Things I'm Loving

Yes, I've done this type of post before and YES it's because I have nothing creative or thrifty to share. I feel like time is being sucked away from me lately. I am working on a few projects including one that will result in a free pattern to share. But alas, nothing is complete or even in a stage to photograph whitout you scratching your head and wondering what the heck is going on over here. Thus, my list of things I'm loving right now.

The Hunger Games

I am really enjoying this series and have almost finished the second book and already have the third loaded on my Nook. It's engaging and intresting and you really become invested in the characters. I like it as much as I did The Books of Ember.

Reading on the Subway

I'm actually enjoying my commute these days and have had lots of time to read. Not only The Hunger Games but also Next to Love and The Help.

L'Occitaine Shea Butter Hand Cream

Yes it's just hand lotion but it makes me really happy. I have some from a stock up at the outlet.

Pinterest

Because it provides so much inspriation. Follow me!

Story Book Paper Roses

Seriously. I want to make these. you know, for my craft room make over which I am also obsessed with yet haven't started yet. And yes, I found these through a board in Pinterest.

Craft Room Makeover

I have plans. Big ones. Now I just need motivation and energy. And to do my living room make over first.


So what are you loving these days?

Ciao ~

Park It

The weather here has finally turned Spring like and Luis and I didn't waste a minute getting out there to enjoy it. All the photos below are from the always wonderful Central Park.








The Swedish Cottage.











Note: This photo is not sideways, that tree is growing right out of a side of a hill in The Ramble.



Happy Mother's day to my Mom and all those wonderful Mom's out there!

Spring Schming

Is it really May? Then why was it like 40 degrees last night? Yeesh. So let's think Spring for a moment.



That's it, everyone concentrate on flower scented breezes, picnics in the park and the annual breaking out of the flip flops . . .



Channel your inner gardener and start worrying about buying that new swimsuit for beach season . . .



Now, send all that glorious energy to NYC so the Spring will get here and stay for awhile. I'm ready for all of it. What I'm not ready for yet is air conditioning so let's not get hasty and bring summer in too quickly.



Photos from Flushing Meadow Park and Rockaway Beach. Queens, baby!

How did I miss it?

This little blog was 5 years old last Sunday. How did I miss it? I even left myself a NOTE and forgot to post on the actual day. I can't believe it's been that long. I also can't believe I've lived in New York for 9 years or have been married for 4. Time flies.



That was me about 5 years ago. I still have that scarf. :)



And this was earlier this year. Not very different it seems but so much has happened and I really use a lot more concealer now.

Click here to read the first Thriifty Goodness post. Okay well it's really the second, the first one was like "Mazel Tov! It's a blog."

Happy a wonderful Easter weekend. I'll be back with a give away next week in honor of the big 5.

Staying Afloat

Hello! Can some one please throw me a life preserver?

Things have gotten crazy! I really miss everyone. I'm not only behind on posting but on my blog reading as well. The good news? I got a new job! I start at AT&T on August 16th. The bad news? I've felt the need to fit in a million things before I go back to work which has now led to me having some kind of nasty summer cold and that over all feeling of malaise . . . sigh . . .

So today I'll rest. And read some blogs. And upload some fabulous pictures form a fun surprise bridal shower we threw last weekend. Sneak peek?



Remember that crown I made? This shower was the inspiration. I can't wait to share it with you. We made some really beautiful paper crafts. Better then any in the past, I think. :)

In the meantime, I'm going to doggie paddle around for a bit and hope to be back to my old self in a few days.

Have a moment? Please check out my latest article on all the free eBooks and patterns available from Interweave Press. You can see it HERE.

hugs!

In the District

I'm back from my trip to DC. I love visiting the nation's capitol and I hadn't been there as a tourist in some time.



The Washington Monument is always an impressive sight. They were setting up for a Cultural Festival sponsored by the American History museum. I did stop by to see the First Ladies Inaugural dresses which are just gorgeous! That Mamie Eisenhower was some fashion plate. :) You can take a tour of the exhibit online here.



My favorite is always the Natural History Museum.



I love all the fossils and even had time to see an Imax movie on the South African ocean.



