Going Squirrelly

Maryland has had almost 80 inches of snow in 2010. It is only February! Yikes. I know the entire state has cabin fever but I don't feel for them. At least they can WALK. Even if it is just to pace around their house or shovel their drive ways. I'm going bananas. I have 8 more weeks of sitting on my butt. I'll be certifiable by then for sure.



I've crocheted a menagerie including the squirrel above. He is another one of my original patterns and he's quite a bit cuter than his picture shows. I may try to go back and write down the pattern.



Here are some half made crocheted friends. The cat is coming out quite cute even though I HATE. THAT. YARN. Seriously. It's tough to see the stitches and it makes fuzz all over you. The green frog on the right (hard to tell, I know) is for a special project I'll share when it's done. A bit of a contest, really.



These two were made for my dear friend Dana's little boy Charlie for Christmas. The bunny is knit and is a Debbie Bliss pattern from her new magazine and the giraffe is crochet and is a free pattern from Lion Brand which can be found here. I'm very happy with the way they came out and am pleased that Charlie and his Mom liked them. :)

I'm sure in another week I'll be buried in crocheted and knit toys. Obviously I need a new hobby.

xoxoxo
~RR

Making Friends

As you know, I have A LOT of time on my hands and on my butt (sitting on it, that is.) You also know I love to knit and crochet and my forte leans toward toy making.



I love stuffing them, sewing their little arms and legs on, etc.



I found this great new yarn at Michael's a few weeks back and then immediately found out they were discontinuing it! It's a cotton acrylic blend which is my favorite for toy making. It went on clearance for something like 80 cents a skein and I scooped up a ton of it. Then I designed my own pattern for a fun teddy friend:



What do you think? The colored bears are made with the yarn I mentioned and the brown one is made with standard worsted weight acrylic so he comes out a bit bigger. They are around 20 inches tall and make great friends! I plan to type up the pattern and list it for sale on Etsy for a few measly bucks. What do you think? It is a worthy pattern?



I am working on a little sweater for the brown bear, I thought he needed some color.

I have listed all of my free crochet patterns here on Ravelry along with the label section on the side bar under patterns. I'm excited to publish this first pattern and am already working on a few more. :)

I was wondering if I have any crocheters out there who may want to test my pattern for me? Supplies needed would be yarn (2 skeins usually will do it), stuffing and buttons. So if you have that laying around and are interested in helping me test the pattern please let me know. I'm looking for 2 to 3 volunteers. I should have the pattern available this week.

ciao!
Rebecca

'Tiquing in Havre De Grace

It's time for me to get off the pity pot and back to being as normal as possible, don't you think? So I thought I'd share some photos from a trip we took to Havre De Grace, Maryland a few days before I fell.



Havre De Grace is a cute little town on the Susquehanna River . There are fun little restaurants and shops and loads and loads of antiques. Now you know me, I don't buy big stuff. I like all the little things so I'm drawn to those big antique "malls" where there are lots of different booths to explore.



The Seneca Cannery is our favorite place to visit. Mom and I have been there a few times before and there is always a lot to explore. My Dad joined us on this last trip and he found some interesting things to check out as well.







Look at all the goodness! I love those silk boxes. I have a few of my own and thought about picking up another but ended up passing on them. Now I wish I hadn't! I did find quite a few fun things to bring home:



A fun collection of Swiss Raffia Straw (some of which will be up for sale in the shop once I'm able to reopen) a small ceramic giraffe with an opening in his back that I plan to make into a little pin cushion, a pink depression glass dish and some gold foil leaves that I can't wait to use in a project!



Some vintage red carded buttons, an old crochet book of those cute little pot holders we are all fond of, a Lassie Golden Book, some Aunt Martha's transfers, a crocheted heart pin holder, some vintage get well cards and a neat old pack of travel brochures from TWA:



I thought this was a fun find! Lots of neat graphics and ephemera. Some of which I'll use for projects and some I'll include in some new paper packs for the shop. I also snagged some fun trims as well.

