Is it Spring yet?

Yikes. There is A LOT of snow out there. According to New York 1, Queens received the most snow and my area was at the top with 10.6 inches. I wasn't even thinking yesterday morning when I opened the door to let the puppy out and he leapt into 8 inches of snow! He was a trooper though. I stayed in, huddled up and worked on a few projects I have in the mix.

But seriously, where is Spring?? I'm soooo ready.



I hauled out the Springtime Crafts book for some warmth. I hope to make myself a chicken this year. I was happy with the bunnies I made last year. It's about time I hauled out the sewing machine, too. Especially to finish that beach quilt I started in that bunny post almost a year ago LOL

Also putting me in a Springy mood are these super cute little bunnies my sister gave me:



Another Treasure Sale find! Look at that too cute chenille stem and feather carrot! And what did I find at the thrift store to fend off the winter blahs?



The sweetest pair of handmade pot holders and TWO dishtowels from Anthropology! I seriously wonder how they ended up at my thrift in no-where Long Island with the tags still on them. But who cares, they are mine now! I particularly like that one with the dogs on it. I wonder who spends $18.00 on a dish towel? I was happy to get them for 99 cents a piece.

And what else does Spring bring? Hockey playoffs. :) Yes, I know, not very crafty of me but we all have our vices. Got Henrik?

And before I forget, here are the players in the First Thrifty Goodness Craft Challenge:

Sarah
Jane
Caroline
LeeAnn
Shara
Dana

I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! I'll post all the links here at the end of the month.

So I'm off to Baltimore for my best friend's baby shower. I'll be back next week with photos and hopefully a shop update.

Hugs
Rebecca

Foxy Lady

Meet Felicity Foxity:

I don't know what prompted me to whip her up but I'm glad I did. It's my own pattern though I didn't write down. Just sort of made it up as I went along.

Don't you love her flower? That might be my favorite part. I think the details really make her! I'm already working on a friend for Felicity. :)

RR

Craft Challenge #1

Hello friends! So this is an idea I've been kicking around for awhile and I'm ready to dive in.

Announcing . . . CRAFT CHALLENGES

I often find a multiple of "things" when thrifting and think "Hmmm, I wonder what can be made with these?" So is born the Craft Challenge Series.

Craft Challenge #1 - Mini Trim Cards



These cards measure about 4.5 inches x 3 inches and are a heavy cardboard. I would like to invite the first six to sign up (by leaving a comment) to turn one of these cards into a work of art.
For this first challenge there are no rules! Don't you love that? You can use any colors, themes, etc. that you like. I want to see what inspires you!

By signing up you you PROMISE to create your card and post it to your blog (or email me a picture so I can post it) by March 22nd which happens to be my birthday. :) Please include in your comment an email address where I can contact you to get your mailing address and I'll send these cards out ASAP.

REMEMBER, this is only open to the first 6 to respond so hurry! I am on the look out for the next craft challenge already.

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

And in puppy news:



We are having a sock and shoe problem around here. He's lucky he's cute . . .

cheers
Rebecca

Collections

If you thrift, you collect. I'd almost guarantee it. Thrifting is the epitome of being a hunter gatherer. Don't we all say "it's the thrill of the hunt?" When I thrift I always look for three things. I believe some of us have even have a Triple Crown of finds. I believe mine is:

Vintage Hankies
Vintage Pyrex
Enamel Flower Pins

I think that's it. You know it changes from time to time. I also have my top brands to look for:

Waverly
Martha Stewart
Le Creuset

So when I say to you, "I have a collection of vintage hankies" or "would you like to see my collection of vintage Waverly fabrics?" you would not be surprised. But have you noticed that sometimes we seem to just end up with collections with out even realizing it?

I cleaned out my craft room recently and one of my sorting techniques was to group like things together. And what did I find? Impromptu collections. Divine!



Apparently, I collect leaf dishes! After I took this picture I realized I have another large blue leaf shaped dish on my dresser. I love the way the colors look together and am looking for a place to display them.



A pin cushion collection. :) Yes, I know, this one doesn't seem too unusual but I never intended to have so many and now must are mearly decorative. I made the tea cup pin cushion (I used to offer them in the shop actually) the tomato was from my Granny's sewing box and I found the big strawberry at the flea market for $1.



And more . . . the froggy from the Treasure Sale looks quite at home with a sweet little shoe, a metal basket and nest pin cushion made by Her Majesty.