I also got to see the new Korean War Memorial. There are huge statues of soldiers walking through what looks like rice paddies. There is a large wall with faces engraved on it and a grotto with a fountain in it. It's a very nice tribute.





The Lincoln Memorial is also impressive and I hadn't been there since I was a kid. And as I always talk to people with dogs I got to meet this guy:



who was also visiting President Lincoln. His name is Jackson and he's the same age as my collie, Mason:



Couldn't post another dog's photo without one of my own, could I? :) I can't say enough about collies. They make wonderful friends. The ladies who owned Jackson agreed that there is no better family dog than the loyal collie. :)

I'm going to have a give away. For real this time. I lucked into some fabulous Martha Stewart crafts products and would like to share them. Stand by for the official post soon. I'm off to photograph the goods!

Fondly ~ Rebecca

The Colors of Summer

Hello all! I'm back from a loooong weekend in Baltimore. Vacation is nice but then you get home and see that no one came and magically cleaned your house while you were away. So I have a lot to do this week before I leave on another mini vacation to Washington DC.

I will have the craft challenge photos up soon. I'm waiting for one more entry so I can post them all together. Wait until you see them! I'd also still like some opinions on how to finish up my crocheted bunny. Please visit this post and give me your two cents!

One last thing before I leave you with my colors of summer photos, a super big THANK YOU to Miss Very Mary who sent me not one but TWO packages of gorgeous designer fabric scraps. I'll show you the goodies as soon as I can stop playing with them to take some photos. Mary Ann - I owe you another long thank you email but AOL is on the fritz today. Expect one soon!!

Have a super summer weekend!









Aloha

Moving at a Snail's Pace

Ugh. It is raining and cold and I have about a million things I want to do but I can't seem to get going.



I'm moving slow and getting nothing done. I hate that feeling! But perhaps today I need to reboot by sitting on my sofa and reading magazines. :)



I found these two little guys in my backyard yesterday. I live in the city and can't believe some of the critters that show up here! We had a baby raccoon in our basement once. I prefer the snails, thanks. They are tiny, maybe a 1/4 of an inch? And ridiculously cute for being so slimy. They have tiny little eye stalks and are kind of spotty. Now I want to go crochet a stuffed snail. Hmm . . . perhaps my mojo is returning!

Shameless Self Promotion (& a Mini Give Away!)

I've started a new "job" for lack of a better term. I'm writing over at Examiner.com. My topic is crafting on a budget in New York but you'll find that it's not really location specific so much. So now the shameless part. If you come visit me HERE and read my first article I will get paid. Only a a tiny little bit but it's something. You don't REALLY have to to even read it, just click on it. (shameless) I'm also hoping you'll click on the subscribe button to receive an email each time I publish and then click on my article link. Cha-ching! See how it works? And it only costs you a few seconds. AND who knows, you may enjoy my budget conscious ramblings, no? So click HERE okay? Shameless, I told you!

You can also follow me on Twitter where I will also be posting my articles. Click HERE to follow me. LOL okay okay. I'll stop now. But here's the incentive, you sign up to subscribe to my articles come back here and leave me a comment on this post and I'll enter you into a drawing to win something. It will be something handmade or vintage, I'll let the winner choose. Perhaps I have something you've been looking for? Like vintage valentines or a vintage rain bonnet still in the packaging. Uh huh. You KNOW you want it. ;) So click, subscribe, tweet and comment, okay?

And what's a post without a photo??



Remember this fabulous thread I found at the thrift? Finally I am finding a use for it. I'm adding some edging to these pretty napkins and voila! Fiesta Towels. I am actually sewing the edging on instead of creating it right on the towel as the thread is heavy. I'll share when they are finished and I also plan to highlight them on the Examiner as a cheap thrill. ;)

Thank you THANK YOU for listening to my shameless self promotion. Don't forget to subscribe to my articles and leave a comment for a chance to win some Goodness. :)

hugs ~ Rebecca

PS - My sister is blogging again! Inspired by Julie & Julia she is back at it. Go for a visit!

