Monday, December 21, 2009

Ta Da!!

New format & layout for SoSaje!! Hooray!

Thanks ReLoved for the inspiration to go and pimp out my site just a little bit.  :-)  And check out her lovely blog as well!

Free design elements available at Shabby Blogs ... but I don't think they're very shabby, not one bit!

♦ D'oh! ♦ Wrong shout out above. :-) It was Regina's blog that tipped me off to the Shabby source. Got my R's crossed ... it happens sometimes!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Self-Diagnosed Craftitis


So, I'm starting to think there's nothing wrong with my to do list, per se, other than the fact that I keep putting things ON it! To wit, here I am 10 days before Christmas, weighing the implications of my new-found obsession with plarn ... the ultimate way to merge recycling and crochet!

You start with plastic bags, lots and lots of plastic bags. And through a nifty little process described HERE you can turn the bulk of the bag into a plastic yarn (hence "plarn"), and from there you're only limited by your imagination! My first goal is to make a mesh-style tote bag out of old plastic bags, and maybe just maybe actually have it finished in time for next summer's farmer's market.

Until then I'm going to keep using the Envirosax reusable bags that I already own and LOVE, and will faithfully mutilate any stray plastics that happen to wander into my house. It's fun shredding them at any rate, and yarn doesn't go bad. Plarn either, I'm guessing. :-)

Saturday, December 12, 2009

A Little Scrap Fabric Will Cover a LOT of Toys!

We are swimming in stuffed animals. They come from everywhere, and it's really hard - for me! - to purge and toss something so sweet, fuzzy and squeezable. But that's not to say I'm not T.I.R.E.D. of seeing them all over the floor in the playroom and everywhere I look throughout the house!


Exhibit A: Playroom BEFORE

Granted, the 70 lb dog doesn't really add to the clutter problem (no wait, she does!), but you get the idea. There were too many toys, and they didn't have a home ... at the end of the day, if we're actually going to clean - and have it make a difference! - they need somewhere to GO. But what to do with a heap of soft, squishy stuffed animals? ...


Exhibit B: Playroom AFTER, with Sophia sitting on top of the spoils!

Make a chair out of them! Specifically a denim and fleece zippered bean bag chair. :-) All but a very select few stuffed critters now get crammed in the bag at night (zipper is on the bottom, in the center panel), and the resulting lumpy cushion is surprisingly pleasing to crash on. Good times for all! In fact, this turned out so well, I'm mid-way through attempting an all-denim version made from upcycled blue jeans ... wish me luck!

(P.S. No, the dog was not stuffed inside the bag! She had the good sense to wander off when I went looking.)