Remixed Stitches

Four Fleas and Two Desks Later

2012-02-16T20:43:00.000-05:00

Interfaith Desk #1 $15.50

Check out my previous post on how we came to have this sad little desk.The story continues here: After some structural issues were addressed on our Interfaith desk, DBH faithfully started the process of giving rebirth to the $15.50 desk. The sanding, stripping, and staining began on the desk. The desk was missing some handles so we decided a trip to the Mt. Dora Extravaganza was in order to replace those missing handles.

Off to the Flea Market we went! With some of our faith waining on our makeover Interfaith desk, we decided to keep our eyes open for a desk that might need less work and could be put to use right away. Thirty minutes into our Flea Market jaunt we found "THE DESK". Beautifully restored to it's early 1930's vintage condition , it was ready for immediate use. We purchased desk #2. Having had his fill of Flea Markets for the day, DBH and Mia headed for the truck to wait while I looked for handles for the Interfaith desk #1.

With faith, DBH continued his work on the Interfaith Desk #1. This past week the rebirth of the $15.50 sad little desk was finally finished. DBH had once again preformed his magic in his "Hardly-Able-Workshop".

What do you think of DBH's make over of the sad little desk?

Keep the faith.....We did and we now have two desks...... LOL

Karla

Three Fleas In One Morning

2012-01-07T16:43:00.001-05:00

With a definite plan in mind, I was able to talk DBH into going on a Flea Market Adventure with me. With faith and our truck, our mission was to visit three Flea Markets in three hours, buy a small desk, stay within 25 miles from home and be home in time for football.

Flea#1 was located in the old Ocala Drive In on Hwy 441. The only person to greet us there was Scooby Doo. At 9:30 in the morning only a few vendors were open with even less customers. No desks there! We said our goodbyes to Scooby and drove off.

Flea#2, Grumpy Jerry’s was just south of Flea#1 about five miles. Bustling with more activity, we found the vendors to be friendly and welcoming. It was a large Flea spread out over 20 acres. I found myself getting distracted at the great items but DBH kept me in check. No desks there! With time almost up and one more Flea to visit my faith was starting to wane.

Flea#3 wasn’t really a Flea but a thrift store. With the name Interfaith Thrift Store, I was feeling the faith again. As we turned into the drive, there outside was a desk, a halo encircling it in the bright sun. It was small, and had the right style and color from a distance. I ran over to it and went Whoa!!!. The vintage condition was terrible. DBH of the “Hardly Able Workshop” came over and took a look at it. Finally he spoke, “With some work I should be able to bring it back to a presentable condition. How much is it?” I hadn’t even looked at the price tag. I was just so excited to finally see a desk. The four fluorescent green stickers on top screamed out the price $15.50. We looked at each other and said it was worth a try and if it didn’t work we would consider the $15.50 a donation to a worthy cause.

We’ve hauled the desk home and it awaits a makeover in DBH’s workshop. Once he finishes his magic, I’ll do a post to show you how it all turned out.

Happy Fleas to you,

Karla

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-12-31T08:29:00.000-05:00

2012

Wishing you a happy and blessed New Year full of

peace, love, good health and special times

with your family and friends.

Peace,

Karla

Holiday Greetings

2011-12-11T20:38:00.000-05:00

Remember These?

(Courtesy of: The Caravan Collection)

Yes, it's that time of year again, when the holiday greeting cards start to trickle into our mail box. It's also a reminder to me, that I haven't even thought about, let alone bought, our holiday cards for the season. How this became my holiday responsibility is still a mystery to me. I enjoy getting the holiday picture cards the most so I oblige back. I begin to scour the picture library in my computer for appropriate pictures that I can use.

DBH and Me

This picture was taken when DBH's son Chris got married this year. Pretty much the only time we "dressed up" this year as we tend to be the jeans and T-shirt type. The wedding theme was black, red, and white, hence the black outfits.

All of our "human children" are grown and living on their own. So our "other" children find their faces on our holiday picture cards now. Mia's accomplishment for the year was when she graduated with honors from Basic Dog Obedience. Being only 6lbs, she stood her ground against those two 160lb Mastiffs that were in her class. Not sure who ended up better trained, Mia or DBH.

Fillip had a sabbatical of sorts this year while I found myself helping to care for my elderly parents, with my mother dying this spring of Alzheimers'. I'm now back in the saddle again riding and both Fillip and I are enjoying "our time" together.

Oliver and Zan

We added another house cat this year when Zan came to live with us while my son Matt went to Australia to live. Oliver is still warming up to the idea that there is another cat in the house. Zan and Mia have become great friends and play wildly. I think eventually Oliver will come around to the idea that Zan may be here to stay.

Seasons Greetings 2011

With Walgreens online photo store and my computer picture library, I was able to design, order, and pick up my holiday greeting cards all on the same day. Pretty amazing to me, when I think about what we had to do in the "old" days to get a holiday picture greeting card. Now all I have left to do is address them and drive to Postmaster Scott's mail box in Lowell, FL.

Wishing you all a Blessed and Happy Holiday Season

Karla, DBH, Mia, Fillip, Oliver, and Zan

Junking with Ki

2011-11-27T16:17:00.004-05:00

Treasures to be found

This past week was filled with 3 junking excursions with my sister Ki from CA. With Ki’s knowledge, ideas and enthusiasm we always have a great time!

The first two excursions we went on are two of my favorite flea market/junk haunts. Excursion #1: The Mt. Dora Extravaganza in Mt Dora is held three times a year. At the Extravaganza, not only are the inside year around buildings open, but a huge wide grass field is filled with vendors from all parts of the country. Excursion #2: The local salvage yard here in Ocala. With the “salvage stock” ever changing, I always find something cool and unusual there.

