Descriptions of collectibles and other items sold on Ebay, as well as about craft projects based on recycling and re-use of materials.
Welcome to my blog!
I used to blog here mostly using local photos about my neighborhood or Washington DC or other places I visited. But over time I found myself blogging about crafts or sewing projects or my activities as a seller of collectibles on Ebay (look my stuff up under Mugsim7) or other topics, such as selling my beautiful old Victorian townhouse. Occasionally, I take a break from blogging so you won't see anything regularly. But I'm still have fun writing it. May your days be blessed with miracles, and creativity too!
Friday, December 11, 2015
Kleenex Box Make-Over for Advent
Labels:
15 minutes,
Advent,
box,
cards,
Christmas,
Dollar Tree,
Elmers glue,
Kleenex,
landfill,
scissors,
tape,
tissues
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Cheapo Chalkboard for the Kitchen
Inspired by all the chalk paint projects on Pinterest, I decided we needed to have a blackboard in the kitchen for lists and notes and stuff. So I picked up a cardboard-backed picture at a Salvation Army thrift store for $4.99 and lugged it home. After giving it a good clean -- and it was very dusty -- I took apart the picture from the frame, pulling out the very old and rusty nails that held the picture to the frame. After re-gluing the frame corners with E6000 super glue as they too were on the old and rickety side, I then sprayed several coats of some left-over green paint on the frame, letting them dry overnight. Then using the spray chalkboard black paint I coated the picture over several times, during the course of several days, letting them dry overnight. All of this I did outside as the fumes were plentiful. I then re-glued and tacked the image back into the frame and hung it up in the kitchen for our use. The hardest part of this project was hanging this at the right height so we could easily write on it without it wobbling about! It's great to have a chalkboard in the kitchen for shopping lists, notes, etc.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Wreath Made of old Rags and Fabric Scraps
Monday, October 26, 2015
Easy Peasy Pencil Pen Scissor Holder
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Transforming Cargo Pants into Small Cargo Bag
Pink floral lining and Velcro "snaps" at top of bag |
Spray Painting Trash Into Treasure
Turning Almond Milk Bottles Into Candlesticks
Monday, September 21, 2015
Pillow from scrap fabric
When no longer needed, I think baby blankets make useful fabric pieces to make into other things and this fuzzy blue giraffe blanket just begged to be made into a soft pillow. First, I embellished one side with some left over brown satin ribbon from the stash pile of fabric and findings that accumulates each time I do a clear-out of a closet or drawer. I used brown ribbon as this blue pillow was to be paired with another pillow, also brown. Putting right sides together, I then stitched three and a half sides, leaving half a side open for later insertion of the pillow stuffing. After turning to right side out, I squeezed in the pillow stuffing (acquired on sale at in Walmart), then hand-stitched the opening and lo and behold, had another cute pillow for my son's bed. This project took hardly any time at all as I did the laundry at the same time, making for a very productive Monday morning.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Embellishing Old Blouse For More Use
After stitch witchery |
What blouse looked like before |
Labels:
black,
blouse,
embellishment,
hand-stitched,
lace,
ornament,
rags,
scraps,
shirt,
square,
summer,
white
Blue jean pocket becomes charging station for wireless phone
Inspired by all the crafty stitch witchery on Pinterest boards, I ripped off a pocket from an old pair of blue jeans and turned it into a little hanging bag for re-charging of my wireless phone. This was a simple 20 minutes or less craftie and I like how it came out. When I ripped the pocket off the blue jeans I left about 3/8" of fabric around the pocket that I then turned over with some iron-on seam fabric to finish the back and give it a little stiffness. For the hanging handle, I just used a thick seam from the outside leg of the pants and stitched it to the back of the pocket. All I had to do was locate a cup hanger and screw it into the wall to get this craftie done. I'm quite pleased with it since I now can hang the wireless phone for re-charging at a plug that doesn't already have half a dozen other things plugged in.
Labels:
bag,
blue jeans,
charger,
cup hanger,
plug,
wall,
wireless phone
Turning a Square Scarf Into an Infinity Cowl Neck Scarf
Red floral cowl scarf laid out |
Finished square scarf next to original red cowl |
34"x35" square scarf beside red cowl |
Pin sides before cutting |
Square scarf cut in half |
Roll hem on long side |
other square converted to cowl |
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Zippered Bag Made from Old Blue Jeans and Scrap Fabric
This bag has become a great extra travel bag for us as it's squishy and fits on the plane floor or in the bus or train overhead bin easily. We've used it for all kinds of things like snacks and medications, or suntan lotion, or books and papers, you know, that stuff you just gotta carry with you that you don't want to check or pack in your fancy suitcase. And it's washable!
Little Girl's Pillowcase Dress
I'd read about making a little girl's dress from an old pillowcase on Pinterest and other websites so I decided I just had to try one and it came out all right, don't you think? I found a pillowcase in the closet that didn't seem to have a mate -- another one of those things that disappear in the laundry. Once I figured out the heavy end seam was the bottom of the dress, I then cut along the top and cut out the arm holes. I quickly trimmed the armholes and then turned over the top with a large seam that could hold a ribbon. Since I'm working on busting through my bag of scrap fabrics, I found this rather pretty pink satin fabric that was once the lining to a jacket, and stitched into a long tube that became the ribbon. I then threaded this ribbon through the top seam and eh voila, pillow case dress! I added on a little pocket using the leftover fabric from the arm hole cut out and stitched it as a patch pocket right onto the dress, using some pink zigzagging as decoration.
![](//1.bp.blogspot.com/-v6ebuRuQSOs/VfYLYp7vhJI/AAAAAAAACNs/oBtYwJtnbmQ/s200/103_6904.JPG)
Overall, I was quite happy with how it came out and was very pleased when a little 7 year old girl came by and when I showed it to her she said she wanted it! I adjusted the tie ribbon for her height and she said she was going to use it as a night dress! I am so pleased to have done this project but just a little miffed with myself for not taking of photo of the little girl in the dress, er, nightgown!
Friday, September 4, 2015
My Trusty Powerless Kitchen Tools
serrated knife |
carpet sweeper |
meat thermometer |
can opener |
funnel |
What got me thinking about these items was our visit to a museum last year where they showed a lot of items that were used in homes and yards a hundred years ago. What was startling was that in several cases, they simply didn't know what the device was for or how it was used. I'm sure everyone knows how everything in this blog works, but what about a hundred years from now? Will there still be manual can openers? Hand pushed carpet sweepers? Will anyone still use potato nails or garlic presses? And surely spoons, spatulas and sieves will still be in use? Or will it be the case that in about 20 years from now I will look at these items and say, "Gor blimey, what did I use that thing for?" Or "whatever happened to that gravy separator?"
potato nail |
garlic press |
gravy separator |
sieve |
Pyrex measuring jug |
spoon and spatula |
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