A New Pillow

An embroidery project I completed recently. I love those kits that have everything in them that you need. But I am thinking about breaking out on my own for a Mother's Day project.

Rag Bag

I was folding my rags and trying to stack them in the cleaning closet, where they would fall over and be a mess. Then the ridiculousness of the whole thing hit me. I was trying to fold and put away rags whose lives would be lived out cleaning toilett seats and wiping up dog vomit!

So I sewed up an old fashioned rag bag. There are directions in Amanda Soule's book Handmade Home. But I just winged it since directions and me aren't fluent speakers. I wanted it to be pretty of course, cause why not? I got the material at a yard sale and the strings are from my stash.

PS: If you havn't gone to cloth rags do so! I use old t-shirts and torn towels and I have more than I could even stuff in the bag. If you use one on an exceptionally nasty job just throw it out. Even if your not into saving the environment it will certainly help save your budget. I mean have you priced a roll of Bounty lately?

Tea Cup Candles

Look below in Wednesday Aug 26th posts to see the tea cup candles I made and learn how to do them. They are so easy.

This stupid thing put it out of order again. I'm sure it's a user error. Any book out there on how to use blogspot better?

Tea Cup Candles

I saw this really cute teacup candle at an antiques store. I love good smelling candles, tea, and china sets. So I had to have one. Problem was they only had one it stunk and had been partially burned. So I made my own.



Start by glueing the cup to the saucer. I used super glue because I didn't want to break out the hot glue gun.




Bought some scent, some candle wax, and some colors.


Melted it all down in a make shift double boiler.


Poured it in to the tea cup, very messily, and done! I did clean off the excess wax.

Sweater Purse

I love Country Living magazine. The pictures, the ideas, the articles. Love it, Love it, Love it!

The "make me over" article in the January issue is for a sweater purse. You turn an old sweater into a purse. I tried it. It was super easy and cheap. For the entire instructions BUY THE MAGAZINE. I bought the sweater for $3 at a second hand shop. It didn't felt as well as I would have liked and I ended up having to do a running stitch along all the edges. But even with that it only took me 2 days of working at it sporadically. I added the closure strap and the pocket.

One of the things I thought of for next years Christmas presents was hand made bags. I think these will fit the bill quite well. People can use them for a knitting bag, to carry library books, groceries, as a real purse, lunch bags, even make a tall narrow one for wine. I can also use them as gift bags. Put a handmade candle selection, jelly, bath products, or a book in it and "here ya go".

So lets have some fun and keep those ugly, itchy sweaters out of the dump and make some handmade Christmas.

PS, My mother liked the bag so much I gave it to her. Now I'll have to make another for myself. Oh well.