Friday, April 29, 2016

Mini Pistols & Pearls Gender Reveal Party: The Destiny of Things, Story 369 & 370

Mini Pistols & Pearls Gender Reveal Party:  The Destiny of Things, Story 369 & 370

I received two stories using these mini guns with Pistols and Pearls parties and one came with an update photo!  One ordered 17 mini James Bond guns in silver!  

 These silver James Bond guns are sold out, but we still have them in gold here

An Etsy buyer was kind enough to show me what she did with her guns and they came out so cute!

Here is her email message and update photo:

These are the pins that we made with the guns you sent me! Thank you so much for your note and the bag of miscellaneous stuff!


 These silver James Bond guns are sold out, but we still have them in gold here
Photo via Etsy buyer from JunkDrawerAndMore


Pistols and Pearls gender reveal parties must be popular right now because this is the second story I've gotten for this type of themed party!  I've never been invited to a gender reveal party, but I've been to plenty of baby showers.  Are they the same type of party?

The other Etsy buyer bought 30 of these mini gold guns in an assorted mix:

 We still this gold gun mix, but have had to not include the James Bond type guns in them because they sell out so fast, different gold gun mix available here

Here is her note:

Note from Buyer I would love to have as many pistols as I can! I'm using these for my friends gender reveal party and the theme is pistols or pearls for boy or girl! But I will take any gun style. Thanks ☺

I wonder if she made cute little pins too?  And I wonder what the pearl pins look like......

Here is an updated photo of the 10 or 25 assorted gold gun mix, available here
photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

Saying Goodbye:  These are one of our most popular items on JunkDrawerAndMore and I don't really know why.  They sell out almost as fast as we can find them and they are getting more and more difficult to find, so I have my own stash of these put away for when the time comes and they are gone.

We used to have these rifles and machines guns, but we can not find them anymore and I'm so disappointed that I only saved a few for myself.

 The rifle and machine guns were actually metal and not plastic like the guns we have now.  Rifles and machine guns are sold out.  Other assorted guns, available here, photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

What I Learned:

1.  Put away my stash first and don't go into my own personal stash to fill orders because I'll regret it when I can't find anymore, like what happened with the rifles and machine guns!

Of course, I have no idea what to do with my stash and I want hundreds or even a thousand of them for my repetition art.  Luckily these are so small, 100, even a thousand would barely fill a jam jar. 

2.  I would be very curious about a gender reveal party since I've never been to one.  I used to be such a party person and would love to have any excuse to go to a party, but now, unfortunately with all my allergies, being in large groups does not do my health well.  It just takes one person wearing perfume or even strong fragrance from laundry detergent from what the clothes anyone is wearing and I'll get an allergic reaction that might take me a couple of days to recover.

I most likely can't enjoy any of the food at the party either, unless it's organic, gluten free, soy free and sugar free, which doesn't bother me, but usually the host or hostess can't bear to see someone not eating or drinking and it can get uncomfortable explaining over and over to people about why I'm not eating or drinking anything.  And some party foods, like my favs of appetizers and cakes are very difficult to pass up when I start to get hungry!

3.  As a recovering hoarder, when I first found these little gold guns I just had to have some because they are from my childhood and brought back so many memories.  Now that I have a lot and would love to use them in my repetition art, but just not sure how to use them yet.

I know I'm hoarding away smaller stuff now for my art now and well, if worse comes to worse, at least I know these will find new lives and homes quickly on Etsy.

