This is...my best op (thrift) shop find.

There's really not just one thing I consider to my best find. If you're selective enough everything you bring home should be a great find. Since I've been on this sewing kick lately I guess my current favorites have to be the sheets that I've bought to use as fabric. Before I started browsing through blogtown, I never thought of buying a used sheet for yardage. But after reading about it, I, of course had one of those moments when somewhere in the back of my brain a bell goes off and I realize that, Holy Crap! That's a great idea! Surely, this person writing this blog is a member of Mensa, pure genius! So, I went out and bought some sheets that I thought would be great in a quilt only to use up a couple of them before I even started on the quilt. Ahhh, c'est la vie!

Here are the first sheets I bought after my epiphany...

The one on the far right is my favorite. It's actually just a pillowcase but it's a really pretty little vintage pillowcase. And that one on the bottom in the middle - I swear we used to have those sheets when I was a kid!




These I bought to make a baby boy quilt...haven't quite gotten to it yet but one of these days I will.

And these I bought for a vintage sheet swap over at Oh Fransson!'s Funny, that purple one is my favorite out of this lot and it's by the same designer as the pillowcase in the first pic.

Anyway, that's what I'm doing lately at my local thrift stores. If you wanna see some more thrifty goodies, head on over to Three Buttons (see the little "This is" button on the side bar?!). Thanks to Lino Forest for this week's theme!

Dr. Horrible's Sing Along

All those who know me know that I was (and still am) a HUGE fan of the show (and movie) Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I never missed an episode, I have the series on DVD, I was a FAN! It can get pretty scary how much of a fan I was (am *hangs head in shame*). Well, that lead to me being a fan (not the scary stalker kind - just the regular kind) of Joss Whedon who created the show. Well, back during the writer's strike he came up with this crazy idea of having an online supervillain musical. Huh? What? Yeah, I know, totally genius, right? It's starring Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible and Nathan Fillion (one of my future husbands) as the good guy (not sure yet what his character's name is). They're going to be uploaded onto the website in three installments Act I will be released on July 15th, Act II on July 17th, and Act III on July 19th. It's completely free to watch until midnight on the 20th so get your Joss fix.
Check out the trailer...


Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.

Edit: Thanks to Gina, I found out that Nathan Fillion's character is called Captain Hammer. Thanks Gina!

Flickr Favs Friday and a little something extra

A mosaic dedicated to diversity...

1. Volti d'Africa 2 - African faces 2 - 0088-1f, 2. Pregnant Lotus Smirk, 3. happy friends, 4. True Friendship, 5. Street Carnival Simplicity, 6. Be Strong Woman, 7. Rio, 8. united in different colors, 9. lily's smile, 10. Smile, 11. God put a smile upon your face, 12. his first smile, 13. A True Smile, 14. CHINA - Lost in a Mini Market, 15. Simple People #6

I came across this photo the other day. It's a piece of silk made by French artist Hector Guimard. The museum thinks it might have been made for the bodice of a dress but they don't know for sure. It is absolutely stunning! I want to touch it, feel it, maybe rub it against my cheek. *sigh*

Bubby's long lost brother, the 2nd cutest dog in the world.

There's so much to watch on YouTube that if you don't know specifically what you're looking for you just end up sitting infront of your computer with the "duh" face on. That was me about a year ago. I finally thought, "I'll just type in pomeranian and see what comes up." Some were incredibly boring some were incredibly cute. Since then, my favorite has been Takezo, a little pom living in Japan that Jasper swears is his long lost brother. (yes, he told me so, so what?) So, take a peek at Takezo, the 2nd cutest dog ever.

The Game Part Deux

Click on the pic to find out my answers.

Note: My pics are in reverse order so #1 is in the lower right corner & 12 in the upper left....oopsy

The concept:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.

b. Using only the first page, pick an image.

c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd's mosaic maker).

The Questions:

1. name of birth place

2.country where you live

3. favorite kind of house to live in

4. one word to describe your style of decorating

5. favorite town for a city-trip

6. favorite country for a holiday

7. favorite piece of furniture

8. favorite kind of garden

9. favorite flower

10. a historic place you visited and liked very much

11. where would you move to if you had to?

