Sprucing Up Second-hand Items

As a young girl living in Japan, I remember my parents going out one day and picking up some free desks that someone was giving away to be used in our home. I thought they were the coolest desks, and enjoyed using mine all the way through high school. These hand-me-down desks weren't the fanciest, nor were they on the front cover of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, but they were sturdy, functional, and didn't put a big dent in the budget, if at all. And that's how I remember growing up. We almost always had second hand or homemade furniture, and my parents didn't buy a brand new sectional for their living room until they had been married for nearly 30 years. My parents taught me that money is better spent on wise investments, service, and family vacations.

And so I suppose this thrifty mindset is in my blood. Adelai was so generously gifted with an entire wardrobe of clothing for the first 12 months, and 2/3rds of the clothes are second-hand, which I appreciate very much (my wardrobe is 75% hand-me-downs too!). However, some of the items had little holes where a tag once was, or some stitching coming undone in a hem, or even a stain that a soak in OxiClean couldn't remove. My natural instinct is not to throw away these items, but to use my creative and thrifty mindset and fix them up. It's amazing what a sewing machine and a little needle and thread can do.

I had leftover appliques from a decade ago that my mom used on my skating dresses that worked perfectly as a patch for little holes in baby sweaters and shirts. A little sparkle never hurt a baby girl, either :).

I have a thing for baby track suits, so when I noticed that an inch of the bottom stitching was undone, I did my best to find the same stitch on my sewing machine and voila! Not perfect, but it looks way better than a gap in the seam.

Little sew-on sequins made a great cover-up for stains in the matching Puma bodysuit.

And although none of these fixes are perfect, if nothing else, at least I could say I practiced my sewing skills.

We have been so blessed with countless things, I find it a joy to fix up what I can so that I can maximize the life of every piece of clothing, both in my baby's wardrobe and in mine.

Comments

Hoping for a Rainbow

I'm really not sure if I ever thought this day would come. The day that I made it past 13 weeks pregnant without losing the baby. #miracle. I know I am not out of the woods yet, and honestly, when are we really? I am just trying to live every day with gratitude for the life inside of me, living with hope for the future. Part of me wanted to wait until next week, when I was past 14 weeks and officially in the 2nd trimester, but I couldn't wait any longer. I've been getting a little thick in the middle, which is getting more difficult to hide, and I feel like I haven't been able to be completely honest with friends when they would ask, "how are you doing?" All I wanted to talk about was how nauseous I was or how nervous I felt. So now, the news is out, whether or not you already suspected something was up. Seriously though, the 1st trimester is not for the faint of heart! There were many instances when I thought I would lose the baby, but dee...

Grandpa is Always Right | Gender Reveal |

I was hanging out in our rental apartment in Salzburg, Austria with my sister when my dad walked out of his bedroom and announced that I was having a girl. I was only 11 weeks along at that point and while I was wishfully hoping for a girl, I was preparing myself for a boy. His strong conviction of the gender of our child without any hints from an ultrasound surprised me. My dad seems to always be right about things, so I secretly hoped he was right this time too. Today during my scan, my favorite sonographer announced that we were having a girl. Grandpa is always right. I never imagined our family starting with a baby boy. I don't know why, but a baby girl seems to fit just perfectly. Now I just have to keep calm and stay healthy for 19 more weeks.

The Love of a Cousin

Swimming Babes-2006 " What do I do when I get pregnant again?" I asked. My sweet cousin was on the other end of the phone call when I sought out her wisdom and support. 3 years younger than me, she is in her 3rd pregnancy and ready to deliver her first baby in less than 2 months. She was the first person I wanted to talk to when I miscarried the first time, just 2 months after her ectopic pregnancy back in the spring of 2015. For some reason, I just had this connection to her, like maybe because she was born in the same generation as me and going through similar circumstances, that she would understand. Now, 13 months after my first miscarriage, I find myself going through mental exercises every day to prepare myself to trust my body for my 4th and hopefully successful pregnancy; part of that exercise today was to call my cousin up and have a nice chat about our lives and try to get some insights. We were both strong-headed children growing up--often getting ups...

Tender Mercies

Search This Blog