Aurora Glorialis

I started this dress 5 years ago.  It was meant to be for Nutmeg but it never got past the cutting stage and it sat in my scrap bin until just before my niece, little Aurora arrived! (P.S. I made the darling head band too.)

In its former life it was a ladies' blouse. I LOVE that the buttons and button holes are the original holes from the blouse

  and what was the collar is now the bow. Isn't the fabric divine?
The sleeves are the caps of the original sleeves and the skirt, oh, the skirt  hemmed with the original hem.  Making reconstructions and trying to keep as many of the original details as possible intact is one of my very favorite things.  It was a blouse, now its a dress!  I just love that.

Oh and it has pleats.

The Tale of Many Boba Fetts or How I saved money on Stocking Stuffers

This is Boba Fett with his Boba Fett Lego guy. His 3rd or 4th depending on how you look at it. That Boba Fett has a way of getting lost and we keep getting him a new one for Chritmas or other gift giving occasions.
This year Boba Fett informed me that he wanted yet another Boba Fett since he had lost his. I was going to say "No." because at some point you just have to draw the line, but one night Moose and I were looking for a lost knitting needle inside the couch and we found all sorts of things that had been given up for lost including Boba Fett #3.
I wrapped him and put him in Boba Fett's stocking on Christmas morning disguised as Boba Fett #4.

Frugal or Clever you decide.

Making a List, Checking it Twice

I have been crossing things off of my list this week. Finishing up the ends of projects and packing things up to send them away, or wrap and place under the tree.On Monday I made the fantastic contents of this box which I can not post because the recipient is a reader, she is going to love it and on January 13th I will show you what is inside so you can love it too.
I got the idea for this little guy via One Pretty Thing and made up my own pattern and whipped one up for my Little Latin Lover who turned one this weekend. He loves it as do my kids, they were a little jealous.
La Keira got a hand warmer and Calorimetry set for her Birthday
I think I am perfecting the rag curls. I love, my friends love and Moose loves the curly hair.
It has been below freezing here for about a week. This is unusual for us and people have frozen pipes and broken furnaces and all sorts of tragedies. We have been blessed and our biggest challenge is bundling up before we go outside. Here you see Boba Fett ready to play.And Nutmeg in the hat I whipped up in no time. I LOVE super bulky yarn.
There has been a whole lot of crafting going on from home made Christmas ornaments and pictures to fantastic Lego creations.

Moose and I had a favorite, it was this:But then we saw this:
See how Picard is bald and Ryker's charisma comes through his black hair?The bridge of the Enterprise has never made us so proud...
I turned this unflattering and yet lovely Irish wool cardigan into this:
I felt very guilty purposely felting a lovely sweater to turn into a laptop bag. But I need need a bag and the sweater wasn't being worn...
It needs a brown belt for a strap, so if you have one lying around...
And then today La Keira helped me make these:
To spread the holiday cheer you know.I hope your Christmas preparations are as much fun as ours have been.

The Ranch Hand

I love a good reconstruction project and this one is my favorite right now, I want to wear it every single day. It started out as an extra large, never worn shirt from Goodwill. I came home, cut it up, sewed it back together again and added lots and lots and lots of lace. If there was a detail it got lace. The sleeves were tricky but I love the improvisational result. True to form there was little if any measuring involved just a lot of trial an error. Props to the factory who saw fit to add mauve colored mother of pearl snaps!

