Recap Part 3

While out thrifting the 99 cent day at Goodwill, you see a lot of cute things. If I was a size 2 or a petite, I could be a well dressed person!! But I am not.

One day, I saw the cutest paisley pleated skirt in every Tennesseans favorite color - Orange! I was ecstatic to see that it was new with tags and it was MY size!! Woo Hoo! I really felt like I won the lottery! Super cute, new with tags and MY size! I snatched it up quick!! What do you think?

I did manage to find the perfect orange sweater to go with it. Unfortunately, it wasn't on the 99 cent rack. I had to pay $2.98 for the cashmere sweater.

I love this outfit! It is so comfortable and cute!

Be back soon!

Jessie's Witch Project & Great Thrift Finds

I have been trying to get this post done for awhile. I have been really busy with Jessie's Birthday, Mom & Sister's weekend and an October 15th deadline for individual tax returns.

This was a Halloween project that I was going to do, but Jessie took over when I screwed up on the painting. I bought this flat sided fish bowl (at Goodwill of course) and I wanted to paint the inside, I made a mess of it and that is when Jessie took over.

She painted the outside with glass paint, which was so much easier. That was when she claimed the project as hers. She did the rest.

I purchased the witch headband at the thrift store and a big bag of yarn with the black and gray yarn in it to add to the hat. She added wiggle eyes. I made some clay that you bake to harden. Jessie made the shape of the nose, wart, mouth and tooth. After baking she painted them and attached it to the bowl with glue. I put a strand of 50 Christmas lights inside to illuminate her.

And here she is:)................


So Cute!! She now sits in our Bake Center. I removed the little lamp that you can see sitting behind her.

My great thrift finds??? You know that bag of yarn I bought for the witch hair? Well I sold the rest of the bag in 2 separate auctions on ebay for a total of $28.00!!! I didn't realize it but this bag had some Tilli Tomas silk yarn in it. That doesn't mean anything to me except it made me some money. I had no idea who Tilli Tomas was before, but now I will look for her at the thrift stores!

I had the HP56 toner cartridge on my shopping list for a couple of weeks. I wanted to use a gift card I had at Office Depot. I just couldn't seem to make it over there, it wasn't on my usual driving route. One day I stopped in at the little thrift store down the road from my 2nd job and guess what was waiting there for me???

Just the cartridges my printer takes! Two twin packs packaged in a plastic bag for $4.99!! That is about a $95.00 savings!!! Yahoo!!!

I was beginning to feel real lucky, until Hubby's office computer crashed and then my laptop at home crashed two days later! Do you think I can find those at the thrift store??

Be back soon!

Thrifting Intuition?

At the end of July I was thrifting and saw a gray metal cart with wheels. Price $6.99. It rolled really nice and smooth. But I didn't need a cart! I walked away to look at the books. Something drew me back, I kept thinking I had to have it! I picked it up and paid for it, all the time thinking Hubby will not be happy with this purchase! Where are you going to put it? What are you going to do with it?

I didn't even bother getting it out of the car when I got home on Friday. I just didn't want to hear all the questions.

Late Saturday afternoon I was taking Son #2 and his girlfriend Julie to a BeerFest in Nashville. (Hubby was on pick up duty) Julie gets in the car and looks at the cart. She ever so sweetly asked if I saw another one at a thrift store if I would buy it for her. She really needed one for her classroom to put her computer on.

Sunday we spray painted the cart a pretty blue color and off it went to Julie's classroom!




Thrifting Intuition is great! I need to just learn to accept that "Pull" even though I don't understand it!

Don't you love that sign above the white board?

Good News! Son #2 is now an employed teacher! He is teaching Science to 7th and 8th graders!

Be back soon! (with a Pottery Barn Knock Off!)

A New Dress - Thrifting Again

I bought a new dress at the Goodwill for 99 cents.

....and where will I wear this beauty????

No where! This is what I was after............


You see those rhinestone buttons? Those babies are super expensive in the fabric stores! So snip, snip. snip, snip and the buttons go in my Bling jar. The dress is donated back to Goodwill!

Yes I do have a Bling jar and I work hard to fill it up, as cheap as possible!

