treasures . . .

So I'm sure you know that I didn't just get the fabric and the fabulous milk glass on my last thrift-o-spree right? Of course. One thing I went looking for were a few Easter decorations.



I can't help it but I love that bunny basket. I think he was $3 and totally worth it. Not sure what I'll do with him yet, perhaps make him the grand centerpiece? What should go in him? The possibilities are endless. :) The other basket is that thin papery wood, balsa perhaps, of all cheap Easter baskets but that's soft chenille wound in with it. Not sure if this is old or not but it's pretty cute. I was intending it as my niece's basket but might be greedy and keep it for myself. The bag inside are the nice ribbon scraps I mentioned the other day. In the front there are some handmade Easter things that were all in a bag together for $2. The pink bunny and little chick are my favorite and are made from pom poms and walnut shells.



Does anyone else remember walnut crafts? LOL These two will find a place on my Easter Tree that I hope to get out this weekend.



Now I know I've seen that house wife cheese grater somewhere else before. I had to snatch her up even though I can't for the life of me remember the last time I even used a cheese grater. The salt and pepper shakers say Japan on the bottom and still have their rubber stoppers. In fact they still had salt and pepper in them. Yuck. The basket is one for silverware and napkins and should get some use at Easter brunch and the pot is Dansk enamelware. It goes perfectly with my Le Creuset:



I paid $8 for the Dansk pot and $7 for that yellow Le Creuset in the middle there. I won't tell you how much that bouillabaisse pot on the bottom was but it weighs about 25 pounds and still gets tons of use. I guess I'm a bit of an enamelware lover.

How funny that inanimate objects can bring use such joy. :) And just looking at my treasures again has given me the taste for the hunt. Bring on the weekend!

cheers
R

Karma :)

Back in December I received a lovely package from Heidi. Along with that gorgeous pin was a gift certificate to Savers, a national thrift store chain. Normally, a gift certificate is burning a hole in my pocket and I run out and spend it right away. But this one stuck around awhile. First, I didn't make it to Savers until early February and when I got there I realized that I had left the gift certificate home! But I wasn't making that mistake twice and made sure it was in my bag when I headed out treasure hunting last Saturday.

Well, I say KARMA because look what I used it for:



Karma because I know Heidi would have snagged that hobnail cake plate for herself and because at $10 I probably wouldn't have bought it without having a gift certificate.* Oh and if I hadn't forgotten the GC when I went the last time I might not even have stopped there last weekend! And those milk glass mugs? They're pink. Oh yes, pink.



The most lovely palest pink and I had to have them. I certainly don't need anymore glassware (as DH is quick to point out) but COME. ON. Pink milk glass? Who are we kidding, I wasn't leaving them behind. I'm thinking they will make lovely tea cup pin cushions. Thoughts?

So THANK YOU, Heidi. It's almost like you knew. ;)

*******************************

Spring swap coming soon over at Sweet Goodness. We've cooked up a good one, let me tell you! It will be announced on Monday March 24th and there is a short sign up period so stay tuned!

*******************************

Thank you all so much for the kind words on my curtains. :) I do really like them. And they are really encouraging me to just go for it with other sewing projects I was afraid to botch! Hope to have something new to share soon. :)

cheers
Rebecca

* - for some reason I think of money differently at the thrift. The cake plate, which is a nice, heavy milk glass hobnail with a ruffle edge (for the love of Pete!) was $9.99. At the thrift that is INSANELY high. But at say TJ Max or on EBay it would be a score! I mean what is wrong with me? Yeesh. Glad I came to my senses on this one.

Windfall

I wish I had taken my camera to the thrift stores on Saturday. I could have shown you the dangers of not thrifting for a few weeks and how you, well maybe just I, feel the need to fill the basket to the top to make up for it!

So I'm guessing someone cleaned out their sewing room and sent it all the the thrift and I made out like a bandit! I bought a huge stack of fabric and a bag of nice ribbon and trims.



