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ReadyMade Magazine is currently only $6.00 for a years subscription at Amazon. I'm not sure how long this sale will last. I quickly subscribed since this deal means each issue is only $1.00. This magazine has a slight feel of Craft which I still dearly miss. No matter how many magazines they put on-line, I still prefer the feel of the paper magazine in my hands.
Have a lovely weekend.
There are many different careers and businesses you can create as a thrifter. Antique store owner, etsy seller, re-purpose crafter, used bookstore seller, flea market seller or even creating your own Flea Market are just a start of that list. I wear quite a few different thrift business hats and spend my days juggling between them all. And yet the one that I think I truly adore most is Personal Thrift Shopper. I am able to travel around to garage sales, thrift stores and estate sales and look for items that other people are wishing for. I thrift anywhere from 10-30 hours a week and come across so many different things that people might be searching for.
My artist friend Deborah Pulido creates cards using vintage ephemera from books. This last holiday season she attended two craft shows and also displayed her cards in an art gallery in Healdsburg. She asked me to add some card displays to her wishlist. Last Friday I found this for her:
It was sitting in a local Thrift Store for $25.00. It has 24 slots to hold all of her cards, spins around and has a base on wheels. Her total cost for the display including my fees came to: $32.25. For local clients I generally deliver items or arrange to meet at a convenient location for both of us. Deborah has me search for vintage books with colorful illustrations too. Many books that I bring to her I buy for $.50 cents-$1.00.
I've created a site here with information on what I do, the fees for the service and I've included photo examples of items that were thrifted along with the price I paid. As I mention on the site, my goal is to get the highest quality item for the least expensive price. It's the thrift code that I live by and I want to continue that when I offer you this service.
So while this is pretty much an over the top self-serving soliciting post, I just wanted to share another opportunity of a business focused on thrifting.
What is on your wishlist? The top entry of mine reads "vintage movie theater popcorn machine".
You can have gluten free but it often taste like sawdust. You can get organic but it's not gluten free. You can have natural but it's loaded with gluten. It's rare to get a cookbook or food item that is gluten free, sugar free, organic and natural. That combination is such a rare thing. This book is nearly perfect in the fact that it's almost all gluten free (ignoring the handful of spelt recipes) and practically all the recipes call for Agave (Costco now sells Agave for a very affordable price).
A friend and I recently started a building development group. We met last week and I was the host. I had an hour to throw together a last second dessert that was sugar free since I was feeling a cold coming on. I grabbed Babycakes and quickly found these ingredients.
Babycakes uses Bob's Red Mill which makes throwing a recipe together far easier than most recipe books. Financially I haven't properly analyzed the cost of using Bob's versus other books where I combine gf flours myself. I'll do that further down the road. For this occasion the recipe was perfect.
I went with straight forward banana bread since all my chocolate chips have sugar in them.
It was heavenly tasting and perfect for a stormy night. The recipe was extremely easy to follow and it felt lovely to use healthy, wholefoods ingredients. Next up is her chocolate chip cookie recipe. I've yet to taste a cookie that reminds me of my childhood favorite: Nestles Tollhouse Cookies.
If you ever travel to Sonoma County, a thrift store that you need to visit is The Legacy thrift store in Sebastopol. It's not your average kind of thrift store with racks of clothing, shelves of kitchen wares and ugly peach lamps from the 80's. This is a crafter's paradise as the store is filled to the brim with 2nd hand fabric, notions, craft books, embroidery hoops, vintage linens, yarn of every kind and a zillion other crafty things just waiting for you to rummage through. I usually spend at least an hour filling my hand basket with items, making sure to look in each little basket and drawer in the shop. Their prices are very reasonable as well. Keiran and I wandered in to The Legacy on Friday and found this waiting for me.
A Vintage Pinking Machine
Originally I thought it was a fancy paper cutter. Ever since I read the Country Living article on this talented paper artist (who had something similar in her studio) I have been on the lookout for one. Barbara's is a bit fancier with a sweet scalloped design. Mine is your straight forward zig-zag pinking design. I had to find some valentine inspired fabric to try the machine out as soon as we arrived back home.
The material just slips under the wheel and easily cuts the pinking shape. Corners worked pretty well until I tried the top V part of the heart. Then it sputtered a little and didn't quite want to work with me. Pinking scissors will create a similar pattern but this machine gives you one constant design as it rolls evenly through your fabric. It's our twice monthly craft circle today so I'm going to see how well it works with making a Valentine's Banner.
