Down for the Count

Hello friends, over the weekend I hurt my back. I wish I was doing something interesting that would make for a good story but I was leaning over to pick something up and whammo! It hurt. Now I can barely walk or sit or lay down and I'm whining a great deal. For those of you I owe packages to, can we wait to swap until next week? I'll be trying to check my email over the next few days so please drop me a line. I'm a bit of a useless lump at the moment. :(

Rebecca

Paper Love

Have I told you that I love paper? Yeah, I probably have. I have boat loads of the stuff, scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, sheet music, tissue paper, you name it. I know many of you share my love.

I found this at the thrift on Saturday:



It's a complete box of vintage stationary. I can't place the year but the paper is a nice grade and had a bit of a musty smell to it. I sat it outside on the porch for a bit and that cleared that up right away. I have big plans for this paper. I've already started but alas, cannot share yet. It's a simple project that brought me quick satisfaction. Don't you wish all things were like that?

Also this weekend I found the Thrifting Triple Crown: Vintage Table Cloth, Apron and Pyrex. Here's a peek at the table cloth . . .



It's in perfect shape, too. I may be gifting the other two pieces but if my greed wins out, I'll share those with you as well. :) Also coming next week are shots of my lovely aprons made by Leigh Ann! You will love them I promise. Now if I can just nail down Luis to take my picture!

I'm off to Baltimore for a long weekend so I may not be posting until I return. I'll certainly be lurking though. Have a safe and wonderful week my friends!

Rebecca

PS - Sweet Goodness Swap details coming next week!

Revin' Up My Engine

This weekend I will not only finish two of three upcoming swaps but also a rag rug, a knitted project AND clean the entire house. Are you rolling on the floor laughing yet?

Seriously, I am psyching myself up for some serious digging in this weekend and I plan to emerge victorious with a house that smells like lemons and bleach and some swap packages ready to go to the post office! Okay, let's just say I'll be happy to at least complete the major home made portions of those swaps so as to get them in the mail by the end of May. Good goals right? So send me caffeinated jou-jou and I'll be on my way. :)

Aside from Crafty Cleany Fest 2007 I'll have a fun night tonight at the Mets game with Leigh Ann and her DH. It's the first time "the men" are going to meet and they better damn well like each other or else . . . ;) I'm actually not that worried. So as I'm greedy could you also send me some "rain rain go away" jou-jou and some "Mets whoopin' some Yankee tail" jou-jou while you're at it?

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I had the most wonderful surprise when I got home on Wednesday. There was a box for me and inside was this:



Isn't it GORGEOUS?? It's a big one, too. It was a total surprise gifting from Ms. A! How sweet! Thank you so so much. :)

Can you see what's embossed on the cover?



Yep, that's a collie. Just like Sweet Mason. I intend to full fill Ms. A's request that I fill this with wonderful black and white photos of my dear sweet boy. :) Thank you again!

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In swap news, Sweet Goodness Swaps is almost ready to present the next swap. Hop on over for a clue and stay tuned for more details!

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And in drool worthy news, please go HERE and see the most adorable tea towel turned purse that I covet!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Rebecca

And the Thrifty goes to . . .

Guess who's the thrifter of the month??

MOI.

Oh they like me, they really like me!

Craftus Moritorio

Yes, I am now making up faux Latin words. If J.K. Rowling can do it, than so can I. Basically that means NO MORE CRAFT SUPPLIES! * I am just going to use what I have and we'll see what comes of it. I'm pretty well stocked so I'm not that worried.

Saturday was lovely. Leigh Ann and I shopped our little hearts out. Many thrifted and new treasures a like were brought home to our nests. Here is a minimal glimpse:



It doesn't look like much but I was very pleased! Those books were 10 cents each! The poetry book alone was worth the trip. It's a teachers edition from 1953 and has the most darling drawings. I still need to photo a few other things I've found but my camera conveniently died last night. Plus there are a few things that I cannot share as they will end up in some upcoming swaps and I don't want to spoil the fun.

Speaking of swaps, have you signed up for Risa's Tea ParTea Swap? It looks to be a load of fun and again has a theme where you must match items to the letters in PARTEA. :) The sign up deadline is May 19th so get a move on! Go here for details.

