Pieces

Non-Thrifting

2011-03-19T21:33:00.001-04:00

I admit it . . . I have a problem.

My "craft room" is also your family room. I can not hide my problem. Everyone knows. What I am showing here is only the t-shirts. There is more stash being hidden outside the camera lens.

Thanks to Robin at T-Shirt Diaries I think I will soon have a handle on things. Robin is holding a Spring Stashbusting Challenge. Participants pledge not to purchase craft supplies for one month.

Obviously, I NEED to participate. You will see my "after" pictures on March 23. In addition to not purchasing any supplies or materials for a month (see note below), I pledge to reduce my stash by as much as possible. My goal is to bust my stash in half. Can I do it? I'll keep you posted on the progress and show what I am making along the way.

Note-I will be purchasing a few items needed for my business. I already know that I need waistband material. But, I will only purchase what is necessary. Really!

Please excuse the dust

2011-02-07T21:02:00.000-05:00

Quick, Turn away while I blow the dust off! I can't believe that I haven't posted (or even visited) since October 2. Oh well. . . here I am.

As I read other blogs I realize that we are all in the same place right now: nesting, cleaning, organizing. I have post-it tags all over my house that I am not allowing myself to remove until that particular spot as been addressed. Today it was the bathroom closet. One post it tag gone, 52 to go!

I finally decided on my One Little Word for the year. Well, actually I just changed it. I knew it wasn't right to begin with and now I feel at peace with this word.

edit: the process of selecting . . .

I can apply this word and it's meaning to so many things in my life right now, and not just material things either.

I need your votes!!!

2010-10-02T19:04:00.000-04:00

I have entered a contest. It is a fundraiser for Goodwill. The have invited artists to create and donate pieces using $30 worth of Goodwill stuff. We are to get votes from out friends. You can vote online HERE or in person HERE. Again, it is a fundraiser, so votes are $1each.

I am really excited and really, really, really hoping to win! Support Goodwill, and your friend. Go and VOTE FOR DEB!!!

Soon to be transformed into . . .

Hey Cutie

2010-09-14T13:13:00.000-04:00

This is one of my lovely nieces, Riley. We have spent quite a bit of time together this summer. She has a sister and a brother too. I love them all so much! They love to come to my house and "do art". Needless to say I love that too.

I really love seeing the kids in clothes that I have made for them . I purchased this adorable dress pattern here . Riley picked out the Bubble Gum t-shirt from my stash to transform into her dress. Cute!

2010-08-27T19:53:00.002-04:00

Well, here I am. I had to blow the dust off the ol' blog here before starting this post!

I won't even try to make up for lost time, or fill you in on what has been going on. That is what always stops me from coming here . . . feeling like I need to fill in the long lapses between posts. Nope. I am just going to jump in.

I put a small pond right outside our front door earlier this summer. It has been a work in progress all summer. I add rocks now and then, and some plants when I feel like it. I have found it a challenge to cover all the black plastic and make it look natural.

We have three sweet fish that have managed to survive the summer with us. They are fun to feed and watch. I purchased three tadpoles from the pond store back in May or June. It took a while, but we finally had a frog. . . then two. . . and now 10!! Yep, today we counted ten frogs living in the little habitat. How did that happen?

I can see seven frogs in this picture. Can you?

Thanks Robin!

2010-07-02T13:22:00.000-04:00

Oh how fun and wonderful to be recognized! Robin over at Tee Shirt Diaries is so generous. Not only does she share her ideas, but she constantly mentions and gives credit to others. Robin has given me an award for my blog. I think that is pretty stinkin' sweet considering I don't have much here. Robin must be on of those positive encouragement people. Guess what. . . It is working. You can tell because I am here writing a post! Thanks Robin for your support and kindness. I am feeling like "one of the girls" now. I love your blog too!

I think I am supposed to tell you ten things about myself and award ten other bloggers the award. I will be back to do that in the next couple days. I have a bunch of custom skirts to complete today. My house is quiet and I am ready to roll.

I was just out looking for garage sales. They are a great way to find t-shirts really cheep. I think I get into less trouble focusing on t-shirts rather then just impulsively buying whatever I like at the sales. I have WAY too much stuff already!

Anyway, here is part of my haul from a sale this morning. The rest are already on the washing machine.

They are all to soon have a new life. . . stay tuned for details.

Event

2010-06-24T18:09:00.000-04:00

Here is some information about the event that Pretty Sinkin' green will be attending on Friday.

