Wednesday, March 24, 2010

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!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

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!)

Thursday, March 18, 2010

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!





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