Picture Perfect

Here I am, last July before the myriad of health issues:



A self portrait that I just love. I made the paper crown to celebrate Independence day and if you find me else where on the web (i.e. Facebook, All Recipes, etc.) you will see this face shining out at you. It's been nothing but craziness since that photo was taken and now I'm on the path to get back to being "picture perfect." Picture Perfect isn't about looking magazine fabulous (though that never hurts!) it's about seeing yourself and thinking "Oh yeah, that's me and I look GREAT." It's about others seeing you and wanting to be around you and absorb all your good energy. Too tree huggy?? You know what I mean.

I have been working on some things.



Another self portrait of Luis and I in Las Vegas last August. I haven't scrapbooked in so long and as soon as I got started I remembered why I love it so much. I heart paper. Oh and scissors, too.



I found the little book at Marshalls and it's been sitting in the craft room forever. Why can't I just USE things? They sit there forever being saved for a better day. I'm done with that. I'm using everything I've saved. This little book will become a book of things I love. Starting with that photo taken about 6 years ago. (What is with me and paper crowns??) I'll share my journal pages as they unfold.

Also in the works is this birthday banner for my dear friend Dana's little boy, Charlie, who will be celebrating his 1st birthday in a few days!





This is coming out really cute and I'll do a post soon on how to make your own from supplies you probably have sitting around your house.

So my head is now above water and I'm healing. It seemed it would never happen. Now go out and be picture perfect!

Fondly ~ Rebecca

Sprung

I'm home. Back in New York City. Back to Queens. I feel over whelmed, tired, antsy. I feel like there is so much to do yet not enough time (or energy) to get it done.



My craft room should be condemned. The people from Hoarders will be coming for me soon. I want to create something but I can't do that when there is not one single clear work space in there. It's frustrating.



My pants don't fit. Sitting on your butt for 3 months will do that. I can't navigate the stairs to the basement to do laundry or dig out some spring clothes as the steps are about half as deep as my walking cast is long. Three more weeks of big plastic footwear for me. Have I mentioned that I broke my leg on January 23rd? What month is it?

I'm sprung. Literally. Neither coming, nor going. Just sitting here like a deer in the headlights with no clue what to do first. This is my 400th post. I wanted it to be happy, positive and rife with giveaways. I will have to out that on hold until I can dig myself out.

In one happier note, my sweet Louie turned 30 last Friday.



Happy birthday, love. Decorated picture made with Picnik.

Bear with me, I will be better. Soon. ~RR

Times they are a changin' . . .

It's about to get a whole lot thriftier over here at Thrifty Goodness. I found out on Friday that my last day of work will be December 4th. I have to say that I knew I wasn't going to make it through yet ANOTHER layoff (I've survived 5 at this point) but it's still hard to process. I've worked for Sprint for almost 8 years and it's the only job I've had since I moved to New York City from Baltimore in 2002. My husband still works for the company (thankfully) and I do get a nice severance package that will give me time to find a new job. I'll admit, I've had it good these last 18 months being able to work from home and I know that won't come my way again. So I'm tightening the belt, upping the Thrifty quotient and squirreling away all the money possible so I can be selective in my next career choice.

Now onto the Thrifty, right?


(boy I nees a haircut!)

Mom and I visited the Elephant's Trunk flea market on a gorgeous Sunday in November. We really lucked out with beautiful weather and some fun finds. Do I have photos? Um, no. But in my defense the vintage hankies and aprons are drying on the rack downstairs and the vintage holiday cards are set to be loaded in The Goodness Shop this week.

While visiting Mom in Baltimore we attended another Treasure Sale. As always I found loads of great craft supplies at amazing prices including knitting needles and crochet hooks (which I always grab as they are only 25 cents each and can range from $3 - $8 in the craft store) and some sweet fabric scraps. My absolute FAVORITE find this trip was this:





Never. Even. Used. And all mine for 50 cents! I've already put them to the test and they are great! And how cute is that box? Seriously, am I getting all ga ga over scissors? Yes. Yes I am.

So now when I thrift it will be with a new eye. An "I know I can find something here for CHEAP that I would normally buy at, say, Target" sort of eye. Like a new ironing board. And stuff to organize my closets.

So I'm off to peruse the employment sites, figure out my separation benefits package and become the Coupon Queen of Corona. Wish me luck!

