathered the fabric before sewing for an interesting effect.  The funny thing is that it wasn’t until after I finished struggling to get this purse right that I remembered that I actually have a Simplicity pattern for a similar bag.  What’s the point of having patterns if I never bother to used them?  Anyway, I sort of messed up the snap on the flap.  Simple fix was to embellish it with a fabric yo-yo made from a fabric scrap and a simple bow.  Nothing like the inspiration you get from goofing up.
Here’s the updated list:

• Notebooks
• Little skirt
• Red dress
• Red purse
• wallets
• Tiny wreaths
• Stockings
• Ornaments
• Trees
• Doll makeover

Four down, six more to go.  The next one will be up by either Monday or Tuesday.

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It All Started With Goodwill

I had intended to post this earlier, but I had midterms this week, enough said. 



Anyway, I got this bag on sale at Goodwill for 50 cents.  It’s a roomy straw bag and proved to be extremely useful, I used it carry home the other goodies I got that day.  It just needed a personal touch.


A few minutes with a glue gun resulted in this.  I added three rows of two different kinds of lace along the top.  The thinner lace I got at the same time as the bag (so much for my “no more craft supplies” resolution).  I used it to cover the straps in order to both make them pretty and hopefully to make them stronger.  Only time will tell if it worked.



I thought it had been a while since redid a t-shirt, you know how much I love it.  So here’s the before.  A large size one that I got for less than 25 cents.  It has stains in odd spots, a pocket I don’t like, and is too big for me.



Here’s the after, after a lot of cutting down to size.  As I usually do with these, I added lace along the new neckline and along the edges of the sleeves.  I put the elastic about an inch from the sleeve hem to give it that sort of ruffled look. 

If you look closely, you’ll see that in addition to the lace edge on the sleeves I added a row of the same lace I used on the straw bag.  It’s also along the bottom of the t-shirt.  I usually don’t do anything special with the bottom hem when I alter t-shirts, so I thought I should try it this time.  Otherwise it would be like I’m mass producing these shirts and where’s the fun in that?



Now with this one you can see just how crazy I am about that lace.  It’s a simple little purse made with two squares of fabric and a zipper and lining.  The difference is that before sewing those little squares I covered them with rows and rows of the lace. 

So it’s sort of like a little beaded purse except with lace instead of beads.  It was easy to make but extremely time consuming.  Almost as long to make as would have been if I did bead it.  At least the results were worth it.  I think I will make another one in black, but maybe I’ll wait a while.

Here’s the updated list:

• Doll dress
• White purse
• Shoes
• T-shirt
• Heart bag
• Pins
• Cuffs
• Straw bag
• Parasol
• Dress

Three down, seven to go.  I should have the next one up by either Wednesday or Thursday.

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Fairy?

Not sure if I mentioned this before, but I found this doll at a Goodwill that was closing last summer.  She was interesting and only about 99 cents so I took a chance on her.  She kind of looked like she was suppose to be some sort of fairy doll, but I’m not sure which.  It says “Disney” on her back and head.  Anyway, she definitely needed some work, but that’s part of the fun of getting old dolls.



Before, her hair was matted and tangled with frazzled bits.  She was a little dirty with a bad hip.  And of course she had no clothes, do thrift stores purposely sell fashion dolls without their clothes or do people really donate them all like this?



After, I cleaned her up and trimmed and styled her hair.  I made her this lovely dress though it came out differently than I planned.  No worries, I like it better this way.  It’s trimmed with ribbon that has embroidered blue flowers on it.



Going along with the blue theme, I added some small blue flowers to her hair.  Now she looks like a pretty elf or something along those lines.
Here’s the updated list:

• Bags
• Bracelets
• Barrettes
• Doll pajamas
• Doll makeover
• Wristbands
• Red skirt
• Ears
• Costume
• Handkerchiefs

Eight down, just two more to go.  The next project should be up by Wednesday or Thursday.

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Plaid and Crochet for Dummies

I found some red plaid fabric at a thrift store a while back, I can’t remember which one.  Anyway, I thought it would be perfect for a skirt even if it is sort of a cliché, the plaid skirt.



I tried the same pattern as the skirt I made for class (see It's So Huge).  I think it came out better this time, however the picture came out worse.  Yep, I have some skills with a camera.



Here’s a closer look at the matching accessories.  I thought of adding pockets to the skirt, but changed my mind while cutting the fabric for them.  I made them into a tiny bag instead.  My bags seem to be getting smaller and smaller for good reason.  As I mentioned before, smaller bags are better for choir since they fit under the robe.



And here’s the hair bow.  I realized that it’s been so long since I’ve made bows for my hair and the plaid looks good as a bow, so obviously I just had to make one.  I glued it to a hair comb since they seem to be more versatile than clips.



As a bonus, I also finished the wristbands on my list.  I realized it’s been quite some time since I crocheted anything, so I thought I should try to make something. Wristbands were perfect because they don’t require quite much skill, which I lack, or a pattern which I can’t read anyway.  That’s right, I can’t read crochet patterns.  Anyway, they simply tie on my wrist and have pink ribbon to make them cuter.  I just threaded the ribbon on a large needle and sort of weaved it on the wristbands after finishing them.  Adds a nice touch, right?

Here’s the updated list:

• Bags
• Bracelets
• Barrettes
• Doll pajamas
• Doll makeover
• Wristbands
• Red skirt
• Ears
• Costume
• Handkerchiefs

Seven down, just three more to go.  The next one should be up by Monday.

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Finally Remembered

…To take pictures that is.  I have made several trips to different thrift stores over the past few months, but I never mentioned most of them because I would forget to get the camera out until weeks later. 

This weekend there was another half-off sale at Goodwill that I felt I had to attend due to the number of great items I spotted while browsing before the sale.  It’s an odd habit of mine, I see something I like, see the price, hate the price, come back for it when it’s on sale.

Here’s what I got:

Pink and green felt, more green than pink but for good reason.

A remnant of really soft fleece in a cute floral print.

A decent amount of a orange print, already have plans for it.

Four really cute plates, they’re microwavable and dishwasher safe.

An 18 inch doll, she’s a Springfield Collection doll (those ones they sell at Michael’s and Joann) and she was only a dollar.

A Fisher Price Little People camper, it make animal noises and I know a little guy who would love it.

An 18 inch Cinderella doll, perfect for a certain princess loving little girl and it was only 50 cents!

The total cost was just a little more than 6 dollars.  Not too bad right?  Let’s see if I can beat that next time.

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Bad News, Good News, and Good Deals

First the bad news.  The Goodwill Store closest to me closed up last week. 

Now the good news!  A new one opened up.  It’s farther away, but larger and better organized.  Today they had their grand opening.  It was great but unbelievably crowded.  They gave out bottled water, orange juice, chips and donuts to everyone who came and several people got free gift certificates.  Not me, I got there too late.  I did score some excellent deals.  Here they are all together.

• 9 My Little Ponies
• 1 non-name brand pony toy
• 2 packages of bobbins
• 1 pack silk pins
• 1 really nice seam gauge
• 1 pack dressmaker’s chalk pencils
• 1 pack doll hands
• 1 wooden crochet hook
• Several knitting needles
• Some ribbon
• 1 girl scout cookie badge
• 1 Hello Kitty bento box
• 1 triangle shaped pendant thingy
• A ton of vintage buttons
• More 9 and 7 inch zippers than I know what to do with.

Total Cost: $5.00.  Hours spent among my fellow thrifters: priceless.

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