Cowboy Junction, Lecanto FL

Excursion #3: Cowboy Junction, in Lecanto FL., a new flea market for us that Ki had heard about from one of her readers of the Flea Market Style Magazine. Open only on Tuesdays during the winter tourist season, Cowboy Junction is set up in a former Outdoor Drive in Movie Theater field. We arrived at around 9 that morning and found that many of vendors where still setting up. When I asked one vendor how late the flea market stayed open till he replied ”We pretty much leave whenever we want”. I took that to mean if business is good they’ll stay and if it’s slow they’ll pack up “whenever”. The day we were there we saw a wide range of items for sale and we found most of the vendors to be friendly and helpful. We left close to noon and the market was in full swing by then. Check out more pictures here of Cowboy Junction.

Having gotten my fix of Flea Markets, Ki left for CA, with me promising I would come visit her in February where we would go to some of her favorite CA junking haunts. I’m looking forward to that trip!! See you soon Ki!

Happy Junking,

Karla

The Maple Bed That Was.....

2011-11-12T20:21:00.002-05:00

The Maple Bed That Was

A few blogs past, I wrote about an auction that my sister Ki and I attended. The bidding at the auction was as sluggish as the weather that day.I had no intention on buying a bed that day nor did I have any use for a single maple bed, but when the auctioneer started pleading for someone to buy this bed, I raised my hand and it came home with me for a mere $10.00.I called DBH to bring the truck and we loaded it up along with a lot of other things that I didn't need. We brought it down to DBH's "Hardly-Able Workshop" and there it sat.

Sewing Room

Again a few blogs past, I wrote about my sewing room. Like our house, my sewing room is always in constant change. I needed more storage for my small odd bits of trinkets, locker tags, and numbers. That's when the idea came to me, repurpose that maple bed into something useful for me.

Swirls and Curves from the Headboard

DBH and I discussed my idea for the maple bed. We make a great team, I'm the idea person and he makes it happen. I wanted to incorporate the shape and swirls of the headboard into my idea. He started cutting and doing his magic when I discovered the Stickley imprint on one of the solid maple side rails. My $10.00 bed was suddenly worth a lot more! Sadly, we were past the point of no return.

Stickley Bed Side Rails

The solid maple side rails of the bed were repurposed into an ashtray/organizer of sorts that I sell on my Etsy site Blue Gate Vintage. The only part that I have yet to come up with an idea for is the big heavy gorgeous legs of the bed. Does anyone have any ideas for the legs? I haven't yet decided how I will finish the maple wood on my wall shelf. Should I stain the maple with a dark stain or just oil it with either Howards Beeswax or Watco teak oil? The wall shelf was made to have a back on it but I can't decide if I want one or not. What do you think back or no back? Your thoughts and suggestions are welcome here!

Thank you, DBH for making the magic happen!

Karla

Happy Fall and Renewed Friendships

2011-10-29T14:44:00.001-04:00

Seat from an old school desk

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to renew a past friendship from 30 years ago. After finding out, Jane, my long lost friend, had the junking/thrifting bug like me and lived only a four hour drive away, we planned to meet in person. We made a day of it, stopping at local thrift stores, a quick stop for lunch, and a lot of catching up on where our lives had led us.

In one of the thrift shops we visited, I found this old wooden school desk seat. I had been looking for a bench or chair of some type to fill up a spot at my front door where my pots of flowers had been. With life so crazy, I rarely remembered to water the flowers and they had all died. I needed something that required no care. After making sure it would fit in my trunk I purchased it for $25.00.

Happy Fall

In catching up on where our lives had led us, Jane and I found out that not only do we have the junking/thrifting bug, we also have our own blogs check hers out at http://floradoora.blogspot.com/ , we both love to sew, and both have Etsy shops where we sell our sewing creations! Who would have thought that 30 years later, we would find ourselves with such similar lives!

Thank you Jane for such a fun day!

Karla

Sailor Son, Mike

2011-10-02T20:45:00.000-04:00

My sailor son, Mike

A few years back my thirty something son Mike, decided to leave the hustle and bustle of New York for the simpler life of a sailor. He headed back to Florida with savings in hand to purchase a sail boat that would become his new home. After searching the state he found her in St. Augustine. She was a thirty something (in size),with lots of teak inside and out. A very classy lady who was manufactured by the boat maker Tartan. He and another sailor sailed her down and around the tip of Florida to rest in a slip in Marco Island, Florida.

Macro Island Bridge

This past weekend I decided it was time for a visit to the island. You have two ways to get to the island, either by boat or by driving over this very long bridge. After a 4 1/2 hour drive and not having a boat, I chose the bridge to arrive by.

Marco Island Yacht Club

At the base of the bridge on Marco Island sits the Yacht Club. Mike was fortunate enough to find a live aboard slip there. Not many marinas have them.

Dock Masters Office. Check out the mail box.

Right now, it's a quiet place with the winter tourists yet to come. I did see Flipper sunning himself by the pool while I was there and a jelly fish floated by as we sat and talked on the boat. Nice and peaceful, just the way Mike likes it. During the week, he drives into the hustle and bustle of Naples a nearby town to work as a Cabinet Designer of sorts.

I always have a hard time saying good bye but plan on visiting him again at Thanksgiving were I will be blessed to see him again but we won't be as blessed with the peacefulness, as the winter tourists will have arrived.

