Recycling: One Stained dress - two projects

Hello!
If you read my blog you know that I love to recycle my daughter's clothes.
It is a great way to turn something old into something new, cute and useful. Even better if you can turn it into two brand new projects.
Here is the dress. The before picture that I remembered to take this time.

It was a cute dress that got ruined when I washed it together with a black velvet blouse. The pink parts got all stained...completely ruined, what a shame!
I put it away to think of what to do with it. The embroidered parts were still perfect.

I had almost forgot the little dress, when one day looking in one of my several plastic storage containers I found it and had not one, but two ideas.

First I cut out all the embroidered parts. I went and got my pink chenille scraps and some pink corduroy. I sewed  chenille borders on the two parts with gray background and made a corduroy back. Pink pom-pom trim was used all around the pillow.

 

 

Now, the project using the picture with black background. I don't have any during picture.
It's a simple tote bag  - little girl size.

Again, I used corduroy and chenille. These two projects were given to my daughter with her other birthday gifts this week. Brenda will use this tote bag to take her scriptures to church. Not bad for an old stained dress, don't you think?

Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula.

Mini Quilt and Doll Bed Handmade Christmas Gift Idea

Hi! With the holidays approaching I decided to share some handmade gift ideas. Things that you can make using scraps,recycled fabrics, thrift store finds, things that you already have at home and very little money.
Some time ago I made this for my daughter.

First, I found this cute bed at Salvation Army. I have a weakness for doll furniture.

Them I painted it white. I used a gloss white craft paint from Michael's.
I made the mattress using a recycled Laura Ashley fabric from a pillowcase and some fiberfill.

I had  some Flower Fairies Fabric squares from England that I got on e-bay. I used the cutest one and some scraps to make this little quilt. My own design.

I also made a matching  little pillow, and invited a little bear from the toy box to sleep on the bed!

She (it's a girl) likes her new bed, don't you think?
Please check back soon and I will have more handmade Christmas gift ideas.
Thanks for reading my blog.

Doll Quilt

I made a special project for my girl last Christmas.
I know, it was a long time ago, but only now I took pictures.
I was inspired by a doll quilt from the magazine Handmade from Australia. The quilt is on the cover.

I changed the size to fit the bed Santa was bringing. Of course, I changed the color and made it pink.  I used scraps from Brenda's quilt. I just love the words on the border.

I did a lot less squares and quilted along the seams.  On Christmas morning, the bed with  mattress, pillow, quilt and a cute dolly were under the tree. My sweetie loved it!

Sara is her favorite doll, and she plays with her every day.
Due to her Neurofibromatosis, Brenda is limited in her playing and activities. She can not jump, run, go on slides, monkey bars, ride bicycles and so on. She wears a brace to protect her leg affected by pseudoarthosis. Her leg is very fragile and even wearing a brace and taking it very easy she recently developed a crack on her bone.
Because of all this we encourage her to play with quiet toys, like dolls, board games, dress up, and tea party stuff that she loves. She also loves books and movies... and fairies.
She is a brave loving little girl.  She is a blessing.

I love to make things for her. She is always so sweet. At the and of the school year she volunteered to sing a song for her Mommy at her school's talent show. It was all her idea. She is a social butterfly, but I was very surprised when she told me about the "surprise".
She sung "The song of the double daisy fairy" from the Flower Fairies Alphabet.
After the talent show she asked me if  I  have liked her performance. I said: Yes sweetie, it was beautiful!  And them she said : I did that "surprise"  because of all the nice things you do for me... and looked at Daddy too and said : both you guys!