Celebration

Our 4th of July weekend was lovely. We spent most of our time eating and enjoying friends and family.



There were, of course, delicious desserts including cupcakes made by Mandi and a lemon bundt cake made by me. (The cupcake picks were made by Jane, Mandi's partner in the red, white & blue swap!)



Made also made her famous apple pie!




My DH manned the grill and made enough hot dogs, hamburgers and brats to feed an army!



We also made a shrimp boil that was delicious!



Even the puppies got into the spirit though Mandi's dog Teach doesn't look like he's enjoying that hat too much.



Lincoln just lounged the days away.



We rounded out the weekend with a nice fire in the pit . . .



Which my dad enjoyed from the hammock swing.

A wonderful summer weekend don't you think?

I'll be back next week with some shop updates and that pink and aqua swap I've been yammering about!

hugs
Rebecca

Hats ON to the USA?

Hello! How was your holiday? I am back from my loooong weekend in Baltimore and finally have something creative to share! Yeah! Mom, Mandi and I got together on Friday and made ourselves some Yankee Doodle Dandy crowns to celebrate the 4th.



Man my glasses are tilted! I've been trying to fix that forever. :) I'm guessing one ear is lower than the other lol.



Crowns are easy to make. I just freehand a crown design on poster board and cut it out. I fold it in half to make sure it's symmetrical. Then glue paper to both sides and decorate to your hearts desire! Wrapping paper works well because you can cover the entire surface but you can always cover the seams if you want to use regular paper like I did. The you punch some holes along the ends and thread ribbon through and tie it to fit.



I started out thinking I would cut out stars and use glass glitter on them. I have a small jar of fine glass glitter just waiting to be called to duty. I tried one and it looked blech. :( So I used some sparkled paper I picked up forever ago at Joann's. It's sticky on one side and worked perfectly! I hope they still carry it because I'll be back for more.



This is my Mom's crown. She used an image we downloaded from Country Living for a more vintage look.



The sides are covered in vintage flowers that I received in the Red, White & Blue swap. We also used some sheet music and ribbons that Sarah sent as well. It worked perfect!



My sister's crown is of course unique just like she is!



I love the stars on the side! She said it made her feel like Wonder Woman LOL.

We had a great time making our crowns and wearing them on the 4th. Maybe this will become a tradition! I was very inspired by the RWB swap with Sarah to try my hand at paper crafting again. I always forget how much I enjoy it.

I have more pictures to share from the 4th that I'll save for another post. Plus I'm pushing back my shop update until next week when Mandi is here for a visit. I need her to model the aprons! I also received the most amazing package from a Queenly Friend. Thanks again!

See here for the first crown I made!

Ciao!

Red, White and Blue Swap

Hello! Yes, I know, I know, what a craptastic summer blogger I am. Summer is NOT my season. I haven't done much in the way of crafty lately. Hopefully that will pick up soon. :)

I did just participate in the Sweet Goodness Hurrah for the Red, White & Blue swap and I had a FANTASTIC partner. Sarah is amazing! Hold onto your seats . . .



The whole gorgeous red, white and blue lot of it! Vintage paper and millinery flowers galore! Plus hand made goodies including . . .



How fabulous is this mask? And while I know this was an American swap this mask makes me think French masquerade ball. I love it! I'm trying to come up with a way to display it on my wall, perhaps in a shadow box? Don't you love that red glittery peacock?



This lovely star ornament is even better up close. The rosette is made from vintage ledger paper which Sarah was kind enough to also include in my package. I have a plan for it that I hope to share this week.



And can I just say WOW! I love LOVE this bracelet!



Also included was this glittered star pick and a fabulous selection of ribbons.



This sweet paper doll is just adorable. I also hope to make up a shadow box to feature her! She has a little dress to wear but I love her polka dot undies, don't you?

Thank you Sarah for one heck of a great swap! I hope we can swap again some time.

Sarah has a lovely Etsy shop with some of the most beautiful vintage inspired jewelry. My next treat to myself will surely come from there but watch out! It's so hard to pick a favorite! I love them all. :)

Here is what I sent to her:



I, too, included vintage papers, sheet music and Italian wrapping paper. I also included a vintage Fire King milk glass pie plate. Gotta love flat rate shipping boxes!



Sarah has three boys so I tucked in red, white and blue salt water taffy, jelly bellies and M&Ms that I picked up at a fancy candy store in Atlantic City, NJ.



The vintage Japanese mother of pearl pin comes off of the cotton cockade I made OR she can wear the whole thing to show some REAL spirit LOL.



I always include buttons in my swap. I lucked into a huge lot of carded buttons a year ago and still have plenty to share. The other bag has some patriotic pins and beads to wear to a 4th of July parade perhaps?



A baggy of red white and blue ribbons similar to what she sent me and a bag of fun vintage jewelry including a pair of Air Force wings from my friend Sergeant Nine. Sarah's husband is also in the military keeping our country safe. :)



I love this cross stitch pattern of a simple statue of liberty lady. I turned her into a simple door hanger and thought she came out quite cute. Hope you like her, Sarah!


What a fun swap. Sarah plans to join my aqua and pink swap that I'll announce later this summer so some lucky girl will get paired with her and surely be in for a treat.

Louie, the dog herd and I are headed back to Maryland to enjoy the 4th on the water. I'll be back next week with major shop updates - I lucked into the CUTEST vintage aprons and will list, ahem, most of them - and perhaps have a give away?

