How to ~ Crochet a Hand Towel Ring Holder

Materials List:

~  Wool {I used left over scraps - I think it was 4 ply}

~  4.5mm/5mm hook

~  Needle for sewing in ends

Gauge:  N/A   Hook & yarn chart if you are not sure what to use, or if you wish to make a smaller/large holder.

Abbreviations:  

ch – chain
st - stitch
sk - skip
sc - single crochet
dc – double crochet
sl st - slip stitch
mc - magic circle
* – repeat

The Pattern:

Using two strands of wool at once to make your sts thicker, create a large magic circle loop.

Ch 2, dc 38 sts around mc.  Sl st to join and start the 'top' of the holder.

The aim is to create a triangle shape:  Sc 7 sts across the top of your dc.

Reverse.  Sk 1st sc, and sc 5 across the top.

Reverse.  Sk 1st sc, and sc 3 across the top.

Chain 8, and sl st to the other side of the triangle to form the hanging loop.   To re-enforce the loop you can sc across it.  Sl st to join back into the main piece.

{Optional} Picot Edging:

To do a picot edging ~

Ch 3 and sl st into the same st.  Sc 1, ch3 and sl st into same st* all the way around until you reach the other side of the hanging loop.

Sew in ends and hang your towel up!    (✿◠‿◠)ﾉ

Ta Da!

xox,
bonita

A Pretty Vintage House Decorating Guide

I found this lovely 1967 Woman’s Weekly Home Sewing Decor Guide last year, but only just had the brilliant idea of making it in to a .pdf to share! 

It has lots of instructions on how to sew just about everything you could possibly need for your house; everything that that can be sewn that is, and it also tells you how to make interesting window dressings like pelmets, valances and cornices.

      

I like these examples of window treatments ~ although that floral wallpaper on the right is a bit much for me!!  >  <

The instructions for the table clothes seem simple, but with a nice variety of trimming styles from the normal boring square, which is useful. 

    

    

I love the colour pallet in all of the photos above that I saved from various websites ~ the fresh pastels really seem to lighten and brighten the spaces, don’t they?  Shabby French Country Chic is one of my favourite decor looks, although I love dark woods instead of all the white~washed furniture. 

There are of course, a ton more inspiration pictures out there, but combined with your handy DIY guide, your own vintage home decor and furnishings shall be easy to create ~ download it here.   ヽ(*≧ω≦)ﾉ

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ Easy Breezy Pillow Tutorial

I love Casey of Elegant Musings’s style ~ can we say girl crush much?  Her taste in vintage decor is every bit delightful as her wardrobe, so meander over to this little post to see how to make your own pillow slip covers.  You can also see what she has in store for her couch. Enjoy!
 

around the house: simple pillows

Happy Friday, friends! I’m excited I finally have a little DIY for you (hopefully soon there will be some garment sewing DIYs coming…) Remember my pep talk post recently about decorating and getting started on covering up those ugly, beige accent pillows? I finally did just that! I’ll show you the fruit of my labours first and then there is a mini how-to further down for those who might be curious about the process….

xox,

bonita

A modern take on 1950s vintage housekeeping

I’ve been busy on Pinterest, pining away at ideas to help me keep my house tidy and organized; just the way I like it.  I have been falling down on the job this week I am afraid; it seems that when I go out, like to get my hair cut, or for Theodore’s immunisations, it takes all day and by the time I get back home I am too exhausted to start the housework! : /

But I suppose it cannot be helped, I just have to try and catch up or ignore it and live with it until next week.  Which method to you prefer?  I once read a book on organization that said that you should leave the weekly jobs if you don’t get them done on the day they are scheduled for or you will forever be playing catch up.  I suppose that is good advice if you really don’t have time to spare, but I find that if I just stop mucking around on the computer for a while I can often catch up on yesterday’s chores if I didn’t manage to get them done the day before. 

If you are interested in the weekly chore system I use, here are two chore charts that are currently hanging on my wall ~

 

They are both available for download here if you would like to use them yourselves.  Obviously there are personal things that you may want to change around, but I often find it helps to have some sort of starting point! 

I actually started with the traditional “Wash on Monday” nursery rhyme to create my weekly chore list ~ it was really useful to pin down what chores I need to think about doing once a week.  

Wash on Monday,
Iron on Tuesday,
Mend on Wednesday,
Churn on Thursday,
Clean on Friday,
Bake on Saturday,
Rest on Sunday.

