thrify

DYI No Crease Pants Hangers!

Date: July 22, 2014
Author: Sweetwater Style
Categories: 10 min. project, closet, clothes, no sew, thrify, tips, use what you have
Some people just HATE ironing….but….don’t think I am crazy when I say….
I don’t mind ironing….in fact it can be kind of relaxing!
But what I do hate is when the pants that I have ironed get creases in them hanging in the closet!
The problem is the hangers…..

Even wooden pants hangers don’t seem to solve the problem for me.

The wood bar still leaves creases….and I don’t like to hang my pants from the cuffs!

I have looked all over for padded hangers for pants and have been unsuccessful!  And chances are…if I ever do find some….I will be too “cheap” to shell out the $$$ for them!

Read More to see what I did instead!

A couple years ago, I made these padded hangers…..

In effect, they are batting filled tubes wrapped around the hanger and hand stictched closed.

I tied some ribbon around the ends to stabilize them.

You can hop over to read the tutorial by CLICKING HERE.

I made about 10 of these  pants hangers….but since I do go to the thrift store a lot…..I have (gasp) more than 10 pairs of pants!!!!
It was time to make more padded hangers….and to be honest…..I am not all that much in love with these (another gasp)!

Then I thought about this stuff!
If you don’t recognize it….it is pipe insulation.
Home Depot sells it for a buck twenty five for six feet!

I have used this stuff to hide electrical cords…..a post for another day!

I even used it for the trunks of the Truffala Trees ala The Lorax (click to see how)

What a versatile product!  I probably should ask Mr. S if we actually use it to insulate the pipes!

Anyway….I had an AHA moment and figured that this stuff would be perfect for streamlining the padded hanger project!

I was right….It was super simple….It was fast…..It was CHEAP!

I used inexpensive plastic hangers. 
(already had ’em so no cost there)
I had some nice crisp lightweight cotton canvas, but you could use any smooth crisp fabric.
 (already had this so instead of cost it was a benefit  to empty the fabric stash)
I bought 18 feet of foam tubing…..total cost $3.84
I also used the glue gun!

The process is almost too simple!

Cut the tube the width of the bottom of the hanger (in my case 15 inches)

The foam already has a scored line to separate it (you know….to get it to go around the pipe)….so it is easy to cut the slit in the foam.

 Cut a piece of fabric 2 inches wider than the tube by 5 inches.

Then it is just a simple matter of tucking the fabric into one side of the tube…


Then smoothly roll the fabric around the tube and tuck it into the other side.

The extra fabric helps to fill the space around the plastic hanger bar.

Tuck the extra end fabric into the tube on both ends.

Then you slide the fabric covered tube on to the bottom of the hanger!

Seriously….could it be simpler?

I secured the plastic hanger to the tube by squirting a little glue from the glue gun into the space.

You would not have to do the gluing….but the tubing did shift a little.

I also added a squirt of glue to each end to secure that fabric.

 These four hangers took about 15 minutes to make….and I have supplies to make 6 more!

So in an hour I can have 10 pretty snazzy pants hangers for less than 5 dollars!

Since I used such a crisp canvas….I think they almost look “manly” enough to get some use on the other side of the closet!

Have any of you found “AHA” uses for pipe insulation?  I would love to hear about them!

Have A Great Day!

Link Parties
Practically Functional 
The Diary of a Real Housewife     
Adorned From Above   Glitter Glue and Paint 

Goodwill Goodness!

