retro tv t-shirt

My sweet husband, Michael, celebrated his birthday last month. One of his presents was this retro t.v. t-shirt.

The t-shirt was inspired by one of our all time favorite TV shows, The IT Crowd. It is available on Netflix Instant. I definitely recommend it with one caveat- British TV allows much more foul language than American TV. There are a few F-words sprinkled throughout the series-- less than one an episode. It's like a PG-13 movie. Anyhow, one of the main characters, Roy, wears lots of great t-shirts. This one was my favorite:

I recreated it with freezer paper stencils and fabric paint. This was my first time doing a freezer paper stencil on an adult sized t-shirt. I struggled getting it centered and level, as I am sure you can tell! Little kid t-shirts are much easier. If I hadn't left it to the last minute (literally- I did this the morning of his birthday!) I would have bought a new shirt and tried again. Live and learn, right? I also wish I had made the t.v. a little larger.

I do really love how the antennas and the details of the t.v. (the switches and speaker and legs) turned out though.

Michael was very happy with this present. He put it on immediately and wore it the rest of the night. See all those candles? He's OLD! :)

third blogiversary giveaway

My third blogiversary was actually January 29th but I have been so busy the giveaway had to wait. I have so much I want to share but between the kids and other responsibilities there just isn't enough time in the day. I'll get it all out eventually!

the bike isn't part of the giveaway. I just like this bike so much I couldn't resist using it as a prop! I wish I could ride this bike all over town and fill the basket with goodies. Alas, Charlotte is a not a biking friendly city.

I know my last giveaway was a tote bag but I have since changed the way I was making them and wanted to give away a 'new and improved' tote bag.

The new tote has a black vinyl bottom that gives the bag a nice weight and structure and makes it more durable.

The rest of the bag is made with a medium weight canvas. The cheery + colorful print is from IKEA and is lined with a white canvas. There are two exterior pockets and two small interior pockets.

Tucked inside the bag are a few of my favorite things:

Essie nail polish in Chinchilly
Ritter Sport milk chocolate with hazelnuts (I love anything with hazelnuts!)
A braided leather bracelet (tutorial by Melissa Esplin- surprisingly easy. I made three in about 30 minutes and plan on making lots more as gifts)
A ring made from a vintage clip on earring

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As always, thank you, to all of you that read my blog. I know I am 'small potatoes' and I dont blog often enough but I appreciate all of you that take the time to read and comment!

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To enter the giveaway you only need to comment on this post-- please include an email address if you don't have one linked to your account. No liking or other hoops to jump through! One entry per person, please. If you accidentally leave more than one comment please go back and delete the extra(s). Thank you and good luck!

thrifty finds

It's been a while since I shared any thrifty finds. Pickings have been slim lately but last Saturday we found two fun items.

A vintage bicycle! For $26.

I especially love the basket!

The bike seems to never have been ridden, just sat in a barn for thirty years. It was very dusty and a little rusty. Michael cleaned and oiled it and it was good to go. It didn't even need a new chain or tires.

Vista Sophisticate. I don't know much about it, but it sure is cute!

Ezra got a ride in the basket. We normally wouldn't do that or ride without helmets but for a quick ride on our quiet residential street we broke the rules.

Spectator Mary Jane's for Gemma.

They won't fit her for a while but they were too cute to pass up.

Only $5 and have never been worn!

What about you? Have you thrifted anything great lately?