12. favorite room in your house


1. twinkle lights, 2. Laurelhurst Theater - Portland, Oregon, 3. sunnyside, 4. Rununcula in Sydney Botanic Gardens, 5. Maze at Glendurgan Garden Cornwall, 6. See, I can sit nicely in this big chair!, 7. My secret blue paradise :), 8. cupcake royale, 9. DEEP SEA HARDHAT DIVER #8 "NO EINSTEIN ON THE BEACH", 10. Craftsman circa 1920, 11. Fourth on Lake Austin, 12. Fullerton Arboretum

Created with fd's" Flickr Toys.

Some creations and my 100th

I haven't been doing too much, creative wise. It's been too hot. No air conditioning makes me grumpy and it is definitely not conducive to being creative. Today was much cooler, however, so after a short nap to get rid of a wicked headache, I sat down for an hour or two and did a couple of things.

The first is this...

+

this...

=
this...

a prototype for a home made version of this...

We bought a couple of these at Wal-Mart to keep us cool on our trip to Louisiana. My sister used hers over the weekend and the little gel crystals inside that hold the water make the whole thing feel all gel-y and slimy and gross so I figured I'd make my own. Since I don't have any babes of my own I borrowed a diaper from a friend and just started cutting into it. I used one half of the top sheet edge from a vintage sheet, and just zipped it through the machine. It was a little messy cuz there are little crystals in the diaper as well - I think to either soak up liquid or something, I dunno but it turned out pretty good. No gross slime, the diaper holds plenty of water and it kept me cool. So that little project was put on the success list.

Then I whipped up some of these goodies...

Just some magnets and pins or brooches, whatever you wanna call em. Lots of hot glue, a couple burns, a couple of salty outbursts (but only the dog here to hear them).

So that's what I did with my evening...nap, cut, sew, glue, swear...a very productive evening indeed.

Ok, so this is my 100th post. I was planning a give-a-way but since I was actually planning on this post taking place sometime in the middle of July, the give-a-way is going to have to wait til then.

Shopping with a purpose.

My sister and I were out shopping the other day and remembered that a certain store in our area was having a sale that day. We decided to head on over. The store is called Heavenly Treasures, it's in Glendora and it is a non-profit organization. What they do is, "support the Christian micro enterprise network through product and project development, market placement and distribution." So basically, they go into small villages in countries throughout the world and they teach the skills necessary to produce marketable products then they help market and distribute the products. Helping the people become more self sufficient is one of their main goals, a worthy goal in my opinion. We shop there as often as possible to help support them. This weekend I bought this bracelet...

which was made in Thailand I believe (I forgot - I know I'm terrible but I really do have problems with my memory). Isn't it pretty?!?! I love that it'll go with pretty much anything.

I also bought two of these bags...

One for me (black & white) and one for an aunt (brown & black). These I know were made by women in Kenya who call themselves Sisal Sisters. The craftsmanship is really amazing.

The shop offers everything from scarves to aprons to toys to jewelry, etc. If you get a chance check out their online shop and do some shopping.

This is... my most favourite outfit that expresses my individual style...

I must admit, I've had this love affair with business wear since I was in high school. Nerdy, I know but what can you do? I had my first business suit when I was in the 10th grade and thinking back on it now I wonder why - it's not like I had any board meetings to go to or even any school events like debates cuz I wasn't that big on extracurricular activities. I just liked it, with it's lovely cranberry color and one button blazer and acetate lining...*sigh*. It was by far my favorite outfit, brought out only when there was some extra special occasion. WOW, I was such a nerd!! Put down in writing, it makes me realize it even more.

Anyway, that being said, these days I still have an affinity for office attire. My current favorites are all winter wear (because I absolutely hate the heat). They are...


This jacket...

(actually, this jacket with anything cuz it's my all time favorite)

These creamy wide leg pants...

