Tuesday, February 25, 2020

PHOTO UPDATE: My Textile Art Patch is Beautifully Slow Stitched to Mend a Dress! The Destiny of Things, Story 554

PHOTO UPDATE My Textile Art Patch is Beautifully Slow Stitched to Mend a Dress!  Mending Ways, Story 10

And it was stitched by a person who's never hand stitched before!  BEFORE:

Butterfly Kite  Patch on Purple Chrysanthemum Boro:  SOLD OUT!
More textile art patches and Mending Ways, here and Hoarder Rehab here.
Photo via Hoarder Rehab

This textile art patch with 6 more from Mending Ways and another 6 from Hoarder Rehab went all the way to Switzerland.  Your friend who has never hand stitched before did suchThank you M for supporting my alternative to hoarding!

M and I emailed a lot to each other, the experience was like finding a long lost friend.  The kind of friend you haven't seen in ages and you just pick up right where you left off.  So now I have a new friend in Switzerland!

Here is part of an email she sent me:

Thank you! ♥️ btw, a friend was mending for me yesterday. Too sick and my son ripped some pants... i had a hole in a dress, so she asked for a patch. She never stitched before and said, it was a revelation for her. She did good, right? 🙂

PS.  You INSPIRE us!!! My daughter now wants to try it too!

Did she do good?  She is not only a natural but an AMAZING stitcher!!!!  I love how stitching was a revelation to her!  Every patch I stitch is a revelation for me too.  Only a few come out how I imagine and the rest are such a delightful surprise!  

I would love to see the pants mended too!  Please and pretty please with sugar on top, send a photo of the mended patns!  Okay, I'm sure you want to see her slow stitch mending on the dress by now, so you can see her awesome beautiful first time patching!

So drum roll, please........ and WaLa!

My textile art patch is looking better than good on that dress!  "Superior," I say!  I totally get a Van Gogh Starry Night vibe from this beautiful perfectly imperfect mend!
photo from an Etsy buyer from Mending Ways

So I have a millions questions for M and her stitcher friend!  but I'll limit myself to three!  How long did it take her to stitch all that?  Was this free style stitching, meaning did she plan this or did it just come out this way? and how did it look after it came out of it's first wash?

Saying Goodbye:  I don't feel any anxiety or stress when one of my textile art patches find a new life and home, mostly likely because I know I can make another one, if I really wanted to.  And in the past I have gotten requests for a couple of patches, it's not always easy, but doable, however that's another story!

 1.  Both M and I have health issues that slow us down and often leave us fatigued, so it's nice to know that someone else out there has creatives outlet too and takes baby steps to start and finish projects!  And has friends to help inspire and mend, when M is too sick.  M loves to knit and I'd love to see some of her knitted projects, finished and/or works in progress.

2.  I hope M will have a full recovery and if not, at least be able to keep up with her creative projects and learn to cope in other fun inspiring ways.  M and her friend have definitely inspired me!  Most of my health issues are on the mend.  I haven't been blogging as much as I used to because I've been focusing more on my health, so now I hope I can get back to blogging because I have at least 20 stories back logged and several of them are from menders!

3.  What have I been doing for my health issues lately, instead of blogging?  I've been walking 1-3 times a day, usually when a friend calls me, I slip on my boots and chat with them while I walk.  I do yoga, breathing exercises and meditation twice daily.  I've also been sleeping a lot more and taking the correct vitamins for my adrenal fatigue.  I want to start sitting out in the sun more, now that it's getting warmer.

Sleeping in and napping has been my biggest challenge because I used to wake up at 3 am and be able to get so much more done, but now I wake up at 6 am and I seem to get a lot less done and am still tired a lot.  I also deal with insomnia, so it's difficult for me to nap wondering if I'll be able to get to sleep at night!  I know totally neurotic!  I've been working on that too!

 This was one of my first boro patches.  We didn't take a very good picture of this patch to show size, but it's about 4x4 inches.  

The butterfly kite is made from 2 pieces of hand stamped and hand torn ribbon trim from Homestead Treasures on Etsy.  It's difficult to see but I've used very tiny stitches in pink to hold the 2 pieces together and hold it on to the background fabric.  And the purple chrysanthemum fabric is some really thin boro, so if you are like me and like to watch your patches disintegrate and morph, so you can re patch, this type of patch is for you!  I have several patches made with this purple boro.