I hope to continue to heal quickly so I can get to all these projects that seem to be stacking up in my mind. I'm not sitting too idle over here, I am working on something I hope to share soon. I will tell you that I'm going to miss the thrift store. Even once I'm able to go out a bit using a wheel chair (Mom promised to roll me around the mall one of these days lol) the thrift store will be quite difficult to navigate I think. I'm already going to miss the big Treasure Sale coming up next week but hope Mom will go in my place and come home with a big bag of booty!

I'd like to thank everyone who visits here at Thrifty Goodness and my Facebook friends for all the kind thoughts and words of encouragement. :) Especially Jean over at Quilting Ranny who has really helped me know what to expect with this break as she went through the same thing not long ago. Thanks again, Jean!

hugs
Rebecca

Seriously . . .

Why me? I was cleared by the doc to return to New York. i had tickets to go to the Martha Stewart show. I had an appointment with a job recruiter. And what did I do? i fell and broke my leg. In three places.

No, seriously.

Dolly Anna

As you know, I DON'T SEW. Okay, that's a joke now as I do TRY to sew. Sometimes. One thing I was able to make for the holidays were some dolls from the Tone Finnanger book "Sew Sunny Homestyle." This is a lovely book and I find her patterns easy to read and understand even for a novice like myself.

Meet Dolly Anna:





Made for my Mom for her birthday, I think she turned out cute! I added the little wreath to the original pattern:



All the materials I used were fabrics and items I already had on hand. That is my favorite way to make something! I mostly only buy fabric from the thrift store or out of the remnant bin and I look for creams, browns, pinks and whites for doll making plus small scale patterns and unusual fabrics (like the golden tulle used here for a skirt). I made this same doll for the Sparkling Winter White Swap but OOPS! Forgot to take a photo. :) I made her in more white fabrics plus added a crystal style crown to stick to the Sparkling theme. :)

*********

I haven't said anything here yet about the disaster in Haiti. What a sad sad event in such an impoverished country. It breaks my heart to see all the orphaned children and I wish I could take them all in. It is nice to see so many rushing aid to the country. One such aid mission is that of the U.S.N.S Comfort, a huge floating Naval hospital that harbors here in Baltimore. The Comfort is currently a day or so outside of Haiti and I know it will be a huge help when it arrives. In hind site I think I would have enjoyed being a Navy Nurse. :)

Hattitude

I love to knit hats. They just . . . WORK for me. I can do them without much effort and don't even end up in my typical double pointed needle curse-a-thon when I get to the decreasing for the crown part. I can rip hats off my needles in factory style efficiency. So many of the men in my life get, guess what, for Christmas? Yep, hats. Now do I remember to always photograph said hats? Eh . . . no. I made two hats for my sister this year with not a shot to share. Oh and I made THE CUTEST little bear cub hat for my best friend's little one and don't have a picture of that either. Le sigh . . .

However I did seem to remember to shoot this one:



That would be my brother-in-law modeling his Empire hat (fit with a Storm Trooper on the front, to boot). This hat is made from acrylic yarn (wool makes him itch) and I found the Star Wars knitting patterns here. He seemed happy with it. :)

My absolute favorite hat of the season was made for my cousin Kyle:





Nice. :) Made of lots and lots of wool and I'm hoping to write out the pattern for this puppy as soon as I can.



Had to stick that shot of Mandi in there. Glad my family is full of people with Hattitude. :)

Fondly ~ Rebecca

PS - still recovering and feeling much much better. Thank you all for the kind words. I'll see the doctor on Monday!

Surfacing . . .

Why hello there, you're still here? I know, I know, I already broke one of my New Year's resolutions - TO BLOG MORE OFTEN. Sigh . . . But in my defense I've been sleeping. In fact I went to sleep after Christmas and woke up in 2010!



To catch you up, I DID need a second surgery and went into the hospital on 12/26. Since then I've been in a bit of a sleepy haze. This last week I've been doing more (like getting out of bed and even going to Target for a book and medicine.) Today I'm feeling more like me. See?