Most of the pieces you see here were 99 cents and nothing I bought was under 2 yards. I'm trying to come up with a project for those two big pieces of corduroy (black and red.) They are very soft and I have about 4 yards of each.



Sorry the pictures are dark, we had tons of rain over the weekend. Three nice cotton prints, two cowboy motifs and one rocket ship. Not sure what I'll do with them but I couldn't leave them behind. :)



There are about 4 yards of this heavy upholstery fabric. It blends in with my decor very well. I'm planning to cover a small foot stool I have and perhaps make some seat cushions for my dining room chairs. I'm nervous to sew it on the machine as it's so thick but we'll see.



These are my two favorites. The cherry pattern is cotton and the blue is linen, I think, and there is a lot of it. Too bad I can't make clothes, it would be cute as a skirt. Once everything was washed inspiration hit and I turned the cherries into these:



Such terrible lighting, I know. But the curtains came out nice and I had enough for this window on the kitchen door and one panel for the small window over the sink.

So my sewing is progressing! I also cut some squares for that quilt and worked on another project I'll share soon.

Oh and I emailed Jenn earlier to say I thought of her this weekend while sewing. It was mostly because while I was working I had Star Wars on the TV and I knew only she would appreciate the combo of crafting and Han Solo. ;) LOL

cheers
R

My So Called Life

The wonderful Leigh Ann tagged me to do the interesting "describe yourself" in 6 words thing. You can read hers here, the enigmatic VQ's here and my favorite new buddy, Thimbleanna's here.

So I thought about it and if you would have asked me to blurt out the first thing to come to mind it would have been "STRESSED OUT, NEED A MARGARITA, STAT." But then I give it a bit more thought and came up with these, all basically the same meaning:

Always a Jack of All Trades or A Little Miss Know it All or Love Learning Something New Every Day. (you decide)

I've worked in sales, the music industry, restaurants, health care and telecom.

I went to college for, in no particular order, Oceanographic studies, Literature, Ancient History, Operatic Voice and Massage. I would like to go again for Anthropology.

I'm a certified Sports Massage Therapist who specialized in rotation disorder.

I knit, I crochet and I sort of sew. I can make you ANYTHING out of paper.

I'm a wife and somewhat of a cook.

I know CPR and First Aid and how to fix a toilet.

I can name all the Egyptian Pharaoh's of the 18th and 19th dynasties IN ORDER.

I can sing, from memory, songs in English, Latin, Italian and German.

I could tell you where to go and 6 different ways to get there in the great city of New York.

I could go on and on . . . .

So how do you capture in a photograph the spirit of a girl who still doesn't know what she wants to be when she grows up??


*photo by Mandi Loranger. Not one of her favorite photographs, but certainly one of mine*


And now to tag a few of you to share your six word memoirs, how about Wendy, Linda and Jane.

fondly . . .

Going to Pieces

I stayed home sick yesterday. While I spent a great deal of time on the sofa I also got a few things done. First off, the bunnies now have faces and clothes:



I think the one on the right is my favorite. Her little outfit came out so cute. Both bunnies are made entirely from scraps I had in the fabric bin.

I then added some pink cheeks to the left bunny:



Not sure if I love the rosy cheeks and I'm definitely not sure of her Napoleon hat! These bunnies need names. Suggestions?

Also yesterday I came up with the bright idea to start a quilt. Yes, me. The NON-sewer*. Must have been the fever! So I pulled out all the vintage pillow cases I've been hoarding:



Well they sort of match. I'm thinking a nice beach blanket, huh?



Once I started cutting the pieces I realized that I had to ditch one of the blue cases as it wasn't actually a case, it was a strip from a sheet and wouldn't yield many squares. I worried that would throw off my "pattern." *eyes rolling here*




So here is how the top is laying out so far. I have 6 different patterns cut into 5 inch squares. Each row/strip will have 12 squares. So far so good? I have no idea. I will either love it for it's cuteness or love it for it's sheer ugliness. Either way I win.

