Dime Store Chic

Ahhh...Romance!

As January wanes and February comes in with a windy roar here, I enjoy looking at the bombardment of red and pink in the stores. They are such cheerful colors in the midst of winter doldrums. I was inspired to create a wreath with these colors in mind:

I used a lush mix of vintage and new millinery flowers, vintage velvety hearts, shiny ornaments, and other fun vintage and new bling!

I used a couple of the wonderful chenille stem Valentine girls I bought from Bayberry Cove as a sweet embeliishment to this heart-shaped wreath.

If you would like this one-of-a-kind cutie in your home, pleae check my etsy shop.

I have taken a little diversion from my pin cushions and created some pin cushion/sachet eggs. I have listed three sets of these in my etsy shop. Easter is early this year, isn't it? So I thought I'd get an early start on my spring/Easter creations. I used vintage fabrics, buttons, beads, charms, and vintage millinery flowers on these little bundles. They are nestled on vintage spring-hued plates too!~~~~

These are also available on etsy!

Have a happy end of January, tuck in for the cold February nights with the one you love, and dream warm thoughts of spring!~~~XXOO, Beth 

Even Though There's A Writers Strike...

I thought I'd veer off of talking about crafting and thrifting (and eating!) in this post and mention another passion of mine--or shall I say a guilty pleasure? I adore Reality TV. There, I admit it. The writer's strike doesn't really affect the reality TV genre. If there was a TV editors  strike then I'm sure we'd have no reality TV as it's all about editing isn't it? The TV editors can cut countless hours of tape into an entertaining 43 or 22 minute show. They manipulate how we feel about the people and situations. If there is a show where being "voted off" is a possibility, I can usaully tell who is getting the ax because there is more film about that hapless person during that show. It doesn't matter, as I do enjoy watching these shows.

These are my favorites in no particular order:

THE AMAZING RACE ~~~~

OK, I probably watch it more for the host, Phil Keoghan. Talk about eye candy! He wrote a wonderful book called "No Opportunity Wasted." It has the most uplifting adventure stories built on his personal experience. But another reason I like the show is because I am afraid to fly, very afraid, and enjoy watching these teams go from airport to airport, getting muddy, wet, and generally freaking out. It's great entertainment and I get to see parts of the world that I didn't know existed.

LITTLE PEOPLE, BIG WORLD~~~~

I just can't resist the wonderful adventures of the Rolof family! Their farm seems like a paradise! What fun they have! I want to travel the 3000 miles to visit them in Oregon. Sherry Rolof, the mom, is my idol. She's tough and very loving! I never miss an episode!

PROJECT RUNWAY~~~~

I love watching other people sew. Call me crazy, but I honestly do! And what do I do when I'm watching the crazy creativity, the snarky comments, and the fashions created out of everything from plants to chocolate wrappers...I sew! The debonair Tim Gunn reminds me of my old college art professors. I spent countless hours in studio with the work being scrutinized by them. They used the exact same words as Tim. My favorite phrase isn't his signature, "Make it work," but his other critique: "This bothers me." I can't tell you how many college memories that brings back to me!

So, there you have it. This is the tip of my reality TV iceberg. There are many more I enjoy, and many I would never admit to watching like "Wife Swap", "Celebrity Rehab," "Intervention,", and "My Big Redneck Wedding," but you didn't hear that from me. Let's hope this writer's strike ends and SOON!~~~XXOO, Beth

New Releases and Chocolate Mice?????

OK, I'll start with the chocolate mice. I stopped into the neighborhood bakery, which is also near one of my favorite thrift/consignment shops, the other day. I like to look at the array of goodies behind the glass and pick one or six things that suit my fancy. I brought these home:

Aren't they lovely? Now, my very favorite are these chocolate mice. They are made of solid chocolate creme with a slight cherry flavor. Divine! You get a cavity just looking at the picture! The cookies have that wonderful bakery flavor--like a mixture of birthday cake and sweet rolls! I LOVE the bakery!