Actually, I take that back, I'll have to make some more using the purple boro, I think kawaii bunny rabbit #2 is the only one left now, here.  The kawaii cat ones have sold out.
Photo via Mending Ways

Thank you M from Mending Ways and Hoarder Rehab for sharing your mended dress and the delightful stitching of your friend!  She is a natural at mending!  Hope you continue to send me your stories and photos to post on here!  Thank you for your time, kindness and photo updates!  Keep them coming because even though I need to use my time more wisely to post more often, they keep me motivated and inspired to continue with my Hoarder Rehab!

I can't thank you enough M for all your emails, it's always nice to know we are not alone with our health issues and it's so inspiring and motivating to hear how others are using all kinds of creative outlets and projects to help get well!

You've also inspired me to try knitting or is it actually crocheting with my fingers!  I've found a YouTube tutorial on how to finger crochet a blanket in 1 hour and it actually looks like something I can do.  So many projects, so little time!

 I have 2 kawaii cat patches still available, the 2 with the purple misanthrope boro backgrounds have sold  and I've used all my peeking kawaii cat scraps, so I've been making them with the kawaii cute bunny rabbits.  The last 2 peeking kawaii cat patches are listed here.
Photo via Hoarder Rehab

I'm working almost daily to add new listings to reach my goal of 185-190 listed items per shop. I had reached my goal at all 4 shops!  Thankfully hoard keeps finding new "forever" homes!  Thank you Etsy buyers! 

My goal for our new shop, Mending Ways was 24 listed items and then 32, so now my new listing goal for that shop is 40 listings total!  I have at one new stitched pocket on a up-cycled top to finish up and list.  Plus 3 more batches of patches to list also.

Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed weekly: HoarderRehab with 187 items, The Destiny of Things- 182 items, VintageToGoEasy - 179 items and JunkDrawerAndMore - 180 items.   And now, Mending Ways with 31 items!   

Maybe you'll find something and give it new life and a new home!  Thanks for looking!  

These are my sidewalk muses using the purple chrysanthemum boro fabric, the beige pieces to make the snail bodies are also very thin boro fabrics, not sure how well these will hold up as utilitarian patches, they were made more in mind for totes and backpacks that don't get laundered much for for framing.  They were inspired by Misao Wada's book, who was a student of Ayako Miyawaki, but that's another story!  The top snail background is a rust dyed fabric by OfPrintThreadAndRust.   The bottom one is from my clothes from college.  The top snail is available here and the bottom one here.
More textile art patches and Mending Ways, here and Hoarder Rehab here.
Photo via Hoarder Rehab

Related Stories:


4.  All my Mending Ways Creative Outlets Hoarding Alternative stories, here.

What has inspired you lately?  I'd love to know and if possible send some pix! hoarderrehab@gmail.com 

"Harmony.  It's not what's lasting or permanent.  It is about individual voices coming together for a moment.  And that moment lasts a length of a breath, or in my instance a transaction.  That's what I think about my time here."---Frank Underwood from House of Cards or in my case, I think it's "destiny, as well as harmony."

I love this quote so much because it relates to all the kind Etsy buyers I've met! 

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! 
Posted by at No comments:

Friday, January 31, 2020

2020 New Year Mechanical Library Date Stamp Mixed Media Art Junk Journal Planner & More: The Destiny of Things, Story 550-553

2020 New Year Mechanical Library Date Stamp Mixed Media Art Junk Journal Planner & More:  The Destiny of Things, Story 550-553

I've been trying to get this post together since the beginning of this month!  BEFORE:

NEW YEAR 2020-2028 retro library mechanical date stamp mixed media art vision boards junk journals calendar planner travel diary baby books.  At least 8 years of stamping fun, available here
Photo via VintageToGoEasy 

Incredible!  There are so many different ways that Etsy buyers have shared how to use this date stamp!  It's amazingly inspiring!  Let me count the ways.....  I'd say there are about 20 different ways and I hope I can remember them all!  Here is one with a photo update.... for her daily planner

AFTER:  I love how she stamped them on a separate piece of paper!

 Here is the note that came with: 

Absolutely lovely stamp! it came with a sweet note from the seller and a lil bag of shenanigans—including a small black ink pad (bless the lord, i did not have one). Thanks a million ;)

I need to start using a daily planner to get myself organized!  This has been great and well needed inspiration!  I've used a planner in previous years, but not so much last year and not at all this year, ho hum.  I won't resign myself to any more disorganization.  I am willing to get organized pronto!

