The Best of 2011

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I often find myself thinking. WHAT THE HECK DID I ACCOMPLISH TODAY??? Usually the list is LESS than impressive.

My kids are fed and (moderately) happy.
My house is still standing, although tentatively.
I am not wearing sweats.

Yep. That is pretty much the list.

SOOOO I have decided to make a list of the top 11 posts and projects of this year. Now I know my posts are all quivering with excitement wondering which ones will make the list….this is how I decided. 1. Top viewed links. 2. Top commented on links. 3. MY favorites  :)  Because my opinion matters ON THIS BLOG!! So here is the BEST of HANDYPANTS for 2011.

1. From Onesie to Diaper Cover—For the 2nd year in a row, this is the number one viewed link on my blog. I guess re-purposing old onesies into NEW dresses with matching ruffle butt diaper covers is popular these days!!!

2. Dora Backpack—Another re-purpose. Using an old sweatshirt to make a new FABULOUS Backpack. Perfect for all of those EXPLORERS out there!!

3. Scarlett O’Hara skirts—Just like Scarlett, I re-purposed curtains to make some cute little girl skirts. No hemming!!! So simple!!!

4. Shortie Skirt and bandana shorts---Just like last year I could not stop sewing with bandanas. I am glad I looked back to remember this one because soon it will be skirt weather again and I will need to make A BUNCH of these skirts with built in shorts---perfect summer attire for a 3 year old. (Although THIS summer she will be FOUR…sniff sniff!!!)

5. Peppermint Sugar Scrub (with Printable Tags)

6. Re-purposed Winter Attire—This post was 3 re-fashions in one. How to make a cowl scarf from a thrifted sweater. How to make faux leg-warmers from sweater sleeves. AND how to re-fashion a winter hat. BTW…I am still LOVING my leg warmers…best re-fashion for mommy YET!!!

7. Easy re-fashioned skirt

8. Maternity Sweat Pants---because sometimes even SWEATS just are not comfortable enough:)

9. How to clean a flat top stove---There must be a LOT of messy cooks out there JUST LIKE ME..haha!!

10. Toddler Sheet FIX. How to add elastic to a toddler sheet so that it WILL STAY PUT!!! Can I just rant here for a second…oh right…it is MY blog. I had to change the name of this post AND edit out a few words because I was noticing that Dirty Pervs were finding this post by typing inappropriate searches into google. Totally makes me both ANGRY and SICK. I mean seriously… (rant over)!!

11. AND finally….The Vested Onesie. This was not my original idea, but it is by far my FAVORITE creation of the year (besides the cute little guy wearing it…that was a pretty good one too!!)

AND because we cannot craft ALL THE TIME…here is the MOST VIEWED NON-CRAFTING post. LIFE IN THE MOTHERHOOD, my rant opinions on MOTHERHOOD. Just in case you need a good New Years LAUGH:)

GOODBYE 2011…Its been fun!!!

In case you missed out on last years fun…here is the top 10 of 2010!!!

Walking in a Winter WONDERLAND!!!

Todd and I needed a PRE-HEADED TO CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOR A WEEK break.  So we decided that for OUR Christmas present to each other we would take a little trip.  I chose Leavenworth, and since I always get my way.....

 I have always heard that the Christmas lights were amazing and THEY DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!!  Besides the fact that there was very little snow this year, Leavenworth is REALLY a winter wonderland!!!  We got to shop, eat, walk, snack, and pretty much enjoy the sites.  It didn't really matter WHAT we did because we did not have to push a stroller, stop for nap time, or eat at McDonalds.  We were able to sleep in and I was also able to sleep through the night for the first time in....YEARS!!!  That in itself was worth it!!! 

 ANYWAY...Since I knew I was headed into the cold and winter weather, I wanted some new WINTER gear.  You know when you are headed to Vegas and you have to get a Little Black Dress....or when you head to Hawaii you have to get a new bathing suit????  YOU KNOW!!!  Right???  I hope that is not just me;)  Anyway...I wanted something new, but I really wasn't in a shopping mindset, especially with Christmas on the way.  So I came up with a few cheap easy WINTER fixes that reved up my Winter Accessories and made me SUPER happy!!!

