Thrifty Thursday!

Hello, good morning, and Happy Thursday to you!! It's that time where I fess up to what came home with me from thrift shopping this past week! Two very nice finds to share with you today!

You know I like pewter...and so it makes sense that I would have several pieces of Wilton Armetale. And now I have another piece!


Isn't it lovely? It's a tray...in the acanthus pattern! I already have the small version of this piece, so was thrilled to bring home this one too!

And what a deal!


SCORE!

And then....


I jumped on this!


I mean...how could I not!? And of course this caused the hubs to ask me if I was cornering the market on lettuce/cabbage pieces. YES! YES I think I will do that. I love lettuce and cabbage pieces. Once I give it a good cleaning, it will fit in nicely with the other two I found on thrifty outings...


Aaaah...now I have three. It's official...a collection is born! ;o)

What's your favorite/most unusual collection? Would love to know!

*Peace!

Handwork = Happiness!

I've been occupying my time yesterday and today with handwork.

Oh how I love my handwork!!

Remember these?


Well I pulled them out...appliqued a few more while watching football yesterday.


They're really fun to do! I'm not sure how many I've got cut out, but plan to make this a nice large lap size and it will hang on a wall someday. Someday. Lots more to go and obviously it's not at the top of my handwork pile!

Then last night...I was up late readying this.


Yes...my hexie box is ready!


This little bead container is just perfect for holding the 1" hexagon templates, thread, scissors, etc. I can tote this around!


I've been collecting Liberty of London tana lawn prints for quite some time...readying for a super scrappy hexagon quilt. I am inspired by Pam Holland and am blatantly copying her idea of a super scrappy Liberty Hexagon quilt, with her blessing. You can see hers in the right hand column of her blog...she's posing in front of it. STUNNING! The vivid colors and the faded colors and everything in between. I think it will be enjoyable. And I snagged a roll of the Liberty prints that Kaffe put out as well. So it will be a colorful sight to behold! I think this may be my "oh crap it's cold and snowy and I don't wanna leave the office for lunch so I'll eat in" project. Last winter I knit socks, but dang it if someone didn't always come up to me and ask me all sorts of questions about sock knitting and I'm still a newbie! I need to concentrate! It was distracting! But basting hexagons....I can carry on a conversation while I work on this project!

Today is Monday, so I spent time with And They Sinned. You may remember last week I joined in stitching this with Mark Lipinski, and there is now a Facebook page for those wishing to join in! This could be a ten year project for me since it's a Monday only thing for me as of now. Here's my progress.


I do love handwork! And it does bring me happiness! But I gotta share the love and spread the joy among lots of things! One day I'll have some finishes!

*Peace!

Play Day

Today was a Play Day for me! I met a friend for lunch (Hi Karen!) and we lingered over a lovely lunch at Johnny Carino's. Then we headed to Michael's to get a hoop, and other things. You see, Karen has decided she wants her own sampler wall, and has picked up the needle after about a 20 year hiatus. I had to help get her stocked and ready! And she is now ready! So exciting to have another stitching buddy!

After our foray at Michael's, we headed to Barnes & Noble, where we took our sweet ol' time leafing thru quilt, knitting and stitching magazines. Great fun! I was good and only came home with one magazine...Knits Weekend. It had some great projects I hope to knit!

Before we knew it, it was 4:00 (we started at 11:30)..and so we went our separate ways and headed for home.

I spent some time with the hubs, driving thru neighborhoods and looking at homes for sale. We're in the market...so the fun begins!

Once home, we had dinner and then I headed down to the quilt den.

To play.

With fabric.


This is the stack of fat eighths I'm working with for the Farmers Wife Quilt blocks so far. Another bundle should be arriving in the next week, so I needed to get some more blocks pieced.


This is just a sampling of the blocks I've completed. I do not plan on making this queen size...but rather a nice large lap/small twin, so I'm being selective in the blocks I do. You know what that means?? I'm SURE to have lots of fabric leftovers! I am loving the fabrics that Primitive Gatherings has been sending, so am just super excited about using them in another scrap quilt!

And speaking of scrap quilts....I played with the stash a little and pulled for a new quilt.


I need some regular ol' muslin though, so will have to get that before I can start this one! Another one for the drawing board!

I love play days!!

*Peace!

Thrifty Thursday!

It's that time of the week again! Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to stop off and do any thrift shopping at all this week! YET!!! So I thought I would share with you a previous find...one I hadn't shared in a Thrifty Thursday post.

This one was a bit spendier than most purchases, which may be why I didn't share it in my "thrifty" posts. In the beginning my posts were more about great cheap buys. But now they've morphed in to showing you what my oddly eclectic tastes are. So...it's time to share!


