More Bang for the Buck!

I had a whole day planned for garage sale-ing, but seeing as I'm broke and have to bring the car in for oil change and new brakes this week, decided to forgo my thrify adventure and only go to the annual Salvation Army sale in the office by my apartment. I had been there before and have vivid memories of a Pyrex Stovetop Coffee Maker which I was keen on for a few bucks, but unfortunately, not being a coffee drinker and knowing nothing about Pyrex coffee makers, passed it by, thinking it may not have all the parts. Later that day, I couldn't stop thinking about it and went back, but alas, it was gone! (I obsessed over that coffee maker until I finally won one on eBay. I believe it is a thing of both beauty and function.) Getting back to the Salvation Army, last year, the sale was upstairs in a large room with lots of big windows and was quite inviting. This time, the sale was in the basement. There was not nearly the amount of stuff as last year, however, I scored huge in the designer clothes that fit me category as well as printed sheets for my next hare-brained scheme. Go to Flickr! for the details :P



While hoarding a load of stuff in my arms, I tripped over something on the floor, looked down and realized I was standing in the middle of a bowling lane. I almost fell in the gutter! It always makes me sad to see stuff like that. The bowling lanes at the Hunter College 23rd Street Campus are in such a state of disrepair, but we keep using them anyway. I wish people would be able to save stuff like that.

Well, anyway, I am excited to be adding stuff to my wardrobe that I can possibly use that fits me and is in good shape. If I don't wear it in a year, it's going to have to go. I'm on vacation now, and even though I'm starting to get sick, I think I will be productive. I have finally read Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential" and cracked up all the way through. It took me so long to want to read it since I was living that lifestyle (minus the cocaine and heroin habit) and I didn't feel the need to read about it. Everyone I know read it and it may as well have been assigned reading at the CIA. Now that that has been in another lifetime, it was fun to revisit it for a few hours. I feel like everything he said is true. I have never met a baker who wasn't somewhat out of his mind. The pastry shop really is a civilized haven in the bowels of the kitchen. Cooks do talk about their dicks all the time. His characters could have been any number of people I have met in that business. He really made me laugh, and I love that I could hear him telling me the book in his voice in my head. I also love that I only have one degree of separation from him, and have possibly been in the same place where he was either hanging out or working , and maybe even ate his food. Weird.

This brings me to my husband. I think one of the main reasons I can be around him is because of my time in the kitchen. He is a cook. I realized this today. He's witty and bawdy and rude, curses like a sailor, is upfront, concise, methodical and all the things one needs to survive in a kitchen. He smells like a cook when he comes home from work and he works in a bakery! Even if he never steps foot in a kitchen again, the truth of the matter is, he will always be a cook. At times it can be infuriating, however, I wouldn't change it for the world :)

OK, zombie time. My husband has been killing Nazi zombies on the TV, and I'm preparing for zombie attacks in real life. My summer reading list includes The Zombie Survival Guide and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I'm very excited, but also sad that I will devour them in a night or two. Twilight series is after that, as after all the zombie action, I think it's important to switch it up to other manifestions of the living dead (or undead as they may be).

To delay the quick start and finish of my zombie studies, I started reading a book about vintage clothing called "Alligators, Mink, and New Money" by Alison Houtte. It's pretty cool. I like knowing about the designers she names and her business venture. I'll have it finished in the morning, I'm sure. Signing off for now. I'm tired, my throat hurts and I don't want to wake up at 4:30 in the morning, like I have been now for two damn weeks.

Fiberlicious!

So here are the pics of my finds this weekend, plus the carding I did. The mohair locks were a bit felty, but that's ok. They're going into an art yarn. The ribbons don't have a plan for now. I'm just happy I have them! The green batt is the first of the colorway "Forest" I will make. Don't know what for yet, or if it is done. I'm not fond of the way the glitz is distributed. Lastly, the green and pink was made from drumcarder waste, all carded together. Will probably end up as art yarn, too.

My blog is dying...

Poor bloggity blog. No one reads you. The blame is surely on me, as I have been slacking reading other people's blogs and therefore have not been publicititizing you properly! That's ok though. You're here for me when I need you. One week left before vacation and I'm holding on by a thread (probably literally because I'm surrounded by it anyways.) I'm a little dejected about vacation, as I always want to do a zillion things, and end up on my lazy bum doing nothing. Here's a list of things I would do if I were inclined:

• finish painting the bedroom walls and furniture that I started two years ago
  
• clean up the craft room so I can find the sewing machine
• finish sewing my bedskirt, my rockabilly fair dress, my swing top, the chair pads and make some more stuff
• work on fiber prep, spinnning and UFOs
  

I may have to make a schedule for myself. It seemed to work ok last time, so hopefully it will work again. It appears that if I don't do something in the morning, the whole day is lost, watching Clean House and Spongebob.

This week I've been obsessed with ripping fabric. So far I have two balls. I also am slightly obsessed with the idea of making rugs. I've been shopping for fabric to rip and plan on hitting the thrift shops later to get some! Maybe I found my niche on etsy? We'll see. I did some drum carding with some practically felted fiber and it's a dream now. I really like it but feel like it's not finished, so I have to go back to it. I'd like to finish carding that colorway up. It's probably going to be about 4 oz. I need a big diz to make a roving out of my batts. Pulling it worked OK, but I want it thick and even. Practice and the right equipment will improve my skills.

Also, today we're going to the Renegade Craft Fair and it's very exciting. I've wanted to go for a few years, but never knew about it 'till it was over. Thanks to Rav's new event calendar, I actually found out in time. Cool! What shall I wear?

Lastly, J and I went back to the garage sale and were in heaven. The lady charged us 50 cents a yard on all the trimmings and I can't wait to get pics of all the booty. And I also got a BCBG silk top for $4, from a girl who wanted it to go to someone who would look good in it. I was very flattered. She wanted $10, but I only had $4 left from all the trimmings I got, so she said OK.

In other news, Yippee! I'm a natural redhead, at least till my roots start growing in. I suck at dyeing my roots. I also made bananan bundt cake for breakfast from this recipe from Allrecipes.com. It came out pretty good. There was leftover coconut topping from my pie last week, so I used it in the middle of the batter. It was so yummy, I might do it again on purpose!