Date: April 19, 2014
Author: sweetwaterstyle
Categories: designer brands, fashion, goodwill, thrify
YIKES! 
I just realized that I haven’t devoted a post to Goodwill for a while! 
 Did you think (GASP) that I started shopping RETAIL!?
Not to worry!
This post will catch you up on all my deals and steals the last few months!
Here is a peek at my Spring and Summer Wardrobe!
“Wardrobe” sounds fancy….
actually this is “the stuff in my closet” that I got at GW!
I think I have a thing for Navy Blue this Spring!
This St. John Sport Jacket…
This great little Ann Taylor shell…
a grey and navy Izod T…
and a pair of navy leggings…and a slim legged pant I bought awhile ago…
almost a whole weekend worth of clothes for less than $25
I usually look through the shoes at GW…..but hardly ever buy….
somehow shoes need to be in the “new” or “almost new” before I buy them!
Even then…I wipe them down with a disinfectant wipe….a COUPLE of times!
These sandals fit the NEW category! Absolutely no sign of wear!
This is a case of “risk taking” at GW….they are cute but kind of trendy….but for $9.99 worth a go!
I have been wearing this fun necklace a lot…
The color goes with a lot of my clothes….
Another case of taking a $4 risk…even at Target this would have been over $10!  
The silver backing is nice and heavy and it is interesting!
The perfect Summer skirt is long and flowing….
this one is my favorite shade of brown…the picture doesn’t really do it justice….
add a camisole and a jean jacket and it is a never fail look!
hmmm…I bet those sandals will look nice with this!
Now…you know I almost never pay more than $10 for anything at GW…
but this Eileen Fisher jacket was too good a bargain to pass up….even though it cost $14.99!
The picture makes it look sort of green…..
but it is really a great brown and black tweed color that will be a great neutral!

 

Most of these GW scores seem to be clothes….
now that I have my “wardrobe”….
Maybe I can score some new “decor” for the house on my next GW trips….
I guess that is a good reason to go again soon!

Have a Great Day!

Link Parties
A Vision to Remember   Life on Lakeshore Drive 

Goodwill Goodness!

Date: April 19, 2014
Author: Sweetwater Style
Categories: designer brands, fashion, goodwill, thrify
YIKES! 
I just realized that I haven’t devoted a post to Goodwill for a while! 
 Did you think (GASP) that I started shopping RETAIL!?
Not to worry!
This post will catch you up on all my deals and steals the last few months!
Here is a peek at my Spring and Summer Wardrobe!
“Wardrobe” sounds fancy….
actually this is “the stuff in my closet” that I got at GW!
I think I have a thing for Navy Blue this Spring!
This St. John Sport Jacket…
This great little Ann Taylor shell…
a grey and navy Izod T…
and a pair of navy leggings…and a slim legged pant I bought awhile ago…
almost a whole weekend worth of clothes for less than $25
I usually look through the shoes at GW…..but hardly ever buy….
somehow shoes need to be in the “new” or “almost new” before I buy them!
Even then…I wipe them down with a disinfectant wipe….a COUPLE of times!
These sandals fit the NEW category! Absolutely no sign of wear!
This is a case of “risk taking” at GW….they are cute but kind of trendy….but for $9.99 worth a go!
I have been wearing this fun necklace a lot…
The color goes with a lot of my clothes….
Another case of taking a $4 risk…even at Target this would have been over $10!  
The silver backing is nice and heavy and it is interesting!
The perfect Summer skirt is long and flowing….
this one is my favorite shade of brown…the picture doesn’t really do it justice….
add a camisole and a jean jacket and it is a never fail look!
hmmm…I bet those sandals will look nice with this!
Now…you know I almost never pay more than $10 for anything at GW…
but this Eileen Fisher jacket was too good a bargain to pass up….even though it cost $14.99!
The picture makes it look sort of green…..
but it is really a great brown and black tweed color that will be a great neutral!

 

Most of these GW scores seem to be clothes….
now that I have my “wardrobe”….
Maybe I can score some new “decor” for the house on my next GW trips….
I guess that is a good reason to go again soon!

Have a Great Day!

Link Parties
A Vision to Remember   Life on Lakeshore Drive 

Halloween Spell Book Tutorial

Date: September 17, 2012
Author: sweetwaterstyle
Categories: 10 min. project, books, crafts, decorating, gifts, Halloween, holiday, knock-off, libraries, thrify

This is essentially a repost of something I wrote last year.
It is WAY too early for me to start decorating for Halloween!
BUT…..
Some of YOU…are way ahead of me and actually planning and making decorations for next month…..and I thought you might like to try this fun project!

I love this wonderful decorative set of Halloween Books that my daughter gave me a few years ago.

