Monday, April 28, 2008

The Blues

What a cold rainy day here in New York . . .




A sweet baby blue blanket is in the works.

xoxoxo

Saturday, April 26, 2008

One Man's Trash . . .

On Wednesday I was lucky to get to hit a rummage sale and some thrifts with Vax Girl. (I really need to remember to ask her what that means lol) We met at a central spot and then took off like the wind in search of treasures.



First the miscellany: Two sweet crocheted pot holders and a fabric one shaped like a bonnet, a roll of peach (I swear it's a lovely shade though looks pukey here) Dennison crepe paper and Dennison photo corners, a small canning jar and pack of old Crazy Eights cards.

Now I have no idea what I'll do with this but I had to have it:



A vintage christening outfit still in the box. It's so sweet I can't even stand it. There is a stain on the coat but I'm hoping Oxy will sort that out.

And my favorite finds of the day:



I stumbled on a whole bag of fun vintage Christmas items! I have rarely found items other than glass balls so this is a real treat. And finally this year I'll be able to join one of those vintage holiday swaps! If I can bear to part with any of it, of course.



I love these little Japanese elves. I never thought I'd luck into some! The big one has bells inside of him and he's my favorite. His head is falling off a bit but I might sew it down if I can't shove it back in there somehow. Everything is now packed away with the holiday stuff and I'm sure I'll get a kick out of rediscovering it come November. (And no MOM, you can't have my elves. ;) )

Off to thrift again today. DH has a work function that is too close to the big thrift store not to catch a ride.

Cheers
Rebecca

Thursday, April 24, 2008

In the Bag

Well . . . . I've been home this week. It's been both good and a little odd. There are times when I don't know what to do with myself (though I should be cleaning) and times I'm really enjoying being here and not in my always too hot office in Manhattan. So what have I been doing? Yesterday I played hookey and went to a rummage sale with a friend. I'll share those treasures soon. And Monday I cleaned the entire craft room! Boy was that a task. Now I just need one more small shelving unit and it *might* look like a normal room in there instead of a storage shed. I did manage to clean off my long table and got some sewing done:



It even looks good close up. :) The pattern is from Sew Pretty Home Style and the fabrics were remnant bin finds. I also already had the wooden handles so this was completely made from my stash!



One of my biggest challenges has always been putting fabrics together that compliment each other. I think I did pretty well this time! And from remnants. :) The lining looks great and I took my time hand sewing in the handles so even that part looks less sloppy than usual.



The pattern for the rose is from the same book. I sewed a pin back to it so it's removable. I had just enough of the lining fabric left to make it so it felt very "meant to be." Can you tell I'm happy with this project? Now I just need to go to a tea party or something that calls for a frou-frou pink purse. ;)

Oh, and speaking of new bags. When I was in Baltimore a bit ago my sister gave me this cute little bag she made:



It's a cute little zippered pouch that has become my makeup bag in my work tote. Mandi actually free hand draws her embroidery patterns right on the felt and then goes to town! She also gave me this book and this book both of which have some cute and fun projects I can't wait to try.

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French swappers, Monday is the send out date for your swaps! If you are going to be late please let your partner know and drop us a line over at Sweet Goodness.

Cheers
Rebecca

Monday, April 21, 2008

Bliss

The wedding was as beautiful as I knew it would be. Joolz looked amazing in both her traditional wedding gown and her Korean "gown" (I'll have to ask her what you would call it):



Gorgeous! (that is the groom's mother with the happy couple!)

Joolz and her beau, John, did a great job mixing both Korean and Irish traditions. Here's a fun shot of my DH and the groom cuttin' a rug:



This picture totally cracks me up because Luis is sticking his tongue out and it looks like he has no front teeth LOL.

I was lucky enough to get to take home a centerpiece.



The flowers were beautiful and I was able to break them down into several arrangements to spread joy throughout the house. Thanks, Joolz!!

