i got this idea from chez larsson (http://chezlarsson.com/myblog/2009/06/from-tshirt-to-pillow-.html).  benita made a pillow for her son's room from an i <3 ny shirt that (i think) was too small. 



i got this low t-shirt at a show approximately five years ago - and two kids ago.  i wasn't thin pre-kid, but like many of my old shirts, it's somehow way too short now.  i was hanging on to it for something (i think i was planning to remake it into a kid shirt?) but this idea is perfect for it.  no one will ever grow out of it again!



bonus: i got the pillow form (new in package) at the thrift store for 49 cents.

i moved this bookshelf into my kids' new playroom to hold toys, and it looked really sad and blah.  i'm used to the back wall of the shelf being completely hidden by books, cds, records, etc and it's just that boring tan cardboard stuff . . . so i covered it in old rock posters and other personal memorabilia.  much more colorful!  



i censored the 'f' word by covering it with a shelf.  my kids can't read yet, but it still felt wrong  

my older son starts preschool in three weeks. he's so excited!  so am i . . .
check out the little school supplies i customized for him.  the pouch holds his crayons.



i wrote a little more about it (and posted a pic where you can see his name embroidered on the back of the pouch) here:
http://spontaneousgeneration.typepad.com/

these baby booties are actually from the 'simple socks' pattern from 'simple knits for little cherubs' by erika knight.



this is a really straightforward pattern, and it helped me learn several new skills!  i guess it was less intimidating to try something new because the project was so small.

these are also fun because they use so little yarn.  i could get another pair (or, better yet, a matching hat and bib!) from the same skein.  hmm, i guess i know what my next project should be!

i started randomly knitting with this yarn, and ended up with a hat! 

to make your own, take the yarn you want to use and knit up a small swatch to figure out your gauge.  then cast on enough stitches to get a 7-8" width.  this is going to be the dimension from the top of the hat down to the bottom edge (so, down to your eyebrows or the back of your neck).  mine is way longer than needed, so i flip up the edge - if you want to do that, make it 8-9".  or make it small for a kid, tiny for a baby.

now just keep knitting until the length of the piece will wrap around your head.  bind off.  sew up the two short sides (the cast on and bind off rows) using your preferred method.  without cutting the yarn, at the end of that seam, pass the needle through the end stitch of every other row and gather tightly.  bring the needle to the inside of the hat, tie a couple knots, weave in a bit and clip the yarn.

you have a hat!  without increasing or decreasing or figuring out dpns!

more pics and a little more info about how this hat randomly and serendipitously came into being, right over here:
http://spontaneousgeneration.typepad.com/

thanks for checking it out!

i made lovely new shades for my living room windows using this tutorial: http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2009/02/make-shades-out-of-mini-blinds.html

it was pretty quick, no sewing (although i love to sew!) and i'm really happy with the results.  it only took two yards of fabric, which was 50% off, so this was a very low-budget project.  best of all, i got rid of my fugly miniblinds BUT repurposed the hardware and some of the slats for reduced guilt!



thanks for looking!