Refinishing the leather couch is taking longer than expedted

The old leather is sucking up the dye at an astounding rate, as are the many and deep creases where the couch is tufted. Fortunately, the weather is holding so I can open the windows and work on the couch a little each day. A filler material for some of the larger cracks is supposed to arrive on Friday. After I attend to those cracks, I'm hoping a second coat of dye goes on quickly (this time, with a sprayer). Hoping a second coat (and the sealer) are all it will need.

Done with round one of my second pair of loom knit socks.

I decided I wanted a pair of handknit socks for myself...I guess to prove I did it? Unfortunately, I allowed myself to be intimidated by the snooty ladies at the yarn shop and paid $18 for the damn skein. At least is is washable 100% wool and very pretty. I'm taking it a lot slower on this pair so the arthritis and carpal tunnel don't get too troublesome. I do enjoy the knitting process...it calms me.

My mosaic art puts broken pieces to good use.

Mosaic is a perfect match for a dedicated recycler. Especially since I've found a cheaper source for broken glass.

Damn. Missed the good used hardwood

I saw on Craigslist that 1,000 sq ft of used Brazilian cherry in excellent condition came and instantly went (for $2 a sq ft, of course it would) at our local ReUse. I guess I'll have to volunteer there or something if I want to get an exotic hardwood floor. I won't buy one new, but I will buy one used.

It has now, officially been an entire year of nothing new!

It started as a sort of whim/challenge and has ended as a lifestyle. I am solidly entrenched in repairing, repurposing and generally trying to always buy used rather than new. I may go back to shopping the clothing clearance racks, but only because I am so good at it that I feel I was getting better bargains new than used (and it's not like I buy that many clothes anyway). Plus, I think there are so many women shopping the thrift stores so effectively that you have to be a rather cut-throat early and frequent shopper to get the best stuff...and I am just not that into expending that kind of energy on clothes shopping. That said, two of my favorite clothing items were purchased used. But, consider that during these 365 days, my "cheating" on buying new clothes added up to a total of $75 for 2 pairs of pants, 5 tops and a dressy hoodie, I did pretty good value-wise. I'm still looking for a not-new engineered hardwood floor. I know I'll find one. Can't wait.

How real women prevent power tool rust.

Yes, I cover my power tools in lady products then put them in a garbage bag for the winter (workshop is in the garage). I suppose if I were a lot younger or older, I'd use diapers.

Free not-new mulch

I was able to get almost all of the pine needles I needed to mulch the beds with this year. My soil is alkaline, so the pine needles help give it the acidity it lacks. Plus, they are a lot lighter to lug around and they are free! The pooch seems to really like them (which could be a problem come Spring). You can also see the half-arsed repair job I did on a birdfeeder. I repaired broken glass, replacing some with acrylic from another too-old-and-broken to fix feeder. I still need to find a part to make the top fit better. Oh well...cost me nothing so far.

This pair of handknit wool socks only cost $1.29...

and 48 hours of my life, some (hopefully temporary) carpal tunnel syndrome, and several days of heightened arthritis pain in my hands. So, I might not be knitting another pair any time soon. I do have to say, I enjoyed the process and the fact that it kept me away from snacking. This pair is going to the homeless as I can't imagine putting up with all that discomfort for just silly old me.

The cheap hand-knit sock is too expensive for me.

I don't knit. Or, I didn't until I made this sock. I made it on a knitting loom, so I'm still not sure if that qualifies as knitting. Anyway, as near as I can figure out, it took me about 24 hours to make this ugly sock. It is 100% wool, so it is warm...and the yarn was on sale, so it only cost about $1, but it's that 24 hours I can't afford. Sure, those were hours that I wasn't snacking, but I did get carpal tunnel syndrome while "knitting." Perhaps, if I take it real slow and only do an hour of knitting a day, I might find the time easier to spare. But right now, I think my time would be better spent looking for someone else who only has one sock than to knit the mate to this.

The plot thickens.

I forgot to take a pic until after I started putting the plastic back on, but I think you can get the idea of how much dirt there is piled on my plot. I'd say a little less than half of the purported 10 cu. yds. is spread out over the approximately 220 sq. ft. I tried doing the math to figure out just how high that should be and I discovered that I can't perform math in 3 dimensions. I ran out and bought a bit more plastic to cover the plot and tried to secure it down as best I could, but I'm nervous. They are predicting torrential rain and wind gusts up to 60 mph tomorrow. I guess I'll see how it holds. (Probably shouldn't have bothered raking the leaves?)

