summer thriftiness

I have a problem of bringing home chairs.  Often broken down chairs.  But I have a vision for each one.  And the shapes are fantastic!



This chair was painted gold!  It reminded me of New Orleans for some reason.  Especially when after I rubbed it with some steel wool there was a bright pink underneath.



My girl picked out this lavender color and since it was for her room I ok'd it.  But that was the only reason!  I'm not a big personal fan of purple, totally for personal reasons...



And here she is totally happy with the results!  This is what I am thrilled about : the chair was $2.50 and then 50% off - I bought the chair for $1.25 from my local thrift!!  My husband wasn't so thrilled about me bringing home another chair, but when we got it all cleaned up and painted so quickly, he didn't punish me. :)

little gifties

These are eye pillows.  Just in case you didn't know. :)  It's another project that I love to sew up using just the scraps from my scrap bags. 



There are so many projects that I sew and then I move on to new creations.  But I just can't resist sewing up these eye pillows.  They are filled with lavender and organic flaxseed.  Whenever I am working with the lavender it gives my sewing room such a relaxing calm smell and feel.



I add the organic flaxseed because it gives the eye pillow a nice added weight.   The pillow can be placed in the microwave for 30 seconds, or the fridge if you like some cooler soothing.  I personally enjoy them as is.



And when not on your eyes, just tuck it under your bed pillow.  It will be sure to give you sweet dreams at night!

thursday

It's funny going to someone else's blog and seeing a huge picture of your own smiling face.  It makes one reconsider their choice of lipstick!



That's what Thursday did for me!  Visit her blog and say hello.  You won't be disappointed.  She has some other great interviews and obviously has a ton of fun thrifting!

scrappy goodness

Oh scraps are good!  So very, very good.  I do have a little love affair with them.  Fabric love is a real and pure love!



It is a real guilty pleasure for me.  Finding something new, anything really, to make using my scraps.  It is something I can spend days thinking of.



These coasters are the same ones that I made for the Pillowcase Challenge book.  These sets are just made with all new fabrics.



I have so much fun sewing these up.  I sit on down with my bags (yes bags) of scraps and dig through them all until I find combination's that I just feel good about.



I always promise more. And more scrappy fun will be sure to follow.

congratulations

The winner was named for the huge giveaway! It is a very lucky girl named Marie.



She will be receiving 11 packages all delivered to her door.  Isn't that going to be so fun for her!  Just visit My Girl Thursday to see all of the great things she won.



And thank you to the fabulous Paper Cakes Finds for adding my fabric girl tea towels to your fabulous collage of fantastic Flickr finds!  I am in some good company. :)

my reading

I just finished reading Julie & Julia.  It took me awhile. Maybe 4 months!  My problem is that I was reading mostly in the car when I was waiting for my girl to get done with school.  Well now school is out for her.  I just had to sit down and read the last pages if I ever wanted to get anything else done in my life.  It is the worst thing ever to have a book that is just half read.



The best part of this book for me was the ending.  When all of Julie's cooking nightmare's come to an end and she finds both her future and some perfect closure at the Smithsonian.  All done in pure Julie Powell style.



So here is my own cooking venture.  A recipe from Susan Branch The Summer Book.  The perfect Pineapple Upside Down Cake.



I've made this before following the directions and my oven runs hot (without me realizing it) so it was overcooked a bit.  The Vanilla Sauce came in handy that time.  And this last weekend I made it using my cast iron skillet. I also used marchino cherries instead of walnuts.  Isn't it pretty!



 I watched the timer closely and it took about 15 minutes less to cook, because my oven was still too hot.  But it did come out yummy!  I didn't make the sauce this time either, because I couldn't find any of my vanilla beans.  And we didn't really need it, because the cake came out perfect.  Did I say that already?



So have fun and make this cake.  It is perfect for summer.

Bon Apetit!

a sweet pairing

Another giveaway, already?  Yes, already!  Though this time it will be eleven little gifts for one lucky person!  I made these 2 cute tea towels.  Each is finished a little differently and make a sweet pair!

One reader will win all eleven prizes!  Did you get that part?  I do want it to be me though.  I saw all of the prizes on My Girl Thursday, and was ready to do a little shopping.  I have a friend's birthday this Friday so how perfect to pick out something fun for her!

 

Here's how to enter...

Hop on over to each sponsors blog. Go ahead and leave a sweet comment on each blog to make their day. Come back to this post and leave your name and email address.

Bonus entry...

Follow my girl thursday on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Make sure you leave a second comment in order to qualify your entry. Oh, and be sure to include @mygirlthursday in your tweet (so your entry can be verified). (This is a bonus entry only, you must complete the first entry in order to qualify for this contest.)

  

The contest will close Saturday, June 5th at 5pm est. Everyone is welcome to enter.