Thrifting Gems

Many of you guessed correctly about my "thrifting mystery," and Erica even knew the name--it's a Butter Bell! You can pack a cube of softened butter into the hollow area in the lid, put cold water into the crock, and the butter will remain fresh at room temperature for about 30 days. Hubby and I stopped eating butter very much when we started trying to eat better--we substituted something called Balade that I get at Trader Joe's--it's a "light" butter. Still, the website for the Butter Bell has what appear to be some yummy flavored butter recipes, and if a cube will stay fresh up to 30 days, I can certainly see using my butter crock in the future. Not a bad find for around $3!

In honor of tomorrow's big 50% off sale at Goodwill--which you know hubby and I plan to participate in--I thought I'd tell you a few of my "secrets" for what has--surprisingly to me--been some thrifting success and fun. I seriously used to get frustrated on the rare occasions I visited thrift stores because I never seemed to find the "treasures" others found. Now my attitude has changed--at least I think that's what has really made a difference in my experiences.

First of all, go with an open mind. Don't head out to the thrift stores with something specific in mind. It's okay to say, "Gee, I hope I can find a wicker chair for the porch," but go for more than that--go with the idea that maybe you'll find something really great that you didn't even know you wanted. Really LOOK at what the store has. And many times I've gone through all the aisles and then gone back again and found things I'd missed the first time. Of course, since they keep putting out merchandise all day long, it's possible that whatever I came across wasn't there the first time I looked, but I think it's really more a matter of looking. Sometimes the real finds might be buried under other merchandise on a bottom shelf--get down there and look.

Use your imagination. Look for things that appeal to you for their color or shape. It's not always important that you know you can do something with whatever it is--if you like the way it looks, it can always just live life as a decoration or a curiosity. And what's the worst that can happen? You donate it back to the thrift shop and you're out of pocket a couple dollars! Remember that weird rolling pin-like thing I found?

I still don't know what it's supposed to be, but my plan is to hang it on the wall in the kitchen and then hang a small quilt from it. I hope I'll be able to show you how that turns out before too long.

The other day when I was in the thrift store, I came across an interesting bottle. I didn't know what I'd do with it, but I liked it and it was $2. Then I found three more further down on the shelf.

As I looked at them, I realized they'd make great containers for some kind of liqueur to be given as Christmas gifts. Hubby's thinking something red would be ideal. Does anyone have a good recipe for cranberry or cherry liqueur or something along those lines?

And speaking of Christmas gifts, I often make up gift baskets for friends and family. That's one thing I'll be looking for tomorrow--nice baskets for that purpose. Baskets are already plentiful and pretty inexpensive at thrift stores; at 50% off, I'm sure I'll come home tomorrow with several, ready to start thinking about what I want to fill them with for the holidays.

Glasses are also plentiful at thrift stores; some are pretty average but occasionally I come across some really nice ones. Wouldn't a couple of fancy glasses and a bottle of champagne make a nice gift for a young couple for Christmas, weddings, or aniversaries? I was chatting with a woman in the thrift store a few days ago who was looking for some glasses she had seen the day before and wanted to get for a friend--they were Kentucky Derby glasses. Of course they were gone already. And if I had seen them, I might have bought them, thinking I could make a gift basket for my boy boss who enjoys horse racing--but no, I wasn't in the thrift store when they were put out and I didn't see them. But keep an eye open for that type of thing--you just might come across something that would make a unique gift for someone.

Thrift stores also have tons of pictures and frames. Often the frames are beat up a bit, but as long as they still have their glass and are well constructed, a little paint or stain will have them looking like new. Of course, that means putting some time and work into them, so look for frames that are worth the effort. I also look for frames with mats--if nothing else, I can use the mats for another picture and it's less expensive than buying new picture mats.

Remember that floral embroidery I found? I found a frame I liked and painted it. Here's a photo:

I'm still not quite satisfied--I think it might need a small black mat or something to set it off a little more, but maybe not. I'll live with it awhile and think about it. In any event, though, it looks nice on the wall in my bedroom, brightens up an otherwise boring corner, and I have the satisfaction of knowing I rescued something someone had put a lot of time and effort into making.