Now my quilty friends out there will have to come to my rescue once I actually get the top put together. I already have some cotton batting and I think the right sheet to use as the backing but as far as the actual quilting goes, I'm a bit scared. I thought about getting a light terry cloth for the back but A) I wonder, will it be too thick to sew through?? and B) that will defeat my purpose of using stuff I already have. Thoughts??

hugs - R

* - I CAN sew. I know that. But I have practically no patience which does not help and thus frustrates me. Plus I hate ruining things and this has kept me from even trying to sew the simplest things. The rabbits were a success and that makes me venture into more trying patterns. I appreciate all your fine comments and encouragement!

. . . Like Rabbits

Bunnies
Originally uploaded by http://www.flickr.com/people/goodnessshop/

Finally did some sewing this weekend. It was much easier than I thought! I relocated the sewing machine to the dining room table where I can cut and iron all right next to the machine. What a difference! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE having a craft room but it really needs to be set up differently I think.

So here are my bunnies. The pattern is from the Tone Finnanger Springtime crafts book. They were pretty easy to make and came out looking cute! The still need faces (the one on the left is now hand stitched together but still naked) and I need some practice on making tiny clothes. I totally did all my decorative stitching on the striped outfit with the upper thread not on properly and it came out all crazy looking. I figured out why (thank goodness because I was having a breakdown LOL) and the rest of the stitching went fine. I'm too lazy to make new clothes for the bunny on the right.

Both bunnies were made from fabric remnants I picked up in Joann sometime in the past. The red striped fabric was a vintage pillow case. The bunny on the right came out nicer because the fabric is heavier and has a bit of a sheen to it. The bunny on the left was easier to assemble because the fabric wasn't so stiff and I still think she looks okay. She'll be getting a brown linen dress decorated with the plaid fabric I used for her ears. Maybe they will get faces soon, too. :)

cheers!

Sometimes I worry about me . .

So yesterday I get this lovely text message saying "I'm here!" etc, etc" and I responded back WRONG NUMBER and went on my merry way. Then it hit me. And I looked at the text again and this time scrolled down to the bottom where it said "xoxo, Anna." DOH! I totally forgot that Anna, yes THEE Thimbleanna, was in New York and I told her to call me so we could meet up! I frantically called her back and she was nice and gracious and I felt like a big jerk. Sadly, I wasn't able to meet Anna this time due to an all day meeting but I PROMISE that I will meet her next time come hell or, well, you know. :) So Anna, so sorry for the RUDE text LOL! I swear I had been up for 2 days at that point. Can't wait until the next time!

So now how about something I can do right? THRIFTING.

I convinced my Mom to run out quickly with me on Sunday to hit a few thrifts before Luis and I made our drive back to New York. Our first stop was a Goodwill that had a $25 price tag on a severely chipped ceramic rabbit that I would bet wasn't more than 5 years old. Sometimes I worry about the state of thrifting in this country, too. It was a pretty disappointing trip until I hit the linen section:



I love linen tea towels, I suppose at this point I collect them! These are some of the nicest I have found and at only 50 cents a piece, a real bargain. The Butter Molds and the Rooster are my favorites and definite keepers but the others may make their way into swap packages or give aways. I also found a small tin and some nice thank you cards for reasonable prices, too.

Onto the Village Thrift which tends to usually produce some goods for me but this was a Sunday which is certainly not my favorite time to hit the stores. This store, and some others I suppose, only restocks during the week and has a sale on Saturdays which leads to "slim pickins" Sunday morning. I scored some jewelry (I've been collecting some old bits here and there in hopes of making a nice charm bracelet for myself) and these two gems:



The "I Love Grandma" apron is handmade and I'm not sure of the age. It's in perfect condition except for a small hole in the band where the thrift store put a tag on it (grumble grumble) I think it's adorable with those pink stripes! The fabric in the back is vintage Waverly called "Villa d'Este" which means East Villageand is funny because I used to live there. I know it's not that funny but still. I like to look for karma in the thrift store. ;) I've been considering reopening the Goodness Shop on Etsy to sell some of the vintage fabric and trim I've picked up along the way and this piece might end up there. Do people buy that stuff on Etsy? I just don't feel like dealing with Ebay.

