Reckless

As you may or may not know I LOVE horses.  So I had to share this story with you.  The story of Reckless the war hero.

What is your favorite horse story--fiction or nonficition it doesn't matter.

1. Seabiscuit
2. Black Stallion
3. Flame
4. Smokey the Cowhorse
5. Secretariat
6. Black Gold
7. Black Beauty
8. Horse Whisperer
9. Other

Leave your vote in the comment section.  I can't wait read your comments.

101 Uses for Your Old Jeans. Recycle.Reclaim.Upcycle.

Jeans we all wear them and they all wear out in the most inconvenient places---knees and derriere. And they accumulate, take up space. It is time to give all that denim a new job. So (drum roll) may I present the next 6 uses for your old jeans. 

13. Pillow. Pillows add a homey touch to your space. Look at this cute one from Yellow Bug Boutique.

14. Pocket refrigerator magnet. Cute, I think I would put a couple of magnets on the back to keep it nice and secure. And of course you can decorate it any way you like...to reflect your style.

15. Key fob. And isn't the gift box unique?  Wish she had included a pattern for it.

16. Backpack. Wonderful for kids...durable, eco-friendly and a fashion statement.

17. Rice pack. This is another great beginners sewing project using the legs of those old jeans. And who couldn't use a rice pack to relive aches and pains.

18. Apron. My Byrd House is all about aprons including several cute denim aprons with tutorials! (It however, has one of my blogging pet peeves--background music. If that bugs you too quickly scroll down to the bottom and turn the music off).

I sewed these three aprons--the apron on the left is from the back of a pair of my son's jeans and the right most apron is from the front, and the apron in the middle is from a vintage pair of my great uncle the dairy farmer's overalls. The aprons are embellished with vintage fabric, hankies, and rickrack. Click on the picture to be transported to my Etsy site.

Are you inspired to upcycle your old jeans? Tell me about your jean projects by leaving a comment.

There Goes My Baby

Wild Thing left home for college today.

She's happy and a little bit sad.  I'm happy for her and a lot sad.

So...there goes my baby.  Bye, Wild Thing.  I love you.

101 Uses for Your Old Jeans. Recycle.Reclaim.Upcycle.

Are you dying for the next six uses for your old jeans?  Here they are!

     7.  Quilt--Denim Quilt 2000 (Isn't the shading spectacular!)

     8.   Skirt--flared skirt, straight skirt (and remember leaving the hem raw and allowing it to fray during washing is very stylish)
     9.   Book cover--a no-sew version
     10. Rug--crocheted, braided, sewn (I am going to make this one it is just my style)
     11. Embellishment--flowers, roses,  Johnny Patches
     12. Donate to a thrift shop

I searched Etsy for you and found these awesomely wonderful examples of upcycled, recycled, repurposed jeans.

                       Wonderful Upcycled Denim

(If you are an Etsian and you know how to embed a treasury in your blog please let me know I am very frustrated that I cannot figure out how to do it!  I want pictures!)

Staying Cool

Staying cool--a subject that is always on my mind this time of year.  I hate electric bills so the air conditioner does not go on until we run out of ways to escape the heat.

Here's an Etsy take on staying cool.


How-Tuesday: How to Stay Cool from Etsy on Vimeo.

How do you survive the dog days of summer?