And as for leaving the washing until later on in the week?  Well ~

They that wash on Monday
Have all week to dry;
They that wash on Tuesday
Are not much awry;
They that wash on Wednesday
Are not so much to blame;
They that wash on Thursday
Wash for shame;
They that wash on Friday
Wash in need;
And they that wash
on Saturday?
Dirty they are indeed!

 

Lol; so what does that mean that sometimes I wash on Sunday?  I don’t even want to think about it! 
> o <

Anyway, on a more serious note I find this statement to be very wise and true for my personal experiences regarding housekeeping:

...Our foremothers found, as others have, that having a certain day to do certain chores goes a long way to getting everything done. I have tried all manner of organizational tips and tricks for having a good schedule and always failed in the execution because of being overwhelmed. However, having one priority per day helped me get that priority done.

Not only will this work for your housekeeping, but for your business or home school as well. A priority-based schedule may work better for larger families and for ladies like me who just can’t cope with a stringent, minute-by-minute schedule…

So don’t think that you have to eke out your hours and organize your time by the second to get your house work done; I have found that with a simple routine it really is quite easy to accomplish a lot of work.  Now if only I could manage to apply those principles to my coaching studies and my sewing!  Oh well.  One step at a time I guess!

xox,

bonita

How to ~ Make a wrist rest

In conjunction with my Quick Share post about RSI yesterday, I thought I would put up a tutorial on how to create your own wrist rest.  You know, one of those thingys that you rest your arm/wrist on when you are using your mouse?  I have no idea if wrist rest is the proper term, but that’s what I’ve got so… Yeah.   Let’s begin!    *warning*  It’s a picture heavy post, but this is really easy to make and it doesn’t take that long.  Promise!  ^ u ^

Gather your materials:

~ A solid square/rectangular shape to use as the base.  This can be made out of wood, plastic, polystyrene, anything you have on hand.  I had a small wooden block 7cm long x 4cm wide x 3cm deep that I used

IMPORTANT EDIT ~ After using this for a while I realized the problem is not so much my wrist as the height of my chair!  I made my chair higher and now my wrist rest is too high, : (  so I have turned it into a pincushion.   You might want to make sure your chair is right before you start your project, and make your wrist rest much smaller ~ about 2cm or so. : )

~  Stuffing

~  Material to cover the block & stuffing

~  Thick cardboard

~  Felt

~  Glue Gun

~ Sewing Kit; needle, thread, scissors, ruler, material pencil/pen

~  Any decorations you want to add {sorry, this isn’t in the photo as I decided to add mine last minute!}

Step 1:  Use your block to measure a square of material.  Leave a good amount of excess so it can wrap around the block and the stuffing.

Step 2:  Use the block to measure a piece of thick cardboard.  This is going on the bottom later on, so cut it out and put it aside. 

Step 3:  Place stuffing in the middle of the material square with the block on top. 

Step 4:  Pin the edges of the material together and sew or glue according to your preference.

Step 5:  On the end of the block fold the top of the material down, then fold over the left side and then the right so that it crosses over neatly and makes a point. 

Step 6:  Pin your material in place and sew or glue the loose fabric to the bottom of the block{sorry, I forgot to get a photo of this!}.

Step 7:  Now we are going to use the cardboard and the felt to make a nice base for the wrist rest.  Place your felt against the long side of the block and measure how high up you want it to sit.  I decided on two centimetres for mine.

Step 8:  Using the piece of cardboard you cut out earlier, mark around it leaving a gap the width that you measured in step 7.  So I mark around my cardboard piece leaving 2cm on every side.  Then cut out the felt.

Step 9:  Now I decided to put scallops down the long edges of my felt to make it look pretty.  I free cut mine, but if you want to measure them for neater results you can mark little dots 1cm apart ~ this is the width of your scallops.  Make the marks 1cm in from the edge of the felt and that’s the depth. 

Step 10:  Cut out your scallops.  I folded the felt in half to make the job quicker.

Step 11:  Glue the cardboard onto the bottom of your wrist rest.  It should cover all the material you stitched/glued down and not stick out past the edges of the wrist rest.

Step 12:  Glue the wrist rest to the middle of your felt.

Step 13:  Glue the long edges to the sides of your wrist rest. 

Step 14:  Fold the ends of the long sides over the short edge. 

Step 15:  Glue the folds down so that it sits nice and flat. 

