Keeping Cookies

By now I'm sure you've surmised that I love thrifting and vintage and things that remind me of people near and dear to me.

This week's vintage, thrifty find has to do with my grandmother's cookies.

Both my Grandmothers were great bakers. Each had their own style and specialties...not only in what they made but how they were stored and delivered.

This lovely find 

reminds me of sugar cookies. My grandmother would make what seemed like endless sugar cookies decorated to perfection for most holidays. Orange pumpkins with current eyes for Halloween, hearts for Valentines day. For Christmas I remember a cookie cutter she had that outlined a mother and child which my grandmother frosted with a toothpick to get different colors in the outlines. (Note to self...ask what happened to that cookie cutter...). Grandma's tin was larger and deeper, but the top is exactly the same. We still have cookies of some sort stored in her tin every Christmas in Iowa.

My other grandmother stored her cookies in an equally unique tin...a storage/shipping tin for a film reel. They also make great storage for a pie, if deep enough. Haven't found one of those... yet...

A long time ago...

In a land far away...

(ok, not that far, but a few states from here)

I was going to my weekly ceramics class, and made a mirror for my new baby sister who had been born that day.

It was a simple mirror, with a chunky, clunky rattle on it and if I remember correctly my new little sister's initials.

Happy Birthday!  I'm so glad you were born!

Happy Independence Day

Hope y'all had a great three day weekend celebrating all the 4th of July means to you.

Special thanks to all who have served, are serving, or will serve to preserve the freedom that is easy for us to take for granted every day.

I'll share some more of the weekend adventures later this week!

Progress?

I've mentioned it before, and I'll say it again.

A good sewing day is one where the garbage can is full.  In my quest to destash and USE the fabric I have, here is the great accomplishment of this weekend:

(if I can figure out how to get the photo off my iphone and into my computer it will appear here...technology, why do you challenge me so?  Hey look!  I figured it out!)

So it's one small garbage can of scraps.  But it's full.  And I have stacks of bib pieces on the cutting table waiting to be put together in addition to the dozen that are waiting for me to turn them inside out.  Progress.

The failing this weekend was in my fancy sewing machine that has the fancy stitches I use to finish off the gems I sell in my shop.  The tension stopped working.  No amount of re-threading or cajoling resulted in a seam with an appropriate tension.  It's a problem when you can just pull the bobbin thread out, right?  So off to the machine doctor we go...I hope I can get out there this week before Thursday!

Luckily I have a back up plan.  My trusty machine that has been with me almost 20 years.  (How is it possible I can write that?  20 years?  WHAT?!?!?)  Thanks, Mom, for the best high school graduation present a girl could ask for.

To Stash or Not to Stash

That is the question.

I listened to a podcast a couple nights ago and the podcaster was talking about sewing thru all her fabric stash. I mean all of it. She had one piece of denim left. She was debating how much stash she felt like she should have. What was the right amount to feel like you could just decide to go sew and have options of what you want to create but not so much that it would feel overwhelming.

I gotta tell you. The idea of walking into my sewing room and having neat, clean, uncluttered shelves sounds like a dream. I would be delighted. But the idea of walking in and seeing just one piece of fabric? That makes me uncomfortable. Really uncomfortable.

I've gotten very used to being able to solve a sewing challenge with whatever supplies I can find in my studio. In fact, I've started to feel proud about not always having to run out to get something (thread, elastic, etc) to finish a project. But how much it too much? How do you know when to say when? How many fabric bins in the basement of things that no longer fit in the studio is too many?

I recently visited a friend who has always been a person where there is a place for everything and everything is in it's place. Always. That's never been me. But it's sooo appealing. Realistically I won't likely ever be that kind of organized, but I'm definitely more conscious about how much might be too much.

So I've started. I'm attempting to use up my stash. If the perfect fabric or notion doesn't immediately make itself apparent, the project goes off to the side. The perfect thing is in there somewhere...I just haven't searched to the bottom of the right tub yet. No really.

Wish me luck. And if you're in the market for some sewing supplies...give me a buzz...I might have just what you're looking for!

Thrifty Finds -- Crafty Edition

A thirty percent off coupon for Savers.  How was this not burning a hole in my pocket?  How did I manage to keep it in my purse until the LAST day before it expired.  How could I not take a trip to Savers just to see if there was anything worth getting "on sale"?  I did.  And it was worth it.

First, for those of you who don't know Savers is a store much like Goodwill or the Salvation Army.  And you know I'm always in for a thrifty store to search for treasures.

In addition to finding a great black short trench coat which I needed to replace the worn out one in my closet and a couple funky scarves for my collection I always check out the crafty section.  I'm a sucker for recycling craft supplies that someone else never got to use, or grew tired of.  Vintage trims and fabrics are one of my favorite finds...some you just can't get anymore and the price is generally right, if you know what I mean.

On this particular trip the great finds were yarn.

How could I say no?  Four skeins of a pinky peach silk and cotton Noro and two skeins (albeit in two colors) of Cascade alpaca/angora blend.  I think I need to start scouring my "One Skein" books to see what gems I can dig up to turn these gems into some fun and functional projects.  I'm certainly up for suggestions.

What thrifty finds have you scored lately?

One More Sleep

Sister,
This one's for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhjTHlui2ws

See you tomorrow!