mini Make Do & Mend

 Before

After

I bought this little sofa-flip chair at a yard sale for $1.50.    I thought about completely recovering it but it would be very time consuming and I didn't want to invest that much time in something that will be outgrown in a short time. 
So I took the Dora slipcover off and washed it.  Then I thought maybe I could just cover up the Dora parts since I don't hate the lavender/butterfly background.
I looked in my stash and  found some patchwork looking fabric that has lavender and gold in it.  Then,  I just pinned the patchwork fabric over the Dora parts (with all the raw edges turned under)  and machine sewed it to the original slipcover. 

Now, it just looks like a child's sofa and not like an advertisement.  I know the grand babies will like it.  Elizabeth liked it with the awful Dora cover and Gavin liked it when he saw it without any cover on it. 

They will both be here soon,  and maybe they will pose on it and I can take a good picture of them. 

I am attending Heidi's party for Make Do and Mend at the Cranberry Chronicle

If you are making do and mending something,  I hope you will join us at the party too. 

from our backyard tonight

trust me,  this rainbow is much prettier in person
than this snap from my camera

"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of a covenant
between me and the earth.... Never again will the waters become a flood to
destroy all life." (Genesis 9:13,15).
The Rainbow... God’s Promise. TM

Make Do and Mend



Make Do and Mend Monday - linked to Heidi at Cranberry Chronicle



My friend Heidi, in Holland,  started this neat subject on her blog.  It is right up my alley as I love to re-do things and make things work in way that suits my purpose at the moment but was not necessarily what the things were made for in the first place.

Heidi hopes to have other bloggers show their Make Do and Mend projects on Mondays,  so I am a bit late but here are my recent projects.

Join in if you can,  Heidi would love to hear from you.

Project #1

This long sleeve white blouse that  I like very much has a spot on the front that won't wash out, even with Clorox. 
I want to keep wearing it so.....

I cut off the sleeves and sewed orange rick rack on it. 
The rick rack covers the spots and makes it look summer-y.
I expect I will wear this blouse many more times now.




Project #2
When Gavin and Elizabeth started accumulating so many things at our house,
I turned our breakfast room into a play room for them.  It was mostly bright primary
colors so it did not match the rest of this living space.  It was always messy and
they preferred to play in the living room. 
So,  thankfully, I had kept my favorite pink rose curtains and most of the accessories
that were previously in the breakfast room
and I switched it back to  pink and green room that I like again.

My sewing machine is on the table for now
and it is a nice bright place for sewing. 

Nope,  I am not crazy that the extra fridge and freezer are also
in the breakfast nook.  So I decorated them to camouflage them a bit.

Can you see the little metal appliance cart?
My son found it at a rummage sale and I really like it
but I am not sure if it works in this room.
we will see. 

Gavin and Elizabeth still have a play area -
just moved to the back corner of the living room.
The rug, table and shelf are all things
we had used in other places.
I like how it does not look quite so "plastic"
The grand babies seem to like it just fine too. 

I did not buy anything at all when I switched around these 2 areas
They turned out better than I hoped and make our home
even more comfortable.

Project #3
I guess this one may be the ultimate in Make Do and Mend.
Jeff spent Monday at the VA hospital.  You may
remember that he had his right knee replaced
there almost 2 years ago.
Well,  his left knee is just about worn out too.  He will
be having surgery on it soon,  but he won't get a new
left knee just yet, 
the surgeon will just clean up that left knee, and fix what can be fixed
  
Wouldn't you call that a make do and mend project too?

Saturday yardsale finds

There were a couple of neighborhood sales on the other end of town so Jeff and I headed out early Saturday.

It is May but it was so cold, I wore a jacket and hat the whole time.
Jeff did not buy anything but I found a few goodies.  Not a single piece of Pyrex though......


this Hummel cross stitch was $1, and it is big,
I think the frame is 11x14.
It reminds me of my grandchildren.

wouldn't they look cute dressed up as Hummels in October?
I doubt it is what their parents have in mind
but I think they would be adorable. 

cute bunny lamp was $3
a living room lamp was on my list of things we needed

vintage Golden books
10 cents each

little Corningware saucepans with lids
$2 each

play clothes   25 cents each

the white background floral is a brand new Kohls tablecloth but is
too short of our dining room table,  I think my MIL will like it.
It was just $1
The black floral is a length of challis fabric,  for a blouse or skirt for me
it was 50 cents.

not exciting,  but a hairdryer was also something we needed
and I am happy with this one,  $2

Tell me what treasures you found this week,  and did you have to shop in a coat too?

see more Thrifty Treasures at Rhoda's,  join the fun if you can. 
Thrifty Treasures at Rhoda's blog

First neighborhood yard sale of 2011

We went to a pretty good group of sales Saturday morning.  Not really awesome but it was pleasant weather and we could mostly walk from sale to sale. 
My husband picked out the little iron skillet,  $1. 
Jimmy got the Texas ware bowl,  the hook that goes over a door and the "real" Mona Lisa,  at least the seller said it was real.  His total - $1.75.
I got the vinyl tablecloth for 50 cents,  the bread book was $1,  2 Corelle platters were $1,  the little Dora Explorer sofa was $1.50 - I would like to recover it but it may be a bigger job than I have time for.

My favorite purchase -the 2 glass beverages pitchers -$3 for both!  they are in the fridge full of iced tea. 

I think we went to about 15-20 homes with sales,  but not a single piece of Pyrex at any of them though. 

Have the rummage sales started in your town yet?