Be Back Soon!

Trash Room Treasure

Every floor in our office building has a trash room. Hubby and I were taking a few bags over and what did I spy sitting on the floor next to the bin???

Hubby told me not to take it! "It's UGLY!" he said.

Nothing a little spray paint over the weekend couldn't cure!



Perfect for holding some of my shabby fabrics! Actually, I am debating whether I should give it a whitewash or do some distressing, or both. It just looks too bright.

And just to let you know, this is not the first time I have confiscated trash from the trash room!

Did you see those vintage patterns next to it? I found the "mother load" of them at the thrift store last week! I was so excited! I just love looking at them!

Be back soon!

My first Tiffany & Company Purchase........

.........from a thrift store! Brand new with the tag still attached. This is a little bedside crystal pitcher that has a cup that fits in the top of the pitcher to use as a lid. I think it would be perfect for using in a guest room!


Do you see that aqua tag on it??? That is what drew me to the item. So what did I pay for this treasure????

What a deal considering I have seen these for years (just not Tiffany & Co.) and loved them!

I also found some nice silver trays at half off - $4.00 each.


You see that smaller one in the corner of the picture??? The one with the twisted edge?? Sorry - forgot to bring my camera with me to work to do this post. (On my lunch hour of course!)

Well I turned it over to clean it up and guess what??

Another Pottery Barn find! Somehow I am always attracted to this brand!

I need to get my silver polish out!

Be back soon!

A Little Bit Done and Thrifting

I have been doing a little bit here and a little bit there, but not much. I have been wanting to make some new bar stool covers. So I took a half hour and tested out my pattern.

Not bad, but I think it needs more pleats! I will add more pleats!

I just used some scrap fabric I had to test with. I also cut a circle the same size as the stool out of a memory foam mattress pad. It is definitely comfy and much better than the store bought lumpy ones that were on there! I just need to decide what kind of fabric I want to use.

My seeds are sprouting and doing really well!

My red flowers!

My daisies!

I did cheat and use a couple of peat pots I had in the basement. What can I say..........I was tired and wanted to finish the job of getting them planted.

I did a little thrifting last week and found this great mirror for my sewing room! I just needed to shabby it up some!

There this is so much better!

I just need to get it hung up to add to my collection on the sewing room walls!

Be back soon!

What I have been doing

Well, I haven't had much time to sew or thrift, but I did do a little of both in the past week. I found 4 of these little glass pedestal dishes at one store. These are so cute and dainty looking, I couldn't resist. Especially at .49 cents a piece!


I found another 4 at another thrift store. Wow a set of 8! Now what are they?

They are only 3" across. Tiny little things. Hubby and I think they are probably sorbet dishes. To cleanse your pallet between courses. Well, that is our educated guess. If anybody knows different let me know! Don't really care, I love them whatever they are!

I have been sewing some headbands. I have been using scrap fabric for this "Winging It" project. I love headbands, but most of them give me severe headaches! They are way too tight for my head! Velcro is the answer to this problem!




Reversible headbands. I made about four of these, before deciding this was the perfect width and length for ME. Now I just have to make some more in other colors. These are fantastic for people that have sensitive heads! Plus they use up my scrap fabrics!

I would show you a picture of me wearing them, but I have had about 4 different colors of hair in the past two weeks and I am still not happy! I will try again tomorrow (at the risk of losing all my hair) and see if I am able to show something that I am actually happy with!

Be back soon!

Pottery Barn Candle Holder

I purchased this Pottery Barn Candle Holder at the thrift store in December.


I thought I would be able to spiff it up with my "Wrights Silver Cream".

It's a lot brighter, but it didn't really work. There are still some tarnished areas.

What to do, what to do????? Sometimes you have to admit to defeat and just get out that can of spray paint, but I am not willing to do that yet...........

I think I will ask Google if they have any idea's!

Be back soon! (Gotta get that spot on my blender cleaned up! I didn't know it was there until I took these pictures.)

Coffee Table Remake Finished

The coffee table remake is done. Remember this bargain at $4.99?

