"A Dress A Day" Blog

Check out this idea!

The girl took an ugly dress that she got for $1 and recycled it into something wearable.
Every day. For a year.

And she has a blog.

I'm inspired.

Why I Am At Risk of Becoming a Pack Rat

I love this idea. So cute. Similar to the cropped t-shirt shrug I made a month or so ago.

I would have loved to have made a sweater I shrank into this bolero idea. But sadly, I donated it awhile back. I give away so many things that I don't think I want or need. Then I see an idea for a craft project.

Do you think it is worth the extra closet/drawer space to save all the sweaters, jeans, sheets, towels, and boxes that otherwise have lived out their intended use? I used to give a resounding "NO" to that question.

But I'm starting to reconsider.

Quick Sleeve Alteration

I am quite sure this is not the 'proper' way to alter a sleeve. However, most people don't have the problem that I have: coats with sleeves which are just too short.

A friend of mine gave me two nice coats she was going to give away. Both fit fine except for the sleeve length. So what I did was remove the hem of the sleeve and just sew up the very edge. This is what it looks like now:

As you can see, I need to press the sleeve a bit, but you get the idea: It doesn't look bad from a distance.I did this once with a pair of pants, too. I thought about adding a ruffle or something to make the sleeve longer, but 1) didn't want to spend the time or money to go to the fabric store and 2) didn't think I'd be able to find fabric to match perfectly.

Any other ideas for lengthening sleeves or pant legs?

T-Shirt Yarn Project

Wondering what I made so far with my t-shirt yarn?

A basket for some of our little guy's toys:

I used a very large crochet hook. Size Q? Not sure. It is plastic. The basket doesn't have a lot of body (the sides cave in if it is empty) but it works great if it is full.

This project cost me $0! So excited about that. I asked friends for t-shirts they were giving away (I used 10 t-shirts for this basket) and so it was free. To make this with yarn would have cost a lot.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is one of my husband's favorite recipes. I make it in the slow cooker. It requires very little prep other than chopping a few veggies and opening a few cans and smells good while it is cooking all day!

Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 onion, chopped
1 Bell pepper (any color), chopped*
1 28.5-oz can of diced or crushed tomatoes
1 14-oz can tomato sauce
1 cup salsa, any intensity (we usually use medium)
2 14-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 t cumin
1 t basil
3-4 crushed garlic cloves
3 or 4 uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine all ingredients, add one cup of water, and stir in your slow cooker or Crock-Pot. Turn the slow cooker on 'low' for 8-10 hours. At the end of the cooking time, shred the chicken breasts with two forks (they will be very tender).

I like to make rice to go with this soup. We also like to add sour cream, cheese, and fresh cilantro to top off the soup. I sometimes make corn bread or corn muffins to round out the meal.

*I added Banana Peppers from our garden when I made this yesterday! You can also add canned corn or fresh corn cut off of the cob.