(add any blouse that matches, usually when I'm wearing this jacket I have a real hard time taking it off so the blouse doesn't usually get seen anyway)

With any of these shoes (they are for 1. rain, 2. when my feet can't handle heels 3. when my feet can handle heels)



In reality, I'm not always up to dressing this way and, luckily, my employers have no problem with casual dress (people have been known to come dressed in sweat suits, or trackies for those of you on the other side of the ocean). So, I can usually be seen in this...


or a variation of the same. There's not a whole lot of accessorizing that goes on. Usually, it's a scarf during the winter and, every once in a while, a bracelet or necklace, but very seldom. So that's my "style" in a nutshell.

Thanks to Kitty's Kaboodle for this week's theme. For more, go to Three Buttons and check out what everybody else is wearing, who knows, you might be inspired by what you find.

Spoonflower, Oh How I Love You!

I don't remember where it was that I first heard of Spoonflower but it was on someone's blog out there in blogville. A while back I signed up to be notified when Spoonflower launched the beta version of its custom fabric-printing service. I don't know why since I'm really not very good at drawing, plus I don't have any of the proper tools to transfer hand drawings to my home computer. I have to do alot of sneaking around at work to do that kind of thing. Anyway, I read this post by Emily over at The Black Apple and thought, well I have one drawing that I'd love to have printed on fabric. So, I did it. I just ordered a swatch cuz, what if it turned out too busy or too ugly and I had ordered a couple of yards...then I'd be stuck with it. But, as it turned out, I'm pretty pleased with it. I might change it a little by putting more space in between but other than that I like it and I think I'll go for the yardage, now that I've seen it. Let me know what you think.

p.s. my this is post is (obviously) going to be a little late this week due to the unbearable, mind melting, leaving me quivering on the sofa like jello, summer heat.

Flickr Favs Friday...on Saturday

All About Me, originally uploaded by Crystalperry25.

Sorry, a day late cuz Friday was BUSY!!! This mosaic is just about me in general, some favorite things, some family, some places I've been and wanna go, me & my dog, hobbies, etc. Enjoy and have a good weekend!

1. bookshelf, 2. sewing corner plus, 3. Pink Chandelier, 4. 100_0100, 5. 100_0053, 6. Jasper Sasparilla, 7. left behind, 8. trails postcard, 9. kissmekate, 10. downtown los angeles skyline..., 11. The neon lights, 12. the gateway, 13. Soft purple, 14. Purple Rain, 15. Purple fingers, 16. twinkle lights

Three, Three, Three Posts In One

This post is going to be consolidating a couple of posts. Mostly because I'm at 95 posts and I'm hoping to spread the next 5 posts out as much as possible so that I'll have all my fat quarters for the give a way I mentioned previously. I don't think I'm going to make it tho cuz, well, I just have too much to say, I guess. So, the give a way might just be somewhere around 106 or some odd nubmer like that (I know 106 isn't an odd number, I meant odd as in unusual, nitpickers!) .

Anyway, topic #2. I have another blog. When I started this blog it was meant for my ramblings, some ranting and raving, and some observations of life in general, etc. I started the other blog specifically to talk about the craft side of me and other family members, mainly my sister and mother. Well, apparently, the craftiness can't be contained to one blog (or to one area of the house as most of us know). It yearns to take over. Not to mention, my other contributors, blogging not being their thing, have never actually contributed. So I'm just leaving that blog as it is with no more posts. So all the crafting talk will be done here from now on. Along with all the other bits of me that you've all come to know and love (oh come on, I know you do, don't deny it).

On to #3...Do you remember the spending freeze from May? Well, I have a little confession to make...I actually ended the freeze a day early and on the 30th I went a-thrifting. I knew I had to find some good vintage sheets so while I was looking for them I came across these huge bags of ribbon spools. I bought two...for no reason but to have them *gasp*. They were $1.95 each. SPLURGE!!!! One bag was pretty (but normal) satin ribbons, but the other....I grabbed that sucker up lest anybody else see what a treasure it was. Check em out...

Gingham and polka dots and little butterflies? TREASURE!!!! I told you. The other two are Christmas and little indians...too cute. They're all 2" wide cloth ribbon, most are full spools and they all make me smile.

It also had these, which I really hate (I call them 80's ugly) but I couldn't pick them out of a sealed plastic bag (at least without anybody seeing, they had workers all over the place). They'll probably get sent back to the Goodwill.