I really try to be the supportive spouse who pats her husband fondly on the back before sending him on his trip overseas for business. I smile in that Mad Men wife sort of way and pretend that it's going to go swimmingly well while he is away even though I know the minute he boards the airplane chaos will erupt as described in this post. And then there is the slight expectation of a small gift when he returns. I don't expect jewelry or roses or frilly undergarments. Just something edible and delicious.
Marmite; you either love it or not so love it. Or maybe you've yet to taste it? I didn't know it existed until I married Dave and moved to England. He brought out this jar of a dark paste like substance and asked if I wanted it on my toast. I said "thanks but I'll pass" all said with my nose scrunched up in distaste muttering to myself "I'd rather drink battery fluid". of course being my new husband he talked me into it.
It was truly love at first bite. It reminded me immediately of bouillon cubes which I used to beg my mother to give me crumbs from the little tiny package the cube came in. I would hold those savory crumbs in my hand and taste each one delicately taking in each salty bite. Marmite stirred that childhood love of salt but this time it came in a spreadable form and was heavenly on toast and so yummy on little narrow wedges of mouthwatering English cheese.
My love for marmite quickly grew to a little addiction. Bottles lined our pantry like little soldiers always prepared to flavor my mid morning snack. When we left England to move to America, my suitcase was overflowing with bottles of Marmite.
A few months ago as I was preparing an evening snack I realized my jar of marmite was empty. I searched for another bottle and slowly came to the realization that we were completely out. Not a jar in the house. My mouth went dry. I called out for Dave in hope that he would share in my pain. Share wasn't quite what happened as he didn't seem to quite understand the predicament that we were in. It was when I handed him a scribbled address on a post-it note and told him to go get me marmite now, did it sink in properly. He didn't travel to San Francisco to this store for at least a week but eventually he made the trek in order to get his somewhat crazy wife her beloved marmite. He returned with 3 large bottles and I forgave him for taking an entire seven days to get marmite back in the house.
My favorite way to eat marmite is spreading it on Mary's Gone Crackers. Adrien is currently hosting a giveaway for these delicious crackers. They are just heavenly.
simple pleasures.
To understand the full like/dislike of this strange product I leave you with this commercial.
I'd like to think I'm good at single parenting. I try to be level headed, I attempt to not miss Dave too much when he is gone and to make sure the children and I keep ourselves amused in his absence. Without fail though things go wrong and the week tends to end in utter chaos. It began well enough with dropping off Dave to catch the airporter bus to to SFO on Sunday morning yet Keiran's small cough grew worse throughout the day. First sigh of the week.
MLK met us on Monday and we stayed in to nurse Keiran's cough. Tuesday arrived and Keiran was too sick for school. The storms hit with power outages complete with lightning and thunder. Dishes were still being washed, counters cleaned and dinner cooked. Tuesday came quickly with another sick day for Keiran. House still in one piece. Wednesday arrived and we had to rush to school, with a barely awake Keiran snuggled in his blanket, to drop Cerys off. Two hours later the school closed due to flooding in parking lot. Another sigh. Back at home I juggle healing Keiran, keeping Cerys company while trying to ship orders and list items online.
Wednesday evening arrived and I felt that dreaded tickle in my throat and I realized that I'd caught Keiran's cold. Thursday stumbled upon us and again no school. My energy dropped down to zero and I have two children creating tornado paths through the house while Keiran continued to cough. Camps were built, snacks were eaten everywhere while I napped away in the bedroom. At this point we are only five days from the time Dave left us. Dishes are piled up high, counters and tables need cleaned off, laundry needs turned and dinner came in the form of a simple bean and cheese wrap.
Eventually at 4:30 I realized that I had to escape my failured single parenting attempt. It's a small price to pay for a little blessing of gratefulness that was waiting for me at the thrift store.
They aren't fancy boots in the least. But I loved them for their inexpensive price, their sweater-leg-hugging-upper-bits and the fact that they had never been worn before. All for the price of $3.50. This tired, sick and worn out little thrifter was ever so pleased.
They can also be worn scrunched down like leg warmers. They are very cozy and I look forward to wearing them until the weather turns warmer. We still have three days to go until Dave returns to us. Thankfully it includes Friday estate sales and Saturday yard sales. I just might make it with that in mind.
A month ago a couple of girlfriends and I ventured into the Bay Area to go to the Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco. My friend Joanne then teased us with this sale so we spent the day happily bouncing around the city going from the Addison sale to Ikea, to downtown Berkeley and over to the Craft Fair in San Francisco. It was a marvelous day and the sun was shining warmly. I felt so blessed to be with good friends in the city a few days before Christmas.