Mike has taught me that if you work hard enough, and believe in your dreams, they can come true. Such an inspiration, my sailor son Mike is to me.

May the wind fill your sails and take you away, (love you Mike)

Karla/Mom

P.S. I'd like to add that he is my Single Sailor Son....

Junk Bonanza 2011

2011-09-20T16:56:00.002-04:00

Junk Bonanza is a juried gathering of over 130 vendors who bring their vintage wares to sell for three days at the Canterbury Race Track in Shakopee Mn. In one day an empty horse betting hall and tent are transformed into a world filled with "Junk Love." There are no sufficient words that can describe this event. It's one of those events that you have to attend to feel the energy and "hugeness" of it all.

Ki, the creator and fearless leader of this event

Emily, the second in command of this event

The empty tent waiting to be filled

The empty betting hall waiting to be filled

The empty Junk Revolution store (where I spend my days) waiting to be filled 

The beloved vendors who fill those empty spaces with

Lovely Vintage finds

And Crazy Fun Vintage finds.

That's what the Junk Bonanza is all about!!

Blue Gate Vintage

2011-08-22T23:04:00.011-04:00

Uncommon

As if I didn't have enough to do getting ready for the Junk Bonanza, sewing aprons for vendors and crafters alike, I decided it was time to get moving on my new vintage Etsy shop. My "vintage treasures" were piling up in our garage and DBH was losing his patience.After tossing a lot of names around and coming up with names I liked, only to find that they were taken. I decided upon the name Blue Gate Vintage. Even Ki said the name had a nice sound to it.

Common

Between sewing aprons, I have been slowly and I say slowly putting up listings in the new shop Blue Gate Vintage. Right now, I haven't focused in on one vintage category, I tend to have a diverse liking for all things vintage. I'm sure that will change over time. I have the "Common" things that you see all over but I also have what I think are "Uncommon" things too. I'm sure after I've been doing this as long as Ki I will have a different perspective on common vs. uncommon.

Anyways, if you get a chance come visit my new Etsy shop Blue Gate Vintage and come back here and tell me what you think. Be kind, I'm a newbie at all this and I know I still have lots to learn.

Mia and the celebrity lunch box

(this picture did not make the listing)

Hope to see you at the Junk Bonanza,

Karla

Welcome To My World Of Sewing!

2011-07-26T22:22:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my world of sewing!

With the Junk Bonanza just 7 weeks away my world has been turned upside down with sewing. I'll be selling my Shopping Cart Liners and the Pretty Pockets craft/vendor aprons in the Junk Revolution store again this year. Last year I completely sold out of both liners and aprons. This year promises to be even better with both items having a new and improved design that is sure to be more user friendly.

Sneak peek of a new apron waiting to be finished!

If you really want to see more, click on the apron picture to the right of this blog. I have listed a few aprons on my Etsy site for "Early Bird" purchase. No two aprons will be exactly alike. Lots of pockets, and two secure zipper pockets for money and valuables.

The two machines that make the magic happen!

The one woman show behind those two machines!

(Yes Martha, I do wear pearls while sewing.......lol)

See you at the Junk Bonanza........Yee Haw!!!! Karla

Off To The Auction!

2011-07-10T19:29:00.005-04:00

It was off to the auction with my sister Ki

First we looked,

and looked

and looked some more

and continued to look, (wish DBH was here!)

Then we got our "lucky number" and saved our "lucky chairs"

The auction was ready to begin, take your seats ladies and gentlemen!

A quick bite of nourishment.

Four hours and 400 lots later it was time to call DBH to bring the truck! We bought some great vintage pieces for my coming soon Etsy vintage shop. I'll keep you posted on the grand opening. Overall, it was a very fun day spent with my sister Ki at our first ever auction together :)

Karla

P.S. Two of the photo's shown above gives you a peek at what will be for sale on my Vintage Etsy site. One of the photo's shown above gives you a hint on a very cool idea that will be showing up in the new fall Flea Market Style magazine, Can you guess what it might be??

My Affinity to Iron

2011-06-16T21:51:00.000-04:00

The piece that started this madness

I guess I can blame my junk sister Ki for my attraction to iron. My first iron piece was bought while junking with her on a cold wintry day in Michigan. “Michigan Man”, as we called him, had the “Mother Lode” of wrought iron! He imported big containers full of heavy wrought iron from Germany. Ki lived in MN and I lived in MI. I wanted to see her, so I tagged along to Michigan Man’s place while she was in town. I became intrigued with this wrought iron. It was very heavy, very large, and very very rusty. I loved the designs on the pieces. Ki’s advice to me: the heavier and rustier the better. I laughed! I jumped in with both feet and bought an ornate rusty 2’x4’ 30lb piece. DBH just shook his head when I brought it home. Soon I had him involved in making a frame to go around it. He was beginning to like it. The rest is history, I was hooked……

Kitchen Iron

Garden Iron

Bedroom and Bathroom Iron

As you can see my love for iron has extended to every room in our house. Thanks goes to, Ki and "Michigan Man" for giving me this affinity for iron.

Junking Trails to You!

Karla

P.S. With sadness, "Michigan Man" passed away a few years back. I will hold dearly those memories that Ki and I made while junking at his farm.

Bones, The Name Fits For Now.

2011-05-14T11:34:00.003-04:00

Barn Flower Garden

Summer has arrived here in Florida! The flower garden in front of the horse barn is already blooming.

Sleeping amongst the bushes

Yesterday while working in the flower garden, I was surprised by a visitor sleeping amongst the bushes. She was as startled to see me as I was to see her.

Hello!

