Cleaning House

Well friends, it's time for that giveaway! I've been going through all my stuff and yet again have realized that I have much too much for one person. So I've been grabbing some odds and ends and stashing them in one of my tiara bags. Let's see . . . the winner will receive a collection of items that will include vintage wall paper, craft supplies, a vintage Faith Austin hankie and other surprises.

So please leave a comment and I will choose a winner next Friday October 1st. If you leave a comment with a link to your blog where you promoted the Goodness Shop (http://www.goodnessshop.etsy.com/) I'll give you TWO entries into the drawing. I promise it will be a lovely package.

Up in the Goodness Shop today:



Vintage decals, rick rack packs, vintage wall paper, book pages, pillow cases, Japanese postcards and Goodness Paper Packs.

One day I should show you guys what I keep from my thrifting trips. I have a collection of linen tea towels to put the British to shame. And all that vintage paper? Um yeah, I keep A LOT for myself. :) This is one of the reasons I am feeling overwhelmed I guess. My mass of stuff is also leading me to consider turning my craft room into a guest room. I feel that if I had limited supplies (and space to store them) I would concentrate on one thing. Will that work? I seriously don't think so. But it's an idea.

Don't forget to get in on my giveaway!

hugs
Rebecca

Toyland

Well I've been making toys again. I can't explain the draw! I just love it. :) The whimsy of them . . . the bright colors . . . everything. I only wish I had more people to gift toys to at the holidays. Soon I'll need to turn my attentions to scarves, bags and other practical holiday gifts. I do believe mittens are on the list this year, too.

Anyway, remember my swap with Emily? Visit her blog here to see what I sent her. :) One thing I made for her was a Wee Goodness Gal that I named Willow:



Willow is my own pattern though I did tons of online research before getting started. That is the beauty of blogs, so much inspiration! All the fabric in her clothing (and legs) is thrifted cotton and the material for her body is from the remnant bin at Joann's. I made up her little jumper as I went along and I like it but the pattern needs work.



Her hair is purple Lily cotton. I made it using the "pin head" method like I did on Charlotte Ann. Only this time I gave her braided buns. Her face is simple and sweet. Did I mention she is only about 10 inches tall? I'd like to make some for the shop, I think they would make great friends for girls of all ages, but I need to tackle that long list of holiday gifts first. :)

Another new toy I've recently finished is this sweet crocheted elephant:



I love him! And you should feel him, he is sooo soft and has a nice weight to him.



The pattern is from "Cute Little Animals" a booklet by Leisure Arts. The only thing I changed were the eyes. The pattern called for sequins but since this is intended for a baby I decided to use yarn. I also added the ribbon but will remove that before gifting as well. The brown yarn is more Lily cotton and the blue is the now defunct DK Summer Soft that I love so much. I can't even find any on Ebay!



I just had to show you his cute little tail. :)

So now I'm off to make a list. I find that writing down all my ideas for gifts helps me to pick and choose which projects I would like to work on. I am trying not to start 5 things and finish nothing like I've done in the past! What kinds of things are you making for holiday gifts this year?

Coming soon: more thrifted treasures, painting with thread, more vintage items up in The Goodness Shop and a give away! Woo Hoo!

RR

PS - Did you know even Martha has a blog?? She is looking for some blogs to review, stop by for a visit!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Back in the Spring Kai come up with a fabulous swap idea. Due to rising gas costs a lot of people were cutting out there summer vacations so Kai thought we could give our swap partners a summer vacation in a box! I was so lucky to be paired with Emily. We hit it off like wildfire! In fact, she'll be in New York next month. :) So without further ado . . .

This summer I went to . . .



And since I have never been to Paris before, Emily sent me a friend as a companion and tour guide. Meet Cristal Feret:



Cristal is oh so chic and very French! Her adorable clothes are made from felted cashmere sweaters! And see that sketch book under her arm? It's actually a mini sewing kit! How clever!



