the full tin

The final cookie post of 2008. I think...The fourth type of cookie that I made this year was tea cakes. Frankly, I didn't get any good photos of these cookies, but they were delicious. I used this recipe from Bread and Honey, a beautiful and delicious food blog that I've only recently discovered. I didn't change anything about the recipe, so I don't feel that I need to retype it here. Also, once you're over there, click around and check out some of their delicious recipes!

The final two cookies that I made, which I've already shared here before, were the lavender shortbread, and the double chocolate cookies. I wasn't planning on making the lavender ones, since I've finally come to terms with the fact that I don't actually like eating lavender (even though I really wish I did like it), but they were specially requested. I also wasn't planning on making the double chocolate, but after the mexican chocolate failed, I knew I needed something chocolaty.

This year, as with last year, I was able to find some awesome tins at the thrift store. I sort of followed through with my plan to stock up throughout the year, but I didn't have quite as many as I needed (which ended up being sixteen). So last weekend, when I was starting my baking, I headed over to Savers and was able to find a ton! I thought there wouldn't be any since last year I was going around and around to all the thrift stores around this time buying tins. So that was a major relief. They're so tacky, that I just love them. Most of the ones I found weren't too Christmas-y (which, frankly, was probably why they were left in the store), so I was happy about that.

Soooo, it's officially done. The only gifting I have left to work on is something for Jared's little nephews. I do need to make another stuffie, since apparently the one I made for the birthday boy a few weeks ago was commandeered by his older brother. I've been at a loss for what to do for them, but I had a brief stroke of genius today and I think I've got a great idea. We'll just see if it pans out the way it looks in my head. Luckily, it's supposed to snow all weekend, so I think I'll just stay inside. Stay warm and cozy wherever you are this weekend!

thrifting, the green edition

I've been thinking about how long it's been since I posted some good thrifting finds, and frankly, I can't even remember (this is one of those times when I'm far too tired to look in the archives, but I'm sure it was months ago). Last summer, I felt like I was on a yard sale high every weekend. There was even that time when we were car-less that I went all around the city on my bike (I think I clocked in at about 13 miles- in some very hilly parts of the city too) to hit up some great sales (I know I said I was too tired for the archives, but this was just too ridiculous, I had to share it with you all). But this summer, I don't know, it's been kinda slow. So Friday afternoon I decided that I was going to remedy that this very weekend. I scrolled through the garage sale announcements on craigslist, wrote down a few that looked good, and hit the road early Saturday morning. I'm happy to report, that I was pretty darn successful. And, um, it seems like I was really into green this weekend too...

My favorite vintage canning jars. I love the blue-green tinting and they're perfect for vases, or storing buttons or other treasures. (They're often a little sharp around the mouth, so I don't usually use them for drinking or food).

Jared is always on the lookout for lamps. I think this would be perfect in his studio (see how nice I am? Buying him vintage lamps while he's left me alone all summer?!)

This was an excellent find. Of course, it just makes me think of Meg, and the amazing work she does with cases like these. There was another one (in worse shape) that I totally would have bought and sent to her, if they weren't so big! I think I'll keep this one as is though, and leave the decoupaging to the experts.

Just Friday night I was discussing with some friends my love for vintage pyrex and how no matter what, I'll pretty much always buy one if I see it. Well, um, here we are again! The flower pattern on this one is actually much more of an olive green that it looks like in this photo. I can't wait to bake some delicious bread in this one! (Maybe now I can get rid of those loaf pans I bought at walgreens years ago!)

In my opinion, this was the find of the day. I don't know why, but I fell in love with this plate right away. I've decided that I want to start collecting vintage-y plates. Right now we have a whole set of matching dishes that Jared's parents' gave us when we moved here (it was their old set). We SO appreciated that gift and it's so nice to have such sturdy dishes (and they match!). But, um, I don't really love them. I'm kind of thinking it would be nice to start collecting some plates like this one that all go together (even if they're not actually matching). Or maybe even make a plate wall...For now, I'll probably use this as a serving plate, until I collect more (see, I always knew I needed more stuff!).

I also picked up a couple other odds and ends, a bit of fabric, some clothing, etc. All in all, it was a pretty good yard sailing morning. And, on top of all my finds, my mom called me Saturday morning when she and my dad were at a yard sale to see if I wanted them to buy me a vintage suitcase! So I even scored at a yard sale I didn't even go to! (Thanks mom!) I also realized in writing this that on my last big thrifting score day (that was months ago, and I somehow neglected to post about here and included a complete set of four pyrex nesting bowls and matching butter dish, a suitcase, office chair, and other treasures) I also seemed to have color theme- that day was mustard yellow...

