All things sparkly and bright

My recent antique jewelry finds took me on a journey among my sparkly collections. Wanna come?



Some vintage, some new, my mini dress form holds my collection of necklaces that I wear on a regular basis.



My collection of odds and ends for making jewelry. You know, when I have time to learn to do that. :) Right now it's just fun to find things to add to this collection which is housed in a vintage pink jewelry box.



My current favorite necklace. The chain is a vintage Anne Klein I picked up in a thrift for a few dollars many years back. The tassel charm belonged to my fabulous Aunt Sissy.



This collection is on a table in the craft room.



Fun pins, mostly, I think they are pretty and clip them on my coat once in awhile.



This is a recent thrift store find. I paid $5, which is a lot for me at the thrift, but I have this same bag in silver and it sees a lot of action at dressy affairs. Plus now, it's a collection. :)

Cheers!

Antiquing

On a recent visit to Clinton, NY to see my friend Nina I got a chance to hit up a fabulous antique market. For the most part I thought the prices were reasonable and found quite a few treasures.



Most of my purchases were jewelry. All of these pieces were $3 or less. I love the compact, it's very elegant.



I also found this fun New York souvenir! Take a look inside:



A compact and mirror on one side and the other has a clip to hold money I think as it seems to slim to be for cigarettes but that is possible, too, I guess.

I also found a pink silk glove box (which I gave as a gift to Nina) and a paper box for handkerchiefs that I had to leave behind for fear of it getting crushed on my train ride home. Nina will bring it when she visits next month. We had a great time, including a fabulous trip to the spa, and I can't wait to go for another visit.

Canning Jar Lid Pin Cushions

On my last trip home my Mom handing me a bag of things she picked up for me at the Treasure Sale. There were lots of fun finds but one in particular piqued my interest:



It's a pin cushion made from two canning jar lids, some fabric scraps (velvet in this case), stuffing, fancy ribbon, gold rickrack and a ring. Clever! Many of us probably have these very things taking up space right now.

I've had swaps on the brain lately since I joined Sarah's Halloween ornament swap so I think these clever pin cushions would be great for a future swap. Now I know I asked if anyone was interested in a pink, white and gold swap in my last post but I think these pin cushions would be fun, too. Also quick to make and not too expensive to mail. And what they heck, they could be made to be pink, gold and white, right? :)

Seriously . . .

Where does the time go? I know I haven't posted in forever but partly it's because I find I don't have the time to create, thrift, cook, etc. these days. Tempus fugit I guess.

Finally last week I was able to fit in a quick trip to one thrift store. It wasn't a stellar trip but I found a few things of interest:



I hardly ever buy vintage sheets anymore but this was too cute to pass up. I've had this grand idea to make a hooked rug from strips cute from sheets forever so maybe this will be the one to start on that? I do already have the rug canvas and the hook so it's really just my laziness keeping me from getting started. :) Of course the pattern is fun and could be made into any number of things. What would you make?



Another vintage apron. This thrift is pretty good for finding these. I guess the shoppers there aren't looking for aprons these days. This one is pretty badly stained but I loved the colors and the construction so I grabbed it anyway. I have a pretty good collection going now. Of course they are just folded in a basket and don't see much use.



I've been very into long necklaces lately. Particularly those with tassels or large ornaments. I was thrilled to find this bead and leaf necklace and have already worn it twice. I think it's a true piece from the 70s and not a reproduction. Maybe my favorite find of the day.



And last but not least by any means . . . I spied a bag of beaded holiday garland. The color combo is what caught my eye, I love the pink, white and gold** together. Normally I don't buy these garlands as I don't have many ideas on what to do with them besides decorate but then I noticed that the gold strand was vintage mercury glass beads. Be still my beating heart! I've never found any true glass garland and am thrilled to finally have some to call my own. Of course now I'll be checking every bag of beaded garland hoping to find more. Maybe one day I'll luck into some glass bead picks, too.