Here is another story:

Finally have a minute to tell you what we are going to do with the stamp! My daughter has been given another after school program where she has a collection of "eye candy" books and she is using a big laundry basket filled with these books and she has been trying to get the children back into reading books so she lets them just grab and take them when they want them. The library uses a computer system to check out books (not a stamp) So she asked the kids if they would like to "Play Librarian" - we have many pockets and check out cards because we used to own a library and i had played this game with my kids... so we have put the cards and pockets in the books and they sign their names on the card and stamp it and put it in a card catalog drawer and then stamp the book and they LOVED the idea!!! Thanks for the starter stamp pad!!! ~L xoxo

Are kids and other students not reading books anymore?  Yikes!  I used this date stamp all the time when I was a teacher.  I used it for our class library too and had two librarian monitors for daily check outs.  I also had one at my desk for redundant paperwork, like field trip slips, referral slips, etc.  I also had one at home for correcting papers, especially going over homework when students forgot the date.  I also had one to pass around during SSR for their reading logs and SSW, Sustained Silent Writing during the beginning of the year, so students could get used to writing their name and date on each page.  Yes, I had plenty of these stamps handy!  I also had a couple saved as time saver teacher solutions and/or gifts to colleagues!

NEW YEAR 2020-2028 retro library mechanical date stamp mixed media art vision boards junk journals calendar planner travel diary baby books.  I love how the day date is first with the month in the middle and lastly the full numerical year, available here
Photo via VintageToGoEasy 


I've would love to use mine in mixed media art and used to use it to date the backs of some of my washi tape art.  I found this mixed media art display on the internet some where a couple of years ago, if anyone knows the artist please let me know, so I can link it to them or give them credit.

 Very inspiring to me!  I hope I can organized in time to make something like this for St. Patrick's day!  I love the box in a box!

Here is another note I received:

Can't wait to use this on my Polaroid photos! Cheers from Atlanta

 I would sure love to see his Polaroid photos with the date stamped on them!

 NEW YEAR 2020-2028 retro library mechanical date stamp mixed media art vision boards junk journals calendar planner travel diary baby books.  It's small, perhaps even considered travel sized and I like how one side of the handle is flat, so it's easy to stamp right side up, available here
Photo via VintageToGoEasy 

And another!

Thank you for all the little stickers & trinkets!! I adore. I am using this stamp to send letters to my aunt who lives in Germany. I live in Tx. She is the only family on my biological dads side I talk to! I keep up with her regularly and now I want to in a more permanent way! :-) thanks for your help!  

I am so happy to have helped someone stay in touch with their Aunt!  What a fun way to keep in touch!  Inspiring for happy mail, pen pals, thank you notes and any snail mail!  Thank you!

Saying Goodbye:   I'm on my second date stamp, my other one lasted 10 years!  My latest one I've had since 2012 and will the year will end 2023.  I use mine to stamp all my "thank you" notes on Etsy orders that go out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  I'm not the only one, other Etsy sellers have let me know that's how they use theirs too!

What I Learned:

1.  Etsy buyers are so creative!  Let me count the ways.... an Etsy buyer uses hers by day at her office job to stamp out going bills and by night with her crafting.
2.  Another used hers for "crash" invites when her wedding invites arrived with the wrong date on them.  Of course, many have used them for "save the date" weddings and other celebrations, like build a library baby showers, bookworm birthday parties and book club and library parties.

3.  All kinds of journal entries from junk journals, travel journals, glue books and bullet journals.

4.  On the more unusual side, one Etsy buyer uses them to date the eggs on her farm!

One of my favorite ideas from an Etsy buyer on JunkDrawerAndMore

5.  Others have used them for teaching and their reading logs, crafting and library themed card making!

Hope you have gotten as inspired as I am now!  But I really need to get organized again because my hoard of textiles and other craft supplies have taken over my life without me!  And I've been very challenged lately with finding stuff, even some items listed in the shops!  Yikes!

Thank you all Etsy buyers who have and continue to send me your stories to post on here!  Thank you for your time, kindness and photo updates!  Keep them coming because even though I need to use my time more wisely to post more often, they keep me motivated and inspired to continue with my Hoarder Rehab!

I also love this journal idea I found on the internet, but my rubber stamp collection is now way out of control, so out of control that I have several boxes of stamps and I know where they are, but I can't seem to find the stamps I have in mind to use!  More motivation to get organized again!