 Gold is much more popular, but here they are in silver too, available here
photo via JunkDrawerAndMore 

Thank you Etsy buyers from JunkDrawerAndMore  for sharing your stories with an update photo.   It has inspired me to dig deeper into why I'm collecting so many childhood items for my art, but not doing any art with them! At least not yet.....
You have helped me uncover another mystery to solve about my hoarding ways!  Why am I squirreling away hundreds of these mini guns for an art project without anything in mind for them?
Thank you Etsy for the best Hoarder Rehab ever!  And for all the kind people I'm meeting who are helping me indirectly and directly in so many ways with my Hoarder Rehab!
Thank you readers from all over the world who continue to support my Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things by taking part with your visits!
 These Rick Grime's Colt Python guns from The Walking Dead show only sell when the show is playing, available here
photo via JunkDrawerAndMore 
I'm still relisting and new listing things at all the shops weekly, but since summer season is about to begin and sales go down after Mother's day, I'm debating this year whether to stock up more or just keep stock at 192 this summer and see what happens.

I've noticed that browsing and searching items on Etsy shops takes a lot longer with the new shop format, at least it does with me, even if I'm looking for something specific!  I've noticed I do a whole lot less window shopping now and have found other things to do, which has really helped me as a recovering hoarder to not buy anything more!

Now if I can just motivate myself to exercise, instead of window shop!

Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed daily and/or weekly: HoarderRehab with 191 items, The Destiny of Things- 193 items, VintageToGoEasy - 192 items and JunkDrawerAndMore - 191 items 




  
Maybe you'll find something to adopt and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!
 I have 100s of these stashed for art, but I do have an art project in mind for these!
24 colorful pistol charms with bales, available here

Related Stories:  Other gun ideas from Etsy buyers....
2.  100 Rockabilly Carnival Gun Charms for Mixed Media Collage Art:  The Destiny of Things, Story 307
7.  From the mosaic artist:  Mini Gold Toy Prize Trinket Guns:  The Destiny of Things, Story 270    I think she might have bought 70, which at the time was all we had and my destash left too! 



 6 Puzzle eraser guns, available here
photo via JunkDrawerAndMore 

Thank you for visiting my Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things!  Happy Friday!
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Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Plastic Mini Cocktail Animals and Mermaid Toys! The Destiny of Things, Story 368

Plastic Mini Cocktail Animals and Mermaid Toys!  The Destiny of Things, Story 368

Almost a 100 of these found new lives and I thought it was for a big party!

24 Assorted animal and mermaid drink or cake topper toy mix, available here

This Etsy buyer went to two shops and ordered a lot!  50 monkeys, 24 assorted animals and mermaids, 5 giraffe and 12 mermaids!  Of course I was so curious about the type of party theme and if they were going to be cake or drink toppers, but it didn't turn out anything like I thought!

50 or 100 monkey cocktail drink or cake toppers or toys, available here
photo via Hoarder Rehab

My curiosity was solved with this email:

Hi Kennedy, 

Thank you for the fun monkeys, giraffes, mermaids, etc. You requested I give you my story -- how will I use these? I will give them to my preschool grandsons who absolutely love playing with them. Their imagination and pretend play goes on for hours. I know they can break - they love them so much I figured we needed back ups. Thank you for sharing your treasures with mine! 

How fun!  What lucky grandsons!  They have an entire zoo of these to play to their hearts content!  Other Etsy buyers have told me they let their kids use them for pretend play on their light tables.  That would be fun too!  Just remember these are small and somewhat fragile and if any of the appendages break off these parts are a choking hazard to young children.

This Etsy buyer has plenty in case any break or get lost and run of into the wild!

I know as a child, my brother and I loved to play with these for hours too and were often our favorite travel toys to play with on long car rides.  And back then long car rides were any trip over 15 minutes!  

However we only had one each from when our parents returned from date night from their favorite French or Chinese restaurant.

Small herd of 5 giraffes, available here
photo via JunkDrawerAndMore 

Here's what I wrote back:

Hi!

Thank you so much for sharing your story! I love it! I am so happy to hear they are building imaginations and little adventures for your grandsons! So wonderful!

Again, thanks for sharing I will use your story on my blog next week to inspire others and share ideas.

Thank you for bringing back old childhood memories and making new ones!

