Charmed Life

The Bridal Tea this weekend was fabulous! Basically, my mother and I wanted to throw a little party for all the girls in my upcoming wedding and we decided to have a Mad Hatter's Tea Party.



We thrifted a bunch of mis-matched china and served all sorts of mini desserts, tiny sandwiches and pastries. It was all VERY yummy. (Needless to say, I lost no weight on my diet weigh-in this week!)

I put my paper crafting skills to work and made place cards:



menus:



and rosettes:



And Mom looked great in her paper crown!



It was such a good time! We also did the Victorian Cake Charm tradition :



Also, since it was a Mad Hatter's tea party, everyone had to choose a hat and decorate it. The girls will then wear their hats for the ceremony rehearsal the night before the wedding. Since all the hats are so fabulous, I figure to share one on each of my next few posts. Since this is my blog, I'll start with my hat. :



You'll notice that I have both a quail AND a turkey. It's good to be the bride. ;) We gathered all sorts of craft supplies, feathers, silk flowers, ribbons, etc. We bought many bags of random stuff at the thrift to suppliment the hat decorating. The battenburg lace on my hat was in a bag I paid 99 cents for and it was stuffed with lace and other goodies.

Whew! What a fun day!

I was able to thrift on Thursday and have a whole mess of stuff to share. More on that tomorrow. Also, remember that this weekend is the deadline to mail out your swap stuff but I know a few of you mentioned you may be late so just e-mail your swap partner and let them know. Vive la GOODNESS.

smooches . . .

R

Photo Card Goodness*

*I reserve the right to add the word GOODNESS to any phrase. Thank you.

I am probably one of the few people who does not have children yet still sends holiday photocards.

I sent this one in 2003:



and then this one in 2005: (I have no idea what happened in 2004)



and I was considering sending this one this year:



I don't love this picture of me, I look pregnant and I'M NOT so that's distressing but whatever. All of these are from Snapfish. I use them for my digital photo albums, too, and have been pleased. However, today I got an e-mail from MARTHA about her new holiday photocards. Well they are wicked cute and now I may have to just send lots of photocards for every holiday. I mean everyone wants a picture of my dogs dressed up for Halloween, right?

I'm off to Baltimore today and won't be able to post until Monday. Hopefully I will be get to do a little thrifting (it's on the agenda) and will have pictures from my Bridal Tea Party to share as well. Everyone have a fantastic weekend and keep on thriftin'! woot woot!

cheers - R

Monkey See, Monkey Do

During a chit-chat with Nina yesterday I started rhapsodizing about some paper crowns I saw on the internet like a year ago. Blah, blah, blah I went on and on and typed "paper crowns" into every search engine I could find with no luck. Then I remembered reading a post on Selena's blog about her visit to the Farm Chick's Antique Show and about her love of Barbara Schriber's paper products. So I clicked on the link and low and behold . . . THE PAPER CROWNS. Yes, the very ones I dream of at night and wanted oh so badly to make for ALL of my friends. I TOLD YOU we had a lot in common.

So long story short (too late, I know) I made my own version of one of those crowns. (And I PROMISE to go find a store in Manhattan that carries some of Barbara's products and splurge away) Anyway, imitation is the purest form of flattery so here you go:



In retrospect, I wish I would have used a two sided paper on those side rosettes. I like it anyway. The map paper is wrapping paper and is double sided (it's leopard on the other side me-ow). It's one of those rolls you get from those school fund raiser booklets that float around during the winter holidays. I always buy a few rolls from a lady at work and while it's high ($6 a roll) there's a lot of it, it's a heavy duty paper AND it's double sided. I adore all the rolls I have and use them often.

Gratuitous close up:



Man, I LOVE pinking shears. They just make my day. The stripped paper on the side of the large rosette in the center is what I made the side rosettes from. I am debating on whether I need to put something in the center of the rosettes? Thoughts? More decoration? Hmm?

Here is a close up of the rosette I made for my Aunt (I plan to attach it to a pin back);



The leaves are cut with the Sizzix and I'm all about the glitter glue these days. I used it on the map paper rosettes as well though it's not showing up. On the pink striped rosettes on the side (I forgot to photograph them, damn!) I did the whole "paint on the glue sprinkle with glitter thing" and it looks nice but the glitter is white and you can barely see it and it took for-freakin-ever. I need better glitter!

