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.

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.

First Day of Blogging

Well, this is my first attempt at blogging. I thought this would be a good avenue for documenting my creative thoughts. I have been trying to break into the craft business by making items from recycled/upcycled materials, but I am having a hard time focusing. Maybe this will help!

I have an Etsy shop www.alvablue.etsy.com that shows the crafts I have been making recently. Last night my husband also opened a shop at www.littleredshed.etsy.com We will see how these shops do! What a great place to see handmade goods. I could spend hours searching through shops seeing all of the wonderful and creative ideas people have. It inspires me to create too.

One of my latest projects are mittens made from recycled sweaters. I love a huge stash of old sweaters that I cut up and have tried making all sorts of projects. The mittens are by far my favorite. I can mismatch the sweaters and combine fun colors and patterns. I have also been lucky to have a friend who makes SwaddleKeepers (www.swaddlekeeper.com) and has large amounts of scrap fabric. She has been happy to give me her scraps so they can be used and not end up in a landfill... (She said she did a research project in college and found out the 40% of what ends up in landfills is textiles, cloth, clothes, fabric, etc.!!!) With her scrap fabric, I line the mittens with super soft miky button fleece. This makes the mittens extra soft and warm.