So that's my thrifting report. I miss it and want to go more often. I definitely want to make a trip up to Connecticut to the Elephant's Trunk flea market soon as well. I do have a few more things to post about this week including a clever idea for making pin cushions and a recipe for apple cranberry walnut breakfast bars. Yum.

** - wouldn't pink, white and gold make for a fun swap theme? Maybe for Christmas? Thoughts?

Highly Organized Find

On my trip to Baltimore I got a chance to thrift with three of my favorite bargain hunters, my Mom, my sister Mandi and my friend Dita. Where I use to make a bee line for the linens section I know find that my first stop is often the crafty section. I lucked out this time:



The previous owner of these fabulous boxes of floss was way more organized then I am.



Look at the perfectly wound threads! The nice handwritten DMC label numbers! Heaven. That takes a lot of work and the least fun part of an embroidery or cross stitch project.



Two boxes filled with floss, needles (in nice cases) and gold and silver filiment. Also a nice pack of aida cloth and perforated paper which is a favorite of mine to work with. Perfect for someone like me who needs a bit of organization in their crafting. This, of course, makes me want to stitch something. Perhaps I'll add that to the to do list for the weekend.

Well what do you know?

I actually went to the thrift store. I know. It's about time, right? I actually had to convince myself to go! It was rainy and I wasn't in the mood but I'd had a few bags of donations sitting by the door for weeks and really wanted them gone. So off I went.

The rain caused the paper bags to burst open scattering my donations across the side walk which resulted in some cursing and foot stomping. I gathered everything up into a big garbage bag and cried all the way to the car. I was soaked! I walked halfway back to the house determined it would be a bad day but changed my mind and went back to the car. So much drama! What did I find??



A bit of fabric (the striped one is Waverly), some ribbon and a large roll of pretty peach seam binding. I love finding these for some reason.



More crafty finds including many sets of knitting needles at a dollar a piece (score!), some other knitting accessories, a bag of white buttons, some thread on wooden spools (I need the spools for a project), embroidery floss and some aida cloth.



I inherited my Granny's Fransician Ware dishes and was excited to find this butter dish and salt and pepper shakers.



And my favorite finds are these aprons. I LOVE the patterns! Especially that green one there on the right. And see that one in the middle? I found two of those. All are handmade and adorable and in great shape! At the top you can see the edge of the Simply Shabby Chic runner I snagged for $1.50.

So yes, I'm glad I went. And now the thrifting bug is back and I can't wait to go again!

Cheers ~ Rebecca

Found

Hello! Is anyone still out there? I've been meaning to post each night this week but I've been running around like a crazy person and then sleeping like the dead. Hmm. Well the weekend is here and I'm finally getting a chance to share with you the finds from last week's trip to the thrift:



Two aprons! The one on the right is a Vera. I've never seen an apron though I'm happy to add it to my collection of Vera scarves, napkins and table cloths. The other one is a very fine gauzy fabric and I love the gingham trim.



Cute, right? This thrift store seems to often have aprons and I'm hoping to reach my goal of 12 vintage red and/or Christmas aprons by November. :)



A box of Congress playing cards in the cutest seashell pattern. AND the cards are still sealed so I don't even need to count to see if they are all there. This may be my favorite set of these to date.



A few more craft supplies including this wide trim and a large roll of silky pink ribbon. I love these old rolls of ribbon, there is always a lot on there and it's soft and makes for nice bows.

Do you remember that one of the things I search out are certain patterns of Culver bar ware? I mention I mean BABBLE about them here and here. I was VERY excited to find these pieces and at only 99 cents a piece it all came home with me:

 

You can see more of my collection here under the very dusty hutch:



(How does the dust get in there??) I love to haul this out for holiday cocktails. So festive! All in all a good trip and I also donated a few bags of clothes and books and that always makes me feel like I accomplished something.

