Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Oh my achin' . . .

Wow this cold is realling kicking my arse. I'm such a wimp so that it's probably not that bad. I'm going to rest tonight (while watching TV of course) so I'm fresh for my company! Dita arrives tomorrow night and Nina on Friday (fingers crossed!). So basically my house will still have dog hair tumble weeds and a slightly-less-clean than I would have liked bathroom but I'll be fresh as a daisy! And that's most important, right??

Here are some things from the weekend:

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craft magazines - 25 cents each - the BH&G one was a bust. It was mostly wood working and VERY outdated. The other magazines had a few items to clip for my "to make" notebook and the Bernat Irish Knits book is full of crazy cabled things. This may be part of my "craft supplies swap lot" so if you're a knitter and part of the swap let me know!

vintage pot holder - 45 cents - this is way cuter than the picture allows!

OLD rolling pin - $2 - My Mom said that my fancy new silicone roller stinks and I needed a wooden one. She also thinks that red is probably 50s while green may be 40s. Of course she kept the green for herself.

zipper bag - 99 cents - this is one of those free with purchase bags from Estee Lauder but I really like the "vintage" travel pattern.

vintage hand bag - $7 - This is way more than I usually spend but this bag is in excellent shape and maybe it will be my very first EBay item. We'll see, I don't want to get in over my head with that. It is a lovely shade of brown and the lining is immaculent. I'll have to take a few more pix.

SWAP NEWS

So far, including moi, we have 9 swappers:

Nina
Dita
Sarah (of Sarah & Jack)
Apron Thrift Girl (go read about her trip to the Farm Chicks show!)
Mary Beth (of Thrift, Barter, Buy - soon to back I hope!)
Jordan (of Sweet George)
Heidi (aka Spiritual Knitter)
Linda (not sure if she has a blog? I only received an e-mail, let me know!)

So we'll give it until next week (spread the word!) and then get paired up. If we have an odd number, so what, I have more than enough to spread around. You will each need to e-mail me with your address so I can send it to your swap buddy and vice versa. Oh and so I can send you something too mwah ha ha ha . . . (I have addys for Dita, Nina and Jordan. Thanks!)

More to come . . .

cheers - bex

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Back in Black

Well black and grey honestly. I've taken quite a lot of cold medicine today so bear with me. My brain is a bit fuzzy.

The weekend was good! The wedding was fun and the bride certainly had a good time. Mom, Mandi* (my illustrious sister) and I got a lot done for my upcoming bridal tea party and we still managed to fit in some thrifting time. Since I am swamped at work today I will only give you a quickie. This is my VERY FAVORITE thing thrifted this weekend:

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vintage terry cloth table cloth - $5 - my Mom said she thought these were popular in the 60s. I love it! What a perfect picnic cloth. Now I'm ready for a picnic. Maybe I can fit one in this weekend with Dita and Nine? You know, after we make pumpkin pancakes, watch a movie, drink wine and sight see.

ciao!

'becca

Oh and don't forget to sign up for the swap! I've already starting creating piles!

* - if you visit Mandi's site, yes, that is Sting and yes that is me on the right. ;) You can see more of her portfolio here.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Swap Update

Morning! I realized I never listed a cutoff date for sign ups for the swap. Let's make these the official dates:

sign up today through Sunday October 1st

send out by Saturday October 21st

I think this gives everyone plenty of time to get me their info and then gather their stash items to send along to their partner. (Oh and time for me to match everyone up, too!) If you think I need a longer time period please let me know, I'm learning. :) I'm so glad everyone is into this!

So here's a little SNAFU from the weekend. I was all gung ho to make the free lambkin pattern over at Pattern Bee. So I picked out the fabric, cut it out, yada yada yada and started sewing. Then, the needle broke, I ran out of thread and the fabric frayed. The lamb was not to be. So it became . . .

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. . . a dog toy. Mason was very excited. :) I do think I will try again. The pattern is too cute not to. There are a few other freebies over there so please check it out! She also has the cutest vintage transfers ever. Yes EVER.

I'll be out of town for the next few days so no updates until I return on Monday. Have a happy happy weekend and be sure to send me your info to be included in the swap!

xoxoxo

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

A Swappin' We Will Go!

Maybe it's time to try to organize a craft supplies swap. I think it will be good for all of us. (Okay, it will be especially good for me since I will send a little something to each participant and thus de-stash much faster than the rest of you. Ah ha!)