Have you had any good thrifting finds recently?

Project number one of the new year

This project has been on my to-do list since before the holidays. Needless to say, it kind of got pushed aside in order to get all the craft-showing and gifting done in time. Now that all that's behind me, I finally had time to make this new shirt a reality.

After the last effort with this pattern (Built By Wendy/Simplicity 4111) I was really wanting to try it again. I immediately thought of the fabric that I should use and it's been just sitting there in the vast unknown of projects someday-to-be since November. I picked up this fabric back at the world's largest garage sale in early November and I'm not sure exactly what it is. Some kind of jersey knit/sweatshirt/polyester deal, who knows. It feels pretty 70s, but I'm digging it. Unfortunately I originally made it one size too big (why do I always think I'm bigger than I am? I guess I could have worse problems. I'll be quiet now), so I had to take out the sleeves, undo the hems, resew the side seams and the sleeves, reattach the sleeves, and rehem the cuffs and the bottom. Harumph. It took an extra hour or so, but well worth it, I would never have worn it the other way. This pattern already borders on the maternity look and having it be too big would only emphasize that. And who wants that?

So I like it. Check one post-holiday project of the list. On to the next one...

Branching Out

Well, Thanksgiving is just about upon us. Can someone please tell me how this happened? Yeah, time is really just flying by. There is so much to be thankful for this year...number one being the health of my mom and the rest of my friends and family. I'm not going to go into a whole long thing about every single thing I'm thankful for (and there are a lot of things to be thankful for this year, and every year). But that one just needs to be said.

Anyways, onto more crafty things...This seems to have become my m.o. recently: Holiday? New outfit of course! Well, I'm proud to say that I have finally branched out of the Built By Wendy patterns (not that I'm abandoning them, oh no! Just branching out). This one is a vintage Butterick 4041 that I picked up at that garage sale a few weeks back (although I just looked it up online, and I think Butterick 4041 is no longer the same pattern, hmm, can't they come up with new numbers?).

All the fabric and the thread for this skirt was thrifted (I'm liking this habit I'm getting into)- but I had to buy the buttons new. I never would have thought of wooden buttons, but it was pretty much the only option that was workable, and I really like how that turned out. The button choice on this one is pretty important, since they're so front and center (literally). Oh, and the pockets. They're huge! In case you can't tell from the photos, this is a wrap, which I love. The pattern, if you can get your hands on it, was super simple. Just one main piece, plus the waistband and the pockets. I added the lining-it was not part of the pattern-and I love how the patterned fabric contrasts with the red corduroy (have I mentioned how much I'm loving corduroy these days?)

My goal for this past summer was to learn how to follow and use sewing patterns, and I am so happy about having achieved this goal. It really makes me wonder- what the heck have I been waiting for all this time?! But here I am, sewing hands twitching, already plotting my next item of clothing...

I may pop in tomorrow to share some quick recipes that I'll be whipping up for our 26-person feast at Jared's aunt's house tomorrow afternoon, but if not, I hope you all have a lovely Thanksgiving if you're celebrating it. And whether you are or not, we all have something to be thankful for, and I hope you enjoy it.

Feeling a little nightgown-ish?

Oh I was excited for this piece. This is the other BBW pattern (Simplicity 4111) that I bought on my trip to New York back in September, and I had kind of been holding off until I found the perfect fabric for it... and I'm thinking that I should keep looking. I'm not sure why I thought that this one would be perfect, but nevertheless, I did. An, as an added bonus, both the fabric and the buttons are thrifted!

The first problem is that it's so thin that it couldn't even keep me warm in the summer, much less winter (which it is now, by the way). But I can deal with this. The second problem is that it's a little see-through, which is pretty easily remedied by this black shirt underneath. But the my real issue with this fabric choice, is that it just feels like a nightgown. The pattern, the feel (plus there is absolutely no give to it either), pretty much everything about this fabric feel like a nightgown or maybe even some sheets.

I'm starting to get over it- I made this last week and have already worn it twice in an attempt to like it-so I think it'll be okay. And I'm definitely planning on trying this out again with some different fabric. So, I think I'll keep it.

PS: Thank you all for your comment love on my 100th post. If you still want to get in on the drawing for the zippy pouch giveaway, leave a comment over there before Monday, when I'll announce the winner.