I don't think I'll be out at the thrift this weekend but hope to sneak in a trip in Baltimore when we head down Thursday. My nephew was set to arrive last Thursday but is late as he is waiting for his Auntie to be there to make his big entrance. :)

Cheers ~ Rebecca

Thrifty Finds . . . Because I wished for them . . .

So I spend a lot of time being jealous of other's cool thrifty finds. I am especially jealous of Laurie's estate sale goodies. Recently I was wickedly envious of Sarah's found vintage fabric and spools of trim. So I did a little dance and prayed to the thrifting gods that I would get lucky on my first thrifting outing in weeks. And they listened . . .



My guess is that someone who probably made fancy clothing cleaned house. The trims and sequins that I found seemed to be the type one would hand sew to something to worn for a special occasion.



There is about 4 yards of this beaded trim. It's 3 inches wide and it's heavy! I'm not sure what I'll use it for, maybe to adorn a bag? Who knows. I should put some of it in the shop but I'm so anti re-selling these days that I can't bring myself to get motivated to list anything.



I buy a lot of DMC embroidery floss but I guess I never thought about how it comes in to the stores. Look how cute the box is! I found two boxes with 25 skeins each and will never need to buy DMC 801 (a chocolate brown) again. Sounds like a brown sampler is in my future.



I was just looking on Ebay and Etsy for sequins. One set is a pretty pink and the other a reddish brown.




I also picked up a bag of random pieces. I could see that there were a few bags of beads and some beaded appliques but I was very happy to find this hiding within:



Adorable! And a true vintage piece. I also found a few others things including two wire cake stands and some minature items like doll house wall paper and flooring. So all in all a good thrift. Did you find anything good?

Vintage? No? Really?

When I went out to run errands last weekend I had two things on my mind, a new spring coat and Splenda. That's all I HAD to get while I was out and didn't want to goof off too long so I could get back and get some work done. Well I guess The Force took over and I somehow ended up at the thrift store before I realized where the car was heading. And believe it or not, I found some honest to goodness vintage items.



These refrigerator dishes were scattered all over the store and my intention was only to buy one. Then of course I found the others and who am I to break up a set?



A little worse for wear, I'll use these in the craft room for storage. There is no makers mark but I bet they were something in their hey day. Anyone know anything about them?



A small bag of ugly 80s style salt shakers yielded these beauties! One still has the original glass cap. Too bad the others are missing but I have an idea for them. We'll see how it goes. It would require me to find a cap that will fit them so the search is on. I believe these are true depression era glass.



Two vintage readers from the 30s.



Aren't the graphics divine?



Four vintage aprons. Count'em. FOUR. And all cheap! Under $6 for all. Some are a little frayed and sad but I love them anyway.



I think this is my favorite.



Also loving the embroidery on this one. Love the little crowns!



Also love finding the holiday ones. I'm on the hunt to collect 12 vintage Christmas aprons and I'm well on my way with this addition.

So all in all a nice vintage find day. I also snagged a new Brita pitcher and a breadbox. So again this weekend, I have absolutely NO intentions of going to the thrift store.

And then there were Thrifts . . .

Thrifting trips have been few and far between around here lately. My weekends fill up quickly and regular life seems to get in the way. Last week I quit my job. I was offered a better position in Manhattan that I couldn't say no to. I'm so relieved. I was very unhappy at my last job and it was really starting to affect my life. This is a great move for me. My boss was none too happy and in a fit of unprofessionalism he had me pack up and leave right away. It was a bit of an ugly scene and I did let it get to me for awhile but I'm over it now. My early exit gives me a week off before my new job starts and you know I had to fit in some thrifting in that time, right?

I got an email that Unique thrift stores were having 50% off for MLK so off I went yesterday to dig through the treasures.



Two adorable vintage aprons for only $1.50 each! I think the $3 regular price isn't too bad either. The one on the left is a full apron and will be going to a friend who it reminds me of. I think I'll keep the one on the right. I love the colors and I really can't resist an apron. I have a large collection now and have decided that I will have to put some up in the shop. I really need to declutter and just pick out my favorites. Enough hoarding!