Anyway, I've never done this so please help me if I start screwing it up. My thoughts are that anyone who would like to swap (meaning they want to send supplies and receive some in return) please send me your info and tell me what kind of crafts you are into or even better, that you are looking to get into. I will do my best to match everyone up with a buddy. It should be easy considering how AMAZING we all are. :)

If you would like to receive some supplies yet have not much to trade (for people like Dita who just made room for a crafting area) please also send me your info. I'll send you something! :) (Anyone who feels like sending and not receiving can do this as well, e-mail me.)

Does that sound good? Now go tell your friends and neighbors! We should probably put a date on this thing and I'll hope you will be patient with me as I have two weekends of big fun coming up that may keep me from the post office. So how about we gather and mail out by October 11th That's 3 weeks, is that enough time? Too much time? Should we make it an even month? Can you tell I'm making this up as I go along?? HELP ME ;)

Onto crafty endeavors. Way back when Mom snagged me a ton of craft books at the thrift. My favorite is Jo Verso's Complete Cross Stitch Course. I like a lot of the projects and over the weekend made the lavender sachet:

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I faked this. I did not use the recommended thread colors (I was being impatient) and the lavender flowers were supposed to be French knots (a combination of impatience and the fact that I kept pricking my finger). Regardless, I like it. My lavender is not that strong smelling (I've had it for awhile) and my shoddy hand sewing is pretty much hidden behind the lace ruffle so that is okay, too. The back is purple flannel. I'm planning to make a trio of these to give my boss for Christmas. She seems to dig hand made gifts.

It's so nice to actually finish something. :)

xoxoxo bellas!

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

De-Stashing

I got lots of great ideas on how to down size my craft stash including having a swap or give away. Is anyone interested? I've never organized one of these things before and since my reader base is on the small (very small) side I'm not sure if it would work. E-mail me with thoughts (link to the right) and maybe between all of us we could get something organized. I know I have things that someone else would put to good use.

Speaking of stashing, I picked all this up at the thrift on Saturday:

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That's 2 bags of poly-fil, a bag of novelty yarn (that's yours Dita!), a bag of lace trims for a project Mom is working on, a bag of green braided trim and two pieces of flannel I *hope* to turn into a wee wonderfuls bear. I would like to modify the pattern to make it a boy bear for Luis' God son, Christopher. I think the total cost was around $7 or $8. Later this week I'll post pictures of my craft room (oh yes, I have a whole room) so you can see my mess. :) This is why I must purge!

I also thrifted these two linen tea towels:

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Both are Fingal 100% linen made in Ireland. I paid 49 cents each for them. I can't not buy graphic tea towels! (Anyone else have this condition?)

Tomorrow I'll post about my crafty endeavors of the past weekend but in the meantime please check out Heidi's ribbon topiary. I love it!

cheers!

Monday, September 18, 2006

Scatter Brain

This weekend I . . . . honestly, I can't even remember what I did. I know I went to the craft stores and the thrift store and I know I made SOMETHING and I might have even finished something but . . . it was one of those black hole weekends. I just have so many projects going on right now that I can't keep anything straight. I need to focus. Easier said than done right?

Well I know I thrifted. I thrifted $39 of stuff. That's a lot for the Savers. The haul? Here is some (in yet another crappy photo - I have no clue how to photograph thrifted stuff? Any ideas? tips?):

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long oval cutting board with metal handles - $5 - I really liked this so I was okay with the high price. It is made well, heavy and not very "scarred." It will be a great cheese board.

cocktail forks - $1.99 for 6 - these were individually sealed in little bags and I wasn't sure about them but I've been wanting cocktail forks. Anyway, turns out they are Oneida. :)

Christmas tray - 49 cents - is it vintage? I have no clue but I LOVE the design!

books - 99 cents each - Better Homes and Gardens Christmas crafts has some cute things. Tea Craft was picked up for my Mom since we are throwing a tea in a few weeks for my brides maids.

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duvet cover - $8 - now that's a BIG price tag for the thrift but this is very well made and a nifty geometric pattern. I am always looking for a cover for my sad old down comforter and this will do nicely.

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candy jar (far right) - 99 cents - this is my candy jar collection I was telling you about. I still don't know what to put in them. I think I only paid about a dollar for each and I love how they are all differently shaped yet all match. I will probably not buy anymore, I think 4 is a good number.

There is more but I won't go overboard today. More to come tomorrow. Also more to come on what I actually accomplished craftwise this past weekend.

I'm feeling the need for a purge. I am overwhelmed with stuff. Particularly crafting supplies (I hereby do solemnly swear NOT to buy any craft supplies for the next 9 months - please help me stick to that!) Seriously, I need to get rid of things. I'm going to go through and start getting together bags for the thrift of clothes, shoes and house hold items but I don't know what to do with the unwanted craft supplies. I wonder if you can open an Etsy shop just to sell supplies? I'm sure someone could get some good use out of them.

