A Tupperware Treasure Chest, Pre-Holiday Visits, An Irish Cape, The New Etsy Shop (a.k.a If You Were Here, I'd Chat off Your Ear!)

A few weeks ago I was browsing (as usual) in the local Goodwill with my bunny and Mother-in-law when I spotted something that made my little heart skip a beat. Ba bump. Goodwill never has any good sewing stuff, but there, among the old wobbly chairs was a plastic bin overflowing with patterns. I approached hesitantly. I knew that I had better not get my hopes up lest they be circa 1990 patchwork vest patterns. When I saw what were clearly sixties and seventies patterns layering the top, I drew in a deep breath. This could turn ugly. What if I fell in love with the whole lot? How much would it cost me? I began to pore over them, separating the ones I liked from the bin. Unfortunately, my keep stack grew rapidly and threatened to fall. It was then that my MIL said the magic words: "Why don't you see if you can buy the whole bin?" I froze. This had not occurred to me. Could I do such a thing? What would B think? What would it cost? I approached a friendly sales clerk that I see there often with the question. "Um, do you think I could just take the whole bin off of your hands?" She went into the back room briefly and returned with the answer. "Yes." Yes, I could buy them ALL. And, I could buy them all at a very, very reasonable price. My hands shook with excitement as I carried the bin up to the register. "Do you need help out with that?" asked the friendly sales clerk. Heck no. I was running on the pure adrenaline of a heavy vintage sewing fix. I could have carried the car to the bin if I had needed to. Anyway:

Loot

The former owner noted on the envelope that she wore this to homecoming and with whom she went!

I love this! The vintage "hoodie."

I have a thing for coat dresses

I also have a thing for western wear. Check out the yokes and cuffs! 

These are a few of my favorites. There were some hits, and there were some misses. Overall, it was a pretty awesome score, and it was made even more awesome by the fact that at least 1/4 are in factory folds, and the majority of them were in MY SIZE! No kidding! I will begin listing some of them on my new Etsy store soon. 

Oh yeah- I started an Etsy shop. It is under the Farmhouse Garden name, and I have only put up a couple of items so far, but there is plenty more to come. I see it as a way to indulge my hobby while contributing to the grocery budget. Check back often to see what's new- I put a button on the right side of this page. 

On to the visits- We had Grandma and Grandpa R. visiting these past couple of weeks, and we all had a really great time together. Grandma had fun playing with her grandbunny, who is now pushing up on all fours to crawl, but only rocking back and forth as of yet. I'd better get my running shoes on! We also had a friend come up for a short visit during which we went up to check out the leaf-looking from the new tower at Wayah Bald.   

The refurbished tower is nice, and the view was spectacular. We have had beautiful weather too! Maybe it'll get cold soon though, and I might have to bust out my new Irish cape that I picked up thrifting the other day! 

From what I gathered in a quick online search it is a vintage 70s Jimmy Hourihan Irish Tweed cape. I saw a very drab one that just sold for farty (that's how the Irish say it) smackaroos on eBay, and mine is anything but drab. Plus, I paid nowhere near farty dollars. Try eight. I don't know why the thrifting gods smile down on me so freely, but they do. 

Anyway, I guess that's enough for one night. I am tired and going to catch some sleep- In closing, I wanted to share an image with you that I caught last night on my iPhone. On a couple of the vintage lifestyle blogs I read there has lately been some discussion of modern times vs. old times, practicality, frugality, etc. On that note, here is your "moment of zen:"

Yes, that is a Hummer. Yes, that is a wind turbine sticker on the rear window. Ha ha! Only in the good old U.S. of A.!