Summer thrifting...

It's pretty hard to thrift with the kids along so I try to grab time when Hubby is around. I leave for a few hours, grab a Chocolate Cooler from Caribou and enjoy the wander.

Here are some of my latest finds...

Vintage fabric for some fun tote bags (I am so tired of using just what ever is handy, I want pretty AND functional)

Kids Crafting books loaded with crafty goodness. The Sunset one on the right was originally printed in 1968, check out one of my favorite images from the book...

2 loop looms and oodles of loops, the perfect quiet time activity.

Cotton sheets for making sleep pants and maybe a few totes.

But wait, there's more...

Lovely canvas tableclothes for...

a retired, chipped Fiesta mug, thought it would be a cute plant container and a roll of vintage contact paper. How do I know it's vintage? It's the same stuff my Mom used to covered a set of recycled coffee cans for her kitchen in 1970 or so. I just barely remember them but how crafty cool is my mom?

Nesting...

The next best thing to hibernation is nesting. So that's what I did this weekend.

I tidied and dusted. Finally came up with a new mantel scape, 14 pounds of river rocks and some IKEA candles and voila, atmosphere!

While thrifting I found a dresser that is perfect for a sofa table/ console thingy. It's solid wood, probably birch and has some water marks and scratches on the top but with a runner, you don't even see them. Eventually I will paint or refinish the piece but for now, it's perfect for holding hats and mittens and the other flotsam this house tends to generate. Everything at the thrift store was 50% this weekend, I paid $12.50! I picked up new knobs at Home Depot so grand total for said piece is $27.50! I love thrifting!

I also finished up some wee friends for Zara. They live in the dollhouse Santa brought for the kids this year. I needle felted them using pipe cleaners for the armature. I am going to add these to the 40 doll project but only count them as one, since they are a duo.
Once again, it's the handwork that brings my head around. As I finished them, I realized the technique would work really well for another doll I had planned, so I started a larger armature and have been happily felting away today. The sun has set, so no pictures of the progress right now, I'll try tomorrow.

beginning to see a pattern...

As I get closer to a show, my blogging falls behind. This Saturday is the Holiday lights boutique at Eisenhower School in Hopkins. I will have a ton of sweater purses and other goodies.

While working on the purses I started to pull fabric for the linings and as I got going it became very clear that I have a lot of fabric! It looked like my studio threw up.

So after a quick tidy and re org, I was on my way.

Z and took a walk this morning and ended up at the thrift store (imagine that) I FINALLY found an electric fry pan!

Now I can play with emulsion lifts. Here is a quickie on I did, just to see if it would work, and it does! Yahoo!

She shops, she SCORES!!!!!!!!!!

It's raining here and will be for the next 4 days! I needed a break so hubby took the kids this am while sis and I did some thrifting. I needed clothes for Z and Q for summer and retail therapy is so much fun. Picked up a new fondue set, it's never been used! and it's avocado green!

Z scored some lovely rompers and
my sister found this lovely gem for her hubby's office, turns out It Came From Hell is his favorite movie of all time and anytime we find a scary tree guy we must buy it. I would love to meet the person who decided to make this in plastic canvas and needlepoint, truly bizarre!

But, the deal of the day is my "new" teak dining table and oak chair set. Yes, I said set. a table, that when both leaves are pulled out will sit 10 comfortably and 6 lovely chairs, 2 with arms (ok, the fabric is hideous but so very easy to recover) grand total, $149. We managed to get the whole thing in the minivan, all the while doing the dance, you know the one you do when you score big, yeah, that one. See, the deal was I was going to get this one at IKEA but the chairs would have broke the bank and the wood is softer and there is veneer involved. I LOVE IKEA furniture but this table has more heft to it and it already has a patina so I don't have to get all bent about paint or scratches or anything. I am just giddy at the idea of dinner parties. maybe I should do fondue?

(Edited to correct my wood ID, the table is indeed teak and the chairs are oak, I have seen similar tables at this wonderful online shop, for WAY more than I paid.)