~RR

Digging In

I love fall. It really sparks me to be creative. I was so worried that my back and leg problem would keep me from enjoying my favorite season but I'm feeling better and better every day. Tuesday I'll have my sutures out which to me starts the beginning of my road to better health. I can't wait to be "back to normal" and to start doing all those things I love about this time of year.

Yesterday dear Louie took me out to the thrift store, book store and craft store. My favorite Trifecta of Shopping. Nothing too exciting about the thrifts except these fun old canning jars:

I love these for storing things in the craft room and for using as fun containers for holiday gifts. Perhaps I'll stuff one with a sewing kit including a handmade needle book like the ones I made for friends a few years back:

That was such a fun project! I added them to traditional mason jars and made the tops into pin cushions. Perhaps with these glass topped jars I'll make one of these cute little crocheted pin cushions made from a bottle cap:

Earlier this summer I thrifted this lovely collection of vintage crochet cotton.

Don't you just love the colors? They would make adorable bottle cap pin cushions.

I also picked up the fall issues of some of my favorite crafting magazine and have already started both a knitting and a cross stitch project. (you KNOW I can't work on just one thing at once!) So as you can see, I am motivated to get a move on with my holiday crafty gifts. Anyone else start making for the holidays yet?

I realize that I have lots to catch up on so expect to hear from me more often. Next time: The BEST handcrafted piece of furniture you'll ever see.

xoxoxo

~RR

And we're off . . .

Finally today I heard that I'll go into the hospital on Monday for my surgery. Who would have thought I'd be so excited to get surgery? But I cannot wait to get back to normal and the doctor assures me a quick recovery. And when I'm all better I plan to make this:



Serious cuteness, right? It's from Lion Brand's new catalog which is chock full of free knit and crochet patterns.

Until next week!

RR

Awwww . . . you guys . . .

Thank you so much for all the kind comments both here and on Facebook. I am feeling much better about the whole Diabetes thing now. Hopefully I'll keep a steady head after my appointment in September. :)

Tomorrow I will find out exactly what is causing my extreme leg pain. (Am I falling apart or what?!?) The doctor believes it is a herniated disc which is quite scary. I had an MRI last night (also kind of scary unless you like feeling like you're in a coffin) and will see the doctor in the morning and know for sure.

While it has been difficult for me to concentrate on much of anything I did manage this super simple scarf:



It is much cuter in person and will look nice with my off white winter coat. It only took a few hours to whip up as I used size 35 knitting needles.



I lucked into this stash of giant knitting needles at the last Treasure Sale.



What a score as each pair was only 25 cents! If you are a knitter you know what a bargain that is. I also stocked up on vintage sheet music, playing cards and score pads. After I return from vacation at the end of the month I'll have a big shop update with all new paper packs just in time to hunker down and enjoy the cooler months when there tends to be more time for crafting.

SWAPPERS - has everyone heard from their partners for the pink and aqau swap? If you signed up for the swap and received a confirmation email from me but have not yet heard from your partner please let me know!

I hope to be back sooner rather than later. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Fondly,
Rebecca

Tough Breaks & a Swap Update

Hello all . . . first a quick swap update:

I am waiting for one interested party to respond with an email address so we have an even number of swappers. If I do not hear from here in the next two days I will be looking for an additional swapper to even out our ranks. If you are interested, please let me know! Because this is taking longer than I expected I'll also push back our send out date by a week.

And now the tough break:

I was recently diagnosed with diabetes. I know millions of people live with it every day but I am freaking out. I won't see an endocrinologist until September (thank you, over populated NYC) and am trying to follow the GI diet in the mean time. I'm also crossing my fingers that the nerve pain I'm having in my leg is not related. I should know more about that tomorrow.

Sorry to be such a downer but I wanted you to know I am still here plugging along and at least I know why I've been so exhausted lately and have been losing so much weight. (not too much complaining there, ahem.)

And just so we have some photos, here are some shots of the lovely picnic set up by my dear friend Nina, my Mother and myself over the weekend:





We had a wonderful time eating, chatting and swimming. It was so nice to enjoy the warm summer days with friends I hadn't seen in awhile.

I'll be back soon with the swap update and to share some finds from the latest Treasure Sale!

fondly,
Rebecca