Tipsy Tuesday ~ Recycling

Take an old picture frame that was literally in the trash can in my husband's garage (that's right, I'm not above picking trash cans for the right treasure) + the last bits of mist from the end of a spray can of antique white paint (also found in Hubby's garage) + a piece of galvanized steel cut to size (purchased from Hardware Store) =

Cool new magnet board for my sewing studio!  Btw, the little magnets and magnetic basket were purchased at the office supply store Back to School Sales :)

The galvanized steel can be found at a hardware store/home center like Lowe's and we cut it to size with tin snips (Just make sure you purchase metal that's magnetic, and not aluminum). *Be careful of the sharp edges that you create when cutting, and make sure it fits snugly into the the frame.  We also purchased glazing points to mount the steel in the frame, but small tacks would work too.  The metal can be covered with a thin fabric before inserting into the frame if you like, but I kind of like the look of the metal ~ plus I figure I'm just going to cover it up with lots of little inspirations :)

PS ~ The wooden shelves were yoinked from a pile in a thrift store for $4.00 and are really nice heavy wood from Ethan Allen (I'm not above rummaging the piles in the corner of the thrift store either!). 

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Tipsy Tuesday ~ School Supply Shopping

Do you love bargain hunting?  I do ~ it's like a sport.  I enjoy the hunt, and when I score good deals on little treasures it's like I've won a prize (What can I say, it doesn't take much to keep me entertained).   For the last few weeks, in my regular travels I've been hitting stores like Staples, Walmart, Walgreens, Target, and even Toys R Us and picking up their weekly Back to School themed Loss Leader items for pennies.  These are not just school supply items, but valuable quilting resources and tools!  So far I've stocked up on ten cent water soluble glue sticks, pencil sharpeners, folders for projects, graph paper composition books, tape, mechanical pencils, and of course new crayons! So do I have kids going back to school this Fall, nope ~ these items are all for me :)
 

Back to School supplies are not just for students and quilters, this is what I'm planning to do with this cute little zipper case that I found in a bin at Staples for just a few dollars...

It makes a perfect little carry along for my knitting tools.  I can even fit index cards with stitch patterns in it.

And for under a dollar I found this little plastic zip pouch that can hold a bunch too...

So easy to fill and just drop into a tote when I'm heading out the door. ~ "It's a good thing" :) 

Stock up this month on essentials as items go on sale for under a dollar and save yourself from paying full price later when you need them...and keep an eye out for those little extras like my pouches to make your bargain treasure hunting more fun!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Tipsy Tuesday :)

So what do you do with Pool Noodle floaties after the trip to the beach house is over? They don't really store well in the garage (They're always in the way, no matter where you put them, and if you have more than one, just try to coral them together if you need to move them...they try to escape in all different directions...things can get knocked over...expletives can fly...possibly ~ anyway, I got my revenge...)

So on with the today's Tip:  If you're a quilter who participates in block of the month programs, or you take blocks to guild/club meetings for show & tell or swaps, you know that if you fold them to transport in a tote bag, the result is a crease in the block...
 

...and depending on the fabric used, the resulting creases can be hard to press back out.

Here's the solution (and my revenge on the Pool Noodle).  I know it sounds petty on my part, but chop those babies up!  With a serrated knife they slice like butter ~ a smaller knife can be used, but at the time this one seemed right :)
  

I cut about a 15 inch length of Pool Noodle for a 12 1/2 inch block.  Stack the blocks, and place the resulting Pool Noodlette (Pool Penne?), centered along one edge of the blocks...

Roll the blocks up, and pin right into the Pool Penne...and Voila!  Just drop it in a tote and head to Guild.  This works great for small quilt tops too, just cut the Pool Noodle to whatever length you need :)  I store my Baltimore Album blocks this way (because Lord knows it's going to be years before I have enough of them for an actual Baltimore Album quilt). 

Pool Penne can also be cut to size, wrapped in muslin, and used in place of a tissue paper roll inside the folds of an antique quilt in storage.  Folds and creases are the worst enemy of a stored 100 year old quilt (Remember this quilt) ~ always make sure to support those folds to make them softer.

(Btw ~ I may have shared this Tip before, it's one of my favorites...I share it at classes that I teach, and I'm starting to do that old lady thing of telling a story over and over again like I've never told it before...(I'm sure my kids will hear about my fight in the garage with the Pool Noodles for years to come).  So please forgive me if I've shared this Tip here already.  To avoid this problem in the future, I've created a blog label for Tipsy Tuesday, that way I can check back at tips I've already shared, and readers can easily reference future tips :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn