Challenge Accepted

Today's refashioning project started with a bed sheet and a persistent sister-in-law.

Katie found this sheet at a thrift store and loved the pattern. She thought it would make a cute maxi dress. Since she is also quite pale she gave me some shreds of an old shirt that matched the blue color and said it would make a nice ruffle at the top to offset the light fabric. Well despite the odd and slightly demanding request, I think it turned out quite nicely. :)

I would also like to point out the amazing necklace that Marshall is safely chewing on in this picture. Similar necklaces can be found in all sorts of colors on my Etsy shop. Stylish and practical, great for that mom on the go!


Disclaimer: Do not try this with me. It worked because she was my sister-in-law. Otherwise, I would have told her to go away. :)

Who says you can't get anything of worth for only 5 cents??

I have been back in the frigid north for almost 3 months now! Time has absolutely flown by!

So, what have I been up to? Well... not much. I've started grad school and I am enjoying it very much. I am excited at what I am going to learn over the next three years, despite being at a hippy school that makes me meditate.

Since class is only one day a week and I have yet to find work, I have a lot of free time. During that free time I watch Netflix and craft. I have expanded my Etsy shop and have even shared a booth at farmer's markets and craft fairs with my sister-in-law, Katie, and our friend, Bethany.

Most of the things I have been making are to sell but a few have been for myself. Usually, I get my inspiration from Pinterest. This time it led me to this blog in which a girl finds ridiculous items at thrift stores and makes them cute. I thought I would give it a try.

I started with this lovely dress from a local thrift store. Their basement items are only 5 cents a piece!! It was clearly hand made and since this is a small town, if you know who made this, send my apologies. :)

What to do? What to do?

Well, first I cut out the shoulder pads and chopped off the sleeves. Then I pinned where I wanted the top of the dress to be.

Then I stitched up the top hem. 

I would like to take this moment to say how much I love my mom's sewing machine!

Then I threaded elastic through the top hem.

And voila!

Sorry for the Myspacesque self portraits but nothing else was working and I have no photographer.

An adorable new dress for only 5 cents! Plus any excuse to wear my pink heals is a bonus!

Stay tuned for more! I found many items during my excursion yesterday, there will be more creations!

Five Iron Frenzy

All of you should know one thing about me. My favorite band is Five Iron Frenzy.

And I got to see them this past weekend as my birthday present from my mom!!!

And I even got to talk with the saxophonist, Leanor "Jeff the Girl" Ortega!!

I would leave it at that but unfortunately most people are confused because it is not the typical kind of music I listen to. You will usually see me listening to mostly country or some acoustic stuff like Jason Mraz but not ska punk. Well here is something I try not to advertise much, I was a wanna be punk rocker in middle/high school. I wore a spiked bracelet and baggy pants. I thought I was cool...

But I digress. During that stage of my life is when I was introduced to Five Iron and bands like them such as the OC Supertones and the W's.

Nine years ago, on Nov 22, 2003, Five Iron called it quits and went on to have real jobs and start families. On Nov. 22, 2011 (a day now known as Five Iron Frenzy Day) they launched a Kickstarter project to raise funds to produce a new album. They never believed that they would not only raise their goal of $30,000 but exceed it in only a few minutes. Over the next month they raised over $200,000 and started making music and touring again.

Five Iron fans are unlike any other band fans. They brought their band back from the dead. We are a dedicated group that did not give up hope 9 years ago.
Here is how one fan shows his love. (I know it may not look like much to most of you but to those who love Five Iron, this is awesome!)

One thing that I always appreciated about the band is that they saw their music as their ministry. They purposefully signed with a secular label despite being a Christian band. They wanted to use their music to share Christ.

Some people would argue that they were not really a Christian band. They had silly songs such as "The Phantom Mullet""Pre-ex Girlfriend" "At lease I'm Not Like All Those Other Old Guys" and may others but when you hear lyrics like the ones below there is no denying that this band loves Jesus and just wants to share that hope and grace with everyone. They may look a little different and act a little weird but who isn't. They have a passion for Christ and music and I am so glad they are back doing what they love!

"Lord search my heart. Create in me something clean. Dandelions, You see flowers in these weeds" - Dandelions

"The farsighted see better things" - Farsighted

"The Author of my hope is writing the greatest story ever told" - The Greatest Story Ever Told

"The struggles go on, the wisdom I lack, the burdens keep pilling up on my back. So hard to breathe, to take the next step. The mountain is high, I wait in the depths. Yearning for grace, and hoping for peace. Dear God increase." - Every New Day

Unplugged

We live in a day and age that is ruled by technology. We are constantly connected. We can have any piece of information we want in an instant. Our world revolves around our iPhones and Andriods, etc. So what would it be like if we disconnected ourselves? Well, not necessarily by choice, that is exactly what I have done this past year.

