The following is a Guest Post from Sandy from 4 Reluctant Entertainers
I really don't think of myself as the creative type when it comes to taking something that went wrong and turning it into something beautiful. You know, the way that The Nester would beautify something. So when I got into a battle with my backyard blower - it just made me think of The Nester all the way.
Here's my story.
Last week I was ready to go out with my husband to a casual party, and I was dressed in one of my favorite sundresses. In Sandy-style I thought I could get a "last minute" job done quickly before we left. Just one more thing to check off my "to-do" list, right?
As I was blowing the back patio, my wonderful polka-dot sun dress got sucked up into the blower.
My daughter, Abby, and her friend were in the pool and watched it happen. I turned the blower off and we all just stared in disbelief at what had just happened.
No, not my favorite dress!
As I was getting ready to toss the dress, I noticed that the material was the color of my daughter's bedroom. So in Nester-style, my mind started twirling ...
What could I do with this material?
Now I know that pink is rarely talked about in The Nester's home, having 3 boys. And now that my daughter is almost 13, this last fall we changed her room colors from pink to green, blues and browns. We took down her pink bulletin board, which has been sitting behind her door for about 9 months now. My daughter was finished with pink. No more pink!
I cut the usable fabric from the dress and stapled it over the pink board.
I covered up the big PINK dot with a blue sticker.
Added her favorite picture of her Daddy back to the board. And hung it in her room.
Even Hobbes liked the new look.
And I surprised Abby when she got home from school. A new board, a new look, and now when I walk into her room, I get to see my favorite sun dress.
It all worked for me!
First of all, have you ever had a battle with a yard tool?
And secondly, are you creative with taking your boo-boos and Nesterizing them?
The Nester and I would love to hear your creative stories!
I love how resourceful Sandy is! And if you haven't had the chance to meet her online yet, you will adore her, she is a no nonsense entertainer/decorator/mentor to tweens/writer/friend and full of encouragement. I was lucky enough to room with her at the last blissdom.
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I love how resourceful Sandy is! And if you haven't had the chance to meet her online yet, you will adore her, she is a no nonsense entertainer/decorator/mentor to tweens/writer/friend and full of encouragement. I was lucky enough to room with her at the last blissdom.
36 comments:
I can't say that I have ever gotten into a fight with a yard tool. I love the dress, so in turn, I now love the new bulletin board! Very cute fabric.
Love the bulletin board and the colors! What a great way to reuse something you love!
Hmmm, my VACUUM has destroyed too many things to list here ... which in turn has destroyed too many vacuums to list here ... but I leave most of the yard tools to my husband ... or was that part of our marriage contract ....
Sandy you are so COOL! This is precisely the reason why I NEVER go near yard tools. :)
I echo Kimm, I stay away from motorized yard tools anyway. I think the bulletin board turned out very cool. Before finishing your post I thought you'd turn it into a cute top. That way you could've still worn it. Your daughter is a lucky girl!
Karen
Great idea! I love that you found a way to salvage your favorite dress in some way.
I also learned something from this post: never blow the leaves off my back deck while wearing a dress!
Excellent idea!!! the bulletin is very pretty. I like it very much!!
Thanks for having me, Nester!
Thanks for the comments, ladies! And yes, I did consider making a top. But that would have meant getting out the sewing machine!
I'd need Nester's help to sew a straight line! (My daughter can sew better than me).
Happy Weekend!
What a great idea to salvage the fabric from the dress. At least you can still enjoy it that way. Hugs, Marty
Every time you look at the bulletin board you'll remember this story! What do you mean you don't think of yourself as the creative type...that was creative! Janell
Just a reader! :) HOW CREATIVE!!!! I give you as many kudos as you can handle, personally I probably would of just threw it away? YIKES! I know. But that's awesome. http://jopaulino.blogspot.com/
Frequently my garden hose comes to life and tries to swallow me whole like a python! I am sure it makes for good laughter to the neighbors.
I leave all the yard tools to the Big Guy at our house. I do like to repurpose clothing tho.
The bulletin board must look great with the weaving.