I look okay, right? Now my husband is looking at this going WHAT?!? Well honey . . . When in Rome . . .



Needless to say, I'm still in Baltimore recuperating and trying not to over do it like I did last time. I'll be spending my day doing a little scrapbooking with my Mom and sister:



And then watching the game. Until the next time - GO RAVENS!

hugs,
RR

PS - You CAN always go home. :)

Seriously . . .

Why does my luck have to lean to the dark side? I mean, why can't I win the lottery? Why instead do I have to be one of the 5% of people who need to have ANOTHER surgery on their spine? Sigh . . . I am jumping ahead of myself. They haven't actually said I need a second surgery. YET. But the same discs they removed parts of in September are bulging again and causing some weakness in my left foot. Oy. What luck, huh? So put all your good jou-jou together and send it my way because I seriously have no patience for this.

Meanwhile, I'm in Baltimore visiting my parents and we had a blizzard yesterday. Close to 2 feet of snow!



It really is beautiful but there is a lot to clean up today and I am hobbling around and not much help.

Before I made the drive down here I spent a few days having my niece and nephew visit from Oregon. The kids have never been to NYC before and we had a great time seeing the Statue of Liberty and visiting the REAL Santa at Macy's. Their favorite part?



Riding the subway. :)

I've also been making a few things but many are gifts and swaps so I can't share them yet. Except for these needle books:



Aren't they cute? The fabric is vintage scraps I found at the flea market in Connecticut in the fall. Once the holidays are over and I'm past whatever medical crap is coming my way I'll list them, plus my extensive vintage apron collection, in the shop.

I hope to be back one more time before Christmas with some photos but just in case let me wish you the merriest, happiest day of the year.

Peace on Earth.
Rebecca

It's Alive!

Hellooooo??? Is any body out there??? Yes, I'm here and YES I know, it's been far too long since I've written. Thanksgiving weekend was packed with fun and excitement, so much so that I threw my back out and have spent the last three days in bed. Ugh. I'm feeling somewhat better today (despite the nagging thoughts of how much crap needs to get done around here) but I still plan to take it easy.

So how about a recap?



Thanksgiving dinner was fab! (ha ha don't you love the can shaped cranberry sauce? My DH doesn't like when I slice it!) I'm totally patting myself on the back for this one. lol I did most of the cooking and left the heavy lifting to Nine and Louie. Everything came out hot and on time. Later this week I'll share the recipe for slow cooker corn bread casserole. It's divine!

Nine and I waiting for the train to head into Manhattan for some holiday cheer.



We spent hours in Macy's looking at the jewelry and oogling the ornaments. Here are just a few examples of the gorgeous trees set up in the Macy's in Herald Square:









And talk about a small world! While waiting in a long line to make a purchase I started chatting with the girls behind me. Turns out they were from Towson State University and had marched in the Macy's Thanksgiving parade! I'm from Baltimore (which is where Towson State is located) and to run into them among the millions of people visiting the big apple is just too funny.



Let's see if I get this right: from the left - Sloane, Courtney, Christie and Christina. I think! I gave the girl's my blog address and hope they stop by to see their photo. :)



And that's me in Bryant Park trying to soak up all the fun I could. It was a fabulous weekend! Now if only my back would heal completely so I can get a move on all the things that are piling up over here. Wish me luck!

~RR

Times they are a changin' . . .

It's about to get a whole lot thriftier over here at Thrifty Goodness. I found out on Friday that my last day of work will be December 4th. I have to say that I knew I wasn't going to make it through yet ANOTHER layoff (I've survived 5 at this point) but it's still hard to process. I've worked for Sprint for almost 8 years and it's the only job I've had since I moved to New York City from Baltimore in 2002. My husband still works for the company (thankfully) and I do get a nice severance package that will give me time to find a new job. I'll admit, I've had it good these last 18 months being able to work from home and I know that won't come my way again. So I'm tightening the belt, upping the Thrifty quotient and squirreling away all the money possible so I can be selective in my next career choice.

