Mule Wrestling!

Yes, I said

Mule Wrestling! 

No.... Not that kind. 

Keep reading!! 

Ever since I have been out of work, my mind has been going nuts with all of the things I have always wanted to do but have never had any time for. It has gotten so crazy (in my head) that I have informed the family that we will be doing a Family Vision Board. 

A vision board is simply a poster with photos and/or descriptions of your goals, and its purpose is to be hung where it is always at eye level so that you do not forget what you want to do next. It has been proven to work, as people tend to ALWAYS reach all of their goals because their goals are visually in front of them, keeping it all at the tops of their minds. 

I so needed this because I felt like my creative bubble was going to explode, feeling a bit overwhelmed with what to do first and how to start and what to buy and ... and..... UGH! 

I am a bargain shopper and do not wish to spend a lot of money in one place no matter what I am buying, and being that I am a hippie girl, I'd rather reuse, recycle, upcycle things instead of try to create things from brand new, unused materials. 

So, this is my first attempt at "Upcycling/Restyling". I cannot sew (never tried) and have zero patience right now to try to learn, so I researched what no-sew creations I could make. 

T-SHIRTS!!! Perfect! 

On one of my Thrifty Trips that I take once or twice a week, I found a rack of t-shirts for 50 cents a piece. SCORE! 

After swinging by the craft store to grab some fabric tape, fabric glue and some good, sharp scissors for cutting fabric, I raced home to begin creating. 

I found two shirts that have the name of a local-ish school's wrestling team on it and found it funny enough to be a style of it's own, so I grabbed one of them up to work on first. 

The bags/totes I created this time can be used every day for holding your wallet, phone, etc. Although I suggest putting any smaller items (such as lip gloss) in a makeup bag within the bags, otherwise they will just slip right out the bottom. 

Now, the only thing I have to hang these on is my daughter's painting easel, so bare with me on that. :) 

Here it is.... 

Shoulder strap bag with fringed bottom and top corners, topped with my first attempt at a fabric rose.
"Mule Wrestling"!! See what I mean?! LOL It is its own style. 

Here is my second bag.... (Abigail's fav)

Should strap bag fringed on the bottom and top corners with a heart design on front (covering up the  label that came on the shirt). The hearts will just get better looking as time goes on, getting more curly along the sides.

Here is the third bag.... 

This is a Hobo Tote Bag with shorter shoulder straps....

... and a drawstring bottom...

 This bag is perfect for  a reusable grocery/produce bag, a small beach bag, or for just running into town really quick!

But wait.. There's more! 

I also made this... 

A head band from the scraps from my bags (plus a cloth napkin I found at the thrift store)

Not so bad for my second attempt at a cloth flower!!!  :)

It's amazing what you can make with a pair of scissors, a little bit of fabric tape and some old t-shirts! 

This is a new addiction of mine and I don't plan on stopping here. Not sure if anyone would ever buy such things from me but who knows! 

My time is my own right now and having this time to center myself around my family, our goals and my creative aspirations is something I am not going to take for granted, so there's more to come! 

There are so many ideas I have for creating my own business out of our home, hobbies I want to start, things I want to sell... The sky is the limit and I have a long way to go because I haven't even left the ground yet!! :)

So there you go. I've shared with you the very beginning of my attempt to be crafty. Hope you like my creations! 

What are somethings you have made with your own hands? 

<3 MHM