Friday Finds and First Snow

Remember these?
This is a reproduction of the one I remember as a child as it was made in 1988. We picked this up yesterday just in time for Friday finds :) It's been a busy week so we haven't had much time to thrift :( but I can't wait to get some peanuts and give it a try. It's soaking in the sink to remove all the bits of peanuts still on it. We will be sure to post how our peanut butter turns out after we give it a try.

As well yesterday we got our first snow of the season. Here in the Vancouver this is strange although we have had our fair share the past few years. I love the snow, I just don't like the cold that comes along with it, but pretty, big, falling flakes are lots of fun and of course so is making snowangels and building snowmen.

OOppps...Sierra tried to put her snowball on for the head all by herself and it dropped on her and went down her jacket...that was the end of her fun... she wanted to go in and get off all the "cold, itchy, scratchy stuff off"!
Our snowman, sporting a camouflage of leaves, with eyes and mouth of Black Eyed Susan Seeds and a Lavender stalk for his nose as we were ill prepared for the proper snowman making rocks and carrot nose :) Hope you are having fun in the snow!

Friday finds are back...even if late

We have just returned from a weekend on the island visiting daddy as he is working there until Christmas. It was a rainy weekend, and the house he is renting has a tenant downstairs. We discovered that the pitter patter of our childrens feet sound more like elephants stomping then butterflies fluttering so we tried to stay out as much as possible...Thus leaving me lots of time to hit the thrift stores and craft fairs.

Treasures from the first thrifting trip...

Do you remember this magnetic pin the tail on the donkey and the magnetic castle set?

The poor boy is missing his arms but other then that it is all in amazing shape. And who could resist these wonderful vintage Christmas ornaments. Some were made in West Germany and the others in Poland. Our Christmas colours are red and gold but I have an idea for some of these beauties.


And on the next day these...
Even at $6.50 (for the bag) these Ostheimer's were a steal. The Pied Piper has had his foot repaired but that doesn't bother me. He will just be used for story time anyway. The ducks/geese and the rooster will find there way into the ever growing stash of wooden goodies from shops like

Mamakopp,
Mamaroots,
woodmouse,
lockstockandbarrel,
Jalu Toys,

and many more wonderful shops on Etsy. I often see these Ostheimer toys on blogs and think they are so amazing. I was ecstatic to find them in a thrift store but in all honesty, the handmade ones are much more amazing!!!

We went to a few craft fairs as well and got a couple small items to start our Christmas gift giving. We'll be buying handmade or making most of our gifts this Christmas...how about you? Both girls got their faces painted by Sparkles the clown but could I get a decent picture of both of them...no way...
Since we had little sunshine during this trip we also checked out a new indoor playground and both girls had a blast! Here Aayla is plowing her way through the pillars.

Sierra learning to slide down the firemans pole as we wait for the ferry to go home. Bye Bye daddy, see you next Friday!

May 1st Friday Finds

This weeks Friday Finds....on time even :)


I scored a bag full of 25 vintage seam bindings and some ric rac too for $2.99 (not sure what I need them for but the rainbow looking bag called out to me )

Vintage jewelry box with lock AND key and it works! $2.99 (will be posting an idea for this for Sierra's birthday in June)

Owl pillow $1.99 (I am a sucker for owls lately)

Gnome and Fairy healing cards FREE from side of the road in a give away pile

Over due Friday Finds....April 24th

I have about 3 posts I need to do but haven't had the time....so sorry. It's been a crazy busy week. I will try to get caught up this weekend. Here is last Fridays finds as this week's is only 2 days away!

Babushka's Mother Goose book of poems .99 cents
Stacking doll set (only 3 so some missing) $1.99
Glass container full of marbles $1.99 (Not sure what I'll do with them but they are pretty)
Vintage Ask Mr Bear book .99 cents
Vintage Pinocchio and newer Raggedy Anne and Andy dolls in bag for $1.99

Hope you've all had a good week. Don't forget to enter in for my draw to win a felt story HERE. Good luck!

Friday Finds

This week has been a huge score of great books about Nature! They all ranged in price from .69 cents to $3.99. Even at $3.99 they were a steal! I Love the Rocky Mountain Nature Guide and Nature BC, both are full of native plants, animals and birds to BC and the West Coast. The Field Guide for Mammals has some of the cutest illustrations in it too. I can envision some copies being made and used in projects.
The little house is a sewing kit $1.99
The two gnome candle holders .99 cents each
The test tubes $3.99
Owl pepper shaker and wooden doll in bag for $1.99
I can't wait for our walk tomorrow with our new guides. We'll have to get our field pack together!

Today Sierra and I made a cool butterfly activity but I'll have to post it later, Have to run, as it's play off time!