The sale was held at Addison Endpapers in Oakland. Read more about what they offer here. We arrived 10 minutes before opening and already there was quite a line waiting to get first glance at what was on offer. Little did I know what was in store but pure crafty goodness.
German glass glitter $8.00 for each large bag.
I seriously heart toadstools. This now adorns my mantel keeping company with a lovely pottery bird.
okay a few more toadstool sneaked into my bag. who can resist such sweetness?
I picked up a few items that hopefully will be incorporated into some of my art pieces.
The sale and the shop were truly an eye candy experience. Sometimes I'll see something like this blog or when I looked around at the Addison Endpapers shop and my heart hurts because I either want to be them or do what they are doing. I want to be surrounded by the beauty of pretty things. I want to spend my days just touching pretty vintage things. Maybe I will....one day.
For now I have a small taste of those pretty things which are now happily sitting in my thrifted designated craft cabinet.
Don't forget to bid on this fab 1940's crazy quilt for Patchwork Haiti. We have an opening bid of $100.
Here is quilt number two up for auction. Please see this original post for more information about the Patchwork Haiti fundraiser. 100% of the money collected from this auction will go toward helping Haiti.
This is a 1940's crazy quilt and measures 67 1/2 inches wide and 76 inches long. The photo was taken on a queen size bed. It has been machine stitched and has a few flaws as pictured below.
Backside of quilt.
A few worn areas.
Value $148 with no minimum starting bid. Please leave your bid, name, and email address. Auction closes on Friday at 11am.
If you get a chance, please post a link on your blog about the auction. So far Patchwork Haiti has raised $100.00.
Thanks so much,
Apron Thrift Girl
First of all, thank you for your patchwork quilt bids yesterday. I was so excited this morning to see a high bid of $100.00. Fabulous. The bidding closes tomorrow for the honeycomb quilt and then I will add this quilt up for auction with no minimum starting bid. If you have any patchwork items (of any medium) and wish to donate please let me know. I'll continue to donate from my own collection all week.
I hope a post about food and losing weight isn't inappropriate after my help Haiti post yesterday. Sometimes I plan for a different blog post and then I'm moved by something that happened in my life and I just feel compelled to write. I almost feel antsy until I get my thoughts down on paper or in this case in blog form at ATG.
Somewhere around the new year I read aloud an affirmation that Cheryl Richardson had posted on Facebook. She said "Today I pay attention to the little voice inside that knows what my body needs and I do something good to heal and nurture my physical self." She went on to ask us what we did. I kind of smiled when I read her last comment but didn't feel any change. It was later though that I realized that I had lost my taste for coffee. Sounds like a small health thing right? Not for me. I'm one of those coffee drinkers that likes it very white and rich and lusciously creamy. And any regular reader knows that I have a mad obsession about coffee.
My altered taste buds were craving tea and not just any black tea. My body wanted green tea with plum and white tea with pomegranate. Instead of adding organic half and half I instead started adding a wee dash of non-homogenized raw milk. People are on both sides of the fence about whether milk should be homogenized or not. I personally prefer food that is as close to nature as possible so for our family, it is the right decision. My son can't drink store milk without getting a tummy ache but as been able to drink our new raw A-2 milk without any pain.
When I learned that I was celiac five years ago I was severely anemic, had a complexion like someone who hung around with this crowd, and weighed 110 pounds. Being that I am 5'1" this isn't a bad weight but I didn't look very healthy. Following the celiac diagnosis, I went off of gluten and started eating Pamela's brownies once a week to get me through them emotional upheaval of losing so many of my favorite foods. Never again would I separate my Lucky Charm marshmallows from the oat based pieces in my cereal bowl or walk into a Duncan Donuts and order old fashion maple donuts. I'm one of those people who woke up planning my entire days menu in bed including snacks. Heck I used to put food above men in order of importance. As Dave knows sometimes I still do. I make him stop eating popcorn from our shared bowl as I push fast forward on the tivo when we watch tv.
I lived in Washington at the time which also didn't help my weight. September-June every year I tend to hibernate against the cool temperatures of the PNW winters. I would throw on sweater after to sweater to warm my cold bones and eventually I gained weight under those layers of clothing. Many celiacs do gain weight after years of being malnourished. I'm not sure what caused my weight gain exactly, maybe a bit of all three but I went from size 5 with the weight of 110 to size 10 with the weight of 140.
