Tangible Memories

Thanks to Pinterest and some great ideas on "upcycling" clothing, I have two completed projects which turned some of my dad's clothes into a few treasured keepsakes. And I learned to sew in the process!

Project 1: Pillows made from a few of his dress shirts
(thanks to this website's excellent tutorial: http://www.onsuttonplace.com/2013/07/repurposed-shirt-pillow-cover/)

Project 2: Dresden Wallhanging made from 6 of his neckties

(thanks to this website's idea: https://gallopingpony.wordpress.com/2010/07/02/mini-quilt-art/#comments; unfortunately there were no directions so special thanks to my friend, Karen DeRoo, for helping me figure out how to make it)   

Project 3: Hopefully by Christmas I will have a memory quilt made from some of my dad's shirts as well as other meaningful items. (I'm not making this myself; I know my limitations!)

I'm thankful I had the time to work on these projects this summer. I love seeing these items that remind me of my dad and his love.

Stepping Stones

I finished up my garden by making some stepping stones this week. I found several ideas on Pinterest and adapted them.

I used Quickrete (found at Lowes) instead of the little stepping stone mixes that the craft stores carried. The 40 pound bag made six stones and cost $11 as opposed to the little mixes that make a single stone for $6. There are a lot of varieties of Quickrete but the helpful salesman told me this one would be best for “crafty” stepping stones because it didn’t have the gravel the other kinds have. It was nice and smooth.

I mixed enough cement for a single stone at a time so it wouldn’t all harden at once, but I needed to weigh out 5-8 pounds. Because I never throw anything away, I found an old scale in the basement that worked perfectly! I bought some alphabet cookie cutters to use as a template for the letters.  

It took about 15-20 minutes to make each stone. I had a couple molds and bought a few aluminum pans at the dollar store for the rest. They hardened for a couple days and this morning I put them in the back garden.

 I think they add just the right touch to my garden!

Finally, a craft project that worked.