Get a load of this dirt.

I was very nervous about ordering my topsoil off craigslist, but--by the looks of it--I have nothing to worry about. This 10 cu. yd. load of 50/50 topsoil/compost looks pretty durn good to me. At $395 delivered, I think it was a decent price for this area. I did think 10 cu yds would be a bigger pile, but this will certainly be enough for the time being (I want to spread it in several other places besides my 220 sq. ft. front yard veggie bed). If it were just a matter of spreading it out on this bed, I might have been able to do it myself...but since it's going all over the place, I hired some muscle to help. Gonna pick up some sand to spread on my clay soil as well (not sure how I'll get it under the existing pile...maybe I'll just sand the open section). In any event, feeling like I'll have a chance at a decent harvest next year.

The plot turns: got my clay soil rototilled and actually found some real dirt.

When I put a shovel in my plot, I found about a 1/2" of soil over solid grey clay. I knew that digging that myself would likely kill me. I wasn't even sure that rototilling could turn the land into anything close to arable, but knew that was the only route remotely possible. It would cost $45 to rent a machine and I have no easy way to transport it, so I was thrilled to find a guy on craigslist willing to rototill for $65. He had to do several passes to get it to look like dirt. He was surprised it came out this good considering all the clay. So was I. Now, I just have to get topsoil/compost delivered. The company I called wasn't sure they'd be able to do it before closing up for the winter. I'd really, really like to have it done in the fall rather than the spring. We'll see. They are supposed to call me.

The black plastic did its job preparing my garden bed.

Finally pulled off the black plastic that's been covering the grass all summer. I had been worried it might not kill the grass as planned since I had a container garden on top of it and that got watered almost every day. But, that didn't seem to hamper the killing. Hopefully, it got hot enough to kill all the weed seeds, too. I guess I'll find out next year.

The plastic was thick (3 ml.), so it still looks in pretty good shape. I'm going to re-use it to cover the bad for the winter after the plot is tilled and the topsoil and compost are spread. Not only was this a cheap and relatively easy way to get rid of the grass, I didn't have to use any toxic chemicals!

Hot peppers finally turning red.

For awhile, it looked like these were never going to change. I only harvested a few. But, whether it's the coldfront that moved in or the shorter days, they finally started to ripen. Phew! They are the only edibles in my garden that thrived.

I now have a pair of "not new" dress sneakers.

I can only wear sneakers on my bad feet so I wanted to dress them up a bit. Okay, a lot. This was EXPENSIVE...I didn't use the cheapest rhinestones, but I also didn't use the most expensive. These machine-cut gems gave me the best bang for my buck (but, I'm thinking I easily have over $50 in stones on these). I also Shapied the white rubber sides and got dressier laces. Probably took about 5 hours. I'm tough on shoes, but will only be wearing these when I go out to a movie, dinner or some special event. We'll see how they hold up. (I think I could do a lot of damage if I kicked a ne'er do well while I was wearing these.)

My hot peppers did great in containers.

A reader commented that her peppers and eggplants did well in containers and perhaps it was the heat. I think she is right. The only veggies that did well for me in baskets were my hot peppers. They were more productive in my lousy baskets than peppers I planted at my very fertile rental plot last year.

The onions and carrots I grew in baskets are pitiful.

I grew everything in baskets this year as I transitioned from my rental plot at the farmer's to my new plot in my front yard (the only place I have enough sun). I put black plastic over the plot to kill the grass and will soon be ripping that off and getting in a giant truckload of topsoil/compost to make the plot (hopefully) viable. The contractors sell the topsoil when they build houses around here, leaving barely enough dirt for a lawn. The land is mostly clay. But, it's got to be better for my carrots and onions than the baskets. This is my entire root vegetable harvest. The (purple) carrots aren't even as big as my little finger (last year, at my rental plot, some were bigger than my head). The onions haven't fared much better.

At estate sales, it can pay to be very late.

Went to an estate sale today at the last hour. There wasn't much left, but I was able to bargain down some great prices because I bought a big pile and there wasn't much time for anyone else to buy the stuff. Very happy to now have several new prints from an artist I have long admired (had one of her prints for a long time...screen prints, which I like...couldn't afford her originals).