She quickly came out of her slumber to greet me. I bent down to pet her. She was starving not only for attention but also for food. By her skeletal frame, it had been a long time since she had eaten. My eyes teared up and my heart went out to her.

Yum Yum

I brought some cat food down from the house and fed her. She ate ferociously. I was afraid she would get sick from eating too much too fast so I sadly took the food away from her. Numerous small meals will be better for her, until her digestive system gets use to having food again. She will become my barn kitty if she decides to stay. I use the term barn kitty loosely as she appears to be older than a "kitten"

Fillip, the gentle giant

Fillip, my horse, is a gentle giant when it comes to other animals. Currently, he is the only resident in the barn. I know that Fillip will adopt barn kitty as his friend if she decides to settle here.

Bones

This morning, I went down to the barn; She was there to greet me! Apparently, she has decided to stay for now. I fed her. After eating, she climbed into my lap for petting and purring. My hands carefully petted her bony body. DBH came down to meet her and promptly named her "Bones". For now the name fits, though I hope she stays long enough to outgrow that name.

Karla

Bones update 6-16-11. Bones is still with us after a month. She has gained some weight but still could use more. She continues to eat well, loves her new barn, and stays close to home. Fillip and her have met and touched noses. He seems to like having some barn company around and she is not afraid of him. So far so good......
Bones update 7-8-11. Yep, Bones celebrated the 4th of July with us. She is still eating well but doesn't seem to be gaining on the weight end. Trip to the Vet may be in order, worms? maybe... She meows but makes no noise, is that strange? I don't know if she is old or young, maybe the Vet can tell me. I will update again after the Vet visit.

Last Bones update 12-12-11. Very sadly Bones passed away last night. She had not been feeling well for the past week. I knew her time was coming and made her as comfortable as I could. Two weeks before she had been following us around in the pastures as we did chores. We commented on how she was acting like a young cat when we knew she was very old. I believe it was her last HURRAH at life. We buried her in a quiet corner of yard and in spring I will plant a bush on that spot as she was discovered in the bushes and continued to nap in the bushes for the 7 months we had her. I will miss her coming to greet me at feeding times. May she be in a better place....

1937 Brunswick Bowling Champs

2011-05-03T15:38:00.002-04:00

1937 Regional Champions

Have you ever been out shopping on the Junking Trail, when you come across an item that stirs up past memories? When I came across this tall 20 1/2" Brunswick 1937 Regional Champions bowling trophy, I had a 40 year old flash back to my own bowling experience.

I grew up in a small farming community in MN. The local Tastee Freeze was the summer teen hangout and the local bowling alley (8 lanes) was the winter teen hangout. The required gym class in high school included 6 sessions at the local bowling alley. In those days, the trust system was still in place. They trusted you to walk the three long city blocks unsupervised, in the middle of winter to get to the alley for class.

Championship Form

I threw more gutters than strikes. I never really improved from high school but I learned a sport that I could participate in through out my life.

74 Years Ago A Champion

I went back 74 years in a computer search to try to find the winner of this impressive trophy. I wanted to learn more about their bowling adventures and how they came to win such a grand trophy. I had no luck.

This trophy has inspired me. I haven't been to a bowling alley in over 20 years.... Maybe it's time I give it another try.

Bowl Happy,

Karla

P.S. I did buy the trophy for my Etsy shop. Such a great vintage accent piece for the home!

Relationships With Teddy

2011-04-19T18:00:00.001-04:00

Teddy

I have had an on again off again relationship with Teddies all my life. As a child, they were my best friend. As a growing teen, I was too "old" for them. As a young mother, I bought them for my sons to hug. As an older mother and wife, I started collecting them. Then life took over and I was too busy for them.

Teddy "How To Books"

In the year 2000, Michigan had a long, cold, harsh winter. Stuck indoors, I became obsessed with learning how to make Teddies. I started with basic sewing knowledge and several "How To Teddy Bear making" books.The first Teddies where made from cheap plush "fur" bought at the local JoAnn's. I read the books, took some classes, and did a lot of research on where to buy quality Teddy making supplies. As my knowledge and expertise grew so did my Teddies.

Mohair and Cotton String made Teddies

Soon I was buying $60.00 a yard mohair for their bodies, using German glass eyes, jointing their arms, legs, and head, stuffing with excelsior, and placing growlers in their tummies so they could roar. My fur Teddies where made from vintage Persian lamb coats and mink stoles that I found in antique stores. Vintage table cloths and quilts were also turned into fun colorful Teddies.

By the year 2004, my love affair with Teddy had died once again. I kept a handful of Teddies that were special and sold off the rest.

Estate Sale Teddies

Fast forward to January 2011, where I attended an estate sale and my on again relationship with Teddy was renewed! The deceased owner of the estate was a Teddy collector. My heart skipped a beat when I walked into the living room and saw the large sofa covered in Teddies of all shapes, sizes, and colors, all waiting to be taken home. I knew that this woman had loved these Teddies and no one but me seemed to care about them. It made me a bit sad and I wanted to take them all home. This is where DBH put his foot down and said NO! I picked out 4 large Hermann mohair Teddies of high quality. Their costumes, colors and faces touched me.

I need your help now! I have been able to find basic information on the Hermann Teddy Bear Company but no specific information on the Teddies shown above. If you recognize any of these Teddies and have any information on them please leave me a comment . Your Teddy stories are also welcome here!

And so goes my relationship with Teddy!

Sew Happy,

Karla

Lab Stand Repurposed

2011-04-06T21:15:00.001-04:00

Remember this, Christmas 2010 ?

