Thrift Haul - Craft Books

 I love craft books. Regardless if it's a craft that I actually know or not, I'm drawn to them from across a thrift store and immediately start digging through piles of dusty novels. 

Today it seemed like someone's collection was donated, as there was a ridiculous amount of needlework and cross stitch books available. These were the only ones that appealed to me, as I'm not overly fond of country bears and bunnies wearing bonnets. Plus, they were only 50 cents each. Win.

I also have a 'thing' for Victorian needlework. Especially those huge embroidered rugs (how could you walk on those?). This fox design is just the best. Everything in my house will be covered in foxes. In addition to cute animals, this book also has patterns for some great geometric patterns. Which is pretty neat.

 There was also this book (Chinese?), which was a random find for this small Georgia town. I don't understand a thing, but there are some really cute designs and I'm sure with some study I can make out the patterns if nothing else.

 Lastly, "Complete Guide to Sewing - Reader's Digest 1976". These books are great. Instructions are included for anything you could want. From including pockets, to tailoring a jacket, etc. Amazing. And dead useful. There are even patterns in the back of the book for pencil pillows and such!

Feeling French.

This day was spent perusing thrift stores and eating amazing sushi. 

There are worse ways to spend your time. 

For some reason I felt very French in this outfit. Must be the stripes. 

Shirt - TJ Maxx

Skirt - 80's and Thrifted (25 cents!!!)

Necklace - Handmade (Previous Keychain)

Bag - Modcloth

Flats - Thrifted

Vintage Toys - 1940s Tin Army Plane

Today we found this super great toy airplane! It's from the early 1940s (or thereabouts) and was made by Marx Toys, one of the most popular toy manufacturers at the time. Fun fact : their brands produced the Rock em Sock em Robots and the Big Wheel tricycle!

Anyway, it's got quite a bit of rust happening, but I kind of prefer that to a pristine version. You can really see the 70 or so years on that toy. Obviously, it's way past play time, but I think it would make a great piece of decor. Maybe on a bedside table or perched atop a stack of vintage books?

So great.

You can find it here.

Thrifty Finds 8/15/12

The thrift store gods bestowed upon me this wonderful crinoline! It seems to be from the 60s or early 70s and is super poofy and soft. So great. Plus my circle skirts look wooonderful.

 

I also found this great dusky pink trench coat. It's officially the best. It's by London Fog and from the 1960s.

 

In the mail...

I had some fun shopping online for art supplies (because you can never have enough).

Pink Bird Monsters and other oddities.

Last night, a friend of ours came over with a selection of his Warhammer models and graciously allowed us to paint a couple of them. I was a little intimidated (they're so damn SMALL), but I had a ton of fun and it was enjoyable to try a new medium and paint tiny daemons and monsters. The colors I chose are completely NOT what they are supposed to be, but that was okay with me. :)

I have also forgotten what they are called. So...sorry. 

Vendor Apron - Ice Cream and Balloons

Today, some random fabrics from my stash came together to make this little cutie. A vendor apron! Everything sort of fell together, which makes for something fun and interesting rather than trying way to hard to make things match. 

The hot air balloon fabric was a large flat sheet that I found at a thrift shop ( how can people give these things away?!). The yellow tie was a former sheet as well. Seriously, if you are thrifting and come across a big sheet that is in good condition, BUY IT. They are beyond useful. The popsicle fabric was purchased at JoAnn and the floral trim was vintage and also thrifted. 

*edit*  Just made this one today with teal cotton ( yes, another sheet ), a Robert Kaufman print, a Japanese Alice glitter fabric, and vintage lace.

This came together really quickly and is a great way to combine cute fabrics and get something useful as well! Although my craft apron is self drafted, these aren't difficult to put together at all and they all look kind of similar, depending on where you put your pockets. 

If you need some tutorials, Rosey Corner Creations has good one, as does Cindy's Fabrics.

Genie Jafar Art Plush

The past few days I've been working on this little villain! Maybe I shouldn't say little...he's 23 inches tall, which I've found out is the perfect size for cuddling! He's made out of a wool blend felt, embroidery floss, and polyfill. His features and snazzy belt are all hand stitched, but his body is machine stitched twice. I can't wait to make a little Aladdin to go with him! He's made to order, and you can get him here!