I have been very busy creating some new things for my etsy shop which I hope to list late this afternoon. If you would like to have the scoop on when--as best as I can estimate--I'll be listing new things on etsy, I invite you to look to the right of this entry at the "Beth's Bagz" tote photo. Click there or even HERE to go to my new Yahoo Message group. I will post messages, which should be sent as an email to you, announcing when I'll be listing new items in my etsy shop and on ebay. I have had several requests for such an announcement loop and am happy to do so. You won't get any "junk" mail from me,  just the scoop on when my creations will go up for sale or auction. Thanks so much!~~~XXOO, Beth

Thriftin' and Reading Some Delicious Eye Candy

When a girl gets better from a cold that looks luke it'll never end, she goes outside for the first time in days and hits her favorite thrift store!

Here are the goodies I found. It's amazing what a little over $8.00 will buy!

Fabric, a wool embroidered forest panel, a vintage baby book, the cutest sewing basket, a Japanese bud vase, a cute welcome sign, and a tin recipie box!

This sewing box is the cutest thing! I adore the red and aqua accent colors, the sweet flowers on top, and the round shape. There is a stain on the inside but who cares? It'll be perfect button storage!

The sweet wool embroidery just stole my breath. I'll make it into a pillow. The baby book is unused and has the sweetest graphics!

Also these wonderful books arrived on my doorstep from Amazon~~~~

They have the BEST eye candy and ideas! Winderful tutorials and the pictures are super detailed and perfectly clear. Such fabulous inspiration from Kaari Meng at French General. Amazon.com is offering these books for $30 for the pair with free shipping. You can check that out here.

Have a lovely Sunday, and to all of my fellow bloggers in the mid-west and eastern USA, KEEP WARM!~~~XXOO, Beth

My Nest

For the past two weeks I have had a cold which turned into a wicked cough. I finally gave in, took medicine, and put my outside activities on hold so I could get better. I need to stay warm and at home so this will pass and not continue to get worse, which it has been. Now, I know you don't want to hear all of the details of my illness, but I'd like to share with you some details of part of my cure: my nest.

My nest is my basement office/studio. I know I've given you a tour of it before, but today I thought I would offer you a few details of the place where I know I'll recover and where I can cough and cough without annoying anyone. Here are some of my favorite bits and pieces of my special "nest".

Hubby fashioned a ribbon holder for me using a steel rod and drilling holes into either side of a bathroom cabinet I use for craft storage. I adore my spools of seam binding, most vintage, and all in lovely colors. I wanted a place where I could see them and easily get to them. I think he did a wonderful job for me at no cost whatsoever:

I would normally work for Debbie at Bayberry Cove on wednesdays, but I reluctantly called in sick (via email). I certainly didn't want to cough all over her basement and on the wonderful products she sells! Here are two adorable things I bought from Bayberry Cove designed by the fabulous artist Jennifer Murphy. Aren't they sweet? And I really can't wait for spring!

A rather new addition to my nest is this cutie pie vintage child's apron in the most adorable pattern! I just love the girl heads with super straight braids. Hmmm...they sort of remind me of another blogger and super duper crafter. Would that be Jenny?????

And even though I'm not feeling completely on top of my game, I have been looking at my fabric stash and thinking about what colors to use for spring. I recently (last week) straightened it, and weeded out some yardage. Now I can see what I have. Of course, the last thing I need is more fabric, but I am a fabriholic so there it is.

So, there's a few bits of my nest. I do love being here, but I love not having a sore throat and cough even better!~~~~Here's to your good health!~~~~XXOO, Beth

A Visit to Chinatown and I'm a RAT!

This morning hubby, son, and I went to the NBC 4 Health and Fitness Expo in Washington, DC at the convention center. After learning more than we ever wanted to know about health and fitness, getting a bagful of free stuff, trying healthy samples (hubby didn't like the vegetarian beef jerky, but he was a sport for trying it), we walked the three blocks to Chinatown.

Isn't this gate just lovely? It's one of my favorite DC landmarks.