I'm still working almost daily to add new listings to reach my goal of 185-190 listed items per shop. I had reached my goal at all 4 shops!  Thankfully hoard keeps finding new "forever" homes!  Thank you Etsy buyers! 

My goal for our new shop, Mending Ways was 24 listed items and then 32, so now my new listing goal for that shop is 40 listings total!  I have at one new stitched pocket on a up-cycled top to finish up and list next week. 

Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed weekly: HoarderRehab with 184 items, The Destiny of Things- 186 items, VintageToGoEasy - 183 items and JunkDrawerAndMore - 182 items.   And now, Mending Ways with 33 items!   

Maybe you'll find something and give it new life and a new home!  Thanks for looking!  
I really like this simple neutral toned journal look and would like to try doing this daily.  Must get organized first, stuff is piling up, getting lost and getting in the way of my life!  True hoarder code:  if it's getting in the way of your life, it's time to fix it!  Next post I'll share how I am going to fix it!
Related Stories:

1.  Last year's rubber date stamp inspiration:  2019 Date Stamp Journal Inspiration: The Destiny of Things, Story 532

2.  Christmas and New Year's rotary date stamp inspiration:  Christmas Cards Library Date Stamp Style: The Destiny of Things, Story 529

3. Inspiration, Ideas & Uses for 2018 Library Date Stamp: The Destiny of Things, Stories 518-524

4.  Wedding Crash Cards Mechanical Date Stamp: The Destiny of Things, Story 496 

5.  Date stamping your fresh eggs story, here 

6. Mechanical Date Stamper 2016 for Mixed Media Art & Mini Signs:  The Destiny of Things, Story 364 & 365 

7.  A kindergarten teacher saving time using this date stamper, here!  A "destiny as infinity" story!

8.  For scrapbooks, Mechanical Rubber Date Stamper:  The Destiny of Things, Story 19 

9.   Office Stamper by Night and Craft Stamp by Day:  The Destiny of Things, Story 199 
 
The outward freedom that we shall attain will only be in exact proportion to the inward freedom to which we have grown at a given moment.  And if this is a correct view of freedom, our chief energy must be concentrated on achieving reform from within.  ---Mahatma Gandhi

 Happy New Year 2020 everyone!   How are you doing with your New Year's Resolutions?  I've written my list and it's one hoard of a list this year!  Thank you readers from all over the world who continue to support my Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things!
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Twilight Zone Fortunes for Christmas New Year's Valentine's Cracker Fillers Surprise Party Favor Gifts: The Destiny of Things, Story 549

Twilight Zone Fortunes for Christmas New Year's Valentine's Cracker Filler Surprise Party Favor Gifts:  The Destiny of Things, Story 549

These Twilight Zone fortunes can be used in so many ways!

 New old stock of 10, 25, 50 or 100 random mix or a complete set of 52 fortunes, as seen on the Rod Serlings, Twilight Zone, available here.  Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

Here is the note I received:

Thank you! Great little additions to stick in my Christmas crackers! 

How fun!  I love Christmas crackers!  Also for New Year's, Valentines, birthdays, weddings and especially for retirement parties!  Cracker bonbons are versatile for any themed celebration!  And so fun to fill them up!

This Etsy buyer also bought the fortune teller fish  below and I imagine she added them to her Christmas crackers too!

10 30 or 100 Fortune Teller Fish Magic Love meter wedding birthday party favors, available here.
Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore 

It might be too late to make New Year crackers, but filling them up with Twilight Zone fortunes and Fortune Fish would be an appropriate jester for fore tellings of the  New Year right before midnight!  Maybe plan ahead for 2021?

It's definitely not too late for Lunar New Year and/or Valentine cracker bonbons!  How funny and fun would it be to predict your love from a fish!

 These also go well with any nautical themed party from mermaids to pirates, fisherman, even sushi birthday parties!  10 30 or 100 Fortune Teller Fish Magic Love meter wedding birthday party favors, available here.  Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

Plastic gumball capsules are also fun to use as cracker filler containers because they are sturdy and will hold small or fragile things that might get lost with the bigger items in your cracker bonbons.