Step 16:  Glue on any extra decorations.  I decided to go with these ribbon roses, one on each end.  Now you’re all done!!  Enjoy your pretty new wrist rest and save your aching muscles. 
> w <  ~ ♥

xox,

bonita

Eco~Friendly Cleaner Recipes & Tricks

Let’s be clear here, I am not a trendy, hipster hippie.  I can’t claim to that my household practices are entirely green, eco~conscious and save~the~whale friendly, but I am aiming to slowly reduce the amount of chemicals I use in cleaning and maintaining the house.  I mostly want to do this because not only is it better for the environment, but also because I feel it’s healthier for my family and I. 

I have no idea how many chemicals are absorbed through my skin every day, what with all the hair products, cleansers, perfume, deodorant, moisturizers, and that’s not even including the days I wear makeup!   However, it’s not only health factor that I am considering; let’s also remember that eco~friendly cleaners have been around for a lot longer than today’s trend.  I personally believe it’s a major element of the “Make do and Mend” mentality, just upcycled under a different slogan of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”. 

I don’t know about you, but for me, wearing vintage is more than just clothes, it’s also part of a deliberate effort on my side to get back to basics.   You could argue that stockings, garters, gloves, hats and all those necessary accessories for a authentic 1940s or 50s look is far from basic but that’s another post entirely! 

Anyway, the whole ‘getting back to basics’ motto I am running with means that I am going to get all eco~vintage on my cleaning routine.  Here are some awesome recipes from Pinterest that I plan on using, and I thought maybe you might find them useful as well.  

DIY Laundry Detergent

  

DIY Window cleaner ~ Mix together 2/3 parts white vinegar, a few drops of dish soap, and 1/3 part water in a spray bottle.

 

DIY Dishwashing Liquid & Bath Fizzer

 

DIY Air Freshener

xox,

bonita

Cleaning out my closet ~ What to Keep, Throw & Other Big Decisions!

Well, you cannot do a series on cleaning out your closet without facing the biggest part of reorganizing your wardrobe ~ getting rid of clothes you do not wear. 

I always have a huge dilemma trying to decide what and when I should purge the clothes in my closet.  It is not that I particularly want to hang on to everything, it is more that I am petrified that as soon as I throw a piece of clothing away I am going to want it again!

That being the case I love hearing other people’s ideas on what to keep and what to throw/give away, so I thought I would compile a few ideas for anyone else out there in the same boat as me.

Generally, the suggestion is to choose a specific time and set aside a few hours to do the job.  I would do it at all at once because I hate stretching a job like this out.  However, I do think that if you did not have the time to get through the entire job, do not just put it off but section your wardrobe into categories and work on each category as you have time.   For instance, you could divide your wardrobe by tops, bottoms, dresses, outer wear, under wear, etc., whatever works  best for you.

The other thing you can do is schedule this clean out at the same time as you change your summer/winter wardrobe over.  You may only want to do a tossing clean out once a year, rather than bi~annually.   I have been rather remiss, and have not done one through go through of my wardrobe in years{!}, but I have one scheduled for this seasonal swap over. 

So on to the big decisions ~ how do you decide what you keep, toss and donate?

Keeping Clothes ·

Besides the obvious pieces you wear all the time, there are often other items in your wardrobe that you might want to hold on to.  Remember that even if you do not wear something, it does not means it has be thrown away or donated ~ storage is a great option to clear out some more space.  Just remember if you store things there will be a time when you have to move them and/or sort them again so think hard about it before you choose to store.

When to keep an item:

• You still really love it and cannot bear to let it go; but it is out of date.  I would put these pieces away in storage if you have the room, because what goes around comes around.   All fashions refilter in some way, and even you do not use them again, maybe someone else would, like a daughter or niece.   
  
• If it is a high quality, basic item such as a blazer, suit or shoes {only keep the shoes if they are in excellent condition though!}.  Again these can go away in storage, but really think about these items.   If you really just do not want them; sell them!  Ebay is a great source of a bit of extra cash for that new jacket or pair of shoes that you will really love.  
  
• If it is a unique item such as a beaded top or special occasion dress.  You may not wear these items that often, but remember you do not go to those special events that often, so keep them for later.


• If you want to upcycle or repurpose an item.  DIYs and crafty people are generally always on the look out for supplies and materials, if you think you could use the clothing in another  project, put it in your supplies stash.   The other idea is that if you are handy with a sewing machine {or even just scissors and safety pins!} you can always recreate the garment into something new.  
  

Tossing or Donating Clothes

When you make up your toss/donate pile it is important to consider the last time you wore the item.  Some experts say that if you have not worn something within 6 months to a year, you should get rid of it, but personally the best time frame I have used was two years. 

