Beatrice Bear

I used to fear my sewing machine. It caused me to swear like a sailor and throw things. Even the dogs would look at me funny when I would pull a chair up to the Singer. I don't know what made me decide to cut out the pattern pieces for Hillary's Wee Wonderful's Bear but I'm glad I did. Meet Beatrice!



I am just beaming with pride when I look at her. For a non sewer, she's not so bad! Her right ear is a little wonky, but seriously, who's isn't? And I love her little green loafers. All the buttons are from my Grandmother's huge button stash that I inherited. Doesn't she need a green felt bag so she can go on a trip? Hmm . . .



Beatrice's dress is from a thrifted napkin and the yellow flannel is when years ago Dita and I made a New Year's resolution to learn to sew. Um, I think that was in 1999 . . . .

Anyway, I already started making her a buddy, the bunny pattern from the same booklet.



She is home ready to be sewn together and stuffed. Ofcourse now I'll have to go to craft store for more stuffing. OH DARN. ;)

Anyone else try any of Hilary's patterns? I have also made a Wee Bunny which is one of her free patterns:



You can see it here with the "used to be evil" sewing machine. Because of course before it was out to get me. It certainly wasn't operator error, right?? :) The wee bunny also has a tummy made from a thrifted napkin. Note to self: THRIFT MORE LINENS!


xoxo

For the Love of the Thrift

I am seriously considering running out to the thrift after work. My weeknight jaunt last week showed that I needn't be afraid of the LIE. I would really like to find some other thrift stores on Long Island and make the trip more worth while. I tried to track down a Goodwill in Carle Place but it was gone. If anyone knows of any, do tell!

Anyway, I'm still not sure if I'll make the trip. Luis is attending the US Open tonight with work. I suppose I could go there but do I like tennis (and free food and drink) better than thrifting, crafting or precious alone time with the TV? I'm not sure. The idea of not having to cook is tempting.

So, here are the rest of my thrifted items from last week:



basket with handles - $4 - already in use as a paperback book holder

pool rack pillow - $1 - to be washed and sent to Mom for her pool room



vintage velvet purse - $1 - there is a divider for two inside pockets and one is lined in black and the other in red. The beading/sequins are a bit shoddy but I like it anyway. It gives it charm!



powder blue cake plate - $7 - YES, $7 is a bit much but I love cake plates and I thought that I would have paid $7 for it if I found it at say, Marshall's on clearance right?

So, to thrift or not to thrift tonight . . . we shall see. I started a sewing project last night and it's going remarkable well. I am tempted to stay home and finish that. Perhaps tomorrow I'll have pictures.

Oh, I almost forgot! I took the advice of Heidi and made a felt gingerbread man!



I don't love him as much as the mittens but he does have that "home made" charm. He has a bit more of a "I was made my a kindergartner" look when you see him in person.

Heidi, if you want him, he's all yours! :) ha ha . . .

Cheers!
Rebecca

Felt Mittens

Happy Friday! Boy am I glad to see the weekend finally arrive. While it's been a quiet week with my boss on vacation, it's been s-l-o-w in the office making it seem like Friday would never get here.

I was so happy with how my felt mittens turned out that I just had to share them. Call it "Felt Friday" if you will. Now, my photography skills are crap and these pictures are way too bright but I have no patience for that sort of thing. (My sister, a professional photographer would be appalled!) Anyway, I turned my mittens into a garland:






I have four on the ribbon so far and plan to add another two. I made a template out of cardstock and traced it onto a cereal box and cut out the mittens. I then glued the cereal box mittens to the felt and trimmed to shape. The holly leaves, candy, circles and stars are cut with a Sizzix machine but you probably could cut them out yourself. I also added buttons and some glitter glue for extra bling. The green patterned mitten is actually covered in fabric that was thrifted at Savers.



I won't show you the close up of the fourth, the picture is worse than the one above if you can believe that. :) I also made a pink mitten and made it into an ornament for a friend who has an all pink Christmas tree in her kitchen! (Doesn't that just make you want to be her friend, too??)



I wish you could see the detail of the glitter outlining the white holly keaves, it really is adorable.

So needless to say, there will be tons of felt mitten making this year. I still plan to get some clothes pins to make the clips as there were originally intentioned. I think a smaller mitten would be cute tied to packages, too. I should come up with some other shapes. Ideas? I have a gingerbread man Sizzix die so I may give that a shot.

