This Saturdays' thrift store finds...

My favorite little hole-in-the-wall thrift store has coughed up more treasures.  But I'm afraid the obscene cheapness is about to come to a screeching halt.  It seems that all of a sudden, someone who knows what they're doing is pricing things!  Good for them, it's about time.  And yet the cheap treasures still abound...and are nowhere NEAR the overpriced "bargains" at other thrift stores I visit.

This little vintage baby dress is new with the tags, and while children's clothes are usually heaped into a bin and you DIG to your heart's content for 25 cents per item...this one they knew to price much higher.  I paid $3.99 for it, probably my highest priced item of the day.  But I liked it.

Another Arizona plate!  I smell a collection forming.  99 cents.

More vintage embroidery.  All 3 were pinned together for 99 cents...and I've already used one in my new  current obsession...hand sewn bibs using vintage materials.

Another 99 cent treasure...this book is from the 40's and while not in great shape, it has that wear and character that I love for art projects.  I'll most likely make an art journal out of it for Bashi.

I love the innocence in writing in these old books...so refreshing.  Danny looks like a nice boy who loves his momma...doesn't he?

And this beauty...I passed on, sadly!  Now I wish I had it hanging in my kitchen.  The irony of a wheat-free house.  Bread warms the heart alright, some would say it warms it all the way to heart disease, but I think the plaque speaks of that warm, loving feeling that breaking bread with loved ones gives!  But I see things through rose colored glasses these days...or would that be through non-rose colored glasses?!  Maybe it will still be there next time!

My first hand sewn baby bib...

Inspired by Alabama Chanin's "Five Generations (and a baby bib)", I've finally taken the time to sit down and start sewing things by hand.  It's supplied me with many much-needed things...to SIT down, to SLOW down, and to have valuable CRAFT TIME! 

This bib is made entirely out of bed sheets, thread I already owned, and buttons from the thrift store.  it's 3 layers sandwiched together which hopefully will supply enough thickness to keep sweet potato goop off of baby's shirt.  When it goes through the wash, the edges should get nice and fuzzy as well.  Some people may not like that...but there are tons of bibs out there that are hurriedly tucked and machine stitched...this is about slowing down, which also matches my theories on food and eating.

At first, my hand stitching was "awkward".  My thread kept looping and knotting and misbehaving...I had not "loved my thread" quite enough!  It really did work the next time I threaded the needle.  Yesterday, I schlepped a chair out into the sun and sat under a pine tree and stitched while the littles dug holes in my muddy herb garden bed!  It's the perfect craft for me as I have tons of saved fabric and love handmade, imperfect things with frayed edges.  Character over perfection!

$5.50 thrift store finds...

I love thrift stores...especially little hole in the wall ones that could charge a lot more, but don't.  Of COURSE, I like that...!

Here's my latest haul...not pictured are the 3 Hot Wheels cars I bought which actually made up for half of the $5.50 total I spent.  Funny how 3 little junky made in China toys are more valuable than vintage linens, plates and a silver played serving set in the original box?!

Usually, I pass up all kinds of state plates...but not one from New Mexico!  The vintage mustard striped dinner napkins are very nice quality, and appear unused.  There's a vintage Christmas nativity ornament on them from 1977 which may be difficult to see.  The silver played serving set is Wm. A Rogers and is in the original box.  The striped kitchen towel is worn but still nicer than the ones I buy at Target!  The stained, tatted heart I will use in an art project...possibly an art journal with all the memorabilia I've saved from dating, our wedding, honeymoon and St. Valentines days.  And last but not least, a vintage tea pot made of lucite with funky bits embedded in it.  Such treasures at $5.50...less than a burrito at Chipotle.  :)

What I DID pass up was a crate full of original Erector Set pieces from the 1930's with the original instructions and everything.  $100!  I hope they get that for it!

Head swapping...

I've been getting handy with the scissors again...this is what happens when I'm stuck inside for too long!

Snow day facial reconstruction...

Snow...we finally got some real snow!   You can see our law furniture with snow up to the springs!   And that "bush" at the bottom of the picture?  Yes, well...that's our Christmas tree which got tossed out into the yard until we can dispose of it properly.  My dad used to tie a cement block to ours and sink it into the lake for a fish habitat, but I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate that over at Loose Park Lake.

Anyway, 9 inches deep...

It's put a lovely white cap on everything, and although I don't mind being snowed in...there are a couple of littles I know who have started to get cabin fever.  When you see them running laps around the dining room table, you know it's time to get out the GLUE.

Last night, as I was going through old Veranda and Elle Decor magazines in an attempt to shave the fat off the magazine collection...I remember how much I loved to tamper with the faces of make-up models.  Usually I do it origami style and tear the whole page out and make a series of folds in order to quickly adjust their beauty levels and facial proportions!  But I knew that was a little advanced for my monkeys, so I cut a huge pile of eyes, lips and noses for them to arrange on cards that they had water-colored some time back.

 

Working the glue bottle is always a joy...I know I still like playing with Elmer's.  When I was a kid, I used to pour it all over my hands, let it dry and then peel it off.  And now I get to pass on the legacy!  *sniff sniff*...so sentimental!  Bashi picked up the routine immediately...he would grab a part, flip it over and squeeze the glue bottle over it and make a pile.  I'd then rub it around for him and hand it to him to place.  He did one or two but became disinterested as he was only fond of squirting glue everywhere!

Little Miso was trying to actually find both eyes that matched instead of picking two different ones, and she got the noses upside down too.  She was more timid with the glue bottle.  I learned a little more about them by just watching how they went about the task.   In the end, we came out with some really funny combos.  They would giggle when I'd hold each one up.

At one point, Bashi looked up and had a stray eye stuck to his forehead.  I hadn't laughed that hard in a while.  We got a really good art fix today...and knocked out our St. Valentine's cards to boot!