10 20 or 30 empty gumball plastic capsules carnival circus table confetti claw machine cracker pinata filler, available here.  Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

Most any kind of jewelry fits inside the plastic capsules, I use them all the time to mail out rings, chain bracelets, necklaces and pendants.  If I were to make Valentine's cracker bons bons, I'd add these dime store birthstone rings inside each capsule for cracker fillers!
I loved these as a kid!  1 Adjustable dime store faux birthstone rhinestone metal rings party favor kid jewelry adult gag gift game prizes, available here. 
Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

Here are rings for males:

 They have mini guns and other weapons on them, available here. 
Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

If you need something more unisex, we also have a lot small to tiny erasers, some vintage, some puzzle and animal figurine erasers that fit in the gumball capsules too!

Saying Goodbye:  I've tried to say goodbye to these Twilight Zone fortunes, a couple of times, but they are so fun!  I mainly use mine as gift tags because the hole has a slit on them and they slip right onto baker's twine or ribbon packaging!

 New old stock of 10, 25, 50 or 100 random mix or a complete set of 52 fortunes, as seen on the Rod Serlings, Twilight Zone, available here.  Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

What I Learned: 

1.  Yesterday I was counting the ways on how to use the fortunes by going through each shops feedback reviews and I only got through three of the four shops!  I found over 25 ways Etsy buyers have shared on how they use these!  Thank you Etsy buyers!
I was going to list them all, but I'm running out of time, so I'll just list a few favorites with photos!

An Etsy buyer made their own Mystic Seer after the Twilight Zone episode, Nick of Time!

Thank you so much Etsy buyer!  Very cool, so fun!

Many have made gypsy and other fortune teller costumes for events, like Comic con, Burning Man, Cosplay, gypsy weddings, Twilight Zone birthdaysand Halloween parties!

I love this one!  Makes me smile every time I see it!  Thank you Etsy buyer! 
I have several more favorites!  Next time!

2.  I could keep on sharing, but I must move on!  I don't know why, but I love anything fortune related, especially if it's paper!  I have enough fortune cookie fortunes collected to cover an entire wall as wall paper!  Wouldn't that be fun!  I was thinking a bathroom wall for throne readings!

3.  I'm having so much fun, that I think I need to start blogging more often again!  I'll have to add it to my list of New Year's Resolutions and make a schedule to fit everything in next year!  I am so excited!  Even though I have the winter holiday blues and my insomnia has returned, it's better this year and I have a lot of hope for 2020!  How are you doing during these winter holidays?

 Red and gold crackers, which would go well for New Year's Eve, Lunar New Year and Valentines!  It got me inspired!  Photo from the internet. 


Thank you Etsy buyer for taking the time to share your idea!  It has inspired me for the Lunar New Year and Valentine's!  I have enough toilet paper rolls saved up and plain red wrapping paper some where in my hoard!  I have a ton of paper rolls saved up if anyone "out there" needs some!  Just email me at hoarderrehab@gmail.com

 Holly Berry Christmas brooch upcycled from a tattered society silk doily, available here.
Photo via Mending Ways

I'm still working almost daily to add new listings to reach my goal of 185-190 listed items per shop. I've reached my goal at all 4 shops!  Keep a look out at all 5 shops, I will be listing soon after Christmas!

My goal for our new shop, Mending Ways was 24 listed items and then 32, so now my new listing goal for that shop is 40 listings total!  I have at one new stitched brooch to list soon. 
 
Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed weekly: HoarderRehab with 187 items, The Destiny of Things- 186 items, VintageToGoEasy - 190 items and JunkDrawerAndMore - 185 items.   And now, Mending Ways with 32!
 
 Maybe you'll find something and give it new life and a new home!  Thanks for looking!  

 I'm having difficulties naming these!  I like "Charlie Brown Christmas,"  "The road less traveled," and Winter is coming, available here.  3 more different versions, available at our other shop, The Destiny of Things here and at Hoarder Rehab here. 
Photo via Mending Ways

Related Stories:

1.   1,764 Christmas Ornaments!  Hoarder Inspiration or Desperation, Story #5:  A happy hoarder story!

2.  Christmas Memories from Santa:  Off Topic, Story 1:  has the link to read, "The Year I Asked Santa for a Hamburger and the comments are just as good as the story!


4.  Twilight Zone's Nick of Time and Ask Swami Fortune Cards:  The Destiny of Things, Story 220:  link to see photos from The Twilight Zone using these fortunes, like Rod Serling and the Mystic Seer and William Shatner in Nick of Time and links to watch it on you tube.

Merry Christmas to all!
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)