Anyway, I will take pictures of my Mom and my Aunt Pam sporting their paper accoutrements at the Bridal Tea this weekend. I will also FINALLY be able to share the adorable place cards and tags I crafted for the party without ruining the surprise for Nina and Dita.

I hope soon to be able to post about some thrift finds as after all, that's what this blog is about. Of course, would you say that making your Mom a paper crown with supplies you already had INSTEAD of purchasing one (or new supplies to make one) is both THRIFTY and GOODNESS? Ponder . . .

cheers bellas . . .

R

Across the World Wide Web

The internet is AMAZING. I know, you're like "Thanks for the NEWS FLASH" but seriously, it hits me once in awhile how connected we are. I've received so many lovely e-mails and comments lately and more people have joined the swap that I would have ever imagined! And of course it's not only because we are connected but because have loads in common being that we are all intelligent, kind, talented and THRIFTY girls. So, I thought I'd share a little story about me and the internet. :)

Back in like 2000 I had a leeeeetle crush on actor Russell Crowe. (Okay, can I continue or are you still laughing?) Anyway, I joined a Yahoo message board blah blah blah and made some amazing friends. Two of which I am still, six years later, very much in touch with. Lizzy Ann lives here in New York City (and is the reason I live here - she called to tell me she needed a room mate and I dropped everything and moved) and dear Cazza who lives in England (somewhere near Whales) with her fab hubby Mario and their new little princess Angelina. Both of these girls are a big part of my life and I'm so glad we met over something so silly as GLADIATOR. ha ha ha

Oh and speaking of funny stuff, Vax Girl, I think you did see Mr. T on Martha the other day as he has new REALI-T series. Oy.

Back to the GOODNESS part of this blog. Here is my Christmas stocking:



It's from this book which I found about 2 years ago on clearance at Michael's for $2. (How's that for thrifty, hmm?) I'm liking the argyle but I'll be lucky to finish it, I remember why I'm not keen on color work. It takes FOREVER. I knit all the way through the first half of the Ravens/Broncos game last night and maybe accomplished an inch. I'd really like to make one in the opposite colors to have two for this Christmas but, well, you know. I also hope I don't run out of green and that if I do, I can find more. It's really super soft and as long as I don't blow the heel and toe part, this stocking will end up being a favorite.

For some reason I'm into the knitting now (I still blame it on fall) and I plan to cruise the net for some new patterns (because I certainly don't have enough with my 20 plus knitting books and fire-hazard piles of printed patterns). I also have lots of other ideas for holiday projects up my crafty sleeves. I talked with Nina today about posting a tutorial on our felt garlands (she has some AWESOME ideas - not surprised, this is the pink kitchen girl) and maybe we'll inspire someone. Oh, and I like telling people what to do. :)

Well, I've certainly yammered away the morning. I'll be back tomorrow with some thrifted things I have yet to post.

xoxox bex

PS - go check out Apron Thrift Girl's thrifted shirt turned apron because I know you need ONE MORE thing you'll just HAVE to try. Go on, you know you want to . . .

Swappers Unite!

Good morning!



cafe paris mug - 99 cents - Selden Thrift

I have sent out e-mails to all the swap partners! We ended up with a total of 13 - that's LUCKY number 13, lucky for me because I get two swap partners. :) (I figured that was the best way since I have booty enough for the lot of you.) Anyway, here are the match ups:

Nina - Selena
Dita - Jordan
Linda - Marybeth
Heidi S - Lucy
Lisa-Gabrielle - Heidi G
Rebecca - Sarah & Sara (isn't that lovely how it worked out?)

Swap Deadline: send out by October 22nd

Please remember to take pictures and post your trade. I made sure to put non-bloggers with bloggers. I'll put links here so everyone can see all the goodies that went around. Also, if you happen to make something with your received loot let me know! We'll post about that, too.

So what did you do this weekend?

Aside from conquering Mt. Laundry and hitting the mall, I made Christmas cards. Okay, I only made ONE Christmas card. The red one, I made the blue one like a week ago:



I also started knitting a Christmas stocking. I guess I was feeling jolly. I did not get to the thrift (though I found some deals at Joann's - the remnants were 75% off) and I hope to hit one thrift while in Baltimore this coming weekend.

Swap-a-dee-doo my friends. :)

xoxo
Rebecca

Friday Finished

Before I babble on about myself, please go see the new issue of For the Love of Yarn and check out Heidi's mini mitten pattern! She's famous!! And now back to me . . . ;)

I finished that hat. I FINISHED THAT HAT. I had to say it twice since I never finish anything, well at least not in any kindsof timely manner.

Ta-da:



I added the little "pumpkin stem" at the top and now I wish the hat were dark orange and brown. Yum. Maybe I'll go buy more yarn? (I'm not supposed to be doing that) but I do like this hat quite a bit. Want to see it closer??



It was supposed to be for Luis but I have to say, it looked a bit silly on him. Good thing it looks cute on me. :) Apparently, I rock at making hats (as opposed to slippers). Have you seen this one?



Yes that's me and it was last summer and my arms are a bit porky but the hat rules. My Dad said it looked like cabbage so that's what I call it now. That was a fun pattern and you can find it here. It's cables done in short rows (no DPNs!) and it's not as difficult as it sounds. I plan to make another in blue. More pictures here (I was quite proud of myself).

So this is the last weekend to sign up for the swap (I've been having so much fun with this already). Here is a list of who I have so far:

Nina
Dita
Jordan
Sarah
Linda
Mary Beth
Heidi (Spiritual Knitter)
Heidi (Vacuuming in High Heels & Pearls)
Apron Thrift Girl (I read somewhere her name is Selena :) )
Lisa-Gabrielle
Lucy

If some one has e-mailed me and isn't listed here please hollar and I'll add you. The Yahoo spam blocker tends to eat things.

Also PLEASE send me your addresses (if you haven't already) so I can give it to your swap partner (I'll send you both an e-mail) AND so I can send you each a little something. (I have an amazing collection of vintage buttons by the way, my Grandmother was quite the collector). I'll be off-line for most of the weekend :( but will be back Monday with your buddies!

craft on sisters . . .

Rebecca

Crafty Fall

What is it about fall that makes us want to nest? And of course CRAFT while in the nest? Today is gloriously fall like, I wore my favorite little jean jacket blazer thing and a big fat scarf around my neck (a light weight one but a scarf none the less.) I've chatted with Nina about all the crafty things she's planning to do with her long weekend and I've of course made a long list myself.

I have big plans to make my own version of this and oh my God how cute is THIS? Oh and this which really makes me want to learn to knit with beads and this makes me want to try my hand at painting. (Lucy, thanks for the "no snow" thoughts, I'll allow it on Christmas day ;) )


So I started a hat:



The yarn is 100% wool, name brand is Chaco, I think, I lost the ball band. The lovely orange bag in the back is my new one skein knitter's tote that Nina brought me as a thank you for letting her stay at my house last weekend! How sweet since it was so fun to have her (and Dita!). It's from "Knit It!" magazine, here's a shot:



(pardon the glare) Those who know my knitting know I'm not much for the bright colors and I'm liking the way my brown and cream is coming. I'm ready to start the crown shaping with means DPNs and I so don't like those so we'll see how it goes.

Luis informed me that he's overhauling the office this weekend and if that happens I won't be able to get on line until he's finished. SO, I'm extending the sign up for the craft supplies swap until Sunday and I'll send out partners on Monday. Remember to send your e-mail and addresses!

cheers . . .

Almost Famous :)

I'm in print! :) I wrote a short article for the monthly newsletter for The Thrift Store Shopper. You can read my little story here. I am fortunate to share a page with Apron Thrift Girl! (By the way, ATG, send me your info for the swap ahem ;) ) You'll notice that ATGs article has beautiful pictures. I looked and looked for a picture of my thrifted Halloween Costume with no luck. Oh well. Cookie has asked me to contribute again so next time there will definately be pictures even if I have to fake them. ;)

The swap is alive and kickin' and I can't wait to get everyone paired up. We have a few more participants and I'll post a list on Friday and send out swap partners over the weekend.

So what else did we find on our Tour De Chance?



Pampered Chef Chilzane Bowl - $4 - Goodwill - I had the smaller one you see on top. This is for reference since my Mom or my Sister gave me the smaller one.

pink leaf dish - $2 - Selden Thrift - This is a favorite and goes wonderfully with the green leaf dish from a past thrift. Hmm, do I feel a collection coming on?

pig cutting board - $2 - Selden Thrift - I've already used this like 5 times. It says handmade in the Phillipines on the back. Don't you love his leather piggy tail for hanging?

pie shield - 35 cents - Selden thrift - already used this too. It's amazing, I didn't burn the crust. Who knew? (okay everyone knew but me . . .)

Still need to photograph a few more things from that weekend and I saw a comment from Nina about the pink apron and pink carafe we gave her. I will definately post that picture once she sends it, I've been dying to see her new pink kitchen myself. I did find this picture of the carafe:



What a crappy shot, it's so blurry, but you can still see the cuteness of it. :) I so rarely find these with the lids still intact and in great shape. Baltimore Goodwill, $3 I think . . . it's been awhile.

More to come . . .

xoxo

Tour De Chance

Hello! (imagine that being said in a very horse and scratchy voice.) I survived the crazy weekend of thrifting, eating, sight seeing and more eating. my cold only kept me down for part of yesterday. I guess I'll start with some of our adventures on Friday when we traveled all over Long Island in search of bargains.

Dita and I started our trip at 8:00 am and drove ALL THE WAY out to Selden which is about 60 miles from my house. Following Vax Girl's list, we hit the Selden Thrift first. At this time I am wishing I would have taken pictures of what we got at each store but alas, I didn't do it that way. So instead, I'll tell the story and then share some pictures. Okay? okay . . .

ANYWAY, we hit the Selden Thrift first. I have to say, I was a bit surprised at the prices. A small bedside lamp with a slightly dirty fringed shade was $20! But did we let this stop us? No way! We pressed on and did end up with some good bargains. We then went to the Good Will also in Selden. Our finds were minimal there but I did get a rug for my dining room for only $40. It was new and from Target so I was okay with the price. I mean, you really can't buy a new 5' X 8' rug for $40. Then we got lost. Then we went to Applebee's and the Pottery Barn Outlet and then we got lost again. To make a LONG story short, we did find the St. Vincent De Paul thrift store in Bethpage (our favorite stop of the day) and also went to the Savers since I figured I wouldn't get too lost trying to get there.

Some of my finds - all from St. Vincent De Paul (the only store specific photos I managed to take):



coffee/tea pot - $3

melamine sunflower bowl - 50 cents

mini cocktail shaker - 50 cents - probably my favorite find of the day

mini pitcher/creamer - 25 cents



Winnie the Pooh/Disney mugs - 75 cents each - my sister admired these when we were in Disney this summer so they are to be gifted to her

embroidered napkins - 25 cents each - these are high on the favorite finds list, too

St. Vincent's was cheapy cheap and the lady was very friendly. I also picked up a hand made pink and black apron for Nina (she's the one with the pink kitchen) but forgot to photograph it before I gave it to her. It was 50 cents. What a steal! Dita got some goodies as well but again, no photos. I do hope she will take some pictures when she gets home today. Since we had been out for 12 hours on Friday, the picture taking was not so great. I hope to have more to share through out the week as I start to recover. :)

I do have one non-thrifting picture to share:



From our dinner at my house last night. It was the best thing we did all weekend. That's my sweet Louie in the red (he's a fan of "finger guns" in pictures oy), Dita in the black shirt, Nina in the green, Minda behind her and Mary and David on the right. The last three are Nina's fabulous family who were visiting the Big Apple for the first time from Chico, California. It was a great weekend for sure. Soon I hope to share more about about Minda, David and Mary. They have their own business where they make and install fancy pants custom window treatments. YES, they are proffessional crafters. Sigh . . . .

Wow, lots of babble today! I'll be back tomorrow after you've had time to process. Hope everyone had as fine a weekend as I did.

ciao - Rebecca

PS - don't forget to sign up for our craft supplies swap, the cut off date is this weekend! I have quite the pile started in my craft room . . .

Oh my achin' . . .

Wow this cold is realling kicking my arse. I'm such a wimp so that it's probably not that bad. I'm going to rest tonight (while watching TV of course) so I'm fresh for my company! Dita arrives tomorrow night and Nina on Friday (fingers crossed!). So basically my house will still have dog hair tumble weeds and a slightly-less-clean than I would have liked bathroom but I'll be fresh as a daisy! And that's most important, right??

Here are some things from the weekend:



craft magazines - 25 cents each - the BH&G one was a bust. It was mostly wood working and VERY outdated. The other magazines had a few items to clip for my "to make" notebook and the Bernat Irish Knits book is full of crazy cabled things. This may be part of my "craft supplies swap lot" so if you're a knitter and part of the swap let me know!

vintage pot holder - 45 cents - this is way cuter than the picture allows!

OLD rolling pin - $2 - My Mom said that my fancy new silicone roller stinks and I needed a wooden one. She also thinks that red is probably 50s while green may be 40s. Of course she kept the green for herself.

zipper bag - 99 cents - this is one of those free with purchase bags from Estee Lauder but I really like the "vintage" travel pattern.

vintage hand bag - $7 - This is way more than I usually spend but this bag is in excellent shape and maybe it will be my very first EBay item. We'll see, I don't want to get in over my head with that. It is a lovely shade of brown and the lining is immaculent. I'll have to take a few more pix.

SWAP NEWS

So far, including moi, we have 9 swappers:

Nina
Dita
Sarah (of Sarah & Jack)
Apron Thrift Girl (go read about her trip to the Farm Chicks show!)
Mary Beth (of Thrift, Barter, Buy - soon to back I hope!)
Jordan (of Sweet George)
Heidi (aka Spiritual Knitter)
Linda (not sure if she has a blog? I only received an e-mail, let me know!)

So we'll give it until next week (spread the word!) and then get paired up. If we have an odd number, so what, I have more than enough to spread around. You will each need to e-mail me with your address so I can send it to your swap buddy and vice versa. Oh and so I can send you something too mwah ha ha ha . . . (I have addys for Dita, Nina and Jordan. Thanks!)

More to come . . .

cheers - bex

Back in Black

Well black and grey honestly. I've taken quite a lot of cold medicine today so bear with me. My brain is a bit fuzzy.

The weekend was good! The wedding was fun and the bride certainly had a good time. Mom, Mandi* (my illustrious sister) and I got a lot done for my upcoming bridal tea party and we still managed to fit in some thrifting time. Since I am swamped at work today I will only give you a quickie. This is my VERY FAVORITE thing thrifted this weekend:



vintage terry cloth table cloth - $5 - my Mom said she thought these were popular in the 60s. I love it! What a perfect picnic cloth. Now I'm ready for a picnic. Maybe I can fit one in this weekend with Dita and Nine? You know, after we make pumpkin pancakes, watch a movie, drink wine and sight see.

ciao!

'becca

Oh and don't forget to sign up for the swap! I've already starting creating piles!

* - if you visit Mandi's site, yes, that is Sting and yes that is me on the right. ;) You can see more of her portfolio here.

Swap Update

Morning! I realized I never listed a cutoff date for sign ups for the swap. Let's make these the official dates:

sign up today through Sunday October 1st

send out by Saturday October 21st

I think this gives everyone plenty of time to get me their info and then gather their stash items to send along to their partner. (Oh and time for me to match everyone up, too!) If you think I need a longer time period please let me know, I'm learning. :) I'm so glad everyone is into this!

So here's a little SNAFU from the weekend. I was all gung ho to make the free lambkin pattern over at Pattern Bee. So I picked out the fabric, cut it out, yada yada yada and started sewing. Then, the needle broke, I ran out of thread and the fabric frayed. The lamb was not to be. So it became . . .



. . . a dog toy. Mason was very excited. :) I do think I will try again. The pattern is too cute not to. There are a few other freebies over there so please check it out! She also has the cutest vintage transfers ever. Yes EVER.

I'll be out of town for the next few days so no updates until I return on Monday. Have a happy happy weekend and be sure to send me your info to be included in the swap!

xoxoxo

A Swappin' We Will Go!

Maybe it's time to try to organize a craft supplies swap. I think it will be good for all of us. (Okay, it will be especially good for me since I will send a little something to each participant and thus de-stash much faster than the rest of you. Ah ha!)

Anyway, I've never done this so please help me if I start screwing it up. My thoughts are that anyone who would like to swap (meaning they want to send supplies and receive some in return) please send me your info and tell me what kind of crafts you are into or even better, that you are looking to get into. I will do my best to match everyone up with a buddy. It should be easy considering how AMAZING we all are. :)

If you would like to receive some supplies yet have not much to trade (for people like Dita who just made room for a crafting area) please also send me your info. I'll send you something! :) (Anyone who feels like sending and not receiving can do this as well, e-mail me.)