Have a fantastic weekend and more thrifting finds on Monday!

cheers!

Online Vintage Shopping pleasure

Please check out AppleSeed Vintage brought to you by none other than . . . (drum roll please) . . . The Art of Finding!

Spur of the Moment Thrift

I usually do not go out to the Savers during the week. The traffic is bad and it's usually takes forever to get there. But I guess it was an attempt to make up for my sadness at the state of the Astoria Goodwill that got me in the car last night. Fortunately the traffic moved well and I had a delightful conversation with dear Nina on the way there. (Feel better, sister!)

So how was it? Okay, not very crowded and I did find a few things. I'm still a little put off by the prices as compared to the Baltimore thrift but I got some okay bargains.



counted cross stitch baby blanket kit - $5 - more than I would normally spend but it was brand new and these kits usually run atleast in the high 20s. (the orginal price tag says $35)

linen napkins - 49 cents each - there were six and I thought they were Christmas. They're not but that is still what I will use them for. I guess I have my Mom to thank for my not being able to pass up nice napkins.

leaf dish - $3 - made in Japan and I just love it.

here is a close up of the napkins and dish:



I guess I thought that was holly around the edges. They are still very Christmas-like and will look nice on the table.

So as not to bore you, I'll post the rest tomorrow. :)

I'm considering starting an EBay store for some things I find at thrift that I know others would love but that I have no use for. I really wish there was another place to post such things. Anyway, I'm worried it will be more work than I'm ready for especially since it seems like such a chore to make it to the post office these days. (Regina, I promise to get your scrapbook goodies in the mail soon! I got some new Sizzix dies and I'm making a pile of die cuts for you. :) )

Tomorrow, more thrifts and the success of the mitten clips! However, they are not clips (wait and see!) and Carrie B. - I took your advise and used the Aleene's Tacky glue (I actually had some hidden in a bottom drawer) and it worked perfectly!

xoxo

Drive By Thrifting

Since I got out of work early yesterday I decided to stop by the Goodwill in Astoria. I've gone on and on about how awful the thrifting is in New York City. Sadly, I still feel that way. I didn't expect to find some great enlightenment at the Astoria GW but I also didn't expect a dirty junk store. Even the Savers in West Hempstead is better. MUCH better actually. And Astoria is supposedly a much better neighborhood. Hmm.

Anyway, I did find a few things:



lamp shade - $3.99 - will go perfectly in my dining room once I find the perfect lamp and paint it black, nice quality fabric, too.

snowman plate - 49 cents - from Target, it will make a nice plate to gift some cookies on this year.

compote bowls - 49 cents each - good for jello and maybe now I won't have to serve jello cocktails . . .



So not bad considering the amount of total crap that place held. I doubt I'll visit more than maybe once every few months.

I also stopped at the craft store for the fixin's to make mini penguins and mitten clips. I started the mittens last night but I really need a different glue. Any suggestions on gluing felt to cardboard? Maybe I will try hot glue . . .

Anyway, I leave you with a picture of the peanut dog peeking around the frame of our new door. I think the fancy brass floor plate is throwing him off. (He also just had his mustache trimmed and was probably afraid of what else I would cut off.)



until next time . . . xoxo

Thrifty Weekend

No, I didn't go to the thrift store. L said we could go and then conveniently forgot. ;) We did go to the mecca of cheap - Ikea. We got some furniture for L's office (believe me, it could have been cinder blocks and plywood and I would have been happy) and a little white desk for my sewing machine. Maybe I'll put that together tonight. I also hit the outlets with Stace and got a few Christmas gifts. Oh yes, I said Christmas. I need to start early to spread out the spending. Plus, when you see Ralph Lauren PJ pants with little skulls and crossbones on them, you grab them for your pirate obsessed future brother-in-law.

Speaking of Christmas, it's time to get crafting for the holidays. I like to make things and find thrifted vintage items as gifts for those people who are into that. I started knitting a wrap for my boss though I'm not sure if I'm loving it. I'll post a picture tomorrow and take a poll. I also want to make ornaments this year and need to start on that as well. I will probably make these mitten clips from Martha:



Very cute and very easy. They would make nice magnets or you can clip them on the tree or gift bags. Plus, there are lots of ways to use thrifted items to create them - fabric, felt, napkins, etc.