An expensive update to almost-new sneakers.

I got these sneakers for Christmas last year and have barely worn them as I've kept them for zumba and I've only been a few times. I expect I'll be getting another pair for Christmas this year (isn't it nice to have consistent friends who know what you need?), so I decided to try to turn these into "dress" sneakers. (I can only wear the one brand of sneaker, no other shoes allowed on my bad feet.) It is taking an awful lot of rhinestones and they are very expensive (and they aren't even Swarovski, those would be super glittery). However, it isn't taking half as much time as I expected. I did this shoe (I'd say I'm about half done) in under two hours. If the glue holds as promised, I may even make a second pair someday--if I can find a "used" or more affordable source of rhinestones.

Dying the table yellow with analine dye was sort of a fail.

I went through a whole lotta work for not a lotta change. As you can see, the teak veneer did have a lot of red tones. But, in the middle photo, you can see that it did look like it was taking the dye well (the white haze was raised grain that I sanded down). I don't have a picture of the first coat of varnish. That was pretty bad. The white haze that I sanded off didn't completely wash away when I wiped the table down with mineral spirits. White specs were caught in the deep grooves of the grain. A second sanding (and better wiping) and another coat of clear varnish seem to have alleviated most of that problem...but the clear varnish brought up all the red tones in the wood. I don't think you can tell I dyed it yellow at all. If I ever do anymore more refinishing (I've done plenty in the past), I won't try to dye stripped wood (I would try it again on fresh wood). Ya lives and ya learns. I've also learned that today's stripping chemicals are nowhere near as powerful and effective as the ones from two decades ago...makes me reluctant to strip again.

"Recycling" my kitchen table yet another time.

Here is an "in process" shot of my kitchen table re-do. It is stripped, sanded and awaiting an application of yellow analine dye. This is the second time I'm refinishing this table. The family seems to excel at destroying furniture. I'm nervous as I've never dyed furniture before. I have always used stain. We'll see how it goes and I'll post when it's done (hopefully in 48 hours).

This is definitely the last time I'll be refinishing this. It is veneered and the veneer is now way too thin. Plus, the newer (assumably more eco=-friendly) furniture strippers just don't do the job and I'm getting too old to do the ridiculous amount of sanding required. Though, I do still have a buffet that needs re-done...and I won't be getting to it his year. Oy vey.

It's not new, but it's not needed. Still, I couldn't resist.

Sorry that I've been negligent on posting. I'm busy getting things done before the weather changes and too exhausted to post. Plus, I haven't been buying much. Today, I did go to Savers (senior's day). And I bought this stupid machine. Even the offspring was wise enough to tell me not to buy it. But, the price was right and the dream of knitting a lovely sweater on a cold Winter's day was too alluring. If I ever get the time and will to open this thing, I'll likely find it's not all there. Doesn't matter if you know you shouldn't do something if you're gonna go ahead and do it anyways. Sigh.

Difficult to resist new stuff that's cheaper than used stuff. #Kohls

Last week I purchased a several items for the offspring at Kohl's. He is seldom in the mood to shop and even less often agreeable to used stuff so a couple shirts and pairs of pants at good sale prices (and with a coupon and a discount) ended up being an efficient, affordable, much needed (really how many days in a row can you wear the same outfit before it walks away on its own?) shopping trip.

Of course the trouble with Kohl's is the Kohls Cash. I got a $30 certificate to use the next week. The offspring was no longer in the mood to shop and it was too early to shop for Christmas, so that left shopping for me. Another $10 coupon in my email had me heading to Kohl's. I do need jeans and they carry the jeans I like, which makes shopping fast and easy. I bought two pair for what ended up being $3 a pair...that's about half the price of jeans at Goodwill. I also ended up buying a very nice flag-themed t-shirt on clearance for $4...a little pricey, but I always feel bad when I don't have anything patriotic looking on the 4th of July. I know buying "new" defeats my recycling mission, but some bargains are offers I can't refuse.

Made more repurposed glass birdbaths, too.

Don't think I'll be selling these 'til Spring. Sure hope they and my car can fit in the garage at the same time. Soooo hoping I don't have to lug them down to the basement.

I've got a million of them.

Apparently, I know no restraint. Probably never will unload these things.

Will Etsy.com rescue me?

