Monday, January 3, 2011

New Year, New Apron, New Me


One thing I'd like to do this year is "consume less".  And by "consume" I am not referring to what I do when chocolate is around, I mean what I do the moment I walk my cart-full of kids into Walmart.  For some reason, I just have a desire to walk away from our society's practice of spending money and time on  getting things, and spending more than we actually have for more than we actually need.  Living in Central Pennsylvania must be having an effect on me, or maybe it's all those hours of PBS Kids shows about recycling, because I'm ready to disconnect from a lifestyle of consumption and live more simply in the new year.  Weird, what is happening to me?

I have pledged to myself that, with the exclusion of some essential items, I will do everything within my power to not purchase a single new item in 2011.


At the very least, I'll most likely spend less, and maybe I'll learn some new skills.  If there is something that I need for myself or for my family, I will get it used or thrifted or I will attempt to make it instead of buying brand new.  ALL gifts that I give to other people will also be stylishly and lovingly "upcycled".  As a result, I hope to be sewing a lot more clothing this year for myself and my children, which is another one of my goals.

If you have any ideas for me on how to do this, please send them my way!
Wish me luck!

Ok, now let me show you this apron that I sewed for myself last night.  The main part of the apron is a piece of fabric that I bought at Goodwill along with the pillowcases a few weeks back.  I paid 47 cents for it, and it was already bound, so I didn't have to do much to turn it into this:


Cute, eh?

So, I obviously added this pink, wrap-around tie that makes a pretty bow on the side.

But I thought it needed a bit more utility, so I also added attachable washcloths that act like hand towels.  I also bought these at Goodwill for 47 cents each.  There is a blue one and a purple one, so one can be in the wash while the other one's being used.  Or use both.


They simply snap on for when you are really working and you can take them off to wash just the towels or for when you are strictly playing hostess.


Since the tie wraps around, you don't see the snap when you are wearing the apron without the towels.

My husband's reaction to the apron was, "Oh, you are wearing a dish towel."

My daughter's reaction was one of awe when she said, "You look fabulous.......like China."

My husband has been to China like four times, but I am going with my daughter's opinion on this one.  (I LOVE that girl!)  What do you think?

(Total cost of apron:  somewhere around $1.50!)


 

handmade projects  

21 comments:

  1. I love it. When I am in the kitchen I always find myself searching for a dish towel to dry my hands off on. I like your creativity in adding the snap and that the towel will be there when you need it. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Cute apron! We are also in Central PA. I'm working on planning a get together with some other Pa bloggers at the Playhouse cafe in Camp Hill sometime within the next few months. I'd love it if you could join us to meet up in person. :)

    -Stephanie
    stephaniegiese@aim.com

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  3. What a great set of goals! To be a better seamstress, more thrifty, and more capable to serve others. When we lived in Central PA, we got to know an Amish family that taught us about gardening and how to use what they had. They are amazing. I also have little magnet on our frig with ideas on how to "be prepared" for the future in simple steps. Just an offer. Cheers to you.

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  4. I love that apron! It makes me want to start sewing again. I love the idea of upcycling. I love it when I find a great vintage fabric.

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  5. That is awesome, I wish I was brave enough to make the same pledge... I think I will consider pledging to do something, not quite so drastic!
    Good luck!

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  6. this is the cutest, love your resolution for the new year! Go for it...

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  7. Good on you! One thing to think about is - having a toy swap. We do that here, where we start setting aside toys that our kids have grown out of. We clean & spruce them up and then take them to the church or somebody's home and then you get so many tickets to "spend" on getting new toys. It's awesome!

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  8. Super cute apron! Very creative! And good luck with your goal. I think it is awesome!

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  9. The apron is so much fun, and I think your resolution/challenge is VERY cool.

    I can't wait to see how it unfolds...

    =)

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  10. Cuteness! Love the apron.

    And good luck with your resolution! I'm all about buying new things, when they're on clearance for 90% off!! :D

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  11. The apron is totally cute. The snap-on dishtowel: inspired. Perhaps what Steve meant was "You're wearing a dishtowel...on top of that stylin' apron!"

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  12. I love your apron, it looks gorgeous and I love the fact you are recycling items. Great goal to have, I should adopt it for myself, hmmm, don't quite know how I'd go though. Happy New Year.

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  13. Haha, I am still laughing at your husband's reaction! Some things will probably just never make sense to men, I guess, since my husband would have the EXACT SAME reaction. :)

    Good luck with your resolution! I can't wait to see what you do with what you're doing... if that makes sense...

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  14. Whoa. This is radical in a really cool way. I'm pretty sure I could never convince my husband of something so drastic, but I love the idea (and the cute apron).

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  15. Oops that last comment was from Lara! I forgot I'm signed in under another account right now.

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  16. That's way cute!

    I don't know if I could go a whole year without buying anything new, but I am definitely trying to decrease my rampant spending. I lost my wallet last week and I'm thinking it might just have to stay lost, since without my debit card it's much harder to just go buy stuff. I had my old card number memorized so when my husband gets a new one I'm going to try not to look at it, so I can't just buy stuff online!

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  17. I like your goal to not buy new. We used to be really good at it but have slacked off considerably. I think we'll try and do better this year. What a great goal to have!

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  18. Woohoo! A true commitment if I ever saw one! Thanks for linking up!

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  19. I just have to note that my husband is not on board with this, but I do 95% of the purchasing around here anyway!

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  20. Jocelyn! I just came over from Housewife MacGyver and was thinking, "hmmm, this blog sounds familiar." It's a small (bloggy) world!

    Cute apron!

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