Show Off Week -Buttoned Up

Two years ago I found this project over at Craftster. Craftster used to be my #1 website and I lurked over there all day long. Then my computer started not being able to handle the website and I gave up all together. Which is really, a good thing because the thing about Craftster is that you can have a plan for your day and within one single click you find yourself plotting and even halfway through a craft that ends up taking over your day and possessing your life until you have made one. Case in Point this dress made out of a men's button up shirt.
Of course I whipped one up for my little Nutmeg immediately. I scored at Goodwill and found a pink striped shirt and hot pink pleated trim at Joann. (These are the only pictures I can find with her in it.)
This summer I mentioned that Nutmeg didn't have anything to sleep in for the summer and Moose reminded me of this dress so we went together to Goodwill and picked out some shirts, went home and got to work.
First, we have a United Colors of Benetton Blue, purple, and lime striped shirt with periwinkle pleated trim. The colors are a little more vivid in person and we all know Nutmeg usually looks happier for the camera.
Next this white, blue and chocolate striped shirt from Old Navy with chocolate rick-rack trim and hem.
My favorite part of this dress is that I kept the pocket in the Back and trimmed it too! Unfortunately, I didn't finish off the rick-rack well enough and I noticed some fraying after washing which I hope to be able to fix without too much trouble.

The only thing I don't like about these dresses is that one day Nutmeg will be too big to fit into a reconstructed men's dress shirt.

Show Off Week - Little Kitchen

It started out as a T.V. stand that was passed along through various college residences, our rental home and all three bedrooms in our current home at one time or another. One day I decided to turn it into a kitchen for Boba Fett who was three and in the play kitchen phase. I got out some black paint and painted black circles on the top and screwed in these wooden car wheels for oven knobs. Several months later I found this nightstand, added a shelf and it moved in as a refrigerator.
A couple of years later Boba Fett started begging me ceaselessly to paint his kitchen purple.
A trip to Costco convinced me that I was not interested in that kitchen (it was cute but too small which turns out is a good thing because my friend Sarah bought one and putting it together about drove her crazy.) I liked my recycled kitchen better. So we went to Michael's and bought silver and purple spray paint. I painted the entire thing purple and then taped it off and sprayed on the silver details. Still it wasn't quite right. I had always planned to put in a sink and finally this spring during my trip to the rebuilding center I picked up a faucet as well as some real stove knobs.
Moose cut a circle out of the top and we inserted a stainless steel bowl. Some holes drilled with much cursing into a spray painted 2x4 and we had a finished kitchen. Well almost. We would very much like a door on the top of the fridge for a microwave. Also the real oven knobs have NOT been added. An oven door would be perfect if unlikely.
If any handy people who love us would like to sign up for microwave and oven door duty it would TOTALLY count as a Christmas/Birthday present.

Stitching in July

I sewed a few things last month. Most of it was sewn from my stash. I did need to buy one zipper, some rickrack and some ribbon. I also needed to buy lining and interfacing for the bag. It was very exciting making a whole wardrobe for next to nothing. I used the book "Sew What Skirts" to help me draft quick patterns. It's nothing I couldn't have found in my pattern making book but it made it SO easy.
Roundup and Little Roundup
I have been holding on to this fabric for ages. I bought it because I was in love with the cowboys. The Little Roundup (not pictured but trust me it looks exactly the same) is much too big for Nutmeg this year but will fit her next year and a few years after that.
The Asian Dream is straight out of the book and a great way to display this fabric that I wanted to use but not cut up the design. I realize yoke skirts aren't the best choice for me, but this fabric needed to be this skirt, yes?
Don't I look...formidable in this photo? Kind of like I am 6' 3" and on the East German Women's swim team? I have been planning to make a skirt out of this fabric for going on 2 years now but I couldn't decide on a style. Finally I decided the pattern is the reason for the fabric so show it off in a simple A-line skirt. A little orange rick rack and a custom, hand finished invisible pocket and we have a skirt. Since I had extra fabric I whipped up a Margaret Bag.
The Margaret Bag
I think the story of this bag deserves its own post so I will be brief and only say that I adore it.
It was as if the lining were made for this bag and I am so tickled with the asymmetrical placement of the rick rack on the pockets.