Remind me tomorrow to tell you about the craft supplies I bought over the weekend ha ha. Sick I tell you . . .

until next time . . .

Rebecca

Friday, September 15, 2006

For the Love of Martha and All Things Pumpkin

I'm so glad to know I am not alone in the magazine obsession! Almost all of you left comments on how you too love the glossy covered craft, home and fashion bibles. :) My favorite thing though was that Heidi said she picked up the new October Martha Stewart which prompted me to run right to Barnes & Noble to get it (my subscription must have run out!), caused Nine to send me an e-mail that she read Heidi's comment and was planning to pick it up AND Sarah mentioned that she was planning to run out for one as well! You know what they say about great minds . . . :)

So what's on for the weekend? Big plans? No Plans? I'm somewhere in the middle of that. I'd love to do nothing. Especially since my next few weekends will be packed with activity. However, my house is in desperate need of a Fall cleaning and Vaxgirl sent me an e-mail that there is a Salvation Army near the thrift I frequent so you know I'm already planning to check it out tomorrow morning. I'm so easily led. Here's another example. Cookie from The Thrift Shopper clued me in to a contest being run by Michael's for decorating a foam craft pumkin. Details here. My brain of course started to buzz and now I want to hit the craft store TODAY and get started.

By the way, DITA and NINE, no telling on what my pumpkin will be. ;)

Last time I thrifted I picked up a pair of slippers from the Hotel de Russie in Rome for 99 cents. I forgot to post about them and I promised Luis I'd showcase his feet on the blog so here you go:

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Ah, La Dolce Vita!

Ciao bellas, and have a fantastico weekend!

R

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Updated - FINALLY

I updated the links on the right there. Go check them out!

xoxo

$18.98??

$18.98. That's how much I dropped on magazines at the Hudson News yesterday morning. I'm a sucker for magazines. For someone who tries to live thrifty and "claims" to be cheap, I fall off the wagon at the news stand. I also get like 6 magazines mailed to me so I assure you, this is a sickness.

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Yeah, I can't help it. Ofcourse Martha is my favorite but Country Living comes in a close second. I mean how cute is that pumpkin cake on the cover?? You know I'm making that, right? AND it's made from a box mix. That's my kind of cake. Also, they have a Flea Market page on their website where you can post things you have to sell and browse others. Check it out here.

I'm still on the fence about Blueprint which is new from Martha. the first issue was okay but I didn't love it. I thought I'd give it one more chance. :)

The new Knit It has some to die for cute baby hat and bootie patterns and a bag from Nicky Epstein. You know, if you like doing all those hours of color work and then felting it down to mish mash.

The other one is Creative Home, one of the hundreds of publications by Better Homes & Gardens (who I also think distributes Knit It for that matter.) I usually find some good decorating tips.

So why all the magazines? You see, I have this book . . .

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I mean I can't possibly KEEP all the magazines, right? So instead I cut out all the stuff that inspires me to be creative and paste them in this book. It can be anything for the instructions for Christmas crafts you see here to just pictures I like. I can jote down notes, too. Now I have a place to go when I want to make something but I just don't know what. Occasionally I cut out things to mail to other people. Be glad I don't have your address.

So anyway, that's that. Now you know something about me. I'm obsessed with magazines and cut & paste. :)

xoxo
R

PS - Hillary's new pattern is up for sale here!

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

W(h)IPs

WIP - acronym for Work In Progress (also known as UFO or unfinished object).

Whip - to strike with a slender lithe implement especially as a punishment.

That is how I feel about my ever growing stack of WIPs. I'm such a starter! I need to be a finisher. Remember Monday I said I may have another finished project to share? I was referring to this:

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At this point I've pinned the head to the dress but that's about it. It sits alone (and probably dusty) on my desk.

I also have this:

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It's my "subway project" meaning it A.) fits in my bag B.) can be knit on circular needles and C.) consists mostly of stockinette stitch with little thought involved. It's Lucie from the new Fall Knitty being done in Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in Verdigris. I have boatloads of this stuff.

There is also another sweater, an afghan, TWO cross stitch kits and stitched sachets all in different stages of "doneness." I won't bore you with the details nor mention all the other projects "on deck" like various Christmas ornaments, napkins to be embroidered and the pattern I just bought to sew an apron. Sigh . . .

