It's Round Top Time!

Well, it's finally time for the Round Top Texas big antique extravaganza. Twice a year, Round Top, Texas has a huge gathering of thousands and thousands of vendors. If you are looking for it, it can be found there. Everything from newly crafted items to items hundreds of years old.

I went in the spring, walked and walked. Drank margaritas from a vendor while I shopped. Bought a beautiful vintage 1940's christmas apron for $5. Course I bought other stuff too .. but that was my favorite find. I also collect vintage pink china plates. Bought a few of those also.

So, if you are in this area, check it out. I guarantee you won't be sorry you did. The fields along the highway going in to Round Top is lined with vendors. Porta-potties are set up and you can shop till you drop! See you there!

Man's Shirt Apron

I'm always looking for unique and unusual aprons. The other day I found one on the internet which had been crafted from a man's dress shirt! I thought what a cute and easy way to whip one up!

I'm participating in the "Flirty Apron Swap" and our theme this time is Tropical. While in Goodwill I passed and saw a man's shirt made of greap tropical fabric. I immediately thought of the apron and bought the shirt. Wednesday is Senior day and 55 yrs young and over get 40% off clothes. Well, I'm a year away still but I'm such a "frequent flyer" in that store, the girl gives me the discount! So, I got this shirt for $3.50! Now, where can you buy material and get 75% of a project done for $3.50?? Plus I always feel good when I shop there b/c I know I'm helping others, recycling, and also saving my husband money .. which he loves!

I didn't think to have my camera ready and take pics as I cut .. but I'll try to explain the best I can. I'm such a visual person I can see something and go home and make it as I remember it in my mind.

The shirt I bought was a man's large. I wear a size 10/12 so it was perfect for me .. eventhough I'm giving this away. Ok, back to the instructions! I get a bit side-tracked!

Cut up the sides of the apron, starting at the bottom till you reach the sleeves. I cut on the front side of the side seam, leaving the actual seam on the back part. I cut around the sleeve, and up and about 1/2 between the neck seam and the should seam, on around the back leaving about 4-5 inches around the bottom seam of the collar and on down and around the other side, around the sleeve and down the side. I took the back part and cut my strips across it sideways. I cut 4 inch wide strips (4 of them) using the full width of the back and sewed 2 together to make 2 long sashes (the 4 strips). Then I folded the strips long ways in half and sewed. Next turn them inside out. Go back to the front part of the shirt and this will be the apron! I just turned it under and top-stitched all the way around. I didn't want to add ric-rac or ruffles .. just something simple so I just hemmed it. I sewed the sash on each side where the side seam met up with the arm hole. Now, the original pattern I saw had the front part of the shirt sewn shut where the buttons were. I decided to leave this open so my partner could either slip it over her head (if she didn't want to unbotton it) or she could unbotton it and slip it on like a shirt if she wants to leave the sash tied. I did make the sash long enough so she could wrap it in front and tie it. I love long sashes!

Once I was through I thought it looked so cute and feminine and you couldn't even tell it had once been a man's shirt!

If you choose to use a long sleeve shirt, the sleeves will be perfect for the sash. I had to use the back section since the shirt I chose had short sleeves. It had one pocket on it, but you can always use the extra material to make another pocket or simply use it for your stash!

Best part of all .. you have recycled. To me, it's the gift that has given twice!

I am on the lookout now for more shirts! Can't wait to find unusual ones and get bizzy!

Happy sewing!

Aloha Flirty Apron Swap

Today Shawnee posted our new apron swap. A tropical Hawaiian theme. Just in time for summer. It's been over 100 here in Texas. So sewing something topical will be just what we need to cool off!

Thanks Shawnee for all you do to bring us these awesome swaps at Flirtyapronswap.blogspot.com.

From an Apron-a-holic ... me

Monday Memories

Last nite I was feeling a bit down. I cleaned house all day and when I was dusting, I started looking at pics of my dad I have around my house. It's hard to believe he's been gone almost 2 years. I miss him so much each day. After my husband went to bed, it was quiet and I started thinking back when I was a little girl. Many memories came flooding my mind and my birth year of 1957.

Several years ago, I was privilidged enough to have given to me an old Life Magazine Book with all the magazines from July and August of 1957 bound in a book. I was born in July so I was so thrilled when I saw it. I opened the book last nite and gazed through it.

It's one of those books where you really need to sit down and look at the articles because I had no clue what most were. Last nite, I was just in the mood to look at the advertisements and smile and think about how simple life was back then.

I had to snap a few pics of some of the ads in the book. Where in the world can you get a 5 piece bedroom suite now in the price range of $149 to $399? With $399 being the top of the price range, I wondered what in the world that one looked like! I really laughed when I looked closely because my brother had the exact bed but in black (not white) and a double size. Matter of fact, the bed is till in our farm house.

How about the cereal ad? Post cereals - sugar rice krinkles? I wonder if you could hear snap/crackle/pop on those when you poured the milk on!

Gleem Toothpaste with GL-70? GL-70 sounds like car oil to me! Can't imagine that being appealing enough to brush my teeth with it!