Pay no mind to the x-box controllers or any stray dust bunnies in the pic. Instead focus your attention to the other object in the picture. Isn't it great? No..not that brown transferware flower pot...though that's a $3 buy in itself. The painted nail barrel! At least I think it's a nail barrel. I'm not sure!

It has absolutely exquisite painted scenes and such all around it!


I just loved the colors...the different subject matter...


It was screaming to come home with me! And then I saw the top...


and it was all over but the shouting. I gladly paid the $20 and brought it home. Of course the hubs, in his infinite negative wisdom, deemed it a "fake" as soon as he saw it. A "fake" what?? A "fake" painted nail barrel? Helloooo...it's painted...and it's a nail barrel (at least I think it's a nail barrel!). He inspected it...thinking it was a printed design...and then he conceded that it was, indeed, a painted barrel. The inside is still brown wood....it's in fabulous shape.

I do not know it's provenance, but it's home now...


and I love it!! If you have seen anything like this or know anything about it, I would LOVE to hear from you!

Maybe I'll get a chance to stop off this evening after work in search of other oddly eclectic treasures! We can only hope!

*Peace!

And She Stitched...

I kind of put myself on a 'no new quilts' moratorium this weekend, and picked up my sampler stitching. It feels good to be back to stitching!

I worked on Ann Rayner quite a bit. This is the latest area of completion...


I'm excited because I can almost see the almost-end in sight. Almost.


Okay not really...but I do feel like progress is being made! I'm stitching this on 36 ct Lakeside Vintage Exampler I think....with my own conversion using Hand-Dyed Fibers.

And then....insanity struck. Thanks to a Facebook friend. A Facebook friend who mentioned that he was going to start stitching a particular design! I commented that I had this particular design in my stash. This was followed by a suggestion that we stitch said particular design together...and BAM! Before you know it, I've committed to "Mondays With Mark". None other than Mark Lipinski. Yes indeed, I have committed to continued stitching at least on Mondays! I started our project tonight.


I'm sure you can tell what that is! Call me crazy...but yes...it's true. I've started another B.A.P. I couldn't help it! And They Sinned is now started and beside my chair. That's my progress from this evening. I had started this a very long time ago....on 35ct linen with those darn Hand-Dyed Fibers again. I wasn't happy with it. It seemed to pastel...to light...to lacy....I folded. I decided not to continue.

But then when Mark suggested we stitch it together....I was game and I knew I was going to stitch it with the called for GASTs, because I absolutely LOVE the others I've seen that were stitched with the called for threads. I had a chunk of some hard crunchy newcastle 35ct that I showered and bathed and tried to soften up. That's what I'm using, with the GASTs. I likey! I think I'll be visiting this one more often than just Mondays! Mark is planning to strive for an hour a day. I'm sure I'll be choking on his fiber-dust! But hopefully we'll keep each other moving on this one!

Yes....the long weekend was good...And She Stitched....and she was glad!

*Peace!

Avery Was Here

She came to spend a few hours with Grammy today!


She's great company.


She loves to hear the sound of her own coo.


And with the caliber of the Cowboys play today, I had to watch the sound of MY own coo, so as not to be a bad influence.


She learned "WOOOOHOOOOO!" and "C'MON!!" and "YEAH!" and "NO!" and "CRAP!"


And she agreed...it was a shame the Cowboys lost. We'll look forward to next week. When hopefully she'll join me for a game again!

*Peace!

Chill In The Air

There's a definite chill in the air here in South Dakota! Definite! But I don't mind...I love autumn!

Last night I finished piecing the latest quilt. Pics to come later. In addition to a chill in the air, it's been damp and no sun, so not the best setting for pics of this quilt! Soon though!

Today was spent doing some knitting this morning...


This afternoon after errands and such, I baked a banana cake.


So good! Like banana bread but more moist and in cake form! Recipe is here I typically use sour cream in place of the buttermilk and it is yum! No need for frosting on this one!

This evening I've spent solely with Ann Rayner.


She's over half done. If I would concentrate on one artistic endeavor (ie only sampler stitching!) I would get more done! It's either feast or famin though.....famin for a bit but then a feast of finished knitting, quilting and stitching will be had!

*Peace!

Thrifty Thursday!!!

Well...as you can tell I'm sticking with the Thrifty Thursday...for now anyway! But don't be surprised if I blog about treasures at other times during the week! I might come across something so wonderful I can't contain myself until Thursday!

This week, though, Thrifty Thursday it is! I have been just pooped this week for some reason, but managed to stop off at a G'Willy's on the drive home from work last night. Spent $7.95, so didn't break the bank, but came home with these!


Sssshhhh....I know....more dishes. But these were 8 perfect dessert plates....