The other trick I have used is to down grade the item ~ so if I used to wear it out, but am not sure that I want to any more, I use it for around the house clothing, doing chores, painting, gardening ~ that sort of thing.  If you find you do not care what happens to it, then you have made the right choice.  If you hesitate wearing the item because you do not want to ruin it, then you might need to upgrade back to ordinary wardrobe wear, or just simply donate it.  The same principle of down grading can apply for ‘special’ outfits ~ although extremely formal wear usually does not work as everyday wear!

Also, it is a good idea when you downgrade to throw out a piece of around the house clothing, working with a replacement system so that you do not collect too many old tops/pants/etc.   You do not need more than two or three old tops to do the dishes in!

When to toss/donate an item:

• If something is ripped, stained or worn out; throw it out.  If it just has a little hole in it, it is more than likely that someone else may still find the garment useful, so you can donate it.  Just use your discretion ~ if you think it is ruined, there is a good chance that someone else would too.
  
• If you are only holding onto it for sentimental reasons.  With this tip I think there is definitely leeway as long as you have the space!  For instance, keeping your wedding gown, or perhaps your prom dress.   You cannot keep everything; but that does not mean you have to throw everything out either.   That denim jacket from high school may come into style again ~ so if you have the room you can hang on to it. 
  
  However, do not hang on to sentimental items that you cannot wear again ~ like your lucky socks that are in holes.   Unless you plan to cut them up and use them elsewhere, like in a quilt or something, do yourself a favour and toss them!
  
• If something noticeably does not fit you.  Again, there are exceptions ~ you might like oversized t~shirts or sweaters, and belting a dress can often take it from a tent to looking completely new and completely cute.  It is harder to get away with pants and jeans that are too big, so use your discretion here.
  
  On the other end of the scale, too tight clothing is really not a good look, so toss or donate anything that is straining at the seams, popping buttons/zips or bunching awkwardly.   If you want to keep a special dress or garment for weight loss inspiration ~ I say go for it!  But you do not need a whole ‘weight loss inspiration wardrobe’.   Chances are that once you reach the size you want to be, you will also want to celebrate with new clothes, so hang on to one or two items, but get rid of the rest. 
  
  And maternity clothes do not count unless you have decided that your family is large enough, in which case there may be a mother~to~be that is grateful for your donation to help with the budget costs of babies! 
  
• If you do not love it anymore.   This can be a little hard with basic items, because you do not always ‘love’ these pieces, but if you wear them a lot than that’s a good indicator that you need to hang on to them.

I hope you find these guidelines helpful for the next time you are cleaning out your closet ~ do let me know if you have any other tips and hints that you have found helpful.  I love hearing your ideas too!  ^ u ^

xox,

bonita

Cleaning out my closet ~ Seasonal Swaps

So it is that time of year again ~
Spring has sprung, the grass is riz; I wonder where the birdys iz?  They say the bird iz on de wing, but that’s absurd because the wing iz on de bird!    Well, actually if you are in my hemisphere it is the time of the falling leaf as autumn marches it’s way across the land.  But no matter north or south, unless you live near the equator it is quite likely that you have a winter and summer wardrobe. 

If you are lucky, you may have enough closet space to keep both wardrobes together all year round ~ and before I married I could do that. 

Obviously that has changed and even though Husband does not have an extensive wardrobe {he HATES shopping with a passion; which makes it even more great when he very graciously comes with me.  > U < } we do not have enough room to fit everything in. 

There are a few things I found that help with this seasonal swap over ~ some things have come through personal experience, others I have picked up but have not tried yet.  Hopefully they will be of use to you. 

Sorting Options:
What do you want to change over?  Sometimes the hardest thing is to know which items of clothing you want to swap out.   Now that layering is such a popular option through winter, you can also get a lot more wear out of your favourite pieces, making it even harder to decide what to keep out and what to store away.  

• Layering:  Most of the time I would choose whether I keep a piece in my wardrobe based on how warm it is.  Obviously for the spring/summer transition, you have to put away your warmer clothes because you just will not wear them! 
  
  But for the fall/winter transition, you can think about the piece of clothing in terms of layer~ability.  Is it a neutral piece? A nice pop of colour?  Does the floral print have a dark background, making it more winter~friendly?  If you like styling with layers, do not worry about how thick and warm the clothing is ~ that is what layering is for after all!
  