April 10th Friday Finds

This weeks treasures sure were focused on one upcoming holiday....
Vintage plastic ducks $1.00 each
Ceramic bunny and mouse pieces .99 cents each
Dora Easter DVD Bran new $2.99
Bunny pillow case .99 cents
The most adorable wooden carved Mallards $1.99 each

I just love the Mallards. I think I let out a little hollar when I saw the price was $1.99! How awesome is that??

forgot last Fridays Finds...

Since I got backed up last week I missed posting last weeks Friday Finds, so I'll post them now as this weeks finds will be coming up soon :)
Checkered childs vintage apron .99 cents

White table cloth items are lying on .99 cents

Paper Easter Egg $1.99

Small mushroom salt shaker .25 cents

Large wooden spool of thread .99 cents (LOVE this)

Animals playground book .49 cents

Gruffalo puzzle book .99 cents

Owl bell .99 cents

Two fuzzy ceramic bunnies $1.99

Water colour of a bird and mushrooms $2.99

Here's a close up of the painting. It is so sweet.

Friday finds!

Not a super exciting day today. I have been feeling really tired the past couple of days and didn't have a huge amount of energy today so I took it easy. I did find this cute boat set for $5.99 though. I think it originally was meant to be Noah's Ark but it only came with the boat and one of each of a variety of animals. The animals are all carved from balsam wood I think. Most are two layers together to add thickness and then heavily painted. They are a bit folk artish but both Sierra and Aayla have been enjoying them.

The only other thing I bought, you will have to wait to see. I have been wanting to start a nature table.....and that's the only hint you get :)

I want to get my craft mess....I mean craft room organized this weekend so I can start being productive. I'm tired of all work and no play! I want to play! I have so much fun reading so many wonderful crafty blogs and I long to get some things off my to do list done such as make felted eggs for Easter, finish the wooden Easter eggs, try ribbon embroidery, make a nature table, sew some pencil rolls, start making things for the craft show mom and I want to do this Christmas, finish my Kelly Rae Roberts inspired painting I started months ago, make felted playscapes and fairies and gnomes and forrest creatures etc., get going on the garden, try dying some playsilks, try altering dominoes and making scrabble pendant charms. I know there is more but I can't think for the life of me what they are at the moment. I need to go sit and veg with a nice cup of tea. So have a great night and a great weekend. Wish me luck with getting my mess organized so I can be productive once again! Hopefully I'll be back Sunday night with some really good news about a tidy room, and maybe even a nature table!

Friday Finds!

Well it was Friday when I found them.....it just happens to be very early Saturday am now! I really need to go to bed but I am trying to catch up uploading photos to flickr since before Christmas!!!

One of my favourite things to do is to go treasure hunting at thrift stores, yard sales, antique store you name it! I LOVE finding great deals and great finds.


I was thrilled with today's treasure hunting! Right now Value Village has a coupon system and today I got to use my 30% off. I got a few other books and things for the girls but these are my treasures.

Jar holding spools $1.99

2 Bags of Wooden thread spools $1.99 each (I just love the look of wooden spools and colourful thread)

Small glass bowl $2.99 and Larger glass bowl $3.99 (both are to try to make one of these) like mamkopp describes in her blog

Bag of metallic embroidery thread $ 1.99

Sharing Nature with Children by Joseph Conell $3.99 ( I just tried to look for this book yesterday at Chapters and they didn't have it in... I was ecstatic as I have heard good things about it. This is the older version. there is a newer edition available now)

Lower case printscript stamps $1.99 (Sierra's a bit young yet but the ones I bought for daycare were almost $30.00)

2 bags of some antique lace, ribbon and that pom pom ribbon which I can't find in stores around here $1.99 each

Beautifully illustrated book called Lets Meet Some baby Birds $.99

Coolest mushroom fairy or gnome house ever $1.99

Vintage ceramic fox I think $.99

A set of vintage bird cards $.99 (all there too! and beautiful birds on them)

All for a grand total of $29.86 negative the 30% discount but plus tax = less then $25.00!!! I was happy with my finds. I paid more for the glass bowls then I would have liked but I so want to make the terrariums. Come back next Friday and see what else I've found :)

There is something really satisfying for me to go around to as many thrift stores as I can in one day and see how many treasures I can find. It's my one way I take time for myself. Life is so busy full of oligations to family, work and others that sometimes we forget to slow down and take a moment for ourselves. Or at least I do! So Fridays are my days. I try not to work, but that doesn't always happen, but at least I try to be uninvolved on Fridays.

Some Fridays I spend with my girls out doing something fun, or treasure hunting, or I spend the day creating alone or with a friend.

I love that I have one day to myself. To do with what I want. It gives me time to do something for myself so my candle doesn't blow out. I think it's important for all of us, to take time for ourselves. To slow down and enjoy a day for you (and that usually involves at least 1 thrift store! and maybe more for me!!!) What do you like to do when you have a moment to yourself?