Summer Wardrobe!

It had been quite a while since I made a trip to the local thrift store...but a few weeks ago, I popped in just to see what was there...and I came home with a couple of sacks of "good" items for re-purposing. So I've been a little busy - and just a tad sidetracked - with figuring  out what I could create from these goodies!
Here's what I've done so far...

This ladies skirt in a stretch cotton fabric...

....became these little girls' shorts.

Sorry for the blurry image, but this ladies stretch seersucker blouse...

...became this little girls' stretch tunic...looks darling with lime green leggings!

This stretch cotton ladies skirt...

...became these adorable little girl capris!

This ladies cotton knit skirt...

and this striped knit ladies tee...

...became this Summer Picnic Dress (pattern from TheCottageMomma.com)

...and accent pocket tees for the brothers!

This beaded ladies knit tee...

...became a darling knit t-dress for a four-year-old!

I don't always re-purpose everything I purchase at the thrift store...I sometimes keep things as they are.  These three pieces were too cute to pass up for $1 each...and my niece is adorable in each of them.  Kids require lots of "play clothes"...and for that price, you cannot go wrong!

The Summer Picnic Dress pattern was so cute and EASY that I had to try it again.  I had a leftover piece of "Stacked Slices" by Spring Creative© fabric that I had used to make my cousin a dress last year.  There was just enough material for a picnic dress for my niece - AND for her "My Life" doll!  She is thrilled that the two will match...maybe they will pose for a picture soon!

 

A girl and her doll...so much cuteness!

The last time my nephew spent the night, he squeezed into a favorite pair of knit "Ninja Turtle" pajamas and declared, "They fit just fine!"  Well, they DIDN'T...and I decided he needed new summer pajamas.  I had a piece of train print left over from pajama pants I made several years ago for the little boys...and it worked great as pajama boxers/shorts for the boys.  I put pockets on tees to coordinate.  The third pair is for a friend, and I know that he will have lots of shirts that will work as a mate!

Two pajama sets for brothers...and some summer shorts for a friend!

Much better than too-small "Ninja Turtle" pjs!

Not exactly sure what is next!  There are still stacks of yardage and items to be repurposed...and I am never lacking ideas for them.  All I need is time to sew.  Wish me luck!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like... EASTER!!!

I am so close to having the children's Easter outfits finished, and I have to say..."I'm pretty excited!"  It all started with this adorable yellow print fabric I spotted on Etsy and HAD to have for something for Zola.  I used a free online pattern for The Party Dress (modified for my "little princess").  For the contrasting trim, I purchased a man's chambray shirt from the thrift store ($1), and carefully cut the fabric along seam lines so that I had big pieces to create the sash and trim. 

Chambray "flowers" accent the hem of the dress, and I had enough leftover material to create bow-ties for the boys (photo coming soon!).  The sleeves and pockets became a pair of "cargo pants" for Nathan, and I salvaged all of the pretty buttons for a future project.  I dug into my stash of buttons and found four pale yellow ones for the back of the dress.  Yippee!!! (See...it pays to save those buttons!)

Since the forecast is for cooler weather to return, I decided that Zola might need a jacket to go with her dress.  I thumbed through my stash of thrift-store t-shirts and found the perfect shade of yellow, then found my pattern for a girls' raglan sleeved jacket and modified it, adding trim around the neck and front openings that I top-stitched with a flower motif...and lace edging on the sleeves and hem.  My mother-in-law gave me a huge bag of lace trim...including many yards of pastel yellow, blue and pink lace.  This was the perfect accent for this little jacket.  A matching "flower" trim at the neckline to cover the snap fastening provided the finishing touch! 

 

I cannot wait to see how pretty Zola looks - or how adorable Timothy and Nathan will be in their coordinating (store-bought on clearance) button-down shirts with matching bow-ties!  Maybe they will stand still long enough for me to get a photograph to post!

I think our kiddos will look pretty darn cute on Easter Sunday...and I didn't break the bank for these outfits.  Since I splurged and bought the two shirts and a yard of fabric for the dress, total cost was somewhere around $30.  For a one-of-a-kind "look" for three children...I'd say that's pretty hoppin' good!

TA-DA!!!  Don't they look adorable?!

Ready or Not... a "Shoe Diva" Is in the Making!

Spring has finally sprung here (hopefully), and garage sales are starting to pop up every weekend.  This means the hunt is on for great bargains on barely-worn kids' clothing!  For the moment, Timothy's cousin Owen (who is six weeks younger) is just a tad taller/larger, so his quickly-outgrown hand-me-downs find a new home in Timothy's closet... and these are GREAT clothes!  The best part of this is that Nathan will wear them, too...in a year or so!  Since the boys are almost the same size in shirts, I did have to supplement Timothy's shirt wardrobe... and it was Dollar General to the rescue!  Our local store was having a major close-out sale on boy's screen-printed shirts, so I racked up a great deal on several that Timothy loves... a bright-colored "T-Rex" roaring on one... the open mouth of an alligator on another, a camouflage print Batman logo, and even a Spider Man print that had Timothy reeling with excitement!



Zola is wearing one of her "garage sale"
outfits... Timothy's shorts and Nike shoes
came from his Cousin Owen, and I purchased
the t-shirt at Wal-Mart on clearance!

Not to leave out Zola, I discovered a table of great little outfits at a garage sale, and a wonderful Baby B-Gosh snow suit for next winter... for $3!

Then, someone locally advertised shoes for sale on a Facebook "garage sale" page... and I was IN!  I purchased all of the shoes shown in this picture - for $10.  Yes, that includes the Columbia snow boots, two pair of Skechers, a pair of Hello Kitty Mary-Janes, and a pair of Converse high-tops!  All it took was a gentle washing, some elbow grease and an X-acto knife to clean the soles, and a Mr. Clean eraser to get the white rubber topsoles shining like brand new!

Why anyone would pay full price for these clothes is beyond me... but I'm so glad someone does this and passes the savings along!  I know I'm creating a "shoe diva" by purchasing Zola so many pairs, but at this price, who can resist!

Finally, I promised my cousin Olivia a "monogrammed" t-shirt... and since she got ALL A's and made the Honor Roll, I thought this was the perfect way to congratulate her!