The green pin cushion is a gift from Mandi (she found it at the Treasure Sale), the tea cup with the white chenille is one of my creations and the one with the black fabric was made for me by my dear friend Dita. So what's that . . . 10 pin cushions? Oh yes, I collect those. You can also see that hankie collection I mentioned in the photo above. And see that darning egg in the back there? Well it's one of two so I suppose that is a collection as well.

And guess what?



I plan to make this into a pin cushion as well. Will it be number 11? We'll see, I think it may become a gift.

And here is another "on purpose" collection:



My enamel flower pins. I really love them. The green and yellow is the latest addition, another gift from my sister Mandi.

So what do you collect? How do you display your collections? Notice any impromptu collections popping up?

Viva La Thrift

Rebecca

Treasure Sale

This past weekend I went to Baltimore to go to a Treasure Sale with my mother and sister. It's held 4 times a year at a retirement community where Mandi works and the money raised goes to support programs for the residents.



One man's trash is another man's . . . well you know the drill. :) I picked up lots of fun little items like the handmade tissue holder and floss minder (butterfly) plus vintage playing cards, postcards and a few crafting supplies.

I thought one of my best finds was this vintage hat box:



I saw it under a table and yes, I crawled down there and hauled it out. Only $1 for this treasure! It's in such good shape that I thought it might be a reproduction but my Mom has one just like it (we compared them closely) and I'm convinced it's a real vintage beauty. It looks fabulous in my craft room next to the vintage "Easter Parade" bag I recently found at my regular thrift.



Did you carry white "wicker" purses like these for Easter as a child? This one has a lovely green velvet ribbon and rose adornment. Yet another treasure to me. :)



Another favorite treasure sale find is this sweet little embroidered towel. Originally I thought to put it in the shop but I really don't think I can part with it. It also makes me want to try my hand at embroidery.



I also scored this adorable little froggie pin cushion. He might be one of my favorite all time finds. I sort of collect pin cushions it seems and I'll share some in a future post. I'll also share some of my craft room re-dos and a few other collections that seem to have popped up over here. Funny how that happens, isn't it?

To all my loyal readers and friends, thanks so much for sticking with me even though my posting seems to be erractic lately. Your comments make me smile and make blogging so much fun. I hope to have some fun posts soon including a series of vintage patterns. More on that to come!

I wish you all fabulous treasure hunting!

xoxoxo
Rebecca

Favs

To blog, or not to blog . . . that seems to be the question around here lately. I don't know why I can't seem to come up with too much to talk about. However, I just paid for another year with my photo hoster so you're stuck with me at least until February 2010. :)

So I don't have much crafty to share, still plugging away on that baby afghan and frittering with a small cross stitch project so how about some favorite things?

My whole family is crafty. I suppose that's where I get it from. Many of you know about my sister who not only is a professional photographer but also a primo party planner and felt manipulator. My mother has a knack for decorating, crochets and does paper projects. My father is a wood worker. And he's good.



These are a pair of candle sticks he gave me for Christmas. My Mom and sis got pairs, too. I love them! They are pressed wood and he cut all those wavy stripes from thin veneers and created the candle sticks. High on my list of favorite things!



Eye candy, I know. :) A collection of vintage luxite knitting needles my Mom thrifted for me. I had every intention of putting them in the shop when she told me about them but seeing their sherbet colors and fun vintage labels sold me. They stay here where I can admire them.



And what list of current favs wouldn't include the new puppy?? I finally cleaned the craft room (I'm talking OVER HAUL, I hope you all are proud of me) and put down a blankie so my best little buddy can come for a visit. And he does.

Of course there are loads more favorites on my list but I've been a bit lax in photo taking lately. I plan to change that. Since I paid for that photo hoster I'd better get going on making new photos. Wish me luck! We all know how I stink at resolutions.

cheers
Rebecca

Little Boy Blue

My best friend is having a baby in April. I'm so excited I can't stand it. She knows it's a boy and while I don't really think you have to do the whole "blue is for boys, pink is for girls" thing, my friend likes blue and so do I. I made her a powder blue scarf for Christmas and she loved it. She even said I should make something for the baby from that same yarn.

Well since she doesn't usually read my blog (and I hope she doesn't start until after the shower!) I thought I'd share some of the things I've started for her.