• Shoes:   I have a lot of shoes.   And this means that I cannot keep them all out at once!  *sad face*  There are shoes that we do not wear as much depending on the season.  Long boots, ankle booties, a few of the more ‘closed in’ wintery~ish shoes like oxfords and warm lace ups.  If you know you will not wear these shoes, store them away.  You will be amazed at how much extra space this gives you, and how much easier it is to see what shoes you do have available to wear.
  
  Before you store all your summer sandals away for the fall/winter transition, remember that socks under your strappy heels is a hot trend on the run way at the moment.  Try out a few pairs and decide which ones you would like to rock this look with and store the rest.  If that style is not up your ally, that is okay; just pop all your summer lightweights away. 
  

Storage Options:
There are a few different ways to store your clothes ~ it really depends on how much space you have available to you.   If you have a spare room or garage, you can basically choose whatever option suits you best.   However, if you live in a small apartment, you may not have that luxury; then it is time to get creative with your storage. 

• Old Wardrobes:  When we moved into our new house, there where three old, but still good, wardrobes left behind that I knew I did not want.   I was going to throw them out when my MIL suggested that I keep them in the garage for storing clothes and other stuff in {and if I did not want them, she would take them!}.
  
  As our garage is large enough to keep them I immediately jumped at the idea.  With a few moth balls scattered around I can take all the summer clothes hanging in my wardrobe and swap them for the winter ones.  An easy storage technique that will keep everything organized and still hung so will take less time to swap over.  Plus, if you ever find you need some article of clothing that you have already packed away, you can access it without having to root through a bunch of boxes!
  
  If you have the space I would recommend finding some second hand wardrobes, or even dressers and implementing this system.
  
• Boxes:    It a pretty obvious storage option, but my tip here is to spend a little more cash and invest in plastic boxes with lock down lids.   They can be expensive, but they are pretty much guaranteed to keep you clothes free from bugs and moisture.
  
  You can use cardboard boxes, but if you store these for a couple of months, whether inside or outside, bugs and possibly mice will be attracted to them.   Outside storage is worse ~ but you’d be surprised how many bugs get into your stuff even when it is inside.  I should know, after living out of boxes for the last year or so!
  
  You really do not want slugs and mice poop through your clothes….  Ew! Gross!  To use cardboard boxes I would put all your clothes in a plastic garbage bag with some moth balls first.   Seal it up tight, and your clothes should be safe.
  
• Vacuum sealed bags:   This is probably the best solution for those that are in tight spaces, as there is less bulk with these.    You can buy them at most general stores; in Australia I would go to Big W, Kmart or Target to find them.
  
  You pop your clothes in the bag, attach the vacuum, hit reverse suction and voila!  Your clothes are sealed up safe from bugs, moisture, etc.  I do not think that I would put these outside without putting them in a box first though, for easier storage.
  
• Suitcases:  If you have suitcases that you do not use that often, you can put some clothes in them to utilize that space.   However, this is not the best solution if you travel a lot. 
  

Creating extra space in your wardrobe: 
There are always some  items that tend to take up a lot of space in your wardrobe ~ for me these are my coats in winter {and the accessories; beanies, scarves and gloves} and my hats in summer.   I try to store these else where to maximize closet room.

• Coats:   If you have the space, I have discovered that the best way to keep your coats is to keep the majority of them on a coat rack.   If you have space in your entrance way, or even in the corner of your bedroom, hang the coats you use the most on the rack, and keep the special ones tucked away.  
  
  You can hang the scarf that matches your coat on the same hook so you do not need extra storage space for that and pop your gloves in the pockets.   Also, hanging your coats up also makes it easier to grab them when you are running out the door in a hurry {like me!}.
  
•  Hats: I like to put these on my coat rack in summer for the same reasons as I hang my coats ~ more room in my wardrobe and easy access.  As I have a lot of different summer hats {and winter ones} this really helps.  But if you have only one or two, you can always ‘display’ your hats by hanging them on some hooks on the wall, or on your bookshelf, or dresser; the options are as limitless as your imagination.   They can add a really nice touch to your decor and you do not have to worry about them getting squished. 
  

My last tip is to enjoy the swap over!  Now is a great time to ‘shop’ your wardrobe and discover your old favourites all over again, as well as those pieces that you forgot you had….   Of course, this is also a great time to do a through clean out, and throw away/donate the clothing you have worn out, or do not wear; but as that is a whole other post in itself, I will leave that one until later.   

If you have any ideas or tips about changing over wardrobes, please leave a comment to share.   I love to hear your ideas; it is great to learn about more tips and tricks for managing my clothes!  

xox,

bonita