Leftover yarn...

Many of you are like me. You love yarn and can't resist all the pretty colors. So you end up with yarn that is either left over from another project or that you bought it "just because" and never did use it for anything. So I went in search of something to do with all that leftover and unused yarn. Here are some awesome ideas. Some I could not do, but many I can because they can be done in knit or crochet or simply by making balls of yarn or pom poms. Enjoy. The first five I am definitely going to try to do. 

Let me know if you think you will try any of these.

Friday Foto Friends

I am having a yard sale with my friend Sherrie this week. First thing we do is to shop each others items. To be fair, we pay each other what it is marked at so we are not causing the other person to lose any money. Here were my bargains from yesterday. This little red dotted case. I just loved it. I love polka dots and red has always been my favorite color.

I didn't get it to hold credit cards though. I got it to hold all those value cards and discount cards for places I shop. Everybody seems to have a saving program today and I have so many cards for that. This will be a perfect way to carry them. I got it for just 25¢.

I also picked up this can cozy with the Thirty-One logo for just 25¢.

I got this Thirty-One large utility tote which is like brand new for just $8.00. The large tote in the Thirty-One catalog is $35 so this was a steal.

But the two items that thrilled me were this small sugar and cream set in milk glass. It is $12 on some sites and as low as $5 on other sites. But I got mine for 50¢.  

And the best thing is it still had the sticker inside the set from when it was originally purchased. And though it is faded and you can't see it good in this picture, it has the Authenticate Milk Glass phrase on it. So excited.

This was also a thrill. I keep looking for items to add to my Pyrex collection. I am wanting to find some items in the butterfly gold pattern. So far, no luck. But Sherrie did have the salt and pepper shakers in that pattern. So I have officially started my butterfly gold collection....for just 50¢.

But my favorite find of the week is when my daughter got a new kitchen table and chairs and she gave me her old one. I have been wanting a vintage set like this where I could take the leaf out for my kitchen for a year now. Beyond excited to finally get one....and it was FREE. I kept the other two chairs and the leaf in case I ever need to expand for gatherings. This is a temporary centerpiece decoration until I can find exactly what I want to put in the middle.

Well, those are my Friday Fotos. I'm heading out soon for the final day of our yard sale and it has been pouring the rain. But at least it looks like there are times on and off today where it will be dry. But we are in a garage so we can have it rain or shine. Just don't know how many yard sale fans will head out in the rain. 

Five little hands....

Of all the craft projects I ever made in my life, this is my favorite. I made it for my Mom about 5 or 6 years ago.

I traced the hands of each of my grandchildren and cut out their hand prints in fabric. Then I cut stems and leaves. I bought the background material and had someone do the embroidery with one of those embroidery machines. 

Then I used No Sew Wunder Under and ironed it on the back of the hand fabrics, cut out the hands and ironed the hands on the main fabric along with the stems and leaves. 

I used an artist canvas and wrapped the finished piece around it and tucked it in and hot glued it. Put a picture hook in the back and made a gift she loved.

The heart.....

A heart is an intricate item. Medically it consists of chambers, valves, arteries and an intricate system of veins that keeps the body alive. Hearts can contain genetic problems that can cause congenital heart defects. But emotionally, a heart can hold our memories. Our feelings. Our love. And our pain. 

A heart can melt. It can give you that warm fuzzy feeling that just makes you speechless beyond words and fills you with immense joy and brings happy tears to your eyes. That is what happened when I held my first grandchild, Garret. I will never forget that feeling as long as I live. My heart just melted away when I got him in my arms. I didn't want to put him down.

But a heart can crack a little and cause you a bittersweet joy. I got home around 11:00 last night and stopped and got my mail. And there, in that simple white envelope with a gold seal was something I had been waiting for but dreading at the same time. Because I knew when I opened that envelope and read of the upcoming graduation of my precious grandbaby that a little piece of heart was going to break.  And sure enough, as soon as I opened it and saw this, the tears started flowing.

