Finit-O!

I never guessed I'd finish this {quickly}.  And my husband recently confessed he didn't think I'd finish this project at all.  I'm not sure if that's a testament to the tediousness of the project, or to my project-finishing-capabilities.  True, my shop is teetering with projects on my to-do list from days gone by.... but they'll get done.... someday.

But back to {this} project.  My t-shirt rug from my Fox 11 appearance.  You can see from these photos that I wasn't even half way when I went on the air to show the {world} how they could make a rug out of up-cycled tees.  Easy, yes.  Time consuming, double yes.

 


The kids had fun watching it {grow} and come to life.  I had fun watching my bag of dyed shirt scraps dwindle.  Little by little.  Row by row.  The tangerine tide swept over the latch hook mat until I hooked my last piece! 

I sat back and looked at what I had created and I said "It is good."  I gently smoothed my hands over it's plush surface and grinned.  I had finished.  I allowed my fingers to nestle within the deep orange pile, and grinned again.  I took it inside.  Removed the masking tape holding the edges.  And ironed on the binding.

Then I took her upstairs and let her reside where she was destined to be - the new bathroom.  Pure luxury as you step out of the shower! 

Upcycled Tee's - The Pinterest Way!

Thank you for reading along, and if you're a new reader since my Fox 11 appearance this morning, an extra BIG welcome to you!  I hope you'll find the information you need to do these T-shirt projects yourself.  I also hope you'll be inspired to share your completed projects with me on my Facebook Page!

Rather than reinvent the wheel {and because there are some other super fantastic bloggers out there who do phenomenal tutorials} I've decided to just link up to the tute's I used for the projects I showcased on the air this morning.

T-shirt Rug

Ok, so wasn't this one fun??!!!  I've named this piece "50 Shades of Tangerine" LOL  You know the addage, "Never say never."  Well, that does not apply to this project.  While I thoroughly enjoyed creating this piece {and WILL finish it}, I will most likely never make another.  Please don't let that discourage you!  It's easy, just time consuming.  My advice on this one... take your time... do a little at a time... and you will stay sane *wink*

{click image above to see the tutorial}

TIPS I LEARNED:
Make more than you think you'll need as you will find some mis-cut strips as you go to latch hook your rug.

Don't feel like you have to dye it all in one batch.  The ombre effect of the multi-toned strips gives it a nice effect.

Heavy weight cotton shirts will be harder to latch hook, so if possible, choose lighter weight cotton shirts.

If I DID choose to do another, I would probably skip the dying and just cut up shirts in the color I wanted the rug.  {I even imagined a rainbow rug using mult-colored shirts!!}

T-shirt Turned Tank Top
 

How cute is this???!!!!  I figured since I had one very involved project, I would share an easy-peasy one too.  This could take as little as 10 minutes to do after you do one "practice" one to see how it goes.  And the results make any boy cut shirt into a girly top in no time.

{click image above to see the tutorial}

TIPS I LEARNED:
Just one.  Align the seams of the recycled-cuff shoulder strap so that they fall within the gathering of the neckline so it looks seamless.

I always love to see what you're working on, so please please please share your pics on my Facebook page!!  You guys are the best!  Thanks again for reading!

Week... {what week am I on now?}

I set myself up this past week for a 1.5# loss.  I did a lot of things right, but I also made some not-so-fantastic choices along the way that led me to a big fat ZERO pounds lost.  The good news in all of this??  I didn't GAIN anything either.  I stayed exactly the same.  So, I count that as a success, considering my week looked a little like this:

COOKOUT

COOKIE BARS

NEED TO GO SHOPPING

I'll take that zero loss/gain and raise you a 1+ pound loss this week.  Just watch me do it. ;)

whoops!

The title does NOT indicate a failure to stay on track with my weight loss, rather, it's my failure to post my results last week.  It can be easily explained... my one and only craft show of the season becomes a reality in T-4 days and I have been feverishly crafting my heart out!

My apologies if you sought my blog out for encouragement for the week and I let you down.  Hopefully you experienced your own successes over the past 2 weeks!  Please share!

To recap, last week, I lost a whopping .8#  To say I was getting frustrated would be an understatement.  So, I ramped it up this past week and made these key changes in my daily routine:

• I tracked.  Every.  Single.  Day.
• I planned ahead for my {hungry time} by cutting up a huge fruit salad after lunch to have ready to go mid-afternoon.
• I planned to get as many activity points as I would need to cover my "overage" in points plus values for the day.
• I moved.  More.  I made sure to hit my goal of activity each and every day - and even surpassed it many days.
• And finally - I didn't weigh myself each day.  I waited until right before I left for the meeting!

All these  {minor} changes lead me to a 3.4# loss this week!  Hello encouragement!

So, over the last 2 weeks, my total weight loss was 4.2#.

A gallon of Liquid Propane Gas (LPG) weighs 4.23 lbs.

One word.

I've been asked from time to time what this silly little blog is all about.  Is it about design?  Is it about DIY crafts?  Is it about gardening?  Is it about God?  Is it about raising kids?  Or chickens?  And if you're a loyal reader, you know I, too, have 'struggled' with this notion that my blog didn't have any clear cut borders.  No specific target audience.  Basically without definition. 

And then it hit me.  Like the flu bug that suddenly reared its ugly head in my joints late yesterday, I realized that my blog does have a focus.

It's about my life.  It's about a normal girl, living in average digs, trying to be the best wife & mother she can be while using her God-given talents to try and make a buck or two.  Throw in trying to get healthy & enjoy some hobbies and you have life.  My life.  And I'm probably not too far off to assume that it represents a lot of your lives too.  That's why you read!  It feels good to be in good company.

Thanks for reading, and for letting me share my life with you.

diet, schmiet

 It's a LIFESTYLE.  Studies over and over have confirmed that the way to loose weight {and keep it off} is through good ole fashioned consistent diet and exercise.  Not a pill.  Not a surgery. {although sometimes necessary}  Not starvation.

Eat your colors.

Eat the rainbow.

You've all heard it.... and it's true!  Making sure you eat foods that are unprocessed and straight from the earth is both beneficial and the way God intended it to be.  Now, I like Cheetos just as much as the next person, but I also live by two mantras:

and

I've figured out that if I eat healthy the majority of the time, an occassional treat will not totally disrupt my weight loss and overall health.  It's when I over indulge again and again and again that things start going south.

This week I worked on changing my activity habits when I was typically inactive.  I posted notes around my house to remind me of things I could do when I found myself doing nothing.  Thankfully, after my ActiveLink assessment, I found I was actually reaching my baseline {activity needed to just exist} early in the afternoon and accruing Activity Points each day!  And that's just with my normal day to day life stuff.  A pleasant suprise that explained why I've been able to eat my full points every day PLUS all my Weekly Points Plus Allowance, too, and still loose some weight.

But I can do better and there's always room for improvement.  So I busted out the exercise ball this week, threw the ball for the dog while dinner cooked, and wrote down everything I ate {well, almost}

This week I lost .8 pounds. 

The US Dept. Of Agriculture estimates that the average person in the United States eats .8 lbs of fruits each day.

DRAB to FAB - Pillows!

Ok, so this is an easy one.  Simple project.  Inexpensive.  But oh so beautiful!

I turned some tired {blah} couch pillows into something trendy and spring ready.

From DRAB:

To FAB:

1 1/4 yds of fabric {duck cloth} at 50% off $6.24
2 packages of coordinating piping {reg. price} $1.99 each

I didn't set up a sewing station in my kitchen just to let it sit... did I?