Does that sound good? Now go tell your friends and neighbors! We should probably put a date on this thing and I'll hope you will be patient with me as I have two weekends of big fun coming up that may keep me from the post office. So how about we gather and mail out by October 11th That's 3 weeks, is that enough time? Too much time? Should we make it an even month? Can you tell I'm making this up as I go along?? HELP ME ;)

Onto crafty endeavors. Way back when Mom snagged me a ton of craft books at the thrift. My favorite is Jo Verso's Complete Cross Stitch Course. I like a lot of the projects and over the weekend made the lavender sachet:



I faked this. I did not use the recommended thread colors (I was being impatient) and the lavender flowers were supposed to be French knots (a combination of impatience and the fact that I kept pricking my finger). Regardless, I like it. My lavender is not that strong smelling (I've had it for awhile) and my shoddy hand sewing is pretty much hidden behind the lace ruffle so that is okay, too. The back is purple flannel. I'm planning to make a trio of these to give my boss for Christmas. She seems to dig hand made gifts.

It's so nice to actually finish something. :)

xoxoxo bellas!

De-Stashing

I got lots of great ideas on how to down size my craft stash including having a swap or give away. Is anyone interested? I've never organized one of these things before and since my reader base is on the small (very small) side I'm not sure if it would work. E-mail me with thoughts (link to the right) and maybe between all of us we could get something organized. I know I have things that someone else would put to good use.

Speaking of stashing, I picked all this up at the thrift on Saturday:



That's 2 bags of poly-fil, a bag of novelty yarn (that's yours Dita!), a bag of lace trims for a project Mom is working on, a bag of green braided trim and two pieces of flannel I *hope* to turn into a wee wonderfuls bear. I would like to modify the pattern to make it a boy bear for Luis' God son, Christopher. I think the total cost was around $7 or $8. Later this week I'll post pictures of my craft room (oh yes, I have a whole room) so you can see my mess. :) This is why I must purge!

I also thrifted these two linen tea towels:



Both are Fingal 100% linen made in Ireland. I paid 49 cents each for them. I can't not buy graphic tea towels! (Anyone else have this condition?)

Tomorrow I'll post about my crafty endeavors of the past weekend but in the meantime please check out Heidi's ribbon topiary. I love it!

cheers!

Scatter Brain

This weekend I . . . . honestly, I can't even remember what I did. I know I went to the craft stores and the thrift store and I know I made SOMETHING and I might have even finished something but . . . it was one of those black hole weekends. I just have so many projects going on right now that I can't keep anything straight. I need to focus. Easier said than done right?

Well I know I thrifted. I thrifted $39 of stuff. That's a lot for the Savers. The haul? Here is some (in yet another crappy photo - I have no clue how to photograph thrifted stuff? Any ideas? tips?):



long oval cutting board with metal handles - $5 - I really liked this so I was okay with the high price. It is made well, heavy and not very "scarred." It will be a great cheese board.

cocktail forks - $1.99 for 6 - these were individually sealed in little bags and I wasn't sure about them but I've been wanting cocktail forks. Anyway, turns out they are Oneida. :)

Christmas tray - 49 cents - is it vintage? I have no clue but I LOVE the design!

books - 99 cents each - Better Homes and Gardens Christmas crafts has some cute things. Tea Craft was picked up for my Mom since we are throwing a tea in a few weeks for my brides maids.



duvet cover - $8 - now that's a BIG price tag for the thrift but this is very well made and a nifty geometric pattern. I am always looking for a cover for my sad old down comforter and this will do nicely.



candy jar (far right) - 99 cents - this is my candy jar collection I was telling you about. I still don't know what to put in them. I think I only paid about a dollar for each and I love how they are all differently shaped yet all match. I will probably not buy anymore, I think 4 is a good number.

There is more but I won't go overboard today. More to come tomorrow. Also more to come on what I actually accomplished craftwise this past weekend.

I'm feeling the need for a purge. I am overwhelmed with stuff. Particularly crafting supplies (I hereby do solemnly swear NOT to buy any craft supplies for the next 9 months - please help me stick to that!) Seriously, I need to get rid of things. I'm going to go through and start getting together bags for the thrift of clothes, shoes and house hold items but I don't know what to do with the unwanted craft supplies. I wonder if you can open an Etsy shop just to sell supplies? I'm sure someone could get some good use out of them.

Remind me tomorrow to tell you about the craft supplies I bought over the weekend ha ha. Sick I tell you . . .

until next time . . .

