can you dig it?

Wow, it has been a really long time. I almost don't know where to begin and end.
So much has been happening! I think this post we will talk about the play.

Since December my friend Frankie and I have been co-directing a skit with 16 first and second graders for the school play. We met once a week but our texts could fill a novel and the amount of times we met to discuss, plan, and choreograph was quite a lot!
Then came the costumes and props with a budget of $12 per kids. Hello, sheets and tablecloths at the thrift store!
It was a lot of work with it's shares of trials and at times was incredibly fun and other times maybe not so much.

First, came the task of agreeing on an idea. When you take two creative people with lots of ideas it is hard to narrow down. Once we did though we picked out a combination of these four songs.

It starts off with the beginning lyrics of

Do you Love Me

You broke my heart
'Cause I couldn't dance
You didn't even want me around
And now I'm back
To let you know

Then this song..

Let's Dance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNLXxDMxe18

Then

Wipe Out- no lyrics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p13yZAjhU0M
Ending with..

Then 

"She Loves You"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoF-7VMMihA

Then came the task of choreographing it! Interesting! 

Then the props and costume, pattern making and sewing- 11 dresses, signs, surfboards, guitars, drums, tie altering, jacket buying and altering...

The dresses were made from sheets and tablecloths, muslin, grosgrain ribbon and buttons.

Some cute backstage shots!

S practicing at home before we headed out to 1 of the three performances!

Finally, the video of one of the performances which will be added soon.

what's in the bag

Saturday morning after exercising I went to the rummage sale at a local church. If you know me or read my twitter you know that I really miss thrifting and flea markets but, with the ages my kids are at taking them with me would not be the same. That said, the kids were at the playground during my 45 minutes there.

It was the second weekend of the sale and I wasn't expecting much. I really only looked at the clothes and I managed to walk away with several good things and the money I spent all goes to a good cause.



A blue cashmere sweater. A few tiny moth holes but, nothing serious and if I don't wind up wearing it there is always re-purposing into winter accessories. It's a little snug.



A lambswool angora short sleeved sweater in this perfect golden pumpkin color.



A deep red silk blouse (my favorite of all) because the fit is so nice and the shade is so pretty.



A brown kick pleat Banana Republic skirt that fits perfectly (not bad for not trying on)

Some butter soft green linen napkins and an apron. It all set me back $11. Now I just need to wash and dry clean and I'm all set.

thrifted

Ever since I was a pre-teen I have enjoyed thrifting, vintage clothing shops and antiques though I rarely get the opportunity to go and do these types of activities anymore I have hope for the future.
I would also like to go to an auction someday. Have you been to one?
That said, i recently went to a wonderful church sale in our town that happens every year. There are three that I know of but, this one is my favorite. I went twice and still only saw maybe 5% of what was there. It's enormous and amazing.

I spent under $35 and came away with a straw suitcase, 2 sweaters, 2 lidded candy jars that could be either for candy or small terrariums (the most excellent glass piece was snapped up by some guy who when I suggested a terrarium was happy to tell me that was exactly his plan), 2 small vintage handbags, gold double picture frame, a cream and sugar set, blue china plate and a record for my little guy.

Pretty great for 5 minutes from my house.
If you want to daydream about Paris Flea markets there is always this: Keys to the Fleas

saturday's thrift finds

I hit the jackpot on Saturday at our local kids thrift/second hand shop. Mostly I got items for Scarlet but I did find one cute western style button down for Little M which is not pictured but, trust me it's cute.

Here is what I got for my girl. Everything is too big for her now but, someday....

First up, this dress. I almost fell over when I saw the manufacturer's tag, Plum Pudding, because this is Scarlet's nickname. FYI- I call Little M, Blueberry Pie. I had to get it because I just love a dot and a red dress with dots and daisies..be still my beating heart!



Secondly, I saw this brown dress with multicolored dots and what can I say, it is so sweet.




Thirdly, I got this adorable raincoat, oh my!



But wait, all three of these items came in pairs because they were from twins that were dressed identically. So there is another one of all of the above just waiting.

Then, oh my god, I can't believe these rain boots were still there. I wanted them last time I was in but, somehow resisted their charm. I don't know how or why but, thank goodness they were still there weeks later.



These white t-strap shoes are just the best and they are from France and it looks like they were barely worn.




Pricetag for all items $22
I feel like such a lucky girl!

P.S. - You can see the Nordicware pan and Betty Crocker cookbook I picked up at a garage sale on Friday over there on the right.

little trees

little trees
Originally uploaded by nancy cook

These trees are made out of thrifted and vintage green velvet. I made these last year from a pattern by Little Birds.
I have yet to decorate for the holidays. I decided I would wait until December 1st.

thrifting weekend - part 3

Buttons....
Beautiful glass buttons and a big bag of red buttons perfect for making a button wreath for the holiday season.
I also found a Raggedy Ann, some great children's books and a child's kilt from Ireland. I couldn't resist the plaid kilt. It is the Scottish in me. I can't wait to put Little M in it.

thrifting weekend - part 2

My favorite book from the book sale on Sunday was this vintage knitting and crocheting book. When I have some time and the list of projects goes down a bit I'm definitely trying some of these out. The book is full of wonderful patterns, great photos and clear directions for various techniques. It cost me a $1.

Here are some highlights


Striped Slipover



Cable and Plaid Knee-Length Socks and Anklets



Baby Vest and Hood for Winter



Smocking on Knitwear

thrifting weekend - part 1

This weekend I did a bit of thrifting which I love.
Saturday, was a block long gate sale. Here we have gate sales rather than garage sales since hardly anyone has a garage. I didn't find anything I really wanted at these although I did find a wooden train puzzle for Little M so it wasn't a complete loss.
Sunday, I went to a book sale at a church and next to it was a big flea market and auction. I didn't bid on anything but I did find a few really great items.




Here is a photo of the dolls I found. I paid $6 total for all of them. They all look handmade to me and quite old. The double headed one I believe is called an awake-asleep doll but, I could just be making that up. They need to be cleaned and a little bit of sewing repair but, I think they are pretty interesting. Anyone have any tips for cleaning old cloth dolls? Or any knowledge of the history on the dolls shown here? I hope to get around to doing some research on these soon.

I'll save some of my other finds for posts throughout the week.