A queen sized chenille bedspread for $2.50. Again, $5 is not a bad regular price which surprises me in the thrifts these days. I'm not sure how old this is. It's really clean and there are no tags. Anyone know how to date these things? I'm thinking this will be a cutter though we all know ho hard that will be for me.



An oil painting done on a piece of wood and framed in silk covered wood. This is definitely something someone made and it just speaks to me. It's not really my style (though I love Asian items) but I had to have it. Plus the price was right, only 40 cents. The more I look at it, the more I love it.



Some fun crafty supplies. I tend to head right for this section as I'm craving inspiration these days. I found a bag of what I thought were fabric scraps but instead was a kit to make a fabric and felt turtle, pattern included. You can see a scrap pf green there on the bottom. The pink pearl roping is just cute and was like 50 cents and I figure I can use it for something or put it in the shop. (Though I've been hoarding my trims lately!) I also found a few old needle books, some rick rack and embroidery floss. All in all, fun crafty finds.



I collect those silk scarf boxes though this one is the first I've found in such a bright pattern. All of mine are pale blue or pink and a bit shabbier in nature. This one is probably not as old and is also headed for a friend. I'll be turning that cute lamb planter into a pin cushion (more on that and other planter pin cushion projects later) and that Pampered Chef Apple Peeler is for my Mom.

All in all, I spent $23. Good times were had by all. Since I'm off the rest of the week I think I'll head out to the "far away" thrift at some point and see what treasures can be found. Any luck on your end?

The weather outside is . . . COLD.

I know it's December and it's supposed to be cold but for some reason it's really getting to me this year. It must be my new metal ankle which is crazy achy in the morning. How does the Terminator do it, I wonder?

Anyway, enough of that. I got my cast off last Thursday just in time to accompany my friend Catherine to our annual rummage sale day outing. I missed it last year because I was out of town so it was nice to get to go again this year. My finds weren't spectacular but it was a fun day with good company. So what did I find?



I love this sweet deer planter. It had some ugly plaid ribbon around the neck and was stuffed with red and green shreds. She'll be getting a make over soon. I'm thinking pale blue and pink with something sparkly. (of course)



An old book of road maps. These are practically obsolete these days and I've been looking for one to use in various projects like scrapbooking. Won't it make for great backgrounds in a mini travel book?



Usually I find vintage ornaments at this sale but the only thing I scored this year were these two made in Japan dresdens. They are in pretty bad shape but I bought them to take apart for other projects anyway. I scored some other things to use in crafts like some acorns someone painted gold plus a few household items like a new thermal mug and some tins. After the sale we headed to the thrift store.



I love finding bags of old crafty stuff. Can you guess what really drew me to toss this bag of goodies in my cart?



Those are old glass Alka Seltzer bottles full of sequins. I couldn't resist.



I also picked up this pretty old pink jewelry box. I've been collecting pieces of old jewelry to make my own charm bracelets for awhile now and thought this would be a great place to store my supplies:



Good fit, no?



This is 7 yards of a fun old Waverly ship print. I already have an idea for this which I'll share later as it's a gift. And last but not least . . .



A red flocked apron. I just love this and it is definitely going on my apron hook in the kitchen. It's one of my favorite finds of the day.

I'm so glad Catherine invited me, it was nice to get out, find some fun things and catch up with a good friend. I'm chopping away at my HUGE holiday list. I made a few ornaments this year and will share them soon. In the mean time please stop by my latest article at The Examiner about some fun handmade ornament ideas HERE. I'm so behind in my writing and was hoping to share more holiday crafts. Oh and it doesn't hurt that they are running a contest for some cool prizes and the more you write the better your chance to win. :)

Wow, I'm full of the babble today, aren't I? Until the next time . . .

~RR