Kennedy


  12 or 24 cocktail mermaid drink cake topper toys, available here
photo via JunkDrawerAndMore 

Saying Goodbye:  I have my own stash of these that I've been collecting since college, so they are vintage now and back then they were very difficult to find.  Now the vintage ones are very expensive or at least I think so and some colors, like light pink, light blue, teal and gray are very rare.

I've been trying to collect all the different kinds of animals too when I see them.  Every once in awhile I see cute little mouse ones.  Light pink elephants are also rare.

Elephant parade of 6 cocktail drink or cake topper toys, available here
photo via JunkDrawerAndMore 

What I Learned:

1.  I just love how the older generation are introducing these to the new generation and sharing old memories while making new ones!

2.  I use these in my mixed media art and as drink and cupcake toppers when little ones are around!  Friends just love them too.

3.  I started out with a hoard of these and now they've become a popular item at our shops.  I still have a hoard of vintage monkeys in their true vintage colors too!  They even have the date on them!  They say Pat. Pending 1961.

4.  I have a couple of shoe boxes full of vintage ones for myself and can't seem to even let them go for my mixed media art!  I'll have to work on why I think they are so precious that I'd rather just have them sit in a box!

Which figurine is your favorite?  I think mine are the mermaids, but I do love the monkeys too!

 True vintage cocktail monkeys from the 1960s, available here
photo via VintageToGoEasy

Thank you Etsy buyer from JunkDrawerAndMore  and Hoarder Rehab for sharing your story and inspiring me to continue with mine! You have helped me uncover another mystery to solve about my hoarding ways!  Why I can't seem to use my stockpile of vintage cocktail figurines for my art or anything for that matter and why they just are preciously hoarded away in a shoe box!
Thank you Etsy for the best Hoarder Rehab ever!  And for all the kind people I'm meeting who are helping me indirectly and directly in so many ways with my Hoarder Rehab!
Thank you readers from all over the world who continue to support my Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things by taking part with your visits!
 It's harder to see here, but if you zoom in on it at the site, it might be more clear to read.   Each tail reads 1961 Zoo piks pat. pend. available here
photo via VintageToGoEasy

I'm still waiting to see how the new shop format works out and will be listing new things again next week, but I continue to relist new things as they expire and new items when a hoarded item finds a new life and home.

I have been juice fasting the past couple of days and it seems to have really helped my allergies.  I've also been taking a lot of Vitamin C and Dr. Schulze's Intestinal Formula #2 that has plenty ingredients to help rid of toxins.  I feel a lot better and have been mending for most of the morning, which I just love as an alternative to my hoarding ways and will keep on mending all afternoon!

Today's magic shop number is 192!

Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed daily and/or weekly: HoarderRehab with 192 items, The Destiny of Things- 192 items, VintageToGoEasy - 192 items and JunkDrawerAndMore - 192 items 




  
Maybe you'll find something to adopt and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!

Other rare animals are the donkey, camel and bull, available in this mix here
photo via JunkDrawerAndMore 

Related Stories:  Other creative things besides drink or cake topper use!

1.  An Etsy buyer had her mermaid drink charm from childhood for over 50 years, read her story here.




5.  One Etsy buyer uses them as plant jewelry, so I tried it too!  See them on my plants!  Cocktail Drink Monkey Toppers as Plant Jewelry!  The Destiny of Things, Story 302  



I love interactive art!  Most likely because as a recovering hoarder, it's very difficult for me to decide where to place things!  For example, I like the little yellow mermaid perched on top of the crown, but it also looks good perched on one of the wings!

Angel wing crowned heart nicho with La Sirena mermaid interactive art that you can move around to your own liking.  Also there is a fixed piece of loteria art that one can switch out when the seasons change and is the one shown inside it, 
available here.   Photo via Hoarder Rehab


"It's never too late to have a happy childhood."  Tom Robbins from Still Life with Woodpecker

Thank you for visiting my Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things!
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Monday, April 25, 2016

500 Swami Machine Fortune Teller Cards: The Destiny of Things, Story 366 & 367

500 Swami Machine Fortune Teller Cards:  The Destiny of Things, Story 366 & 367

I just love these Swami Madame X machine replacement fortune cards!