 First off, I made some FAUX Leg Warmers.  These LOOK like leg warmers, or boot socks, but they are not REAL.  All I did was this (shhhh don't tell anyone how easy it was)....I cut the arms off of a thrifted sweater.  THAT IS IT.  Then I just slipped them over my legs to stretch them out a bit, and VOILA.  Boot socks. 

I wanted a cute button on the top (because the ones on pinterest had them), so I grabbed a cute button and sewed it where I wanted it.  I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.  I think they really did keep my legs warmer, plus they added a little SOMETHING to my 9 dollar Value Village boots. 

 NEXT, onto the neckwear.  I pretty much wear scarves EVERY day right now because they are warm and add a little cuteness to a boring outfit.  On PINTEREST there are so many cute ones, but I have recently been eyeing all of the cute crocheted Cowl Scarves.  TOOO BAD I DO NOT CROCHET.  So I did the next best thing.

I grabbed a knitted scarf from Goodwill.  Took all of the fringed ties off of the end.  Cut it the length I wanted.  Folded the end under and hemmed it.  Then folded it around my neck and sewed on some super cute vintage buttons (stolen from Gramma June's Stash). I didn't waste time making button holes, so the buttons are just for looks.  I just slip it up and over my head.  Not as HANDY as a REAL Cowl scarf made by hand by someone with some talent, but it only cost a dollar and I LOVED IT!!!  SCORE:)

 I loved it soo much in fact that I made another one fromt the leftover sweater (the one I made the legwarmers with).  I had to do things a little differently though.

I cut a large rectangle out of the back of the sweater (my front had a zipper, or that would have worked too).  I pretty much used the whole back of my sweater, but it was  a size small.  I bigger sweater would have given me more options.  Most importantly is that you keep the bottom edge of the sweater because it is the cutests part. 

Then I folded it right sides together and sewed 3 sides (leaving the cute ends un-sewn).  THEN flip it right sides out, wrap it around your neck, and sew on some buttons. 

Looking back at the pics, I decided that my buttons were not placed the way I wanted them.  I guess that is what happens when you craft at 2 in the morning the night before leaving on a trip:)  Easy fix though!!!!

The last item on my list was a cute hat.  I didn't want to spend much (because I had secret dreams of buying a new CUTER one once I got there). SOOO I headed to Target where they had all of their hats on clearance.  I got a plain hat with matching gloves for a buck fifty.  CANNOT beat that.  I grabbed a strip of black jersey (I just cut off the bottom of an old t-shirt) and then wadded it up (like took it and made it into a big messy wad of fabric).  Then I put the wad under my sewing machine needle and sewed back and forth until my wad stayed....WELL, wadded:)

Then I hot-glued a pretty little flower into the center.  I got the flower at Micheals a while back for something that NEVER got made....pretty glad it didn't too because the flower was perfect:)

So for about 5 bucks (a quarter of what it cost to ride in that carriage), I was able to re-vamp my winter clothes and fit right into to Boot-Land (aka-Leavenworth, but EVERYONE there had cute boots).  Happy Holidays Ya'll.  I hope you are enjoying these happy pre-Christmas days and having a little pre-holiday fun.  CHEERS to sleeping through the night:)

Thrifty Pants

The question I get the ABSOLUTE most from people when they find out I shop Thrift Stores is.....HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN YOU GO???

Seriously...what do I NOT look for:)  Since Emersyn likes to organize my purchases and I like to share my finds, here is a little trip down thrift store lane.  BTW...I hit 3 stores in 2 days for all of these purchases (2 Goodwills and a Value Village).

 I went in looking for ugly Christmas sweaters, and hit the Christmas jackpot.  I had no clue what I was going to do with any of these treasures, but knew they needed to come home with me.  SOOOO I guess my bit of thrifting advice would be this...if you cannot stand to leave it behind....TAKE IT!!!  On the other hand, I didn't go blindly into the store with no ideas.  I have been looking a lot on Pinterest and I knew that I was interested in some glass jars or vases.  THIS is one of the Pinterest finds that I had in the back of my mind.  

 That being said....what did I get????  I got a mini tree for Emersyn so that she would stop un-decorating the Christmas tree.  NOPE it didn't work, but she DOES love to decorate her very own tree too.  I also got 2 large bags of cinnamon pine cones, 2 old school tins, 2 coral colored poinsettia circles, an amazing vintage box that I am madly in love with, a small piece of greenery, a super cute yellow vintage glass jar,  and a hideous wooden tray. 