Rebecca

For the Love of Martha and All Things Pumpkin

I'm so glad to know I am not alone in the magazine obsession! Almost all of you left comments on how you too love the glossy covered craft, home and fashion bibles. :) My favorite thing though was that Heidi said she picked up the new October Martha Stewart which prompted me to run right to Barnes & Noble to get it (my subscription must have run out!), caused Nine to send me an e-mail that she read Heidi's comment and was planning to pick it up AND Sarah mentioned that she was planning to run out for one as well! You know what they say about great minds . . . :)

So what's on for the weekend? Big plans? No Plans? I'm somewhere in the middle of that. I'd love to do nothing. Especially since my next few weekends will be packed with activity. However, my house is in desperate need of a Fall cleaning and Vaxgirl sent me an e-mail that there is a Salvation Army near the thrift I frequent so you know I'm already planning to check it out tomorrow morning. I'm so easily led. Here's another example. Cookie from The Thrift Shopper clued me in to a contest being run by Michael's for decorating a foam craft pumkin. Details here. My brain of course started to buzz and now I want to hit the craft store TODAY and get started.

By the way, DITA and NINE, no telling on what my pumpkin will be. ;)

Last time I thrifted I picked up a pair of slippers from the Hotel de Russie in Rome for 99 cents. I forgot to post about them and I promised Luis I'd showcase his feet on the blog so here you go:



Ah, La Dolce Vita!

Ciao bellas, and have a fantastico weekend!

R

Updated - FINALLY

I updated the links on the right there. Go check them out!

xoxo

$18.98??

$18.98. That's how much I dropped on magazines at the Hudson News yesterday morning. I'm a sucker for magazines. For someone who tries to live thrifty and "claims" to be cheap, I fall off the wagon at the news stand. I also get like 6 magazines mailed to me so I assure you, this is a sickness.



Yeah, I can't help it. Ofcourse Martha is my favorite but Country Living comes in a close second. I mean how cute is that pumpkin cake on the cover?? You know I'm making that, right? AND it's made from a box mix. That's my kind of cake. Also, they have a Flea Market page on their website where you can post things you have to sell and browse others. Check it out here.

I'm still on the fence about Blueprint which is new from Martha. the first issue was okay but I didn't love it. I thought I'd give it one more chance. :)

The new Knit It has some to die for cute baby hat and bootie patterns and a bag from Nicky Epstein. You know, if you like doing all those hours of color work and then felting it down to mish mash.

The other one is Creative Home, one of the hundreds of publications by Better Homes & Gardens (who I also think distributes Knit It for that matter.) I usually find some good decorating tips.

So why all the magazines? You see, I have this book . . .



I mean I can't possibly KEEP all the magazines, right? So instead I cut out all the stuff that inspires me to be creative and paste them in this book. It can be anything for the instructions for Christmas crafts you see here to just pictures I like. I can jote down notes, too. Now I have a place to go when I want to make something but I just don't know what. Occasionally I cut out things to mail to other people. Be glad I don't have your address.

So anyway, that's that. Now you know something about me. I'm obsessed with magazines and cut & paste. :)

xoxo
R

PS - Hillary's new pattern is up for sale here!

W(h)IPs

WIP - acronym for Work In Progress (also known as UFO or unfinished object).

Whip - to strike with a slender lithe implement especially as a punishment.

That is how I feel about my ever growing stack of WIPs. I'm such a starter! I need to be a finisher. Remember Monday I said I may have another finished project to share? I was referring to this:



At this point I've pinned the head to the dress but that's about it. It sits alone (and probably dusty) on my desk.

I also have this:



It's my "subway project" meaning it A.) fits in my bag B.) can be knit on circular needles and C.) consists mostly of stockinette stitch with little thought involved. It's Lucie from the new Fall Knitty being done in Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in Verdigris. I have boatloads of this stuff.

There is also another sweater, an afghan, TWO cross stitch kits and stitched sachets all in different stages of "doneness." I won't bore you with the details nor mention all the other projects "on deck" like various Christmas ornaments, napkins to be embroidered and the pattern I just bought to sew an apron. Sigh . . .