Polyvore - Ursula

Ursula by wastedwishes

I'm spending way too much time on Polyvore. Here's my take on Disney's Ursula, my all time favorite Disney villain. Her awesome makeup and killer black dress are my favorite parts. Unfortunately, Polyvore is fresh out of tentacles.  

Thrift Haul - 7/10/2012

Today gave me two of my favorite things...ice cream and thrift stores! I ate the ice cream before it could be documented, but here are the fun things that I found...

 Some super neat Congress Bridge "Hussars" cards. 

 Seven 70s kids patterns. I can't get over how CUTE the one in the foreground is. 

 Two vintage plates. 

Vintage poker chips. For when I'm in a gamblin' mood...which is never.

Some DIY...

I've been wanting to procure some neat cards to hold my button sets. So I used some cardstock, black ink, and some neat rubber stamps to create my own! Simple to do and incredibly customizable for a very low cost

Movie Time! Robots, Dracula, and more!

I added quite a few new movies to my 101 list this week! 

Here's what I watched...

1. Robocop

 I enjoyed this movie. It was a lot gorier than I expected it to be ( dont know why ), but it was entertaining. I particularly enjoyed the big military robot thing trying to go down the stairs and failing miserably.  Looking forward to the remake with Hugh Laurie!

2. Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein 

 So great!!! Legitimately funny and enjoyable. I love old movies anyway, but this is now one of my favorites. I like how Dracula has a reverse Batman thing going on...hiding the bottom of his face so you don't recognize him with an exposed face! 

3. Chronicles of Riddick

 Oh my gosh, this movie was so terrible. I feel sorry for myself for sitting through it. The only decent part was the race from the super deadly sun part, but even that I didn't understand how they would even survive in the shadows. I mean, if it's 700 degrees out, even being in the shadows it's wayyyy  deadly. Whatever. Just a really bad movie.

4. Over the Top 

I went into this movie with reallllly low expectations. It's a Stallonne movie about arm wrestling. ARM WRESTLING. What the heck?! So I was super surprised when I ended up really enjoying it. It's heartwarming and stuff. 

5. Sailor Moon S The Movie : Hearts in Ice 

I don't think I've ever watching anything Sailor Moon, I missed that part of my childhood apparently. ( I think I was an InuYasha kid ) It was okay...I liked the cat love and Luna turning human, but other than that just generic anime things going on.

Neon Snails

While we were out running some errands in town today, we hit up a thrift store and I left with this amazing vintage tablecloth for the low price of $1! 

It's covered in bright green snails and is in great condition, no stains or anything. I have never seen a snail tablecloth before! They're adorable. Well, as adorable as snails can be.

The tag reads " The Lilly - Leacock & Company"

Movie Time! Facehuggers and Xenomorphs

First thing kind of getting crossed off my list! Phillip went out and saw Prometheus last night with a friend, while I stayed home and had some alone time. Not that I wouldn't have loved to see Michael Fassbender ( that man is super attractive), but I had never seen any Alien movie and had no desire to start. 

However, after he got back home we ended up putting in ALIENS, the second of the series. Let me just say that I am not a scary movie girl.Yes, ALIENS is a sci-fi action flick, but I jump at EVERYTHING. I'm sure watching this movie with me was very entertaining. I liked it, though! The Queen was crazy awesome and creepy and facehuggers scuttling menacingly around the floor was entertaining. I don't really care to watch any of the others, but at least now I've seen a movie that pretty much everyone else has.Although Phillip did tell me the gist of the third movie, which I didn't care for. I mean, you're going to kill off two of the survivors of Aliens in the opening of the next movie? Cheap.

101 in 1001 - The List

I'm attempting this project for the second time. The first time I lost steam and so much changed in my life, so this is try number two. This list is a mix of long term dreams and the things I want to do but always forget. Additionally, I love making lists so this is just fun for me. :)

