Adventures in Rugs and a GIVEAWAY!!!!!

      I have a thing about shower mats. I CANNOT stand wet ones, even though that is their purpose. I'm like a cat with wet feet when I step on one; I really cannot even express how much I hate it.  So, when I saw a kind of mat at my mother in law's house that felt dry, even when wet, you better believe I was all about getting one! Only one problem, the store didn't have black! I need black, because the rest of the bathroom accessories are black. After glowering darkly for a while at the lacking a black rug shelf, I finally selected a blah looking tan one.

     See? Totally blah. Having an ungodly amount of hoarded craft supplies pays off during emergencies such as this...at least, that's what I tell myself. I whipped out a stencil and some black fabric paint, and fixed this baby right up.

      Much better! Yes, that is a smudge next to the "F"...I'm not too worried about it. It is a bath mat after all. Seriously though, how much better is that!

     Okey dokey, now that you are totally awed...let me awe you further! Christmas is the time for giving right, so its about time we did some of that around here! As my thank you to all you wonderful readers, I want to give you any item of your choice out of my Etsy shop!

 The only thing that this excludes is the "made to order" listings. Anything else is fair game.

      Want to enter? Do any or all of the following...

1. Leave a comment telling me you are a blog follower and want to enter
2. Become a blog follower and leave a comment telling me you did
3. Like Abbtique on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did
4. Visit Abbtique on Etsy and let me know in a comment what you would choose if you win!

      Each comment is a separate entry, so you have the potential of having three entries. Please make sure you have your email enabled when you comment, I would hate for you to win and not be able to tell you! Giveaway ends one week from today and the winner will be posted at that time.
Have a stupendous Wednesday! =)

***Giveaway is closed!!**

Psalms 86:15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

Linking to:
My Girlish Whims
Organize and Decorate Everything
Someday Crafts
Tea Rose Home
Sew Much Ado
Simple Home Life
The Vintage Farmhouse
The Freckled Laundry
The Vintage Farmhouse
Boogieboard Cottage
Between Naps on the Porch
Homemaker on a dime

Why I Love Thrift Stores

Because you can find wonderful little treasures for next to nothing, that's why. The trick to thrift store shopping is to go every week. Fifty percent of the time, you'll probably find nothing, but the other fifty percent makes it worth it. It doesn't need to take much time either. I usually spend 20 minutes max walking through. If nothing jumps out at me while scanning shelves, I keep moving. Here's what I got the other day, while zipping through the store, oh so quickly, with my two very unhappy to be thrifting kiddos. Excuse the bad flash pictures...it seems like it starts getting dark around noon these days!

     The basket will be spray painted. As I've mentioned before, I use baskets, buckets and crates to keep things tidy that have to be kept out in the open do to lack of space. Lidded baskets are great for hiding things, so I was really happy to find this one.

      This vintage shoe form was just too super nifty to leave. I don't know if its real or a replica, but I like it.
 

      Someday I'm going to have the cutest little boutique you've ever seen in your life, filled with all sorts of vintage, redone, and sewn things. You can stop by and sit on my front porch and look at my pretty flowers that I'll plant, (that my dog won't be able to dig up because it won't be allowed there) and I'll make you a cup of coffee. I'd offer you homemade brownies, but I can't cook worth squat so you'll probably be better off without my brownies. Anyway, until that happens, its sitting in my not so glamorous work room window with a few of my other interesting nick knacks. The air tubing really adds a nice touch, don't you think?

      This old lantern just looked, perfect. I love old lanterns. Its going to go on my mantel as soon as I get her all cleaned up.

       There you have it, perfect loveliness that only needed to be found. Have you found any fun treasures lately? Put a link in the comments so we can all take a look!
      Check back tomorrow for a fantabulous giveaway!!!

Psalms 36:7 How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

33 Days 'till Christmas! - Ornament Inspiration

      I just love Christmas. LOVE it! Hands down, it is the best time of year. I love what it stands for, the lights, the decorations, the music, the candy canes, the peppermint mochas at Starbucks, the pretty wrapping paper, glitter everywhere...sigh, I love Christmas. Expect an overload of Christmas related posts until the 25th of December rolls around...if anything puts me in the mood to make things, its Christmas!
     One thing I really like to do every year is to make ornaments for our own tree and to give away. I thought I'd share a list I have started of ornament making tutorials out there, in case you want to give some a try. Links are below each picture.

Tracys Trinkets and Treasures

Michele Made Me

Alphamom

My Sweet Savannah

Craftberry Bush

Under the Table and Dreaming

Maya Made

      I just love to see how creative people are! Most of the above ornament were made from recycled materials or things you would most likely have on hand. Now, go find your own trash and turn it into a Christmas treasure!

