Out and About ~ Thrift Shop

Hi everyone! Today is a very dark and moody day, with purple bruise-like clouds hovering low in the sky. Feels like November. It finally began to rain just as Mo and I went for our dinnertime walk. More rain then snow then back to rain is the weekend forecast, good weather to hole up and get some good sewing time in. I'm working on Fall Festival---

Pattern Photo, mine is a little different

Now I understand why the other night I was thinking it should be autumn about now, and how fun it would be to go pumpkin picking. Hahaha. I'm often out of sync because when I worked in fashion, we were always designing for the season just past. Anyway it's fun to get started again on a postponed project---the blocks look new and interesting. I already made a mistake though, trimming one of 4 blocks that look the same but one was longer...sigh, not any more. I set Mo up in his bed and gave him a toy that is a stuffie that hides treats; he is supposed to undo the arms and legs to release the snacks. Ha! He looked at me in pitiful horror. I had to unpack it myself, then give him a duck jerky kebab chew, his fave. He took it over to the plastic bin of shirts, scorning his lovely soft bed.

Earlier this week my friend Bea [B] came for a day of shopping. You'll recall she loves thrifting as much as I do, though she usually buys clothes instead of ---stuff.

I got my usual!

I'm pinching pennies so I only got two shirts and a long linen skirt to recycle.

This blue and tan linen stripe is a remnant from Joanns, not the thrift shop. Using it as a table cloth for now, I love it!

Shirts: one is for the Feathered Star sewalong, this pale linen/ cotton check. I don't like the fabric that came with the Star kit [kit!?, more in another post].

And this HUGE cheddar and navy plaid shirt is for handles, a few,  for my Blue Baskets project. I thought a couple handles, which will all be cheddar, in the plaid would be interesting. This shirt is immense, has to have two or three yards of fabric in it.Shirts are $$$ here, starting at 5.99, so I look for size as well as color.

You'll recall my pineapple obsession. How cute is this, a brand new adorable and quite large [16 x 8"?] bamboo cutting board. Price was right! 2.99

Medium sized vintage mixing bowl, Fire King? Lately I find myself needing something smaller than my very large bowls I usually use. 2.99?

A white ramekin for Mo. I use these for his kibble, the straight sides make it easier for him to get the food without throwing it all over the kitchen floor.

An unmarked but pretty transferware plate, a farm scene?

I was attracted to the sepia brown of the rim.

Odd glass cooky or butter presses, for my heart mold collection.

And a couple books! I don't usually buy books but these were interesting. I prob will return them next time.

The dog cook book is coauthored by Mo's vet, cool.

And this is a sweet Christmas style book. Fun to leaf thru on the afternoons when I have my tea.

Besides a couple of sweaters, B got a fabulous huge Victorian silverplate platter / tray, with feet and scroll work. Pretty for holiday serving on her buffet? And new pots and pans, so she did good too.
...
We always pop across the street for a look in the big fancy Marshall's too. The spring dresses were so appealing and, well, spring-like. Cute Easter stuff.

Mercury glass bunnies, adorable.

And we finished with dinner at our Mexican restaurant. They do fajitas in a way that accommodates B's Clean 30 Diet. No  margaritas though, too bad.
............
Back to my sewing room for me now. I made 70 Flying Geese spacer blocks for Fall Festival instead of the required 49. And each one has to be carefully trimmed to exactly 2.5" x 4.5", ugh. [Why? Because I like how they look and I think I am short of the vintage fabric needed for the sashings.

Enjoy your weekend!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach.....

PS More Mo in his sweater. His dogwalker took these very cute pix.

Happy Valentine's Day

To all my friends~

Happy Valentine's Day from me and Mo!

Mo's "MOM" tattoo heart sweater is from Chewy.com

Mo's sweater needed a LOT of alterations.

But now he can be happy when he wears it.
 <3 p="">
May your holiday be filled with happiness, love, friendship and laughter. Maybe some roses and chocolates too?

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

Cake ~ Love

"There are so many forms of love. Spending time with friends, telling stories. I enjoy showing my love by baking a cake for somebody ..."  Pia Klementieff


I love to bake, it's fun and easy, and fills my house with delightful scents. To me baking a cake is way of showing love---whether the recipient wants it or not, hahaha.

When I met my ex husband he was a young guy living in Manhattan. Every week he'd take the subway out to Flatbush Brooklyn to visit his mother. Every week she'd send him home with homemade chicken soup and a homemade cinnamon swirl pound cake. It was, I'm sure, her way of showing her love.

My friend is coming to visit tomorrow. When I have special guests I like to have a homemade cake or cookies to offer, with hot tea in the winter, lemonade in the summer. It's my way of welcoming, of showing my love; it fits my old-fashioned notions of hospitality.

My mom sent my dad to NYC with a pound cake wrapped in foil, for my birthday one year. 22? 23?He took me to Tiffany's and bought me a gold bangle bracelet with a tiny diamond on it. I wish I still had it. A cake---and a gift---my undemonstrative family's version of love.

This weekend I baked a cake for my friend who makes the long drive down from Upstate New York to spend the day with me. Here's another fun cake quote:
"My idea of baking is buying a ready make cake mix and throwing in an egg." Cilla Black [was she a famous Beatles groupie, or what?]

I was so in the mood for carrot cake! Mel and I had been talking about an old New England recipe for Campbell's Tomato Soup Cake. Mel said, eeew, but I said maybe good, like carrot cake?
The baking aisles are sparse these days; lots of gluten free, no carrot cake mix. At the third store I tried I found an old fashioned Betty Crocker pound cake mix. Perfect.

I do use mixes, they're easy and fun. I used olive oil for moistness, the above mentioned egg; poppy seeds; and I subbed orange-peach Grand Marnier  liqueur for the liquid. Ooooh it smelled amazing, heaven on a dark fog -drenched day. [the fog horn has been wailing all day again today.]

It baked up so high! Is that from the liqueur?

I sliced it and layered it with orange marmalade and a layer of cream cheese frosting.

A small amount of frosting was melted and put on top.

Teatime.

I love sweet flowered tea party dishes.

Violets, swoon.

Lavender rose buds, lily of the valley, pansies...

I don't actually use this china for guests, because modern people find it pretentious and it makes them feel uncomfortable or uneasy. It places too much importance on the act of eating and sharing. For real life I have plain grey blue mugs from Target. Go figure.

Will my friend partake? I doubt it, I think she is still on her ''Clean 3o" diet kick. She looks wonderful and has lost so much weight that I can't be disappointed by her rejection. I have apples [only Granny Smith!]; organic raw almonds, and hard boiled eggs, with cold green tea for her instead. The cake went in the freezer.

My kids should be home soon, from skiing. I made Swedish meatballs and salad---in case they're hungry. No cake.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

Clean 30 Eating HERE

Tomato Soup Cake  here

PS Paperwhites FAIL! I must take back my suggestion that we can just pick up a supermarket box of daff bulbs on sale! So disappointing, only two mingy little, though very sweet, flower bunches. This was week three, last Monday. Next year I'll order from Amazon instead, it's worth a few more dollars spent.