The Fake Fireplace

My husband amazes me. We both wanted a fireplace, however we don't have a chimney for one, so for our second winter season we decided that we should make a fake one for ambiance.

I had the perfect thing for the frame. A bookcase headboard for a twin bed!

Now it has a double function.

We bought some faux brick paneling and some wire nails for the project and we had some scrap molding pieces for the other parts.

A little black paint on the inside.

Some logs and a "fire light with fan".

All that is need now is a hearth which we will be working on soon.

We placed a real fireplace screen in front of it and the cleaning tools next to it and some people have thought we have a real fireplace in our living room.

We are planning on putting a free standing fireplace in before winter so this will have to go.

It was cozy while it lasted.

The next one will be even nicer!

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

Plastic Bags to Beach Bag

This is a project in progress.

I need more grocery bags to finish this.

I used 2 plastic grocery bags of the same color for th bottom chain of the bag, you can use more for a wider bag. For the next row I used a single crochet stitch and put 2 extra stitches at each end for form an oval. Slip stitch to join and then worked in straight rounds of single crochet stitches as I went around.

I really don't know what I will do with this bag when I am done since I really never go to a beach. Maybe I will give it to someone that really likes it.

One plastic grocery bag make 4 loops to crochet with. Please refer to my past post of Getting Loopy for Recycling to see more details. If you have questions let me know and I will gladly help you.

I am also working on a camping/beach mat. I will let you know how that goes.

Take care and be cozy (I am really starting to dislike the word cozy right now).

Thanks for stopping by.

Dee Dee

One Man's Junk...

Ends Up at My House.

If I see free stuff at the end of someone's driveway I am drawn to it like my lips to a wine glass.
Today brought an interesting score!

I found this pure wool sweater which I can not decide on whether I should reuse the yarn for socks or felt it for sewing mittens or boot liners. The sweater would be nice to keep as is but the sleeves are too short so this is a recycling project.
Give me your ideas to consider and I will post on that as it comes together!

Next was this shelf which is real wood. It needs a good cleaning and a few touch ups, maybe a new coat of varnish and it is good to go.

Then we grabbed this chair. I have plans for this one. My husband says it needs to be cleaned up a bit, and oh it will be, but when I looked at it the first thing that came into my mind was 'catcher's mitt'. I would like to get some tan leather and reupholster it and make a little round, white pillow with red stitches to make it look like a baseball.
Can't you just see it?
Batter Up!
...and yes, it is cozy!

Thank you for stopping by!
Dee Dee

Getting knotty

I had not been much of a fan of Macrame when I was younger until I found this pattern in an old booklet. This will be a hanging table. I had given up on this for a few years because I could not find a piece of round glass for it for cheap. Then, last year, one of my neighbors put out a round glass piece next to the street with a free sign.
You all know that I just love free things so my husband grabbed it. It's a perfect fit and motivation to finish the job!

I had a lot of fun with the first part of this project. The hard part will be getting all the ropes to connect to the bottom circle evenly so I will have a level table. I still have to trim up and melt the loose ropes and untwist and brush out the bottom ropes under the table rim.

Macrame is a great thing to learn. You can make hammocks, hammock chairs, tables, lawn chairs and more. I am going to use this skill to make a new net for my fishing net, which broke. Big fish? Huge! I almost named it Moby Dick, it was that big! And I was just try to net some minnows.

A New Find, Old Sewing Machine.

I love getting free things and this was one of them.
A New Home electric sewing machine! Model NHR.

I got it through the free group online. It came with a button hole attachment, a bunch of bobbins, a box of rotary attachments and the original instruction book.
The Lady I got it from was just so sweet. Thank you again Doris!

This machine is made out of metal and looks like it is good quality. But best of all, it works. I do have other machines, one which I use as a computer desk (shame on me) which I will have to get replace parts for and a new power cord for, and then 2 newer ones. One of the new ones needs to be repaired and the other is confusing with all the new technology. It may take me awhile to figure it out.
I wanted a machine that I could use sooner without having to take a class for it, and one that could deal with heavy fabric like denim and light leather. I hope this fits the bill.

I have sewing projects piled high and I can't wait to get started. Having more than one machine means that I can adjust them differently for using a variety of fabrics without having to change out needles and adjust tensions. Plus if there was a long term power outage I could easily rig the 2 older ones into treds (pedal powered)
I am looking forward to getting the next generation going on making their own clothing as well.

Getting Loopy For Recycling

I know that most of us really don't like throwing things out, but what do you do with a sock that has a hole too large darn beyond tossing in the landfill?
Well, if you really want to give them a new life check out what I did.

I had one of those little looms to make potholders when I was a child so I bought my daughter one thinking it would be fun to work on them with her. The loops that come with those kits are made out of nylons and tights. They can be very hard to work with on those looms and you will find many are too small and thin for the loom.

I used to wear those fuzzy no-shows we used to call booties, and had a few that the heals worn down so I cut them into little loops and used them on the loom, and yes I washed them first! I cut the loops so they were one inch wide and this made a wonderful potholder, which I still use, coffee and spaghetti stained and all.
The white, blue and purple potholder is my old socks. I really like this one.

You can make your own loom with some headless nails and a square piece of plywood if your socks are too big for the plastic looms.

Now if you want to get really loopy for recycling, you can make a large loom for loops made out of old T-shirts or sweat shirts. sewing several of those squares together will give you a thick bath mat or rug for the kitchen sink.
Or connecting the loops together and using a large crochet hook you can crochet a larger rug.

You can even use the plastic grocery bags to make loops for crocheting. Many people have been making sleeping mats out of them for people in disaster areas. I think they would also be a great beach mat and you could make a matching beach bag.
There are all kinds of patterns on the internet that I have found.

I do have to say that I have found working with the larger loops difficult to begin with, but it does get easier after the first few rows. I will post more pictures and some basic instructions using the plastic bag loops or the T-shirt loops. Check back soon!