Preparing for PSG Event

2010-06-10T22:42:00.003-04:00

Hannah and I are gearing up for our first live event. So far Pretty Stinkin' Green has been exclusively an online shop. In a couple weeks my friend Nicole is hosting an Open House for several of her friends that are in business. I will post more details about that when I know exactly who will be vending.

I am really excited because Hannah will be coming to Traverse City for a couple days to play, prepare, plan and celebrate (she just turned 30). I'm sure we will not be able to fit in everything, or even a small fraction of what we would like to do together, but I am really grateful to be able to get to spend time together.

Today I took a few minutes to look around the garage and pick out a some things that we might be able to use to display our goods. We don't really need to make an official booth, but both of us are pretty stinkin' excited about merchandising our stuff. Here are some pics of what I came up with.

I can't wait to play. Meanwhile, I am off to ramp up the inventory.

Pretty Stinkin' Green skirts

2010-05-19T08:39:00.006-04:00

Tis the season. . . no, not that season. . . SKIRT season!

(Oops, I have to go to work. Pics this afternoon)

I'm back. It was a longer (working) day then I thought.
Anyway, here are some of the latest skirts we have created for Pretty Stinkin' Green. I have really become a skirt wearer now that I have these easy to wear fun babies to throw on.

Thrifting

2010-05-06T08:34:00.000-04:00

Well, maybe my last post was premature. I am back in the midst of exhaustion. I hate this feeling- it is just NOT me. I lost my father a month ago, and I know from past losses of those close to me that this is normal. It is a pattern for me to feel exhausted when all the "stuff" is done. I guess it is my way of mourning or dealing with loss. I know it will pass- I just hope it is sooner rather than later.

Anyway, enough of that! I thought I could at least share some recent thrift finds. Now that sounds exhilarating doesn't it!

I always wanted a cake carrier. This $2 Regal's lid locks to the bottom for safe transportation. Does this mean that I have to bake?

Kate and Kenneth (Spade and Cole) had to come home with me too. They have since found new homes though.

The awesome toast stand is now holding my bills-lucky thing. And I am always on the lookout for vintage linens. So sweeeeet!

Well that's all for today. I hope to be back on a regular basis. But for now, baby steps. Thanks for stopping by.

It's Back!!

2010-04-26T08:09:00.001-04:00

To whoever took my mojo, thanks for giving it back. I really missed it. Pacing around looking for it wasn't much fun. I am used to having it with me at all times. You must not have used much of it because it came back supercharged!

I spent yesterday running from one project to the next. It was that old familiar crazy neurotic feeling that I am so used to.

Stay tuned for multiple project updates.

Nest Tutorial

2010-03-22T08:45:00.001-04:00

Yep, it's that time of year. . . I'm nesting. If you would like to join me on this quick and easy project, here is how.

Gather your supplies.

You will need:

Modge Podge or white glue

paper for the nest- I used a bag here. Newspaper and old book pages also make cute nests.**see note

bowl- glass works best

paper shredder or scissors

craft sheet to parchment paper (or waxed paper, but I didn't try that)

cooking spray

Spray the bottom of your bowl lightly with cooking spray.

Shred the paper or cut into thin strips.

I chopped my paper into smaller pieces

Pour some glue into your palm and all a little water, mix.

Using your hands, coat the paper strips with the glue.

Press onto the outside of the bowl. The paper will stick to your hands. Use the parchment paper to press the gluey paper onto the bowl.

Let your nest air dry, or place in a low temp oven to speed drying time.

Done!
How cute is that?

** Just to let you know. . . the nests that I made with old book pages stuck to the bowls (even with cooking spray on the bowl). I had to soak them off. I am trying again with plastic wrap between the bowl and the nest.

Makeover Monday

2010-03-08T22:16:00.002-05:00

I have had this project on my to do list for a while. I finally got to it today.

I thrifted this dress a while ago. It is a Lilly B. I paid less than $3 for it. I didn't think I would wear it as a dress, I'm more of a skirt person, but I had to let it hang for a while just to make sure.

First, I cut the top off just above the waist panel. Since the fabric is a wonderful stretchy jersey, I ended up just leaving the cut edge raw. It looks fine and any shirt I wear will cover the waist anyway. I forgot to take a picture of that step.

Next, I cut 3/4 " strips from the fabric left over from the top of the dress.

Then, I slowly sewed the strips onto the bottom of the skirt to look like flowers.

