A New Shirt

 

Dolman sleeves are my new favorite.

I'm currently working on perfecting a pattern for a cute cotton tee with Dolman sleeves. I've worked up the first sample and I really like it. It definitely needs a few tweaks, but the look is what I was hoping for! The best part? The whole thing takes about 1 yard of a main fabric and about 1/4 a yard of a contrast fabric! How's that for a stash-buster?

Thrifting Recap

Thrifting was a ton of fun yesterday, but not quite a smashing success. My niece managed to score a great haul by finding 2 band tee shirts, a lace blouse, a brand new "Pink" hoodie, and a black tank top, all for $22. I was not having the same luck. It was a combination of nothing really speaking to me and Boo having a toddler tantrum.

Why was he having a tantrum? Because he is two and he found the toy to end all toys in Savers. And he wanted it. He found a Corvette that was "Boo sized", as he put it. I have to be honest. I was tempted. It worked. It was only $19.99. It was adorable. I kind of wanted it myself. It was the sort of thing that every kids yearns for and most parents can't afford. It was sitting right on front of us, and I wanted to buy it too.

Sadly, reason kicked in and we had to walk away. First of all, it was too big for my car. Second, we had no place to drive it. We live on a busy side street and our driveway is short and sloped. Third, money is tight this month and the car was just unnecessary. I'm keeping my eyes peeled though. If I see another one, reason may not win.

As for my own finds, I got a great tin. That was a fun find. It was .99 and in great condition. It's going into my studio to store buttons.

 I also found a gorgeous Tuscan platter with a great floral design in some really bold colors. I didn't purchase it because it was cracked but I made sure to get a lot of photos to add to my inspiration boards. I'd love to make this into a fabric!

That's it for this trip. Hopefully we'll make it back again on Friday for a second round. We only made it through half the store!

Thrifting

Today is thrift store day. About twice a month, Boo and I spend an afternoon trolling the racks at our local Saver's. He loves to pick out "tchotchkees" and books and can spend hours sitting in my shopping cart playing with old toys even when he knows we won't be buying them. I love to look for vintage linens, handmade quilts and afghans, fun shoes for sock photo shoots, vintage pyrex for my sister's collection, and bags of cast-off craft supplies. I also tend to look for funny tee shirts for Boo, cool jewelry and handbags for me, sweaters for The Mister, and oddles of clothes all around.

It's a treasure trove of goodness the size of a supermarket and I love

Today's list of items that I'm actually looking for includes:

• Small shelving for my craft-studio-in-progress*
• Cork boards
• Picture frames, hopefully with mats
• Picnic basket
• China and/or crystal plates and bowls for a styling a photo shoot next week

This week we will be joined by my 17 year old niece, an adorable style maven. She is barely 5 feet tall with a perfect teenaged figure and she LOVES fashion. That means that she is a dream come true to play dress up with. She'll try on anything! She's never really thrifted before today but I think she'll take to it. I showed her some of the famous designer made garments that I've found (Michael Kors blouse, Rag and Bone jeans) and she was intrigued. I also pointed out that she could get some of her favorite brands for up to 90% off retail and she was sold. Hopefully I can steer her to some J.Crew, Banana Republic, and the like as opposed to Old Navy and Aeropostale. Fingers crossed!

Stay tuned! I'll do a recap later today and post the find goodies that we unearth!

*Craft Studio In Progress - Later in the week I'll post on this, but I'm back to putting together my studio! Boy is it a wreck but it should be functional in about a week. As for being pretty and attractive, well, hopefully by Thanksgiving...

Sailboat Update!

I finished the stitching on my sailboat panels and I can't wait to share them with you! I love the way they turned out. Right now they are in simple dollar store frames because I just couldn't wait to see them behind glass, but the plan is to properly frame them next week.

Let's take a sneak peak, shall we?

They are very similar but not identical and I'm thinking that a third panel might be nice, perhaps one with just clouds and maybe a seagull...along with a sailboat of course. Or maybe one with a pirate flag!

Anyway, now it's time to decide on the framing. I'm thinking a nice wooden frame stained in a honey color and a plain white mat. Another option would be a aged gold or brass frame to mimic the hardware that is often seen on boats. My husband suggested a frame made of rope from the rigging of a sail, but I thought that would be too literal.

Any ideas?

Sailboats!

I recently decided that my bathroom needed some handmade help. It needed art. So, after some thought, I decided that I'd make two felt panels to frame and hang on the wall over the towel rod.

My idea was to make the panels into landscapes of sailboats in the water. The Mister loves the ocean so I knew he'd be thrilled with them which is key since he's a mega critic of home decor. In order to make them blend in with the current decor in there, I went with a color scheme of blue and browns and cream. The shapes of the boats are simple, very geometric, and they are embroidered on to the felt. I decided on two complementary panels as opposed to two identical panels.

I took the above shot as I was working on the layout of the first panel. I'm still working on the design of the second, but this one is almost done!

Now...what kind of frame should I use?

Rainy Day Inspiration

I love gardens in the rain. The greens are greener, the smells are fresher, and the leaves and petals shine with the droplets of water.

My garden looked particularly lovely today, which impressive because it's been abandoned for many years. The Mister is working hard to restore it to it's glory days when it was tended by my master gardener grandmother but it's a long haul and my black thumbs are no help. Even so, it managed to show beauty on this rainy day:

Lovely little purple blossoms.

The Mister is laying stones for a path through the garden.

 And of course, Boo had a wonderful time splashing in the puddles. Nothing makes a two year old happier...

His shoes are still drying...

 What do you love about the rain?

Worktable Wednesday

I spent today spinning up a few ounces of Three Irish Girls Springvale Superwash Merino Roving. The colorway is called Rainforest and I love it. It's such a lovely mix of greys, blues, and greens.

It's so squishy!!!

It's spinning up into a muted blend that looks like a thunderstorm. My single is gorgeous.

I plan on spinning up two bobbins and plying them together for a simple DK weight sock yarn. The best part? I still have no idea what it will really look like. That's what I adore about spinning.