Life With The Crew

How To Make A Paper Towel Holder From Vintage Materials

I would love to be able to say that we do not use paper towels in our home, but with all of our pets, paper towels are a necessary evil.  I know that almost everybody uses them for something and there is a bit of a joke in our family that involves my father and his paper towels.  When my husband and I were at the Old House Parts store in Maine, I thought of an idea for a Christmas gift for my dad - a paper towel holder made from vintage house parts.  I thought my brother would appreciate one also, so we bought the materials to make one for each of them.  It was a great collaboration between my husband and I - I thought of the idea, he made it happen.  

What we bought for each paper towel holder:  one door knob and one base that is a piece from an old light.  My husband then used copper pipe, a copper end piece, and a screw, washer, and nut.  And of course a roll of paper towels to complete the gift.  The knob is removed to place the paper towel onto the holder.

I apologize for the poor quality photos.  We were in the garage late afternoon on Christmas Eve - not the best lighting.  Here is how we made them.

1.  Cut a 1/2" diameter copper pipe to a length that is about 9.5" inches or 1" shorter than a paper towel roll. 

2.  Our lamp base already had a hole in the center of it.  If you are using something that doesn't, you'll have to drill the hole.  Then determine what size screw you will need.

3.  Solder a copper end cap, same diameter as the copper pipe, onto one end of the pipe.  

4.  Predrill a hole through the center of the cap.  (This step is just to keep the next larger drill bit centered, so this should be smaller than the actual drill bit size needed.) 

5.  Using the appropriate sized drill bit for your lamp base hole and screw, drill a larger hole through the end cap.  

6.  Use a drill bit extension in order to place the screw inside the bottom of the end cap.

7.  Push the end of the screw through the hole in the lamp base and secure with a washer and nut.  The base is complete.

8.  The only thing we had to do to the doorknob was wrap the end with a bit of electrical tape to increase the diameter so it fit more securely in the copper pipe.

If you have to use paper towels, best to do it in repurposed vintage style!

 

 

Go Ahead and Make It

Recently I ran in a half marathon and injured my foot.  I remembered that when I broke my foot (the same one) several years ago, I had bought a comfrey root tincture to apply to it.  And of course, in one of my purging sprees last Spring, I threw it out because I thought it might have gone bad and I thought I'd never have a need for it again.  But I guess stress fractures are just part of being a runner.  So I went to the health food store to look for comfrey root tincture.  They didn't have that, but they did have a salve.  As the lady was showing me where the salve was, I said out loud, "Wait, I can probably make this...".  Sure enough, as I was looking at the $14.99 price tag for a small jar of salve, I decided that indeed I could make it.  Ta-dah!

I used this recipe, but didn't want a huge batch that I would just throw away again next Spring, so I used 1/2 cup of olive oil and 1/2 cup of comfrey root.  I just guessed on the amount of beeswax.  It has a really nice consistency.  Of course, I have really no idea if it is actually doing anything to help my stress fracture heal, but I do feel productive when I rub it on, and proud that I didn't spend $14.99 for it.  The comfrey root was less than $7 and I didn't use the whole bag.  

If you've been thinking about trying to make something yourself - go ahead and do it.  I believe that we need to spend more time actually doing things with our hands instead of just hitting keys and pressing buttons.

Simple Snowman

So it may not be quite as cute as a pillow from Garnet Hill, but it was handmade from repurposed materials.  A sweater I found at Goodwill, an old wool scarf for the body (I used the rest of the scarf to make leg warmers for the little babe last year), and leftover pieces from an upcycled sweater project earlier this Fall.  The little babe picked out the buttons.  

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The little babe says, "ho, ho, ho" for snowmen (I think because in the Frosty the Snowman book it says he could "laugh and play" and I must have said "ho, ho, ho" for laughing at some point.)  

So "ho, ho, ho" - hope you have time for laughing and playing this weekend.

