Latest Thrifting Gems

I've done a decent amount of thrift shopping over the last month or so (and I've been bad and didn't put it all away until a few nights ago, lol). I figured I'd show off a few of my finds :) 

First off was this guy:

I found this porcelain bust at local shop for 50¢! And what fancy library is complete without a bust, I ask you? So he is now hanging out on our bookshelves in the office.

These all came from a shop near where I work. That plaid material seems synthetic, but it's at least 3 yards and it cost me 50¢. How can you go wrong with that? I also snagged a quilting book, afghan book from the 80s, afghan pamphlet from the 70s, and a mini stuffed animal book - they are little garden mice :)

These fabrics came from the local shop - this whole pile probably cost 75¢. The striped ones are baby-onesie-style jersey, the cream with flowers is polyester straight from the 70s and the purple is actually a skirt - but it's really big and homemade with an elastic waist, so I will treat it like fabric and make something else with it.

These magazines and pattern books were too good to pass up. I got one Burda from the 90s (complete and unused with patterns and all), several issues of Annie's Crochet, The Workbasket (check that knitted jack-o-lantern on the front!), a decorating book from the 60s, some needlepoint transfers, some late 50s baby knitting booklets, and two awesomely country crochet pattern pamphlets - fridge magnets (they look like barns and whatnot) and a complete kitchen decor set of cows! Haven't you always wanted a cow topped dishtowel? Of course you have :)

Here's a selection of patterns along with a stuffed animal crochet booklet and the singer fashion book from 1970.

And a nice supply of knitting/crochet patterns. Most of these are sweater patterns from the 70s and 80s, but there are two Stitch by Stitch books.

And a plethora of patterns! All of them are sewing patterns except for a crocheted bedspread booklet from the late 50s.

And finally a huge contribution to my collection of The Workbasket Magazine :) I got these in 4 lots and they span from 1960 to 1985 - mostly from the 1960s though. I'm loving some of the cover patterns - several ponchos from the 70s lol. I tend to pick these up when I find them just because they have quite a few patterns, which is always great, but they also have some of the funniest advertisements. I'll have to scan a few and show them some time.

So that's most of my haul from the last month or so. Some of these things will stay with me, but most of them will eventually make it to my Etsy store. Have you found anything fun lately?

*Expired* Enter Wendy's Giveaway - Florida Edition!

Folks, I have been so remiss in my blogging duties lately. I have a good excuse and I will definitely blog about it later today, but I had to make sure I share the fantastic surprise I had in the mail this week!

I entered the Wendy's Giveaway over on Dottie Doodle and I won! If you are involved in the sewing blog community, you will have heard of So Zo... along the way. Well, one of her readers was a lady named Wendy from Luxembourg who was trying to de-stash her sewing pattern collection and contacted Zoe to help her make it happen. This giveaway began with 13 patterns; each time anyone wins, they choose the patterns they would like to keep and then host a giveaway for the remainder. The line of winners has been VickiKateMakes, Dottie Doodle and now it has landed across the pond and down south with me in Florida :) Denise was kind enough to send this pattern bundle to me and I was thrilled to pick out my favs. Here are the patterns I am keeping:

Super cute! I'm so excited to use these babies. After I made my choices, here are the ones that are still up for grabs:

I must confess, I hemmed and hawed over that McCall's shirt dress pattern, but I have a hand full of similar patterns already so I wanted to share the wealth. And I love New Look 6104, but already own it. So, all the more fun for the next winner! (P.S. See those polka dots under the patterns? Denise packaged these in the cutest polka dotted bubble mailer! And she also included a lovely post card. Thanks so much Denise!) So, just to give a full rundown, the patterns that will go to the next winner are:

• New Look 6104, sizes 10-22 (16/18 is cut)
• McCalls 4769, uncut
• Burda 8361, size 6-18 (size 18 cut)
• New Look 6937, sizes 10-22 (view E cut to 16/18)

To enter this giveaway all you have to do is leave a comment on this post - couldn't be easier than that! If you would like, you can share which pattern you would be most excited to win, but it's not mandatory. To continue the kindness of the other winners, I will be happy to post these anywhere in the world. I will leave the giveaway open until April 30th at Midnight EST.

So spread the word! Sewists out there - come and enter to win super cute patterns!

Hobby Lobby: Simplicity Patterns 99¢ Each!

If you live near a Hobby Lobby, you may want to check out their sale on Simplicity Patterns this week! I usually don't go to Hobby Lobby since it's kind of out of my way (the nearest one to me is in Viera), but my mom was going and offered to take me along :) I'm really glad I went since their Simplicity Patterns were on sale for 99¢ each! If you are interested in giving sewing a try, this is a great opportunity to get some patterns.

Once you get into sewing, you will notice the weird system that is pattern pricing. The prices listed on the patterns are around $16.95 each - which is crazy. If you were to randomly go to a fabric store and want a specific pattern without any sale, that is the price you would pay - ridiculous! I have a serious addiction to sewing patterns - I guess I like to dream of the possibilities :) So, I have a system to get all the patterns I want when they go on sale like this. I like to browse around on the Simplicity Website and make a list of the pattern numbers I want. I have the list saved on my phone so I always have it with me in case I find a great sale.  I do the same thing with McCalls, Butterick, Vogue, and other pattern companies to make sure I am always ready. I usually am an avid Hancock Fabric customer and they tend to put different patterns on sale for 99¢ every other weekend. Keep in mind that Vogue patterns never go cheaper than $3.99.

Anyway, I grabbed a few patterns that I decided I needed after seeing some of the items Mary over at Idle Fancy made for herself :) A small side note - I was only in the store for literally 5 minutes (we had some confusion of what time they close) and here are the patterns I got:

See? Even with the huge time constraint I was still able to get all the patterns I had written down (aside from a few that were not in stock). So, if you live near a Hobby Lobby, check out this week's sale ad and head over to grab some cute patterns for yourself. It's a great place to start!