First, a sweater:



It turned out so well! I seriously have a cramp in my arm from patting myself on the back. I'm not the best at seaming but I took my time and did loads of blocking and am very happy with the results. I still need some buttons and some velvet ribbon trim for the collar but this is 95% done and that's a great start! The pattern is from Special Knits by Debbie Bliss. The projects in this book are to die for. Seriously. The yarn is Bernat Cashmere Natural Blends. It's only 5% cashmere but it's deliciously soft and regularly priced at $4.00 a skein. I used 2 1/2 skeins for the sweater, not bad! Plus I have enough left for a matching hat or booties. :)

Second, a blanket:



I am loving this basket weave pattern! I was skeptical at first, it looked pretty wonky but now I think it's darling. The pattern is from Crocheted Afghans by Donna Kooler and it calls for a border that I think I'll be leaving off. This book is a good source for afghan patterns though some are a bit too old fashioned for my taste. I found my copy at the thrift for only a few dollars and I'm glad I picked it up. The yarn is Bernat Cotton Tots which is one of my favorites for baby stuff. I made an afghan for my cousin from this same book and yarn that I really liked, too. I'm half way done and it's going quickly. Of course I am running out of yarn, sigh.

Third, a little stuffed dinosaur:



Yes, he's green and not blue, but I had to mix it up right? He is from Cute Little Animals by Leisure Arts. I made an elephant from this book and have already given it to my pregnant friend. I have the yarn to make the hippo, too, so she'll have a whole set! Now I just need to figure out eyes for my dino. The pattern calls for beads but that's unsafe. I tried black yarn but no go. Felt is next on my list!

And finally, padded hangers:



I am on the fence about these. I mean, I think they are cute but does anyone else? I have three more baby hangers I can cover. Should I make the rest? The pattern is from Baby Crochet by Lois Daykin. I changed the pattern a bit to fit my hangers and added the polka dots instead of the little car she has in the photos. I may do a little car on the next one, or perhaps stripes? What do you think? Oh and I recently picked up Baby Knits by the same author and it's just as adorable as the crochet version. I highly recommend both of these books for cute, modern and easy to read knit and crochet baby patterns.

So that's what I've been up to. Back to my old stand by of knit and crochet. It seems so appropriate in the cold weather, too. :)

hugs
Rebecca

New & Old

New in The Goodness Shop:



Vintage Sheet Music Packs
Vintage Fun & Games Paper Packs
Vintage Easter Candy Boxes House
Vintage Easter Candy Boxes
Vintage Valentine's Day Candy Boxes
Vintage Crocheted Pot Holders

And more things to come including bakelite buttons, vintage handbags and vintage seam binding cards.

Old - FOREVER ago my friend Jean bought a vintage lace collar and some vintage hankies from the shop to use on a dress she made for her grand daughter Aly:



Isn't she cute? And what a sweet dress! You can see the collar, of course, but look closely at the pockets to see where Jean attached the lace from the hankies. :)

Please visit Jean here and keep a look out for giveaways. She is most generous!

hugs
Rebecca

PS: NEW swap coming over at Sweet Goodness!!

Ornate

Gee, I'm doing REALLY WELL on my resolution to blog more! Yikes! Honestly, I don't have too much to talk about at the moment. But soon, yes very soon, I know I will. I have loads of projects planned and a big rummage sale in February that I'm looking forward to.

So in the meantime I thought I would share some of the GORGEOUS ornaments I received from other bloggers for the holidays. Leigh Ann, Lucy, Heidi and I (aka The Goodness Girls) decided to do an ornament swap between the 4 of us. All I can say is WOW.



Leigh Ann's Sugar Plum Button Fairy!



Heidi's soldered Santa ornament!



Don't you love the back? I love how she put Goodness Girls and the year. I wish I had thought of that! We plan to make this a tradition between us with dates every year. :)



Lucy's hand painted Bless This House Ornament!

I know you guys are jealous. ;) I sent them each one of the paper shadow boxes I made. I'm already thinking about what to make next year.

I also received some sweet surprise ornaments in the mail. How did I get so lucky?



A gorgeous fabric and velvet leaves ball from the Queen herself!!





And these two lovely felt ornaments from my dear friend Sid. Don't you LOVE that wish box? You are supposed to write down a wish, put it in the box and comes true! I'm totality craftnapping that idea. And who doesn't love a little red shoe?

So you see I am SO LUCKY to have such crafty good friends.

I'll be back, as promised. For real this time. Oh and since it's been awhile, how about a gratuitous cute puppy picture, hmm??


That boy loves to nap! I love his little polka dotted feet!

xoxo
Rebecca

and a Happy New Year . . .

Are you as tired as I am??? Wow. The holidays were fast and furious! But fun, of course. :) There were lots of lovely visits with friends and family, parties, presents and yummy meals. 