The finished product! I love how it turned out.

It didn't take long at all , maybe 45 minutes total.

I'm back . . .

2010-02-28T08:29:00.003-05:00

Well, I am back home from Camp Pretty Stinkin' Green. That's what we call our creative time we spend together. Hannah was a wonderful head counselor. She filled the mess hall with great food. I can still smell the yummy lentil soup.

I can't believe that I didn't take my camera! Silly me. You will have to take a look at Hannah's blog and Pretty Stinkin' Green to see pictures of the adventures we went on and the mess we made of the "main cabin". We had piles of tee shirts in various stages of deconstruction.

It was a very productive few days. We are excited to have a whole new line of shirts that are so cute and wearable.

A huge thanks to D, Hannah's wonderful hubby, who totally revamped my computer. It is so much happier now. D, you are awesome!!!

Please leave some feedback on the skirts in the comment section here. Thanks, Deb

Look out Ohio!

2010-02-23T06:00:00.001-05:00

My toothbrush is packed and I am off to Ohio to play with Hannah! We have tons of fun things planned, all business related of course. I mean our job does involve thrifting and creating right?

Our company does have a mandatory health program which includes daily dog walking.

Impromptu coffee/tea breaks are also written in the Pretty Stinkin' Green's policy manual.

So if you happen to stop in here to see what I am up to, just click here and you can join in on our fun for the rest of the week. See you in Ohio!

Sleddi Spaghetti and Ugly Dolls

2010-02-16T07:51:00.000-05:00

Sleddi Spaghetti was Sunday. It is an event at we put on every year to raise money and awareness for a branch library that we are hoping to have in our community. It's a wonderful family event. There is a spaghetti meal, with Moomer's ice cream, sleding, stories, games and crafts.

I am the craft lady. I the past we have done duct tape wallets, funky junky frames, and . . . that's all I can remember right now. Besides the duct tape the other projects have all been from recycled materials.

This year we made "Ugly Dolls". I took a huge bag of mismatched socks, a big bin of wool scraps, various sizes of needles, upholstery thread, glue, and scissors.

The kids stuffed the socks with wool scraps and sewed them shut. They embellished the "dolls" with more wool scraps and googly eyes.

The kids loved the craft. Many handstitched on the very forgiving materials for the very first time ever. The creative juices were flowing. Everyone had a great time making their dolls.

Another successful craftin' day.

Vote

2010-02-15T09:11:00.000-05:00

http://loveliesaward.blogspot.com/2010/02/blog-handmade-pretty-stinkin-green.html

2010-02-03T18:16:00.000-05:00

Pretty Stinkin' Green has been keeping me pretty stinkin' busy lately. We have had several givaways, the news coverage last night, our web shop surprise hit be Mary Jane's Farm group, another giveaway arrangement for next week, and we just signed up to advertise with Donna Downey on her blog, "Simply Me ".

Hannah and I are working hard to keep the shop full and looking appealing so people enjoy coming back. I am having a blast creating stuff. I just need to stay off this darn computer so I have more time to get stuff done. My husband and I were joking the other day about yelling to our 12 year old to get off facebook while we each sat in a chair with our laptop in our laps. Hmmmm . . . what's wrong with that picture?

News Flash

2010-02-02T20:04:00.005-05:00

Pretty Stinkin' Green was featured on Project Green on TV 9&10 news tonight.

Here is the segment

2010-02-01T23:05:00.000-05:00

You must read today's post on the Pretty Stinkin' Green blog. Hannah shares the story of how we became "Pretty Stinkin' Green" with our readers. I love our story. Mostly, I love that friendships can grow no matter how far away they live.

Reward!

2010-01-31T17:19:00.001-05:00

Lost

Lost on 1-29-10, 1 year old blog. Last seen in the vicinity of blogspot. Could be in the area of cyberspace. The blog goes by the name of Pieces and is missed by it's owner. If found please return to me for a reward of loving friendship.

That's right. I lost my blog. Sometimes when things aren't going the way you want, you have to take a risk. Your plan may not work out like you wanted it to. There area worse things that could happen. For me, it isn't a terrible thing.

I didn't really have a plan with my "old blog". I am looking at this as a chance to formulate a plan and have a structure to my blog. So while I ponder what I want to do here, take a look at http://www.prettystinkingreen.com/ and see what I am all about.

Any input or comments on starting or revising a blog, or any other subject for that matter, are welcome.