And speaking of tea . . . since my gumption this weekend seemed to consist mostly on sitting on the sofa all I really did craft wise was crochet. I made this cute little cozy for a one pot tea pot I found on Saturday:



Cute and easy and it was fun to make it up as I went a long. Of course now I'm on the look out for more little tea pots so I can make up a few of these babies for the shop.

And speaking of the shop . . . (don't you love my smart way of changing the subject??) . . . we have a new Goodness Girl! Dita has joined my sister and I and posted some of her wares for sale. She makes the most delicious candles with soy wax and the best vanilla you have ever smelled. Seriously. And I'm a bit of a candle snob so you can take my word for it. She also makes cute crocheted clutch bags. At this time she does not have a blog but maybe a little encouragement will convince her to start one up. Come on, Dita, you can do it!

That's it for me today. I hope to have some new crafts to share this week now that I've gotten a bit of the coach potato-itis out of my system. I'm off to catch up on everything you guys have been doing.

ta
Rebecca







* you knew there would be an exception didn't you? The only exception is those things found at the thrift store that can be put into imediate use.

TGIF

My work week is over, let the fun begin! Before I get to the sappy stuff (you knew there was some coming didn't you?) let me share the ATC I made for Roxanne:



I had so much fun putting this together. Mounting it on the plaque was Leigh Ann's idea and it worked perfectly! You can see a way better picture of it here at Roxanne's place. It's not very big, maybe 5 X 7 but it has big moxy! Who doesn't love glitter?



You can see here how small my other collage is in comparison. I had a really hard time sending it away but I'm so glad I did. :) (So add to my list of craft dsyfunctionalities: Swap Greed)

I also included some of my new Whimsy Clips:



They are the large size paper clips topped with buttons and other Goodness. I plan to whip up a few more sets for the shop this weekend. I think they turned out so cute! I backed them with regular white buttons dug from my Grandmother's stash.

And now onto the mushy part . . .



My Mom and I have always been friends. I know how lucky I am. I get my craftiness from her and my pack rat gene. I also have her skin which I am eternally grateful for considering the lack of pimples in my life. I speak to her almost every day and invite her on vacation with me. She throws the best parties. I hope when I become a mother my kids will be as fond of me as I am of her. I should be so lucky. :)



Happy Mother's Day, to you Mom and to all of the other cherished Mothers out there.


Rebecca

Getting my ducks in a row . . .

You know all my whinging about never getting anything done lately? Well it's in part because I was working on mass producing crocheted ducks and cupcakes for a whole sale order:



Basically I was paid for my crocheting time and the supplies and it was an interesting challenge to see how I would do at having to create multiples. I learned I could crochet one side of a duck and start the second side during my subway ride to work in the morning. I also learned that making cupcakes is way more interesting than ducks and that I stink at tying bows. All in all a good experience but would I do it again? I'm not sure. I certainly perfected these two patterns and I suppose I could be prompted to do so again for a craft show or a charity event. However, I'm glad it's finished so I can get down to business on the next thing on my mile long to do list.

I started a crocheted bath set like the one I made for Peta in the Pink and Brown swap. You can see it here on Peta's blog. It will be for my boss' birthday which is next Wednesday. I should be able to finish in time. It's tough coming up with something home made for her twice a year but she really likes it so I do what I must. I also haven't done and inch on my afghan or even touched the dollhouse. Though I did buy paint for it. I guess that is a start. Once the bath set is complete, I've done 10 inches on the afghan and at least painted part of the dollhouse I think I'm getting the knitting needles out. It's been awhile and as I can't seem to sew any stuffies I'll have to resort to knitting them.

Aside from crafting I am hoping to do more baking.