Who can forget Sea and Ski sun lotion? Remember the Coppertone girl and how much controversy was on her not having a top on? In this ad, you can pick up a pair of toddler pants for a mere 50 cents! No top, just the pants!

And last but certainly not least to me was the all time classic 1957 Chevy! My mom and dad bought one right before I was born. I got to come home from the hospital in a brand new car! This was the first new car my mom and dad owned. When these cars were built, they didn't sell as well has GM had hoped. This was the first automobile to have tubeless tires. It scared away alot of buyers. Funny .. now we ask "what's a tube?" When asking most people to name a classic car, the '57 Chevy is the most popular response. Brand new, this car cost around $1500. My mom and dad bought one, a black and white one like in this photo, and paid cash for it. Doesn't seem like much to pay $1500 cash for a new vehicle, but their income was $50 a week. My dad loved that car and drove it for years. I'd give anything to have it. Those are the coolest cars to me!

Well, we've come to the end of Monday Memories for today. Hope you all enjoyed joining me for a trip down Memory Lane. Seems like yesterday we were there .. then again, it seems like another lifetime ago.

Anyway .. it was a fun way to end the day of feeling down. A stroll down memory lane is always good for me.

Summer Table

Last week I found an estate sale by accident. Headed out to lunch, was going to my favorite tamale place and EERCHHHH .. hit the brakes! There it was .. the sign that always catches my eye .. Estate Sale! So, having no self control, I turn. This was a particularly a good sale .. lots of antiques. I found a very old suitcase for a friend of mine who does photography. She's always looking for props. I bought some really cool old jars. Glass canning with the lids. I bought three of them .. got them for $2 apiece. They were outside and filled with nasty old scummy water. I poured out the water and then bargained my price. First she wanted $5 each .. but once she smelled them she laughed and agreed to my $2. I had never seen old jars like these. After some research on the internet I found they were from the 1930's.

Last year I bought really cool table cloth at an estate sale. I had put it up and knew at one time I would find a use for it. It's really bright colors and as you all know .. I'm a pink girl. When I brought the jars home, the wheels in my head turned so I decided to make a table arrangement .. like a country picnic. I had the picnic basket tucked away in my pantry so I bought some flowers and the bread, cheese and grapes to complete the arrangement. I loved the flowers. They have bluebonnets in them which is the state flower for Texas.

I placed them all on the table to see how it would look. In the past I've drug out a table cloth, ironed it then decided not to use it so I ironed for nothing. I've lived with this arrangement for a couple of days so I'll be keeping it for a few months so now I have to iron the table cloth. I couldn't believe how well all the colors went together!

I just love Estate Sales. You read about them on the internet. They always post the really cool pics of the expensive furniture, dishes, designer clothes, jewelr, but it's the odd things I find that I am attracted to. Reading about them on the internet gives you no clue as to what you will really find there. It's just way too much fun to me. It's like opening a big box wrapped so beautifully .. you never know what's inside.

Funny thing .. I never made it to the tamale factory.

Work, Work, Work

Well, I log on today to see it's almost been a whole month since I posted. I've broken my New Year's Resolution. I had vowed to be more attentative to my blog and post more often with ideas, tips etc. And as each day goes by I've done nothing but gotten worse! Shamey Shamey on me!

Now it's time for excuses! I've been so busy working! Looking back over the last couple of months, I'm averaging about 70 hours a week working. How draining. Looks like this will continue through the month of May. I get so tired .. and when that alarm goes off .. it's taking everything I have to get out of bed. Especially when you are working 7 days a week .. after awhile, they all just run together. You don't even realize what day it is. I keep thinking about what my dad always said "Better get it while you can". So I'm doing just that. With budget cuts in our school district, this may all slow down this summer .. so I'm grabbing it all now .. as long as I can still stand.

Even though I'm working .. my mind is still racing about thoughts for my blog. New ideas of where to go etc. Now if I can just find the time to implement them!

Oh .. phone is ringing .. never a dull moment here!

Sewing Treasures

I had to share the wonderful find I ran in to at the thrift store! I use not to go to these then until reading blogs and seeing all the fabulous things people were finding. So, one day I thought I'd give it a try when I was dropping off something there to donate. Now, it's become a new addiction of mine! Sometimes I drive by and think, "Let me stop and see what they have." Well, this particular day, I hit the jackpot at this location. Look at all boxes of sewing kits I found. Originally they were marked $19.99. I got them for $1.99 each. The small boxes are filled with 9 fat quarters, the larger ones have 18 .. EACH !! They are actually kits to make a lap throw or quilted tote bag. I just wanted them for all the fat quarters! Where in this world can you find 18 fat quarters for $1.99? I was hurrying to put them in my cart. As I'm putting in the last one, another lady says "Man, I'm just a few minutes too late!" Yep, she was .. I bought them all! Am I a bad person for not sharing with her? I just couldn't bring myself to take them out of my basket and give her 1/2. After all, I was there first! lol My fat quarter stash is growing .. I've got to get busy with some scrappy quilts!