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Monday, January 11

a challenge...

it never occured to me that a new year would bring new challengers but then when does anything obvious occur to me.
my head is in a dream world most of the time...


and so it would seem we have lots of new lovely 'challengers of the utmost kind' added to my sidebar. now i am quite sure there are a few of you lovelies out there going
"but i can't see my name... hey Tif, what's that all about, i've been doing this for a while and i even wrote and told you"
and yes you probably did,
but i hold my hand up and say, please forgive me and my 'inbox skills'.
for i know on occassion a few challengers have perhaps slipped through the net. i can only apologize, tell you i lie awake at night worrying about it and mumble something about having a word with 'little olive' and 'used dog' who are now my admin help. if i have neglected to add you then i ask, please to rewrite me, making sure you give me a link to your blog, that way i can find you easily.
and so i must welcome one and all, because that's the other rather crappy thing i've not done of late, replying to everyone individually, welcoming them on board and all that jazz. quite honestly it's not that i don't care, because i do... i just hope you can understand that time is quite short around mossy shed at the moment.

for those of you that perhaps found me and my challenge through another challenger and have questions of your own, then i hope i have the answers here and here as to why i started my challenge.
i think it most important that anyone interested in joining, understands it is a personal challenge which you can take to what lengths you wish. there are many brave souls amongst my sidebar whose spouses and children have joined in. there are many who have been doing this for years and have liked the idea of being amongst friends and there are many i hope that are having fun doing it... whatever the reasons it may be, i'm thinking them very admirable and i am delighted that so many have been inspired by moi and my nostril hair of the worst kind.

for me the handcrafted secondhand months are rolling by... three and half months into the challenge and i have suffered some moments of "inspirational breakdown".
just starting to get to the point of looking in my closet and sighing...
not really knowing what to put on.
i have dug deeper and found a few 'oldies' that i've donned and felt quite cheered by wearing an old aquaintance for the day.
an example would be the dress i have on in the above picture (taken for bench monday). 'twas a dress my aunt bought me many years back for my birthday when we had been shopping together.
a lovely cotton wrap dress.
it felt nice to find it and to visit that moment in time again.

this past weekend our #3 broke off the kitchen tap sprinkler head. he claims he happened to be the unfortunate victim that touched the tap at just the wrong time... it could have been anyone of us according to him.
i pointed out this could be quite true or in fact it could be, that hitting the top of a sprinkle headed tap with great gusto over and over again, because you are trying to change it from shower to stream is perhaps not the way to do things. needless to say there was a lot of water and a lot of cursing for the next few hours by my man. but instead of seeing it as an opportunity to change out the ugly thing, rushing out to find the kitchen faucet of my dreams. we searched around online, found the replacement piece and did what was best, made do and mended it.
when consulted by my man, whether 10 business days was okay for delivery, i delivered the look that said 2nd day air was probably the best option.

the kitchen fiasco happened on the first night i have been to our local thrifty store since dec 12th. please note dearest readers how i know the exact date i last stepped inside of the store, as though i have counted the minutes of my absence from within it's four walls.
i was most fortunate with my little haul.


a granny knicker pink plastic colander. i like to use these to hold all my tiny scraps for sewing. one contains lace scraps, the other bits of fabric. nothing goes to waste that way and i can also see what i have to hand.
a lovely sludgy greeny pyrex bowl, perfect for holding fruit, along with a mat... there was actually a whole set of these mats available but i couldn't think for the life of me why i would need 8 of them. so i bought one, imagining it as a center piece mat
and last but by no means least, the most 'catch your breath' quilted retro bedspread.
the possibilities for this beauty is endless. over a couch, a picnic blanket, over our bed... i'm really rather dizzy with the thought of where it will go. at the moment it sits in my studio awaiting it's moment to shine...

so there we have it, a little round up of the challenge... a few thrifty thoughts and with that i am away to Miss Ethel, whom i'm pleased to report, has done a sterling job this morning.
i have much to tell you over the coming few days. such gripping, ney thrilling subjects as crochet, laundry, sewing, making over a cupboard and other tremendously exciting world changing topics.

she is thinking does it get any better than that ~ Tif

26 comments:

  1. you make me smile....I love your blog...
    Fron here to you !

    www.d-un-bout-du-monde-a-l-autre.com

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  2. I really can't think of more important topics... with the exception of art ... of course! : D ]

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  3. the quilty bedspread is killing me with it's flirty colors and eyelash bobbing. it is delivering all sorts of come hither glances at me. i'm sorry to have to tell you this but i do think it wants to come visit with me...and just today i picked up a cousing to that lovely sludgey bowl only to put it right back when i saw the crazy price tag my thrift put on it. oh these hollywood thrift stores. they are growing to big for their secondhand britches.

    your wrap dress is a lovely wrap.
    happy bench monday!

