Last weekend of April and the thrift finds were fun.

My favorite find of the weekend were these vintage nursery curtains and valances. I was with my daughter and she quickly scanned the linens and found the valances. I on the other hand took my time browsing at an older folks pace and found the four curtains that went with them. She quickly said that I could have the valances to purchase with the curtains. I just love the cuteness of these curtains and can see them being upcycled.

I also found two Tommy Hilfiger 100% cotton sheets to upcycle. I love 100% cotton. Some yard goods, an owl planter which will be spray painted, a clear glass owl bank, a Joys of Jello cook book and what's not in the picture a package of vacuum cleaner bags. I don't think I've paid full price for vacuum bags in years. Why should cleaning cost full price? I can't wait to do some more work listing items on my store. I am getting close to my goal of 400 items and may be there this week. I just wish that the total showed on my store. I count the duplicate listings but Etsy does not. Visit and see how I'm doing. butterflyplace.etsy.com Have a great week everyone and I'll see you around my sites.

Favorite thrift finds this weekend.

My favorites of the weekend, but not the only finds are these two loving owls music box and an unusual cheese cutting board that folds like a cupboard. It was so unusual that I just had to pick it. It was in excellent condition for it's age and is made in Japan. I can't tell the song that the music box plays, but it works and was irresistible.

Other finds this weekend include some more fabric, vintage and modern. Two cut glass candy dishes, wooden trivets made in India, a pink and orange vintage cotton towel and a large bell shaped trivet that is silver. A good cleaning and it will make a wonderful addition to any holiday table setting. I had a great time hunting this weekend, but have been careful not to over spend. So far setting a budget has worked.
Other events of the weekend include more research for business growth and learning my way around more internet sites. It's fun and work at the same time. Feel free to visit my Etsy store at butterflyplace.etsy.com .  Have a great thrifting week everyone.

Reclaiming usable fabric.

I have spent a great deal of my life putting used or well loved items to use in my own life and am  changing the world one person (me) at a time to waste less. I can see the use in most anything, but have to hold my tongue when I see the mass production of useless stuff. This fabric was reclaimed this week from a worn out bed skirt. The flat part that sits on the box spring was totally gone, but this wonderful eyelet fabric was in excellent condition. Can you see this in a shabby chic makeover?

After cutting marketable pieces of reclaimed linens for my store (butterflyplace.etsy.com) I kept cutting the smaller pieces into four and a half inch squares. Quite a variety for sale to someone who quilts or for me to use making quilts for the Linus project.

And then there's the even smaller pieces to sell as a bundle of scrap. Best for Charm quilts it includes all the cuttings larger than one and a half inches to full fat quarters. Most of the fabrics are cotton and polyester, but there are many 100% cotton and with such a large variety the sky and some imagination is the limit. So that's what's been done with reclaimed linens this week and hopefully I can get more listed on my store and continue to keep stuff out of landfills.                                                               

This weeks thrift shopping.

In my travels this week to different thrift stores my intent was to just drop off donations, but the temptation to look at new merchandise led me to a bounty of new fabric and resale items. I like to find different fabrics that I can combine with others for craft projects or quilting both for resale and charity projects I'm involved in. I never fail to find vintage pieces of fabric or reclaimed bed sheets and linens. It has become the fun in my life and gets me out other than just going to work. With warmer weather hitting the northeast early this year I have notice the number of people having yard sales increasing. I'm not quite ready for them, but give me a couple of weeks and I'll be there. The bounty will begin to appear on my etsy store, butterflyplace.etsy.com, so I hope you take the time to visit to see items up close and get descriptions.

This weekend's thrift finds.

