Buttons, Blooms & Frugal Accomplishments

Hello friends.  Our trip out of town was lovely.  It was wonderful spending time with friends while enjoying a delicious lunch.  I made no purchases other than food and drink, brought home leftovers, and in walking along the river at a winery, found branches loaded with usnea on the ground.  I was able to harvest this gift, and began a jar of tincture with it this week.  The wild iris, redbud and coral honeysuckle have begun blooming here.

A good deal of mending was done this week- pants, shirts, a laundry bag, pajama pants, 5 sweaters & 2 pairs of J's work pants.  I thought I was actually caught up, but then remembered this was only the overflow.  The original mending was in a covered basket, so I still have to work on that.  After delivering soap to a gallery, I stopped at a nearby thrift store, and found vintage plates $2.50 ea. (online from $19 - $22 ea.), frame .50, white shirt for plant dyeing $3, fabric .50, and copper pot from Ireland $15.  I then headed to Harris Teeter.  Some of the bargains found were organic beans 10/$10, and the cheapest organic butter I've found lately @ $5.49.  I'm almost out of butter, so bought 2, and hope to find a better sale soon.  A batch of pasta sauce was made with our tomatoes, summer squash, and herbs.  Asparagus was harvested several days.  Though they are not as plentiful as they were at their peak a few years ago, they are beginning to prosper again.  Instead of enough for one or two meals, as in recent years, we should have enough for several meals.  We do love asparagus.

Last week, I shared a dozen eggs with 3 people.  I've been enjoying eggs with wild greens and asparagus for breakfast, and the pups get an egg a day.  I wandered and gathered a leaf or two of dandelion, dock, violet leaves and flowers, then scrambled them for a beautiful and delicious breakfast.  I started seeds for chard, tomatoes, eggplant and sweet peppers in a number of varieties.  I heard a hummingbird one day, put out a second feeder, and saw the first one on Saturday.  I made a batch of hummus, and saved the lemon seeds for pectin.  I've been saving wool sweaters and scarves to felt, and got around to putting them through a round in the washer and dryer.  Before felting two of the sweaters, I removed the buttons.  One set is abalone, and the other set J says are pewter.

I attended a rummage sale with my sister, which supports our local arts guild, and found a number of treasures.  My iron was dropped and broken last week, and I found a like new one with retractable cord for $5 (listed $55.95 online).  A favorite find was a large copper and brass pot for $16, which was the most expensive item by far.  A large pottery pot with plant was gotten for $5.  A set of 4 new jelly jars for $1 (retail $9.25).  Two fine sets of pillowcases, large pieces of cotton lawn fabric, hand blown glass, wooden spoon, wood fired pottery bowl $1, and a length of velvet ribbon .50, were also purchased.  There are always a group of free boxes at the rummage sale.  I plundered through, and found what appeared to be some handkerchiefs and napkins in a ziploc bag, and grabbed that on the way out.  Once I got it home, I realized there was also a baby pillow cover and what I think is a christening gown in beautiful shape.  I hope to take photos of some of these in the coming week, and share a new dye experiment.  Wishing you a most lovely week!