Have a safe and happy holiday!

cheers
Rebecca

PS - there is still time to join my craft challenge!

Craft Challenge #2

Yes, I know, I've been ABSENT. Not just from writing but from reading as well. You know summer, busy busy! So since I have nothing much to share in the way of thrifts or crafts, how about another craft challenge?

In order to allow for more players I've picked an item many of you will already have. The wooden spool!



Here is my collection! So how about some rules?

THRIFTY GOODNESS CRAFT CHALLENGE #2 - THE WOODEN SPOOL

You can use any medium you want but the main piece must be a wooden spool. Size matters not, you choose. Ideas? Let's see . . . spool dolls, spool notes, ornaments, jewelry? You name it! The idea is to be creative!

Try to use supplies you already have in your stash. It's nice to use up some of those treasures, right?

We'll give it a month - finish your spool by July 17th. Here is a Flickr pool where we can show off our craftiness! Post your picture in the pool by the 17th. Then we'll do a little voting to pick the top three favorite spools. I'll send a little Goodenss to the winner! Prize is at my discrection but I think it will be something you'll like. Sound like fun?

Leave a comment here if you'd like to join in so I know who is playing! spread the word!

Happy Crafting!

Rebecca

PS - See the results of Craft Challenge #1 HERE.

Red, White and Blue

As many of you know, the most recent swap over at Sweet Goodness Swaps is :Hurray for the Red, White and Blue." A very fun summery theme, don't you think? My partner is Sarah from My So Called Junky Life. I love that title! Take a swing by her blog, you won't be disappointed!

Sarah and I have been chatting and we both love the color combo of pink and aqua. I think it's so fun and shabby chic. So I'm thinking of having my own little swap this summer with those colors as a theme. I would probably call it the Shabby Pink and Aqua swap or something more creative than that I hope. What do you think? Would any one be interested in a swap like this? It wouldn't start until the end of June since I am already doing the other swap plus have some travels planned. Leave me a comment if you think you would be interested. No commitment at this time, I'm just curious to see if it would fly.

So I've done some thrifting though don't have too many photos. I've been in an organizational mode so everything gets put in it's place right away. (yeah, we'll see how long that lasts.) I did find these photos, though:



Aren't these the sweetest things? And they are sort of pink and aqua! They are two framed "prints" of little girls playing. The pictures are actually quilted pieces of fabric! The frames them selves are a lovely shabby pink. Not sure what I'll do with these yeet. I'm guessing they were decorations for a little girls room in the 70s maybe?



Okay, that little box cracks me up! Know what's inside? A little folding fan. Too cute but pretty beat up. I found the fan and the tiny purse packs of Knit Cro-Sheen at the last Treasure Sale. Now I wonder, were women knitting on fly back then that they needed purse packs of yarn? Hmmm.



Two adorable hat box style wig boxes! There were wigs inside but I got rid of those. (Sorry Dita, I know you wanted to be Edith Bunker for Halloween but they were freaking me out.)



And I couldn't resist this giant piece of leopard material for a dollar. What will I ever do with it? It's plush. Nice. Me thinks I'll make me a coat! (yeah right)

That's all from me until next week. I'm taking a last minute get away to Atlantic City with my Mom and Sister. See you soon!

xoxoxo
Rebecca

And the Winner is . . .

Drum roll please . . . .

The winner of the Goodness paper pack is . . . .

Jessica at Funky Finds!! Jessica, I'll drop you an email for your address.

Thank you to everyone who left comments. I'll be doing another give away soon. :)

xoxo
RR

For the Love of Paper

Hello all! How was your Memorial Day weekend? As usual my parents annual luau was a blast and I SWEAR there is not a You Tube video of me singing "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" into a beer bottle. ;)

So onto the Goodness. I have some lovely finds to share with you from some thrifting with Mom but thought I'd do a special post just about paper first. I love paper. I have loads of it. I collect vintage ephemera just to look at it. One of these days I'll bring myself to use it. Maybe. I put together collections of papers, playing cards, etc. and put it for sale in my shop in the hopes that someone else out there not only shares my love of all things paper but might actually be the type of person to USE it rather than just covet it.

I dug through some old wrapping paper I found at the last Treasure Sale and found the most gorgeous pieces! Mostly baby and wedding themed, these are some of the prettiest I've come upon.




(might be my favorite EVER!)








(these last two are foil and embossed. Very light and delicate, not like current foil papers)

I will be putting some of this in the shop and saving some for my own collection. I also plan to put together some vintage book page packs and some sheet music packs as well. I've decided to really trim down my craft room so everything must go! But before I start recycling/donating/trashing I plan to get as much into the shop as possible in case any of you would like to feather your nests a bit. Look for updates soon!

In the mean time, please visit THIS POST and leave a comment to win a special Goodness paper pack I put together just for you.





It's loaded with vintage wall paper and wrapping, playing cards and tallies, vintage book pages and music and various other bits. I keep stuffing things in there so you never know what you'll get! This is more than twice the size of a normal Goodness Paper Pack so I'm sure there will be something in there you'll enjoy. I'll pull a name on Monday so you have all weekend to stop by and leave your comment!

***************************

In other news, sign ups for the Sweet Goodness Swaps summer swap - Hurray for the Red, White & Blue - is going on now. Visit THIS POST for more details and then send in your email to sign up. Hurry! Slots are going fast! Sign ups end tomorrow 5/29! Don't forget to sign up for the mailing list to be the first to know about future swaps! Have any ideas for swaps? Drop me a line!

adieu!
Rebecca

Doh! Giveaway time!

