FANTASTIC MR FOX IS FANTASTIC!!!!

It's really the best film I've seen in a long,long time. I recommend it highly. It gets five big glittery stars.



Also, ma just got back from her 2 week trip to Egypt.



So glad she's home safe.

Thankful to the thrift store gods

After several weeks of abysmal estate sales and dead end thrift store visits, I have been blessed with a haul of treasures. A booty of vintage. Arg.


Yesterday, being Wednesday, I set off at 8AM for 99 cent clothing day at the Salvation Army. Every Wednesday every item of clothing from coats to cocktail frocks is a mere 99 cents regardless of original stated price. That is not to say Wednesdays mean easy pickins' for all. Hardly. You must get there early and then you must be ready to fend off tiny grandmothers who become as strong and aggressive as football players. Also, there are the stylish young mothers with toddlers it toe. They wouldn't be difficult, I hear you say, Not with children they need to look after. You must remember these "children", though cute and innocent looking enough are crafty distractions very capable of blocking your path to designer jeans. You maneuver around them, careful not to step on tiny toes, look up and realize those DKNYs are long gone.

I don't have super luck at 99 cent clothing day. I usually can find some scrubs for work, maybe a cute little top. Which is fine. I'm not as much into thrift store clothes as I am thrift store knick-knacks, bric-a-brac and miscellaneous. And this, friends, is where I struck gold. Arg.





First off, the lovely sea green vintage aluminum tray. This was 45 cents. A good price. I had a pink one similar to it once that I put in the dishwasher. NEVER PUT THESE IN THE DISHWASHER!!!!! All the paint will peel off and you will be sad, sad, sad. I realize after I took the picture there is a beverage ring in one corner. I can take this off with a plastic scrubby and dish soap. Easy sleazy.

Look at my ancient vase:







Found in the rubbles of Pompeii? Made by an ancient Greek craftsman? Nope. Written in the base, it proudly announced it was made in Japan. That doesn't stop my cat, Emma, from admiring it -


and who can blame her? A few cheery mums or daises would be right at home in here. And at $1.50, it was just right.

Small bowl and saucer. These were each 45 cents.






I usually only buy one dish with a certain pattern but I just fell in love with these. The back says Steubenville IVORY. I love the thick yellowed glaze. I like to have small plates and bowls. I can never have too many. They are so useful for condiments or as spoon rests or dainty reciprocals for tea bags or pistachio shells.

And finally, my true love:





This tile was pulled from a wall somewhere, I think. Look at the back:




It still has plaster on it! I love the sweet little cottage scene. The glaze is cloudy white, like the icing on oatmeal cookies. It reminds me of Van Briggle.

Have I spoke of Van Briggle before? Oh! Van Briggle! I never heard of it until I moved to Colorado. It's like McCoy or Roseville. The glazes are creamy and the hues illuminated pastel blues and pinks that blend with yellows and oranges like mini sunsets. They're still in business and still make lovely pieces. I can't really justify buying anything from them right now. The pieces I really love command at least a hundred dollars. Someday, though...

No one understands my VanBriggle love. I took Mom C to their studio when she was in town once and, while she said the building was cool, the pieces in the showroom illicit ed a simple shrug of the shoulders and a wandering to the bathroom. My husband is the same way. After looking at my new tile, turning it over in his hands a few times as if looking for a switch or knob on it that would turn it in to something cool, he issued his verdict: "This looks like that dull Briggle stuff you like. I don't get it. It's not even that shiny."

No, it isn't shiny. Nor bright colored, nor glittery, which is the theme to much of my home decor. I can't explain my attraction. But someday I hope to have a wall of these tiles.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. We are off to M&Ls. D is making special cheesy dips he found in a vintage cookbook. The cover has a artful display of deviled eggs and celery sticks stuffed with cream cheese and topped with a couple black olive slices. "Why don't we make those?," I asked, pointing to the celery. He shook is head and took the book away. I guess I do not understand his vintage appetizer love anymore that he understands my Van Briggle love. That's okay.

Changes in Scenery

Well, it's been a long time since my last post. My grandfather passed away recently and I've had to do lots of traveling. When I'd get home, I wouldn't feel up for doing much of anything. I guess that's only natural.