I want to be like Dita. Dita finishes things. Things like this Donna Summer Solid Gold Disco bag (I named it myself thanks):



and the super cute Pumpkin Patch pillow:



Both of which are DONE despite the fact that Dita is running from the "Crochet Po-Po" AND planning a trip to visit yours truly. Maybe some of her dedication will wipe off on me. We have big plans to thrift, craft and sightsee with Nine as long as we can avoid the THREE B'S - bourbon, B&B and Beer. (actually I think that's 4 B's) :)

So here's to gettin' shit done. Salute' Dita!

xoxoxo
Rebecca

Hello Fall!

Well it sure feels like fall in New York City today. My toes are very cold. (Nice excuse to buy new shoes, huh?) I felt in a very fall mood yesterday even after spending Saturday at Shea and getting a sunburn. See Luis enjoying a nice frosty Mets Bud Light?



We're about the clinch the NL East so give it up for the New York Metropolitans! (woot woot)

Okay, back to FALL. Yesterday, while Luis began his day of watching THREE football games, I headed out to do some shopping. First stop, the Savers. Not much to be said but here it is any way:



stuffed pumpkin - $1.99 - my only fall decoration as of yet
glass creamer - 97 cents - I love these little glass creamers. Here is my whole collection of 3!



I just like them, I don't know why. My favorite it the one on the right sitting on the footed candy dish. I think they need a nicer shelf.

Also picked up SEVENTEEN napkins (geesh):



I guess I can thank my mother for the fact that I used the phrase "Today was a good day for napkins." They were 49 cents each and I totally put back like 3 sets. My favorite is the black and white in the top right corner so of course I only found one of those. It will make nice lining for a little zipper bag I think. I'm also fond of the red and white polka dot ones, very different and a nice soft, used linen. The appliqued napkins will be gifted, the green used as fabric and the purple edged and red ones to be embroidered and gifted. Oh yes, I have plans.

I also hit the craft store and the fabric store. I cleaned out the remnant bin and scored a few Making Memories items in the clearance aisle for cheap. Once home, I got right to work on an old project that was just waiting for the right fabric. I can't say much, it's a gift to a blog reader, but here is a sneak peek:



Isn't that the most delicious combo? (please ignore my crappy hand sewing, it needs work.)

Well now I'm in craft mode so maybe tomorrow we'll see another completed project. But don't hold your breath.

Cheers!
R

Goodbye Summer

Well that's it, isn't it? The end of the summer. I'm glad. I will miss the beach but other than that, bring on the fall! It's my favorite season. I start knitting with a new fire (scarves for everyone!) and I can't wait to take the AC units out to the garage. I want to light pumpkin spice candles and make stew. I love the fall.

I've been so busy this summer that it just flew by. I always feel it takes twice as much effort to do anything when it's hot. I'm just not a summer girl. I wilt. I'm looking forward to all of my upcoming fall activities: Monica's wedding, trips to Cold Spring, a visit from Nine and Dita and even a visit from my parents! My Dad hates New York City but he loves to fix stuff so he's coming to hang my closet doors and revent my dryer. :) It's a good way to get him to visit.

Luis and I spent two of our Labor Day weekend days in Atlantic City. We are not big gamblers but we like to get a free hotel room and walk the steel pier. We are also known to play the money wheel (we lost) and I am oddly attracted to the penny Star Wars slot machines. I won $22 on Chewbacca!

Well enough babbling, I hit the thrift on Saturday on a whim. It was not a great trip.



satin box - $2 - it says "hosiery" on the bottom. I think it's cute and can use it in my dresser.
candy jars - $2 each - this is a terrible picture of these jars. I have a third and they are all different sizes. I'm looking for something to fill them with other than candy. I have some beach glass and shells but not quite enough. Ideas??



linen towel - 49 cents - House Plants, very cute!
napkins blue/white cotton - 49 cents each - my favorite color combo and to be used as kitchen towels
linen napkins - 49 cents each - I bought these to do cross stitch on. I learned a agreat technique where you put the aida cloth on top of the napkin and do your cross stitch and then cut out the aida. I stitched an "R" on one napkin and it's very cute but I totally didn't center it properly. I'll post a picture tomorrow. I know it wouldn't do to rip it out, there will be too many holes, so I may just suck it up and stitch the other one off-kilter to match. :)

So what are your plans for fall? What kind of crafts are on deck? What are looking for at the thrift?

Tomorrow we talk about how I found Sizzix dies for $1 each! Anyone else out there own a Sizzix machine??

ciao!
Rebecca