Time for a change!

Three Succulents, A Bag of Soil, and Stones

One Jade Plant

One Aeonium

One Sedum Brown Bean

How Refreshing, Spring 2011

Happy Planting,

Karla

Combined Driving At Its Best

2011-03-30T18:10:00.002-04:00

Marathon Day At Live Oak

This past Saturday we attended the Live Oak International Combined Driving Event. This event has become an annual outing for us. We hope for sunshine, pack our chairs, cooler and dog and drive the 10 miles to the event. Though this event has three phases, Dressage on Friday, Marathon on Saturday and Cones/obstacle course on Sunday, we have found the Marathon to be the most exciting.

Good Humor

With a little bit of Good Humor and lots of excitement the day goes by fast.

Obstacle 1 The Sanctuary Water

The Marathon is the toughest test of stamina, courage, and agility.The classes are grouped by 1. level of difficulty and level of the horses training, 2.either horse or pony and 3.number of horses/ponies that are in harness (Single, Tandem and Four in hand). You can imagine the excitement in watching the four in hand going through the obstacles. There are 7 obstacles spread out over a large field. The driver walks the course to decide the best route through the obstacles or mazes, keeping the lettered gates in sequence as he goes. The more time spent in a hazard the more penalties.

The Driver and Navigator do get wet !

This basic pony cart was tagged at $2,000.00

This deluxe Horse Cart was tagged at $9,200.00

As you can see, Combined Driving can be a very expensive sport. I think I'll stick to watching with DBH and Mia.

DBH and Mia

All in All, a great day in the country

Sew Happy,

Karla

THE WOOD CLAMP

2011-03-21T10:15:00.002-04:00

It all started with this!

Scavenging through an antique mall in Ohio I found this unusual wood clamp. With DBH being a wood worker of sorts, I knew he would appreciate the beauty of this old clamp. I bought it! He loved it! It became the center piece on a wall in our house. Looking a bit lonely hanging on that big wall all by itself, we decided it needed the perfect picture to hold within it's clamps. We began to scour the flea markets to find the perfect size picture. We looked and looked and..........

found this

and this

By now, our wall was full but still no perfect picture for that old wood clamp. Finally!! This past fall we attended an art festival with Mia (our dog) in tow. There we found a wonderful sketch artist who for 10 minutes and $10.00 sketched Mia. Our Prima Donna, Mia sat quietly for her sketching, with a smile on her face. I think she knew that we had finally found ..........

The perfect picture!

Sew Happy!

Karla

P.S. If you haven't met Mia, check out my past post on "Small dogs are real dogs too!"

Manatee Springs State Park

2011-03-08T21:21:00.000-05:00

Manatee Springs

With company in town this week from Michigan, we took time out to visit Manatee Springs State Park in Chiefland Fl. The weather was a warm 78 degrees and the spring was absolutely breathtaking.

Manatee Springs is classified as a first magnitude spring

A cool water temperature of 72 degrees

Swimming in the springs is allowed.

Hope they read the sign!

On the board walk to the Suwannee River

Manatee alert!!

Though we didn't see any "real" manatees today, we had a great day in the sunshine.

Sew Happy,

Karla

P.S. I have had past experiences while boating around the springs that the manatees swarmed around the boat letting us touch them. I call them the gentle giants of the springs.

Flea Market Style

2011-02-26T17:01:00.002-05:00

My own personally signed copy

My sister Ki arrived late last night with a signed copy of the new Flea Market Style magazine in hand! It may sound a bit corny, but I have become a collector of Ki's junking achievements. She has become my Junk Mentor. She has taught me to look beyond the obvious and see the possibilities in all things rusty and crusty. I have learned through her to appreciate the history, stories and love that a certain object may hold. So when I saw that magazine in her hand, I was just down right giddy with excitement!

"Shirt off his back"

Ki has the junking talent and I have the sewing talent in our family. That makes for a good team. When a sewing project comes up she'll call me in distress and say " Karlaaaaa, Can you make this for me? Oh! I need it by tomorrow." I just shake my head. I know Ki too well and have usually allotted time for the "I need it tomorrow project" even before she calls. The pictured items above are the result of one of those phone calls.

The Flea Market Style magazine was in the works when Ki had this great idea to give recycled men's shirts a new purpose. The phone call came and I had my next " I need it done tomorrow project". Off to the local thrift store to purchase the above items, and snatch six men's shirts, dry cleaning tags still attached off the clothing racks.

What you see here are the idea's that didn't make the cut for the magazine. The first idea was to simply Mod Podge strips of torn men's shirting around an inexpensive $1.00 tissue box. My first and last attempt into the Mod Podge world. I thought it turned out pretty cute, Ki with her critical eye gave it a thumbs down.

The next idea handed to me was to make a liner with ruffle for a wicker beach type tote. This project, I was excited about as it required sewing skills and not Mod Podge skills. I found the perfect wicker tote at the thrift store for under $3.00. After some creative thinking I figured out how to get that ruffle around those handles and still have it removable for easy cleaning. I really liked how this project turned out and sent it off to Ki. Nope, another thumbs down. (Check out the magazine to see what basket liner did make it !) I have to admit, that other liner was cuter than mine but mine was a beach tote not laundry tote so give me a break.

The next idea Ki tossed at me was to make an easy sew laundry tote out of a man's shirt. This is an easy sew project!! My first step was to cut the sleeves off. I marked the sides to be straight from the shoulder to the hem. (Picture shows the before). I stitched the sides and bottom closed. Trimming the inside seams to 3/4". Top stitched a channel in the collar for a drawstring cord. 15 minutes and I was done. Size of shirt determined size of bag. I used a man's XL shirt. Pretty darn cute if you ask me and all for under $4.00.