So now, I have this huge treasure trove of ribbons and I have no idea what to do with them. I must think on that. Hmmmmmm....

The best give a way ever

There's a give a way going on that is hard to pass up! If you're into vintage, aprons and free stuff this give a way is for you. (Come on Chris you know you want to!) If you take a gander over at my side bar there's a new button that links to Rick Rack Attack's website. She has all manner of vintage aprons for sale BUT if you want one for free and you're in the USA go here and you might have your very own in a few easy steps.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. Mine doesn't know a blog from a clog so I know he won't be reading this but I still send Father's Day goodness his way.

This is...the space in which I create.

At first I was just going to show you a picture of my head cuz, really, that's where all the genius happens, right folks, who's with me? Whew, tough crowd.

Ok, I'll get down to business. Here's my space (sorry about the dark pics, not a whole lot of light at the moment)...

It's just a corner of my bedroom due to the fact that our spare room is, at the moment, being used as my sister's 2nd bedroom...I dunno why, just go with it. My workspace seems to be growing sorta like that red stuff in the Blob movie (haven't seen it? It's classic 70's cheese at its best). So sooner or later either I'm going to have to move into the spare room (whichever one she chooses that to be) or I'm going to have to do some furniture shifting to make more room. Here's why...

I've circled the fabric that is on this side of the room. There's more on the other side that just hasn't migrated to the Space yet. Soon, I hope to get either a bookshelf or something similar to store the fabric which is why the shifting of the furniture - just to make more room.

The Space isn't finished yet either. This door...

is actually going to be the desk/table top as soon as I take off the hinges and do some tweaking to it and the base it'll be sitting on. Also, these shelves....

that you can barely see in the circle are going to be up there and there to hold the misc items like buttons, beads, threads, etc.

Also, this pegboard...

will eventually get some molding around it along with the miscellaneous items you hang from pegboards.

So that's my space...a WIP. Thanks to Quilting Mick for this week's theme. For more inspiring spaces, go check out the list of players at Three Buttons.

Flickr Favs Friday

Toadstools are too cute! I've been drawing them like crazy lately. Case in point...

So this week's Flickr favs is dedicated to the toadstool.

Have a happy weekend!!!

1. toadstool house for tasneem, 2. Enchanted Toadstool, 3. Fly Agaric mushrooms, toadstools, Blean Woods, Canterbury - montage, 4. Mushroom or Toadstool, 5. Toadstool Magnets, 6. Red Toadstool, 7. Toadstool, 8. #24 Flavia ~ Fairy Princess on Toadstool, 9. Toadstool Overview, 10. Toadstool, 11. toadstool, 12. Cherry Brandy with toadstools, 13. Toadstool, 14. Toadstool amigurumi, 15. Even toadstools need a cuddle

Bloggers are awesome!

I just noticed that I'm listed on someone's blogroll as a "recent discovery"!!! Ok, fine, I'll prove it, go over to Big Cat's Emporium and see for yourself. I'm not lyin'!
I've actually been thinking of updating my blog list lately. I have all these blogs saved in my favorites that I visit very regularly, semi regularly and somewhat regularly, but I figured if I listed them on my blog it would take up sooooo much space, so I decided to list the ones that I visit very reguarly. So take a gander over to the right and check them out. You won't be sorry.

Lazy me and a shout out to some memes.

I have a confession to make...I've been extremely lazy lately when it comes to my little blog. I haven't been taking any pictures and I haven't been doing much original posting, meaning I've been relying on the memes for posts. I have been meaning to do some posts about different subjects but lately it seems as soon as I sit down to the computer I forget what I was going to do. I blame stress or old age or both, or maybe the heat, yeah, the heat. Anyway, I hereby pledge to be a better blogger.

And because I said I'd take more pictures, I decided to start here at work...one coworker gave me a bag of Tootsie Rolls to put on my desk while....

Another coworker decided to, um, enjoy them (I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that he did not put those back into the jar).