Clothing. Thrift stores have TONS of it. And some of you may not want to shop for clothing at a thrift store, but you can actually find things that have never been worn. I've bought a couple of denim shirts for summer. Still, if that's not quite your cup of tea, there are other things you can use clothing for. Look for clothes with great buttons or trim you can recycle. Or, here's another idea: My friend Kairle bought a few sweaters and turned them into purses. Check her blog HERE. You can also make sweaters into pillows--just measure the sweater, sew a few seams, and stuff a pillow form inside. A week or so ago, I saw an off-white eyelet lace blazer that caught my eye--it was only later that I thought I should have bought it and made it into a pillow--wouldn't THAT have been cool?!

I also like to look for storage items. Baskets, again, make for more decorative places to store things than plain old boxes or plastic containers. I found this little picnic-style basket, and I think it would make an awfully cute lunch "bag."

Then I found one that's the same style but larger. Hummm. It seems to me I've got a "collection" going now! I bet that larger one would hold fabric and things for a quilt class very nicely!

Wooden boxes--I love wooden boxes! Right now in the Sweat Shop I have a shelf that's lined with plastic boxes containing stuff like buttons, lace, ribbons, and other trims. It seems to me that a line of painted and/or embellished wooden boxes would look a heck of a lot nicer and would be fun to decorate as well!

Look in places at the store that you don't expect to find anything you'd want. Seriously! I wasn't looking for a lamp the other day, but I happened to glance over at the shelf holding lamps and saw one with apples on the ceramic base, and apples are one of the themes I use in my kitchen. For $4, I came home with a "new" kitchen lamp. The center post had yellowed, so hubby took it apart for me, and I spray painted it white. I then pulled out some blue and white fabric from my stash and made a ruffle and used the red and white ruffled zig zag I had bought to make an apron--I think it made a rather nice trim!

Textiles. Since most of you reading this are probably quilters, you well know how attractive textiles can be! I love tablecloths, curtains, napkins, and just about anything made from fabric. I continue to hunt the sections containing this kind of thing but I haven't yet found another quilt. Still, I've found other "treasures"--just the other day, I brought home a red and white tablecloth from Crate and Barrel that will look equally great on my kitchen table during the summer or at Christmas. Napkins are also plentiful--remember those Christmas gift baskets I mentioned? Look for red, green, or white napkins to line the baskets. If you have an embroidery machine, you could easily add embroidery for something really special!

The really wonderful thing about thrifting is that you can spend just a few dollars and bring home a few bags full of stuff to enhance or change the look of a room and/or give you hours of fun painting or otherwise transforming what you purchased into something you love. The other really wonderful thing about thrifting is occasionally stumbling across a true "treasure"--an item you found for a couple dollars that you then find is worth ten times as much. But don't go thrifting with the idea you're going to find that type of treasure every time because you won't, and as a consequence, you won't enjoy the experience. Just go knowing that sometimes the small treasures are reward enough! And sometimes the real treasure lies in the dream. What do I mean by that? Well, I didn't really NEED a butter crock--and I didn't even know that's what I was buying! But now I have a yellow butter crock that matches a yellow pitcher I found. Throw in a blue and white checked tablecloth--another thrift store find--and a loaf of fragrant, hot, homemade bread, all served out on the patio on a beautiful spring day--yep, that's what I'm dreaming about now. Not a bad Home and Gardens vision for just a few dollars!

A Thrifting Mystery

The other day I found a smallish yellow crock at the thrift store. I thought it would be a good color match for the yellow pitcher I found the other day, so I decided it would come home with me. When items have lids or removeable parts, Goodwill tapes them all together, so I couldn't remove the lid until I got home. When I untaped it, I was surprised to see this--

What is it? Luckily there was a sticker with a name and a website address on the bottom, so I was able to figure out what it is exactly. Have you seen one before? Can you guess what it is? I'll be back to post later tonight and I'll reveal the mystery then.

A Good Start!

How's your Memorial Day weekend so far? My Saturday went pretty nicely. I got to sleep in until around 9:30, and then I puttered around the house, painting picture frames and piecing a back for the Prairie Paisley quilt top. I thought I'd get that one pinned today, but time goes by much quicker than we anticipate on weekends, doesn't it?