I took a quick photo of it and sent it off to Ki minus the "laundry". She loved it!! It was in the running to be in the magazine. Yahoo!! but when it came time to photograph, the shape was to long for the allotted space. "Maybe next time" she said.

Insiders peek at the new magazine

Not to be discouraged, I kept on sewing men's wear projects. Finally...... the button placket place mat, napkin ring, and wine gift bag made it into the men's wear article on page 44 in the new Flea Market Style Magazine. Yahoo! So check out the new magazine, I give it a two thumbs up!!!

Congrats to Ki and the team for a job well done!

Sew Happy,
Karla

P.S. My Junk Mentor also taught me: If at first you don't succeed, try try again.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T00:01:00.001-05:00

Hearts in a shadow box

If you're like me, you have collected a jillion cute knick knacks with ties, rope and ribbon that are meant to be hung from door knobs, cabinet knobs, and hooks. Well, all my knobs and hooks proudly display those charming hanging "doodads". DBH was starting to get a bit cranky about those jillion cute knick knacks. He finally put his foot down, he said " No more hanging doodads from knobs and hooks, I want to be able to open a kitchen cabinet door without running interference with a doodad!!" OOOOpppps time to put the creative thinking cap on.....

A Junker's wood scrap pile paradise

The creative ideas started swimming around in my head. Salvaging around in my sister Ki's garbage cans filled with old wood trim, mouldings, and frames, a game plan came together that would make both DBH and me happy. I found the perfect wood shadow box frame with a rusty screen attached to the backside. I could easily run a string through the screening and hang any one of my jillion cute knick knacks to the string. For the finishing touch I could tie medium size buttons to the strings at the top. I had plenty of empty wall space that I could hang the shadow box on with just two small finishing nails. What a great way to display three doodads at once! The best part is I could easily change my doodads according to the season, weather, or just me.

P.S. These vintage lace appliqued heart doodads are for sale (minus the shadow box) on my Etsy site. Click on the link in the side bar and you"ll be there.

Happy Valentine's to my fellow bloggers,

Sew Happy,

Karla

Two Gifts In One "How To Project"

2011-02-01T19:39:00.000-05:00

Gift Bottle Cover With Flower Holder

As promised in my last blog, here is an easy "How to Project" for those who know how to stitch a straight line with their sewing machine. My gift bottle cover was for a bottle of wine that I was bringing to a neighborhood party. I knew the hostess loved bright colors so I started with a deep raspberry wool sweater that I no longer needed in Florida. First, I felted the sweater to keep the yarns from unraveling. If you're unfamiliar with felting wool just google "felting wool" and you'll find all kinds of information on the felting process. It's important to make sure the bottom of the wine bottle slips through the cuff of the sweater after the felting process.

Some items needed for this project

Marking and cutting off the sleeve

I turned the sweater inside out, slipped the wine bottle back into the sleeve and marked approximately where to cut the sleeve off. I wanted a rolled cuff at the top when finished so I rolled the cuff before marking so it would be long enough to do this. I first stitched a straight stitch across my marked line then went over it again with a zig zag stitch. The felting process should stop any unraveling but I wanted to play it safe with a double stitch line. I cut the sleeve off from the sweater.

Marking and cutting the bottom angles

With the wrong side still out I inserted the wine bottle back in to the sleeve. Fussing just a bit with the bottom I created small equal angles on two sides. I pinned and marked these. Taking the wine bottle out I stitched the two angles with a straight stitch then a zig zag stitch. I cut off the angle pieces and turned the sweater right side out. I inserted my wine bottle once again to make sure I had the fit I wanted, and I did!

Pom Pom Fringe sewn around the cuff edge

Next I sewed pom pom fringe to the under side of the cuff with my sewing machine. I decided to use beige trim to off set the raspberry color. This completed my gift bottle cover and I moved on to make the flower holder that I would tie around the bottle.

Flower, Candy, Holder

Some of the items needed for flower holder

For the flower holder I chose a contrasting cotton print fabric that would pop off the raspberry color of the gift bottle cover. The size of the fabric holder was determined by the size of the glass test tube that would slip inside to hold the water and flowers. Be creative, this holder could also be filled with chocolates, a wine opener, a small unlit candle or ??. Cut size according to what you plan on inserting inside. I pinned right sides together and stitched three sides leaving an opening to turn right side out.

Folding the sewn end up

After turning right side out and pressing, I folded the sewn bottom edge up to about 3" below the unsewn edge. See photo. I folded the raw edges to the inside, put some stitch witch tape inside and ironed closed. I sewed down the two sides on the print fabric where I pinned. See photo. That now formed my tube/casing for my test tube to slide into.

Fold top edge to back of holder

I slid my test tube into the casing to determine how much I needed to fold the top edge over to the back side. I wanted the test tube edge to reach the top edge of the casing.

Back top edge

After determining how much I wanted to fold to the back side I sewed a pink button to hold it in place, leaving it down enough so the ribbon could either be threaded through the open loop area or twisted around the button. Either way it makes for easy hanging later on off a cabinet knob, door handle, or hook anywhere in the house.

Be Creative!

Hope you enjoyed this "How to Project" This project can be easily adapted to any object, whether it be a bottle of homemade dressing, fancy dipping oil, chocolates or cookies in a tin. Remember if it fits through the cuff of the sweater you can use it!! The flower holder can be hung separately as a daily reminder of the fun time had by all on that special day.

