Pitstop Picasso

This week Nathan's preschool class is learning about transportation. As a fun/learning activity, they kids are having a cardboard vehicle derby on Friday. Of course, this means mommy and/or daddy has to assist with building a vehicle to race. I thought we'd be building a blue tank engine to resemble Thomas, but I was wrong. Evidently to win a cardboard vehicle derby, you must be Lightning McQueen.

The Process:


Step 1: Building the car


Step 2: Testing the car


Step 3: Painting the car


Step 4: Painting flames on the car with Daddy


Step 5: Painting the car some more (yes, he's thorough)

And voila! A finished (I hope) masterpiece!










I've had to keep reminding myself that he's four and it's his car. It'll build his confidence to let him do it however he wants and it is his project, not mine. I'm just the hired help (paint bottle opener, clean up crew, etc). He obvously loves to paint and has been so excited to have the freedom to do it!

A Thrifting We Will Go....

I've managed to hit several thrifts on several different days this week. (Unless you're my husband reading this. In which case, I've been home playing Cinderella!). Thank goodness for preschool and a few hours a week to go thrifting. On Monday, I had to take my van to the dealership, which is in the next town. Too bad that I had to take it in, but oh boy did I have a good time at Goodwill! I always start in the housewares section at this thrift and wasn't really finding anything interesting. Until....I spied a cute child's mug with pigs on it. I turned it over, looking for marks, and was SHOCKED to see "Tiffany & Co". Oooohhhh, this could be good. Then it got better. A bowl, a plate, another set with sun, moon and stars. Then a set with a larger divided plate and mug. I'd really like to show them to you, but I can't seem to upload any photos to blogger right now. So, if you'd like to see them you can look here, here and here. In addition to the Tiffany treasures, I picked up a few books. I need them like I need a hole in my head, but can't help myself. I just have to have books!

Since I can't upload photos, I'll cut this post short and hope for photos tomorrow.

A Disappointing Trip to Goodwill

I made a quick dash to Goodwill today and was disappointed to leave with nothing. I found a couple nice things, but the prices were outrageous. I've noticed since the first of the year that all of the thrifts I've been to have raised their prices. Last week Nathan wanted a toy at Goodwill. It was broken and they'd priced it at $3.75! I don't even like to pay that much for toys in good condition. There are few tiny thrifts in town, so I'll have to check them out and hope they have better prices (and nicer stuff).


On the project front, these are the coasters I made for my Mom's birthday. The fabric, found at Walmart, matches her bedding. Thanks to Jenny at Allsorts for the great tutorial. I've got a couple other projects underway....well, the fabric has been purchased, laundered and pressed anyway. Hopefully will have at least one complelted over the weekend.

Thrifting, Thrifting and MORE Thrifting!

We went down to visit my Mom and spent yesterday thrifting. I got to thrift in 4 different stores! Mom was kind enough to sit in the van with Nathan watching DVDs so that I could shop without hassle. I was surprised at how much prices have gone up at my favorite "cheap" shop. At the 4 stores, I spent about $26 total and here's what I got:
Monopoly Jr. game - new, still in plastic, $5
Two silk ties to do this with - $150
The Best Holiday Crafts Ever - nice hard cover book
Old issue of Martha Stewart Living - .50
6 books for me, 2 for hubby - about $6 I think
mini etch-a-sketch, little people race car & 4 orange cones -all for .95

And today I remembered that the Goodwill Bookstore was having a sale. There weren't many interesting books included in the sale, but I still managed to spend $28! (Don't worry honey. I am shopping, but at least it's not retail!)For that $28 I got this:

Two porcelain dolls - $8.95 each which is more than I wanted to pay, but they'll make nice gifts for a certain collector
Mikasa "Silent Night" crystal bell - $2.25 (Christmas clearance)
A beautiful piece of Feltmann Weiden china - $4.75 It's got an Asian looking pattern, but I can't find it on the internet. I think it might be a canister w/o a lid
Two jigsaw books for Nathan - $1.10
and 4 VHS movies - $2

I'd like to say I'm done thrifting for a bit, but tomorrow's a school day and I have to spend my time somewhere, right?

Just in time for the tea party!

A virtual tea party - how fun! Yes, it's 8 pm here, but any time is tea time in our house! It comes from being married to a Brit! Tea in my favorite thrifted mug, depicting the West End of Glasgow. (Yes, I know Glasgow's in Scotland, not England, but there are family connections there too.) And of course a little sustinance in the form of a chocolate doughnut to go along with the PG Tips.

Thank you to Risa for hosting such a fun party. It's always nicer to have tea with friends! If you'd like to join in, just follow the instructions here.

Cheers!

Getting Things Done!

I've gotten tired of shifting my piles of fabric to do other things and I had s small burst of ambition, so I completed two projects tonight. The first is a felt/fabric covered tape measure for my SIL. I followed the tutorial from Whip Up, which was very easy. It didn't come out as well as I'd hoped, but it's not bad for my first one. My SIL sent me a very nice leather covered tape measure from Marks & Spencer for Christmas and has mentioned wishing she had picked one up for herself. I hope she likes this handmade version.

My second project is a gift and I know the person it's for reads my blog, so I'll have to post the photo a bit later. I've also made some tentative plans for some fabric I picked up at JoAnn's on clearance. I'm going to make a couple of kid's art aprons to put in my Etsy shop. Don't go look yet though because there's nothing there right now. I just set it up, so give me some time to be productive. OH...and if you couldn't tell, I've learned how to put links to other webpages in my blog posts!

Nathan started back at school today after the two week Christmas break. Needless to say, we had a rough morning. As soon as I told him it was a school day, he said he didn't want to go and started acting up. It's so hard to leave him at school when he's sobbing and saying "But Mommy, I want to come with you!". Nothing I said reassured him. I finally had to peel him off and hand him over to his teacher. Luckily, he's a cuddler and having his teacher hug him was enough to settle him. He was VERY excited to see me at pick up time and nearly bowled me over. It was nice to be missed and then greeted so warmly.

Not much

Not much going on here. I've been itching to be crafty, but haven't actually done anything. Today, I can blame it on the weather. It's been cold, wet and windy this afternoon and evening. Great for staying inside and being productive, but......well, you know about the best of intentions. I did thrift a very nice purple wool sweater today. It's a sad day when I only spend $3.50 at Goodwill and it's for only 1 item! I'm going to try felting the sweater and make something with it. Not sure what, but I can probably find some inspiration in blogland. Ooooh, maybe a felt covered tape measure for my SIL. Anyone know where I can find those retractable tape measures at a reasonable (cheap) price? They're almost $6 at Walmart!

On a brighter note, we're supposed to meet my Mom tomorrow for thrifting and lunch. I can't wait! Having Nathan going thrifting with me over Christmas break has not exactly been enjoyable. I suppose at 4, he doesn't have a real understanding of the joy of thrifting yet. Can't tell you how many times I've heard: "Are we done yet?", "I'm going to look at toys!", "I'm buying this!", "Are we done yet?", "I have to go...", "Are we done yet?", "Are we done yet?", "Are we done yet?"......... Hopefully we'll find some treasures tomorrow.