*note - that is not actually me doing the sifting, it's Katie from An Odd Duck. You see while I personally want to do more baking I also will recruit unknowing others into the mix. (pun pun pun)

As I'm on a diet (I know, I know AGAIN) I am hoping to find desserts that fit into my daily point allowance so I don't have deny myself that little something sweet once in awhile. The photo you about to see does not contain one of these diet recipes, this one is full on calories:



That, in all it's messy glory, would be Martha's Stout Bread from the Holiday Gifts special issue of MS Living last year. (I searched her website but no luck in finding the recipe. If you're really interested in bread made with dark beer get in touch, I'll give you the scoop.) I'm a little late at trying these but as I happened to have all of the ingredients, including the Guinness, it was worth a try. And I HAD been saving those empty cans since like November. It was rather tasty and the only thing I would do differently next time is to split the batter between six cans instead of four as reccomended in the recipe. You do get a nice round loaf that pops right out and I enjoyed mine with pumpkin butter from Trader Joe's. Yes, I have my seasons all mixed up, I know. It totally put me in a holiday mood.

And speaking of, I am thinking of instituting a challenge come September 1st. How about some early winter holiday crafting? I'm always saying I should get going early so why not try? Maybe you'll join me on the band wagon? I did happen to recently purchase a Christmas gift for a friend from this very talented lady just last week so technically I've already started. One thing down, 80 million more to go. Or so it feels . . .

And in reality, another challenge to myself and all of you out there who have been grumbling about not feeling focused. Somewhere in blog land last year there was a whole month of "use what you have" for crafting. I say we give it a try again! Lord knows I have enough stuff to support several crafters plus all the miscellaneous cans of stuff in my pantry that are waiting to be used for meals. So let's have it, shall we? I'd love to see some creative creations both crafty and foody coming from your already possessed goods. Up to the challenge?? Well it doesn't start until Sunday because I'm going shopping with Leigh Ann on Saturday. :)

cheers!

RR

Wanna Swap Me For It?

As you know, I have MAJOR swap angst at any given time. Right now I am sweating over three personal swaps with three very established creative ladies, Vallen, Jen and Natasha.

I. AM. FREAKING. OUT.

No seriously, I am so nervous my swappy prowess won't match up or, swap god forbid it, I'm LATE in sending my package out OR, EVEN WORSE, I have no clue what to make. So why do I do it? Aside from the obvious adoration I share for the creative wonders that come from these three bloggers and many others, I love the push it gives me to create something with someone specific in mind. Each of my personal swaps (and these are my first, in truth) is very exciting and challenging in a good way. I can't wait to show you what I create for my new friends! I just hope they like it. ;) (angst, angst, angst)

Another great part of swapping is when you open your partners package and see what they put together with you in mind. I just received this package from Roxanne who was my buddy in Vallen's mounted ATC swap. Girl, you spoiled me!



Not only did I get a fabulous ATC, she also included chocolate (yum . . . what diet?), a tiny pin cushion (I love all things tiny AND cushiony), a measuring tape (this is going in my purse for when I need to measure sheets at the thrift - ahem, L.A.), ball fringe (who doesn't love this??), tiny paper file folders (favorite spring color combo), a green trivet (is this thrifted? Now you know I love thrifted!) and a scrap of the fabric that inspired her ATC. I thought it was so clever to include that, I enjoyed knowing what sparked the idea behind this:



The ATC is actually tacked to the cork board and can be removed (as if I would do that!). The little fabric thumb tacks are so cute! Roxanne shared the link to the tutorial, you can find it here.

I really enjoyed making Roxanne's ATC, too. The mounting was a fun challenge and thanks to Leigh Ann I was able to make something a bit more unique than what I originally had in mind. She actually pointed out two things that I could use for mounting both of which I snatched up for a song at the thrift. Here is the frame I didn't use for Roxanne's ATC with it's own little bit of art inside:



Sorry about that glare, this is some shiny Modge Podge. Do they make it in matte? I'll have to check. Anyway, it was fun making this little collage (it's even smaller than an ATC) and I think a new craft has been born for me. Look out!

Want to see the one I made for Roxanne? Well check back later in the week, I don't want to spoil the surprise.

cheers
RR

Thrift Adventure

Saturday was a perfect day. I got up crack of dawn early and headed over to The Odd Duck's nest to pick up Katie for our trip out to The Pink Kitchen. Meeting Leigh Ann was like when you meet your first ever friend who is just like you. She likes the things I like. She does the things I do. I followed her around the thrift store yammering like a monkey all day long. It was bliss. :)

We started off with a yummy breakfast of delicious coffee and an apple crumb loaf in, you guessed it, the PINK kitchen. It is way cuter in person if that's even possible.



