10 great crafty vintage sheets ideas

Best of Dottie, Crafts + DIY

Image via: In Color Order

I have such a love of vintage sheets–as do many many other people!  And with good reason.  The patterns are so joyous and perfect for the sweet spring going into summer weather. And they bring back such wonderful memories as a child of good nights  nuzzling those colorful sheets. But why should these wonderful floral sheets only be appreciated when you are asleep? That’s why I love all of the great ways crafty people are incorporating vintage floral sheets into their sewing.

I wanted to share with you my top ten crafty vintage sheet projects that I’ve been storing on my Pinterest boards that I find worthy enough to take a pair of scissors to my beloved collection of vintage sheets  I’ve been hoarding over the past few years.

There are many grand little banners that one can make with vintage sheets, but my favorite is this pretty little bow banner made by crafting queen, Rachel Denbow. I bow down at her crafty and cutely shod feet.

This amazing little apron can be made in ten minutes with a vintage pillowcase. Whoohoo!!! Tutorial from Betz White.

These lovely little bags are perfect for sachets or for giving little presents! From Vintage Sheets.

I think this might be one of my favorite ways to use vintage napkins. What great idea and what a great easy Christmas present too!  Image from Flickr user Sparkle Candace.

Are these not the most adorable things you’ve ever seen?  Just think how many sweet little blocks you could make with a whole sheet! Another amazing gift idea. From Spearmint Baby.

Staying on the baby train for one more stop—would you look at these sweet little bibbity boppity bibs?  They’ll make you even more excited to feed your widdle one. From Crafty Blossom.

How can you not want to wear this skirt?  Perfect for summer and so much less work than a whole dress! Lisa Clarke from Polka Dot Cottage created this gem and has a great tutorial so you can make it too!!! I’d kinda like to see it in a striped sheet!

I love this idea of using vintage sheets to cover shelves adding a nice bit of cozy to any room! So charming.And you don’t even need a sewing machine.

Who says your Christmas stocking should be red and green?  Wouldn’t you rather have this happy frilly little fellow? I’m sure Santa would remember it out of all the other ones! Image from flickr user marywasadj.

There are so many marvelous vintage sheet quilts out there and delicious interpretations that I almost get dizzy thinking of all of the great ways one can use vintage sheets in quilts. Image from Little Miss Shabby.

Do you have a stash of vintage sheets? What are your plans for them?

New Feature :: Vintage Video and Fantastic Films!

Vintage Movies

I am a total movie fanatic.  Growing up in L.A as a child, I thought it was my civic duty to love movies.  I even took several film history courses in college.  And I’m very much NOT a movie snob and can get just as much enjoyment out of a cheesy rom-com as some Oscar winning film.

Now that the Peach is getting older and able to sit still for longer periods of time, I’d love to share the wonderful world of movies with her. But which ones?  She can be a bit of a nervous Nelly, so I need to stick very much in the G-rated film category.  I think she gets that from me. I’m still mildly traumatized by watching The Ten Thousand Fingers of Doctor T as a child.

The movie that started my love affair with film wasn’t so much a plot driven movie as it was a celebration of movies. And I’ve decided to make it the first film the Peach will watch–THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT!–the movie MGM created to celebrate its 50 year anniversary making musical films.  I know it is not a normal film with a storyline and is just a compilation of dance numbers. But they are the best, most glorious technicolor dances ever set on film.  Perfect for a pre-schooler to watch and delight in and not worry about plot twists that might be above her.

And there is so much to delight in… The amazing dances, the peppy songs and glorious technicolor costumes and sets.

Like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers–I loved the pretty colorful dresses and the dancing was extraordinary!

Or On the The Town. Just watching Ann Miller tap dance and sing her way through this with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra? What is there not to love?

I think I might have been the only four year old that had a crush on Gene Kelly in my preschool. But who wouldn’t love his performance in Anchors Away?

And then there was Singing in the Rain, which of course is one of the most swoon worthy Gene Kelly films of all time. But watching it again made me love the ladies in the film even more. Like the sassy teen Debbie Reynolds wearing this basket costume with matching little cap!

And I think I need to go as Lina Lamont for Halloween this year and just go around saying, “I cawn’t staand it!” Oh, she was so fabulous!

And let’s not forget Cyd Charisse in her crazy dream number with Gene Kelly. Yowza!

Only one dancer could match Gene and that was FRED!  His last musical with Ginger Rogers was with MGM--The Barclays of Broadway.

But he was always best when he danced alone. Like this wonderful trompe l’oiel dance from Royal Wedding.

But one of my favorite dancers only has one dance–from the amazing musical Kiss Me Kate. A young Jerome Robbins before he took that job choreographing West Side Story.

And of course there was a lot of MGM’s favorite star who grew up in the films! JUDY GARLAND!

But That’s Entertainment also introduced me to Esther! Who says you can’t dance in water?

Kinda want to take some swim lessons now…

Sigh!  But these are just a little sample of the grand musical numbers featured in the film. This movie is so wonderful and bubbly and a great way to introduce your kiddos to the wonder of classic movie musicals and will hopefully get them introduced to a lot of the great classics out there.

Have you watched this movie? Or did you watch the old musicals on their own?

And did you have any other favorite films as a kiddo that you’d like to share?

 

method laundry detergent :: say NO to jugs!