The World's Largest Garage Sale

I mean, really, who's to say that it's really the "world's largest"? I don't know if it was really the largest, but I'll say this- it was pretty darn large. We didn't even look at about half of the stuff there (clothing, art, "sundries"-can someone tell me what sundries are?), and spent close to two hours there. It was just a little overwhelming.

We came away with a bunch of stuff for the kitchen-I think I'm getting a little too into these vintage pyrex dishes, but how can you not? And of course, the fabric. Oh the fabric. So let's go over this. I didn't go the opening day of this sale on Saturday, due to the aforementioned funk, and I know that it was mob scene. So just think what I might have found if I had gone then! Regardless, check out the bounty...

Oh, I have such grand plans for all of these patterns. Yes I do. And that french curve up there? Just what I needed for Jenny's peter pan collar that I've been dying to try out. Anyways, seeing as it snowed yesterday (!), this may be the end of garage sales for quite some time. But I think I can safely say that I'm well stocked for a while. Can't wait to see what becomes of all these goodies!

I'm working on it

A few weeks ago, on Blog Action Day, I wrote about using recycled materials. I really try to do my best to buy as much thrifted materials as I can. I'm also working on using more fabric from my stash and not buying so much new fabric, etc. I think I'm doing a pretty good job. I don't have a gigantic stash, but in the process of working on my patchwork swap package, I did realize that I have more than I thought.

So anyways, here you have my second Built By Wendy blouse, made with all thrifted materials! The fabric and ribbon were both from Savers, the thread was from a garage sale early in the summer, and the elastic-well, it wasn't exactly thrifted-is from Rochford Fabric Supply's odd's and end's section (the huge spool was $2.50/lb-that's right, they sell spools of elastic by the pound. On my last visit I also bought 75 zippers for 25 cents each).

I have to admit that when I was making the last one, I didn't think I was going to be that into the elastic neck, but I really love it. I didn't make the short elastic sleeves, because, well it's almost winter and we don't do shorts sleeves in the winter. Anyways, pretty simple but I like it. And it's corduroy, so how can that be bad?

PS: um, happy November? Can someone tell me how this happened so quickly?

One by one

So today is Blog Action Day. I read about it last week in a couple different places out there in blogland, and I thought that the idea of lots and lots of bloggers all writing about the same topic on the same day was really nice and unifying. The topic is the environment. I also really appreciate that the organizers didn't try to influence what bloggers should write about the environment, just that we all start talking about it some more, no matter what our perspectives or opinions are.

I spent a little while debating with myself about what I should write about. I thought about writing about food- you know local, gardening, etc. I thought about writing about biking and driving less, and using alternative fuels (like biodiesel). But I decided to stick with an old favorite and write about recycling/reducing/reusing. In my crafting life, this is probably the most environmentally friendly thing that I can do: reuse materials, and reduce consumption by making things myself. There are so so many directions I can take this topic in, but I'll try to stay focused.

For as long as I can remember, I've been in love with thrifting. Primarily clothing when I was younger, and now pretty much all household goods and anything else I might ever need. In crafting, I try to buy as much used fabric, ribbon, thread, and notions as I can. One reason is that I love vintage fabric, stylewise. But it's more than just style. Mainly, I just can't not reuse perfectly good materials that still have life in them. I remember reading something when I was younger about a girl who always, upon entering a thrift store, imagined the previous owners of all the clothes in the store. I have to admit- I don't do that. Mostly, I imaging the future owners of the products that I'll make with those materials.

Hmm, I don't feel like I'm saying anything revolutionary here. I'm sure most of you out there reading this already agree with me, so I feel like I'm kind of preaching to the choir right now. So I'll just say this: I am so overwhelmed by the amount of "stuff" out there. I can only imagine how much stuff is being made out there in all the factories around the world even as I sit here at my kitchen table and write this. Sometimes I feel so small in that context. But that's how change happens. People begin buying used one by one. We make handmade gifts one by one. We bring our own bags to the grocery store one by one. We support local, independent businesses one by one. And we can reduce consumption and waste one by one.

NYC, part 3: heirloom crafts

Everytime I go visit my parents, there's always a pile of goodies from my mom waiting for me (and it's always in the same spot- on the floor next to the nightstand in my old bedroom). It usually consists of some newspaper articles she's cut out for me, the occasional free pair of underwear from Victoria's Secret, the odd piece of mail that came for me, and often some old item that she's just found and thought I would want.

Well this trip, I may have hit the jackpot. Although my mom found her craft love in knitting and not sewing, my grandmother and great-grandmother were apparently quite the seamstresses. My mom claims that she never learned to sew because her mom always ripped out her projects and redid them herself. Anyways, mom found a whole pile of beautiful embroidery thread, some apparently belonged to my great-grandmother. (The labels on many of them are in Polish). What a treasure- I know I'll need to come up with a special project for these.