I love the colors of this restaurant!

In a vacant lot where a building had been torn down, I spotted this wallpaper in rich red with Chinese figures on it. I wish I could've made like Spiderman and crawled up the wall to snatch a piece of it.

This is a new restaurant with a cool cauldron and flame to lure you inside.

But we didn't eat lunch here. We rounded the corner to 746 6th Street to our very favorite Chinese restaurant in Chinatown: the Chinatown Express.

I mean how can you resist a place where the chef stands in front of the window making noodles? This little hole-in-the-wall is critically acclaimed and a bit off the beaten tourist track. If you ever visit DC, this is the place you should eat in Chinatown!

Here is my lunch. Freshly made vegetable dumplings with the most tasty chopped greens (I have no idea what they are) in oil. We got a plate of fried wontons to share. Hubby likes the noodle soup with beef which is another specialty.

We stopped into one our favorite Chinese stores which really doesn't have a name, so here is the front of it. Hubby picked up a box of 100 green tea bags for $2.55. I couldn't resist the colorful trinkets which mean so many different things to the Chinese people. I just appreciate the wonderful designs!

Aren't these pastel Buddhas wonderful?

Well, I picked up a "golden" rat which should bring me lots of good fortune and wealth. I love the rat because accordning to the Chinese zodiac, I am a RAT! 2008 is the year of the Rat! So good fortune everyone, but especially my fellow Rats! Here is fun link to learn what you are according to the Chinese Zodiac.

Have a "lucky" day!~~~XXOO, Beth

The January Big Flea and A Lovely Gift

Today I got up early. Drove the 35 minutes west to Chantilly, VA to the Dulles Expo Center where the 1100 dealer Big Flea was being held in two buildings! Yay! I met my good friend, Karen, at the Chic-Fil-A for breakfast before the 9 a.m. opening. At 8:40 we got our tickets and decided to wait outside. The air was chilly, but pretty warm considering it is January. We went on in and the fun began!

Here is my haul for the day: Fabric, buttons, flowers, a hankie, a pillow case, some jewelry~~OH MY!~~~

Here are two dozen vintage chenille chicks and bunnies:

Here is a fun lot of vintage buttons all in wonderful colors!~~~

Here is a massive amount of vintage mother-of-pearl buttons that I got for a STEAL! Gasp! I'll never use them all!~~~

I was so lucky to find lots of gorgeous vintage millinery flowers for future use in corsages and wreaths!~~

And here is a sweet Vogart pillow case with a cutie pie kitten and blue bird~~~

At the Big Flea I searched out a booth where Stephanie had left me the most wondrous gifts! She didn't get a chance to make it to the Big Flea, and I was sorry to miss her, but I was overjoyed to see two ornaments she made!~~~

Aren't they just lovely? What a wonderful way to end the day at The Big Flea!~~~XXOO, Beth

A Fresh New Year and Time To Sew

All of my fellow crafters understand this very well. When the holidays apporach there is this frenetic sort of panic that sets in with a hyper little voice telling you: "Go faster! You'll never finish your (insert your craft project here) in time!"

My little voice sounds like a curious mixture of my best friends, most of whom are quite bossy and love telling me what to do--but I know they do it with lots of love and care for me. However, I manage to get everything made that I will give as gifts and custom orders done and hopefully everyone is happy with me. Now I can rear back in front of my sewing machine, take a deep breath, and sew with what inspires me. That could be new fabric in my stash or some new vintage bits and pieces that wait patiently in the cabinet for me to repurpose them. So I spent the past days sewing just for me. I found that my palette leaned towward spring colors and Valentine colors. I appreciate winter but to be honest I look forward to spring once New Year's Day has passed.

So here is a peek of what I've been doing for the past few days.

I have listed all of these in my etsy shop. Hopefully spring won't take forever to get here, but until then I will stay cozy inside and maybe a little snow wouldn't be too bad.

Happy crafting!~~~Stay warm!~~~XXOO, Beth