A Fun Birthday Gift

One of Elizabeth's friends had a Sweet 16 party, so Elizabeth asked me to make a stuffed puppy as the gift.

The puppy turned out super cute, but it needed something extra for a "wow" effect.

 

 I thought it might be fun to make bone shape sugar cookies to go with the dog.

 We didn't have a cookie cutter in the shape of a bone, so I printed off an outline  from the internet. Each cookie was then cut by hand using the tip of a sharp knife.

Elizabeth and I had so much fun making the cookies.

The cookies were then put in a jar and wrapped with the dog. The birthday girl was happy with her gift.

A Bernina Minimatic 707 Sewing Machine

Last year I found a Bernina Minimatic 707 sewing machine for $20 at one of the Goodwill stores in town. It didn't have a power cord or a foot pedal, but I thought finding one would be easy. Boy was I ever wrong!

The only place I was able to find a cord with pedal was on ebay and it's not even an original. The regular price was just under $50, but thankfully the seller had a "make an offer" option and I was able to buy one for $35 with free shipping.

My combined total for this machine was $55. I've tested the machine and it works very well and will be just fine as a backup.

My New Clothesline

For several years I used a clothesline that was strung between three trees; two that were dead, but still stood strong. This setup worked well until one of the dead tree trunks began to lean and I was afraid it might fall and hurt someone. I made the decision to push the dead trunks over and not use my clothesline anymore.

 Going without a clothesline was hard, so when I saw an umbrella clothesline at the thrift store, I bought it right away.

 Not wanting to sink the umbrella clothesline in the ground, I attached it to our tether pole pipe.

 

This set up worked fine, but I really missed having my laundry stretched out so the air could flow more freely.

 So in September, for my birthday, I requested a new clothesline; a traditional style.

  

Pat built one for me with four lines to hold lots of laundry.

I absolutely love  my new clothesline and especially love the fresh smell of my laundry. Standing outside hanging clothes is great fun!

My New Fabric Cabinet

Recently I decided to start looking for an armoire to hold my fabric stash. My search netting this beauty.

 I paid a whopping $36 and it was worth every penny.

 

The back has a large opening that was used for a T.V. and cables, but the old back will be replaced with a new back.

 At the bottom of the armoire there are four shelves for storage.

 I used Mrs. Meyer's Honeysuckle to dust and clean the armoire and it sure smells wonderful.

I love how much fabric the armoire is holding and I'm so pleased with my newest bargain!