Due to finances I have not had internet in my apartment. On occasion I was able to use a neighbor's internet by standing on my left leg with my right leg pointed towards the west, my right hand on my nose and my left hand holding my laptop. As you can imagine, this was not the most convenient way to stalk people on facebook... I mean, do meaningful work. :) For the most part I went to Starbucks to get in some world wide web time. As for my "smart" phone, it wasn't so smart. BlackBerry's are being phased out and in doing so less apps are being designed for that platform. In addition, having a wireless provider from the north significantly reduced my service resulting in a slow, not so smart phone.

What has this year of limited connectivity taught me. Well mostly it gave me time. Time to be with friends instead of facebooking them. Time to read books instead of meaningless lol's online. And most importantly, time in the Word. I focused on my relationship with God and it has been an amazing experience.

Although I doubt anyone would willingly try this experiment, I'm glad I was able to. Even if I am able to have consistent internet and a faster phone in the future I hope I still take time for the things that matter.

Swing Dancing

Over the past month or two I have started going swing dancing at the Handlebar with my friend Sharon. It has been so much fun. Basically, it starts out with a lesson in which you learn five or so basic moves then the rest of the time is free dance. What ends up happening is, you dance with someone for a song and once the song ends someone else comes up and so on. You end up meeting so many people and have a lot of fun doing it.

It is obvious that some of the guys have been going for a long time and know what they are doing while I think for others it is a miracle that they have not broken a girl's foot from stepping on it. Some guys spin to much, others not enough. Some can't keep time, and others are making their own time. Some have the ability to carry on a halfway decent conversation, while others need to stare at their feet the entire time.

This was my last night attending swing dancing and all I could think of was the KJ-52 song in which he just wants someone to dance with but is continually rejected by girls who say, "Your pants are straight ugly, you can't dance, and your personality just bugs me" which is how I felt about many of the guys I met. None of the guys I met fit my rhythm.

As KJ so wonderfully points out in the song, it doesn't matter how many people reject you or how many are not the right fit for you. What matters is the one that is the right fit. That's the one that will be your dance partner for life.

Let's Review

The packing has begun. It is finally real that I am leaving in two weeks. It's hard to believe. I have come to call this place home and I can not explain how much I will miss it.

Since this blog started as a way to discover fun things in your area I thought I would give a quick recap of all the things I have found to do in Greenville.

First and foremost, I have found an amazing church family that has taken me in and made me feel so loved. Thank you to all of them. This week is our Sky VBS and it has been a blast so far.

I have become addicted to Zumba and you should all check it out. I also was recently introduced to a venue that does swing dancing every week and I have had so much fun learning it. I have gone to some amazing hiking trails. And along with the active theme, I have spent many enjoyable hours biking on a beautiful trail downtown. I even participated in a fundraising bike ride to support a wonderful local mission.

I have loved going to outdoor concerts, farmers markets, and many other special events downtown.

I have found amazing restaurants, coffee shops, cupcake stores, rooftop bars, and much more that have been wonderful places to be with friends.

I'm hoping to see the local baseball team before I leave. There are many other things that I wish I could have done before I left but the things left undone just give me more reasons to come back and visit often.

Although I have found some amazing places down here, what has meant the most to me is the amazing group of people I have met. Each and every one of you has impacted my life and I will never forget you. I love you all and hope that I can spend some time with all of you before I leave and can not wait to come back and visit.

To all of you in New England, I am so looking forward to seeing you. I have missed you and I can not wait to catch up with all of you.

There's so much more that I feel like I need to say but the words are not coming. For now, I hope that all of you can go out in your community and find some fun local activities but more importantly, find the people that will make those experiences memorable.

Blessings to all.