This weekend I spent about one hour thrifting. I'm finding that I have plenty to work with as far as listing items on my store, but I had a wonderful opportunity to visit with my younger daughter and her family. That time with family will always come first. As you can see I found several items including three feet. (Shoe stretchers I believe.) I picked them up and put them in my cart and just as I did a woman came up to me and asked if I was going to buy all three. I quickly said yes and she still picked them up from my cart to check them out. I felt that this was a bit rude, but I played along and told her I was going to use them as bookends. They are heavy wood and metal. Two have names on them and I will continue to research them for resale. I also found a set of vintage Japanese coasters that are heavy paper. They are hand painted water color prints. I also found a couple of 100% cotton towels and a piece of vintage 1980's American Greeting Co. Strawberry Shortcake fabric. I still stayed within my budget for the week.
This weekend was also a learning weekend for me. I am doing more reading on etsy to learn more ways to market my store. I've needed to take the time to do this and this morning was as good a time as any. So I'll let you all know how it goes this week with the new information and how it helped or didn't help sales. My goal is to get more listed this week. After all it's just stuff sitting around until you list it and put it to work. Please stop by butterflyplace.etsy.com to see how it's going. Have a great week everyone.

Thrift finds for the past week.

What a wonderful week thrifting. It's becoming so natural and relaxing and the finds are just falling into place. Even setting a thrifting budget has worked. It's great to be able to choose what I really think will work on my store. I've taken a four day weekend to work just for me and have fun. Also to celebrate turning 60 and finally knowing how wonderful life really is. Knowing what is fun to do and not asking myself any more where I belong. I am and that's all. Enjoy life and visit my store on etsy. butterflyplace.etsy.com  Have a great weekend everyone.

My favorite thrift find of the weekend.

I had a wonderful weekend thrifting. I found many items, but my favorite brought back childhood memories. I always knit with the small version of this spool, even home made ones made from a wooden spool and four nails. It kept me very busy when I was a child. Even today I will use the small plastic one I have with a thin thread like yarn. I came by this at a thrift store and it was only 99 cents. It fills my hand and as I'm getting older the larger the better. I couldn't wait to get home and try it with regular yarn. As you can see I am going to town. One of the wooden pegs has been replaced, but it is still in working condition. Now I have something small to do when resting in my big chair. I can't wait to crochet with the resulting knitted tube or create something crafty.

I've got an awesome new fan page on Facebook, Come "like" me!!

Check out my new fan page on facebook: The Craft Zone



Like me on my new Facebook Fan Page

I just started a new Facebook fan page. I hope you will all take a minute to click "like".
I've linked it here: The Craft Zone

Strictly Fabric Thrifting

This latest thrifting adventure was strictly fabric. Downsizing has made it a little more difficult to store larger items. Fabric can be folded and stored conveniently on a shelf. This fabric will become inventory on butterflyplace.etsy.com my online store. I will, however, continue to sell off my lifetime collections since they are already being stored. It just makes sense to sell of what is already here before purchasing anything else. It's amazing what we accumulate in our short lifetimes. I hope you take the time to visit my store.

Thrift finds on a calm February weekend.

For the northeast this has been a strangely mild winter. The new word is sprinter. Yesterday we had some snow early but it quickly went away. The weather was not a major factor in getting out to do some thrifting and estate sales.
I found some vintage care bear, strawberry shortcake, herself the elf, Vera, vintage linens, a thread box loaded with new threads, a juice pitcher and glasses, a vintage plastic canister, rainbow brite and a couple of sweatshirts to stay warm at work. My favorite was the heavy tape dispenser for masking tape. I can't wait to restore it and use it or list it on my store. Many of my finds were sewing finds and future fabric to be up cycled. I found something special to send to my friend in CA too. I know she'll read my blog, but it will still be a surprise when she gets it. I find the challenge to find good things fun and what a great reason to get out of the house in February. Thank goodness for thrifting. Good items, good prices and most of all good fun.

Follow my progress on my store: butterflyplace.etsy.com

Blogging my thrift finds and enjoying afternoon tea.