I needed to make a run to the pet supply store and Trader Joe's, so I quit puttering in the early afternoon and took off to run my errands. And since the Trader Joe's I went to isn't far from a Goodwill store . . . well, you know what happened, I'm sure! And before I knew it, the afternoon was over and I hadn't pinned the quilt.

I love Trader Joe's! I made the mistake of going on a fairly empty stomach, so I came home with a lot of goodies. But is that really a BAD thing? I think not! We went out to dinner with friends tonight, but I'll be cooking the rest of the weekend. Hubby and I are supposed to be making better food choices these days and--ideally--losing a little weight, but I don't think that's happening THIS weekend. But then it's a holiday, and holidays just aren't holidays without good food. If I whip up anything fantastic, I'll try to get a photo to share. Ms. Red Geranium Sharon gave some tips about BBQing pizza a few days ago, and I've been thinking about it since, so that's one possibility!

It rained here last night--rain in Sacramento on Memorial Day weekend is a rare thing. It sprinkled a little bit today too, but it's supposed to clear up for the rest of the weekend. I don't mind the rain--I like it a whole lot better than our typical Memorial Day weekend temperatures in the 90s!

I don't think I'll have much quilting news to share in the next few days because I plan to do some actual quilting (rather than piecing), and it will probably take a few days before I finish anything. Tomorrow, though, I plan to stay home and quilt! And sleep in. And probably hang around in my jammies until an embarrassingly late hour of the day. I hope your day is equally lovely!

A Room Without Walls

At work, I sit in a cubicle all day long. The "walls" on two sides rise only to about elbow height. Great for leaning; lousy for passing by too closely and hitting an elbow. The third "wall" rises a little bit above my head. The fourth "wall" isn't--it's pretty much just an opening so I can get in and out.

The cubicles are very public because the office floor plan is open. The office is nicely decorated, and because of these things, personalizing our cubicles to any great degree is discouraged.

This morning I sat in my cubicle and looked around me. I had a couple photos of my kids in frames that were given to me at one time or another by the office. I had a small, kinda ugly little wicker basket on my desk for holding binder clips. Another office freebie, a Sacramento Zoo coffee cup, held my pencils and pens. Speaking of coffee cups, the transfered picture on the outside of my cup was wearing off and fading after daily use for about the past ten years. My paperclips were contained in a cut glass candy dish--something else that was given to me at some time by the office and originally filled with candy, no doubt. In other words, nothing around me was really "me." And I realized that all of these things could be replaced with things I enjoy looking at without breaking the office rules.

So, that's my latest "mission." Fixing up my office work space--a place I spend so much of my time--to reflect my personality and taste. And I knew just where to start--Goodwill! My binder clips now rest in a cheerful yellow bowl. My pens and pencils seem much happier in a green, polka dotted cup. A white bowl picked up at another Goodwill on the way home from work will hold my paperclips. And my old coffee cup will soon be replaced by a Mary Engelbreit cup. I've brought the kids' photos home so I can replace the frames sometime this weekend. I also have some ideas for making a couple bookends. And have you seen the free tissue box pattern at Connecting Threads? I think I need to make one of those for sure!

I DID think about how funny it would be if I put up some kind of frame around the cubicle and hung curtains, but I'm pretty sure that would only last about a half a minute. Still, maybe it's something to keep in mind for next April Fool's Day! In the meantime, there are a lot of things I can do to make my cubicle my own. I've been with the firm around 15 years now; I guess it's about time to face the fact that I'll likely be there awhile longer and make my surroundings more enjoyable.

But enough about work--the weekend is here, and I am SOOOOO ready for it! I've been playing in the Sweat Shop this evening, framing the floral embroidery I found during a previous thrift shopping spree and sprucing up some of my other thrift store finds. Next on my weekend "to do" list is sleeping in, and I think it's about time to get started on that one. I hope you have a wonderful weekend planned!

A Little "Art"?