I also like these Sculpey penguins:



They are tiny so I will probably make mine a bit bigger. I made polymer clay snowmen 2 years ago and was very pleased with them.

Can you tell I'm ready for fall? I hope to thrift this coming weekend. Anyone get anything good recently?

cheers!
Bex

We're Moving in Together!

I've made the decision and NYCegirlKnits and Thrifty Goodness are going to be living in sin. I took a page from Hillary at Wee Wonderfuls who decided to combine her thrifting blog, Thrift Craft, with her crafting blog to maximize her posting. I will miss NYCeGirlKnits but I do get a lot more visitors here at Thrifty Goodness and who are we kidding, this girl ain't been knitting much these days. So, as the word THRIFTY encompasses all things done with keeping money in mind (like hand crafting all your holiday gifts) and GOODNESS is well, goodness (like guiltless desserts and steamed shrimp), I feel my crafting, cooking and thrifting life adventures can all live happily together in a small one bedroom blog.

Any questions? :)

To get started, let me tell you about my love for all things Martha. (Yes even jailbird Martha)



Mom picked up this Good Things book at the thrift. It's a collection of Martha's good things up through 1997. (My doesn't Miss Martha look young!) There are quite a few things I'd like to try including the ribbon hanger for platters on the cover. Here are a few others:



Mini bundt cake pumpkins - so cute! These are covered in marzipan but I may try a glaze instead. Any ideas for the stem part that isn't marzipan? (note to self - add mini bundt cake pan to shopping list!)



home made mustard with "onion tops" - I've never made mustard but it seems fairly easy and the tops do make them look so cute.

The book is just full of great ideas and there are a few I recognized from Martha's website. Check out the online good things here. Scroll to the bottom and choose Good Things from the different catagories od cooking, crafts, etc. Sorry for the crappy photos, it's a very glossy book. :)

xoxo bex

Beauty Booty

I wasn't sure where to post this but FREE STUFF seemed to be both thrifty and full of goodness to me. One cool thing about living in NYC is that many companies are based out of here. One is L'Oreal. You can sign up with them to be a product tester and they give you a big bag of free goodies and a pass to shop in their employee store which has all their products at 50% off the regular price. This is great for a serial hair colorer like myself.

Speaking of hair coloring (nice segue, huh?), that is what I tested today. I went in on my lunch break, colored my hair in their lab and they asked me a few questions. It was much better than coloring in my tiny bathroom for sure. They base the goody bag size off of the time you commit. Since I had to go in three times (1 patch test, 1 patch test result and the coloring) and I was the one doing the application, it was a good haul! I've gone in and just answered some questions and still received a great bag.

Today's Goodies:



Biotherm Sunfitness Gel-cream for face - retail $18 - SPF 15 Sunscreen
Lancome Tonique Douceur - retail $21 (for 6.8 oz and I have the 13.5 oz) - alcohol-less toner
Lancome Juicy Tube - retail $16.50 - in Berry Bold
Lancome Juicy Vernis nail polish - retail $13.50 - in color 46
Lancome Aroma Tonic shower gel - retail $24 - I got this once before and it's a favorite!
L'Oreal ReFinish Microdermabrasion kit - retail $25 - I've been wanted to try this
L'Oreal Vive Fresh Shine 2 in 1 Shampoo
L'Oreal Color Vive Dry Defense - 3 minute leave in treatment
Maybelline Finish Matte pressed powder - retail $6 - in medium beige (works for me)
Maybelline Intense XXL mascara - retail $7 - in brownish black (I LOVE not too black mascara)
Maybelline Cool Effect Shadow/Liner - in sugar plum ice

Can a get a WOO HOO? If you live in the New York City Area and are interested in siging up with L'Oreal or the Matrix Salon (they do free hair color) e-mail me and I'll give you the 411.

Cheers!

Brief Thrift, Minimal Finds

On my short trip to Baltimore this weekend, Mom and I made a brief stop at the Thrift Store. Not much turned up but I did get a few things that will be handy in the kitchen:



small glass creamer - 45 cents - excellent for serving salad dressing on the side. This is a terrible picture, you can't see the decorative knobby bottom.

hor'devour picks - 80 cents - wooden horse heads, so cute!

silver salad servers - 25 cents each - I love old silver and this is a nice set. I need to polish up all of my random silver pieces and post about them. I like the mis-matched utensil idea but look mostly for serving pieces. The thrift store we frequent has big buckets of utensils to dig through.

