Things I'm Loving

Yes, I've done this type of post before and YES it's because I have nothing creative or thrifty to share. I feel like time is being sucked away from me lately. I am working on a few projects including one that will result in a free pattern to share. But alas, nothing is complete or even in a stage to photograph whitout you scratching your head and wondering what the heck is going on over here. Thus, my list of things I'm loving right now.

The Hunger Games

I am really enjoying this series and have almost finished the second book and already have the third loaded on my Nook. It's engaging and intresting and you really become invested in the characters. I like it as much as I did The Books of Ember.

Reading on the Subway

I'm actually enjoying my commute these days and have had lots of time to read. Not only The Hunger Games but also Next to Love and The Help.

L'Occitaine Shea Butter Hand Cream

Yes it's just hand lotion but it makes me really happy. I have some from a stock up at the outlet.

Pinterest

Because it provides so much inspriation. Follow me!

Story Book Paper Roses

Seriously. I want to make these. you know, for my craft room make over which I am also obsessed with yet haven't started yet. And yes, I found these through a board in Pinterest.

Craft Room Makeover

I have plans. Big ones. Now I just need motivation and energy. And to do my living room make over first.


So what are you loving these days?

Ciao ~

Guest Post: Jennifer from Arcadian Home Decor Blog

Hi all! I’m Jennifer and I write for Arcadian Home Decor Blog, a site that chronicles the work of top interior designers and home decor trends around the world. I've been writing about home decor since graduating university and have loved it ever since. I'm addicted to patterned fabrics, Jonathan Adler, chaise lounges, old doors, milk glass jars, and chandeliers. I've always been one to collect antique cake stands and love a great DIY project, and Thrifty Goodness is one of my bookmarked virtual inspiration boards, so you can't even imagine how thrilled I was when I heard I'd be writing a guest post here. Hope you enjoy these crocheted home accessories as much as I do.

Everyone wants to add a little personality to their living spaces, and nothing is cozier or more fun than crocheted home accessories. While crocheted white lace is a delicate detail in tablecloths and window treatments, their colourful counterparts can also come in the form of pillows, throws and more. Here are some adorable crocheted home accessories.

The bedspread

decor8 via

There's something so ornate and yet so subtle about a beautiful crocheted bedspread - the lack of wall art and decor brings the eye straight to this homemade centrepiece.

The room divider

hella love via

A shabby chic space such as this, with a 70s style wicker chair and collection of guitars, is adjoined to a formal living room but is separated by a pretty crocheted panel on a curtain rod.

The accessories

Meme Rose via

There's no shortage of cute crocheted accessories in this space - the pillows on the chairs, especially the rocking chair, as well as the crocheted blanket infuse this playful white room with colour.

The handy helper

My little wonderland via

The decal wall art is incredibly striking, however it's the tiny crocheted pocket hanging from the kid's bedrail that has all the whimsy.

The valance

Aiken House & Gardens via

A vintage daybed swathed in a rose-printed quilt looks even frillier perched beneath a crocheted lace window valance.

The toys

Wealden Times via

Although this sunroom is bursting with trash to treasure finds, the chest full of crocheted stuffed animals is perfect for kids and kids at heart.

The pillows

The Yvestown Blog via

A plain white window ledge is revitalized with homemade prettiness when lined with an assortment of bright crocheted pillows- they're the perfect home accessories.

The light fixtures

Needle Exchange via

A retro-inspired globe light fixture looks dainty in crocheted lace. The minimalist approach to the end table decor gives centre stage to this modern chandelier.

Content provided by Arcadian Home Decor, a site that specializes in top quality home decor items at extremely affordable prices. Come visit us today!

I should have used a thimble.

Do you know that I don't have a thimble? I thought I did but no luck when I looked in the places where thimbles should be. hmm. Anyway, I don't do much hand sewing and don't need one when  embroidering so maybe it's not that much of a surprise. Let's just say the needle was really sharp.

I had big plans to go to the movies, do some shopping, get some laundry done, yada yada yada but after a stressful day at work on Friday (including an ugly incident) I needed a mental break. I started cleaning the craft room and eventually came upon some hand sewing pattern cards I bought from Hillary at Wee Wonderfuls ages ago. This is one of the first blogs I ever read and is what really started me here at Thrifty Goodness. Back then, she also had Thrift Craft and while I was, at the time, writing a knitting blog called NYCe Girl Knits I realized I had more to talk about and voila! A new blog is born.

Anyway, I decided to make the turtle:



He is really hard to photograph! I didn't have wool felt and I've really been on a use what you have kick lately so I used regular craft felt (made from recycled water bottles) and a piece of vintage fabric.



I think he's pretty cute! He came together easily and the standard felt worked okay though the wool would have been nice.



I have 3 other of her hand sewing patterns, a butterfly, a snail and a bird. I think Kingsley Turtle (of course I had to name him, it just comes naturally to me) may need a few friends. The process of creating him in an afternoon was just the mental break I needed.

Turtle pattern can be found here. Visit the Wee Wonderfuls shop for other patterns here.

In the works . . .

Now you know I couldn't resist taking that nicely organized floss for a spin, right?



The start of a holiday gift perhaps? We'll see . . .

Highly Organized Find

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



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



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



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

Christmas in July

Well technically, the day AFTER Christmas in July. As usual, I'm running behind. I promised myself I'd be starting my holiday gifts by now. Yeah, well, you know . . . but I have an idea of what I'm making. Well sort of. Needless to say, I'm not nearly as organized as I had hoped to be. BUT I plan to change that on Saturday. I have the day to my self (my DH is off racing Ferraris - more on that later) so I will have a day of cleaning, catching up on my Tivo and at the very least making a list of my holiday gift crafts and hopefully starting one. Anyone else have holiday crafting on the brain??

