Unwanted Items....

I love things that people discard. I've been known to walk around Vanderbilt's campus on move-out weekend just to pick up things that the students have thrown out. One year we found an awesome digital camera, no kidding, on a trash can. It turned out to be one of the best cameras we ever had! It lasted 3 years. I've picked up shelves, chairs, laundry baskets, clothes, you name it, I've probably found it. Chris is mortified by my hankering to take a peek inside a dumpster from time to time. Seriously, you never know what you'll find. Just to clear things up, I've never actually gotten inside a dumpster to fish around, I just look from the outside and grab things that I can reach that are relatively clean. (OK, so I know that some people are still silently cringing inside, thats ok.)


I've been in the sewing mood lately. I've made several skirts for Grace, dresses for both girls, onsies, a dress for myself and other various things. I am just trying to develop my sewing skills, you see, I really don't know much about sewing, I've never taken any classes, but I like to do it. So I am teaching myself. Fabric is so darn expensive these days that I can't justify the cost of just practicing with it. SO this is where the goodwill outlet comes in. ($1.39 per pound at the most!) I've gotten some awesome materials to work with there, and I love the challenge of finding something that may be ugly in it's original form, and creating something else with it.


I've noticed that some people cringe at what I put in my basket. (Well, maybe that was just my mom who shuddered at the 70's bed sheet I picked up.) But if there is one rule of thrifting (and dumpster diving wink, wink!) you can't look at an item for what it currently is...you have to see the potential in it, and what it might possibly become!


Just for giggles, I will post some picture of a few of the things I've made. I especially love the dresses I made out of the shudder-worthy sheet.

both made out of sheet

Skirt made out of old "grandma" shirt

(the white t-shirt was stained, so I covered over the stains with some well placed freezer paper stencils)
my dress made out of discarded fabric (I am learning to use elastic thread and have seen several tutorials online...not so hard!)
bird cage that was previously hideously ugly

Camera strap cover out of broken belt
gross brownish-gold hippie flower, now a pretty pink for one of the girls rooms