Jeremiah 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 

Linking to:

Not just a Housewife

 HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

     I have just gotten back from being out of town. Currently, I am buried under the "we packed everything in the house and now I have to wash and put it all away" mountain of housework. I wanted to emerge from the rubble to quickly wish you a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! Can you believe it's already here??!! I can't!!
      I hope your turkeys don't burn, your pies don't crack, and your potatoes mash to perfection. =) I don't know about you, but I have MUCH to be grateful for this year. Amid all the stuffing of our faces, lets not forget what the day is all about.
     Check back next week for my first blog giveaway! Yay for free stuff!

1 Chronicles 16:34 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

Fun with Elastic Thread

      I really love the texture elastic thread gives. I had a bit of fun recently with a shirt I made. I thought it was pretty boring looking so I decided to experiment. I sewed 4 inch lines starting at the neckline and going out...king of like a star. I sewed long lines down the entire length of the sleeves and more lines coming up from the hem. I added a band around the bottom after sewing the elastic lines.

      I don't particularly care for the ruching around the bottom, although it does add interest.

      I do love the neckline and sleeves though. I will definitely be using this method again to dress up a plain design.

      Elastic thread can be a little finicky depending on your machine. Once you figure out what settings work best though, it can be loads of fun and a real time saver.
     Have a stupendously fantastic Monday!

Psalms 24:1 The earth is the LORD'S, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Lets Talk About Jackets

 
     Tis the season to be wearing them, and I am quite grateful to not be wearing them for half the year like some of you northerners! I had a goal this year, to learn to how to make my own jacket. I gave it a go this last week....and found I have MUCH to learn in the jacket making world. I decided to use fleece for my first attempts. Fleece is cheap, comes in all colors and prints, and has a bit of stretch to it...always a good thing when you have no idea what you are doing. I also did not put in a lining. It seems there is a bit of a vacuum in the sewing tutorial world on this subject. I could not find anything on how to put in a lining, and looking at my existing coats offered no answers either. I might just go buy on old ratty one from the thrift store and dissect it to figure out how its done.
      My first try was this little coat for my toddler.

     It has snaps down the front to close it and pockets in the side seams. There was more seam ripping in this little coat than you can possibly imagine. I won't go into all my ridiculous mistakes, but I finally got it to be wearable and presentable.
     My second try was this cream colored one for me.

     No seam ripping in this one, but still plenty of oops moments. I am fairly satisfied with how this one turned out. I love the color and I love the buttons. I do not like the collar, shoulders, and the fact that it is not lined. There were a lot of "firsts" for me in these two jackets. It was my first try at collars, buttons that actually need to button and unbutton, princess seams, and pockets.

      The total cost for the materials was about $20. Not a money saver in the sense, I could easily find a fleece for that much or less in stores. However, I learned a ton, so it was still a worthwhile project. You can't ever get better if you only stick to doing what you know how to do.

      I have much to learn before I'll attempt a tutorial on this. I can say though, I "built" the pattern just exactly the same way I showed you in this post. I can also tell you, don't use fleece for pockets. It adds bulk right around the belly...right where I don't need it! =) Next time I'll be using thin lining fabric for pockets.  Collars are still a mystery, so I'll just keep tinkering till I get the hang of them.
      Do you know any jacket making tips? Be sure to tell me all about them in the comments so I can steal your ideas! =)

Psalm 25:10 "All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies."

Linking to:
The Southern Institute

Make a Five Minute Belt

      As I've mentioned before, my toddler has a super little waist, so her pants have a tendency to end up around her ankles. Rather than go sew darts in all the waists of her paints, I decided to just utilize a belt. The only problem with my grand scheme...I couldn't find a belt small enough. Well, to be honest, I didn't actually spend much time looking for one, it was more a, "if I happen to be in a store and happen to think of it", type of looking. Since my shopping (and memory) failed me, I just made one real quick with some scrap fabric, elastic and a buckle.

        I cut a piece of elastic to fit around her waist snugly, and two strips of fabric equal to the elastic when stretched out.

       I sewed up the long sides, leaving the ends open.

     I turned the tube right side out, and threaded my elastic through. Safety pins make this so much easier!

       I sewed the ends shut, making sure the elastic was snugly sewn as well.

      Next, I looped the ends around the buckle and sewed them down.

       That's it! One cutesy belt for an itty bitty waist!

Psalms 5:3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Linking to:
Simple Home Life