 500 Swami Madame X machine replacement refill fortune teller cards, available here
photo via VintageToGoEasy

When we were in high school my brother and I used to have lunch at a diner at Orange Circle when just because it had the Twilight Zone style Swami napkin dispenser machines at each table!  Every time we went there we'd sit at a new table hoping the machine would be working.  Most of the time, the machines were empty.

Here's the one from the one I remember from the Twilight Zone episode with William Shatner.

 500 replacement fortune cards, available here

One Etsy buyer sent me this note:

Will go great with current project of building my own Ask Swami machine

and a different buyer recently sent me this note: 

Note from Buyer Thank you! I just picked up the machine itself and now I'll have the proper cards.

 This is the style I remember putting pennies in at the diner in OC.
Ask Swami machine with a fortune being answered!
500 replacement fortune cards, available here
I wonder if the Etsy buyer who is making his machine has finished by now because that is a very old email note from last summer.
Hmm.... and I wonder if the other Etsy buyer had just picked up his Swami or Madame X machine.  Above is a photo of the Swami machine and below is the Madame X.

  500 replacement fortune cards, available here
The diner had the ones just like this with all chrome, but not as shiny new.
photo via Retro Planet blog
Saying Goodbye:  I have several stacks stashed away for myself and have learned to not fill orders with my own stash anymore.  I use these as gift tags and they make great little garlands too and they are so easy to use because the whole is punched and also has a slit, so I can just pop them on easily as a cute gift tag or add to a string for an instant garland.

These are the front of the cards and there are at least 52 different ones that are like a deck of playing cards with clubs, hearts, diamonds and spades.
 500 Swami Madame X machine replacement refill fortune teller cards, available here
photo via VintageToGoEasy

What I Learned:

1.  Always put my stash away first, otherwise I use my stash to fill orders when we get low on stock availability and some of my favorite things just run out and I have not been able to ever find them ever again!

2.  Etsy buyers have shared that they use these for table confetti for Twilight Zone parties.  If you need ideas for a Twilight Zone the link below will give you tons!

From an Etsy buyer:  This is for Next Stop... The Twilight Zone, here

3.  Some slip them into invitations for their fortune teller themed parties and others just send inside cards for fun!

4.  Other's slip them inside napkins and use them as conversation starters at dinner parties, especially since everyone can ask a "yes" or "no" answer and see what the fortune predicts.  I like to use them inside cocktail napkins, it's a fun way to start a party or dinner party.

Here are some of the examples of answers to "yes" and "no" questions on the back of the cards.  500 Swami Madame X machine replacement refill fortune teller cards, available here
photo via VintageToGoEasy

5.  As a recovering hoarder, I try not to hoard to many of these stacks, but I do give them away with each order as part of my "thank you" package that I try to keep as a fortune theme because without my hoard, I'm going to be on an unknown journey and who knows where it will take me!  And as I package each order it reminds me to think about my life without hoard!  Like the one below:

Each shop has a different version of these, but this one is available here

Thank you Etsy buyers from VintageToGoEasy and Hoarder Rehab for sharing your stories and inspiring me to continue with mine!  Especially on a day like today because my allergies are really acting up and I just feel like falling asleep, instead of finishing this post!
I'd love to see your home made Ask Swami machine and I'll always wonder if the other Etsy buyer has a Swami or Madame X machine.  I'm partial towards the Ask Swami's!
Thank you Etsy for the best Hoarder Rehab ever!  And for all the kind people I'm meeting who are helping me indirectly and directly in so many ways with my Hoarder Rehab!
Thank you readers from all over the world who continue to support my Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things by taking part with your visits!
 I wonder if the Etsy buyer is making one like this!
 Replica of the Mystic Seer prop from the Twilight Zone episode, photo via Captain Toy.  Michael gives a thorough and enchanting review of it and there are many more photos to see.
I have figured out how to relist on the new shop format, but the new shop format is not as easy to use and takes a few extra steps to relist than the old format.
The new shop roll out doesn't seem to have page numbers when I shop and there is a whole lot more scrolling to find things and category sections are much more useful now, but scrolling sure does take more time, instead of page numbers, especially if I want to refind an item without using the search.