Sponsored Post

Whuuuuh? Laundry fun? Um YEAH. For real. So, it’s time once again for our Monthly Method and this one has been a total life changer. And it’s all because of this little guy:

Cute huh! But before we get into it, a little lesson in Laundry 101. We’ve all schlepped those big ol’ heavy jugs of detergent. We’ve used ’em. We’ve loved ’em! But here’s something we didn’t know. Have you ever filled the cap up….allllll the way up? And then even added just a weeeee bit extra because, well, mo’ detergent means mo’ clean, right? WRONG!

For starters, overdosing on detergent can leave residue on your clothing and in your machine. It can actually trap soil in in your machine too, and with today’s low-water using, suds-sensitive washers (aka those pretty front loaders), this means the perfect breeding for bacteria and stale odors. Yeech. (Read more here! Laundry Detergent: How Much Is Too Much?)

The other problem? You use up your detergent much more quickly. Now see, the other guys don’t really want to let you in on this little secret—that less is more. I mean, can YOU see the little line inside the cap? The “fill to here” mark? Um, not really. That’s because they WANT you to blow through that jug. So you’ll buy more. And that just doesn’t make sense, ya know? We are all for working smarter, not harder. And if we can save money in the process? Well YAHOOO!

SMARTER. Method Laundry is ultra-concentrated laundry detergent that delivers big cleaning power with just 1/4th the dose of the leading brands. That’s 50 loads from one little bottle. Not too shabby!

GREENER. We care about the planet. We want to leave a safe and healthy place for our kiddos, so this is something that means a lot to us. Method Laundry is powered by plant-based technology (using 95% natural and renewable ingredients). In fact, Method Laundry reduces the average laundry detergent lifecycle carbon footprint by 35%.  Even the bottle is made from recycled material. (No more big jugs cloggin’ up the landfill!) So it’s good for the earth and for your family. What’s not to love?? (read more about it all here).

OH YEAH! We forgot the most important point. (Well, to Wolfie and the Peach anyway.) It’s WAY MORE FUN. You can hold that lightweight bottle in one hand and with just four little pumps, it cleans your whole load. Seriously. It’s SO fun to squirt this little guy, you won’t have AAAANY problem getting the kiddos to help on laundry day! And one standard bottle? Good for 50 loads. Small but mighty, friends.


Of course it comes in all kinds of yummy scents too. Like Fresh Air. Lavender Cedar. Sweet Pea. And Spring Daisy. (Which is what I currently use! It smells great…not too perfumey. Just fresh and pretty.)

OK. So how would you like to give this awesome stuff a try for yourself? We’ve got THREE easy ways!

1. “Say No to Jugs” Facebook Photo Contest
Starting today, Method is launching a “Say No To Jugs” photo contest on Facebook for the entire month. One lucky person will win a year’s supply of Method detergent! Wowza!! The contest asks users to submit a photo that documents what makes doing laundry a chore  (you know, like lifting that heavy jugs, goopy caps dribblin’ on your machine etc etc).  Get your peeps to vote for your photo and you could win that laundry day bonanza!

2. Awesome Thursdays $2 Coupon Day
Every Thursday for the month of May, there will be a $2.00 off coupon for Method Laundry Detergent on the PERKS tab of their Facebook page. The coupon will only be on available to print on Thursdays. (Don’t worry, we’ll remind ya!)

(Canadian residents: Instead of printing the physical coupon, they will be able to get $2 off Method products available at http://well.ca using the discount code “WASHME,” so please mention that for your readers up north.)

3. Nab a Method Laundry Starter Kit. For FREE!
Because we’ve been giveaway happy over here, we’re gonna make this one crazy easy. First 10 commenters get a little Method Laundry Starter Kit. Method will mail you two mini bottles good for 8 loads apiece. That’s it!

**NOTE: We have our ten winners! Giveaway closed.**

We leave you with this little piece of awesomeness. CLEAN HAPPY friends!

This post brought to you by

but as always, all opinions are our own!

Perfect Purples

Kiddo Style: Vintage, ,

Well, here we are at the end of the month, with one more color to share.  We are heading to the edge of the rainbow with violet, purple, plum, and all of the other grand names you might call it.  So here is a grand selection of pleasingly purple vintage goodies!

I know gingham is super hot right now and with good reason—it is so so sweet! But this very violet gingham with the sweet Peter Pan collar is simply too  darling to leave behind! From Etsy seller, Squail.

Alas, the Peach is too big for this perfect little lavender coat with matching hat!  But it’s the wonderful use of rick rack and the purple buttons that make it hard to resist. From Etsy seller, Little Veggie Vintage.

Has anyone invented that special machine that makes little people’s clothes big enough for adults?  Because I need it for this amazing purpletastic skirt from Etsy seller, Fabellas.

Do you know how much fun two sisters could have with these two light purple jackets? I know, right?  INSANE AMOUNTS!!!  From Etsy seller, Retro ReDesign.

I can’t say no to a little bit of wonderful green with lavender—like the little leaves pattern in this sweet baby sweater. From Etsy seller, sparvintheieletree.

Couldn’t you just see these two piece of purple perfection being worn by a sassy little girl this summer?  From Etsy seller, Little Yolk.

I’m so glad I can share this darling little vintage boho friend with a sweet bit of ruffly goodness at the top.  Too dear! From Etsy seller, Retro + Me.

Purple overalls?  Yes, please!  Excellent find, Lishyloo!

What a sweet little lavender dress with dots dots dots on it. Squee! From Etsy seller, Fuzzymama!

Let your kiddo live out her Little House on the Prairie fantasies with this darling vested high collar shirt.  Tee hee! From Etsy seller, 1 Sweet Dream Vintage.

Oh, what a wonderful and colorful month this has been!  Thanks, Alix for such a fabulous month of celebrating all things colorful. May the rest of your year be filled with color!