Everybody has a pile of squished T-shirts in their drawers that never see the light of day. Well “git’em” out and start snippin’. Here’s what you do: Find the shirts that don’t have seams on the sides Cut off the bottom hem Get a VERY sharp pair of scissors Cut one continuous 1-inch spiral strip [...]

Once upon a time, when I was pregnant with Miika, I splurged and bought a cashmere, hooded sweater by Ralph Lauren. It was soft, long, warm, light-weight, covered my pregnant belly and all I really needed for a winter coat. I loved it because it was so comfortable and not thick or bulky. I have [...]

I have this bug to create something or better yet, re-purpose some stuff. After dropping Miika off at school this morning, Nathan and I went for a little walk in the arts district of Oak Park scrounging for ideas. Ideas are the only things that I can justify shopping for until the job thing settles [...]

OK, it’s time to share the how-to on my shopping bag idea. Since I’ve discovered that I’m not the only one who has figured out that T-shirts make great shopping bags and I’m not going to make a million-dollars doing these, I’m sharing. Here it goes: Cut the neck and arms off of the shirt, [...]

The Picky Peasant is up and running!!! For now, it’s just a simple site, but I have big plans. In a nutshell, I’m developing products that are made from recycled materials. My dream is to employ folks with disabilities to help fabricate these products. The process of recycling, reusing and recreating has so many possibilities [...]

…sort of… I set up my Etsy shop tonight, but it needs more work…more photos, more products, etc. But hey, it’s a start. In the time it took to set it up and tinker with it, 11 people checked it out. Right now I’m just listing the T-crawler. I’ll put up the hats and what-nots [...]

The scraps from the T-crawlers are gathering. So, I’m launching into production of more recycled stuff…here are the hats! There’s something very therapeutic about hiding in the basement where it’s completely quiet and stealing a few moments to create quick projects that nobody else is art directing or managing…no clients down there! It calms me [...]

Well… The T-crawler© is gobbling up my nights! But I’m having fun with it. I’ve put a few out there for a test ride with Nathan’s therapists and so far the response is very exciting. The “T” is for Therapy and T-shirt (these are made from recycled, disinfected T-shirts). And the whole point is to [...]

1 matchbox 1 box of bits, scraps & do-dads 1 bottle of glue 1 pair of itty-bitty German scissors from an estate sale 1 old jar 1 lump of bees wax 1 old stiff bristled brush 1 old iron skillet or small sauce pan a few stolen moments Snip stuff from the “bits” box and [...]

Are you looking for a really cool present for your kids that does not cost much? Everyone who comes to our house for the first time is drawn to the big playhouse in our living room. It’s a kid magnet and parents can’t resist sticking their head in to see too. So many people have [...]