I'm keeping up with new listings daily and weekly, but will be listing less than 200 items total for each shop because window shopping and finding items just seems too difficult and time consuming and I don't think Etsy shoppers will be scrolling through my entire shops without page numbers!  I think I'll see what happens when I keep my listing total at 192, instead of 200.

I know for myself as an Etsy window shopper, I basically just look at someone's first page now because the scrolling crazes me!  or I just look at their category sections and see if anything might amuse me, which usually is a long shot.  I'm very disappointed with window shopping, but the silver lining is I'm finding other things to do!
I am thankful with the new shop roll out that I did not get blurry photos like some of my Etsy shop friends are still dealing with because techless me would have given up by now!  Also I am thankful that I did not get any of the other problems I've heartd about!  Knock on wood!

Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed daily and/or weekly: HoarderRehab with 191 items, The Destiny of Things- 192 items, VintageToGoEasy - 192 items and JunkDrawerAndMore - 190 items 




  
Maybe you'll find something to adopt and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!
If you need smaller amounts from 6 to 100, they are available here

Related Stories:


2.  My first story about these fortune teller cards:  Ask Swami Fortune Teller Cards:  The Destiny of Things, Story #115  

 


 


 


 Watch the promotional for the episode on youtube, here

 and the full episode of Nick of Time with the Swami machine on imbd, here
"You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension - a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone"---Opening narration of Seasons 4&5
Happy Monday!  Thanks for stopping by and visiting my Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things!
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Friday, April 22, 2016

Mechanical Date Stamper 2016 for Mixed Media Art & Mini Signs: The Destiny of Things, Story 264 & 265

Mechanical Date Stamper 2016 for Mixed Media Art & Mini Signs:  The Destiny of Things, Story 264 & 265

Two stories about my favorite date stamper! One came with an update photo!

 Very handy mechanical date stamper 2016 to 2025, available here

Here is one note:

Thanks for the super quick shipping:) Will be using these to date my minis signs and to use in my mixed media work!! Thanks again!!!!

How fun to be used with mini signs and mixed media work!  I'd love to see her mini signs and/or her mixed media work.
 Very handy mechanical date stamper 2016 to 2025, available here

I especially like this handy date stamper because of the flat side on only one side handle, as seen above in the photo.  It helps prevent me from dating papers upside down without looking at the date which is backwards anyway.  Notice in the first photo the other side of the handle is rounded without the silver thumb shape on it, so it's easy to tell the difference quickly.

When I was a teacher, I used at least 4-5  of these stampers daily.  I kept one at my desk, I had one to pass out until students got used to putting their name and dates on all assignments and I had one for center use and for teacher helpers who either helped corrected papers or just checked for name and dates on them.

Oh and I kept one at home to use while grading papers and for record keeping!  Filling out field trip permission slips and any other administrative paper work that needed to be completed in triple forms.

Now I use mine almost daily, to be exact 4 times a week.   I use them to date packaging notes that go out with each Etsy shop order.  I also use them to date my art and for journal use.

Another Etsy buyer sent a note with an update photo:

Stamp is perfect for dating my art journal-shop owner even added a few fun items for journaling-which I haven't used yet. 

  photo via Etsy buyer from JunkDrawerAndMore

How cool, is that?  I just love the pink color and design on her art journal page.  Every time I get a story about someone's art journal i get so inspired and start one too and I last a few days and I forget all about it!

I do have a journal started and I use my date stamper, but it's mainly about our feral cats that live in the backyard.  Let's see how long I last this time!

