I made another one

If I could, I would make them all day, every day.  More of my favorite vintage fabrics...

and I just go a little crazy, layering them.  This one has pieces of a sheer hankie (lily of the valley motif), and new, old stock lace and trim.

Of course, I have to get out and play with my buttons.

And, now I'm going to make you look at every single page!

I hope you don't mind!

This little bit of ribbon has a story behind it...I found it about 20 years ago in a bag of sewing notions and have always loved it.  Many years ago, I glued it into a little ballerina collage I made, and then I put the collage in a shop to sell.  Another vendor saw it, and said, "That is a beautiful piece of old ribbon work.  I collect ribbon work." And then she shook her head in disgust.  "What a waste" she sneered.  I have often thought she could have been gentler in her admonition. 

When I make these, I don't worry about rips, tears, stains, or perfect stitches.

I try to create little pockets, for slipping things into...

and highlight pretty details.

When I'm working on these little books, I feel happy that I save old fabrics the way I do.

I went a little crazy with the vintage seam binding...

do you think it's too much?

Here's the back page.  I have a hard time parting with these, but I have determined to put it in my handmade Etsy shop, Leaves and Lace.

Spring is in the air -- and so are swaps!

My Spring fever continues...even though here in Colorado, snow is coming in tonight...

I found such pretty buttons at the antique show I told you about the other day!

They were irresistible!

This glass, mustard yellow one is swoon-worthy.

But then so was this paste confection!

I could look at these pretty greens all day...

As promised, I've announced the Spring Needlebook Swap on the Button Floozies blog; I hope you'll all go sign up and we'll have some creative fun this month and next!

I'm also doing Michele's Vintage Petite Jar Swap; you should join, too!

Spring antique show

Spring was in the air this past weekend when I visited a local antique show!

This is a small, local show that is really growing now that it's in a new venue.  I expected to see the whole show in about 2 hours but instead I spent double that!  It was a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon, though.

I didn't have much of a budget, as I'm coming up on a big antiquing trip at the end of the month.  But, I was unable to resist:

a vintage honeycomb Easter egg...

a little rumpled pincushion...

with the sweetest embossed design;

this necklace, marked "good"...and it reminded me of what Karla used to make a monogram recently, so I bought it to do the same, someday...

German fairytale ephemera (stickers that probably no longer stick);

bathing beauty cigar silks;

an earnest little sewer on a piece of scrap;

and some buttons that just screamed, "Spring is coming!"

To my delight, I ran into Kathy, who reads this blog and who was a vendor at the show.  (My apologies for the fuzzy shots -- I was using my cell phone.)

Kathy always has beautiful things for sale; she and I love all the same things!  And she is one of those people with a talent for putting together vignettes, so you want to linger in her booth soaking it all up.  Of course I had to take home some of her treasures, too:

little 'wax' seals, Dennison star labels...

and this awesome little candle holder decorated with...

charms!  And I couldn't leave behind this charming little bag of child-size kitchen toys:

They are going to a certain little girl whose grandma I'll be visiting next month!

I think she'll love the little kitty and chicken cookie cutters, especially!
Did you find anything fun and vintage this weekend?

Sponsor swap with Sherri at Design to Shine

This month, Sherri, whose blog is called Design to Shine, proposed doing a sponsorship swap.  In her words, "Trading blog buttons and sharing other great inspirational blogs with you, felt like something I could do to give back to this community that has blessed me with so much; friendships, inspiration, web hugs, prayers, beautiful photos and great reads."  I couldn't agree more with Sherri and so she and I are doing this for the month of March!

Meet Sherri! I adore her cheerfulness -- doesn't it just come across from her smile in this photo?  She is a Southern gal who lives on a farm with her family and lots of pets...

and she enjoys a creative, thrifty lifestyle.  Her blog header says it all, proclaiming what you'll find there everyday: Thrifty Decor, Goodwill Fashion, Good Eats, and Simple Farm Living.

A working mother of two grown children who is now raising her 4 year old nephew, Sherri is enviably organized!  When you visit her blog on Mondays, you can read her menu plan for the week.  It's just like the one that used to appear in the monthly ladies magazines, with notes about cooking a meal one day, and using leftovers from it for another meal later in the week.  So practical -- a forgotten art that Sherri's helping to bring back.

As you can see, she uses Instagram for some of the fun photos on her blog!  Sherri's always on top of the latest cyber trends!

But what Sherri's best known for is her What I Wore series, in which she shows her work outfits purchased mostly from thrift stores like Goodwill!  It is truly inspirational to see the outfits she puts together on a dime!

Check out this outfit -- designer duds, right down to the shoes -- purchased at Goodwill (except for the belt.)  Read about it on her blog here.  I totally appreciate this skill, because as you know I love to shop at thrift stores for vintage treasures and normally don't take the time to check out the clothing.

Goodwill Glamorous!  I am obviously missing out!

Sherri is fun to follow, so here's where you can find and friend her:

Sherri's blog - Design to Shine

Sherri on Pinterest

Sherri's Twitter

 Sherri on Facebook