Also, a pair of Santa suspenders, a vase, 2 boxes of glass ornaments, a black wooden pedestal, a hurricane vase, and a glass pedestal. 

As I got home and started to pull out everything, I got lucky.  My vases and my pedestals matched up perfectly and some of my finds meshed well together.  I decided to decorate my Kitchen Island (since I normally just dump mail and odds and ends on it). 

The finished project was not what I had in mind when I started, but it ended up looking so ME!!! Actually it was WAY MORE ME than what I had in mind.  I love when my house looks ME....don't you:) 

Seriously...is this vintage box not all you can think about now???  It cost me 3 bucks (kinda spendy compared to my normally thrifty buys), but I could not leave it there amongst the broken toys and dirty socks.  I cannot wait to find ways to use it for EVERY season!!!

All of the other items were between 50 cents and 2.00, so all in all I ended up staying pretty thrifty.  Except the glass pedestal which was 6 bucks.  I almost didn't take it, but I am sooooo glad I did because it matched the vase PERFECTLY and was JUST what I was looking for.  YAY!!!

OK.  So what about the stuff I didn't use????  The poor sad tray will be painted and re-finished some day.  The AMAZING yellow jar sadly got dropped on my garage floor (by me) and didn't make it.  I actually cried tears---I REALLY liked it!!!  The greenery---not sure where that is???  And the poinsettias are wrapped around some sconces in my living room.  Waste not, WANT not!!!

Besides hitting the Christmas aisles though, I did manage to make a few fun finds...

 Clearly the shoe department got hit.  I found me a pair of boots for only 9 dollars....couldn't leave them behind.  Plus...I ACTUALLY have a craft involving these boots coming up.  TRUST ME---CUTE!!!  The little boots for Em make me happy just looking at them.  Who doesn't need jingle balls on their shoes????  Mini water boots for my miniture farmer friend BODE.  Now he can match his DADA while they work in the fields.  AND a pair of Robeez for my boy.  Also an Eastern Hoodie for Ethan... since both of his parents went their and have sweatshirts (too cute for words right??).  Plus, a sparkly black sweater for Christmas,

 a long teal cardi (just love saying that), some brand new Carters footie jammies,  a scarf (with the TARGET tags still on, and a cute bright piece of fabric (no real purpose in mind). 

AND just because...Emersyn got this black velvet coat with animal print lining and a fur collar.  SHE loves it.  I LOVE IT!!!  WIN WIN BABY!!! 

AND little man got this brown Gymboree Puffer jacket and an Old Navy Hat (tags still on). 

OHHHH and I almost forgot the suspenders.  They worked double duty.  They added to my husbands ugly Christmas ensemble....AND Emersyn used them to tie up her brother.  Totally worth 50 cents right:)

SOOO there you have it.  That is where my money went...cute clothes and shoes that I am SUPER excited about.  AND some new holiday decor.  TOTALLY successful thrifting for me.  I got to get my shopping fix AND still have money for Christmas presents:)  OHHHHHHH and I found the BEST Christmas sweater!!! 

 We didn't even win...who is uglier than us???? REALLY!!!! :)

 AND the best part of the whole thrify day....getting to be a twin to such a cute girl.  Now she wants to be my twin every day.....and also wants to wear a side pony!!! 

Happy Holidays and Happy Thrifting!!!!

Monday Makeover--Princess bed and a few odds and ends

 OK...so I have not been slacking on the whole 52 weeks of MAKE OVER thing...but I am a bit slacking on the whole....BLOGGING thing:)  Recently Emersyn started Pre-school, which means that Ethan and I have 2 1/2 hours to kill without our happy helper.  We have spent quite a bit of that time at thrift stores.  My first find....

A Princess Bed Tent for Emersyn's room.  I didn't plan on changing Em's room at the moment, but could not resist this beauty for just 8 bucks.  It has cute little butterflies on it (which just happened to be the EXACT color of her bedroom).  SHE LOVES IT!!!!!!! 

I find her in there playing with her babies or stuffed animals.   She uses it as a fort.  When she takes a nap, it is RAPUNZEL's tower...and I of course am Flynn Ryder. 

In the beginning she would play herself to sleep and  I would have to come SAVE her in the middle of the night because she would be all tangled up.  BUT now I guess she has figured out how to un-tangle herself...THANK GOODNESS!!!  Ok....moving on to Cool Find Number 2....