P.S. For those of you who don't understand this post: All of the things I am talking about are links to web pages with more info so you can check them out on your own. :)

Rumor Has It

Lately there have been many rumors flying as to what I will be doing in the next couple months. Well I am here to finally give you the truth. I am moving back to Vermont.
I apologize to my SC friends that are finding this out for the first time on here. I have been putting it off because I know it is going to be incredibly hard. I have come to know so many of you and love you all dearly. The thought of leaving here is breaking my heart but I know God has big plans for me.
I can not tell you all the things that I have learned this past year. I have grown in so many ways and would not trade that for anything. Every experience has been a blessing and you all mean more to me than you will ever know.
I am going back north to attend grad school at Antioch University in Keene, NH and I have multiple interviews for positions within the human services field.
As of now I'm not sure what else to say. I am planning on moving in July 30th. I hope I will be able to spend time with everyone before I leave. And don't worry, I love this place, I will be visiting often. :)

Biking for a Cause

This morning I signed up to bike in Miracle Hill's Cycling Challenge. Miracle Hill is a local organization that helps the homeless and addicted in the Upstate of SC. Their goal is to reach people with the love of Christ. This is their 9th annual bike ride and I am so excited! This organization and others like it are the reasons I got in to human services and I am proud to support them. Please visit my fundraising page and donate to the ride. :)

Etsy

Yep. I did it. I opened an Etsy shop.

Check it out! More great things to come so check back often. :)

It's A Family Tradition

Swamp Rabbit

I often find myself in situations that reflect a tv sitcom. The most recent incident occurred at work when, while trying to impress a co-worker, I said I was an avid bike rider. Now, although I enjoy bike riding I am most certainly not avid. After I made this claim the co-worker suggested that we go for a ride sometime and I smile and agree while thinking to myself, "CRAP!!"

So now I find myself trying to bike more often. In all reality I had wanted to start biking more anyways, this has just given me a boost. On Sunday I went and biked through the battlegrounds in Cowpens with my friend Mindy and the past two days I have gone downtown Greenville to the Swamp Rabbit Trail.

I am quite pleased with myself. On Monday I did 10 miles and today I did 12 miles. The trail is beautiful. Along the trail there are parks, the Greenville Zoo, Furman University, and even a cafe or two. Part of the trail even has a special lane for runners made out of rubber track material.

If you don't have a bike but want to go check out the trail I have found many places to rent bikes including: Reedy Rides, Pedal Chic, and you can even rent tandem bicycles at Tandem, Touring, and Recumbent Bikes.

Whether you are a biker, runner, and even just want to go for a walk I would recommend the Swamp Rabbit. It feels great to get out there and be active!

(I'm also looking for anyone to go riding with. It's way more fun with company!)

Foxy Friday... on a Saturday!

As you may have noticed... I have been uninspired lately. I have recently gotten a new wind of inspiration and have come back to share with you all.
This project actually comes from my mother who made my sister-in-law's and I a beautiful snap clutch for Christmas. I got the pattern from her and decided to try my hand at it.
All you need are two fat quarters (For those of you who don't quilt, a fat quarter is a 18"x22"piece of fabric) and two 8in pieces of a measuring tape (Yes, I went to Home Depot, bought a 24ft measuring tape, and cut it up).
This particular one is for a friend that I'm sure doesn't read my blog so it's ok (It's ok that I put it on here, it's not ok that she doesn't read my blog. We will have a chat about it.) but I actually made two since they were so much fun but the other one is for someone who actually reads this. :)

And just like my last project, this is made with fabric that can only be purchased in Vermont!

Foxy Friday in Five Minutes or Less

This week I did not have my typical entire day to create something. In the morning I helped my friend, Mindy, clean her new house and in the evening I went to the Tinsley's for our usual shenanigans. Even though I had little time I still felt this overwhelming need to create something. I started with this idea from... you guessed it, Pinterest. I went to Goodwill and got an abandoned tea cup for $0.50 and then ransacked my own stash (as small as it might be) of fabric. I had stolen this particular fabric from my mom when I was home last and is fabric that can only be purchased in Vermont.

I filled the fabric with fluff not stolen from my current place of employment.... I then wrapped a rubber band around the bottom to hold it all in and put a ring of glue around the top of the tea cup and just set the poof inside. There you have it! An adorable pin cushion in under five minutes for $0.50!

(I apologize for the poor photography and messy table.)

Identity Crisis!!

As most of you have probably realized, my blog has veered significantly from it's original intent. I loved my original idea and I am still passionate about finding fun local activities but I have broadened the subject of this blog to include: life's realizations, crafting projects, recipes, and general brilliant insights from my mind.

Moral of the story, I need a new title. I don't feel right keeping the "Discover Local" title when that is not solely what I do.

So I put it to you, my faithful readers, however many of you there are. What should my new title be?