While I love Christmas and all the hustle and bustle, I look forward to a bright shiny new year. It's my time to get organized. My time to get started on my January list. And it's looooong this year. I have new linens for the bedroom and bathroom (which means a total cleaning first), big plans to overhaul the craft room and office, meal planning and learning a new language to get started on. :) And of course the many projects I want to get started on including many baby items for my expecting best friend.

I also promise to be a better blogger. I'm working on a brand new laptop over here and I'm still learning the differences between Mac and PC. So far, I'm lovin' the Apple. More to come on that. Since I don't have any of my pictures uploaded on here yet how about a shot of one of my favorite hand made gifts from the holidays?

Husband Hats! I showed you a bit of these before and I am thrilled with how they turned out. I ended up making 5 total. They were well received and that makes you feel good. :) I hope to make the guys scarves for next year though I'll need to get started earlier this year I think. :)

I'll be back soon with some new photos and projects and hopefully some new goodies in The Goodness Shop. Now I'm off to start on my New Year's Resolution of keeping up on my blog reading.

fondly,

Rebecca

Decking the Halls

Hello . . . I know I've been absent but things have been, well, BUSY. I know you all are feeling the same way. So I've decided to stop kidding myself that I'm going to be able to post anything worth reading over the next few weeks and CALL IT A YEAR.

But before I go I thought to share some of my ornaments and decorations with you:


This was my friend Dita's idea and I love it! What's really making me laugh is the inch of dust on top of my hutch! Once I saw this picture I got up this with the duster LOL. Keepin' it real over here!




We made some really cute little shadow box ornaments this year but of course I forgot to photograph most of them before I sent them out. Made from paper scraps, printed Victorian images and sayings, ribbon and jewelry box lids. Easy!



And yes, and this is the banner that I made! Congrats to Diane for guessing correctly first! Want to see what I sent her? Go here.



A sweet fairy Santa my Mom brought me from St. Michaels, Maryland. I love his little trumpet and pointy nose!

And now I'm off to finish the 80 million things I need to do before Christmas. I'll be back in the New Year better than ever! I have ideas for some swaps and tutorials and patterns that I hope you'll enjoy. And now my message to you:


*from an embroidered stocking I made for a swap . . will share more about that in 2009!

Enjoy your holidays however you celebrate!

fondly,
Rebecca

Have Yourself a Crafty Little Christmas . . .

Hello friends! I am so sorry it's been so long since I posted. I had a few house guests over the last week and spent my time laughing, chatting and eating lots of yummy treats. :) Fortunately girlfriends and sisters don't mind if you knit while you visit and I was able to finish up a few things.

Back in November we had our First Annual Christmas Craft Tea. We are hoping to do a new project each year and make it a tradition. Our project this year were banners. A fun little project that is easy to personalize.


1 - Red & Green Peace


2 - Pink, Red & Silver Peace


3 - Blue & Silver Joy


4 - Blue & Silver Noel


5 - Red, Green & Silver Joy


6 - Red & Green Noel


Pink, Black & White XMas Rox

All different, no? :) It was an easy project. We cut out large tags on the Sizzix to use as the base. We decorated the tags with paper, embellishments, crepe paper pinwheels, rosettes and glittered chipboard letters and then strung them on ribbon. You need to tie a knot at the top of each tag to make it stay.

Can you guess which one is mine? First person to leave a comment with the correct guess will get a little treat in the mail from me. :) **UPDATED - we have a winner!! Diane from Little Birdie was the first to guess that mine is the blue and silver Noel!**

Off to continue my crafty Christmas!

xoxoxo
Rebecca

Fa La La La Lazy

Whew! Where HAVE I been? I cannot believe it's December already! I'm glad I started my holiday crafting in October because I've had a bit of the lazies the last week. All that turkey and stuffing certainly didn't help. :)



Thanksgiving was lovely. We haven't been home to my parents for Turkey Day in 4 years so it was a nice change.



I made gingerbread cupcakes. Mmmm . . . I used a Trader Joe's gingerbread mix from last year I found hiding in my cabinet! Way to use what you have, no?

Now I am back home and back to feeling overwhelmed. I don't know why I put so much stress on myself! I mean SERIOUSLY. Why am I freaking over getting the house clean and tree up? It's supposed to be fun! So from now on NO MORE STRESS. Are you with me?

So now I'm headed to my sofa where I plan to finish knitting the scarf I'm making for my boss and I'm going to ENJOY it. I'll have projects to share soon including some really cute diorama jewelry box ornaments. :)

cheers!
Rebecca

PS - some fun vintage holiday items to go up in The Goodness Shop this week!