Start date : June 9th, 2012       End date : March 7th 2015

Key - In Progress   Completed

1. Make a set of handmade, fall scented candles.

2. Make 25 different desserts to enjoy. 

3. Have one of my designs printed through Threadless, Teefury, etc...

4. Design and purchase my own fabric through Spoonflower.

5. Make woven friendship bracelets for myself and Morgan.

6. Learn to make mom's curry and roti.

7. Complete 10 video games.

8. Complete 5 Craftster swaps.

9. Drink only water and tea for 30 days.

10. Visit another country.

11. Have a proper, English tea party.

12. Go to Disneyworld and stay in an onsite hotel. 

13. Read 65 new books.

14. Get a professional massage.

15. Participate in a craft fair.

16. Get my weight below 165.

17. Try 50 new recipes for delicious foods. No desserts.

18. Use a vintage pattern to make myself a cute dress.

19. Get a tattoo.

20. Stretch my ears up to a 00.

21. Acquire a new couch for the living room.

22. Go to a zoo.

23. Develop branding for my business.

24. Finish and develop prints for 20 works of art.

25. Get a manicure for the first time!

26. Relearn French enough to read a book in the language!

27. Create a daily vitamin regimen.

28. Complete a 5 day juice fast.

29. Eat vegetarian for a month.

30. Create a legit photo album with all our memories.

31. Make Morgan a Nightwing hoodie.

32. Take a trip to Savannah, Georgia.

33. Go to the doctor for a check-up.

34. Purchase some new Converse in black.

35. Take a trip to the beach!

36. Make 20K a year.

37. Make myself a Red Riding Hood costume.

38. Wear a handmade costume to a convention.

39. Get some clay and sculpt something.

40. Go to an Estate Sale.

41. Complete and frame a needlepoint creation.

42. Make 10 pieces of clothing for myself.

43. Do Karaoke.  

44. *private*

45. Participate in Nanowrimo.

46. Purchase all the "Hollows" books in hardcover.

47. Try 10 new restaurants.

48. Put together some potted plants for the porch.

49. Take a thrift store road trip.

50. Get my drivers license.

51. Learn to read Tarot cards.

52. Buy a new set of high quality undies.

53. Reupholster a chair.

54. Paint something on a large scale.

55. Get 10 new vinyl figures for my collection.

56. Make a Holiday dinner for Phillip's parents.

57. Buy fresh flowers once a month for a year.

58. Repaint a custom Pullip doll.

59. Update my cellular device.

60. Complete my VHS black diamond collection.

61. Redecorate the bedroom.

62. Take a photo every day for a month.

63. Visit 5 new states.

64. Go on a camping trip with Phillip.

65. Stockpile packing materials for shop.

66. Purchase a new computer.

67. Do yoga every morning for a month.

68. Streamline my shop and have a defined aesthetic.

69. Rewatch an entire TV series.

70. Make an elaborately decorated cake.

71. Buy a PS3 and Little Big Planet.

72. Catch fireflies.

73. Watch 50 new (to me) movies.

74. Take a trip via train.

75. Get Houdini fixed.

76. Draw a short comic.

77. Create a practical daily exercise routine.

78. Own a car.

79. Draw 10 video game pinups.

80. Write songs based off of 3 of my poems.

81. Crochet something.

82. Build a homemade gingerbread house.

83. Complete a 1000+ piece puzzle.

84. Make some DIY spiky shoes.

85. Go to the Highland Games at Stone Mountain.

86.Make something out of chainmaille.

87. Make bread for a month instead of buying it.

88. No sweets for 30 days.

89. Learn to make a corset.

90. Save $3,000

91. Fill up my water jug of change.

92. Create 5 custom dolls for MYSELF based on pop culture characters.

93. Buy something I really want and not feel bad about it.

94. Buy 10 art prints from my favorite artists.

95. Write Phillip a love letter.

96. Grow a fruit tree.

97. Have an entirely handmade Christmas.

98. Build something out of wood.

99. Fill an entire sketchbook without tearing any pages out.

100. Visit my aunts.

101. Make a new list!

A Visit to the Aquarium...

Let me preface this post by saying that I'm so terrible at keeping up with my photos, it's pathetic. 

We took a trip to the Chattanooga Aquarium last year, and it was so enjoyable! This particular aquarium has two sections; a saltwater building, and its freshwater counterpart. This was really nice as we were able to visit one section, break for lunch, then finish the tour afterwards. If you live in Tennessee or a neighboring state, it's really a great place to visit.

 Prepare for a lot of photos of things in water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outfit

Cardigan - Forever 21

            Dress - Thrifted

            Skirt - Delias

            Tights - We Love Colors

            Flats - Thrifted

            Necklace - Handmade