Oops! I forgot to put up the post for my paper pack giveaway! Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the prize but it's a lovely folder filled with vintage wall paper and wrapping paper, game cards and score sheets and vintage book pages. Loads of fun paper for all sorts of projects.

Leave a comment here and I'll draw a winner next weekend. When I get home from my long weekend I'll post a picture of the Goodness.

have a happy and safe Memorial Day Weekend!

fondly
rebecca

What's on Your Table?

So literally, or figuratively, what's on your table? What are you working on? What plans do you have? Crafts? Cooking? Vacation? Now is the planning season. Even though I don't have to plan around kid's summer vacation as many of you do, the onset of summer brings lots to do. In travels we have a wedding in Baltimore in June and just booked a short vacation to Las Vegas with friends at the end of August.



In crafts, I've been enjoying some simple cross stitch. It's relaxing and easy to pick up and put down as things arise.



Red, white and blue are on my brain now so I've been contemplating some patriot crafts. Any suggestions?

I've been reading through old magazines and pulling out recipes to try. I have plans to buy a kitchen cart to add another workspace and hope to finally dive in to some more complicated meals. I also have plans to redo my laundry room. It's so drab and I feel I spend way too much time in there. So why not pretty it up a bit? I found a sweet wicker chest of drawers that has inspired the makeover style. I'll share that with you soon.



Also on the table are plans to spend more time outside. We started yesterday with a trip to the dog park. Fun was had by all. That's hubby Louie with Mason, Lincoln and Kaiser in Forest Park.

And literally on my craft table is the start of a Goodness Paper Pack I plan to giveaway this week. Sign ups will start Wednesday so please stop by for a visit!

Now tell me your plans! Either leave a comment or do a blog post and leave a link in the comments. I'm sure there are many inspiring ideas to be heard!

Fondly
Rebecca

Seriously . . .

Okay now, a show of hands . . . who out there REALLY thought I was going to finish up other projects before playing with my new yarn stash?



Okay, don't be shy, admit it . . .



No one? I guess I am predictable. :) I couldn't wait so I rolled up one hank of the cotton silk (which was a nightmare, don't ask) and started on the garden plots.



I like it and think it will be lovely. I should get 2 squares from each ball and with 20 plus skeins I'll have enough to make the 36 square pattern and edging. It will probably be a bit heavy and if I had a choice I'd use a different kind of yarn but I have this and so be it. I'm off shopping anyway. I have WAY more stuff than any one person needs. So stand by for updates on my afghan!

hugs
rr

Lucky Penny

I always love how Sarah says that her husband is her lucky penny when he goes thrifting with her. My lucky penny is definitely my friend Nine. Every time we thrift together, which isn't too often as she lives 4 hours away, I find something fabulous. Our trip to the thrift this past weekend was no exception.



Now first I will tell you that I did spend about $50 (including high New York taxes) for this fabulous find but believe me, it was worth it. Yarn. And not just any yarn, YARN store yarn. The good stuff.

For you non-knitters out there, the yarn from the craft stores is okay. Most of it is crap but there are some nicer yarns put out by Bernat, Patons and Lion that I do like. I'm a cotton girl so the choices are limited. Yarn stores stock abundances of fabulous yarns from all over the world. Problem is that they are uber expensive. I'm talking $8 to $10 for a small ball. When you want to make anything larger than a tea cozy you need upwards of 10+ balls. You do the math. So while $50 is a HUGE price for me to shell at any thrift, this was the deal of the century for this avid knitter.

In my stash I found:

23 Balls - Rowan Handknit cotton (made in England) - retail cost: $6.00 a ball - $138.00

11 balls - Phildar Marjory cotton (made in France) - retail cost: approx. $6.00 a ball - $66.00 (no longer produced)

10 balls - Stahl Schuler Lambada cotton viscose (made in Germany) - retail cost: $7.00 a ball - $70

26 hanks - Classic Elite Willough cotton silk (made in England) - retail cost: approx. $8.00 a hank - $208.00 (no longer produced)

So what's that . . umm . . carry the one . . . $482.00 of fancy yarn ALL of which are cotton. Bliss.

Included in my $50 splurge are also a skein and half of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece (about $8 a skein), 7 skeins of Bucilla Wondersheen (a vintage crochet cotton used for making super fine doilies and table cloths) and 5 skeins of Coats & Clark Luster Sheen which is also a vintage fine gauge yarn.

Whew! So you can see why I'm excited, right?? I can't wait to dig in! Of course I REALLY need to finish a few projects first before starting another, right? RIGHT? lol I'm dying to start making that cotton silk (all the white you see there) into a Garden Plot Squares throw.

There is one thing that saddens me about my yarn find. You know there is a knitter out there that gave up. Fancy yarn store yarn does not randomly show up in this abundance at the thrift store. Don't worry fair ex-knitter, I'll make you proud. :)

Give Away Update:

I will announce a giveaway next week before I leave for a long Memorial Day Weekend. I do believe the prize will be a nice fat Goodness paper pack to include vintage wrapping paper and wall paper, all sorts of vintage tallies and playing cards, vintage book pages, ephemera, you name it. Lots of fun stuff for you to play with. I think most of use have a fondness for all things paper.

Until the next time . . . same thrift channel, same thrift time . . .

rebecca

Dis

Disorganized
Discontent
Discombobulated

You name it, I feel it. I can't explain it though I'm betting that lack of organization is behind it all. Sigh . . . so I'm going into hyper drive tomorrow to get this place in shape. Not just regular cleaning but real SPRING cleaning. I think that by clearing the cobwebs in the house I'll clear the cobwebs in my mind. What do you think?