Saying Goodbye:  When I was a teacher and my date stamper expired, I almost had a heart attack because I spent several weekends looking for an affordable one and could not find anymore, not a single one, nada, nothing!  Later I finally did find some, but since I needed so many to use in the classroom, I couldn't afford 3-4 and had to settle for one.  It became very precious and so valuable that we had a date stamper monitor whose only task was to take good care of it!

 Very handy mechanical date stamper 2016 to 2025, available here

What I Learned:

1.  I used to give these away as stocking stuffers to other teacher friends because if you are a teacher you probably have experienced finding plenty of no name and dates while correcting stacks of papers!  Teacher helpers love to use these for filling out field trip permission slips before they go home.

2.  I am an "out of sight, out of mind" recovering hoarder!  If I put away my writing art journal away and don't leave it on my work or dining room table daily, I forget to use it!  I do well for about week using my journal daily and then right when I think I'm in a rhythm, I put it away and it's long forgotten.

It happens with a lot of my projects, so I end up with a hoard of them started!  I get bored of one project after a week or two and put it away for later and then I can't find it again because it gets lost in my hoard!

3.  I've been trying to devise a routine system, it's actually a shelf where I put my projects in clear take out boxes and stack them up, so I can see them easily and just grab one with all the stuff I was using inside it already.

4.  I have been becoming more organized now and I do have more free time for my art projects now that so much of my hoard has found new home and lives!  Now if only my allergies to so many things would go away.  I am making progress with my allergies, but it's not as easy or as quickly done as dehoarding.

Here is an example of using the stamper on my art.  This is the front:

 Front of Butterfly Meadows, available here
 photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

Thank you Etsy buyers from JunkDrawerAndMore for sharing your stories and inspiring me to start my writing art journal again!  I'd love to see more of both your mixed media work and become even more inspired!

Thanks for helping me gain new insight about my hoarding ways! Projects that i put away and end up "out of sight, out of mind" also end up lost in my hoard! However, the silver lining is that as a recovering hoarder, I am organizing and devising a routine system to help me keep my on going projects in one spot and easily seen!

Lastly, thank you for the update photo of how well the date stamper is working for you!  Hopefully see you at the shops sooner, but if not at least in 9 years when you need a new one? lol Hopefully my hoard is all gone by then and I've changed my hoarding habits!
Thank you Etsy for the best Hoarder Rehab ever!  And for all the kind people I'm meeting who are helping me indirectly and directly in so many ways with my Hoarder Rehab!

Thank you readers from all over the world who continue to support my Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things by taking part with your visits!
 Example of how I use the date stamper on my art.
Back of Butterfly Meadows, available here
   photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

 
I'm still getting used to the new shop format that Etsy rolled out on April 5th.  The roll out didn't effect my shops until the 15th or so.  The past couple of days when I've tried relisting some items, they end up getting relisted to the very last spot of the last page at each shop!  Getting to that last page to edit is not as simple as it used to be because there are no more page numbers!

Using the new rearranging format is not as easy for me to use as the old one, so this weekend I'll need to spend some time figuring out the "custom listing" format.  I need a manual!  Better yet, lessons!
 
I'm not keeping up with new listings daily and weekly, but hopefully will get back to my old Etsy routine after I figure out the new shop edit formats!  193 seems to be my magic number today!  I didn't plan that!
 
Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed daily and/or weekly: HoarderRehab with 193 items, The Destiny of Things- 189 items, VintageToGoEasy - 193 items and JunkDrawerAndMore - 193 items 
  
Maybe you'll find something to adopt and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!
 I must have been going through a butterfly stage last year!
And it seems I stopped using the date stamper to date my washi tape art too!
Front of Butterflies and Bows, available here
Related Stories:

1.  With 3 photos of her art journal!  Journal Artist Mechanical Date Stamper:  The Destiny of Things, Story 336 
 I am an official stamp-a-holic and love to see how well the stamp works before I order one, usually it's not possible.... so at my shops, especially at JunkDrawerAndMore  I do my best to show how well the stamps works with examples.  Last week I had fun stamping my little heart out and will be listing the stamping examples with the stamps on sale at JunkDrawerAndMore 
as soon as I learn how to use the new shop editing formats.
Back of Butterflies and Bows, available here
photo via JunkDrawerAndMore 