As always, Mom did not disappoint with the pile of goodies she'd thrifted for me since my last visit and I brought home this stash:



See the vintage bride and groom in the back there? My Mom said "I got this for you because who else would want it?" Um okay. I think some of you would have snatched them up, too, right? The "Greetings from New York" hankie is a weird nylon but I like it anyway. :) Way in the back is a faux copper cone to hang on the wall. The paper coasters in the box say "Made in England" and have a price sticker of $1 from Hutzler's Department Store on them. The round coasters are from some Pennsylvania Dutch restaurant and are pretty funny.



The "Spritz the Lawn" one cracks me up for some reason. There is also one about a plump wife that makes me worry about the Dutch, too. ;) Here is a site where they have translated Dutch Proverbs into English and some will have you laughing out loud, like "His moon is already breaking the clouds" and "If all fools could fly, the sun would be eclipsed forever." And still others that will leave you scratching your head, like "It's raining pipe stems" and "Tasty is just one finger long." Sitting her typing this I am realizing that I think I linked to this site before. I certainly remember making the bold statement of working "Nou breekt mijn klomp" (That breaks my wooden shoe) into everyday conversation. So now I guess sometimes all of you will worry about me, too. ;)

So just remember, "If a beard were a sign of wisdom, the he-goat would be the wisest."

Until the next time . . .

And the WINNER is . . .

Round and round she goes and where she stops . . . . The winner of my Anniversary give away is Heidi at Spiritual Knitter! I've been lucky to count Heidi as a friend for a few years now and now have a pretty good idea of what to tuck into that Tiara Bag! :) Heidi, I'll be sending that bag your way next week! Congrats! Oh and please send me your address, I think the only one I have currently is your old work addy!

I didn't actually spin that wheel to pick the winner, I used this site and it selected comment #16. The wheel was made by my parents for the Casino Party they threw this past weekend. I'll share more from that later this week.

Oh, and I found ANOTHER Tiara Bag waiting to be filled with Goodness some time in the near future so stay tuned for another giveaway!

cheers
Rebecca

Give Away Extended!

Due to some crappy weather and the fact that I'm going away for the weekend I've decided to draw the winner of the Tiara Bag on Monday. :)

So if you haven't put your name in, go HERE and leave a comment! I've already stuffed some Goodness into the bag and it's getting fuller by the minute!

Have a fab weekend!
RR

WIP

WIP - work(s) in progress

I have a TON of them. Most are knit or crochet projects as I tend to have a short attention span. I could overload your poor computers with all the photos of half done crap at my house. (Don't worry, I won't.) I spent a lot of time on the sofa last weekend as I hurt my hip. Walking. And no, I'm not 85. I have no idea what I even did but it made it difficult to get around without whinging this weekend. I figured since I was sitting about a lot I should attempt to finish up some of my WIPs.



I think I'm going to make these into a scarf/wrap. They are very soft and "bendy" if that makes any sense. I've had this yarn forever, it's Silky Wool by Elsebeth Lavold and I have A LOT of it. And it wasn't cheap. It's a thin yarn and I love the texture but I just can't seem to find the right project for it. Crocheted hexagon pattern from this book. You can actually see the scarf hanging on a peg in the cover picture.



I started this for my sister way back in the summer. It's a kimono style wrap top from Interweave Crochet. This is the back. It woudn't take me that long to do the two front panels but I'm not sure I like it. I find that is a big reason for not finishing things, I don't like the way the project is going and just abandon them. I think I'll press on with this one as the yarn was a bargain and it shouldn't take too much longer to complete. Hopefully it won't look like one of those horrible hand crocheted things one finds in the thrift store bargain bin.