Lovely Meito Hand Painted china from Japan. Loved the colors and at .50 per plate, I thought they were a bargain. I'm ready now when 7 friends stop by for pie. ;o)

And I also found this.


Blue Mountain Pottery! Isn't it great? I came home and researched....it's the Apollo pattern. Funky huh? $3.50. I think a great addition to my pottery collection!

Just a couple things to share today, but I have been busy painting the stool and pictures from last week. Just need to pick up some Minwax and then I'll share the results!

Have you been out thrifting this week? If you have, and have finds to share, I'd love to know about them!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

*Peace!

I Spied...

an antique quilt in a book. Pieces and parts and colors and such really sucked me in. I'm doing my own interpretation/inspirational take on it.


I don't usually work from patterns, and I also don't typically write down what the heck I do when I'm making a quilt. But this one....this one I am taking notes. I'm excited about what I'm seeing!!

Hope there's something that excites you on this fine Monday!

*Peace!

NEEEEXT!!!

I've found my inspiration for the next quilt!


Fabrics have been pulled! Repro prints are at the ready...along with a batik just to mix things up a bit.

Tomorrow will be a great time to get busy sketching, cutting and sewing! Then maybe there will be more to show you! Until then....

*Peace!

Hip To Be Square...And A Little Spotty

I searched high and low, debated, decided, changed my mind, searched again....looking for a pattern that speaks to me to go with this lovely Amy Butler fabric...


the BACK of the quilt! I know...working backwards. Maybe that's why it was difficult to decide.

I ended up just believing Huey Lewis (& The News) and going with 4" cuts....and nothing but squares...


Because Huey says it's hip to be square. I think it works just fine! And for that unexpected bit of fun, the binding......


will be a little spotty!

*Peace!

The Garden Still Giveth

This was my seriously delicious lunch today.


It was soooo good! 3 roma tomatoes and small handful of basil from the garden. I'm so glad the garden still giveth!

Sliced the 3 roma tomatoes in to about 1/4" slices...not really important the size. Drizzled some extra virgin olive oil in a sauce pan...tossed in the sliced romas...3 cloves of garlic minced up and tossed in...some kosher salt....and a few of the basil leaves. Simmered this by it's lonesome until the spaghetti noodles were done cooking. Plated it up (like my Food Network speak?), garnished with the rest of the basil leaves, a sprinkling of red pepper flakes...


Lunch is served. I am still seriously reveling in how good this was and I cleaned my plate about 2 hours ago! Super easy...if your garden still giveth...give it a try!

*Peace!

Thrifty Thursday

Another week...another load of loot. Do you get tired of reading this on Thursday? I'm thinking of doing away with the whole Thrifty Thursday and just blogging about my thrift finds whenever the heck I want to! Would you mind? Hmmm...I'll have to ponder that.

Okay...one stop...at the YMCA sponsored thrift store. And look what I came home with!


A nice little Indigo Moon creamer for .99! I have several pieces of Indigo Moon. LOVE the color so very much! It's captured under a CLOCHE! A real live CLOCHE for .79. SEVENTY NINE CENTS. I could have stopped right there and been a happy camper. I do love cloches!

But look what I've got the cloche resting on...


Such a lovely Homer Laughlin platter! I do love this pattern and will need to do some research to find out about it, because I might need more of it! Have I mentioned before I have a thing for vintage dishes? ;o)

And then found this nice cake pedestal!


It's a smaller size than the others I have, and it has some character in the sawtooth border, the bubble pattern underneath...$2.50.

And in case I've never mentioned it, I do like vintage dishes! And found these lovely fruit plates...


Love the red and white! and they were cheap. Plates don't take up too much room, and I do plan to hang these, so they will take up even less space in the cabinets! ;o)


Then my inner Alma aka Blackbird Designs squealed with delight over this little piece.
The age...the color...the cracks...love it all!


Again, I'll have to do some research on this backstamp and see how old it is, etc just because I like to know this stuff! :o)


And then there were pictures. A nice little haul!


This little one is someone's handwork. It was in a grab bag for .68. The rest of the things in the grab bag were disposed of. I just wanted this little drawing! It's wonderful!



And then there's this....


It's signed...
and yellow. and black. and I loved it.


because it goes with a couple little things I picked up earlier at that estate sale..the one with the quilts. Look.


What do you call these? Tipped? Tinted? I don't know. But when I saw the framed piece, I immediately thought of these two pieces waiting to be framed. I thought of painting the yellow frame black, because I intend to get the other two prints framed in black. But Avery's mom, Amber, says she likes the yellow. I don't know. I might have to rub a black stain on it...darken it up a bit. It's framed wonderfully with a linen mat. $5.99.

And then this piece...my next project...


another great folk art print. And this one is DEFINITELY getting a frame makeover...red to black. Maybe even today!

*Peace!