Ok, on to the memes. There are quite a few memes floating around out there that are both fun and thought provoking. And while I really only participate in one of them, I really enjoy reading the others. So, I thought I'd list them along with their lovely hostesses in case anybody else out there wanted to join in.

• My favorite is "This is..." and if you read my blog with any regularity at all you'll know I never miss a Sunday (except for the one while I was on vacation but does that really count? I say no). It is hosted by Angela over at Three Buttons so if you'd like to join in just let her know and she'll add you to the list.
• Then there's "on my desk" wednesdays. I don't have a desk at home and my work desk is, in a word, BORING, so I don't participate in this meme but I do browse every once in a while just to see what everybody is up to. This meme is hosted by Kirsty at Kootoyoo, and, again, if you wanna join in, just let her know and she'll add you to the list.
  
• I don't think this next one has a formal list of participants. It's called "Sunday Supper" and Pip of Meet Me At Mikes, who is the official host, I think, has a few sections on her side bar with some really yummy recipes from some bloggers that do participate. They're definitely worth checking out if you're a foodie like me or even if you eat, at all, ever. (just fyi, I don't participate in this one either just cuz the kitchen here at Chez Perry has been boarded up and has seen no action in quite a while)
  
• Then there are the ones that I couldn't find any formal host or list of participants...Flashback friday, Wordless Wednesday, and a whole slew of others. And there's my Flickr Favs Friday, but as far as I know I'm the only one doing it so I'm not sure it qualifies.

Anyhoo, if you feel like perusing any of these memes now you have the links so go browse and leave some comments cuz we bloggers love the comments!

In Memorium

We found out last night that my dad's best friend passed away. His name was Lovett Williams and he was one of the kindest men you'd ever meet. He was the nice older gentleman down the street that let all the neighborhood kids swim in his pool. A pool he never used himself. He's the family friend that, even though you only see him once or twice a year, every time he sees your parents (and that's a lot) he asks after you to make sure you're OK. He's the best friend that will drive 35 miles to help pick his friend up off the floor after a fall because said friend's wife is too small to help the 6'4" giant off the floor. He's the father that even though he's on Social Security and not much else gives his kids money when they need it. He was the man who, when he pops up in conversation, you say his mean wife and freeloading adult children don't deserve him.

He was a good man with a good heart, an easy smile and always, always a kind word. The world is a little darker without him. He'll be deeply missed.

I can't believe I don't have a single picture of him - it shows how much we take for granted the presence of our loved ones. Instead, I included this pic of Clint Eastwood because Lovett used to clean Clint's house and studio.

This is...My favorite travel memory

I love to travel, have since I was a kid and the family would take little jaunts to Vegas or Reno or to the Grandparents' house in Kingman, AZ (these were by far my least favorite trips for lots of reasons but mostly the car trip was BORING!). As we grew up there were less and less trips but now, as adults, my sister and I try and take at least one trip a year, even it's just a road trip.

I really couldn't narrow it down to just one so I basically changed it to my two favorite trips.

This first one was to China in 2004. A friend of mine was teaching English in Guangzhou (about a 2 hour train ride north of Hong Kong) so another friend and I decided we would go and visit. It was a blast! There was action, adventure, danger (it was during the whole SARS outbreak) and lots of laughs.

This pic is of a pagoda in the middle of bustling Guangzhou (think L.A. or any other big city). It was walled in and we spent two days trying to find it but we finally did. This pagoda (the Flower Pagoda) is over 1000 years old - that's just mind boggling to me who lives in a country that's not even half that old.




This is L. (the friend who was there teaching) and I on campus. Pretty, isn't it?


My second favorite trip was last year to NYC. It was just my sister and I roaming the city as we pleased...soooo fun! We spent way too much money but what can you do?

This pic is of Cafe Lalo. If you're a fan of the movie You've Got Mail, this is where Meg Ryan's character is waiting for Tom Hanks' character so they can meet in person for the first time. It's often crowded but worth the wait!! The best creme brulee I ever had was at Cafe Lalo. *sigh* Anyway, our hotel was just down the street from here so we visited this little cafe a couple times (don't worry, we walked it all off during the day!) God, I loved that trip!