Also found a few Christmas items:



stitchable stocking - $2 - I plan to stitch Happy Holidays on this I think or maybe a name and then gift it . . . hmm . . .

mini Christmas pillow - $1.50 - This is now my third Christmas pillow (Mom found one) so I think I'm covered. Or at least my couch will be . . .

More to come from past thrifts . . .

cheers and good luck!

Bex

Thrifting to Support your Crafting Habit

Good morning campers! If you are like me, you can't resist crafting supplies at the thrift. They are always cheaper and usually vintage. I did well in Baltimore the last time:



blue printed fabric - $1
knitting needles - $1.70 for both
brown cross stitch fabric - 80 cents

Plus Mom called from the thrift earlier this week and said she found a $3 bag of a knitting needles and did I want them? Knitting needles run about $4 to $6 a pair. She said there were 11 pairs of needles in the bag. Um, yeah I wanted them! (serial knitters will tell you that you are defined by your needle collection ;) )

My craft room (and whole house for that matter) is getting a bit over crowded. I need to have a garage sale. Not easy in Queens, let me tell you. I was thinking the other day that we need a website that is for swapping/selling your thrifted items to other thrifters around the world. Does anyone know of a website like that?? I'm looking for one run but bloggers and not like an Ebay type site.

cheers
Bex

PS - I added a few new links to fellow thrifters. I plan to add more through out the week! Check them out

More Fabulous Finds

Indian Cotton Table Cloth - $5 - I just loved the pattern and hoped it went with the Waverly pattern in my dining room.

Waverly Pillow - $2 - the Waverly pattern in my dining room in pillow form. I love finding things that match something I already have. Do you think the two pattern blend? Think a curtain of the Waverly pattern near this table cloth . . .



hand embroidered pillowcase - $1 - my mother can't resist these and convinced me to buy it. It is really cute . . . (and another shot of the table cloth)

embossed stationary - $1 - in a bag with some other stationary of dancing pigs. Who could resist that??

More to come!

ciao

The Best Thrift EVER

I was going to save this to post at the end of the week but who am I kidding, I've so rarely had a really good thrift that what's the point in waiting? I hit three thrift stores in Baltimore with Mom (aka JAK). We'll post our finds throughout the week.

First up is the score of the year:



Le Creuset pan for $6.



Yes, LE CREUSET. FOR $6. And it's the made in France kind not the cheap kind. Can you tell I'm thrilled?

and a few more kitchen things found . . .



fall leaves pot holders - 45 cents
lidded pyrex dish - 95 cents
J.A. Henckels strainer ladle - 25 cents
cylindar candy dish - 80 cents
suger pourer - 80 cents

It was a good day for kitchen stuff. More to come!

xoxoxo bex

The Thrift is Back

Saturday, Lizzy and I hit the Savers in West Hempstead. As I've said before, it's not the best thrift store but it's better than nothing. I was very happy with my haul this weekend!



steamer basket - $1.50 - great for steaming shrimp with Old Bay!
Hello Kitty Bag - 69 cents - tag still on, will make a great surprise for L's niece
graphic printed napkin - $1 - large size, to be repurposed as a purse lining
books - $1 each - I'm a big re-reader and loved Jurasic Park! Never got to Interview with the Vampire



tea steeper - $2
Giants mug - $1.50 - this was L's favorite find
blue & white plate - $2 - I am amassing quite the collection of these



creamer - $3 - Royal M by Mita pattern Seville - I love this pattern and hope to be lucky enough to find more pieces. I did find it listed on Replacements.com but it's always more fun to find it through thrifting. Wish me luck that I can find the sugar bowl!



large red pillow - $5 - 24 X 24 and in perfect shape! My favorite find of the day
Christmas pillow - $2 - love this and hope to find another with a different pattern

I also picked up two bags of craft supplies and several pieces of mis-matched china for a tea party I'm planning with my mother. Speaking of Mom, she will be sharing her debut post here today! My finds on Saturday were good but her score is legendary - two handmade quilts and a Vera Bradley tote bag! All for around $3 each.

