Baubles

To get a break from crocheting I joined Shara's Eggstra Fun Swap. Since I'm still at my parent's house I don't have my crafty bag of tricks to dig through to find supplies to make my 13 egg themed pieces. So I hit the blog-o-sphere and ending up purchasing some supplies at Speckled Egg (how appropriate, no?) and some fun things (and was sent some extra fun things!) from Heidi's Etsy shop, The Merry Magpie. :)







I'm currently stashing all these goodies, and more, in this sweet vintage train case (right) I thrifted when my parents took me out for some air last week:



I also found the old sewing basket on the left. I'm going to fix the handle and sew some flowers (I think) and use it in my craft room. I love how they match!

So now I'm ready to create, I just need the energy.

~RR

Going for the Gold

Not only are the Winter Games in Vancouver going on right now but ANOTHER even bigger event is taking place:

The Schmancy Winter Games Challenge

Kristin, who runs the fabulous Plush You blog among many many other things, issued a challenge to toy makers to create a team of Olympic plushies. Each participant was given a sport and today was the deadline to submit your plushie to win a medal in that event. My event is Figure Skating. (yeah!) So without further ado, please meet Hippolita Hoppington of the Frog Pond Federation:



Hippy is a classic skater who loves all things sparkly and girly. She loves hot tea with flies and leg warmers and is a bit upset with me for not making her a pair to wear with her new skating outfit.



After her Olympic career is over she is hoping to become a cover model for Amphibian Times:



Or perhaps pursue her passion of torch singing:



So please wish Hippy luck as she goes up against some heavy competition over at Plush You. You go, girl!

xoxoxo
~RR

PS - if interested, Hippy is made from 100% cotton yarn and poly-fil. She outfit is tulle, felt, fleece, ribbon and sequins. She is my original pattern and MAY be put up for adoption in my Etsy shop. She could use a sweet young girl to take care of her. She would like that.

Meet Harvey

Friends, this is Harvey*.



I did not make Harvey, I rescued him. He was laying in a pile of dirty old and broken toys and stuffed animals at the thrift store. My Mom thinks Harvey us pretty pathetic (his stuffing is coming out a bit and he's some what floppy) but agrees that is part of his charm.



As you can see, Harvey was made by Angela. So Angela, if you happen to be out there, rest assured that Harvey has a nice home and lots of stuffy friends to play with.



I have also made this adorable ring game. The pattern is a freebie from Lion Brand and can be found here. This makes a great baby gift and comes together quickly. And I think it will be fun for baby.



See? Harvey likes it!


And I'm not finished. I have loads of yarn to work with so expect more animals. As a friend of my Mom's said, I'm crocheting an ark full. :) Oh and photos courtesy of my sister. Thanks, Mandi!

xoxoxo
~RR

* - My Dad named Harvey. Quickly and matter of factly. Harvey it is.

Going Squirrelly

Maryland has had almost 80 inches of snow in 2010. It is only February! Yikes. I know the entire state has cabin fever but I don't feel for them. At least they can WALK. Even if it is just to pace around their house or shovel their drive ways. I'm going bananas. I have 8 more weeks of sitting on my butt. I'll be certifiable by then for sure.



I've crocheted a menagerie including the squirrel above. He is another one of my original patterns and he's quite a bit cuter than his picture shows. I may try to go back and write down the pattern.



Here are some half made crocheted friends. The cat is coming out quite cute even though I HATE. THAT. YARN. Seriously. It's tough to see the stitches and it makes fuzz all over you. The green frog on the right (hard to tell, I know) is for a special project I'll share when it's done. A bit of a contest, really.



These two were made for my dear friend Dana's little boy Charlie for Christmas. The bunny is knit and is a Debbie Bliss pattern from her new magazine and the giraffe is crochet and is a free pattern from Lion Brand which can be found here. I'm very happy with the way they came out and am pleased that Charlie and his Mom liked them. :)

I'm sure in another week I'll be buried in crocheted and knit toys. Obviously I need a new hobby.

xoxoxo
~RR

Making Friends

As you know, I have A LOT of time on my hands and on my butt (sitting on it, that is.) You also know I love to knit and crochet and my forte leans toward toy making.



I love stuffing them, sewing their little arms and legs on, etc.



I found this great new yarn at Michael's a few weeks back and then immediately found out they were discontinuing it! It's a cotton acrylic blend which is my favorite for toy making. It went on clearance for something like 80 cents a skein and I scooped up a ton of it. Then I designed my own pattern for a fun teddy friend:



What do you think? The colored bears are made with the yarn I mentioned and the brown one is made with standard worsted weight acrylic so he comes out a bit bigger. They are around 20 inches tall and make great friends! I plan to type up the pattern and list it for sale on Etsy for a few measly bucks. What do you think? It is a worthy pattern?



I am working on a little sweater for the brown bear, I thought he needed some color.

I have listed all of my free crochet patterns here on Ravelry along with the label section on the side bar under patterns. I'm excited to publish this first pattern and am already working on a few more. :)

I was wondering if I have any crocheters out there who may want to test my pattern for me? Supplies needed would be yarn (2 skeins usually will do it), stuffing and buttons. So if you have that laying around and are interested in helping me test the pattern please let me know. I'm looking for 2 to 3 volunteers. I should have the pattern available this week.

ciao!
Rebecca

'Tiquing in Havre De Grace

It's time for me to get off the pity pot and back to being as normal as possible, don't you think? So I thought I'd share some photos from a trip we took to Havre De Grace, Maryland a few days before I fell.



Havre De Grace is a cute little town on the Susquehanna River . There are fun little restaurants and shops and loads and loads of antiques. Now you know me, I don't buy big stuff. I like all the little things so I'm drawn to those big antique "malls" where there are lots of different booths to explore.



The Seneca Cannery is our favorite place to visit. Mom and I have been there a few times before and there is always a lot to explore. My Dad joined us on this last trip and he found some interesting things to check out as well.







Look at all the goodness! I love those silk boxes. I have a few of my own and thought about picking up another but ended up passing on them. Now I wish I hadn't! I did find quite a few fun things to bring home:



A fun collection of Swiss Raffia Straw (some of which will be up for sale in the shop once I'm able to reopen) a small ceramic giraffe with an opening in his back that I plan to make into a little pin cushion, a pink depression glass dish and some gold foil leaves that I can't wait to use in a project!



Some vintage red carded buttons, an old crochet book of those cute little pot holders we are all fond of, a Lassie Golden Book, some Aunt Martha's transfers, a crocheted heart pin holder, some vintage get well cards and a neat old pack of travel brochures from TWA:



I thought this was a fun find! Lots of neat graphics and ephemera. Some of which I'll use for projects and some I'll include in some new paper packs for the shop. I also snagged some fun trims as well.

I hope to continue to heal quickly so I can get to all these projects that seem to be stacking up in my mind. I'm not sitting too idle over here, I am working on something I hope to share soon. I will tell you that I'm going to miss the thrift store. Even once I'm able to go out a bit using a wheel chair (Mom promised to roll me around the mall one of these days lol) the thrift store will be quite difficult to navigate I think. I'm already going to miss the big Treasure Sale coming up next week but hope Mom will go in my place and come home with a big bag of booty!

I'd like to thank everyone who visits here at Thrifty Goodness and my Facebook friends for all the kind thoughts and words of encouragement. :) Especially Jean over at Quilting Ranny who has really helped me know what to expect with this break as she went through the same thing not long ago. Thanks again, Jean!

hugs
Rebecca