Recycled Arts Festival

Vancouver's Recycled Arts Festival is just around the corner, June 25th and 26th. This is one of my favorite events of the year. It is located at Ester Short Park in downtown Vancouver, Washington, adjacent to their thriving Saturday Market. 100 artists will present their creations made from recycled materials.

My tent is conveniently located across from the Tossed and Found tent. All year items that were rescued from the landfill are collected and put on display in the tent. Then on Sunday, raffle tickets are handed out and is your number is drawn, you have won an item from the Tossed and Found tent. Last year my mom walked away with an entire wicker furniture set! It is absolutely amazing what people throw out.

I will be debuting my new bags made from recycled windsurf sails.

For more information about the event, checkout their website

http://recycledartsfestival.com/
Hope to see you there!

Scrappy USA

While I was wasting time on pinterest.com, I came across this project made by fellow blogger at seekatesew.blogspot.com and had to make one of my own.

What a great way to use up fabric scraps and as a former 5th grade teacher and lover of USA maps, this was the perfect project for me.

I misjudged the placement of the continental USA on the piece of fabric I had, so I did not have enough room to include Alaska and Hawaii.

I had fun making this project, but it was time consuming and got a bit tedious. A friend of mine has asked me to make another one to hang in her new house, and I keep telling her that if I ever get inspired to make another one, she will be the first one on my list.

Front Entry DIY

I have finally decided to tackle decorating my front entryway. Since we have moved in I have been looking for a great bench or some sort of shoe storage that was not going to cost me very much money. I have seen many wonderful storage benches and solutions, but have not wanted to fork out a hundred dollars or more to have it.

I recently found about 3 yards of IKEA fabric at Goodwill that were the right colors for my entryway. I decided to make my own upholstered bench to sit on while putting on shoes.

I found everything I would need at my local Re-Build It center and garage sales. Along with a handy husband, some spray paint and a staple gun, my bench was completed for less than $20.

Spray Paint

Spray paint... I never realized what a great invention

that was! I have been finding items to spray paint and give a new life, so now my house if filled with color that has been quick and easy to add. I look for items like frames for pictures and mirrors that have interesting details. Many of the retro plastic frames become a new being with new color. Something that was once boring is now a focal point in a room. Now that garage sale season is in full swing, I look forward to Friday mornings when I can go on the hunt for a new project to spray paint.

Spring

There has been an aire of inspiration floating around our home lately. Everyone is creating! My kids are constantly working on collages, sewing projects, outdoor water parks, wildflower arrangements, drawing, just to name a few. I have been scouring yard sales and thrift stores for items to make over or make into something new. The mantle in my living rooms is constantly being added to when a new project gets finished.