I am a sucker for beautiful glass. I've been collecting art glass and making art out of glass all my adult life. So, when "not newing" exposed me to all the out-of-fashion vintage glass that looked like it might end up in a landfill, I had to rescue it. I've been making garden flowers, but really don't have any place to sell them. The craft fair I participated in was ill-attended and a pain in the butt. I'm hoping maybe Etsy will work: https://www.etsy.com/listing/247515142/art-glass-garden-flower-white-cobalt?ref=shop_home_active_1

I hope so, I have no room for all this bulky, heavy, fragile stuff. I should not let my heart overrule my head. Sigh.

Got the $70 suitcase I've been lusting after for $15.

I've been lusting after the new, ultralightweight luggage because I hate to pay baggage fees on airlines. The less pounds my bag weighs, the more pounds of clothes I can pack. I can lift this suitcase with my pinkie finger. Never thought I'd find one "not new" because they are so new to the market. But I found this at TJ Maxx. It was obviously a return (the bags are guaranteed for several years). It has a small rip in the fabric (look closely about midway up the left edge). It was obviously used (so I left it in my hot car for three days in case of bedbugs...I am a safety nutcase). The logo has been removed (big deal). Pretty sure I can repair the tear satisfactorily. Thrilled to get a "not new" bargain at TJ Maxx.

Actually found some "not new" glasses...or, at least, close to it.

I found these on craigslist for $15 and they fit well enough so I bought them. They aren't used, but I'm guessing they've been through at least two sellers, so close enough. The offspring says the glasses make me look like a goofball. I told him they were designer (Aquaswiss) glasses and the goofball look is in. I was a bit disappointed as I had to pay $51 for prescription lenses at Value Vision. When I went there a few years back you could get cheap plastic lenses for $25. Perhaps they don't carry those anymore. Perhaps I should have thought to ask.

$9 Bose speakers at Goodwill. Pays to search the whole store.

Sorry that life has been keeping me from posting, but it has also been keeping me from doing any "not new" stuff, so there hasn't been much of interest to post about. I did get out to Goodwill to pick up a pair of shorts (Elizabeth brand, which is Liz Clairborne's fat lady division), a pair of jeans and the Bose speakers.

Was I shopping for speakers? No. Am I delighted to have them? Yes. It pays to search the entire store over as long as you are there. The speakers aren't wireless, but that's just fine with me. Maybe now I'll get more music and Science Friday in my life. If I ever get around to hooking them up.

I could have a nice hardwood floor if I were younger.

Sorry for my absence. I needed to concentrate on a lot of work and I haven't been doing much "not new" shopping. But today, I did finally get back to craigslist and found a perfect "not new" oak hardwood floor...if I were younger.

It's an 80 year old floor and there is going to be over 500 sq. ft., so it would fit my needs exactly if I had the strength to put i in myself. But, those days are past me. And even though the floor is nearby and only $200 total (what a bargain!), I'd have to pay someone to install and refinish it and that would be quite a bit of change (still has some nails in many of the boards...I don't even think I could pull those out efficiently). Wish I had come up with this going "not new" idea a long time ago...I could have a really nice bank account by now, not to mention how much I'd be saving old Mother Earth. Oh, well...maybe someone younger will read this and learn.

Eyeglasses at BJ's Wholesale Club didn't seem to be a bargain

The husband needed glasses, so he went to Lenscrafters. I suggested he go someplace more affordable...perhaps BJs for frames (because he has a big head and is hard to fit) and Value Vision for lenses. He didn't want to do all that driving around (4 extra miles), so he ended up at BJ's. The frames were half price (orig. $159), which wasn't bad, but he put every bell and whistle possible on his progressive lenses bringing the bill to $300. He probably could have gotten the same price at Lenscrafters (and not had to wait 3 weeks for delivery, so he is mad at me).

Broke one of my fave garden art flowers...so I get to keep it!

The ones with "stamens" are tricky to transport and this stamen broke off. Fortunately, the fix is invisible and I don't feel right selling a repaired item, so I get to put it in my own garden.

My repurposed glass creations were well loved, but not well purchased.

It didn't cost much to enter the craft show, which was a bad sign as I expected. Hardly any foot traffic. It's surprising I sold anything. But, people did really like the stuff. And I won second place, which gave me back my both entry fee plus a little extra.

