A Heirloom Holiday.

No May Day protests or marches for us this year. Unless you count the kids protesting mom’s dinner cooking skills (or lack there-of). But hey, they are healthy enough to endure a few less than yummy munchies without it affecting their overall health. Instead we decided to keep our ongoing tradition of celebrating the forgotten holidays like May Day. My girls love getting decked out to take flowers to our amazing neighbors.

My Prince helped the girls create their 5 minute flower crowns and I finally finished a project long in the making. No it didn’t hardly take me any time to make, just forever in getting around to doing it. But actual sewing time… I’d say less than half a day for all three dresses.

Of course my mom helped with the skirts when she was here a few weeks ago. And I procrastinated the shirts until today. Want to know the secret?

These dresses are actually the second life of a beautiful used bedding set my Treasure of a Neighbor Jewel gave to me.

The bed skirt was a perfect fit for being refashioned into twirl-able skirts for my daughters. I can just see the girls dancing around a maypole in these… That maypole is still on my wish list. Maybe next year.

And I was inspired by Vegbee’s Peasant Blouse Tutorial to try and create my first ever peasant shirts for the girls.

Since I was winging it on the size, the shirts came out a bit big but looked great with a ribbon around the waist. And when the little ladies frocks were completed I was pleasantly surprised to see enough material left over to hopefully make myself a coordinating dress or blouse here in the future.

Last year we collected May’s first dew from weeds and grass. See previous post to explain that head scratcher. Somehow the myth about it helping your complexion didn’t pan out. So this year I’m setting my sights a bit higher. We collected our dew from my heirloom lilac bush instead of the grass.

Not that it will make any real difference but lilac dew just sounds more appealing than weed dew. And instead of adding soap like we did last year, I’m going to add perfume and teach my girlies to dab it on.

All in all it was a lovely day, a perfect day for getting back to blogging. Thanks for being patient with my break. It’s good to be back.

Thrifty Talent Treasure Decisions?

So I've been spending a lot of time in the local Thrift stores looking for things I can re-purpose. Sometimes I find other people's hidden talents and my jaw about hit the floor when I found this Beauty for $6.99. Usually I just buy the $1 sales on Monday. But this was screaming at me to take it home, from the second I saw it. Wonderfully fits my honkin big dining room table as well.

It's all hand embroidery and the backside looks almost as good as the front.

These small details just amaze me.

I just can't imagine the hours and hours someone lovingly put into this piece. It should have been a family heirloom.

So of course I brought it home. But my creative mind is spinning and there's this big decision I'm trying to make concerning this tablecloth. See I never use tablecloths in my home.

Why?

Well see I've bred a bunch of these here mini creative genius' creatures like me who can’t seem to get enough of markers...

Or pens, pencils, dirt and even dare I say mud...

And scissors. I won't tell you what past heirloom they snipped with scissors, but it wasn't pretty.

And then there’s the fact that the whole family has the table manners of a slew of messy barnyard animals.

So when I’ve used tablecloths in the past they basically have to be washed and spotted after every single meal. And I’m thinking that this work of art has seen the inside of a drawer more often than it hasn’t. If I keep it as a table covering it would continue to sit in the dark except for special occasions. Table runners fare much better in my home.

So I’m a wee bit tempted to re-purpose it into a Sunday dress for Lea. I can totally see this in the skirt section of the dress.

And this on the corner of a matching bolero jacket.

I've visioned the whole lovely creation in my head. The colors would rock with Lea's hair as well.

I recently got permission from my mom to re-purpose some of her Cedar-chest treasures into dresses and baby blankets. Beautiful works of art that have been spending that past decades in darkness. I want to give them a new life because they are too pretty for mere pillowcases or dishtowels. And I think I could make something lovely and also something worth handing down to the next generation as well.

'But Fawndear, were you not just telling us how completely messy your children were. How would this dress survive being worn by one of them?' I know your thinking.

Dunno?

In the past they have treated Sunday dresses with a bit more care. But it would still be tempting fate. I'm good at that.

What Do You Think? Should I go for it or save this for Special Occasions tablecloth only?