Irish Hiking Scarf made from a favorite yarn of mine, Filatura Summer Soft, which is no longer being made. It really is soft and has great stitch definition. This is an easy cable pattern and I like the way it's coming along. I plan to stash this away for Christmas next year. I feel good about starting early just like VQ.

And guess what? I actually DID finish something while on sofa sabbatical:



It's much cuter in person. :) Also made from Summer Soft, this is a pattern from Baby Crochet one of my all time favorite crochet books. The patterns are modern and sweet. This came out pretty big (I am a bad swatcher) but would fit a 12 month old I would guess. It still needs to be pressed and blocked but I'm happy with it. Most likely will make it's way to an expecting cousin.

I'm sure most of you knitters and crocheters know about these sites but just in case:

Knitting Pattern Central
Crochet Pattern Central

They are very up to date with ALL of the free knit and crochet patterns out there on the internet. You could spend days looking through everything.

cheers
R

PS - don't forget to leave a comment on my Anniversary Post for a chance to win the tiara bag! (and for those interested, tiara bags can be purchased here. Along with your very own Miss America crown. ;) )

Still in Love With You

by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

So, when it rains,
I'll shield your head
And when you cry,
I'll wipe those tears



Because it's you, through all these years
And I'm still in love with you



Drop to my knees at Christmas time
And ask you please, if you'd be mine
Because it's you, through all these years
And I'm still in love with you



We walked the streets of the Crescent City
We held hands in China Town
We watched the sun go down on the ocean blue
That's when I knew that I would always love you



So when the day turns into night
I know that everything's all right
Because it's you, through all these years
And I'm still in love with you

Yes, I'm still in love with you

Happy Anniversary*, Sweet Louie. :)

To celebrate I'd like to do a giveaway:



I gave each of my bridesmaids a white velvet tiara bag full of gifts as a thank you for being in the wedding. I have an extra one that I'd like to fill with Goodness to send your way. I'm not yet sure what will be in side but the bag it self is a treat. Leave a comment to be entered to win the bag of Goodness. I'll choose a winner on Friday.

* - our first anniversary was yesterday, not today, I'm a little late in posting. :)

Rebecca

Good things come in small packages . . .

I made something teeny weeny:



It's a pin cushion made from a bottle cap.



It's very tiny and there for, cute.



I am currently on a caffeine high from sucking down soda to get bottle caps to make more. You can find the pattern here.

I'm off to celebrate my last free weekend. L and I have a few weekend trips coming up so my crafting will most likely be minimal though I'm looking for an easy project I can work on in the car. I'l be back Monday to show you the sweet V Day gift from DH and to reveal that give away I mentioned.

Have a wonderful weekend!

RR

Happy {LUCKY} Valentine's Day!

This sweet cherub came from the "Full Color Romantic Vignettes Clip Art" from Dover Publications. Heidi turned me onto them and I signed up for the free weekly sampler like she suggested and I was hooked!

And speaking of Heidi, she's been sharing her wonderful collection of vintage Valentine's this week which inspired me to share this one:





Don't you love that's signed "guess who?"! I was lucky to find this among some vintage post cards at an antique mall I visited with my mother last spring.

I am also very lucky to have received this wonderful Valentine treat from Shara:



I took a picture of the contents but it was so blurry! And of course I've now rummaged through everything so I'll just have to describe it myself. The little doily contained a cute pair of earrings and a pin that are pink hearts with "XOXOXO" on them and the little tin is filled with the BEST Valentine "scraps" you can imagine! There are cherub charms and little wings and stickers and golden keys and beads and well, you name it! Shara knew I was bummed about not joining one of the many heart shaped box of goodies swaps that she put a little box together just for me! What a wonderful surprise! If you haven't stopped by Shara's blog you really should, she has written some of my very favorite blog posts EVER and is always funny and entertaining. And boy is her house filled with JUNK! ;)

I got this fun Valentine from my sister:



It's all hand sewn and now hangs on my hutch. Thanks, Mandi! She sent a whole string of these to Leigh Ann for the Hanging Hearts swap. You can see them here.