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  4. Tif...that dress ROCKS, I love it!! That's the first thing I said when I saw the picture.
    I'm looking forward to a shop update, I think I'm due for some dottieangel goodness!
    Jennifer
    PinkyBrown

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  5. oh, i need to find a pink colendar - how cute is that?

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  6. I love that dress, it's gorgeous. What a fun bedspread, can't wait to see what you do with it.

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  7. Love the red glass "moon and stars" jar you are holding. I have a set of avocado green ones. My boyfriend who is quite the collector has about 200 in every colour possible.

    Love your items, the retro quilt is my fav!!

    xx
    callie

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  8. And, no it does not get any better than that. I was quite happy to see a Monday post of the most scrumptious kind as I was sniffling & coughity coughing.
    I will be looking forward to all of the upcoming news. Especially the crochet type of news. I have found my hook. However it is not the rapturous relationship of which I have dreamed. My hook is a wicked taskmaster. Demanding tortuous, finger-bending, yarn overing punishments of the worst kind. I shall persevere and look at your pretties in the meantime.

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  9. thanks so much for spelling it all out for me! i tried, but couldn't put the peices together. yes! i do want in. your challenge of the utmost kind is my daily way of life, for me the challenging part is that now i really have no choice- second hand it is.

    as for a centerpeice mat, i'm always looking for a centerpeice thing, mat, or tray, or cloth, anything- great finds.

    thanks for keeping me and my eyes entertained! -emily

    bluecorduroysewing.blogspot.com

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  10. Your blog is fascinating and the pics are fantastic. I especially like the fact that you take lots of photos of yourself standing on objects - very original.

    Please can I join your challenge.

    Best Rgds
    Rose

    http://primroseberesford.blogspot.com/

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  11. I think you might just be the coolest mama around. So loving your blog.

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  12. Oh what a gorgeous quilt! I think it's most deffiantly a bed worthy friend.
    As for the mat, I actually have a set of 8 which I use mostly over Christmas or big sunday lunches to keep the table safe with all the hot food. Nice to now theres still some around.

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  13. Love your bench monday picture...
    love the dress!!!
    And can't wait for more thrilling stories...They always make me laugh...

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  14. I love your shoes. What brand are they and where are they from??

    Lucie

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  15. That is a great dress!

    And I usually read through Bloglines, but clicked through today and am glad I did. Your "forbidden fruit" is funny and showed me lots of new-to-me shops. :)

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  16. Of all the many glee filled blogpeople of my acquaintance you have got to be the gleefullest, despite your tap problem of the most unfortunate kind which possibly temporatily mitigated the glee...and your haul from the thrifty emporium is excellent, in fact a little green-making to this snowed in shopper...

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  17. So excited to find your blog and will be reviewing - deeply reading, even - the guidelines for the challenge. Currently, my goal is limit what we throw away, and upcycle as much as possible.

    Here's to a unique and wonderous year!

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  18. everyday i hope for a new post!!

    love, love your color palette - love, love your blog!!!

    ~ Jess

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  19. Don't worry I am not one who slipped through the cracks as this is the first time I am commenting. I love your blog by the way. My husband is the one who actually had a challenge of his own. He did not buy any clothes, new or old, this past year. I have been challenged myself and am going for the no NEW clothes challenge only. Thrift stores are not off limits. I am not announcing my personal challenge to the husband in case I have a moment of weakness, although I probably should because that will probably be the only way i will actually stick to my challenge. Lastly, I have a huge favor to ask. I'm fairly new to crocheting granny squares and I have made all my squares and just need to put them together. I have looked, although not extensively, online and have not found exactly what I am looking for, so I thought maybe just maybe you might want to help out a fellow yarn lover. If this is too much to ask, I completely understand.

    http://brownbobbin.blogspot.com/

    Melissa

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  20. You have absolutely wonderful photos! Every one! and the color combination are beautiful!
    ~Angela Harris

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  21. thank you for the lovely words... i have added new challengers to the sidelines and as for the shoes they are by London Fly. it would appear i am quite the fan of their footwear :)

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  22. melissa, i'm popping over to see if i can help :)

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  23. what a lovely blog you have...I've just discovered it and am quite pleased! :)

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  24. I love all your little collections!
    Love your blog!!

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  25. I joined! I also posted about a FIND on my blog today!

    Happy New Year & Artful Blessings,
    Kathryn

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