Sorry I've been such a crappy blogger as of late. That is also part of the mix. I plan to change that too.

And because I like to have a picture with each post:



Two sweet little sweaters I made for my new little "nephew" Charlie who came into the world around 9:00 pm on Wednesday April 29th. His mother and I have been friends for over 30 years. He's her first child and he's a cute little button. :) The top sweater is from Mason Dixon Knitting and the bottom is from Baby Crochet. Both wonderful go to patterns when I need a good baby gift.

Give away info coming soon!

fondly
Rebecca

Finds

So . . . remember when I was complaining about the thrift and how I never find anything? Yeah, well lookie here:



Four aprons. Oh yes FOUR of them. All handmade and all gorgeous. I do not think these are vintage only because they are so clean! I'm sure they've never seen kitchen duty or even have been washed. This is my favorite:



The fabric at the top there is a hankie. So cute! Now what to do with them? Hmm. Well I'm sure I'll keep one and probably give one to a friend and perhaps I'll put one in the store. But in the meantime I'm just going to enjoy them and the fact that I finally found something worth sharing at the thrift.

Also found on that same trip was this adorable hand made bag:



This I am keeping. I've actually already carried it once. I love the fabrics and the shape and well everything about it!

Also that day I snagged these two handmade pillow covers:



Now me thinks that all of these lovely handmade things probably came from the same person. It makes me a little sad because I wonder did this person die and their relatives just shoveled all their handmade goodness into garbage bags and dumped it at the thrift? I'm hoping this person bought a condo in Boca and had to down size and is now playing gin rummy with the nice lady from next door. :)

What a stellar thrift trip! I also netted these vintage cake toppers:



These will definitely be in the store soon.

So I guess that makes up for the more lackluster trips, you think? I went yesterday and did find some sweet Shabby Chic tablecloths and the prettiest turquoise chenille bed spread. They are in the wash and I'll share soon. Perhaps the tide is turning?

xoxo
RR

Random

Spring is in the air. Thus making my brain feel muddled and unorganized. I don't want to be at this computer. I want to be outside twirling around. Well maybe just outside would do.

I've been trying to gather my thoughts for a post for a few days now to no avail. So instead here are some random thoughts:



A sweet bib I made for my expectant friend. The baby is "scheduled" to make his appearance on Wednesday but you know how babies are. They show up when they want to.



My handsome hubby at the new home of the New York Mets, Citi Field. This was a preseason game in March and it was so cold! I can't wait to go back for beers, baseball and hot dogs in the sunshine.



I thrifted the lid to this piece of Friendship pattern Pyrex about 2 years ago and then last week I found the bottom. Kismet! Total price of $7.00.



My little collection of Pyrex is growing. Of course I never use it so I don't mess it up. LOL

I promised a giveaway last week and I am sticking to that BUT I am going to wait until I return from my trip to Baltimore at the beginning of May. I'm visiting one of those Treasure Sales and hope to find something fun to put up for grabs.

Now I'm off to stick my head out the window and soak up some sunshine. I'll be back this week with something crafted. Cross my heart.

hugs
Rebecca

Hoppy Easter

Yes. I know Easter was days ago. I swear I've been in some kind of candy induced coma or something. Or just yet another case of lazy-itis. I looked for something to do today. I brought yarn and needles to the sofa but nothing happened. I couldn't even bring myself to cut recipes out of my myriad stack of magazines. Sigh  . . . I need a spa day. :)

So how was Easter? I love Easter crafts and wish I would have made more this year. (lazy-itis!)

I did fill my leafy basket with some cute speckled eggs. I really love how this turned out! And how simple. I love that!



And look how cute my little chenille baskets look with speckled eggs! 



Don't they look adorable on my Easter feather tree? As I've said before, Sarah sent it to me and I love it more and more each year. You can see Sarah's tree here. So cute!

Something new I tried this year, chocolate covered strawberries. With soe help from my sister these were very easy and were a huge hit.



I made another Tiramisu. I added less Kahlua this time and it was even better. Who would have thought LESS alcohol would be a good thing? LOL



Here is my super cute nephew Christopher enjoying his thrifted bunny. 

All in all it was a fabulous day. :) 

Please send me some good vibes to get off my butt and get some things done. It's about that time for me to drag the sewing machine out and attempt to make something presentable.

xoxox

rr

Go for a visit . . .

Before I rush of to AC I'd like to share a link with you, please visit Erin HERE for her wonderful 100th post giveaway. Wait until you see the goodies. You'll thank me. :)

And speaking of give aways, I think it's about time I had one, too. Come back next week and see what I've put together for you to win.

Now wish me luck at the roulette table. :) Black 22!

A Tisket, A Tasket . . .

Chenille stem Easter baskets!



I followed these Martha instructions and it was pretty easy. I used stems I already had but I think the pink and gold came out cute!



The white one was made with bumpy stems and is also cute but I think I like the pink better. I plan to put them on my table and fill them with Robin's Eggs candy, what do you think?



I also made this little basket after seeing these on the Martha web page. It's sort of cute, you think? And the cost was only 69 cents for the basket and 69 cents for a bag of artificial flowers and leaves. I want to pick up some kind of grass to put inside and I have a few faux speckled eggs that would be cute in there.

