Father's Day Gift! I cut the crap!

I know it’s a little late for a post about Father’s Day, but since I made my husband's gift THE DAY BEFORE Father’s Day, it’s not like I had time to post about it ahead of time.  But in any case, I cut the crap by re-purposing an old t-shirt into something new and useful – even if it’s only useful in a decorative sort of way. 

Rob really loved this t-shirt.  At some point, he splattered battery acid on it and created multiple tiny holes.  After wearing and washing several times, these holes got bigger.  SOOO…  The t-shirt went to the back of the closet and was forgotten until recently.  He cleaned out things and put this t-shirt in the rag pile.  I know he was a bit sad about this, so my brain immediately started to run through ways I could save that shirt.  What did I come up with, you ask?  A pillow.  It can sit on our bed and remind him that our kids think he’s the Dad of Dads.  J

How did I do this?  I cut out as much of the decal and the surrounding non-damaged t-shirt as possible.  Front and back.  Then I sewed it, stuffed it, and closed it up.  This isn’t a sewing blog, so I’m not going to give you step-by-step instructions.  There are plenty of tutorials out there; just google it.  In fact, here’s one.

You can do this with any old t-shirt, really.  In fact, I have a few concert t-shirts that are pretty much worn out.  I think I’m going to give them a second chance by turning them into pillows.  Why not?  You can always cut them into rags, because let’s face it: t-shirts are nice and soft and work great to wipe down a window or counter.  Whatever you do, think twice before throwing them in the trash, though.  I’m sure that eventually they’ll wear out.  No matter what.  But make sure you’ve gotten all your use out of them before tossing them away.     Here are some additional ideas. Just google "tshirt pillow" to get how-to instructions and pictures! 

Cut The Crap! Shop at Thrift Stores!

So, in my quest to cut the crap, I’m not sure I’m actually cutting the crap in my house.  I did do something cool recently, though, to keep crap out of the landfill.  I propagated some plants and re-potted them in pots I bought from thrift store.  I also bought some used children’s books and a few home décor items… all from the thrift store.  Not only did I get some great items for a fraction of the cost, but these items are getting a second (or maybe third?) life at my house.  It’s a win win. 

Let me start with my plants.  I have a huge spider plant that I affectionately call Big Mama.  This plant has survived several “murder” attempts, and we’ve given countless of her “babies” to friends and family.  She continues to make babies, though, and I have to do SOMETHING with them. 

I went to Walmart to look at cheap pots.  All of the “cheap” pots  were just that.  Cheap.  The inexpensive ones were plastic or terrible plaster things.  The nicer pots were obviously more pricey.  This was the case everywhere I went: Home Depot, Lowes, Target, etc.  I found a few cute pots, but really didn’t want to spend a lot since I had about 10 (you read that right. 10.) baby plants to transplant.  So I went to my favorite thrift store and found these. 

I repotted them this weekend and so far everything is looking great!  I’ll post more pictures of the happy little plants soon… and THEN I’ll have to go buy some additional pots because Big Mama has even MORE babies coming!  Does anyone want a plant?  Hahaha!

If you’ve read my previous blog posts, you know I love books.  My entire family loves books.  So when I saw these, I jumped at the chance to buy them.  Who can resist when they are less than $2?  My daughter had so much fun picking books that from now on I’m going to bring her with me to the thrift store.  She can pick up as many books as $10 will buy!  Why not?  We should always encourage reading!  AND when we’re done with these gently used books, they’ll go right back to the thrift store so another child can enjoy them. 

That brings me to the home décor… I bought a tray and a jewelry box.  I thought the tray would be perfect for Christmas cookies during holiday get-togethers, AND it only cost $4!  Can’t beat that!  It’s in perfect condition, too. 

Here’s the jewelry box.  It’s beaded and has a small mirror and tray inside.  This, too, was only $4!  It looks great with the colors in my bedroom, and I needed an extra place to stash my growing jewelry collection.  LOVE IT.

I’m sold on the merits of thrift-store shopping.  J  You can find unique items at low prices and keep said items out of the trash heap.  Why buy everything new when you don’t have to?