The Muumuu
In Hawaii I found a little boutique that was remaking vintage Muumuus into skirts, pillows, purses and dresses and selling them at fancy boutique prices. They were, for the most part A-line skirts, a quick 30 minute alteration and selling them for $90! Well that was just a challenge to a frugal seamstress like myself. And we all know how much I like a reconstruction project. So Moose and I went across the street to the Kilua Salvation Army and bought a Muumuu for me to reconstruct. Sadly, it took me a year to make it but that was because the ruffle posed quite a problem. It was the best part of the muumuu but I couldn't figure out how to incorporate it into the skirt, and to be honest the skirt was a bit boring. Then a few weeks ago I said "Hang it!" and I just sewed the ruffle haphazardly across the front. It is a little Rio de Janeiro a little Havana but I love it. The ruffle was the key. Maybe I shall call it Flirting in Rio.
Picnic for Six
Well, you have seen this before but I sewed it in July an so I post it again.

Calling All Ants

I found this picnic basket at the "expensive" Goodwill for $2.29. I refurbished it with stash fabric and scraps. Friend Margo supplied the big red buttons at 12:15 am. Paper plates and plastic cutlery were rounded up from the pantry.
Voila! Picnic for six. I am almost completely happy with it, sewing the bottom lining to the sides was a bit tricky and now the pockets are off center. Total cost: $2.29. All we need now is some of my Grandma's Macaroni salad.

The End of an Era

Meet Clotilde, my trusty razor for going on 18 years now. That's correct, I have been using the same razor for the majority of my shaving career. Clotilde has been to Wales, Cornwall, Scotland, Canada, Hawaii, Leadore, Idaho, everywhere that I have been. Clotilde has shaved my legs for every date, Clotilde has been with me through heartache and three pregnancies. That's loyalty, that's "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." Thrift. Frugality. Very Samurai Mom.

Last week I happened to find myself in the razor aisle of Target and looked for the ever familiar packet of Personal Touch razor blades. I became concerned but didn't panic. Tonight I went to Rite Aid, no razor blades. I think they have discontinued them. I knew the day would come but I had hoped to be really old when it happened - perhaps old enough to stop shaving all together. Alas. I suppose they think that I have received my money's worth from that razor.

If you happened to see the little brown cartridges at your drugstore let me know so I can snatch them up. Thank goodness I have a year's supply.

Samurai Mom's Things You Should Know About in these "Tough Economic Times"

There are many ways that I save oodles of money that I assume everyone knows about but in reality they don't. Here are a few. If you have questions don't hesitate to ask.
1. Freecycle - It is recycling and getting and giving free stuff all rolled into one. You offer things that you have and no longer want to people who need or want them. You ask for things that people might be willing to give you. I have received everything from a partially used bag of sphagnum moss to a lovely working Piano. I have given clothes, food and furniture. The one rule FREE. You don't charge anything and don't expect to pay anything other than good Karma. Keep it out of the landfill, give it another life.
2. PaperBackSwap (and Swap-a-CD and Swap-a-DVD the sister sites) Swap books (and CD's and DVD's) for free. You only pay shipping when you send a book (media mail so it is cheap.) If you join tell me so I can give you my e-mail address and you can use me as a referral.
3. Craigslist - Why pay retail when you can buy from a someone in your town and save a bundle of money? Classifieds on the Internet. It reminds me of Tradio.
4. Direct Buy - Ok the initial buy in to this is way expensive but it really pays off when you are building or furnishing a house. Our Carpet installed cost about $1200. Total. And it is nice. Saved $1700 on our couch. Laminate flooring $700.
5. Elimination Communication - Save money on diapers cloth or disposable and enjoy a happy communication with your baby.
6. Cloth diapers - they are not that much work and seriously $1,600 -$2,300 dollars per child for disposables compared to $300 for cloth and you can reuse them for SEVERAL babies and sell them when you are done. Suddenly learning about cloth diapers doesn't sound so gross does it?
7. Cleaning supplies - learn about the miracles of Baking Soda, vinegar and elbow grease.