Introducing BlueBird

Saturday afternoon we stopped by my  local thrifting spot to see if there was anything we couldn’t go home without.  It was a much luckier  day than usual!  And I even restrained myself from buying any more wool sweaters to felt.  And it was still just awesome.  I found a baby scooter ($3) for my little sister’s soon to arrive baby that is in excellent shape and barely even dirty.  I got Creamie a little pink chair ($2) to drag around the house and assist her in climbing up on top of couches, other chairs and into her crib.  I found a really cute cream spring purse with lime green interior ($1.50).  I found two cast iron molded baking trays ($3 each) that are just plain awesome.  I am going to make cornbread muffins in them this week.  I found about 10 yards of pink floral fabric in the form of a brand new king size sheet set ($6) to make into Easter dresses and possibly a baby bedding set.  And I am sure I’ll still have leftovers.  So, if it stopped there, that would still have been awesome.  But, these next three I am the most excited about!

[ vintage metal file box for 4×6 cards ($1) ]

This is probably going to be my new spot for stashing finished cards just waiting for their turn to become Happy Mail.

[ Sandi Henderson’s Garden Henna in pink with vintage sheet ($1) ]

I ordered this farmers market print (on the left) last week from this shop and I am thrilled to have found a twin size sheet that goes with it so perfectly.  No idea what I am going to make this into… but for being manufactured decades apart and with zero knowledge of the other, they go together amazingly well.  I think in the design world they call that “mixing the old with the new.”  But seriously, it’s just so cute!  Maybe I’ll make these into bags, maybe a spring jacket for Creamie.  Or maybe I’ll do what I do with most fabric I just absolutely love.  Keep it in the stacks and love it and look at it and wait for something that is just perfect to do with it.  I’ll probably do that.

So, even though it was already a beyond fantastic thrifting day, the next item will knock your socks off.  Well, maybe not yours, but it did mine.  This is the kind of thing that I would go without food for.  And I’ve done that before.  Once upon a time when I was a super poor newlywed, and both of us were going to school and working full time I found an old Flexible Flyer sled.  And I blew the weeks grocery budget and bought it.  And I couldn’t have been happier then or now.  So, in keeping with blown grocery budget’s, I introduce you to BlueBird.

[ sewing table with aqua sewing machine ($25) ]

An old sewing table with it’s original aqua sewing machine!  She was quickly named BlueBird.  The table needs a little cleaning and refinishing, and  I don’t even know if BlueBird works yet, but I love her.  They had two of these fold out sewing tables, and both were priced at $25.  Only, the other one didn’t have it’s machine anymore, so the poor sap that gets that one is totally getting ripped off,.  When we were at the store, the plan was for this to be my new bedside table.  But when we got home I decided to do some other rearranging and this is going to live in my crafty room.  Which unfortunately  at the moment is an absolute disaster.  The closet is clean, and everything else  is  a  nightmare.  But I have newfound motivation to clean it up and make room for this baby.  And to get my other sewing machine off of the dining room table so we can eat there.  It’s been hanging out in the dining room along with a few boxes of fabric and scraps and scissors and whatnots since before Thanksgiving.    So, my new spring organizing/cleaning/painting/decorating/sewing project is to clean up and finish my craft room.  It’s been in shambles for months, and by the end of April it’s going to be a place where I can hang out with BlueBird and make stuff.

Hmmm,  I’ve had my other sewing machine for almost 4 years and she doesn’t have a name yet…. that doesn’t seem quite fair.  Any suggestions?