Last Minute Projects

We traveled to Colorado for the Thanksgiving holiday and right before we left, I feverishly worked to get two projects completed.  One was a cowl for myself.  After knitting this cowl for my husband, I really wanted one of my own.  On our most recent trip to Maine, I picked up one skein of Quince & Co.'s Puffin in Bird's Egg.  I just love knitting with this yarn!  It is SO thick, soft, and squishy.  Using size 10.5 straight needles, I used a basket weave pattern of a 4 knit, 4 purl repeat for 4 rows, then I did the opposite for 4 rows - 4 purl, 4 knit.  Once I got in the groove of repeating the row count to myself, it went quickly.  Since I was using straight needles, I then had to turn the cowl on its side and sew the ends together.  I completed it in one day, thanks to a lot of sleeping by the little babe, though I think I worked up a sweat while knitting.  Not the most relaxing way to knit, but I wanted to take it on the trip.  It is a serious cowl - I should have cast on less stitches so that it was a bit longer instead of taller, but oh well, it will keep me really warm!  These pictures do not accurately depict the color; not sure what was up with the lighting.  It is really a much softer shade of blue.  (It happened to be 60 degrees this day - crazy warm for November!)

On the day that we were leaving, my husband took the little babe on an adventure, so I was able to make her a purse to carry on the airplane.  I used one of the sweaters that I found at Goodwill (here and here is what I did with two other wool sweaters).  From the bottom edge, I cut up the middle of the sweater body, so I only had to sew the one side and the bottom edge.  I cut two long strips from the body and sewed them together for the strap.  I used a piece of the bottom ribbing for the front pocket.  I had to sew it on by hand because of course I didn't plan ahead of time and I couldn't get it on the sewing machine after the purse was sewed together.  I sewed on beads as I went along to give it a bit of sparkle.  On a thrifty note, I have been saving these beads for YEARS.  They used to be wrapped with wire onto the stem of a wine glass.  When the glass broke I unwound the wire and kept the beads.

The little babe was very happy to find it when she came back from her adventure.  There were happy feet running around the kitchen, so I was a happy Momma.

 

Think Thrifty, Drink Wine, Make Buttons!

I finished a second Beyond Puerperium cardigan for my little babe.  I made this one out of a slightly scratchy hand dyed multi-colored yarn that I had bought several years ago.  I loved how it looked, but then didn't know what to make with it.  At the time, I only knew how to knit hats and scarves and I thought it would be too itchy for those.  I got tired of seeing it in my stash and so finally made a cardigan.  The little babe will wear it over a long sleeved shirt, so the roughness won't bother her.

(She is showing you how rough the wool is.  Not soft and squishy like the Malabrigo Rios that I used for the first Beyond Puerperium.)

So my question for you is - what do you think about the buttons?  

The whole time I was knitting the sweater, I kept intending on ordering wooden buttons for it, but I wasn't sure how many I would end up needing.  I made the sweater a bit shorter and with short sleeves because I knew I was going to be short on yarn.  I had wanted to make this one long sleeved, but oh well.  So when I finished the sweater, I was impatient and didn't want to wait for the buttons to come.  When I am done with a project, I want it to be DONE.  I don't want it sitting around half-finished.  I was lying in bed trying to decide if I could make the wood buttons myself, but I didn't know how I would cut the pieces so thin without losing a finger.  Then I had a light bulb moment - wine corks!  Or the fake wine corks that I just gave the little babe to play with.  They are just about the right size that I need and I cut could them by hand.  So as soon as the little babe fell asleep and I could slip out of bed, I ran to find the corks (stashed in her play oven) and went to work.  My button holes were small, so I had to cut the corks in half.  Then I used a shish kebab skewer to poke the holes.  Ten minutes of sewing and I was done!  Sweater done, off the to-do list, and I could move on to something else.

I wouldn't have used the cork if the sweater was a gift (unless the recipient was into repurposing) or if I had used a more delicate yarn and pattern.  But I think they work just fine with this rougher textured wool and the blocky design of the sweater.  What do you think?  Creative and thrifty or cheap and tacky?  I'll try not to be offended.  

Pillow Talk

I told you earlier in the week that I've been feeling a bit crafty lately.  I really need to take the time to make a list of all the things that I want to do.  I normally think of them while I'm lying in bed with the little babe, trying my hardest to not fall asleep, and then I forget them when I get back up and get involved with things that need done at that moment.  I don't have grand crafty ideas like making a quilt or knitting my brother that cabled sweater he has been requesting (he obviously has no idea of my knitting skill level), but I do have some little fun things in mind, mainly for the little babe.  I also have been wanting to cover up the boring bland pillow cushions on our sofa and loveseat.  With the onset of the cold weather, I don't feel like I have to be doing yardwork anymore, so I have more time to focus on the inside of the house.  Here are some recent projects.