Here is my entire package. I KNOW! In additional to Cristal and my guide to Paris Emily sent:

A sweet French needle book
French postcards
Perfume (with a sassy Sex and The City reference)
French chocolate
A black and silver chic scarf (it's under everything but I'll take a picture of me modeling it soon)
French Lavender body scrub
Nail polish "Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not" LOL
and the cutest mascara you can hang on your cell phone

She spoiled me! Oh and have I mentioned that she made me an AMY BUTLER BAG??



It has adorable Eiffel Tower fabric outside and French cafe lining inside! It's perfect! I needed a new bag and this one will go with everything. :)

Oh and since she knows how much I love flea markets, she included all of these amazing french Flea Market treasures!



Mother of pearl barrettes, a metal barrette, a gorgeous cameo pin, a rhinestone pin, a butterfly stick pin, a beaded necklace, earrings, the cutest pink telephone charm, a velvet ring box and a tiny green alligator change purse. I about died when I saw it all! Seems like she knows me pretty well.

Emily, thank you for the lovely trip to Paris! This was a fabulous swap. :)

I sent Emily on a vacation to her "Comfort Zone." Earlier in the summer she wrote a post about about what would be in her comfort box so I did my best to make that box a reality for her. I'll post a link when she posts it. :)

If you ever get a chance to swap with Emily, do it! :)

cheers
Rebecca

Could it Be? Yes it Could.

Somethings coming . . . something GOOD. :) Lot's of new things up in the Goodness Shop including new vintage trims, pillow cases, lace and other goodies. I've been quite lucky in my latest bouts of hunting and gathering and wanted to share the wealth!

So what has me all giddy?



Vintage wall paper rolls! I NEVER find these. Okay, not never, but I have only found one roll in . . . forever. And that was kids wall paper. While it will be very hard for me to cut this up I will be making up some rolls for sale in the shop soon. Because seriously, what am going to do with ALL this? Wall paper a room? (what knee slapper!)



Vintage birthday balloon cake picks. My Mom informs me that I had picks just like these on my first birthday cake. Ahem. I guess that make me vintage as well.



Tiny Japanese glass ornaments. I have big plans to have a holiday section in the Goodness Shop and these might make it in there. But then again, maybe not. ;)



More vintage Japanese ornaments. I love the red gingham though they don't really scream Christmas to me. I do really enjoy fan ornaments, though.



A yard of vintage Christmas fabric. It's a little stained but hopefully some Oxy will do the trick. This will be up in the shop because I know I won't be able to bring myself to cut it!

I've also scored some other nice pieces of fabric for my own stash. I hope to get started on some holiday gifts soon. I'm also hoping to get caught up on some blog reading as that is where most of my inspiration to create comes from.

Fondly
Rebecca

Time to FACE the World

I've been a bit out of sorts since returning from 2 weeks of vacation. I can't seem to focus and I want to sleep. A lot. But today I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to conquer my to do lists! Or as the title suggests, face the world.

Also ready to face the world is my dolly, now named Charlotte Anne.



Finally! She has a face. Inspired, as I often am, by Hilary at Wee Wonderfuls.

Onward and upward!

xoxoxo
RR

Back Again

Hello! Can you hear me? I feel very faded today LOL. I am TIRED. Yikes. Vacation was a blast but it's good to be home. :) Hurricane Gustav put a real damper (har-har) on my trip to New Orleans for my sister's big 30th birthday bash but did we let a little weather get us down? Heck no! We got on the first flight to Las Vegas! I'll share some fun picks of the birthday girl in my next post for sure.

So what have YOU been up to? I have loads of blog reading to catch up on! Plus I have been sitting on some awesome vintage items that I hope to list in the shop soon. I also recently made something way cute with these fabrics:



I'm loving the combo! It's so whimsical. :) I'll show you what i made next week when it arrives to my swap partner, the lovely Emily. Who, by the way, I was SUPPOSED to meet face to face in New Orleans. Gustav wrecked their trip to the Big Easy as well.

So anyway, I'm off to dig through 2 weeks of suitcases, dirty laundry and shopping bags. I'll be back soon with, what else? Some Thrifty Goodness!

xoxox
Rebecca

PS - why don't you head over here and vote for Sunbonnet Couple, an adorable quilt by my friend Jean!