So I'm working from home this week and have spent most of my day organizing my craft room. I'm buried under a piles of paper and yarn so if you don't hear from me . . . .

xoxoxo
R

Friday, April 18, 2008

A Spring Flower

Not much to report in the crafty endeavors this week. I seemed to have misplaced the other skein of yarn I need to finish the monkey and I'm desperately trying to finish up a baby afghan for a shower in 2 weeks. It's cute but not photo worthy just yet.



Do you read the Craft Magazine blog? Lucy turned me onto it and I'm now checking it daily for inspiration and project ideas. I even save the posts with my favorite ideas in my Bloglines to refer back to. NOw, I will tell you that there is some weird (to me) stuff on there. I doubt I'll be knitting any cat hats or enjoying bizarre meat art but many of the projects are in my style despite the embroidered jellyfish bubble skirt. Eh, to each his own I guess. :)

Anyway, I recently printed out their pattern for a crocheted flower:



Aha! Mine looks much like the picture, good for me. (Though I did add an extra row of blue around the edge and have yet to make the little center piece.) My husband tried to use it as a coaster so I moved it to the bluebird nest.



You can find the pattern here. There are no yarn or needle specifics, I used size 3 crochet cotton (I had it on hand) and a 00 steel hook.

The weekend is upon us and while I'll be spending tonight chanting "HENRIK! HENRIK!" at my TV . . . tomorrow night I'll be enjoying the lovely wedding of Sweet Joolz. :) Stop by and wish her love and maybe she'll bring us all some sunshine back from her honeymoon.

adieu
Rebecca

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Puttin' the Goodness in Blogging

Two years. Today. For this little old blog. And for those of you who remember my old blog, NYCe Girl Knits, I'm not counting that one. Just Good Old Thrifty Goodness.

I was going to tell you a story about underpants but I'll save that for a day when I really need something to talk about. ;) So instead, how about a sample of some true thrifty goodness? On my visit to Charm City last weekend my Mom took Dita and I to a store called Ryan's Relics. It's not exactly a thrift store but it's not really an antique store either. It's somewhere in between and the prices are good. I spent a total of $17 and this is most of my finds:



Oh yes, I hit the jewelry section. As many of you know, thrift stores tend to really mark up jewelry even if it's broken or damaged. Well most of the pieces you see here were $1 or under. I did pay $2 for the super cute change purse and the green and white flower. One of my favorites is the carrots pin on the right. There are tiny pearls in the leaves and it was only 50 cents!



The enamel flower pins are an instant collection! It's hard to pick a favorite. Of course I'll have the eagle eye out for more and you know Ryan's Relics will be on the circuit from now on. :) (I also got two sweet little hankies with crocheted edging there!)

So how's that for some Thrifty Goodness?

And now for the Martha Crafts Give It Away Winner . . . . . drumroll . . . .

The Random Integer Generator chose comment number 8 which was Heather from Way Out West! Woo Hoo! Congrats Heather! Send me an email with your address and I'll put your goodies right in the mail: rrdusquesne (at) aol (dot) com :)

And because I have a lot of stuff and in honor of my sweet Rangers going up 3 to 1 on the crappy Devils*, I chose a second winner for another prize pack which will include a specimen box, the rose stickers, the wood grain note cards, some Martha ribbon and a Martha best wishes Banner. The second number the RIG chose was number 26 which is Jen from Red Hen Studios! So congrats to you, too, Jen and send me your address when you can.

I'll be doing a big mailing next week some time for these prizes, the Spring French Swap and some random mail goodness.

xoxoxo
Rebecca

* - Rangers and Devils in Game 5 on Friday. Go Blue

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Blue Bird of Happiness

I cannot believe I let so much time go by before showing you this!

This sweet little bluebird landed at my home more than TWO weeks ago!



First she settled on the hobnail candlesticks.