"Be curious, not judgmental." ---Walt Whitman

Happy Friday!  Thank you for stopping bye!
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Thursday, April 21, 2016

My New Alternative to Hoarding! Mending Ways Creative Outlets, Story 5

My New Alternative to Hoarding!  Mending Ways Creative Outlets, Story 5

It's official!  I've found a new alternative to hoarding!  Yipee!!!

Boro rag art patches to mend your clothes!  Available here
photo via Hoarder Rehab

I've taken interest in mending my clothes for over a year now, but in the beginning I wasn't quite sure where it would take me.  I started with my favorite pair of jeans and instantly was amused with watching my mending and patching disintegrate and the first time I mended the jeans, the mend lasted a whole half hour and busted even a bigger rip!

I laughed so hard and went straight back to trying again!  Here is the "before" photo when I was modeling some of my Aunt's furs.  Thankfully all her furs have found new lives and homes, thanks to Etsy!

 BEFORE:  Notice the ripped jeans!  HA! Nice free air conditioning!
The mink collar cashmere sweater found a new life in Australia!

So these are my favorite jeans, which I call my eating pants because I need the belt to hold them up and they are low riders and I can eat all I want with them on!

Here is how I fixed them the third or fourth time:

 Oh wow, so I've been mending these since 2013, that's 3 years now!

I've repaired these countless times in the same area and many other areas.  These have stitching over stitching and probably have a back patch by now.  I started embroidering the dates on my patches so I could see how long they actually last.  This one says, Frankenstein, 2012.  It must have been around Halloween time 2012!

 Here is the back side of the mend with some patching.  Sometimes I find the back mending side much more interesting than the front, so this month my mends
have been "backward or inside out" mends, which means I put the patch on the front side.

I've also been mending my favorite white gauze summer shirt for years too, but it's very difficult to take photos of the mends.  I started embroidering my favorite quotes on it and the dates too.

 This shirt is so holey that every time I patch a hole another one instantly reappears!  Every time I wash it becomes holier than holey!

I've been making patches with some boro rag cloth I have tons of just to see what happens to it as I mend and patch.  Lately I've been working on my camouflage summer shorts.  Someone gave me these and they are so big that I never wear them in public, just around the house or to garden and they are falling apart now!

 These mends are difficult to see, but I just use whatever I have on hand, so as  you can see, I used a sturdy t-shirt label with washing instructions because that hole I've mended and patched up so many times!  Let's see how long it holds with that label on it now.  The other mend is in turquoise below the label and there is another one that runs along the bottom of the pocket on the left that's been mended with pink thread.

 Here is an "inside out mend" using more purple boro rag cloth with lots of button stitching all by hand and a quote that says, "Happiness is handmade."  As you can see, there's already another huge hole to mend above the H.


Above is the backside of the "inside out" purple patching and in the back I patched another with the falling flowers patch.  Sometimes I can't decide which way the patch should go and since no one but me ever really sees these shorts, now I just put them any way just to see what happens.


This is an experimental patch, I didn't use much stitching to mend the rip.  Just the turquoise embroidery thread and it's dated April 13, 2016.  I'll see how long this one holds.


Here is different falling flowers patch I used on another rip and this time I experimented by mending the rip closed first from the inside of the shorts.  Then I stitched around the border to attach the patch and lastly I free styled the quote, "The Earth listens to those who listen" to see how well a quote will do to hold it down and it has the date, but I can't read it from the photo.

I haven't washed these shorts since the mending, but I have worn them and not one patch ripped yet, but I did discover some holes that need to be patched up!

I've also been mending my favorite super old "comfy" socks, but those are really kinda ugly.  I used them more as slippers around the house because the socks are so big on me, so big I can't wear them with shoes.