With the leftover fabric from the little babe's birthday quilt (which I did not make!), I made her a pillow.  I did not quilt it, no time for that kind of detail, but I did sew the circles on by hand.  I haven't figured out how to sew that type of stitch on the sewing machine yet.

I also made a simple pillowcase for the sofa cushion, nothing fancy about it, out of fabric that has been in my stash for several years.  It is a thick upholstery fabric that someone had given me to sell at a yardsale.  I knew I'd have a use for it one day!  Instead of taking the time to sew on buttons or do the fancy envelope style pillowcase, I just sewed on velcro to close the opening.  Not very high end, but it works for me.

Another one of my Goodwill sweater finds was a thick wool cardigan that was actually made in Iceland.  We're talking really thick wool!  When I felted it, it nearly stood up on its own.  I put the cardigan on one of my throw pillows and it fit almost perfectly.  I cut off the arms and used the sewing machine to sew the holes shut.  The two edges of wool barely fit under the footer - there was a lot of pushing and grunting!  Then I cut the sweater straight across the shoulders, right below the neckline.  I then sewed that closed and the bottom hem closed, overlapping the two sides of the cardigan slightly.  When that was done, I found two big handmade ceramic buttons in my stash that were the perfect color and sewed those on.  The felted wool is so dense that I didn't even have to sew the buttonhole edges (another thing I don't know how to do on the machine); I just made a little snip with the scissors.  Three buttons would have been perfect, but I worked with what I had.

I like the feeling of accomplishment that I get when I complete a project, especially one that didn't cost much money, but I love it when someone else enjoys my projects too!

Hope you have time for doing what makes you and your loved ones happy this weekend!

The Transformation of a Wool Sweater

Since the successful repurposing of a wool handknit sweater into a pillow cover, I've been wanting to go to Goodwill to see if I could score any more wool sweaters.  My first attempt involved a certain little babe careening wildly down the aisles pushing a pink plastic shopping cart.  We were in the store a total of 7 minutes before I left with said little babe slung over my shouder, with kicking feet and loud screaming.  Over the weekend, we all went, and my husband and little babe shared a mint flake shake in the car while I got to shop quickly, but in peace.  I found 4 wool sweaters.  One was a LL Bean fair isle design, really pretty.  I felted all of them and this one almost fit the little babe.  My husband suggested turning it into a tunic instead of a pillow cover and it was definitely the right decision.

It was a simple naptime project.  And putting a pocket on it was the perfect touch for the little babe who loves carrying things around.  As soon as I had her try it on, she discovered the pocket was the perfect place for her little red monkey.

That little grin and warm belly is definitely worth the $5.49 I paid for the sweater!

Have you done any repurposing/upcycling lately?  I'd love to hear/see other success stories!

Shared of The Self Sufficient HomeAcre for the HomeAcre Hop.

Look What I Found!

As the little babe and I were driving to the park the other day, we passed a house that was having a "mega moving sale".  I wouldn't have stopped because we don't need more stuff in our house and I am already feeling overwhelmed at the moment, but it was a house that my husband and I have always thought was interesting.  It is a wooden shingled house with dark red window trim.  It is a very wooded double lot in the middle of a suburban neighborhood filled with more traditional (aka boring) houses.  The yard is enclosed with a fence made of collected sticks and chicken wire - it is really cool and almost disappears into the bushes.  Since it is a wooded lot, the people started gardening on the sunny strip between the sidewalk and street.  I know that it probably raised a few eyebrows because no one else does that.  They have been expanding it for the past several years and it is made up of several raised beds filled with veggies and flowers.  They even have a compost area.  

Last week I noticed a Sale Pending sign out front, which was odd because there was never a For Sale sign.  I wondered what the situation was and my nosiness convinced me to stop.  I gathered from the conversation inside that the husband had died and the wife was moving to central Texas.  I was a bit disappointed at the house though; it wasn't as interesting as I expected inside, but I did find a couple things to buy.  The wife had a huge textile collection - embroidered handkerchiefs, cloth napkins, tablecloths, blankets, runners.  She also had a big cardboard box full of yarn, mostly wool.  I was well behaved and only bought three skeins.  I bought a pretty pink tablecloth with tulips embroidered on it and a pillow sham that is very girly pink, but was too perfect for the little babe's room to pass up.  It is too big for any of my bed pillows, so I think I will have to repurpose it into something.  I also got a pretty linen tea towel and three adorable handmade dinner plates.  They have farm animals on them and once I found out that they were handmade, I couldn't pass them up!  