Everything has changed since I moved to California. Overall I feel incredible since moving here. My scanner brain is on overdrive with ideas and I feel that I can actually create what I want to do in my life. And yet part of me though feels held back by this weight. I'm conscious of it when I talk to people, I'm aware of it when I am in a thrift store trying on clothing and I'm concerned about it around my children. I spent 32 years being thin, fit and somewhat healthy (sort of relative with the celiac thing). In my head I'm still 115 and I guess I might as well add that I feel age 22 while I'm at it.
I don't want to be overweight. I also don't want to be the size of those sticks and bones Anthropologie models that have been showing up lately in my inbox. What's that about? I want to be healthy and look after my body. I want to be a positive role model to my children so that they can see that their mother eats well, exercises and thinks positive thoughts about her body.
Remember this post about growing up ugly? As I am working to get my body healthy I have to reread those words and remind my head about self-image. I still struggle with this daily even though I try to tell myself affirmations. I try to believe them. The one I am current using is "I'm beautiful in the eyes of God". Between using Cheryl's health affirmation and this self-image one, something has to change.
After thanksgiving I went to a secret consignment store sale where every item was $5.00. I bought the sweetest pair of Lucky jeans with flower embroidery on the leg. They were too small and I couldn't even fasten the waist. I told myself though that I was going to fit into those jeans. Last Friday I took them out of the closet, told my body that I would fit into them (they were size 8) and they slipped on like butter. Not only that but they were comfortably loose.
I'm frugal when it comes to weight loss. I won't buy into any health programs, I buy all my diet style books at yard sales like Perfect Weight America, and I won't dare go near a health club. I've tried them before and unless it's right outside my front door I won't make the time to get there. I've bought $10 torture devices but I tend to have to go to the emergency room too often after attempting that kind of exercise. Maybe I'll eventually find one that works well with my clumsiness.
Here's my frugal exercise kit:
Do you have any frugal weight loss suggestions?
I picked up a vintage, handcrafted patchwork quilt this weekend at a barn sale. It was made by the mother of the wife running the sale. When she handed it to me after naming her price, she had such a heartfelt look in her eye. She seemed pleased that I showed so much interest in something her own mother had created years ago. Yesterday as I was taking a closer look at the intricate work I thought about how I could help Haiti. It feels helpless to be so far away in my warm home, with electricity running my mac and lighting and warm food in my belly. An idea came to me.
The patchwork quilt stirs up so many different emotions in women. I personally think about community, warmth, creation, family and giving. At the moment Haiti is like patchwork pieces that painstakingly needs to be put together, healed, cared for and looked after for decades to come. So many hearts are hurting with lives that have been tragically lost.
I discovered an organization this morning that has given women in Haiti the chance to earn a living by making patchwork quilts. It's called PeaceQuilts Project and at the moment it appears that, gratefully, most of the quilters are safe. They are asking for donations here where they normally are looking for fabric, buttons and other sewing supplies that are difficult to find in Haiti. Now they are asking for cash donations to help their community of quilters rebuild their lives, homes and health. Please visit their site and read their stories.
I adore patchwork, hence the fact that I am consistently picking them up as I thrift but do I need them? Not today. Not for awhile.
This vintage Honeycomb quilt is up for auction.
Following Indie Fixx's inspiration I'm going to borrow some of her ideas for setting up an auction to help Haiti. If you would like to place a bid simply leave a comment with your desired high bid amount. All comments are visible so that you are able to see other bids. If you bid, please leave:
If you would like to donate a vintage or handcrafted Patchwork (any medium) item to bid, please email me: apron thrift girl at gmail dot com with photos and item description or comment and I will contact you. Donation will be shipped from the the person donating the items at their cost. If you are open to international bids please let me know. Email me with any questions.
The winner bidder will pledge to donate the bid amount to either Doctors without Borders or to the Red Cross. I will donate 100% of the funds to either charity. I'll email a copy of the donation notice to all the auction winners.
Honeycomb Quilt
This vintage quilt is completely hand sewn. This is considered a summer quilt because it doesn't have batting. These summer quilts were designed to keep out the chill of the cooler summer nights. It has some stains that I haven't tried to remove. It has a few worn areas that could be repaired or simply enjoyed as is. The edge is somewhat worn but the quilt is solid and beautiful. Size of the quilt 72" x 85". Approximate value $70.00.
Auction will close on January 20th at 11:00am Pacific Time.
Feel free to take the button and place on your blog or facebook. Spread the word.