So those are two favorites of mine. If you wanna see more favorite travel moments go visit Three Buttons and check it out. Thanks to Hila for this week's theme!! It was fun strolling down memory lane.

Flickr Favs Friday

I love colorful trees. They're so unique and beautiful, they make me smile just looking at them. My favorite tree growing up was our crepe myrtle in our front yard. Those hot pink flowers were so amazing; it's still one of my favorite trees. Here in my burg there are Jacarandas all over the place with those lavender colored flowers that leave a really pretty carpet of lavender on the green grass...just lovely! Anyway, here's this week's mosaic...

1. Crab Apple Drive III, 2. Weeping Higan Cherry (Prunus subhirtella 'Pendula'), 3. sakura, 4. Reaching out, 5. Crepe Myrtle, 6. Jacaranda Splendour

Going Green

I've been thinking more and more about the whole going green thing and how I can do my part. In the past I've been the worst kind of consumer, not recycling bottles, cans, bags etc., leaving lights on during the day, just not considering the big picture, in general. The last couple of years that has slowly changed and now I'm a greenie more than ever. I recently read an article about our fine state (California) and how, according to said article, we're leading the nation in green-ness. Our governor's two Hummers are no longer fossil fuel guzzlers and have been converted into running on alternative fuels. We have more hybrid cars than any other state. Etc., etc., etc. But what am I doing to help? Me, personally. Yes, I recycle plastic grocery bags. Yes, we recycle plastic bottles and any cans we might use. I car pool, I use as little electricity as possible, I freecycle. It just doesn't feel like I'm doing a whole lot. I don't know if my brain is just overwhelmed by all the global warming stories I hear or what, but sometimes it just seems like a teeny tiny drop in a HUGE bucket.

Sooooo, a couple of weeks ago I signed up for the Vintage Sheet Fat Quarter Swap over at Oh Fransson! and I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what to do with all the fq's I'm going to be getting (mostly because I don't really have the room in my little condo to store all of the fabric I already have, let alone more). I've been seeing all these pillowcase shopping bags and last night made my first one. This morning it hit me...Fat quarters are just about pillowcase sized, right? Why not make a whole butt load of these little shopping bags and just give them away? It's just another small way I can help, and I figure all these small ways add up. So, that's what I'm gonna do. As soon as I get the fq's, I'm going to be sewing like a maniac and host a give-a-way. We should be getting the goods in the mail sometime in the first few weeks of July so I'm thinking probably by mid August I'll be finished sewing. By that time it'll probably be around my 100th post, too, so I'll just kill the two birds with one stone.

This is my first one so it's style #1, prototype #1, etc. I'll probably make 3 or 4 different styles.

Keep your eyes peeled for the give-a-way and keep doing your part.

The Game

As I was browsing the This Is blogs I came across this game here and here and decided it looked like fun. So here's the lowdown...

The concept:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd's mosaic maker.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

Have fun, I did. And if you wanna see my answers, go here.

This is Jasper Sasparilla

This week's This Is is about our pets. I never had a pet before this little guy came along and to be honest probably won't have one after him either. I'm too much of an emotional basket case when it comes to him. He's a six year old (or at least that's what the vet thinks) pomeranian who actually goes by the nickname Bubby. I've posted about him before here and here and here and here and lots more. He's quirky and a little neurotic but a major cuddle bug and he'll lick the heck out of you if you let him.

Anyway, I really could load this post up with TONS of pictures but I will practice what little self control I have and narrow it down to about...oh....four or five...I think. We'll see....

Here he is in all his pommie glory...



He looks a little psycho in this pic but I added it to tell you that he really hates wearing clothes of any type. I've bought him 2 sweaters, 1 jacket and 3 halloween costumes and people have given him alot of other articles of clothing and he hates every single one of them so basically he wears them long enough to take a picture then they get put away or given to friends' dogs.



Having fun in the sun...





Two halloween costumes


Oh, and sometimes he sleeps with his eyes open - weird.


So that's Jasper. He sends everybody a virtual lick and sniff. If you want to see more adorable pets you can find the list here. Thanks to Two Peas In A Pod for the chance to brag about my bub.