And speaking of Martha, has anyone picked up her A-Z Craft Encyclopedia? I decided to go for it and since I had a nice coupon for the Barnes & Noble I got it for a good price. I like it! There are new projects and also classics from the magazine. One thing I like is that there is a list of basic supplies and then instructions for for each topic including candle and soap making, rubber stamping, paper making, decoupage, you name it. I have already bookmarked a few things to try and hope to share them soon!

L. and I are off to Atlantic City this week to celebrate his birthday. We'll be back before Easter.

Fondly,
Rebecca

Thrift?

Has anyone been finding anything at the Thrift lately? I know I'm not much up on my blog reading but those I have read haven't reported too much. I have found some things but nothing too blog worthy you know? I did dig through and have picked the best of the bunch out to share. :)



I felt so lucky to snag this vintage Florida table cloth! It's not in the best shape, someone wrote on the corner in magic marker? Why? But I love it anyway and it was only $2. :) See Lincoln there? He thought I was taking his picture.



Alright, boy, there you go. Happy now? He's getting so big but still acts like a wild puppy. :)



I also found this table cloth. It's not hand made but it is large enough to fit my table (I need 102 inch length at the very least) and at $4 was a steal. It's a little stained but not too bad and I plan to use it for Easter brunch this year.



Also found these vintage pillow cases. Isn't the pattern divine? I'm trying to decide to keep them for pillow cases, put them in the shop or make something from them. If you were going to turn them into something, what would it be?



The red Dansk pitcher is a real mess. It has black marks all over the bottom showing through the enamel. But I love it anyway in all it's shabby glory. :) The little silver bread basket was too cute to pass up and the dessert server is for my mother who said she didn't have a nice one. Hmm. I find that hard to believe. Anyway, the quiche dish in the copper holder was in a box from Macys. I do make quiche a lot and now it will be that much fancier. :)



I also found this sweet heart shaped sewing box. The inside is yellow silk and is in fairly good shape. I'd love to add some vintage flowers to the lid maybe? I'm not sure what but I do think I'd like to decorate it. Maybe I'll try to make some velvet strawberries like I've seen on this blog which is one of my favorites. I think I'll check out her store for some of that vintage millinery.

May the thrift be with us all. :)

RR

Best Friends

Remember sweet Felicity Foxity?



Remember that I promised to make her a friend? Meet Turtlelina!



She's a little shy.



But I introduced her to Felicity hoping they would get along. After all, they both love flowers!



And now they are best friends.



Turtlelina is made from cotton yarn with embroidery floss features and wool felt flowers. More friends to come! Any suggestions? I'm thinking perhaps an owl? or a doe? Thoughts?

hugs
Rebecca

PS - visit THE GOODNESS SHOP for new trims, vintage pillow case pairs and some fun vintage paper goods.

Craft Challenge #1 - RESULTS

The results are in and Craft Challenge #1 was a success! But of course I knew it would be. :) So without further ado:

The original cards sent to our participants:



And the final works of art:



"A Time to Sew" from Shara - read more about it here. I love the sweet girl's thimble purse!



"Sew Many Thanks" from Dana who doesn't have a blog but should think about starting one! I love how she thought to make the card into a thread spool!



"Mulberry Tree" by Caroline - read more about it here. Caroline is a fairly new blogger so stop by and give her some love! She just completed her very first swap with us at Sweet Goodness! I love the little green rick rack leaves!



"Stretch Your Wings" from Jane - read more about it here. Jane actually sent this to me! I love it! Thanks! And how clever to put it in a little frame! The bird is embroidered, such talent!



"Kitty Wants In" from LeeAnn - read more about it here. Oh how I wish I could draw like that!



"Smocked" by Sarah - read more about it here. I love Sarah's vision, I never would have thought to smock anything but fabric! Love it!



"Easter Parade" by me. I have a lovely white feather tree (a wedding gift from Sarah!) that I always use at Easter. I try to make a new decoration for it each year and I knew from the beginning that is what I would use my mini spool card for. The eggs on the front are glittery.



And the back is more plain. Doesn't that Easter bunny look a bit mad? LOL I'm inspired now to make more Easter ornaments and hope to share them with you soon.

I love all the entries for Craft Challenge #1! I will defiantly be announcing a new challenge soon. I think for the next one I will choose an object that many of us already have so we can have more participants.

Thank you to all of the participants! Everyone is so creative and I feel very inspired now to go make something new. :)

Fondly,
Rebecca

Craft Challenge #1 - EXTENDED

LOL it's extended for me since mine isn't finished yet! :) That's what I get for making the due date my birthday! I'll post the results of the first craft challenge tomorrow.

Participants - if you haven't already sent me either a photo or a link to your blog with your challenge piece, please do so!

Thanks!
Rebecca

Heart to Heart . . . and Spade to Spade . . .

One of the best things about being a managing part of Sweet Goodness Swaps is that sometimes I get to pick my partner. For the last swap I knew I would be running late and might not make the send out date so I wanted a partner who would be okay with that. I invited Vallen to join the swap as my partner. The theme was The Winning Hand and had to include elements from all 4 card suits. Yes, Vallen's last name is Queen and YES I really wanted to run with that theme. Like I said, it's good to be the organizer!

As I knew, Vallen did not disappoint! Look at this mass of goodness!



Whew! The box must have weighed ten pounds! Of course I love everything, Vallen really has a way with things. I thought I'd show some favorites:



Beautiful jewelry including a bracelet, earrings and a Queen of Hearts pendant that I am drooling over!



