Fabric Shopping at Walmart

I ran into Walmart yesterday to see if anything new was on the racks in their fabric department. Things have been kind of bare lately and I was afraid that might be a sign of end times for the fabrics at my local store. Last time I asked a salesperson about the department closing she told me it wouldn't happen until 2011, but  she seemed to be unsure of details. So the obvious addition of new fabrics in the department is keeping me optimistic.

One can't help but be fascinated by the selection of fabrics at Walmart. My Walmart carries a lot of quilting cottons and fleece, and then there are the odd lots of discount fabric. This is where things get interesting. These discount fabrics range from god-awful to gorgeous. You really have to dig for the gorgeous, but many times the digging pays off. As evidence: exhibit A, my latest haul.

Here's the breakdown:

3 yards 60" wide hot pink stretch fleece, $2 per yard

2 yards 60" wide lavender pin-wail corduroy, $3.47 per  yard

2 yards 60" wide lavender broadcloth,  $2.00 per yard

3 yards 45" wide brown canvas, $1.50 per yard

2 yards 60" wide greige checked bottom-weight cotton, $2.00 per yard

3 yards 45" wide pale gray fine broadcloth, $1.50 per yard

The wovens coordinate beautifully with each other as well as some existing yardage from my stash. Here they are with a floral and some synthetic suede.

I passed on a beautiful lavender suede-backed shearling fleece because it was priced at $13 a yard. I might have to get it next time if it's still there.

If you're lucky enough to have a Walmart that still sells fabric, take some time to dig through the piles. I had to spend a bit of time in a squatting position to uncover several of these gems, but it was so worth it. Besides, I need the exercise!

Your Design Fortune Cookie

This is a new-to-me style quiz at Stylish Home found via How About Orange.

Here's what the quiz says about me:

Results: You most resemble a California Country

Details...

An intimate home of modest proportions. The living room envelops your kitchen in hip cool. Build a roaring fire and jump into your cozy bed. Art that definitely does not match the sofa. A sense of rolling hills and vineyards surround this table. A cool refreshing drink - and often more than one! Pre-war, upper east side attitude. Loving a good project, best to keep your head on.

Suspected "California Country"
- Sandra Bullock
- Harrison Ford
- Jeff Bridges

The quiz is a visual one, which makes it kind of different. Stylish Home suggest taking it "...just for fun. Think of it as your design fortune cookie." 

More Books

These should keep me occupied over the weekend. They were three separate orders placed with Crafter's Choice, but all arrived today. I've paged through all of them already. The only one I'm feeling meh about is The Homemade Home. Maybe it will grow on me?  I can't tell you how many times I've picked up Weekend Sewing at Borders and I've been coveting Simply Scandinavian for some time. This stack set me back $33 and some change. Not too shabby. Four more books are on their way. That's will have to tide me over for a while. I'm maintaining a wish list, but it consist mostly of books that are "arriving soon."  Now I need to put all of the inspiration that I'm gaining into action and start crafting!

Horrorscope

Did you know that changes in the earth's alignment have changed the dates of the signs of the zodiac? That's if you follow the reasoning of astronomer Parke Kunkle.



Of course you'll find that Mr. Kunkle has his share of dissenters if you follow the comments to articles such as this one in the Huffington Post. Either way, I remain a Saggitarian and unaffected by the shift.

Geninne Zlatkis

This is woman of immeasurable talent. Every time I visit her blog I am in awe. Now I see that she is selling some gorgeous pillows. How unbearably beautiful is this?

If you want to see pictures of the pillows styled in her own home, go to her blog. You'll stay to see much, much more.

Trust Me

So this winter is turning out to be a harsh one. December turned out to be unseasonably cold, and January has been worse with the addition of snow and ice. My body is in hibernation mode. Lately, all I want to do is sleep. It's just about too cold for anything else. I am so ready for Spring.

On a positive note, my craving for low levels of activity and sleep has been conducive to reading. I've been trying to make my way through a few of the design books that I ordered during the frenzy of sales at Crafter's Choice Book Club last month. On my bedside table at the moment are:

I am very happy with all three of these books, especially in light of the fact that each one set me back $11 plus tax (free shipping). I'm beginning to feel like a broken record when I repeat my amazement at the Club deals. I really can't report any negative issues in my dealing with this club. You are expected to keep your end of the deal and purchase two books within the first year of your membership. And as far as I can tell, that's it. They will charge your account at the end of the one year time period if you haven't fulfilled your end of the agreement. They did this to me, but I called them and they were more that happy to let me select a couple of books. I had one other glitch where they sent me an email offering their 2-for-$22 with free shipping promotion. I place an order but it kept getting cancelled because I hadn't fulfilled my two book obligation. I had to call customer service to get that one straightened out. I would have to blame Crafter's Choice for that snafu, as they shouldn't have sent me an offer that I wasn't eligible to partake in. But outside of a couple of minor bumps, I have no complaints. Their shipping is quite efficient as well. Ok, end of unpaid endorsement.

Back to the books. I almost always research my book purchases and it really pays off. All three of these books were positively reviewed on Amazon and throughout the blog-sphere. Crafter's Choice has sneak previews of most of their selections, and I find the previews to be helpful too.

I have been randomly picking up one of the books and reading, so I'm not finished with any of them. The text in all three is as interesting as the photographs, so I end up getting sucked into each book. I'm so pleased to have a volume with more than pretty pictures, although I'm not knocking the gorgeous photography included in the books. They are, after all, design books. And they are design books that represent very different styles, which appeals to my schizophrenic tastes. So, all of this to say, or write, that I heartily give all three books a thumbs up. If I ever find my motivation again, I may try to go into more detail, but until then you have the lazy man's version of a book(s) review (also known as the "you'll have to trust me" review).

The Big Reveal

Remember this project? The constructed piece has been sitting in my bedroom waiting to be properly finished, but I never got around to it. Notice a trend ?. I thought it would be nice to have a table that I could use while lounging in bed. The table started as an experiment and turned out to be very functional, although it impedes the traffic around my bed. Buster hates it because the bed is his domain, so it stays pushed against the wall most of the time. I've gotten used to throwing my clothes on it before climbing in bed. The jury is still out, but it's leaning for a conviction. At any rate, I figured I'd post some pictures just in case I decide to put the table in storage. I apologize for the poor pictures and the state of my wall. It was dusk when I took the pictures so I had to rely on my bedside lamp for light. As for the wall, no excuses.

The mirror is leaning against left-over plywood, which is also leaning. I kind of like the way they look together. Serendipity. Remember my jubilation at unloading some items on craigslist? Well, one of those items was a huge framed mirror. That move left me without a full length mirror. Sorta. Truth be told, I have several full length mirrors of the unframed variety in storage. Necessity...invention.

I've switched my bedside table yet again. The Kent Coffey table is a Goodwill find. It is staying but needs to be refinished. I'm waiting patiently for a break in the weather to tackle that project. The slatted bench that was my bedside table is now in my living room, where it is serving as a bookshelf-slash-end table.


And that concludes this episode...