I want to be like Dita. Dita finishes things. Things like this Donna Summer Solid Gold Disco bag (I named it myself thanks):

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and the super cute Pumpkin Patch pillow:

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Both of which are DONE despite the fact that Dita is running from the "Crochet Po-Po" AND planning a trip to visit yours truly. Maybe some of her dedication will wipe off on me. We have big plans to thrift, craft and sightsee with Nine as long as we can avoid the THREE B'S - bourbon, B&B and Beer. (actually I think that's 4 B's) :)

So here's to gettin' shit done. Salute' Dita!

xoxoxo
Rebecca

Monday, September 11, 2006

Hello Fall!

Well it sure feels like fall in New York City today. My toes are very cold. (Nice excuse to buy new shoes, huh?) I felt in a very fall mood yesterday even after spending Saturday at Shea and getting a sunburn. See Luis enjoying a nice frosty Mets Bud Light?

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We're about the clinch the NL East so give it up for the New York Metropolitans! (woot woot)

Okay, back to FALL. Yesterday, while Luis began his day of watching THREE football games, I headed out to do some shopping. First stop, the Savers. Not much to be said but here it is any way:

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stuffed pumpkin - $1.99 - my only fall decoration as of yet
glass creamer - 97 cents - I love these little glass creamers. Here is my whole collection of 3!

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I just like them, I don't know why. My favorite it the one on the right sitting on the footed candy dish. I think they need a nicer shelf.

Also picked up SEVENTEEN napkins (geesh):

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I guess I can thank my mother for the fact that I used the phrase "Today was a good day for napkins." They were 49 cents each and I totally put back like 3 sets. My favorite is the black and white in the top right corner so of course I only found one of those. It will make nice lining for a little zipper bag I think. I'm also fond of the red and white polka dot ones, very different and a nice soft, used linen. The appliqued napkins will be gifted, the green used as fabric and the purple edged and red ones to be embroidered and gifted. Oh yes, I have plans.

I also hit the craft store and the fabric store. I cleaned out the remnant bin and scored a few Making Memories items in the clearance aisle for cheap. Once home, I got right to work on an old project that was just waiting for the right fabric. I can't say much, it's a gift to a blog reader, but here is a sneak peek:

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Isn't that the most delicious combo? (please ignore my crappy hand sewing, it needs work.)

Well now I'm in craft mode so maybe tomorrow we'll see another completed project. But don't hold your breath.

Cheers!
R

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Goodbye Summer

Well that's it, isn't it? The end of the summer. I'm glad. I will miss the beach but other than that, bring on the fall! It's my favorite season. I start knitting with a new fire (scarves for everyone!) and I can't wait to take the AC units out to the garage. I want to light pumpkin spice candles and make stew. I love the fall.

I've been so busy this summer that it just flew by. I always feel it takes twice as much effort to do anything when it's hot. I'm just not a summer girl. I wilt. I'm looking forward to all of my upcoming fall activities: Monica's wedding, trips to Cold Spring, a visit from Nine and Dita and even a visit from my parents! My Dad hates New York City but he loves to fix stuff so he's coming to hang my closet doors and revent my dryer. :) It's a good way to get him to visit.

Luis and I spent two of our Labor Day weekend days in Atlantic City. We are not big gamblers but we like to get a free hotel room and walk the steel pier. We are also known to play the money wheel (we lost) and I am oddly attracted to the penny Star Wars slot machines. I won $22 on Chewbacca!

Well enough babbling, I hit the thrift on Saturday on a whim. It was not a great trip.

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satin box - $2 - it says "hosiery" on the bottom. I think it's cute and can use it in my dresser.
candy jars - $2 each - this is a terrible picture of these jars. I have a third and they are all different sizes. I'm looking for something to fill them with other than candy. I have some beach glass and shells but not quite enough. Ideas??

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linen towel - 49 cents - House Plants, very cute!
napkins blue/white cotton - 49 cents each - my favorite color combo and to be used as kitchen towels
linen napkins - 49 cents each - I bought these to do cross stitch on. I learned a agreat technique where you put the aida cloth on top of the napkin and do your cross stitch and then cut out the aida. I stitched an "R" on one napkin and it's very cute but I totally didn't center it properly. I'll post a picture tomorrow. I know it wouldn't do to rip it out, there will be too many holes, so I may just suck it up and stitch the other one off-kilter to match. :)

So what are your plans for fall? What kind of crafts are on deck? What are looking for at the thrift?

Tomorrow we talk about how I found Sizzix dies for $1 each! Anyone else out there own a Sizzix machine??

ciao!
Rebecca

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