But today, with a chunk of the ICU looking like a ghost town and outside looking like this -


- I asked to be on call. Snuggling up in my craft room with a piping hot cup of Joe, I got into some of the projects I had planned for this winter.

I started my rag rug*:


Worked on piecing my clam shell cushions:

And kept knitting away at this purple hat:


Here's D in the hat** I made him. It's alpaca and warm, but very lightweight. I just love how it turned out.


So new rug on the floor, new hat on D, new cushions on the chairs, and new snow on the ground. Changes all around. And to add to it all, on November 30th I start a new position as a staff ICU RN in Neuro/Trauma at St. Anthony Central Hospital on Colfax.

I'm very excited to join this hospital because it has a higher acuity and also because the whole staff interviewed me and hired me. It makes me feel less nervous. I will still need to come armed with baked goods on my first day, however, which won't be so hard as I intend on baking up a storm very soon.

This cookie cutter I got at my other new job here:

Yes, I started volunteering at a thrift shop for the Cat Care Society and I just LOVE it. I price donations and work the register. Right now the whole place is decked out for Christmas. If you like Christmas decorations and live nearby, I suggest stopping by. We've got TONS and all reasonably priced. If you go online first, there's a coupon you can print out.


December 4-5 is the Santa Paws event which, if you are a cat lover, is not to be missed. This is where my gingerbread men will be sporting their finest duds of royal icing, M&Ms and colored sprinkles. There will be a big bake sale, specials at the thrift shop and refreshments.

*To make your own rag rug, take fabric scraps and cut into strips about 1/2" wide. They can vary in length. Sew them end-to-end or just tie them together securely. Wind into a ball. Take a large crochet hook (like a Q) and chain 8. Join to form a loop. Into the 1st ch1,sc1. Into the 2nd ch, sc2. *sc1,sc2. Repeat from * until rug is as big as you want it. Press rug flat with an iron. Snip off any fuzzies or unruly fabric bits.

**To make D's hat you will need a nice, long set of double points. I used #6 Brittany 4.0mm. My alpaca yarn is slightly thinner that a sport weight. Cast on 75 and divide onto 3 needles. K4,P4 in the round. Continue until your hat is about 8 or 9" tall/long. This will ensure a good brim.
Time to decrease:
Round 1: K2tog,P2 all the way around.
Round 2:K1,P2.
Round 3: K1,P2tog.
Round 4: K1,P1

Repeat rounds 1-4 until there are about 5 stiches on each needle. Bind off stiches. Turn hat inside out. Sew top shut with yarn needle.

Last week, D and I went to Miller Farms. As previously stated, I love...love...LOVE PUMPKINS!!! And anything to do with pumpkins and squashes and gourds and fall. I begged D to go to a pumpkin patch with me. I do this every year. Begging starts around September 20th or so, after D's birthday but well before it's appropriate to pick a pumpkin. When I got the okay this year, I had my place picked out and everything.



Miller Farms. How excellent. For $15.00 a person, you are transported over hundreds of acres via hay wagon and given six large plastic potato sacks to fill with whatever is in season at that time. For us, that meant potatoes, ornamental corn, red potatoes, cabbage and pumpkins.



Here is my collection of weird little carrots friends:






What does one do with bags of pumpkins and corn? Well...









I was so excited to decorate my house with ample fall! I already had this wreath I bought for $1.00 at an estate sale:



I spruced it up with glass owls from my ma and a few glittery fruits.

And D gave me the go ahead to put up the cobweb, so I was in business. Ready for tricker-treaters!

And after Halloween, I was going to take down the web and rearrange my fall goodies in the window boxes to look just like a Martha Stewert cover. But then...



Oh, the devastation!



The heartless destruction!



Pure horror!



I must look away!


Who could have been so foul?, I hear you gasp. Was it D?



Sure he was a bit miffed having to carry his weight in pumpkins, even after being injured by a ferociously stubborn carrot (got under his nail so deep the doctor had to take it out!). But no, vandalism is not his style.

Was it the Pru? A feline so terrifying all beetles and crickets run as soon as the back door opens?



Couldn't be. Pru hates veggies. Well what about our other cat, Emma?



No. She couldn't be bothered with anything so labor intensive.