 This was another Goodwill find.  For 10 bucks I am SUPER excited to have some storage in her room.  Clearly I have not figured out WHAT to store yet, but I am working on that.  AGAIN....what are the odds that the tubs would EXACTLY match her bedroom????  I found the tent and the shelf in the same day...and I am not gonna lie I was PRETTY PROUD OF MYSELF!!!
The next to additions to her room have been on my TO-DO list for about...A YEAR!!!  I even had the stuff to make-over, just not the time, energy, or motivation.  BUT once one thing gets up-graded, it is best to keep the ball rolling.  SO I took this little shelf I found at Value Village for 5 dollars and gave it a face lift. 

 I thought it had potential...although the bright drawers....not a fan.  SOO I sanded it and spray painted it all white.  Then I used some of the leftover paint from her walls to paint the knobs.  AND VOILA....a cute little shelf for all of her hair stuff.  It is perfect for holding clips and rubberbands.  And I can imagine that SOME DAY she can put her little jewelry stuff or something in it.  Kinda Fun!!

 THEN....I took this frame from Value Village (2 bucks) and took out the glass and lovely mountain scene.

 I spray painted the frame, stapled chicken wire to the back of the frame (there are tutorials ALL over the web for the how too), and added the bows ( I probably needed a bigger frame--haha!!).  I just wanna add that I used my BRAND NEW staple gun, which is MY FIRST OFFICIAL TOOL.  I have never had a tool of my own, so this is not borrowed from the MAN OF THE HOUSE....IT IS MINE!!!  I love that.  And another side-note...I used the power sander ALL BY MYSELF to sand the shelves.  YEP....pretty proud of myself!!!  I know SOME women are all independent and use power tools and stuff...Not Me.  But I am getting there...one NON-hand removing tool at a time:)

Here is the new HAIR STATION....Much better than the huge pile of junk that used to reside on the top of her dresser!!

And since the REAL reason for my blog is to remember this time of my life and the lives of my kiddos, I am gonna take a quick tour of Emersyn's room as it is right now.  Go ahead and blog hop somewhere else if you like. 
Her dresser area is in one corner.  We found the dresser on Craigslist and Todd did some touch up painting to it.  I love that it is kinda throw back vintage looking---although it is actually from Target (shhhh).  
The shelves I got from Grandma June before Emersyn was born.  She thought I might find a use for them....yes please.  I painted them and think they are kinda cute and girlie.  The 2 vintage signs and the cute soap box were a gift for Baby Girl when she was born (Thanks Paula).  The hanging signs were made by my Bobbie and have cute little vinyl words on them.  The tiny ceramic piggies were found by Russ  and given to us (since anyone who knows me AT ALL knows I have a thing for piggies).  Next are Em's first little baby shoes--I cannot make myself pack them up.  AND LAST  are her cute little Birthday Girls.  One for each of her 3 birthdays and given to her by Grandma Marilee. 

 Next to her bed is her night stand.  I painted this when I was pregnant with her.  This night stand was next to my bed MY WHOLE LIFE.  I stacked my books under it and stashed my treasures (and journal) in the little drawer.  I KNEW she needed it too.  So I sanded off the ugly dark brown paint and replaced the old school gold knob with a pretty flower.

 Ballerina Piggy bank came from Marcie and has already been emptied once into a savings account---woop woop!!!!!  The little girl lamp was given to us by my Aunt Brenda.  It belonged to my cousin Jamie and was given to her by my Grandma Louise.  My Grandma painted it for her and she had had it in HER room for her whole life.  She kept it to pass to her daughter, but since she doesn't have any children, she wanted Emersyn to have it.  I actually have the SAME lamp, but painted in different colors.  Mine was given to me by MY Grandma June and it resides up stairs in my craft room.  They both mean more to me than I can express and I LOVE that Emersyn gets to grow up with a piece of her Great Grandmas.   
MOVING ON.   The ugly star is Emersyn's music box.  As a baby she was the worst sleeper EVER.  This music plays for EVERY nap, EVERY bed time, AND EVERY nightmare---night waking---quiet time.  I am sure she can now go to sleep without it, but I don't wanna find out. 

Phewww....that about sums it up.  There are a few more changes I would like to add to Emersyn's room to make it a little more BIG GIRL.  But for now we are pretty happy with the results:)