Full disclosure: ordered this fabulous "new" hoodie.

https://theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/store/ars/item/38153/sunshine-daydream-hooded-jacket?origin=ARS_FACE_SPONSOR_WOMEN_DTOP_CPA_SSDD_38153_061315 I must be in new-clothes withdrawal. I was minding my own business reading my facebook feeed when this hoodie appeared, on sale and benefitting rescue animals. I had, like, zero sales resistance! I mean, it's not even a fabulous price. But, it's not a bad price and it is benefitting the critters. Plus, after slaving away making garden art for my booth at the weekend's art show (Cheektowaga Town Park for any local readers), I can appreciate all the work that went into this item.

Making "not new" glass garden flowers to sell at the Art Show

Hoping to sell some garden "art" this weekend. Made these from upcycled glass I've been collecting at thrift shops. FYI, none of the adhesives I've seen recommended on various blogs work for $%&t.

Full disclosure: bought "new" tops out of boredom.

I accompanied my son shopping for pants at Target and ended up getting myself a men's pullover. At 70% off, it was still $9, which is pricey to me. However, I am short on big, warm, unconstructed Fall tops and haven't had much luck at the thrifts for these. I think men wear such tops until they are rags. The other shirt I got when I took my mother shopping at Marshall's. It is also a Fall top, a tunic with a lot of fancy sewing to it. It was on clearance for $15. I didn't really need the top, but I will certainly get good use from it. I apparently just can't stand to do nothing while waiting for others to shop.

Made new bird baths from "not new" glassware. Sure hope they'll sell.

I doubt I'll be able to get anywhere near minimum wage for these, but I'm hoping to at least make more than I invested in the parts. These are much more difficult to make than one would imagine. The glass pieces are far from even, so in many cases, you sort of have to put them together looking lopsided to get a level bird bath. I've sealed these so they can be left out in the Winter with a proper covering on the top, but I'm not going to seal the rest as it takes a lot of time and looks slightly messy...people will just have to bring them in for the Winter. What price range would you think people would pay for these?

How to not have to wait for your holiday restuarant seating

We like to enjoy a meal out without having to wait 30 minutes to be seated. I've found if you think outside the box, you can always find someplace that will seat your immediately. On Father's Day at 6 pm, we waltzed right in to this pancake house that is packed at breakfast time, but always empty for dinner.

Sometimes you get what you pay for (the saga of the pawn shop miter saw).

While the miter saw has been working okay, it was not performing when I needed some really straight cuts. On closer inspection, the (solid metal?) guide was snapped completely in two and askew. (Same saw came without a blade guard...I have to call and order one, hope it's not over $10...can't find one used.) Fortunately, I seem to have been able to epoxy the parts together. Meant not getting done what I needed to get done the day I wanted to do it. Sigh. (Was pretty proud of myself for getting that durn clamp on...the epoxy was supposed to set in 5 minutes...NOT!)

The garden is looking ugly (at least it was cheap).

So...when I had to come up with a new plan to replace the raised bed that I heard neighbor hated...I didn't really have a lot of time or options. I couldn't find any big pots at thrift stores and didn't have time to get enough through yard sales, so I got the biggest "pots" I could find at the Dollar store. Doesn't make for much of a view. Next year the soil will be ready and everything will go in the ground. Perhaps this interim eyesore is a good thing...the neighbors will think next year is such an improvement no one will think to grouse about me putting veggies in the front yard, no?

I can't resist a thrift store sale.

Around here, a good many of the non-profit thrifts have 50% off EVERYTHING on most holidays. Last year I cleaned up at AmVets on Labor Day. I managed to squeeze in a visit amidst family drama on Memorial Day, but didn't have much luck. I picked up these mock turtlenecks for $1.50 and $1. Can't remember which was which. Not really in season, but basics like this always come in handy...and I hate to leave empty handed.

Beneath digging up free "not new" perennials from the fields? Not me.

I'll be going back for these two day lilies. I found them where snow had been dumped (really snowy winter meant the stuff had to be trucked to designated dump sites). They were probably scraped up from someone's roadside garden.

Over the years I've gotten a lot of nice perennials from fields and such. You just have to be able to recognize the foliage. Once I found an abandoned farm field full of irises. Because the tubers had become covered with weeds, they didn't bloom in the field, but bloomed nicely when I took them home. I've found other such plants by looking for for former home sites in the country. You can usually tell by the layout of the weeds/trees that something used to be there. These are sites that will later be plowed under for development, so I consider it a plant rescue as well as an addition to my garden.