On my list?

Monkey hats for everyone. Available in sizes newborn to adult. Oh yeah. Found here.
I have some photos to share from last weekend's Beach Blanket Bingo party plus a few thrifted goodies. I'll be getting right on that. You know how organized I am. ;)

cheers ~ Rebecca

Pin Bottles

Do you have those projects that you think about sometimes and you basically have everything you need to make them but you just don't do it? And then one day, OUCH! The creative bug bites you and you're off to 110 degree craft castle to make . . . .



Pin bottles. :) Inspired by a perfume, believe it or not, these are easily made with small scraps of fabric, a bit of stiffing, some thread, needle, hot glue, ribbon and salt shakers.



These were fussy and I burned myself once (or three times) but I think they came out cute.



I filled the shakers with the buttons I found at the thrift last weekend. I think these would make for cute mending kits if gifted with a nice spool of thread.

These were fast to make and I'm glad I finally did something creative. More to come, I can promise you that.

Cheers ~ RR

Well what do you know?

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

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



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



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



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



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

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

Cheers ~ Rebecca

Still Kicking

I know. I'm a terrible blogger lately. Honestly I'm busy and I have nothing to share. No thirfts, no crafts, no general mayhem. Well maybe a little but nothing of interest. I WILL be back. Soon. I hope. :)

In the meantime . . .

My darling nephew sort of enjoying the elephant I made for him. Honestly, he looks a bit ambivalent.

Have a wonderful Fourth of July!

Cheers ~ Rebecca

Bunny Love

I mentioned before that I have been working on a project for my friend Jini to give to her new nephew. She requested a bunny holding a blanket with a pocket for her to include a letter. we talked about the type of blanket and colors and then I started looking for patterns. Nothing really grabbed me and since it was to be crocheted I figured I'd just make up my own.



I am tickled with the way he came out!



He's big, about 14 inches sitting up and much longer if you include his legs.



I like to use fabric in my toy creations so he has a fleece nose and cotton lining in his ears and pocket and on his hands and feet.



The blanket looks like blocks but it's actually strips put together with single crochet to form a ridge. The blanket is made from Caron Simply Soft and the bunny from Bernat Cotton Tots which is one of my favorite toy making yarns.

I'm very smitten with him and happy I actually wrote down his pattern so I can make another one. This one will be off in the mail soon and I'll be sad to see him go but know he's heading to a loving home. Bye bye Bunny Love.

You know I made something else . . .

I haven't been feeling very crafty lately. I'm still plugging away at a project for a friend and it's almost done but that is about all the creative energy I can muster lately. I haven't been blogging or writing Examiner articles, I've just been . . . well . . . being. My new position at work has kept me busy and I'm enjoying the challenge. We are also trying to do some work around the house but the weather and life have gotten in the way of that lately so no newes there either. So what shall we talk about?

How about another cute baby picture in another hand made by Auntie sweater? This one is crocheted and made some time ago so I can't remember what yarn I used. It's a new born size but as you can see, Gabriel is very long so it looks short on him. But he's a fabulous model and he makes it work. I have started another sweater in a size large enough to be worn in the fall but so far I've got about 6 rows done. Again, not much to report there.

I'm hoping to maybe sneak in a trip to the thrift store this weekend but the beach is calling my name as well so we'll have to see.

Cheers!

You know I made something . . .

Welcome my most adorable nephew, Gabriel Owen . . .



I know I have better pictures but I can't seem to find them now. :) How about one of him and his proud (and maybe crying) Auntie?



I just love him. :) And you know I made something . . .



Sweater, booties and bear all from Simple Knits for Cherished Babies. The hat is from an online pattern and it was way too small so I'll be making him a new one. :)



The sweater set is made from a cashmere blend yarn and the bear . . .



 . . . is a cotton bamboo blend. I think he's my favorite. :) When I was making him I was worried he wouldn't look like a bear at all but I think he came out A-ok. More cute babies projects to come!

Cheers ~ Auntie Rebecca

Found

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



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



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



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



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

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

 

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



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

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

Cheers ~ Rebecca

Passing the time . . .

I was feeling rather punk yesterday and did a lot of sleeping/laying around/wishing I were on a beach, etc. I also did a bit of work on my current project:



This baby afghan is for my dear friend Jini's adorable new nephew. I'm using Caron Simply Soft and making double crocheted strips and then making a single crochet ridge to bind them together. At first I wasn't sure that I would like the ridge but I think it gives it some texture. Once I steam it I think the ridges will fall into place better. I also plan to add a blue border and am considering lining the other side with cotton or fleece.

Hope all of you are feeling well and if not, passing the time with something you enjoy. Cheers . . .

Park It

The weather here has finally turned Spring like and Luis and I didn't waste a minute getting out there to enjoy it. All the photos below are from the always wonderful Central Park.








The Swedish Cottage.











Note: This photo is not sideways, that tree is growing right out of a side of a hill in The Ramble.



Happy Mother's day to my Mom and all those wonderful Mom's out there!

Spring Schming

Is it really May? Then why was it like 40 degrees last night? Yeesh. So let's think Spring for a moment.



That's it, everyone concentrate on flower scented breezes, picnics in the park and the annual breaking out of the flip flops . . .



Channel your inner gardener and start worrying about buying that new swimsuit for beach season . . .



Now, send all that glorious energy to NYC so the Spring will get here and stay for awhile. I'm ready for all of it. What I'm not ready for yet is air conditioning so let's not get hasty and bring summer in too quickly.



Photos from Flushing Meadow Park and Rockaway Beach. Queens, baby!