A lovely decoupaged eye glass case. Vallen is a mind reader because I needed one of these!



Some vintage crochet books. Did I mention that I love old patterns?



A set of four card holders, each player uses one to hold their hand. Cute!





I am enamoured with this tiny little clothes pin. I love it!



Beautiful crocheted heart doilies.



A sweet velvet heart shaped box filled with vintage cookie cutters. Could it get more perfect??




These linen napkins are high on my list of favorites. Vallen knows me well. :P

I'll be posting more photos in the Flickr Group today and will post photos of what I made for Vallen soon. If you've never joined one of our swaps before be sure to sign up for the next one. You can register to receive an email when we announce the next swap on the blog site. We really get some talented ladies in our swaps!

Have a lovely day!
Rebecca

Let Them Eat Tiramisu

I've always wanted to learn to cook and bake the right way. You know, when you can look in your fridge, see 5 random things and whip them into a gourmet meal. I would love that!

To celebrate my new motto, "You're not getting any younger!" lol I've been trying some new recipes and actually READING those parts in the cookbooks that teach you tricks and techniques. My first endeavor? A tiramisu cake to take to a dinner party. Quite risky to make a new recipe and then have other people count on it as their dessert LOL. But it turned out great! I tweaked two different recipes and will make it again. Since it's really my own recipe now I thought I'd share it here. It's pretty easy. I am a lazy cook. :)

Rebecca's Kahlua Tiramisu Cake



Vanilla Buttercream Cake

12 tbs of butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs
2 cups self rising flour
1/4 cup of milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9 inch round cake pans with Pam (or other) and line with parchment circles.*

Beat butter, vanilla, sugar, eggs, flour and milk with electric mixer on low until ingredients are combined. Increase speed to medium and beat until mixture becomes a paler shade.

Pour half of mixture in each prepared pan. You want your cakes to been thin, so about an inch of batter in each. Bake until golden on top, about 20 minutes. Cool cakes in pans for about 10 minutes and then remove to racks to cool more.

Coffee Syrup

1 cup white sugar
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
1/8 cup Kahluha (you could substitute 2 tbs vanilla or almond extract)

Stir together 1 cup sugar, boiling water, coffee and 1/4 cup rum until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Mascarpone Cream

1 (8 ounce) container mascarpone cheese
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/8 cup Kahluha (you could leave this out I would think)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream

Combine mascarpone, 2 cups confectioners' sugar, Kahlua and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk together until completely smooth, scraping the bottom of the bowl to remove any lumps. Gradually whisk in the heavy cream. Whip with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Stop whipping when the mixture shows the first sign of graininess.

To assemble:

Place one layer of cake in 9 inch spring form pan. Poke holes in the cake (a lot) and pour half of coffee syrup over cake. Spread a generous amount of mascarpone cheese on top. Don't be stingy, you'll have cream left over. Spread all the way out to the edges of the pan. Place next layer of cake on top and press down into pan. Poke holds and pour remaining syrup over top. Spread another layer of mascarpone cream. Top with shaved dark chocolate (if desired.)



Refrigerate cake for AT LEAST 4 hours. This is very important. You can leave it over night if desired. Remove side of spring form pan and enjoy!

This really is an easy cake to make and it's quite impressive! LOL I do think next time I'll go a little easier on the cream for a better presentation but that is the yummiest part of the cake. I've frozen my remaining cream (I had about 2 cups left over) and plan to make vanilla butter cake cupcakes and make mini tiramisus this weekend. I got the idea from this book. My Mom found it at the thrift store. It has some fun cupcake ideas in it. I think I'll try the banana caramel ones sometime soon. :)

If anyone tries a tiramisu let me know! You can leave out the Kahlua or substitute dark rum or extracts. As long as you use strong coffee in the syrup it should have the traditional tiramisu taste. :)

hugs
Rebecca

* - trace your pan bottom onto parchment paper and cut out a circle. Voila!

Sugar & Spice & Eveything Nice

Hello! I know it's been FOREVER since I've posted and even longer since I've been able to catch up on my favorite blogs. I've been busy! Whew! I actually have a few things to post about so you can expect to hear more from me. :)

First I'd like to share some photos from my dear friend Dana's baby shower. Dana is expecting a boy on April 22nd and her sister in law, mother and I threw her a lovely Blue and Brown bash. :)



Corey, Dana's SIL, made gorgeous bird houses and potted plants with chipboard bird picks for all of the tables.



Don't you love those bird picks? What a great idea!



We also had this wish tree. It's an actual peach tree for Dana to plant and everyone at the shower filled out cards with wishes for the baby and advice for Dana to hang on it.



The gorgeous cake is from Sugarbakers which is where Dana, my sister and I all had our wedding cakes made. The cake was delicious!



Corey also made this cute baby sign and the little bird nests. She is so talented! And do you believe she says she's NOT crafty??



Dana's mother did the adorable favors which were chocolates and little seeds to plant. I can't wait to grow myself a little lavender garden!



And Dana's other sister in law, Charmin, made this super cute baby bootee bouquet. Adorable!

I did the games and did make some super cute baby bingo cards but of course forgot to take a picture! I did get some shots of the gift basket my mother, sister and I put together:



My Mom organized the basket, she is very good at that sort thing. And who is that peeking out the front?



Why it's my little crocheted dinosaur. :) Finally he has some eyes! Dana also loved the sweater I knit for her and asked for a matching hat.



A fun day for all involved!

xoxoxo
RR

Is it Spring yet?