Oh, and I almost forgot about the sweater!  There was an amazingly thick cabled sweater, handmade by the woman.  It was a smidge too small for me, but I knew that I could turn it into something.  I have several large throw pillows on my very bland sofa.  I have been wanting to make pillow covers for them, but just haven't got around to it.  Well, now was the time.  I pulled the sweater over the pillow and it fit perfectly.  I sewed 5 buttons along the bottom ribbing and sewed the neck hole closed.  Then I cut off the arms and sewed those holes.  All done!  The color is the same, but at least now there is texure.  One pillow down, two to go, plus two more on the loveseat.  I'll have to look for more large sweaters.  

 All for just $15!  Have you had any thrifty finds lately?

Shared on The Self Sufficient HomeAcre for the HomeAcre Hop.

A Felted Feel Good Sweater Project

In my fabric stash, I had two wool sweaters.  A red turtleneck that was too big for me and a really nice green cardigan with a Fair Isle design from LL Bean.  Unfortunately, the green one shrank a bit and was too small.  I have been holding onto them because I knew they would make a great project one day.  This week I washed and dried them so they felted.  It was a tough decision about whether to felt the Fair Isle.  I kept debating if it was better to give it to Goodwill so that someone else could wear it or to repurpose it myself.  I decided on the latter.  

I made them into several items for the little babe.  She really likes what I made and they will keep her nice and warm this winter.

First project - a pair of simple mittens.  I used one of her current mittens as a pattern.  Figuring out the angle of the thumb was the hardest part.

I then cut the neck off of the red turtleneck sweater to use as a cowl for the little babe.  That was all I had to do - just one cut!  No sewing required.  Doesn't get much easier than that and she has been wearing it everyday since I made it.

Almost as simple were the leg warmers I made from the sleeves of the Fair Isle.  I cut them to a length that reached the little babe's thighs, then I folded the top over a piece of elastic and sewed it down.  You can't see it in the pictures, but the Fair Isle design is around the ankles - they are really pretty!

Then for the project that required a bit more head scratching and sewing.  I have not really made a good usable pair of pants for her.  All my ones in the past have been a bit restrictive.  So I am finally happy to announce that I sewed a pair that fits!  The pants will not win any prizes for aesthectics or sewing skill, but they will keep my little babe's buns warm this winter.  Using a pair of her pants as a pattern, I placed the legs on either side of the buttons on the cardigan, using the bottom ribbed edge of the sweater as the bottom of the pants.  I then cut up as far as I could to the neck of the sweater.  It wasn't going to be enough to cover her butt, so I then cut two pieces from the body of the red sweater to extend the top of the pants.  I added a piece of elastic at the top.

All warm and toasty!  And she just happened to be wearing her new red and green pajama top, so that is why she is ready for Christmas.  We weren't taking early holiday card photos!

I shared this post on The Self-Sufficient HomeAcre for the HomeAcre Hop.

How To Score A Vintage Children's Wooden Stepstool

 

How To Score a Vintage Children's Wooden Stepstool

1.  Go for a run at the end of Bulk Waste Week with a cute child, preferably your own, but the cute part is what's important.

2.  Spy wooden stepstool on curb from a distance.

3.  Nonchalantly check it out while maintaining pace.  

4.  While running away, calculate the following:  Did it look broken?  Can you carry it home on the stroller?  Did the house look like normal and cleanly people lived there?  Do you really need it?

5.  Decide the answers are:  no, yes, yes, not really but it's made of real wood and is cute.

6.  Circle the block and attempt to wipe away sweat and fix hair.

7.  Park stroller and approach door.  While knocking, try to look as pleasant and normal as possible while your face is bright red and still covered in sweat.

8.  Preface your request with, "I know this is strange, but..."

9.  Allow strangers to look at your cute child who has a scowl on her face because she needs to take a nap.

10.  Run away before the child whose stool you just took decides that she wants it back and starts crying. 

11.  Finish your run looking like a complete fruitcake for having a wooden stepstool on top of your running stroller.

12.  Get home, wash it off, let the little babe test it out and say, "Hot damn, that was a great find!"

 

Shared on Friday Finds.