Darla
what a great recovery project!
What a shame about your dress... Glad you could make use of the fabric.. Re-use, Re-cycle and all that good stuff. Great job!
Di
The Blue Ridge Gal
Just goes to show.... NEVER throw away good fabric!!!! I just helped my daughter make a super cute little bag out her favorite ripped up jeans!! Blessings!
Not a dress, but when it was time to toss an old mattress and box spring that belonged to my grandparents I couldn't bear to let the whole thing go, so I cut the fabric off and have already reused some of it to make a pillow and as a background for a pretty nest picture. I talk about it ad nauseam.
Love what you did with your dress, and I know your daughter is enjoying it, too!
That was SUCH a neat save!
I bet your daughter was psyched about the new bulletin board. You better keep an eye out on the rest of the cute stuff. Your vacuum and your favorite sweater might have an "accident." ;)
i love the fabric, like it better as a bulletin board.
What a wonderfully creative idea!! I'm pretty sure I've gotten in battles with many things, but never wearing good clothes...LOL I know myself too well (C:
YES! This is re-fashioning, no? I just posted on a skirt gone ugly that i turned into a purse and camera strap.
http://kristensbloglife.blogspot.com/
check it out if you've got some time!
although, sandy, my was skirt wasn't as beloved as your dress...I think i wouldn't have been as calm, collected and creative-bless you!
kristen
I love it! What a great post, and so glad her dress is the only thing that got pulled in-yikes!
Love that story, Sandy....you definitely made some beauty from your bedlam moment. :)
not sure if this counts, but i had some cheap premade curtains that were really shear. but i wanted curtains to block out the sunlight. what to do?? i took my black aisle runner from my wedding, cut it up, and hot glued it to the backs of my curtains. instant black out curtains! :)
Very smart use of pretty goods!
I just did one last week on a huge artist canvas for postcards from my Husbands port stops, used left over sunbrella fabric - so pretty!
Sandy, that dress is gorgeous! Where did you get it? Going to search Ebay!!
Sandy, that is too funny. Totally could see myself trying to blow off the backyard in my dress too. Can't waste a minute, which is why I am almost always late. But I have to say I don't think I have ever had my dress sucked up by a yard tool.
Way to go on making it into a bulletin board!! I'm impressed.
That was a beautiful dress. I don't personally have these problems because I don't do yard work and I always spill on anything that I'm wearing, so I'm basically just a slob that doesn't care that much about clothes or how I look. My big tragedy is if I am not comfortable. Hey, works for me ;)
No, but my house robe had a bad run in with the vacuum cleaner!
Girl, shoot. I love it. You are too creative! Maybe I should give that a whirl with too-small clothes...
At any rate, not to wax philosophical too much, but I'm trying to nesterize the boo-boo of launching my personal chef business two weeks before the economy tanked. As I navigate what that means I find myself needing home to be a comforting sanctuary more than ever.
Just thought I'd let you know, I used dried hot glue drops as earring backings this morning for church- we were running late and I couldn't find any and of course could not go without earrings! So I pulled out the hot glue gun and went to work. It worked great and I totally thought of you. My earrings were Nester-ized. :)
The dry cleaner didn't blink an eye when I told her my scarf had gotten sucked into the leaf blower... my favorite fringed blue one that had been wrapped around my neck.
Hubby would never buy a chain saw, he was very afraid ;-)
That is SO cute! And I love Sandy, so I was elated to see this post here!
Okay, and, embarrasing moment that totally shows I'm a nursing mother right now, LOL, I quickly glanced at this title and the pic and thought that it was for a breastfeeding cover-up! But how cute would that fabric be for one?! Adorable! (My daughters call them boo-boos, hence the mental confusion!)
My husband must love that I share this stuff on the internet. :O)
Sandy is a fantastic woman and love that she repurposed the dress. I too have done yard jobs with a nice outfit on only to have it dirty.... usually guilty of weeding with a Sunday outfit on.
Thanks Nester for letting Sandy come visit and share her story.
Cynthia
Great resourcefulness!
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