She also uncovered this beautiful sampler that she made when she was younger.

And finally, these old tea towels (or curtains? we're not quite sure) that were my grandmother's and these aprons.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I'll be back next week with the conclusion of my nyc recap posts.

NYC, part 1: a bring your own scissors kind of place

Aaaah. Back to reality. I had a lovely trip to New York, the homeland. Although I always talk about how I really couldn't live there anymore (for so many reasons that I won't bore you with here), I do love having an excuse to go to New York at least twice a year. Oh yeah, and having a free place to stay is great too. This trip was much more low key than many of my other recent trips. I spent lots of quality time with my mom and dad, which was great. We had a small, but wonderful Rosh Hashanah dinner. And I passed up some of my usual spots in favor of testing out some new ones. On the first day in the big city, my mom and I visited B & J Fabrics, which was an experience, to say the least.

The selection was totally overwhelming and I couldn't even buy anything because I couldn't possibly figure out how I would decide what to buy. They had an amazing selection of Liberty and Japanese fabrics among many many others. But, sooo expensive (at least $26/yard!). I decided to just get some samples of some of my favorites in case I changed my mind. When I got back to my mom and dad's house, I took a quick look around Superbuzzy and ReproDepot- and found almost all the same fabrics (the Japanese ones at least) for about $10/yard cheaper! So glad I didn't waste my money.

Well, even though I didn't buy anything, it was certainly an experience to be among the New York designers (or their assistants at least). It seemed like the kind of place that people on Project Runway or something like that would go to shop for the show. I kept expecting to see cameras trailing someone as they were cutting their own samples of all the beautiful fabrics. (I also got scolded for trying to follow the lead of the woman who had brought her own scissors. When I asked an employee if I could borrow some scissors, I was rudely informed that only designers with special passes can cut their own samples. My mom later asked me if I told him that I was a designer-thanks mom!)

We also stopped at M&J Trimmings, and I managed to indulge in just a few of the many vintage ribbons they have. All in all, it was a great day- that's right, I'm not going for a day-to-day recap of my trip, but there is much to report back on. So I'll be debriefing here in stages. Stay tuned for more crafty nyc goodness!

Numero tres

Summer skirt number three has been completed! I used (yet again) the same basic skirt pattern from SewU by Wendy Mullin--I think I may be ready to move on to a different pattern now!

I saw this fabric in the discount room at my local quilting store and immediately knew it would be a skirt. I even pictured using some of this vintage lace that I bought a while ago at the textile center garage sale.

Once I started cutting it, I felt like it needed something else. Pockets of course! I used a vintage handkerchief, that I lined with some muslin for strength. I was really nervous about cutting it up because it's so beautiful, but I think the pockets turned out great. They definitely stand out, but I like it. Perfect timing for another skirt, as it's gonna be hot hot hot all week!

Small Town Thrifting

I am not a small town girl, but I gotta say I had a great weekend hanging out in one. (I'm going to get in trouble for referring to Litchfield, MN as a small town, but that's okay). We spent the weekend in Litchfield, Jared's hometown, taking part in the annual "Watercade" festival. This involved a 7:30am 4-mile run around the lake (I now remember why I don't like running), BBQ, the parade (and the uproar about the change in the parade route)-which featured marching bands, the Shriners (fat guys in go-karts=awesome!), the Miss Litchfield candidates, and all the "royalty" from the neighboring towns. Oh it was fun.

And of course, how could I pass up some serious garage sailing? Check out the loot:

These seats are from the old "Unique Theater" that was torn down when Jared's parents were kids. They were then put into the Junior High School, but taken out of there recently. They're living in our home studio now.

I'm sure I'll never use this "knitting machine"- but how cool is it? For 50cents, it was worth it. And it reminded me of this budding collection (of which I'm totally jealous).

Because who knows when you'll suddenly need to bake a cake and carry it somewhere? These are things one must be prepared for!

As if I needed a book to tell me not to throw anything away! I'm seriously loving this 1973 Charlie Brown dictionary (although it's not exactly "politically correct"!)

Finally: one for me

After all the bags I've been making for the purposes of selling (ahem, I still haven't sold one, not sure why. It's like they're cursed) [Afternoon Update: I just sold the first one-ok now I'm really superstitious!] I decided it was finally time to make one for moi. I'm still alternating the product of the second sewing machine project ever- which I still love- and a bag from the Gap that my grandpa got me for my birthday almost three years ago (falling apart and kinda ugly, but I love that he picked it out).