Trying to stay dedicated to building my store is harder than I want it to be. Coming home from work tired and aching doesn't help, but I am determined. This bundle of thrift finds includes linens, fabric, glassware, music box and boots. The boots will be used for my personal use. What a lucky find for me. I have fashion boots and work boots, but a great pair of heavy duty just be outside in a northeast snowstorm pair of boots kept eluding me. Finally at a flea market I found a pair worn only once for $6. I was thrilled. Lots of room for the extra sox. All other items will be listed on my store. butterflyplace.etsy.com. Some fabric added to pieces I have and some grouped in various ways after cutting, ironing and packaging. I will research the glassware and music box and list them also. All in all with the lifetime supply that I already have and the thrifted items I find I am continuing to add to my store inventory.

Back to work. Etsy store weekly listings.

This is the collection for this week. Hopefully I can get my eight items to list on my store from them. My goal is eight items listed a week. One a day plus a bonus. So far this year I am reaching my goal. Sold nine items this week so if I can do more I will. Stay tuned to butterflyplace.etsy.com.

Flowers for Winter

First try ever at forcing an Amaryllis bulb. It's 28 inches tall and reaching for the light. It needed a little help but it flowered nicely and has given us some color for this January. This has been so much fun to do and too easy. If I can do it anyone can. I was told that you can cut the flower stem off in July, take the bulb out of the soil, put it in a dark closet with the leaves and take it out at the end of October to start again for the holidays. I'm going to try.

Next listing. First for 2012

Getting ready to take pictures to edit so that I can list this next group of items on my etsy store. Need to stay disciplined and on goal for 2012.

2011 rough year, but I still have items to list on Etsy.

I can see that the next few months at work are going to be hard. They are already asking people to cut hours for the next two months. Like I have many now. So as hard as this year has been and next year will be, I still have plenty to list on Etsy to ensure that I can eat and put gas in the truck for work. After selling many possessions and finding new homes for stuff that I can't keep any more I will work on boxes marked inventory and this load is part of what I've found. At least twelve listings here. My goal is eight a week. That will be one a day plus a bonus. I'm empowered and know that I can do it and make my store work for the basics I need. Here's to 2012.

New Beginnings

To every new start comes major changes and in the last several months it seems as though there have been just too many changes. As things begin to settle down and healing begins the need for still another change was there. What would it be? Well here he is, the devil himself, Diablo. A pet with it's own portable home. A Betta fish. He's been here for less than twenty four hours and has startled me twice. Sneaky little guy. Who would have thought that one little fish could be so entertaining and bring good feelings to this humble abode. Meet Diablo. May Diablo be the settling touch my life so badly needs.

Robbins Make My Home Theirs Too. Part Two

The heat has been unbearable this summer, but we have air conditioning. What do these baby Robbin's have? This has been exciting and interesting to have happen in plain sight this summer, but I'm worried. I fill the bird bath a couple times a day, but the water has just been evaporating faster than the birds can get to it. Mama robin is doing an excellent job with her three young ones. They look half dead, but when she comes with food (papa too) they perk up and fight over the gift. Hopefully they will survive. Nature will take care of them. Water is what I can provide.

It's time to stop and smell the flowers.

How can anyone not stop to look at the miracle of a flower? They are bright with color and just spread happiness. I could just spend hours looking at flowers and wonder of the life they live, the purposes they serve and the pleasure they bring. Enjoy for a few minutes some of ours.

The Finished Chair

Okay so the ninety nine cent chair is now worth so much more, but even the expense of fixing something up in exchange for comfort is worth the time spent and the price of paint. It took my daughter time to recover from her surgery, but once she felt up to spray painting she was right back at it finishing another project. Here it is. The chair is done and ready for use. We are both pleased with the result.
Don't ever be afraid to use vinyl paint and auto chrome paint. The results are amazing. They were new to both of us even though spray paint is one of our favorite things to work with. We highly recommend them. If you see that vinyl chair or vinyl anything and think it would look good upcycled then by all means give it a try. What can it hurt?