And in MORE happy mail news (I know! What a great mail week!) I received this cute package from Jen:



Jen has great style and I covet everything she makes. She has the best ideas for party favors and throws some kickin' parties to go along with them! Jen recently had something like 14 days of give aways on her blog! And guess who was LUCKY enough to win something? Um yes, me. Seriously, I never get this lucky! I am the happy winner of the heart shaped pasta kit. And if you head over there today you can print out some totally cute Valentine's made by Jen and her favorite Valentine. Just point and click HERE.

So what's in the box? It's a make your own New Year's light string kit! I told you she was creative. Go here and read Jen's post about her cute little Happy New Year treats. :) I'll share a picture of my set once the craft room is presentable enough to be photographed.

You can see from all this that I am truly feeling loved these days. (weepy)

I hope everyone has a wonderful day fill of love of chocolate! I'll be back tomorrow with some of my WIPs that really need to be moving onto the done stage. Oh and I'm feeling a giveaway coming on . . .

hugs and kisses
Rebecca

Hanging Hearts

Before I get into my swap goodies let me apologize for giving many of you heart attacks by suggesting I might cut up that chenille spread. Don't worry! I won't be cutting. :)

My hanging hearts swap partner is Wendy. This was her first swap and she recently started a blog. She. Is. Awesome. Seriously. We hit it off immediately and have exchanged many emails and pictures. I'm so glad to have met her! She sent an awesome package! It totally made my package to her look sad. ;)



BTW, Wendy, there is little heart glitter all over the place! LOL



Look at the Goodness! She made the awesome quilted bag and hanging heart and also included a cute monkey picture she found at the thrift store (a monkey holding a cupcake, how perfect for me!), a pink and brown Alaska hat, chocolates, Alaskan soap and lip balm, an altered match box, embroidery floss and the funniest nose shaped pencil sharpener that I had to hide from my husband.



Gorgeous! As you all know by now, I love pink and brown and this was the first time Wendy used the color combo and it turned out great! Look at that fancy pants stitching!



Thank you so much for such a wonderful swap! While my package was not so nearly full of Goodness I hope you liked the sweet Sophie I made for you:



I wanted to do something different and hope she makes you smile when you look at her. :)

*************************

I have more of my magical mail to share tomorrow but first I need to ask a favor. PLEASE send me some "finish what you started" jou-jou. I seem to have fallen into a creative slump this last week and can't seem to see anything through to the end. So send me your good vibes so I can get some stuff out of the WIP pile. :)

cheers

Thumbs Up for Thrifting

Yes that's me. I'm bringin' dorky back.

Mandi and I had a great visit! We went to see the New Jersey Devils take on the Anaheim Ducks on Friday:


(Mandi, her husband Ryan and my Louie at the game)

We also did some thrifting. I haven't been thrifting with her in awhile so it was fun and she was lucky for me! So what did I find?



This chenille bed spread was $7. It's in perfect shape! So perfect that I wonder at it's age. It doesn't seem new but there isn't a stain, rip or worn spot on it. It's very pretty and soft and it's at least a full sized spread. Do I cut it? *gulp*



These are two Laura Ashley curtain panels I snatched up at $7 for both. Is anyone familiar with the pattern name? I think it's lovely and I have already washed and hung them in my craft room. I like them much better than the red panels that were in there though I will have to rethink the Waverly Sweet Violets pattern I was planning to use. They really don't go LOL.



This vintage cloth was $4 and is also in good shape. There is a bit of staining but I can live with it even if Oxi can't get it out. I think this style is my favorite as far as vintage cloths go. I have two others that are similar. You can one here. Sarah, is this style called something specific?



And Mandi found this cute wooden egg dish for me. It's a nice heavy wood and will be so cute with my other dish on the table at Easter full of colorful eggs.

And oh my friends, there is more. But I won't make you picture crazy today. And also on deck . . . I received some great mail today from Jen, Shara and Wendy plus my order from One Hundred Wishes. I love happy mail days.

Until tomorrow . . .

R