Vellllllllvehhhhhhht pillllllloooooooows

Pillows are a rare find on the loading dock. 

Perhaps because they are lightweight and easy to move, perhaps people here just don't go for throw pillows, perhaps people throw them out in trashbags and I never see them. Whatever the case, I was surprised (delighted) to see these lovely throw pillows late at night, clearly part of a massive moving-out discardfest.

 No, I did not take the couch, or the blanket.

Maybe I should have, but the couch had a few bites taken out of it from a pet and I don't really need another blanket...... Anyway, look at those pillows!  Do people know how expensive those pillow inserts can be??? These pillows didn't smell, had no rips or stains, and had clearly only been on the loading dock for a few hours, so into the washing machine they went. After I washed them I took the inserts out to read the labels (wow, real down, survived the machine wash just fine) and found out they are brand name pillowcases with nice hidden zippers. Did I mention they're velvet, velvet, and velllllllvehhhhhhht?

Now they sit like lovely jewels on the couch, waiting to support your head, and to look darn good while doing just that.

Happy freestyling.

NQF: Scrap fabric leftover into pillowcover

Ornate paisley prints tend to catch my eye, and this one was no exception when I first saw it...... 

two years ago. It was a remnant piece for sale at the MiniShop section of Bits of Thread (http://www.bitsofthread.com/supplies-and-services/shop/).

swirly paisley

There were grand visions of making giant floor box cushions, then reality struck.

So the paisley pattern waited patiently until I decided it was time to try to brighten up the dull beige couch that sits against a beige wall.

Paisley pillow cover

The couch and overall living room are a work in progress.

I've got enough fabric for a second pillow cover, hopefully it won't take two years to be inspired again.

Happy not-quite-free freestyling.

Small, ornate, and enameled metal jar

This metal jar and lid was lovely little find from le dump from a while back. I used it to store odds and ends, but then I moved into a tiny space and was trying to downsize.....  

...so I gave it to a friend who was styling a shelf in her new apartment featuring photos from her world travels, this goes nicely with her gorgeous photos of India.

Just passing along the pretty, in freestyle of course.

Things come in to your life for free- it's nice. 

Giving things away so they can be enjoyed by someone else- ever nicer.

Happy freestyling.

A long-empty frame inspires a flurry of action

On a trip back to lovely snowy Cambridge I visited some old friends.  Not just any old friends, but people who were still living with some of the freestyle finds I had collected while sharing their apartment.  One such example was this gold metal frame with red matting and glass. A heavy old thing, and with mystery spots on the front that I had never managed to remove.  It hung on the wall for many months, framing a piece of living room space in its reflective silence.

  Whether it was the sunny afternoon, the inspirational powers of crafty ladies assembled in the same room, or the hustle and bustle of people coming and going, something made that the day the frame got used for something like its intended purpose.

Step 1: Apply miraculous goo removal substance.

Removing sticky bits on the glass

Step 2: Rediscover rolled-up poster that was otherwise going in the recycling bin

 Put poster into new cleaned frame.

Step 3: Admire.

Also admiring those mustard yellow pants.

Happy freestyling!

NQF - The warmth of wool, in fingerless mitten form

Heat is expensive. Many of my friends live in places where winter sees the thermostat turned down low to save money.  55-60 degrees indoors, that's the situation you just have to live with, but fingers can get a little chilled in those circumstance.  Last year for the holidays I gave two friends some super simple fingerless mittens made from old wool sweaters shrunken in hot water.  Why fingerless? This functional style allows for normal household activities, typing, etc, while still keeping those extremities insulated.  Here they are modeling their gifts.

Soft, warm, and freestylish in the winter.

Why is this a Not Quite Free (NQF) post?  I confess to buying the sweaters at the goodwill for approximately $5 each.  The burgundy sweater was merino wool and the purple was cashmere.  After a little experimentation with shrinking sweaters had I learned that these two types of wool sweaters shrink down while retaining their softness.  Best of all, since these handwarmers are pre-shrunk they can be thrown in the washing machine!

Happy freestyling, stay warm this winter.

Owl together now

Owls seem to be quite fashionable as of late, and I’m in support of their popular resurgence. I appreciate their classical association with Athena, they are beautiful birds of prey, and they have curved faces that concentrate sound (much like a satellite dish concentrates a signal). Awesome.   

Given my enthusiasm you can imagine my double delight when I found this charming pair of owls with old tea light candles inside of them on the swap shelves at le dump.  After cleaning them up they looked like this:  

 I’m not a candles person, so how best to use these glass containers?  My natural inclination was to make them into planters, and with the leftover moss from a centerpiece I did just that.

It seemed fitting that owls should perch on the bookshelf, out of direct sunlight of course!  Maybe their steady gaze over the shoulder of the reading chair will help us attend to our studies...

Aside from owls, another awesome thing from a strictly freestyler point of view, is the start-of-September move time. Good weather, the end of summer sublets, and the start of new leases means Cambridge is on the move.  Labor Day weekend’s good weather this year also saw 'yard sales' springing up on front steps and sidewalks, such fun to peruse, even though I don’t aim to spend money on miscellany.  Stay tuned for the results from our walkabouts…. 

Steampunk Umbrella

all to pieces....

Umbrellas are a funny thing. Expressions of individuality or mass conformity, delicate but protective, valued at times but so often discarded in near-usable form.... enter the freestyler.  In anticipation of an outdoor steampunk festival [wait, What is steampunk? ] I was considering decorating an umbrella to use as a parasol.   Imagine my delight when I found a large red umbrella, or rather, the pieces of it (pictured at right), while out for a walk on a rather gloomy day. Luckily they had been discarded right next to each other in an otherwise empty bin. Yes, that is what I call luck.

Next steps:

1) figure out how to re-attach center handle to fabric part

2) decorate!

How did I accomplished this in freestyle fashion?

Comparing the broken umbrella to some intact, smaller, specimens led me to realize that I had to find some way of securing the center handle to the top white plastic ring of the umbrella (where all the 'ribs' meet). Close inspection revealed a place on the handle, about 4 inches from the pointy end, where there was a small circular hole opposite a longer oblong opening drilled into the handle.   There was also a small, but sturdy, pin sticking through the white ring. I decided to put the pink through the oblong hole and see if that would hold.  It did! This is shown in the picture as the 'tiny pin.' It is hard to see (especially when reaching over an open umbrella top), but I promise you it is there.

When there is a job to be done.....

  Wanting a little extra security for holding the pieces together, I used the handle from a Thai food takeout container to wrap around one 'rib,' through the oblong and round holes on the handle, and then around the opposite 'rib.'  This is labeled in the picture above as 'Free wire'.   These little bits of flexible wire are SUPER useful, so I save them.  Of course I could not have done this without some trusty tools. Curved needle-nosed pliers are pretty awesome at times.

For decoration I used gold fabric paint donated by Creative Roommate (who in turn got it from her mom).

Decorative motifs, from top right: Atlantic long-armed octopus, gears, a feather, random squiggles.

Ya esta! A freestyle steampunk-inspired umbrella, ready to shade one's delicate skin while out for a stroll.

In honor of mother's day this post is dedicated to my mother (who taught me to fix things myself), my godmother (who taught me about saving things in case they are needed in future), and Creative Roommate's mother (an accomplished musician who supports others in their artistic endeavors, no matter what medium). Thanks moms!