I should start out by telling you how Hubby didn't like my bargain coffee table. He thought it was ugly. It was purchased to replace the one in the boy's TV room. Hubby made the one in there. It was made from our butcher block kitchen countertop. It was the sink cutout. It is 2" thick and very heavy. Well, one of the legs on this coffee table kept turning in, looking like it was going to break at any moment. We have done several things to try to remedy the situation, all with no luck.

Well, I have to walk past this all the time to get to my sewing room. It literally bugged the heck out of me! Somehow (to me) it made the walls and floors look uneven. Hubby kept saying it could be fixed, but it wasn't. It has been well over a year since it started it's opposite "leaning tower" position. So when I brought this one home to replace it, you know what he did? He actually fixed the the opposite leaning tower coffee table and took it to his "Man Room". Why this couldn't have been fixed sooner.........nobody knows.

He decided we needed to use my bargain coffee table in the family room for the TV and move the coffee table the TV was currently sitting on to the boy's room. Well, this coffee table was an inch shorter than the one we had, and I thought that one was too low. (It was fine if you are slouched on your leather man chair though.)

So he built it up, I spray painted it, he added the knobs to look like drawer pulls and here it is:

This table isn't as long as the one we had before, so it makes the room appear larger. There is a speaker under the the shelf, so that is why you can't really see the shelf. We had everything to fix it up, so there were no additional expenses.

I just love creating something from nothing and that is unique!

And I won't have to bend my neck down to watch TV. Hubby might have to sit a little straighter though!

Be back soon!

Even Though I've Been Sick......

.......I have still been doing things. I am doing better now, just a nasty cough left over. The weather keeps changing, which always makes me sick.

This is my kitchen table. This picture was taken last weekend. I was working on several projects at once. I completed my vintage Halloween inspired pennants. That black Rit Dye in the picture is for a project from the Martha Stewart Halloween magazine for my daughter Amber. More on that in a later post.

I love these pennants! I made four for me!


I really need to take pictures during the day. The pictures come out so much better! I will use two in the dining room, one for the fireplace mantle and one for the staircase. Hopefully I will be able to decorate for Halloween this weekend!

I did do some thrifting in this week, while Jessie was at cheerleading practice. I went to look for some books by Iris Johanson. I read a book by her on my "Mom and Sister's" weekend, while in the airport. I am hooked. She writes mystery novels with a little romance thrown in. I found three of her books at the Goodwill.

This is the one I am reading now. Addictive!

I also found this book..................

Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook. This is a very large book that retails for $45.00. It is in like new condition and only $2.99! What a deal! Even the cashier at the Goodwill was jealous! I had thumbed through this book at the bookstore before and knew I wanted it.

I also found a bunch of Pottery Barn Kids pink gingham sheets. I use these in a lot of sewing projects, so this was a great find. They looked like they were brand new, just out of the package.

That's a lot of yardage!

Be back soon!

A Bed For Charlie!

Charlie needed a bed. Before Patrick, the new dog came, Charlie slept on my husband's side of the bed in a dog bed. When Patrick came, I laid down a fluffy comforter beside my bed for him. Guess who decided that was his spot! Charlie!

Well, he would spread the whole comforter around the floor and I had a hard time getting out of bed because of this. Enough was enough!

I took this crib bumper set I bought at the thrift store about a year ago. I bought it because I loved the fabric. I was going to take it apart and use the fabric in something.

I found another use for it!

Charlie now has a new bed!


Looks pretty comfy to me! The main objection from my husband and Jessie when I told them what I was going to do:

"It's pink and he is a boy! You can't make him sleep in a pink bed!"

"If he has an objection, he won't sleep in it!" my response.

Guess he isn't intimidated with the pink. He is old and grouchy and growls all the time at the other dogs if they come near him. But obviously, he has no problem with the pink dog bed I made him.

I am scared by how his eyes showed up in the picture. So Jessie put his picture through PAINT and made him less scary!



When I get up in the morning, I won't be tripping over a queen size comforter that Charlie has decided to carpet the floor with.

Life is Good!

Be back soon!

Spray painting my weekend away

Yep that is what I did this weekend! Hopefully I will be able to show you something tomorrow.

Oh and that is Patrick checking things out! He seems to like it around here!


Be back soon!