Questions and Comments are always welcome, Till next time!

Sew Happy,

Karla

Five Lessons Learned This Week

2011-01-21T20:09:00.000-05:00

Etsy Shopper Banner

This past week has been a test of trial, error, and strength. For someone who used a 10 year old desk top computer up until 6 months ago, I can proudly say "I'm a survivor" of Etsy Shop Set Up and Blogging. I may have a few more gray hairs to pluck but my computer lingo, and photographic knowledge has increased ten fold. My computer literate sons would be proud of their mom!

The Top Five Lessons Learned This Week

1. You are never to old to learn "new" tricks, Just dive in!

2. Lean on your friends and fellow bloggers, they are more than willing to help you.

(Thank you fellow blogger Margo, check her out at http://robolady.blogspot.com/ )

3. Step away from the computer when you feel like you're drowning, (like the song says it's a new dawn, it's a new day)

4. Pat yourself on the back when you "do good"!

5. Creating and sewing is still at the top of my list of fun things to do!!

Test out my newly learned computer skills. Click on an item on the side bar to my Remixed Stitches Etsy Shop. Hopefully, it will send you there (let me know if it doesn't). There you can check out all the fun items that I have been busy creating and sewing. If you like what you see, make me a favorite. As always, I am open to comments and suggestions to help me in my journey of online blogging and selling. Next week I think it's time to get back into the sewing room and do a "How To Project". What do you think? Until then......

Sew Happy,

Karla

Creative Chaos

2011-01-09T12:32:00.002-05:00

Creative chaos in the sewing studio

Am I crazy?? Here I am still trying to learn the ropes of blogging, and now I'm off, trying to set up an Etsy shop to showcase and sell all those great ideas swimming around in my head. I am learning that Blogger has made it way easier for those of us who are not computer literate. Up until 6 months ago, we were still on dial up (one of the minuses for living in the country) so all this computing takes awhile to learn. Etsy is like trying to learn a foreign language in five days. I am open to any help, suggestions, or tricks that will make my journey into blogging and Etsy easier. Please feel free to leave those tricks, suggestions, or tips in the comment section. They will be greatly appreciated! In the meantime you can get an idea of what my sewing studio looks like right now (see photo above). What you see are some key elements for those great ideas that are being sewn while I try to set up shop, try to blog and try to have a life! WHEW!! My DBH is just shaking his head and holding on to his recliner. (see profile)

Sew Happy and Help!

Karla

Small Dogs are Real Dogs Too!

2010-12-28T05:15:00.003-05:00

Tramp, Reject, Brooke

(past real dogs)

Last Fall, DBH and I found ourselves "dogless" for the first time in many years. At first we enjoyed the freedom of not having to "get home to let the dog out". We told ourselves "No more Dogs"! That lasted about two months before I was online checking the ads for "free dogs". We began to wonder why we saw so many people going "ga ga" over the small dogs. To us, real dogs weighed more than 50lbs. We were open to change, so the emails went out that we could provide a forever home to the right dog.

Mia
(Toy Fox Terrier)

A call was received, in response to an email left on a free dog ad. We said, "Bring the dog so we can meet". They said, "Okay, but you must pass the home inspection, as this dog is special"! They came that day. I asked, "Where's the dog?" She said, "In my purse." I said "What?" Then out jumped Mia, 5lbs of real dog . Change is good.... right? We passed their home inspection. She passed our criteria list, an older spayed female, short hair, potty trained!!, likes cats. They left. Mia stayed. Our lives changed forever.

Mia

(in her school girl outfit)

It has been a little over a year since Mia entered our lives. Our "free dog" wasn't free by the time she made trips to the vet for dental work, vaccinations, and treatment for a queasy stomach. We had a lot to learn about small dogs. We researched the Toy Fox Terrier breed. Then we found out she wasn't spayed. Her fun loving personality turned ugly...... Fortunately our county has a "Neuter Commuter" program. For $25.00 they spay your pet, provide a county tag, current rabies shot and microchip the dog. We signed the dotted line, she was spayed with no problems, and her sweet personality returned......Whew!!!

Mia

(matching cape with vintage lace collar and buttons)

About four months after Mia arrived and several trips to Craft Fairs (where my husband found out she was a "chick magnet") I decided it was time for some proper attire for these outings. Out came the sewing machine, measuring tape, and fabric. DBH just shook his head, he remembers me saying "Our dog will never wear those silly outfits!" I bought Mia's first harness outfit from http://www.udogu.com/ . I used that harness outfit as a baseline for new outfits that I sewed at home.

Mia

Vintage Christmas Outfit, 2010

In closing, Mia has turned out to be the best real dog we've ever owned. Her former owners did a wonderful job of teaching her manners. She is potty trained, loves to snuggle in your lap under a blanket, plays with our old cat, comes when called, sits for her treats, crate trained, doesn't jump on the furniture, eats only a 1/3 of cup of dry food a day, and is the happiest, tail wagginess, dog we've ever owned.

Mia

(She is a special dog!)

P.S. I have noticed that DBH is more willing to accompany me to the Flea Markets if he can take Mia (his chick magnet) along. I kid you not, this past fall we had just walked down the first aisle of the Mt. Dora Extravaganza and the women came swarming around DBH and "ga gaing" over "his dog". I just shook my head and told him I would meet him at the food tent in two hours :)

If you have a small dog and are thinking about making an outfit I would be happy to share the knowledge that I gained through trial and error with you. The "how to's" would be to long to share in a blog. Just comment or send an email with questions.

Sew Happy,

Karla

Wishing You a Happy Holiday!