 All the boro rag patches I made recently to experiment on all my favorite clothes, but the Curly Hair Sun Goddess I made so long ago, she's vintage now!
Boro rag art patches to mend your clothes!  Available here
More details about size and how I use them are on the listing
photo via Hoarder Rehab

Saying Goodbye:  I won't be letting these clothes go anytime soon because they are my favorites!  Plus I wonder what they will look like when every square inch is covered in mends and patches! 

 All the boro rag patches I made recently to experiment on all my favorite clothes, but the Curly Hair Sun Goddess I made so long ago, she's vintage now!
Boro rag art patches to mend your clothes!  Available here
More details about size and how I use them are on the listing
photo via Hoarder Rehab

What I Learned: 

1.  One of the biggest reasons why I've been mending my clothes rather than buying new ones is that it's becoming very difficult to find affordable 100% cotton clothes.  

I'm allergic to most synthetic fabrics and most cotton poly blends.  I'm not sure what some of the new clothes has been treated and/or scented with, but I've bought some and have had to wash them so many times just to be able to wear them without an allergic reaction.  The clothing doesn't even look half new anymore and having a reaction can take days for me to recover.

So lately it just hasn't been worth having an allergic reaction to trying on new clothes at stores.

2.  The biggest factor is I really enjoy mending my clothes and end up in a timeless world just mending and patching away.  Time passes without a thought of hoarding, shopping, dehoarding or even eating!  And I'm such a snack eater! And love to eat, hence my "eating" pants and shorts!

3.  It's probably an odd way to spend time, mending, patching and dating such old ripped up falling a part clothing, but I'm just happy to have found something so timeless that I don't even think about what I'm going to "buy" next! Collect next or window shop for!

I can't remember much about making this patch, but do remember it took me some time to applique and embroider in the scribbling hair!  She has been made with very tiny stitches!  I think I was experimenting with self portraits for a family quilt.  My mom would send an blank square to every family member with a theme and they we'd mail it back to her and she'd make it into a quilt for a family member's birthday or anniversary or other milestone celebration.  Available here
photo via Hoarder Rehab


I'm still getting used to the new shop format that Etsy rolled out on April 5th.  I am having such issues missing the old format and my patience is at an all time low!  
It takes me twice as long to get anything done now on Etsy and it's taking away from my mending and blogging time!  I'm still trying to figure out how to rearrange my shop items without the renewed listing ending up all the way in the back, instead of the front. It's just not as easy to rearrange as it used to be.  I need a manual!  Better yet, lessons!

 
I'm keeping up with new listings daily and weekly, but even renewing expired listing takes me much more time to complete because they end up on the very last page, instead of in the front of the list for some reason.  I'll have to spend some time figuring out the new shop format and editing ways, but not this week!
 
Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed daily and/or weekly: HoarderRehab with 194 items, The Destiny of Things- 188 items, VintageToGoEasy - 193 items and JunkDrawerAndMore - 193 items 
  
Maybe you'll find something to adopt and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!
 Here's an experimental patch I put on a t shirt to see if the vintage darning thread and vintage red embroidery thread was going to color run with a machine wash.  So happy it didn't, as seen in the photo.  I first made the patch with just lines and scribbles, then patched it to the t shirt sewing along the border and tacked it on by coloring in the some of the spaces with red embroidery floss.
This x-small to small upcycled patched up t shirt is available here

Related Stories:

 Last year for Mother's day, I made a lot of these boro rag patch badge pin brooches for my mom and aunts and gave them the ones that reminded me of them most.  My aunt loves Mexican folk art, so she got the one with the milagro leg.  I forgot to take a photo of the one that went to my mom and other aunts.Some of these have sold on Etsy, but a few are still available here
and the shamrock one is available here
photo via Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things

I've gone way over my blog time, but it's been fun.  Time to go package today's orders!  Thank you for stopping by and taking part in my Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things!  See you tomorrow!
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