Bless Her Heart

Upcycled Flower Girl Basket & Ring Bearer Pillow

My name is Kelly and I am a craft supply hoarder.  They really should have a 12 step program for those of us who suffer from this affliction because unless someone in the family intervenes (usually one of my daughters), it can easily take over your life.  Okay not that bad, but it can definitely take over a room or two in your house!   When I am faced with the choice of throwing something out that I no longer use or need, whether it be a torn or soiled piece of clothing or a burnt out light bulb, I often find myself holding the item, passing it from hand to hand, inspecting it closely to determine if there is any earthly way that I could use it, or parts of it in a future creation.  I've torn buttons off of shirts before discarding them, I save empty dog food bags (to one day sew into tote purses for dog lovers), and I have a Rubbermaid container of burnt light bulbs that I one day hope to paint.   The chance that I will use even a fraction of these items is slim to none, but every once in a while I come across something that I had saved (and forgotten about) and find a way to put it to good use, which is exactly what happened when I was planning my daughter's wedding last year.    I was digging through her box of baby items, looking for the bonnet that she wore at her christening, as it was designed to be turned into a hanky for her wedding day with just a few stitches.    As I was searching through her baby items that I had saved (again, it goes without saying, this is a BIG box), I came across a pink basket that someone had sent me flowers in when she was born, and a light bulb went off in my head!   One of the last items on my list to purchase was a flower girl basket, and I was already imagining 100 ways I could transform this brittle, peeling, pink basket into a beautiful flower girl's basket.  I thought of painting  it but decided to cover it with fabric, and eventually came up with the idea to use fabric and lace from my wedding gown to cover the basket.   I had already used some of this fabric for the ring bearer's pillow, as well as her garter, so using it for the basket was a perfect match!  So to any new mom's out there, don't be afraid to save anything from your baby's first few years.    I never dreamed that when I saved that basket 25 years earlier, that it would play in role in one of the most important days of her life!!