2010-12-25T08:00:00.007-05:00

From our door to yours!!

"DBH" and Karla

Mia

(Our 6 yr old adopted Toy Fox Terrier)

Oliver

(Our 14 year old Tabby)

Fillip

(My Oldenburg Warmblood)

Our family of five would like to wish you all a very Blessed Merry Christmas!!

Karla, DBH, Mia, Oliver, and Fillip

Easy Repurposed Sweatshirt Pocket Pillow

2010-12-17T07:24:00.000-05:00

Junkmaster Hoodie

If you knew Ki (my sister) before the Junk Revolution you will recognize this hoodie sweatshirt. You may even have one folded up in your closet? It represents one of Ki's past lives. I found this very well worn but loved hoodie sweatshirt in her closet as I was tidying up her place before she arrived from MN. I was ready to throw it away when a little voice said "repurpose the sweatshirt into something that Ki could still enjoy".

If you can cut and sew a straight line on your sewing machine or by hand you can do this project. At the time I was making this project, I wasn't thinking blog (didn't have one yet). Sorry, but there is not a lot of step by step pictures.This project is easy enough that you don't really need all those pictures.

1. Find a zip up sweatshirt with or without a design on it. It can be any size. My design was on the back of the sweatshirt. I measured the design to determine what size my pillow was going to be. 12" x16" was the size I decided to make it.

Back of Pillow

2. I marked out the size 12x16 on the back of the sweatshirt with a thin marker, centering my design. I cut through the single back layer just inside of the lines so they wouldn't show.

Front of Pillow

3. On the front of the pillow, I centered the pockets in the 12" x16" shape. I used the cut out back of the pillow for a guide and traced with a thin marker on to the front. Note: The zipper pull should be closed to about 1/2" or so down from your cutting line. The zipper will be used to insert your pillow form later. I was very careful about not disturbing the zipper. Before cutting out the front, I cut and sewed a small logo that was elsewhere on the sweatshirt, to the front corner of the pillow. I cut the front cover out using an old scissor when I got to the zipper areas.

Junk Logo, note soft flap seams

With wrong sides together, I pinned and stitched all fours sides using a 3/8" seam, being very careful at the zipper areas . This left a soft small flap all around the pillow. I unzipped the pillow and inserted my ready made pillow form . I like to have a stuffed pillow, if you want a looser fit just cut your cover a bit larger than your form size.

Ki loved her new pillow! She found the pockets to be handy as a Kleenex holder for all those teary eyed movies that she likes to watch. It was also useful as a prop for her book when she was reading.

I hope this wasn't to confusing. This was my first How To Project, for a blog. It was actually harder to write the "How to" then to do the actual project!

Questions and comments are always welcome!

Sew Happy

Karla

What's On Santa's Junking List ?

2010-12-12T09:29:00.000-05:00

Santa and me

Santa's List

1. Pretty Pockets All Purpose Apron

In our family I was gifted with the sewing gene and my sister Ki was gifted with the vintage junking gene. One day we brainstormed on how to put our two talents together. Crack, Snap, Pop,! The pretty pockets all purpose apron was born. We showcased the apron at Ki's annual Junk Bonanza 2010 show. With all the different uses (gardening, concession stand use, garage sales, crafting, and flea marketing to name a few) the aprons were a HUGE success and sold out within the first day of the sale. Fast Forward....Santa's Elf Karla has been busily sewing away so Santa's Helper Ki could put it back on Santa's list and offer them for sale on her website for holiday gift giving.

2. Shopping cart liner

Last year Santa's Helper Ki had a lot of recycled burlap " toy" (coffee bean) bags left after the Christmas deliveries. Once again Ki and I put our sewing and junking genes together and created a shopping cart liner for those "shop a holics" of garage sales and flea markets. Santa's Elf Karla got busy sewing and Santa's Helper Ki was able to list them on Santa's list and offer them on her website. To check out other cool "junking gifts" that are on Santa's list go to the Junk Revolution Store.

Sew Happy,

Karla

Easy Holiday Decorating Ideas

2010-12-07T11:08:00.000-05:00

Junker

Junker is a retired metal rocking horse with springs who sits on top of my kitchen cabinet. I found him at a JunkMarket sale in Mn 6 years ago. He was my take home pay for working the sale. I figured I made about 5 cents an hour but I didn't care. I just had to have him! I 'm sure you've experienced that feeling. Every Christmas I like to decorate him with greens, berries, pine cones and a ribbon. I wish I could say fresh greens but living in Fl. it just isn't practical.

"The stockings are hung on the mirror with care."

The majority of the homes in Fl are without fireplaces. So, where does one hang the stockings? Problem sloved. My DBH (dearly beloved husband) made this mirror for our dining room. We bought 12"x12" mirror tiles and adhered them to a piece of wood. He then took ready made molding and made a frame for around the mirror tiles. I gel stained the wood to give it a rich dark color. I bought stick on leading from a craft store to cover up the mirror seams and, Volia! a beautiful huge mirror for under $50.00

Lab stand redesigned

When I first saw this at a junk store in MI my brain started swimming with ideas. My DBH was just standing there shaking his head at me. I knew I had to act fast. I was loading it into the trunk before you could say Michigan. I fitted the rings with found glass lamp shades. This Christmas my repurposed lab stand is holding a collection of small ornaments, last year it held pine cones. Who knows what it will hold next Christmas?.....

Take time to enjoy the holidays & stop back to see what's up next at my house!

Karla

P.S. Comments welcome as this is my very first post and I need all the support I can get!