I have to admit, I do enjoy some good graffiti art. My friend Eileen asked me whether what my son did was similar to what the gang taggers do. Well, that concerns me a little bit on occasion too, but no, I don't think it's all that similar. What I know of gang taggers is that they usually mark their territory--or the territory they plan to move into--with initials rather than full-scale "art work." Yes, we see that around Sacramento, and I think it's a pretty ugly sight. But graffiti-style art work is different, I think. From what I can tell, the only thing taggers and graffiti artists have in common is the medium they use--spray paint.

First of all, I love murals on buildings. I always enjoy seeing, for instance, aquariums with the sides of the building painted with whales, sea lions, and whatever else one might find in the ocean. Or a surfboard shop where an otherwise blank wall is painted to look like a surfer catching a ginormous wave. Or a bakery where the wall facing the parking lot has a giant painting of a grandmotherly-type woman removing fresh baked loaves from the oven. I'm sure there are building codes in most cities that regulate that kind of thing. And I don't think I'd really enjoy it so much if my next door neighbor did something similar on his house! But I like quirky stuff--you knew that already, right?

My route to and from work runs along the railroad tracks, and I often see railroad cars passing by, spray painted with anything from taggers' initials to full blown graffiti art. I like it! I enjoy those "moving canvases" so much more than the standard, often-rusty container cars bearing a company's boring logo.

Much of my drive takes me through neighborhoods that are far from "upscale." The road isn't residential, and most of the commercial businesses along the way aren't looking to attract customers based on curb appeal--businesses like tow yards, light industrial warehouses, an old VFW hall, and a couple of auto repair shops. A bar of some sort has occupied one corner as long as I can remember, looking like nothing more than a cinder block box with two doors--one in front and one in back. It has always seemed to do a reasonably steady but light business. In the last few years, though, I think the ownership has changed. I've often seen, as I drive to work around 9 in the morning, a man in a large brimmed hat sweeping the sidewalks and parking lot. A black drum barbecue made its appearance in the front lot some months back. The building has been cleaned up and some repairs have been made. It's still in an "iffy" location, and I'm not sure it will ever be a success, but now when I pass by, I smile. The art work that's appeared on the building's exterior in the last few months has a lot to do with that. Today I took my camera along so I could take a couple photos to share with you. They aren't the best--I was, after all, in a car that was moving, albeit slowly.

There it is, that blue building: The Railroad Cafe. Right across on the other side of the road I'm driving on are the railroad tracks. I'm not sure what all those things painted on the wall are--some kind of pictures of the foods on their menu--but there in the right front corner is some part of a written menu. I do know it says BBQ. This is the view I see in the morning on my way to work.

And here's what I see coming home:

See the train painted on the side? Above the train cars are snow capped moutains and clouds in a blue sky. Near the front corner on one of the cars near its roof is painted "Entrance." Right there is a door, although you can barely see it, even in person.

Then, here's the front of the building:

The engine, of course. And there's a real window there where the engine's window would be. I don't know who did the art work but I think it's wonderful! So much more fun to look at than what the building used to be.

Of course, the work done on this building is much more elaborate than the fairly quick "greeting card" left for my hubby by our son, but this is more the kind of "art" my son enjoys when he has the time and space. And although I haven't seen it in person yet, I've seen photos on my son's cell phone of a rather large mural he painted on several sheets of plywood in his garage.

Are these the Piccasos of the 21st century? Well, maybe not. But who knows? I do know that I enjoy seeing this kind of art a lot more than some of the things it covers up!

Kids!

How do you know when one of your kids has been by your house while you're at work? Well, around here there's usually some evidence left behind, like a couple of dirty dishes in the sink, cats that were left inside are found outside, missing food, and the fact that you've been logged out of the computer because the kid had to check his emails.

This is a new one for us though. My hubby came home to find the kid in question had rummaged around the garage to find two old shelf boards and several cans of spray paint, which he then used to craft an extra large greeting card:

If you can't really read it--and really I'd be surprised if you could--it says "2 my Dad." The "Dad" is that part on the bottom that looks like red, blue, and black runny, melty goo. I'm not sure about the blue skull-looking thing. We DID call him to ask whether he intended with the skull to say something like "death to my dad," but he denied it. And laughed. Don't know where he gets his sense of humor from!

Maybe we should consider changing the locks again.