They came from “The Shop Around the Corner” that I told you about from our Weekend Wander in Waconia!

Alas….this cute little shop is now closed….and I sure will miss it!

Last year I put the books on the entry hall  table with the Owl I splurged on….

We even saved the “perfect” branch to use again this year!

When the time comes….I will probably do something similar to this!

I loved the idea of these books  so much that I wanted some for my school Halloween display….and of course I didn’t want to spend the money to buy the “real” thing….

I did a knock-off version and only spent $7 instead of the $25 for the originals.

Since this was BB (before blog), I can’t do an actual tutorial with photos…..
so I will try to explain how I made them!

I bought these paper mache books in a set of 3 from Michael’s for 6.99

  • I painted the outside with flat black craft paint.
  • I painted the book page area with metallic gold paint.
  • I printed out the cover and spine images on my computer
  • I used Modge Podge to attach the printed titles and cover to the books

And here is the finished result! 
I left them loose….instead of gluing them together….so I can stack them every which way!

I will put them on the center table in the Media Center with all of the Halloween books for kids to check out…..
Last year a kid actually tried to check one of them out…..He was so disappointed when he found out they weren’t real!

I still have these photo albums that I bought at Goodwill…..hmmmm

I am thinking I will distress these….add some Halloween themed titles and have another set….

I meant to do this last year and never got it done!!!  Maybe this year!
Wish me luck!

Speaking of Halloween….there is really nothing better than a good spooky book to read to your kids…..check out this post with lots of suggestions!

There is plenty of time to get to YOUR library and check them out!!!

 Halloween Books for Kids!

Enjoy!!!  I am going to relish the rest of September and NOT rush into Halloween!!!

Link Parties
My 1929 Charmer  Blackberry Vine  Sugar Bee Crafts  The Kurtz Corner
Create and Inspire   
Be Different Act Normal  Gingerbread Blog  Made In A Day From Dream To Reality 

Halloween Spell Book Tutorial

Date: September 17, 2012
Author: sweetwaterstyle
Categories: 10 min. project, books, crafts, decorating, gifts, Halloween, holiday, knock-off, libraries, thrify

This is essentially a repost of something I wrote last year.
It is WAY too early for me to start decorating for Halloween!
BUT…..
Some of YOU…are way ahead of me and actually planning and making decorations for next month…..and I thought you might like to try this fun project!

I love this wonderful decorative set of Halloween Books that my daughter gave me a few years ago.

They came from “The Shop Around the Corner” that I told you about from our Weekend Wander in Waconia!

Alas….this cute little shop is now closed….and I sure will miss it!

Last year I put the books on the entry hall  table with the Owl I splurged on….

We even saved the “perfect” branch to use again this year!

When the time comes….I will probably do something similar to this!

I loved the idea of these books  so much that I wanted some for my school Halloween display….and of course I didn’t want to spend the money to buy the “real” thing….

I did a knock-off version and only spent $7 instead of the $25 for the originals.

Since this was BB (before blog), I can’t do an actual tutorial with photos…..
so I will try to explain how I made them!

I bought these paper mache books in a set of 3 from Michael’s for 6.99

  • I painted the outside with flat black craft paint.
  • I painted the book page area with metallic gold paint.
  • I printed out the cover and spine images on my computer
  • I used Modge Podge to attach the printed titles and cover to the books

And here is the finished result! 
I left them loose….instead of gluing them together….so I can stack them every which way!

I will put them on the center table in the Media Center with all of the Halloween books for kids to check out…..
Last year a kid actually tried to check one of them out…..He was so disappointed when he found out they weren’t real!

I still have these photo albums that I bought at Goodwill…..hmmmm

I am thinking I will distress these….add some Halloween themed titles and have another set….

I meant to do this last year and never got it done!!!  Maybe this year!
Wish me luck!

Speaking of Halloween….there is really nothing better than a good spooky book to read to your kids…..check out this post with lots of suggestions!

There is plenty of time to get to YOUR library and check them out!!!

 Halloween Books for Kids!

Enjoy!!!  I am going to relish the rest of September and NOT rush into Halloween!!!

Link Parties
Throwback Thursday