Yikes. There is A LOT of snow out there. According to New York 1, Queens received the most snow and my area was at the top with 10.6 inches. I wasn't even thinking yesterday morning when I opened the door to let the puppy out and he leapt into 8 inches of snow! He was a trooper though. I stayed in, huddled up and worked on a few projects I have in the mix.

But seriously, where is Spring?? I'm soooo ready.



I hauled out the Springtime Crafts book for some warmth. I hope to make myself a chicken this year. I was happy with the bunnies I made last year. It's about time I hauled out the sewing machine, too. Especially to finish that beach quilt I started in that bunny post almost a year ago LOL

Also putting me in a Springy mood are these super cute little bunnies my sister gave me:



Another Treasure Sale find! Look at that too cute chenille stem and feather carrot! And what did I find at the thrift store to fend off the winter blahs?



The sweetest pair of handmade pot holders and TWO dishtowels from Anthropology! I seriously wonder how they ended up at my thrift in no-where Long Island with the tags still on them. But who cares, they are mine now! I particularly like that one with the dogs on it. I wonder who spends $18.00 on a dish towel? I was happy to get them for 99 cents a piece.

And what else does Spring bring? Hockey playoffs. :) Yes, I know, not very crafty of me but we all have our vices. Got Henrik?

And before I forget, here are the players in the First Thrifty Goodness Craft Challenge:

Sarah
Jane
Caroline
LeeAnn
Shara
Dana

I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! I'll post all the links here at the end of the month.

So I'm off to Baltimore for my best friend's baby shower. I'll be back next week with photos and hopefully a shop update.

Hugs
Rebecca

Foxy Lady

Meet Felicity Foxity:

I don't know what prompted me to whip her up but I'm glad I did. It's my own pattern though I didn't write down. Just sort of made it up as I went along.

Don't you love her flower? That might be my favorite part. I think the details really make her! I'm already working on a friend for Felicity. :)

RR

Craft Challenge #1

Hello friends! So this is an idea I've been kicking around for awhile and I'm ready to dive in.

Announcing . . . CRAFT CHALLENGES

I often find a multiple of "things" when thrifting and think "Hmmm, I wonder what can be made with these?" So is born the Craft Challenge Series.

Craft Challenge #1 - Mini Trim Cards



These cards measure about 4.5 inches x 3 inches and are a heavy cardboard. I would like to invite the first six to sign up (by leaving a comment) to turn one of these cards into a work of art.
For this first challenge there are no rules! Don't you love that? You can use any colors, themes, etc. that you like. I want to see what inspires you!

By signing up you you PROMISE to create your card and post it to your blog (or email me a picture so I can post it) by March 22nd which happens to be my birthday. :) Please include in your comment an email address where I can contact you to get your mailing address and I'll send these cards out ASAP.

REMEMBER, this is only open to the first 6 to respond so hurry! I am on the look out for the next craft challenge already.

*************************

And in puppy news:



We are having a sock and shoe problem around here. He's lucky he's cute . . .

cheers
Rebecca

Collections

If you thrift, you collect. I'd almost guarantee it. Thrifting is the epitome of being a hunter gatherer. Don't we all say "it's the thrill of the hunt?" When I thrift I always look for three things. I believe some of us have even have a Triple Crown of finds. I believe mine is:

Vintage Hankies
Vintage Pyrex
Enamel Flower Pins

I think that's it. You know it changes from time to time. I also have my top brands to look for:

Waverly
Martha Stewart
Le Creuset

So when I say to you, "I have a collection of vintage hankies" or "would you like to see my collection of vintage Waverly fabrics?" you would not be surprised. But have you noticed that sometimes we seem to just end up with collections with out even realizing it?

I cleaned out my craft room recently and one of my sorting techniques was to group like things together. And what did I find? Impromptu collections. Divine!



Apparently, I collect leaf dishes! After I took this picture I realized I have another large blue leaf shaped dish on my dresser. I love the way the colors look together and am looking for a place to display them.



A pin cushion collection. :) Yes, I know, this one doesn't seem too unusual but I never intended to have so many and now must are mearly decorative. I made the tea cup pin cushion (I used to offer them in the shop actually) the tomato was from my Granny's sewing box and I found the big strawberry at the flea market for $1.



And more . . . the froggy from the Treasure Sale looks quite at home with a sweet little shoe, a metal basket and nest pin cushion made by Her Majesty.



The green pin cushion is a gift from Mandi (she found it at the Treasure Sale), the tea cup with the white chenille is one of my creations and the one with the black fabric was made for me by my dear friend Dita. So what's that . . . 10 pin cushions? Oh yes, I collect those. You can also see that hankie collection I mentioned in the photo above. And see that darning egg in the back there? Well it's one of two so I suppose that is a collection as well.

And guess what?



I plan to make this into a pin cushion as well. Will it be number 11? We'll see, I think it may become a gift.

And here is another "on purpose" collection:



My enamel flower pins. I really love them. The green and yellow is the latest addition, another gift from my sister Mandi.

So what do you collect? How do you display your collections? Notice any impromptu collections popping up?

Viva La Thrift

Rebecca

Treasure Sale

This past weekend I went to Baltimore to go to a Treasure Sale with my mother and sister. It's held 4 times a year at a retirement community where Mandi works and the money raised goes to support programs for the residents.



One man's trash is another man's . . . well you know the drill. :) I picked up lots of fun little items like the handmade tissue holder and floss minder (butterfly) plus vintage playing cards, postcards and a few crafting supplies.