Treasures

Treasures come in many forms--those that find us and those that we find.

Over the past few days, I've continued to recover from that nasty cold I had last week, and I'm feeling so much better! A little bit of cough and congestion linger, but it's about what I have when allergies hit--in fact, it may just BE allergies.

At the height of my illness last week, my husband brought a package in for me from the mailbox from my blog-less friend Sandy. I can't tell you how much that package of goodies brightened my spirits!

Sandy sent me a tea pot embroidered apron that I promptly hung on one of the pegs in my kitchen--I think she knows I love tea pots!

The box also contained an assortment of goodies from buttons to fabric to a chicken pincushion! It was such a treat! Thanks so much, Sandy! You are a treasure! I also want to thank the rest of you who took the time to leave me "get well" comments--I appreciate each and every one of you! I'm glad you found me and my little blog.

I was determined last weekend to get out of the house for a little bit on Sunday, and although my hubby and I weren't exactly feeling our best, we decided go out and get some breakfast and do a little thrift store shopping. Our hearts weren't really in it, so we didn't spend a lot of time searching for treasures, but just as we were talking about heading home, I found something that excited me--an embroidered picture!

Some of the attraction of thrift store shopping is in finding things other people have made and treasured themselves, things that are now being passed on for some reason. Do you thrift shop? Do you imagine stories about the items and the people who owned them and why they're no longer treasured? I do--at least with some things. Being a quilter, when I saw the embroidered picture and knew how much time the person who made it had put into it, I had to take it home with me. The frame's not good, but I found another frame today, at yet another thrift store--I'll want to paint it and then see how the flowers look in it. When I get it "fixed up," I'll try to remember to take another photo to show you.

At the thrift store I stopped at tonight on my way home from work, it seemed that quite a few items had been donated from the home of someone who was "into" country decor. I gravitate toward that look myself to some extent and had to restrain myself from picking up a bunch of "bargains" that I wouldn't know what to do with later! There's a blue wooden apple wagon I came home with--you can see it in the photo with the embroidered flowers, near the top of the photo--as well as a wooden shoe form that's also right above the embroidered flowers. The wooden shoe form had a circa-1980s "country" pastel ribbon and some dried flowers glued onto it, but I pulled those off. I'm not sure what I'll do with my "foot," but my grandfather was a shoe repairman, so the shoe form brings back some memories.

From the same "country lady" I think came two bags of wooden blocks, houses, and other decorations. For now, those will go in my craft closet, but I see future possibilities there.

I also "collect" these turquoise/green canning jars and I found three tonight--two are imprinted for the bicentennial, which was kind of interesting.

Besides collecting tea pots that I've mentioned before, I'm kind of nutty about pitchers, and I found this yellow one with a Restoration Hardware imprint on the bottom. I love the bright and cheerful look!

Then various other little "finds." There's a green cabbage bowl there in the upper left that someone made--or glazed, anyway--for her mother for Mother's Day back in the 70s, I believe--it's inscribed on the bottom. I have a larger, white cabbage soup tureen that looks quite similar by Metlox Pottery. Maybe someday I'll have a collection of cabbage pottery! A blue polka dot pot on a yellow polka dot plate. Stacked red, white, and blue star boxes--there's that patriotic theme again! A couple little pictures and frames. The sailing ship is hand painted and not a print--that one's destined for a new frame (maybe the white one it's sitting on after I repaint the frame black) and will go in my son's former bedroom along with a couple other nautical-themed drawings I've found at thrift stores lately.

A few of you mentioned to me that you were getting the itch to visit a thrift shop or two. Have you gone yet? Did you find any treasures? Here in our area, Goodwill is having a HUGE sale on Memorial Day--50% off. I guess you know where hubby and I will be for at least a little bit of the day, right? And there are probably about six Goodwill stores within about a 20 minute drive from our house. Of course, I have a lot of quilting to do too this weekend with two patriotic quilt tops ready to be pinned and quilted, but I'm sure I'll need to get out for a bit and stretch my muscles, right?!

Prairie Paisley Project

I just have a quick post for you tonight because it's kinda late--I've been playing in the Sweat Shop, trying to get a top finished.