Oh how proud I am of him. Words just can't express what a fine young man he has turned into. If I am feeling like this, I can't imagine what his Mom and Dad must be feeling. Even though I don't get to see him much since he got older, he will always be that little guy that loved to come to Mamaw's house and that loved to go places and do things with me. He's only going about 3 or 4 hours away, but the fact that he is going away remains the same. I wish him well and know that he will be successful in the journey he has planned.

Congratulations, Garret. We are all so proud of you and love you with all our heart.

Without a list....

I am the List Queen. I have lists for everything....or at least I used to. I'm not sure what happened this past month, but my life has become a haphazard array of things to do that are not getting done and are not be planned for properly. EEK this is not me!

My mind is reeling about the multitude of things I need to do over the next month. 

Today, I am going to go get Mom's Mother's Day present and get it mailed out to her. 

I have to stay late at work tonight to decorate for a baby shower for one of the girls in our office. I am in charge of the decorations and paper products. It's a pot luck day with food coming in on all shifts. But since I don't come in until 2:00 tomorrow, I need to decorate and set up the paper products tonight for the earlier shifts tomorrow. 

Next thing I want to be working on is some of the awesome patriotic home decor things I have seen on Pinterest. I like to have patriotic decor up before Memorial Day and keep it through July 4th. I need to get busy. 

Speaking of Memorial Day, isn't this a beautiful rose for a veteran. I love this.

Then right after Memorial Day, I have to get ready for VBS. I will be doing the crafts for the Pre-K grades. Three classes, ranging with attendance between 15-25 per class will pass through our craft room. I need to decide on how to decorate for VBS and how I want to set up the room. It's a galactic theme so there will be a lot of stars involved. I'm trying to figure out what to do to incorporate these metal star shapes into the decor. Can you buy a glow in the dark spray paint? Does anybody know? One night we are doing something with glow stick necklaces and when the lights go out it would be need to have things that glow.

Some of the crafts need some prep work done so that little hands can complete the rest of the task. So I have to set aside a day to get with my helpers so we can do the prep work. One thing I want to prep is to glue the magnets on these clothespins. Years of Children's Church experience has taught me that despite what Oriental Trading may think, peel off magnet strips DO NOT stay on clothespins.

But before I can start all this other stuff for the next few weeks planning, I need to get through this week. I'm having my annual yard sale with my friend Sherrie on Thursday and Friday this week. Which means right now my house looks like a war zone. I have boxes stacked everywhere. Tables folded up leaning against the wall to take to her house. I want to make one last run through the cabinets to see if there is anything I missed that I want to get rid of that I never use. 

Now do you see why I need a list??? Does anybody want to trade places with me for the next 4-6 weeks? Maybe this is the To Do list I need.

It's a Southern Thing....

Before I start my blog today, I want to wish a happy birthday to my baby brother, Andy. He's turning 51 today. He's the only one of the four of us to tie me with how many grandbabies he has. 

Happy birthday Andy. I love you. 

Saturday's Search

Was online this morning searching for interesting things. I usually let Pinterest just show me recommendations and that finds me cool ideas. I love the baskets under this table. I have a table similar to this and think I will get some big baskets for under it. Since it is in my dining room, I may use one of the baskets for storing my tablecloths and the other for storing my aprons.

Oh my gosh this is too cute. Very simple. Going to start looking for cheap pillows at yard sales and then recover them with fabric with these ornaments and other appliques.

Oh goodness. Why have I never seen these vintage mugs before? They are Fire King and are Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes. I'm in love.

I would like to do this. This is too cute.

Another cute applique for a pillow. 

I love making yo-yo's and finding things to do with them. I need to get some striped fabric to make some of these.

Call me crazy, but I am wanting to get me a metal lunch box and thermos. But I really don't want it to be kiddie looking. Well, look what I found on line for $14.95. I may just have to order one.

I love the way the thermos has the hook to hold it in place. 

Well, those were some finds and some ideas that Pinterest thought would interest me....as usual they were right.