Until then . . .

The Kindness of "Strangers"

On my last post (and yes I know it was FOREVER ago) I received a comment from JerseyTjej, a lovely lady living in Sweden, about my load of ribbon. We exchanged a few e-mails and she offered to swap me for some ribbon of hers. Well I love a good penpal so of course I accepted! Now, normally, I am a GREAT swapper (toot toot - yes, that's my own horn) but I was going on vacation, swamped a work and s-l-o-w to the the post office. Finally yesterday I mailed her ribbon and some other things. (not to be mentioned as obviously, she has yet to receive the goods.)

ANYWAY, when I got back to my office there was a package from . . . SWEDEN. Yes, a HUGE package from Sweden. Containing all manner of wonderful Swedish things!



There is a fabulous Stockholm T-Shirt, a doll that is given for graduation, a Swedish flag (ahh the land that gave us Ikea!), a godis (which I'm pretty sure is candy which makes me very very happy and you all are lucky it wasn't eaten before I had a chance to take the picture), the ribbon and this gorgeous handmade card:



I am very jealous of her skills! (this would not be the time to peruse my other site and see my crappy attempts at card making.)

Anyway, thank you dear Sun Flower (this is what I'm calling you and you know why ;) ) you are too too kind. And be prepared, my package is LAME in comparison. But, now that I know a bit more about you, expect something you can truly (hopefully) enjoy. Who knew you liked scrapbooking? (I would have if I would have realized that you had a blog - yes, what a humiliating oversite on my part!) Well I like it too . . . .

Farväl!

Bex

Yard Sale Luck

When visiting my parents last weekend, Mom and I noticed a sign for a yard sale a few blocks from her house. Here are my finds:



Plate Hanger - 10 cents
Burts Bees Foot Care Kit - $2 - serious bargain for a brand I love
Ribbon - 4 for $1 - I love the lemon lime on the gingham and there's a ton! Also the brown on white is a fan design and looks older than the others.



Picnic hamper - $2 - already in use as a bread box in my kitchen.

Mom made fun of me because I ended up giving the girl 50 cents more then she asked for (she dropped the price from what it was marked) but her stuff was just so cheap! What a good haul for under $5. (Not pictured is a hardback book I have my Dad and a box of Christmas lights for Mom)

xoxo

Goodwill-a-Go-Go

Due to circumstances (no time to thrift, forgetting my camera, etc) I haven't had much to post. But now I'm back to share all the Thrifty Goodness found in Baltimore last weekend. I'll break this up into several posts so as not to overwhelm (read - bore) everyone.



Bell Pull Rod - $1 (I am doing some cross stitch these days and these retail for $5 at the craft stores)
White Wall Sconce - $1 (This should go nicely with my distressed leaf sconce)
Bernat Learn to Knit Pamphlet - 50 cents (some okay patterns - published 1965)
Pyrex 1 Cup "pitchers" - $1.50 for both (handy, right?)



Fabric Mom found in her garage (surely thrifted from some where!) Now if I could just get over my sewing machine fears . . .

cheers - bex

Thrifty Link - Find Thrift Stores in Your Area!

I had to post this link Monica sent:

http://www.thethriftshopper.com/

Just put in your zip code and voila!

Now that is Thrifty Goodness . . . .

Bex

Craft Book Jack Pot

My Mom called yesterday from the thrift store and said she found craft books for $1. She sent a picture today and what a deal!



Titles:

Jo Verso's Complete Cross Stitch Course
A Victorian Floral Alphabet (cross stitch)
In My Mother's Garden: An American Sampler (cross stitch)
Donna Cooler's Crocheted Afghans
Donna Cooler's Seasons in Cross Stitch
Country Style Painted Wood Objects
100 Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments
Victorian Lace Crochet

Thanks, Mom!

R

Free is good, too, right??

These items were not thrifted, they were gifts. However, since I want to show them off AND because getting lovely "second hand" items as gifts is still a thrifty way of living.

My dear friend Elizabeth inherited many things when her aunt passed away. I am fortunate in that she likes me enough to feel I would give some of these special things a good home.



Two vintage cocktail shakers, the one has a lovely star burst pattern and the other is in a shape you don't often see. It has a handle on the side, too. (ahem, she also kindly gave us a bottle of fancy Irish whiskey and a bottle Remy Martin . . . oh la la!)