Remember this from the other day? I mentioned I had bought this little Schnibbles pattern and two charm packs of the Prairie Paisley fabric. The Schnibbles pattern sample actually uses the Prairie Paisley line, so it's a perfect "fit"!

When I started cutting and making the star blocks, I found that I could just squeeze out 13 star blocks instead of the 9 called for in the pattern. In other words, I could make a larger quilt top using a diagonal set with 13 center blocks. I did have to cheat a little and use one 5" square of the red with white polka dot fabric from the Mary Engelbreit line--I thought the reds matched pretty well. I also had to add more neutral fabrics than was called for in the pattern. I think the pattern called for 1/3 yard to be used in the star backgrounds. I needed about another 1/2 yard for the setting triangles (what I used was from the Christmas Past line by the same designers) and then I also added another fat quarter and about a 1/2 yard for the outside border because I wanted that to be wider than the pattern. So, anyway, here's how mine turned out--it measures around 46" square instead of the original 30" square:

(By the way, if you're making a quilt top from this pattern, take a look at the cutting directions for the blue fabric to make the star blocks. Instead of cutting the charms in 2" strips and then cutting those 3-1/2" long, cut a 1-1/2" strip first and add it to the pile for the blue inner border strips. Then cut the remaining 3-1/2" pieces into rectangles that measure 2" x 3-1/2"--that should eliminate some of the waste.)

I've enjoyed working with this fabric--something about it reminds me of summer days, those old-fashioned red and white or blue and white handkerchiefs, and picnics. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it somehow evokes memories of childhood summers. I know the line is wildly popular--have you made anything from it yet?

Winner!

Lucky number 20! Whoo-hoo! Come on down! But I bet you'd like to know who number 20 is, though, wouldn't you? Well, first of all, I figured I'd explain how my extremely high tech winner-selection process works.

As each of you comment or email me, I read your message and if I like what you had to say, I move your comment or email into a special "Giveaway" file in my email box. As the time approaches for the selection of a winner, I check to see how many comments/emails I have. In this instance, I had 32 entries. I then hack off carefully cut 32 pieces of paper that are numbered 1 through 32.

With great ceremony, I select the appropriate vessel to hold the numbered, carefully cut squares of magical paper. Since we're feeling patriotic, I thought you'd all appreciate the selection of a nice red and white bowl.

I then confer upon someone special in my life the honor of selecting the winning number. In this case, it was me because the cats aren't very good at selecting winning numbers (unlike some of the pets out there in Blogland) and hubby's laying in bed with a damp washcloth across his eyes because they're itching from his allergies; he's ignoring me and half pretending to sleep as I play Hail to the Chief on my kazoo.

I then grab my own washcloth and tie it around my eyes, reach into the special bowl, and pull out a winning number. When I peek, I see it's NUMBER 20!

But that's just half the fun! Because I then go back into my "Giveaway" email file and count from oldest to newest to determine who was the 20th person to comment/email me. I usually have to count this several times because in moving from one page to another and scrolling up and down, I inevitably lose my place somewhere in the count. Sometimes I have to do this two or three times at least. And then I double check. And triple check. So, here's the winning entry:

"QuiltingFitzy has left a new comment on your post "Celebrating!": No, PICK ME, PICK ME! Love you, love your "show"!"

Ms. Fitzy, please email me your snail mail address and your full and complete name as reflected on your 2007 income tax return, and I'll put your prize in the mail to you! (And don't forget to report your winnings on your 2008 return!) Congratulations! And thanks to all of you for playing!

Celebrating!

I'm celebrating feeling a bit better this weekend and being excited about finishing the patriotic quilt top, so I thought I'd share a little bit of the joy with you. And, as you probably know, in Blogland that means a little giveaway! So here's what I'm giving away:

There are eight flag squares by Moda--these are what I used in the patriotic quilt top. There's also a small Liberty panel, also by Moda, from an old line by Deb Strain. Just to give you an idea of what can be done with the Liberty panel, I used one several years ago to make this little quilt:

Leave me a comment saying you want in the drawing or email me directly and I'll put your name in. I'll draw before I post Sunday night and announce the winner of the flag squares and Liberty panel then, in my next post. Good luck!