We were joined by Susan, another thrifter from down the street. Susan had emailed me a bit and when I found out she lived near Leigh Ann I got the two of them together. Turned out she lived right across street! Small world strikes again. After an hour or so of chatter we went to a few thrifts before stopping for lunch at a Tea Shop.



After sipping some delicious Earl Grey we headed to two more thrift shops! Before I knew it, it was almost 5:00 pm and we sat down for coffee at 8:30 am! Such a wonderful day with some lovely ladies. Oh and the thrifting . . .



Just a few goodies to share though I cleaned up in a big way! That little blue Delft "vomiting cow" (ha ha Leigh Ann!) is one of my favorite finds of the day. The doily pot holder is backed with quilted rose patterned fabric and is Laura Ashley. I may steal that idea. The fabric was my favorite from about 6 other pieces of strawberry themed pieces. Leigh Ann snagged some as well. Oh and those yellow things? More to come on that . . .

Another favorite find . .



A large gold Mele jewelry box with . . .



a ballerina! Usually the ballerina is long gone by the time these make it to the thrift shop. The music box still works as well. Score!

All in all a perfect day! Stay tuned for more "Odd Pink Goodness" adventures. :)

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And speaking of Goodness . . . Lucy and I have asked Leigh Ann to join us over at Sweet Goodness Swaps! We could certainly use an extra hand after the popularity of the Spring Fling Swap. We plan to announce the next swap soon so keeps your ears open!

Tomorrow I'll share my ATC swap package (set up by her Highness, the venerable Vallen) I received from Roxanne today. It's too cute. She really went all out! I hope to get hers in the mail today and that it measures up to her great swapping prowess. Roxanne was a bit early and I totally have some kind of post office bad luck jinx curse something or other going on lately. Please do some good blogger jou-jou dances for me that I can get there today before they close the doors! It's zero tolerance for people showing up at 5:01 pm in that joint. :)

xoxoxo
Rebecca

Anxiety

I've not been much of a blogger this week and I'm here to say I won't be back again until next week with what I hope are slightly stimulating posts. I'm having major anxiety at the moment about not getting things done. I know you have all been there. I just hate it when it's anxiety over things I am supposed to enjoy. It sort of takes the fun out of things.

On a brighter note, I'm taking a mini trip out of the Queens this weekend to visit The Pink Kitchen. I know you are jealous. Katie is going, too. Leigh Ann is taking us to all of her favorite thrifty spots and making reservations at a tea shop! Can you tell I'm excited? So if you are waiting on a package from me, be it Etsy, a swap or anything else, I'll be making a pilgrimage to the Bryant Park P.O. on Monday. :)

And since I hate writing a post with no pictures . . .



Rag rugs are coming . . . you have been warned.

Have a wonderful weekend friends . . .

rebecca

Nesting

I've been wanting to try this idea for some time. Tea cups are such a great vessel for many things. You've seen my tea cup pin cushions and many of you have made tea cup candles. (Speaking of, yummy soy tea cup candles coming to The Goodness Shop soon by a new contributor, Dita!) So why not tea cup bird nests?

CHANCE NEST



I believe a project like this might be called mixed media? I have no clue.



I picked up some of the glitter from the new Martha Stewart line at Michaels to glitter the cardinal. It's about $5 for the jar but it's fine grade and will last quite a while I think. The game pieces are from vintage games I've picked up here and there and the sheet music was stiffened and glittered to give it more substance. The rhinestone button is from my Grandmothers collection.



I made this for my dear friend Nine who has a cloche in her living room and wanted something new to display under it. I plan to make one with a beach theme for myself and then maybe one for the shop.

Speaking of the shop, I finally added the Goodness Paper Packs!



What's inside? Click on the picture or this link to find out! And aren't those file folders the cutest? It might even make filing fun but I doubt it. Also added to the shop, a mini collage box. It's a bargain and there is only one!

These are some new things I thought I would try. I have so many supplies that I figured I can't buy any more until I sell a few things that I have. Logical? Who knows . . .

Until the next . .

RR