Awwww . . . you guys . . .

Thank you so much for all the kind comments both here and on Facebook. I am feeling much better about the whole Diabetes thing now. Hopefully I'll keep a steady head after my appointment in September. :)

Tomorrow I will find out exactly what is causing my extreme leg pain. (Am I falling apart or what?!?) The doctor believes it is a herniated disc which is quite scary. I had an MRI last night (also kind of scary unless you like feeling like you're in a coffin) and will see the doctor in the morning and know for sure.

While it has been difficult for me to concentrate on much of anything I did manage this super simple scarf:



It is much cuter in person and will look nice with my off white winter coat. It only took a few hours to whip up as I used size 35 knitting needles.



I lucked into this stash of giant knitting needles at the last Treasure Sale.



What a score as each pair was only 25 cents! If you are a knitter you know what a bargain that is. I also stocked up on vintage sheet music, playing cards and score pads. After I return from vacation at the end of the month I'll have a big shop update with all new paper packs just in time to hunker down and enjoy the cooler months when there tends to be more time for crafting.

SWAPPERS - has everyone heard from their partners for the pink and aqau swap? If you signed up for the swap and received a confirmation email from me but have not yet heard from your partner please let me know!

I hope to be back sooner rather than later. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Fondly,
Rebecca

Tough Breaks & a Swap Update

Hello all . . . first a quick swap update:

I am waiting for one interested party to respond with an email address so we have an even number of swappers. If I do not hear from here in the next two days I will be looking for an additional swapper to even out our ranks. If you are interested, please let me know! Because this is taking longer than I expected I'll also push back our send out date by a week.

And now the tough break:

I was recently diagnosed with diabetes. I know millions of people live with it every day but I am freaking out. I won't see an endocrinologist until September (thank you, over populated NYC) and am trying to follow the GI diet in the mean time. I'm also crossing my fingers that the nerve pain I'm having in my leg is not related. I should know more about that tomorrow.

Sorry to be such a downer but I wanted you to know I am still here plugging along and at least I know why I've been so exhausted lately and have been losing so much weight. (not too much complaining there, ahem.)

And just so we have some photos, here are some shots of the lovely picnic set up by my dear friend Nina, my Mother and myself over the weekend:





We had a wonderful time eating, chatting and swimming. It was so nice to enjoy the warm summer days with friends I hadn't seen in awhile.

I'll be back soon with the swap update and to share some finds from the latest Treasure Sale!

fondly,
Rebecca

Swap Update

Hello all! Just a reminder to sign up for the I Heart Pink & Aqua swap by Friday!! I will actually not be back online until Monday so I suppose you really have until Sunday to sign up. We have a good turn out with some crazy creative ladies.

See you soon!

RR

HIATUS

Sigh . . . I am tired. I hurt my leg some how and it's a very painful injury. I decided to stop being stubborn and am seeing my doctor tomorrow. I doubt there is much they can do for me but cross your fingers!

So I am taking a mini hiatus. I will be back the week of August 10th. Please continue to sign up for the swap here and I'll send partners out after the 7th.

On a fun note, we went to my husband's cousin's engagement lunch on Sunday. After everyone had eaten they announced they had a surprise and put everyone on a bus. They took us to this cute little reception hall and had a wedding! What a surprise! The couple decided 3 days before the lunch just to get married that day since their friends and family were all going to be together. It was a lovely ceremony and reception. I can't beleive they pulled it off in such a short period of time!



Congratulations to my "cousins in law" Godfrey and Jinna!

Until August . . .

Mish Mash and a Swap!

Hello! Remember me? I haven't had much to post about lately it seems. My crafty mojo has gone missing and I've been looking EVERYWHERE for it! Finally, after many tries I did manage to start knitting a hat. Seriously, it took me FOREVER to cast on a project I actually liked! Yeesh!

And thrifting has been sad as well. I read in a magazine that second hand store sales are up 47% from last year! That must be where all my stuff is going. I did manage this fun find:



I believe these were made by Sparklettes but I'm not sure. They are both well made and are nice heavy glass. The seltzer bottle was $7 and the shaker was $3. A bargain! I love the look of them. They seem to never have been used, they are so clean! I have ordered some CO2 chargers. Wish me luck! :)

Also gathered over the last few months is this impressive stack of aprons:



I've been lucky with these for sure. I also kept three others that aren't shown here. I will be listing these in the shop soon and there are some real beauties! If I can get off my lazy butt and get it done that is.


And now for the swap - I would like to host a pink and aqua swap. If you would like to sign up please leave me a comment and make sure I have your email! You can also email me at goodnessshop@gmail.com.



Details:

I Heart Pink and Aqua Swap

Sign up by: Friday August 7th

Send out by: Friday September 11th

(I am giving a long time on this one because I will be on vacation at the beginning of September and I am sure many of you will be busy with end of summer events as well)

Please send your partner a swap themed in pink and aqua. Include at least one hand made thing, one craft supply and one thrifted item. Please spend approximately $15 on your swap not including shipping.

Anyone interested? Please spread the word!

xoxox
RR

Z is for Zoo

The Queens Zoo is a tiny wildlife preserve in Flushing Meadow Park. I love it there. It's inexpensive and is gorgeously landscaped. Plus they have a petting zoo. Hee hee. Seriously, I'm like a little kid when I visit because I just love the domestic animals. This trip we met a very curious llama:



He came over to the fence and posed for photos. If you pulled out a camera he looked right at you and then would move along to the next person that wanted to snap his photo. We also fed him and I was a bit nervouse about his big teeth but let me tell you, he was all lips!

Another favorite was this mama goat and her too cute baby. Look at his tiny horns!



I always joke that the Queens Zoo is so small that the main attraction are the turtles:



Walking along the stream we saw many turtles sun bathing. We also saw this sweet guy sleeping in his tree house:



Do you see him there? He really blends in. When Mandi clicked her camera it woke him up! But he went right back to snoozing.

Mandi helped me take some close up flower shots, too:





Not bad for a digital camera!

It was a nice day to take the zoo walk and I always enjoy it.

xoxo
R

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