Then, I caught a glimpse of the culprit in the act. I ran for my camera but the scourdral had made his escape. No matter. You are all familiar with him - Tamiasciurus douglasii. Evil squirrel.




No garden is safe. No decoration pristine while he's around doing his dirty work. Let this blogpost be a tale of caution. Beware!

Also, I finished D's hat! I wanted to post a picture of it but he wore it to school. I guess he likes it. Hooray!

*tshirt pic from Zazzle.com

Cozy-ing up by the computer

I have been working on some quilted cushions to put on the rocking chair I refinished this summer. I decided to use a clam shell pattern. Here's an example pic from www.quiltersmuse.com:



The pattern originated in the 1830s, if I remember correctly, and can be difficult because it's all curves. I decided to piece to tops by hand and it's going well so far.

I love to sew and watch a good movie or something. Add a great cup of tea and it's pure bliss. I just watched Craft In America, which I give no less that a billion stars to. It's a PBS series that explains the history of crafts in this country with interviews from furniture makers, blacksmiths, quilters and jewelry makers. It's so fantastic! And you can see the whole series for free right here.

All of the artists were great. My favorite was Jan Yager. She's a jewelry maker (imagine that) working in Philadelphia. She uses objects she finds in her neighborhood for inspiration. She had a bone necklace similar to this picture, which I found here:


Except hers had several strands and was ancient. She was looking at it, as she explains in her interview in Craft in America, and thought that the maker of the necklace had collected bones, perhaps the bones of his dinner, and made them into a necklace for no real practical purpose. Just a desire to adorn ourselves that human beings apparently always had. She started looking around her immediate environment for things to make jewelry out of and made this:



At first glance, it looks like it could be a bone necklace or at least a tribal necklace of some sort. It's made from vials crack/cocaine in bought in that Yager found around her block. I think it's just fascinating.

Also, I have been watching Jim Henson's The Storyteller, an old series from 1987 where folktales are acted out using fantastic muppets or "creatures from the creature shop" as the credits say.






I'm so happy Netflix has these streaming online!

Giveaway Details

Okay, now we're in business! After a bit of trouble with my camera, I can now explain the giveaway. First, please download the button to your blog if you enter. It's the first button I've ever made! (See left margin)

If 10 people enter the giveaway, this will be given to one lucky winner whose name will be drawn at random:



Of course, most everything is vintage. I call this the emerald package. Green fabric scraps, the cutest quilted block, buttons, trims, etc. A few surprises will also be sent.

If 20 people enter, I will also give away this:



A sewing bonanza! Lots of vintage cloth, some quite old. Good yardage, too. And also a selection of my favorite trims:



Great stuff, truly. Perfect crafting supplies for when one must hunker down for movies and hot cocoa in the cold weather to come.

To enter, just respond to this post. I'll put all names in a hat and draw one on November 10.

If 30 people respond, another gift package will be added so tell your friends!

Good luck!

Giveaway

Last Week's Finds

I went to a happy little estate sale last week. A tiny little house in an old neigborhood where 4 girls were raised - sharing one bedroom! The house was full of girly things. Pretty plastic dolls with handmade outfits, cake decorating supplies, old board games, puzzles with pretty castles and gardens, tea sets and luncheon plates... I was in heaven!

First, I snagged a bag of plastic fall veggies and little Indian chiefs to enhance my pumpkin collection. I think they were meant for fall cupcakes long ago. The whole lot was $2.00!



Next up, a nice aqua plastic sewing organizer for $1.00 and a printed vintage tablecloth for $3.00


A tiny bouquet of the tiniest flowers. What can I use these for?



Old plastic flowers. These were all in the same $3.00 bag. What to use them for? I don't know. They were all so sweet, I couldn't pass them up. Mom C and I have talked about decorating bird houses, so maybe I could use them for that.





Then there are these fellows. A whole army that were in the same bag as the flowers.




Finally, my new aviary.


See the bees? My ma gave me a bunch of these when we decorated bird houses last year and I had them buzzing all over mine which I painted light blue and yellow with vitage brown buttons glued to the sides. Buttons and Bees. Such a good combo.


That's not all. Next post will have the first PEAS PORRIGE GIVEAWAY!!! Keep your eyes peeled. It's a good one!