Lighting

I was chatting with a friend a few weeks ago and talking about the craft projects that I have been doing. Most of my projects are done on Fridays because that is the day I have off. We decided I should have an alliteration to describe my crafting Fridays so I took out my handy thesaurus app and looked up "craft". Well a synonym of craft, when referring to the definition of deceit and scheme, is "foxy" so we have decided to call it Foxy Fridays. I will try to update you all on my Foxy Friday adventures. :)

This week we focus on lighting. Like mother like daughter, I prefer lamp light to overhead lighting so my projects for the past couple weeks have been making lamp shades. (Which, every time I mention lampshades I feel the need to quote, "I'll bet you a drink or two that I can make you put that lampshade on your head" from this song.)

Anyways, like usual my inspiration started with Pinterest. Here is the first idea I got for a lamp that will go in my bed room. I started by going to the best place for projects to start, Goodwill! I found a lampshade that was due for a change.

I then headed over to Hobby Lobby and got some plain white fabric and wrapped it around the lampshade.

I ripped strips of the fabric and rolled them up to make a flower look and glued them all over the lampshade.

It took awhile but I like the final outcome... ok, so it's not actually finished. The entire back still needs flowers glued on but like I said, it takes awhile but I wanted to show everyone what it looked like. I bought a simple base at Walmart and put the whole thing together. Total I spent less than $10. I found a similar design at Hobby Lobby for $100. I'll take mine. :)

Next I found this pin and thought it would be perfect on my sewing table (when I get one). I also got this lampshade at Goodwill.

I cut all the fabric off with an x-acto knife so all that was left was the metal frame.

I wrapped the top and bottom rings with fabric then took strips of fabric and tied them in between the spokes.

I got my fabric at Hobby Lobby but it would be really cool to do with various scraps from a sewing room (I don't have that much to choose from yet, like my mother). :)

I hope you have been inspired to create some light in your own life. Enjoy!

Timing

When I was younger we sang this song in church all the time that sounded like something straight out of a Southern Baptist Church. The song was called "On Time God." I struggled with this song, not only because it was a corny song but because, I didn't like to think time was out of my control. If you know me at all you know I'm a little bit of a control freak... Admitting the problem it the first step...

I didn't like waiting and trusting that the waiting was necessary. If something good was coming I wanted it then and if I was in the middle of something bad I wanted it to hurry up and end. The truth is God is in control and He has a perfect time for every thing. This is one of the many things that God has been teaching me down in SC. It's a concept that has been brought up many times this week and then this morning at church the message seemed to solidify every thing that has been going on. If you have a spare hour this week I would highly encourage you to check out this week's sermon, it's a message for everyone. (It's the one dated 1/29/11)

The first verse we looked at, Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, has actually inspired many pop culture references including this song that has been stuck in my head all day. Usually this verse is used as an encouragement to say that good things will come and that the bad things are only for a time and while that is true it also means the God has divinely placed each season in your life for a reason. Not really something I wanted to hear... Truth be told, moving down here has not been easy and I have faced many trials and struggles and have continually asked God, "WHY???" but it's all for His glory and his purpose. I don't need to know why, I just need to trust that He sees the full picture and I should be praising Him for using me in His plan. James tells it like it is chapter 1:2-4. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

I read that and think, "Dang, ok... Your will, not mine."

There are a lot of things coming up in my life, new possibilities and directions. I have no idea where they will lead or even when they will come but I am trying as hard as I can to stay where I am and wait for God to say, "Go."

If you think to pray for me this week pray that I have the patience for and the certainty of God direction. I miss you and love you all. Many blessings!

P.S. When I refer to church "this morning" I wrote this on Sunday,just hadn't posted it yet. :)

Home Decorating

Now that Christmas is over (and most of the presents are done) I figured I could make something for myself. The idea originated from this pin on pinterest, but I took some creative freedom and used a map instead of a poster as an ode to my love of travel.

I bought an antique style map from Barnes and Noble and headed over to A.C. Moore (not my usual craft store but I had a gift card). Due to a misinterpreted sign I was able to get canvases that were already on sale for an extra 50% off so each 11x14 canvas cost me $1.50. (Hooray for poorly worded signs!)

I cut the map up and began to mod podge it onto the canvases. I started with a homemade version of Mod Podge but the consistency wasn't right so I ended up going back to A.C. Moore. I bought to many canvases so I returned two and bought the real Mod Podge to complete the project.

I painted the edge of the canvases to blend in with the map. I would highly suggest doing this part first, it's a pain to do it after the paper is on there.

I think it came out splendid and once I take my Christmas tree out of my living room I will be hanging it. All together is cost me less than $20, if you were to find something similar in a store you could expect to spend anywhere from $50-$100 and besides, this is way more fun!