New uses for old things

One of my absolute favorite things about moving is the total blank slate.

I love taking all of my treasures and belongings

and finding not only new homes for them,

but also new uses.

Bookshelves that used to be jam packed with craft supplies

now become storage for all of our "keep sakes".

Kitchen clocks become bedroom clocks.

A table that used to function as a front door catch all

returns to it's original calling as a dressing table.

Even things that used to be hidden away in storage from your childhood

find new homes as added pops of pink!

But one of my favorite new uses for old things so far in this crazy

unpacking and organizing process has got to be

this!

I was given this very sweet little magnetic sewing pin container as a gift 

from a friends mom.

In the old house it had no home. 

No job.

It literally just was tucked away into a box for a rainy day.

Then I realized that not only was she perfect for my great great grandmothers 

dressing table, but she had a secret hidden potential 

to house and organize my bobby pins.

Viola! 

30x30

On Day 11, I decided to replicate my new favorite skirt! 

You know when you fall in love with a clothing item,

and wish that you had more of them.

Well, I am making that happen.

So sometimes you don't have to spend any money on patterns.

Drawing your own and constructing with out instructions is quite simple is you have 

a good understanding of sewing.

A simple wrap skirt like this one can be made quickly.

Quickly when you have the energy to dig 

through your fabric stash to see what you have to make it with.  Haha.

I really should have finished this skirt today,

but being inside was the last time on my mind.

It was so beautiful outside today and had to be taken advantage of.

The skirt could wait. 

The boy and my garden could not.

wardrobe re-fashion

i would like to start off by just saying that you should never under estimate the power of an ugly dress. in the picture above it almost had the power of making me pee my pants i was laughing so hard. the shoulder pads in this thing are out of control! hahaha

 i found this "beauty" at an estate sale last summer with my in laws. they all looked at me like "well i guess if any one could pull that off it would be you?!?!?!" they must have thought i was nuts, or they were just praying that i didn't decide to wear it to dinner.

 it's been sitting in my closet for months now. i couldn't decide what i was going to do with it. for a while i thought that i was going to sell it. then i was just going to cut it up and use it for scraps. then i realized what a gem i was really sitting on. so with literally about 10 minutes of planning, cutting, ironing, and sewing i came up with this....

wardrobe re-fashion

this re-fashioning was one of my favorite/hardest things i've made. between the directions for creating my own chevron fabric to the directions for installing an invisible zipper (which i have not done in about 15 years) there was a lot of confusion. there were many moments where i would just find myself staring at all the cut up fabric thinking "was this a good idea? should i have just destroyed one of my favorite skirts? is this even possible?" but the pencil skirt turned out exactly how i wanted it too... thanks to the help of my new favorite book... the little green dress. i highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about pattern making. i might cry when i have to bring it back to the library! so here is it the before & after. hope you like it.

before

after

oh, and i totally realized that i got so caught up in making this skirt that i forgot sunday's 10 things i couldn't live without. my bad. it will be back next sunday.

DIY: passport covers

this is one of the easiest tutorials and takes less than an hour to make start to finish. i made these in a snap for the sweet little lovers over at our august. what travel bloggers would love matching passport covers.

here's the handmade how to:

step 1:

cut two 12" x 6" rectangles out of contrasting fabric.

step 2:

pin and sew them together, right sides together with a 1/4" seam allowance. remember to leave your self a 2" opening to turn it inside out so that the right sides are facing out.

*tip: trim the corners off before turning inside out so that the seam will lay smoother.

step 3:

press flat. top stitch all the way around the rectangle.

step 4:

fold in 1.75" on one side and 2.25" on the other. press, pin and sew only along the top and bottom edges.

step 5:

fold in half, and press flat. and that's it. you are done. enjoy.

serve it up with a handmade card and you are set. love you anges and leonard.

"the frenchie" tote giveaway!

CONGRATS TO KELLY! YOU ARE THE WINNER OF THIS ADORABLE TOTE!

random.org chose the comment:

"What I love most about Turquoise Violets is the inspiration it provides me to be a crafty, creative mom!"

here it is folk, the fist ever turquoise violets giveaway!

this is "the frenchie" tote. made just for you.....you lucky winner! this tote is great for the market or the beach. handmade by me.

the exterior is an olive cotton twill, with a hand embroidered mustache. the mustache was screen printed by the hubs. so cute. the handles are red and cream scraps (from another project you will see soon) of a super soft jersey. they are so comfortable.

the interior is a whimsical white polka dot.

here are the rules:

1. you can enter up to three times for this giveaway.

• for your first entry, just leave a comment telling me what you love the most about turquoise violets.
• for your second entry, sign up to be a follower. then leave a comment telling me what you want to see more of from turquoise violets. for those of you that are already followers, just skip to the leaving the second comment second comment. only entries submitted by "followers" will be accepted.
• for your third entry, post a link of facebook. tell all your friends how much you love this blog and then leave one last comment with a link to your post. only entries submitted by "followers" will be accepted.

2. you have until april 30th at 11:59 pm.

3. the winner will be chosen by random.org first thing may 1st.

4. thanks for playing and good luck!

DIY: toddler pj pants

yesterday the hubs brought me this pile:

a stack of old boxers that have been buried away at the bottom of his under ware drawer. never warn. as he explains, "they are too skinny, someone made them wrong."

since i have been on such a up-cycling clothing mood lately, all i could think was i could make these into pj's for the boy. this is such an easy alteration. it literally took 5 minutes to convert one pair.

here is a little updated picture of the boy in his new pj's

10 things i couldn't live without this week:

1. a very long, sleepy, pajama and movie filled monday.

2. sewing sewing and more sewing time.

3. my very first tankini

4. doing things as a mother that i swore i would never do (i.e. wear a tankini)

5. 2 pairs of pants for the price of one. took a pair of thrifted pants and turned them into a pair of shorts for me and a pair of pants for the little man.

6. $2 yard sale finds. i am getting good at making $2 stretch pretty far.

7. the most delicious tomatoes i've ever had.

8. new additions to the garden. we now have tomatoes, bell peppers, strawberries, and pineapple.

9. seeing my grandparents for dinner tonight.

10. sanibel island sunsets. arrived today for our week vacation with my parents and sisters. keep reading this week for "a week without words".