Thrifty Thursday Finds

I love thrifting. It is one of my favorite things to do. When I lived in Anchorage, Alaska, the thrifting was pretty limited. We had two Value Villages, one Salvation Army, and a few charity run thrift shops that were the most fun to shop at if you wanted a great bargain.

Here in Vancouver, Washington, I am surrounded by thrift stores and loving it! Some of my favorites are again, those smaller ones that are run by charities, but I always go back to my reliable Goodwill (which come to think of it- is also charity run). This last week I had a bit of fun shopping and found these bargains.

This chick has been on my mind for about a year! I first saw it on Morgan's blog, One More Moore. It was in her daughter's Easter basket last year, and I loved it. I even saved a picture of it on my bookmarks so I could remember what it looked like! Funny enough, like my Mom always says, you can find anything you are looking for thrifting! You just have to be a little patient. I was so happy to put this little guy in my cart. He will be in Molly's Easter basket this year.

This book cracked me up. I always go through the craft books at Goodwill, and they always have a diverse selection. It has a bunch of fun (old school) crafts in it. One of my favorites is using a nail to punch holes in recyclable cans, then lighting a candle in them to see the design. Does anyone remember doing that at camp or school? I do! The teacher in me cringes to think of all those little kids with nails and hammers. Oh my.

And my most favorite of all- thrifted sheets! I love these retro daisies with the pink background. I have been collecting 1960's and 1970's sheets for a while and have amassed quite a few. I would love to do a vintage sheet swap- I see that there is one right now at Shari's blog, Sew Make Time. I am not sure I have the nerve to cut into them. I love them so much! I am dreaming of making a nine-patch quilt with them. I think a king size. Ha. First I need to finish the other two quilts sitting in my WIP pile!

My first (pattern-less) bag.

I have a huge pile of WIP/mending/projects to do. So every time I finish two or three of these *yawn* projects, I reward myself and make something new and exciting.

I made this bag without a pattern. Without making a muslin first. Or thinking about pesky things like how tall I wanted it, or how deep. And it was new! And exciting! And I wasted a bunch of fabric! But I keep telling myself that that is okay. I had fun doing it.

I love this fabric by Timeless Treasures. It is called "Allover Trees". I wanted to feature it in a bag with a linen-look but without the linen price. I used osnaburg from my local Joann's, and I really like how it turned out. It's soft and squishy. To me it looks just like linen. The next time I will add some kind of interfacing to make it a bit more substantial, shorten the handles, and line it with a more neutral color. This is my first attempt at patchwork. I used three different fabrics to frame the tree fabric. The patchwork was time intensive, but I think well worth the effort.

I even made my first zipper pocket, thanks to a tutorial from Natalie at Cinderberry Stitches! (And look! My first links too!)

I'm back!

Molly at Multnomah Falls on the Columbia Gorge

Let's see.

Things have changed.

My family and I moved. We now live in Vancouver, Washington. We're enjoying an early spring (oh flowers and smelly plants how I love thee)! We are currently living in a house 4 times the size we used to- therefore, I have a CRAFT ROOM of my very own. It is lovely lovely lovely. And our family is also expecting a new little one very soon. Which is kind of funny because...

Lately I have felt like hopping back on the blogging - wagon. I continue to follow (way too many) wonderful blogs by so many talented crafty women (and two men). I am so inspired, I have been sewing! Crocheting! Beading! But...I know in a very short while, I will be looking for 2-5 minutes to sew or create something instead of having small parts of the day to do the same. And blogging? Oh dear. Well, I am going to try!