The Fickle Hobbyist

Archive for the ‘thrifting’ Category

Halloween has come and gone, and I must say, I was very pleased with the girls’ costumes!  I managed to pull off exactly the look they requested.  Thanks to the fabric store, Goodwill, and some time,  I wrapped up their costume with all the finishing touches.

To finish off their shirts, I used THIS technique to applique the lightning bolt and star pattern on the front.  I did use an iron on backing to make the applique more stable while I zig-zag stitched around it to make it more secure.

At Goodwill I was lucky enough to find  the yellow karate belt both the girls are wearing.  I cut the belt to size and took 4 hooks and sewed them on to make it a nice, snug fit.

For Jocelyn’s cape, I just serged around the edges and put a draw string at the top.

For her “helmet” we decided to go with just a headband instead.  I sewed two little snaps at the base so it would fit snugly on her head.

For her boot covers, I loosely followed THIS tutorial. I used a pair of Mary Janes as the base and fit the covers around them.

I was really surprised to come across these great red shorts at Goodwill.  For $.99 they were the perfect addition.

At the end of the day, the girls were super happy with their costumes.  The best part?  Now that Halloween is over they have an awesome pair of pajamas they can wear whenever they want.  (like tonight)

I’ve had a few good trips to GW and SA lately!  Like I mentioned before I found a mini cloche (that I’m still trying to decide what to fill it with), two super cute fluted vases, an Eiffel Tower for the girls’ room, and my most favorite find lately, these:

Both of these were bundled together for, get this, $7.99!  The reason I’m excited?  I have that smaller oil intro kit on the bottom, and I paid $20 for it when I was in college.  The pencils retails for about $30.  The best part is they are both UNUSED!  I snatched that bundle up as soon as I saw it.

Now, I understand virtually all photo touching can be done on Photoshop, and I LOVE that.  But there’s just something about the traditional technique of hand tinting photos that I love.  When I took my photography courses a few years back I asked the teacher if we could learn this technique and happily she obliged.  I’m really glad she was nice enough to teach us, because it’s a skill I really enjoy using.

I tried to find examples of my previous tints, but I can’t seem to locate them.  So instead, I’m going to do my best to get some photos printed up and show you the process on here.  It should be fun!  Dig through your favorite digi prints and actually send them to the printer so you have the physical photos in hand (I know, who does that anymore?!) if you want to try it for yourself.

I’ll be back later in the week with a tutorial!

-Autumn

I’ve had two chairs sitting around that I’ve been wanting to reupholster, but just hadn’t found the right fabric yet. Until…I came across THIS post at My Frugal Family. Do you see that? That amazing black and pink damask?!

Um yeah, I pretty much freaked out when I saw it and immediately went to the site. I’ve known for a while that I wanted to make my office into a chic black and pink retreat. (as opposed to a catch all disaster like it is now. Oh yeah, and with “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Go To Sleep” on the walls…)  This fabric was perfect.  I had to get some!

Here’s the chair that gets this beautiful fabric.

It’s another Craigslist find that I couldn’t pass up.  I’m not sure why this vinyl was taped so crapily, but whatever, it makes for an easy removal. 

I’ve also been looking for fabric for these cushions and the sides of this next chair that I found at GW for $25.  I love this other damask I found.  It will add just the pop of color I’m looking for in our living room.

And yes, just to answer your question, I AM obsessed with damask. 

The best part of all of this?  Fabric.com offers such reasonable prices to start with, but if you spend $35 or more you get free shipping.  As if that isn’t reason enough to go back, I found a coupon online that took $20 off of my order!  I ordered a couple yards of extra fabric just because it was such a good deal and I will likely use it for something else in the room like pillows or a table runner. 

If you’re looking for a great selection (and great quality too!  This fabric is nice and durable.)  and awesome service, check out fabric.com.  No, I’m not getting paid to write this.  I really just like them that much. 

-Autumn