Use it up, wear it out

Use it up,
wear it out,
make it do,
do without.

Words to live by, that I saw on a cross-stitch sampler a long time ago. Since I was raised to be frugal and tend to love old things, those lines really speak to me. And sometimes the things I grow to love aren't all that old, like this shower curtain that I found 5 or 6 or more years ago at Wal-Mart, of all places. I never expect to find anything this interesting at Wal-Mart, and of course when I went back, thinking to buy another one since I knew this one wouldn't last, there were none left.

The individual squares are reproductions of lotería cards; that's a bingo-like game from Mexico and as you can see in the detail below, the names of the objects are given in both English and Spanish. Kind of a cool way to encourage kids to become bilingual! And when I babysat our little friend Rory, it helped keep her entertained while going potty (she especially liked the ladder, since we'd been shopping at REI and while Joe checked out boots or canoes or something, she kept me busy going up and down the "steppies." She was at a stage of loving "steppies" of any kind).

If you look closely at the shower curtain ring above El Gallo you'll see that the curtain there has been reinforced numerous times with clear packing tape - cheap plastic shower curtains aren't really designed to last and the holes, with no grommets, rip out easily. I've been looking, unsuccessfully, for a couple of years for a replacement - I really loved this shower curtain!

     But I know I won't find another one like this, and I also love things Japanese; the little framed print below also hangs in my bathroom. So I've been trying to find some Japanese or Japanese-inspired fabric that would pick up the turquoise on the walls and in this print to make a more permanent, non-plastic shower curtain. I've been unsuccessful so far, because I want something I can love, not just something that will do.

However, I gave up last week and - having determined that even I can't think of any way to repurpose the old lotería curtain - I threw it away (I did say a few appreciative words over it before I closed the lid on the dumpster).  This is its replacement.

I don't love it but it will do for now. I like it well enough and it goes with the fish on the mirror (they were supposed to stick to the bottom of a bathtub to keep bathers from slipping, but since they didn't stick they might have made things worse).

I can certainly live with it while I continue searching for my perfect dream shower curtain or fabric. Wish me luck! (The framed poster/drawing in the background is the work of Eli, our second grandson, who went to a wonderful preschool that encouraged creativity and cooperative work. A few of the kids worked together on these big pieces, and he was able to tell me who did which part; the princess in the pointed hat in the middle is his.)