The one I made is a bit small to be an everyday bag (that will come next) but I figured the combination of my coworker's wedding and this:


was the perfect incentive to make something absolutely adorable. Look at all that ribbon!!! I got it from Les Bon Ribbon, which I heard about from Amanda's blog a while back. I haven't even started looking at the non-vintage categories. It's incredible (who knew so much money could be spent on ribbon?).


Anyways, I think it's pretty darn cute. I've really been wanting to use that green paisley for something for myself and I think it worked out well with the blue outside fabric and the beautiful vintage ribbon. And I did put a magnetic snap in there to keep all my goodies intact. Ok, now back to my second consecutive personal day-just because (I love my job!).

The first step...

...is admitting that you have a problem.

Hi. My name is Julia. And I'm a yard sale addict. I'm sure that everyone who might read this can understand this addiction, so I figured this would be a good place to admit the problem.

So being without a four-wheeled vehicle for the past four months (another story for another time), I've re-gotten used to getting around on two-wheels, or two-feet. We've been very lucky to have some very generous friends and family who have lent us their four-wheels enough times to get us moved in to our apartment and furniture shopping, etc. But being without that this weekend, I began contemplating on Friday afternoon how it would work out to go yard sailing (thanks Amanda for this great phrase) on my bike.


It was on Saturday morning at 10 am, when I ventured out on a three plus mile ride to a neighborhood full of yard sales-with the threat of heavy rain, I might add-that I realized that I truly do have a problem. I had to make a pit-stop back at home to unload before hitting the last one, but it was worth it. Ok, so my shoulders are a little sore from the heavy backpack, and I did arrive home soaking wet and almost blown over from the wind. And after many many weird looks and "oh, are you on a bike?" (I actually got this one multiple times while wearing my helmet! It was all I could do to not reply with- no I'm just really accident prone- the last time I just couldn't resist!), I made it home with a pretty good stash.


I came away with much more than these photos show, but this was the most exciting lot of it all. The biggest lesson for next time: tape a "not for sale" sign to my bike when I take it yard sailing!

(I'm still sifting through all the photos from the amazing May Day Parade on Sunday- the other big event of the weekend. Will post as soon as I can pick out the gems)

Baking and Thrifting

Does it get any better than that? My answer would be a downright no.

Well, it's officially yard sale season here in Minneapolis. We learned on Friday that we live just down the street from the perpetual yard sale, so that's good news. Here's just a few (and I really mean just a few) photos of what we got Friday. And this doesn't even include the bags of stuff we got for $25 at the church rummage sale we happened upon on our way to the St. Paul Craftstravaganza on Saturday morning (where I finally bought these coasters from Giraffe that I've been coveting).




But Saturday morning started out even before that, with some vegan apple muffins. Check 'em out...


Here's the recipe:

Vegan Apple Muffins
(based loosely on the Apple Bread recipe from Molly Katzen's Enchanted Broccoli Forest)

Wet Ingredients:
1 apple peeled and chopped (I used gala)
3 tbl fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted non-dairy margarine
1 tbl ground flax seed mixed with 3 tbl water
6 tbl soymilk

Dry Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a muffin tin. Mix all wet ingredients together in a small bowl. Sift all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Add vanilla and chopped nuts. Mix well. Pour batter into muffin tin and top with a mixture of cinnamon and brown sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean). Cool. Eat. Bask in apple goodness.

Busy Busy Weekend

As you can tell, the weekend was off to a good start with some delicious cookies. On Saturday, my friend Sarah and I went over to the Textile Center for their annual garage sale. I don't think we knew what we were getting ourselves into...



It was absolutely amazing! I could have stayed there all day, although it probably would have driven us nuts. I got some really beautiful fabric, vintage lace, zippers, and a couple of patterns.




All that for $11.25!!! I was really impressed. I'm not sure what I'm going to make with all of this stuff, so I'm certainly open to any suggestions (I'm especially curious about what this knitted ribbing will turn into).

After the trip to the Textile Center, I headed down to this new store in Minneapolis called "I Like You." I gave them a bunch of my cards to sell on consignment, so hopefully they'll do well there! It's a great little place that's entirely dedicated to selling locally handmade crafts. And they've got some really beautiful items there (many of which I recognized from etsy and some of the craft shows back in December. There's such a great craft culture here, I love it).

The sun is shining and I just spent the afternoon cleaning up our community garden and fixing up my plot. Can't wait to get started on it!