I thought one of my best finds was this vintage hat box:



I saw it under a table and yes, I crawled down there and hauled it out. Only $1 for this treasure! It's in such good shape that I thought it might be a reproduction but my Mom has one just like it (we compared them closely) and I'm convinced it's a real vintage beauty. It looks fabulous in my craft room next to the vintage "Easter Parade" bag I recently found at my regular thrift.



Did you carry white "wicker" purses like these for Easter as a child? This one has a lovely green velvet ribbon and rose adornment. Yet another treasure to me. :)



Another favorite treasure sale find is this sweet little embroidered towel. Originally I thought to put it in the shop but I really don't think I can part with it. It also makes me want to try my hand at embroidery.



I also scored this adorable little froggie pin cushion. He might be one of my favorite all time finds. I sort of collect pin cushions it seems and I'll share some in a future post. I'll also share some of my craft room re-dos and a few other collections that seem to have popped up over here. Funny how that happens, isn't it?

To all my loyal readers and friends, thanks so much for sticking with me even though my posting seems to be erractic lately. Your comments make me smile and make blogging so much fun. I hope to have some fun posts soon including a series of vintage patterns. More on that to come!

I wish you all fabulous treasure hunting!

xoxoxo
Rebecca

Favs

To blog, or not to blog . . . that seems to be the question around here lately. I don't know why I can't seem to come up with too much to talk about. However, I just paid for another year with my photo hoster so you're stuck with me at least until February 2010. :)

So I don't have much crafty to share, still plugging away on that baby afghan and frittering with a small cross stitch project so how about some favorite things?

My whole family is crafty. I suppose that's where I get it from. Many of you know about my sister who not only is a professional photographer but also a primo party planner and felt manipulator. My mother has a knack for decorating, crochets and does paper projects. My father is a wood worker. And he's good.



These are a pair of candle sticks he gave me for Christmas. My Mom and sis got pairs, too. I love them! They are pressed wood and he cut all those wavy stripes from thin veneers and created the candle sticks. High on my list of favorite things!



Eye candy, I know. :) A collection of vintage luxite knitting needles my Mom thrifted for me. I had every intention of putting them in the shop when she told me about them but seeing their sherbet colors and fun vintage labels sold me. They stay here where I can admire them.



And what list of current favs wouldn't include the new puppy?? I finally cleaned the craft room (I'm talking OVER HAUL, I hope you all are proud of me) and put down a blankie so my best little buddy can come for a visit. And he does.

Of course there are loads more favorites on my list but I've been a bit lax in photo taking lately. I plan to change that. Since I paid for that photo hoster I'd better get going on making new photos. Wish me luck! We all know how I stink at resolutions.

cheers
Rebecca

Little Boy Blue

My best friend is having a baby in April. I'm so excited I can't stand it. She knows it's a boy and while I don't really think you have to do the whole "blue is for boys, pink is for girls" thing, my friend likes blue and so do I. I made her a powder blue scarf for Christmas and she loved it. She even said I should make something for the baby from that same yarn.

Well since she doesn't usually read my blog (and I hope she doesn't start until after the shower!) I thought I'd share some of the things I've started for her.

First, a sweater:



It turned out so well! I seriously have a cramp in my arm from patting myself on the back. I'm not the best at seaming but I took my time and did loads of blocking and am very happy with the results. I still need some buttons and some velvet ribbon trim for the collar but this is 95% done and that's a great start! The pattern is from Special Knits by Debbie Bliss. The projects in this book are to die for. Seriously. The yarn is Bernat Cashmere Natural Blends. It's only 5% cashmere but it's deliciously soft and regularly priced at $4.00 a skein. I used 2 1/2 skeins for the sweater, not bad! Plus I have enough left for a matching hat or booties. :)

Second, a blanket:



I am loving this basket weave pattern! I was skeptical at first, it looked pretty wonky but now I think it's darling. The pattern is from Crocheted Afghans by Donna Kooler and it calls for a border that I think I'll be leaving off. This book is a good source for afghan patterns though some are a bit too old fashioned for my taste. I found my copy at the thrift for only a few dollars and I'm glad I picked it up. The yarn is Bernat Cotton Tots which is one of my favorites for baby stuff. I made an afghan for my cousin from this same book and yarn that I really liked, too. I'm half way done and it's going quickly. Of course I am running out of yarn, sigh.

Third, a little stuffed dinosaur:



Yes, he's green and not blue, but I had to mix it up right? He is from Cute Little Animals by Leisure Arts. I made an elephant from this book and have already given it to my pregnant friend. I have the yarn to make the hippo, too, so she'll have a whole set! Now I just need to figure out eyes for my dino. The pattern calls for beads but that's unsafe. I tried black yarn but no go. Felt is next on my list!

And finally, padded hangers:



I am on the fence about these. I mean, I think they are cute but does anyone else? I have three more baby hangers I can cover. Should I make the rest? The pattern is from Baby Crochet by Lois Daykin. I changed the pattern a bit to fit my hangers and added the polka dots instead of the little car she has in the photos. I may do a little car on the next one, or perhaps stripes? What do you think? Oh and I recently picked up Baby Knits by the same author and it's just as adorable as the crochet version. I highly recommend both of these books for cute, modern and easy to read knit and crochet baby patterns.

So that's what I've been up to. Back to my old stand by of knit and crochet. It seems so appropriate in the cold weather, too. :)

hugs
Rebecca