These are only a few of the linens she passed onto me and the picture certainly doesn't do them justice. These are my three favorites, a brown linen table runner with a circular crocheted edge (it came with a matching oval doily), 2 hand embroidered tea towels and a cotton dresser scarf featuring a butterfly lacy motif. All of the pieces she gave me are gorgeous and will most certainly work their way into my decor. Thanks again, Elizabeth!

oxoxo

Thrifty Link - Goodwill Online Auctions

I've never actually "won" anything from the auctions over at Goodwill and I'm not sure what the shipping prices are like but you never know! Plus, I would like to think the money goes to a good cause.

SHOP GOODWILL

R

Past Thrift (sort of)

While this nightstand wasn't really thrifted, it was gifted for FREE from SLB. She got a fancy new one and passed this one along. It was a "natural" wood color so I sanded it down and threw on some walnut stain and voila!

I still want to slap on a coat of clear shellac, too. The basket is thrifted (around $3 if I remember correctly) and one day I hope to thrift the perfect bedside lamp to replace that not so good looking stick.

xoxoxo

Just a few things . . .

A trip to the Savers on Sunday produced only a few finds for me:



Hallmark 1982 bird photo album - very pretty, I'll need to replace the pages - $2
Crewel Kit - looks like all the pieces are there - $2
Craft Patterns - Simplicity & McCalls both for hoilday sewing projects including stockings, tree skirts & ornaments - $1 each
(not shown) a stuffed eagle for the dogs - $1

That's the cheapest I think I've ever gotten off at the thrift. I should have taken pictures of Lizzy's finds, she scored a lovely velvet & wool swing coat, a black suede jacket and wool cardigan for around $18 total. :)

I found some other bargains at the "real" stores including these Keds for $15 at Marshalls, a Japanese paper shade at Target for $2 and a set of alphabet rubber stamps on clearance at Wal-Mart for $7.

until next time . . .

The Ghost of Thrifting Past

Over at Woof Nanny, Barb started a Share a Past Project Thursday. Well how about some past thrifting, too? The best thing about thrifting is taking what you've found and using it in your day to day life. I love to turn old things into new but isn't it also nice to just use it as is?

I looked around the hosue last night and spotted two thrifted items that i just adore.

This wall sconce cost about $3 and was already painted white. I liked the shabby look of it so I didn't change a thing. It hangs on the sunporch.

You can also see the top of a thrifted metal chair Mom picked up recovered the seat for me.

This, I believe, started it's life as a planter.

It is now repurposed as a wash cloth holder in my powder room. Nice and only $2!

Thrift thrift . . . away!

xoxoxo

PS - visit my other blog for a past knitting project!

THRIFT THRIFT HOORAY!

So, we experienced a first this weekend! L's first trip to the thrift store! I lured him with the promise of breakfast. :) We got into the store (Hempstead Savers, still far from my favorite thrifting spot but the only half way decent one near by) and he decided to head off to the Men's clothes. He came back almost immediately with this:

This is a brand new version of L's favorite sweater. He has both this version and an off-white version as well. He lurves them. ;) He washes them by hand and folds them neatly in the closet. Sometimes he takes them out just to say hello. So it was total thrifting karma when he spotted this one, tags still on, within two minutes of his very first thrifting excursion!

Gas to West Hempstead: $5

Brunch at Cheesecake Factory: $35

Thrifted Ralph Lauren American Flag sweater with the tags still on: $10

L finally "getting" the thrifting thing: PRICELESS :)

I, too, found a few goodness but nothing nearing such Thrifting euphoria as L.

blue "pashmina" style shawl - soft and hardly used - $3

green glass dish - stamped with "made in Cleveland, OH" on the bottom - $3

4 blue and white 5 inch dishes - $4

silver & glass plate - $2

corduroy holly patterned material - approx 2 yards - $3

quilted fabric - approx 1 yard - $1

Not a bad day, I even had a 30% off coupon (which made L's magic sweater only $7)! The cashier was kind enough to give me another 30% off coupon to use before May 14th. Perhaps L will want to come, too. :)

Until next time . . . Bex

PS - Go see my Wee Bunny made from a remnant and a thrifted linen napkin!