But then flew over to the cake server where she still nests today:



Thank you, Kai, for such a sweet surprise! :)

RR

Monday, April 14, 2008

Kickin' It Blogger Style

I'm back from my loooong weekend away feeling refreshed (sort of) and ready to face of the world. (maybe) It's Monday, that's about as excited as I can get. ;) Thank you all for your concern on my job situation. I'm still in limbo and prepared for both options so hopefully I can remain patient (stop laughing) and we'll see what happens. Less job = more crafting.

Our weekend away was loads of fun that including some slot machines, an Irish Pub, many hands of gin rummy and a whole lotta hockey. And yesterday we hit a craft show in Maryland. And you know who we got to meet??



That dorky one in the middle there would be me. Oy. Can you tell which one is my sister? Ha ha, yes that's Mandi on the left and there on the right? . . . that's Katie from See Katie Sew! Meeting Katie was like meeting an old friend. We clicked right away and even made plans for a future thrift adventure together! (can't wait!)

Katie and some of the other EtsyCREST girls shared a booth and let me tell you, they had some gorgeous things!! You know I went shopping, right?



You can see Katie's corner back there on the left and that's Amy from Bella's Boutique. She made these lovely monogrammed cards:



I'm a big advocate of "snail mail" and love having fancy note cards to send. I also picked up these fabulous cards from Miscelena:



Her stuff is beautiful! I should have asked her name, duh. Katie?? And you KNOW I had to have one of Katie's bags and a headband:



Jealous? You should be. I love it. Want to see it again?



Well on my way to being the sassiest girl on the block. :) Here are the other girls from the fair:

Aycee Designs
GlowNGlass
Get Wired Designs
Kim Mings
Tarabu

What a group of talented ladies!

So all in all a fun weekend. There was also some thrifting and gifting that I'll share in another post. Oh and I'll be drawing the winner of my giveaway on Thursday!

hugs
Rebecca

PS: Rangers up 2-1 over New Jersey. God Bless King Henrik.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Found

Not much to report here at Thrifty Goodness Headquarters. There's a shake up at my office and I may find myself unemployed in the coming weeks. I'm partly worried, partly relieved. Odd, I know, but we'll see how it all shakes out I guess.

Anyway, onto happier things . . . a few finds to share:



I am loving this red hobnail lamp and it was a steal at a mere $4.50. I have yet to know if it works as for some reason DH and I cannot seem to remember to buy light bulbs. I'm of a mind to change the shade but I'm not sure yet. Ideas?



This is a pumpkin pie keeper and was $3.00. There is a Pyrex pie plate inside and I'm guessing it was hand painted as there was a note to "Grandma" written on the bottom in marker. It came off when I washed it though. I only ever made pumpkin pie once and my DH, who counts pumpkin pie among his favorite desserts, said it was gross and wanted Entenmann's pumpkin pie instead. What does he know anyway?



This is a sewing and manicure set. Now normally I wouldn't want someones old nail file but the sewing part is pretty cute and at only $2.00 not a bad deal. I mean that little darning egg is sweet, right? Does anyone darn socks anymore? I'd love to know the age on this but the only manufacturers mark on it is on the safety pins which read "Aida." Anyone have a clue?

Well I suppose that is it for me today and for the rest of the week. Louie and I leave tomorrow for a few days in Atlantic City and a few days in Baltimore. I hope to be back next week with some fun thrifty finds.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!!

Cheers,
Rebecca

PS: For those of you indulging my hockey obsession, Rangers Vs. Devils in the playoffs starting tomorrow. Go Blue Shirts!



Long Live King Henrik

Friday, April 04, 2008

Give it Away . . .

Happy Friday, friends! It's dreary here, blech, but I'm hoping to blow you a little sunshine your way with a little give away. My two year blogoversary is on April 17th and what better way to celebrate than with a little Thrifty Goodness, eh?

So here it is:



Many thrifty finds from the clearance section at Michaels, all from Martha Stewart crafts. Including:

Pink & Brown Specimen Box
Dimensional Rose Stickers
Set of Four Indigo Archival Pens
Set of Eight Silver Wood Grain Note Cards
Two Different Sets of Photo Mats

I wish I had a better picture for you but I think many of you are familiar with this stuff so there you go. So happy birthday, little blog! Please leave a comment here before April 17th for a chance to win. I might be inclined to toss some other goodies in as well.

