DIY: Burp Cloths

Well, I finally did it. I learned how to use my sewing machine! I had a friend come over on a Friday night to show me the basics so I could actually start sewing simple things. Now that I'm done with grad school, I've been feeling bored, so I needed something to pass the time. 

My friend came over and walked me through threading the machine and all that stuff, but when we used the machine, it sounded all rickety and like it was about to fall apart. I guess that's what 5 years of non-use will do to a machine. So, we also learned how to clean the sewing machine, which will probably be helpful down the road.

Two hours after we started the process, I actually got to sewing my first project. I started with probably the most basic thing ever, these burp cloths. I wanted to make something that could be used as a gift for a friend that's having a baby. Plus, I have a lot of other friends that are in the baby making stage, so this could be a project I can repeat in the future.

I literally had to sew four lines per burp cloth. Surely I could handle this!

I'm not going to rehash the tutorial since I followed it exactly, but in the end, the they turned out really cute!

A baby is going to puke on these.

I plan to make some other baby related items like bibs, crinkly toys and door stoppers.

Source: 30minutecrafts.com via Malisa on Pinterest

Source: realsimple.com via Malisa on Pinterest

Source: ourthriftyideas.com via Malisa on Pinterest

Maybe someday, I'll even be able to sew something I can wear! 

I'm gonna pop some tags. Only got $20 in my pocket.

Since I love me some Goodwill shopping, I decided to take part in Young House Love's Thrift Shop Challenge this week. 

The rules were simple.

1. Go to the thrift shop with only $20 to spend. You're supposed to take a picture of this, but I was alone and I didn't actually have a $20 bill. I just had my check card and I probably don't want that photographed.

2. Find some goodies totaling no more than $20 and share what you found.

3. BONUS! Take a picture with something referenced in the song.

So, I headed over to my second favorite Goodwill; the one in Eagan. (Minnetonka is my favorite one because it has the BEST stuff! All of the richie riches from Minnetonka drop off their name brand stuff with tags still on it!)

I browsed around and saw a few things that sparked my interest.

I thought these mirrors for $9.99 each would have been cool with a little bit of a makeover. I've been looking for a set of mirrors to put above our bed, but haven't had luck yet. If there would have been 4 of these, I may have blown my budget and bought them all. 

This pillow from Target was cute and I thought it would have looked nice as an accent on our bed, but then I remembered that any pillow that we don't sleep on is never actually on the bed unless we have people over and the might see our room. So, I decided to pass on spending the $6.99. 

(PS- Since Target is HQd in Minnesota, the Goodwills around here are chock full of brand new Target items from past seasons. Some Goodwills, like the one in Minnetonka, have entire sections of Target stuff! The downside is that it all has red tags and red tags are never included in the 50% off tag sale on Sundays and Mondays. I personally think most of the Target stuff is overpriced for Goodwill, but it's still cheaper than full price!)

Then I came across this guy...

It was hard to resist at just $2.99, but for some reason I couldn't think of anywhere it would go in our house. (Totally joking on wanting this!)

So what did I actually buy?! 

Shockingly, I only spent $2.13 on the thrift store challenge!

It was on this little guy here. It's actually an old cologne bottle (that still smells like cologne inside), but I thought it was really cute with the gold accents. I haven't decided if I'll paint it yet because the greenish glass is cool, but I can also picture it in crisp white with the gold accents. I thought he was worth the $1.99 plus tax. 

And as for the BONUS step, you're dang tootin' that I stepped up to that challenge. My take on it?

Just rockin' that Cosby sweater over my green dress. 

If I would have planned ahead a little more, I definitely would have hit up the Minnetonka Goodwill to what kind of goodies they had there! 

Check out my Goodwill shopping guide for crafting, too!