Thrift Store Finds

Last week when I was out shopping for Pirate costumes at Goodwill, I found these two baskets. They still had their tags attached. I think they may have been from Target. I thought they may be good for reorganizing Jessie's closet. I cut the tags off and set them on the stairs to take up next time I went up to feed the turtles. (Jessie is visiting with family in Michigan until the big 4th of July party.)




Aren't they cute?

Well, when I was cleaning up in the house this weekend, every time I found something of Jessie's, I would throw it in the basket.

I had no idea the girl had so many earrings! I am sure she didn't either since they were everywhere except her dressing table!

So now I have decided these baskets need to stay on the stairs for filling with Jessie's WAYWARD items! I just need to make some different liners to go with the living room. (That is not happening anytime soon!)


Yep, I like this idea! (Oh and I did edit that picture so you wouldn't see the dust bunny sitting on the stairs. Never noticed it till I was putting the picture on the blog)

Be back soon!

More Thrift Milk Glass

I found 3 more of these pretty milk glass bowls at the thrift on Saturday.




My favorite's are the baby ones! I really don't need them, but I really like them!

That was it for my thrift finds. There were yard sales everywhere this past weekend, but I didn't go to any of them. I really wasn't in a shopping mood. I stopped in the thrift to look for pirate costume attire for the family. Pirate night at my sister's is on July 3rd. Gotta get busy!

Be back soon!

Where oh where can it be????

While going through some pictures on my camera card, I came across this picture of some pillows I had made for Faith (son #1's fiance - boy that sounds weird!).

I had made a green tufted cushion for a bench my son bought her for Christmas 2 years ago. I made these for her to put on the bench.

I remembered I had leftover fabric! All of a sudden it was important I have new pillows for my back porch gliders with this fabric.

The patterned fabric was from a Restoration Hardware curtain panel I found at a thrift store. I fell in love with the fabric when I made the pillows. I know I have leftover fabric!

Where oh where can it be?

I have to replace some red floral pillows I have on my gliders!

Where oh where can it be?

Why can't I remember where I put that fabric? I know I put it in a place I would be sure to remember and it would be easy to find! I know this because I knew I loved the fabric and regretted not buying the other three panels they had for sale.

Where oh where can it be?

This is where my husband would tell me I have too much fabric if I can't find the item I need. So we won't tell him about this!

Time to begin searching again!

Be back soon!

Back from Virginia

(This post was interrupted by the Skunk episode! I thought I would post it now.)

We are back from visiting our daughter Amber and her husband in Arlington Virginia. We had a great visit! We didn't do much sight seeing. We were there to visit.

I brought my camera and guess how many pictures I took? TWO! Two pictures the whole time I was there! I really meant to take more. Some people are natural photographers, I have to make concentrated effort. I usually have my sister Gail get an extra set of pictures of any family event. (I usually have my camera, I just forget)

This is one of the pictures I took when we went to our daughter's work. She works at the NRA as an Event Service Coordinator. The have a museum in the building on the history of firearms.

Jessie and my husband

The other picture I took was when I forced Jessie to go into the laundry closet to talk on the phone late at night. She preferred the bathroom, but I had problems with that since it is a one bath apartment. I am not going to show that one. It's not pretty! It makes me laugh though!

I did get to go to two stores I have been wanting to go to. Ikea and The Container Store! I loved both of them. I didn't buy much, just a few little items, but I enjoyed going to these two stores.

I found a little white plate for my collection at HomeGoods while I was there. HomeGoods was right next to the grocery store, so I was forced to run in and see what they had.

A square little lace plate! Love it! Marked down to $1.00. I need to get stated on my white plate display. I think I have more than enough.

Thrift Finds

On Monday, I stopped by the thrift store to see if a chair I had seen last week was still there. I decided with a slipcover it would be perfect for my sewing room.

When I saw this chair I knew it was the perfect size and shape of what I wanted, but I decided since they had four, I could certainly wait until it was half price. They were asking $14.95!

Well I was wrong! No chair to slipcover, but this is what I did find:

More milk glass and four vintage patterns. Total cost $3.00.

Love my finds, but I wish my chair had been there! That's what I get for being cheap!