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So my friends, as I have no craft endeavors to share (the monkey is no different) so instead I'll leave you with this:



Let's just say that we sat so close last night that the secret might be out about me and my secret BF. ;) Seriously, we were on the glass and boy is hockey even more exciting like that. DH and I had a blast and I love that we have our love of sports in common. I took that photo above, and many others, with my Digital Elph. The Rangers clinched a spot in the playoffs last night by showin' those Islanders who's boss. Keep it up, boys!

Have a fab weekend!

cheers ~ rebecca

Thursday, April 03, 2008

Monkey Business

I've been monkeying around:



And she's coming along well. She is no longer naked but still without a face. Faces are important so I'm thinking on the best way to do it. Eyes are a cinch but the mouth? Priscilla had GIANT lips and while cute I think I can do better.



Still so much to do. I plan to lengthen the skirt, add some ribbons, crocheted flowers and seed pearls. (All of which I have already. Ahem JOOLZ.) and of course, give her a much needed tail and some shoes. Making the clothes is my favorite part. I just make them up as I go along. Crochet is fun like that. Knitting would take a bit more planning I think. Anyone have any other suggestions for monkey outfits?

So what about that giveaway I mentioned? Ah yes. The give away. The post will come tomorrow and I hope you like the small cache of goodies I've put together. My blogoversary is in two weeks and as I'll be away for one of those weeks the giveaway tomorrow is an early celebration.

Sweet Louie and I are off to The Coliseum tonight to see my beloved Rangers kick the stuffin' out of the Islanders.

Oh and VQ, this is for you:



Read more about my secret boyfriend here. ;)

Until tomorrow, sweets, Go Rangers!

Rebecca

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

I Do Declare . . .

I'm starting to think I collect craft supplies. I really need to start actually USING them. Especially some of the fun vintage trims and fabrics I've been lucky to run into. Seriously, what am I waiting for?

So I am making a declaration. USE WHAT YOU HAVE.

Oh yes, we've heard this one before. I've even made the pledge! But this time, I'm sticking to it. And I'm not cheating! I will use what I have. Period. Okay, there are a few exceptions (you knew that was coming didn't you?) I will buy "basics" as in needles and thread. I mean one cannot sew without them, right? Oh and glue and other adhesives. Again needed to create. And of course "stuffing" for all the softies I want to make but I will not buy any new fabric or ribbons or paper (especially paper!) for a month. No, TWO MONTHS. (Come on June!!) In addition to the basics I will allow myself to buy thrifted craft supplies. I mean these are once in a life time chances, right? But I will limit the amount I can spend on thrifted items period.

Any one with me?? Okay, I can hear the tumble weeds blowing by. I know it's not an easy challenge for me and some of you as well but I'm sticking to it. For reals. I need to. For the sake of my craft room and my wallet. And Lord knows I have enough crap to create for two years let alone two months.

Another part of Use What You Have needs to be Finish What You Started. I need to do this, too. I have so many half done projects. Oy. Especially knit and crochet. I dug one out recently that I will see through to the end:



It's another knit monkey just like Priscilla. (you can also read more about Priscilla here and leave me some comments! I feel lonely LOL) Priscilla came out so cute and I do think that the recipient liked her very much. I also think she got a new name, right Leigh Ann? I was very happy to send Priscilla to her new home and think that this new monkey will be just as cute. I have a whole different outfit planned for using yarn I already have. And her body is also from yarn already in my stash.

In honor of using what I have I'll be having a wee give away later this week. You'll just have to wait and see what it is but I think it's a good one. After all, I'm guessing quite a few of you collect craft supplies as well. :)

hugs - Rebecca

PS - go visit my new swap partner, Robyn! She's a firefighter!!! And she likes hockey. We're a match made in heaven.

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