Now onto the Thrifty, right?


(boy I nees a haircut!)

Mom and I visited the Elephant's Trunk flea market on a gorgeous Sunday in November. We really lucked out with beautiful weather and some fun finds. Do I have photos? Um, no. But in my defense the vintage hankies and aprons are drying on the rack downstairs and the vintage holiday cards are set to be loaded in The Goodness Shop this week.

While visiting Mom in Baltimore we attended another Treasure Sale. As always I found loads of great craft supplies at amazing prices including knitting needles and crochet hooks (which I always grab as they are only 25 cents each and can range from $3 - $8 in the craft store) and some sweet fabric scraps. My absolute FAVORITE find this trip was this:





Never. Even. Used. And all mine for 50 cents! I've already put them to the test and they are great! And how cute is that box? Seriously, am I getting all ga ga over scissors? Yes. Yes I am.

So now when I thrift it will be with a new eye. An "I know I can find something here for CHEAP that I would normally buy at, say, Target" sort of eye. Like a new ironing board. And stuff to organize my closets.

So I'm off to peruse the employment sites, figure out my separation benefits package and become the Coupon Queen of Corona. Wish me luck!

~RR

. . . and then they crafted.

Hello! I know, I've been absent for so long, not only from writing but from reading as well. The plus to working from home is that I get so much more done during the day than I did when I worked in the office. However, I also spent my lunch breaks and other, ahem, breaks, perusing blogs. Not only do I miss my friends (both old and new yet to be found) but also the daily inspiration! So I'm trying to get up early each day and hope that those extra hours will help me fit in some extra blog reading and I guess, cleaning. Sigh.

So we held our newly annual Christmas Crafting Tea last weekend. What a blast! I think we have a solid group of crafters now made up of both family and friends. Mom and I had a great time decorating. Luckily her Christmas stuff is in her hall closet (unlike mine that is buried out in the garage) so we pulled out a tote and hoped for the best.



I was so happy with the look especially the snow flakes on the chairs:



And the Martha Stewart gingerbread house boxes that I got after Christmas last year at Macy's for $2 each!



We had a wide variety of food:



Dessert:



and crafting supplies:



Everyone brought a delicious dish to share and the smell of hot apple cider and the sound of holiday tunes really made for a festive atmosphere. Mom made it extra special by making up a holiday crafting aprin for everyone and fun monogram pins.

So what did we make?

Chenille baskets:



Wish boxes (an idea I took from my dear friend Ms. Sid!):



and paper treat cones which of course I forgot to take any pictures of and they are still at my Mom's place since I came home on the train. I'll share more pictures as I get them.

So needless to say our day was fun, festive and extremely crafty!



Thank you, girls, for helping us kick off the holiday season in high fashion!


xoxoxo
~RR

Victoriana

I love to make Christmas ornaments. This coming Saturday I'm hosting a Holiday Crafting party and have three different ornament projects on the menu. We had such a good time last year that we decided to make it an annual affair. I can't wait to see what everyone creates this year!

In the mean time I've made a few ornaments on my own. I love old Victorian post card images and have a folder full of printed ones. I also had on hand some wooden circles and squares and of course a plethora of paper and doo dads to use as well.







I love the way the turned out and they were so easy and inexpensive to make! Oh and fun, too. I think one key to the cuteness factor is glitter and using "pop dots" to raise the images and give them some depth. :) I have already started a few more. Hopefully I can whip out enough to give as gifts and maybe even put a few up for sale in the shop. (Which I'll be reopening with some fun new vintage items next week!)

If you'd like to make your own you can find some fun images on Flickr in this photo pool. Also doing a google image search for Victorian post cards or images can produce some fun results and I do believe Dover Publications sells some nice CD collections of images as well.

This project was inspired by a Valentine ornament I made last year. See it here along with a tutorial for crepe paper pin wheels.

I'll be back next week with crafty party tales! Oh and check out Sweet Goodness Swaps for our new swap posting today!

~kiss kiss~