Indulge Your Shelf

The rest!

2012-01-27T08:16:00.001-07:00

Here are just a few other things I bought at that estate sale that I showed you the other day:

I just cannot resist grab bags of old lace; I have become pretty picky about what I buy, and I could tell that all that was in here was pretty old, and that equals my kind of fun!

There was the crochet-edged fabric that was salvaged from a dress, some really interesting rainbow-colored trim, and machine made, but still fun, handkerchief-edged white lace I liked.

It's hard to see, but I also liked the dark blue velvet embellishment from someone's old dress at the far right of this photo, and lots of nice lace edging and colorful crochet.

This is just a bit of what I salvaged from a box of sewing stuff; the rest of it is going back to the thrift store, and it was easily 3x as much as this! But some of this will be sold and I will more than make up for what I paid for all of it at the sale. That's what I call recycling!

I also enjoy finding things like this hand-written pattern that you always find in sewing stashes. It's instructions to make a fabric Christmas tree, probably from the 1970s.

These crochet instructions, in another hand, are fun because they are actually written in fountain pen. They must be from the turn of the century or thereabouts

Another very old, "square" plate for my collection; this one shows pretty multi-colored irises, and has a nicely ridged, gilded edge.

Vintage Darning Needles

Some of the other treasures have already been listed in my Etsy shop, with more to come! Like this set of new old stock needles from England...

Vintage Patriotic Doll

and this patriotic little doll decoration, who looks like she's off to a 4th of July parade...

Palm Loom

and this little PalmLoom, which you use to make penny rugs and blankets -- it's really cool, from the 1950s, and comes complete with directions!

I sure have my work cut out for me in the next day or two, listing all kinds of fun stuff! What are you up to this weekend?

Estate sale finds

2012-01-24T16:10:00.002-07:00

I found some goodies the other day, wanna see?

I know, I know, it's a tacky necklace...but...can you see the possibilities for embellishing it? It's huge!

This basket motif was a brooch; it's very ~~grungy~~ patina'd.

And I adore this one; it's engraved on the back, "Made in Czecho".

A sweet, fat little blue bird, in perfect condition.

A sweet Robin square that Jeanelle found at the sale and got for me.

A hankie...

more hankies...

and a whole bunch more!

This is one of my favorites -- I love the tiny embellishments, all hand done!

I had to grab this whole pile of old wrapping paper for the cute graphics:

I love the "male" themed paper.

But this one of the kids playing is my favorite of all!

More old paper -- an unused pad to use in ephemera journals.

But this was my favorite find of all:

an old box of stickers!

I'm keeping some of them, and selling the rest.

I don't know why this stuff makes me so giddy!

In the bottom of the little box, some glass pieces that have fallen off of jewelry, an old, very small ring, and a string of wonderful, tiny mother-of-pearls buttons!

I'm linking up with a party full of lots of thrifty finds today:

Etsy 101 is hot off the presses!

2012-01-20T06:00:00.017-07:00

I am so excited to tell you guys about a book written by my friend Steve Weber, called Etsy 101: Sell Your Crafts on Etsy, the DIY Marketplace for Handmade, Vintage and Crafting Supplies.

It is just out, and it is an awesome book -- I know this because I had the chance to read the whole thing as well as contribute a bit to it, and I'm even in it as one of the Etsy sellers he profiled! If you have ever wanted to start an Etsy shop, this book tells you all you need to know, step by step. But better than that, it explains all the ins and outs of online selling so that it all makes sense. With this book, you'll be able to start up like a pro.

As you know, I've been selling on Etsy for 3 years and yet I still learned so much by reading Steve's book; plus, it has re-inspired me to do more and different things to be even more successful. I've been working on improvements to my shops ever since I read it. I love how this book is great even for those of us who are already Etsians!

BIG NEWS: Beginning today and for the next five days, you can download the Kindle edition of the book FOR FREE; here's the link: download Etsy 101 by Steve Weber for free
(By downloading the free Kindle Reader app, you can download to your phone, PC, Mac, etc!)

How awesome is that? Tell all your friends!

Hearts and flowers

2012-01-19T09:58:00.003-07:00

How is it possible that Valentine's Day is less than a month away now? January always flies by for me -- why am I surprised?

I'm cutting off entry into my Valentine's Day swap tonight, so here's your last chance to join: read about it here. Now, normally I don't show what I'm making for a swap before I send it off, but, since I'm hostessing this one I thought I would take a detour from that habit. That way, participants have a sort of an example; I hope you don't mind.

It took me several days to come up with inspiration this time. Finally, I decided upon the idea of a garden fence decorated with a heart banner. I chose fabrics (on the left, felted wool, and then for the fence, plain white muslin), and freehand stitched a fence.

And here's the finished ornament! Remember, for the swap the maximum size is 3" overall, and this is whole thing is just under that. So, imagine how itty bitty those hearts on the banner are! That was the hardest part -- cutting out those tiny hearts! I stitched the muslin to the front of the heart, making it a sort of pocket into which I tucked a bouquet of mini flowers.

While I'm at it, I wanted to show you this amazing Christmas gift I got from my buddy Rebecca -- it's a vase by Fringe Studio.

I love it like crazy! Right now I have it out on display empty -- I mean, how can you improve it? I thought I might fill it with something rather than flowers. Any ideas for me?

Speaking of Christmas presents: my husband took the hint and bought me this book by Etsian Mincing Mockingbird. It's an art book of some of his gorgeous original watercolors of, what else, birds! But what makes the art even more special is their snarky, sarcastic and sometimes inspirational captions! Take a look:

What I take for granted would bring you to your knees

Here's something I did the other day: an embellished vintage purse. I've had the nice leather purse for years when, to my dismay, I saw that something had spilled onto it, leaving a stain in the leather. I thought to myself, Maybe I can cover that up. So I chose some pretty embellishments and, because I didn't have any leather needles, I glued them on with The Ultimate Glue. The label on the glue said it worked on leather -- and I was skeptical but very happy to be proven wrong!

Finally: thanks everyone for hanging in with me during yesterday's blackout in protest of the SOPA/PIPA bill. You know I never talk politics on this blog but this time I just couldn't stay silent. It's too important. The blackout was effective! I heard that 35 Senators now publicly oppose it (compared to 5 the day before), and public awareness has grown exponentially. Let's keep contacting our Senators (a list of contacts is here) between now and the day of the vote!

Drooling over Downton Abbey

2012-01-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

Are you as thrilled as I am over the new season of Downton Abbey? It's airing on PBS stations this month, on Sunday evenings.

via PBS.org

The acting is wonderful, but the sets! And the costumes!

via PBS.org

I cannot get enough of the clothing -- especially some of the hats.

via PBS.org

Like this one, which I think is my favorite of all.

via PBS.org

And then there's this one, which, when I was watching the show, was so intriguing that I think I missed the entire scene: it actually looked as if it had a crazy quilt liner! But upon closer inspection, it looks to be more of a plaid, sadly.

via PBS.org

If you love a great British story with amazing acting, you must rent Cranford, a series which I've recently enjoyed, too. Don't miss the part about the cat eating the lace! It's understated-ly hilarious!

via PBS.org

While Cranford doesn't have the stylish clothing and interiors of Downton, it does boast the handsome young actors you'll know from Jane Austen adaptations -- Mr. Bingley and Willoughby!

Fiercely charming...

2012-01-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

The fiercely charming winner of my Blogaversary giveaway is:

Beth Leintz

who wrote:

"Fierce Charm"- I'm guessing you watch Project Runway! I'm a follower and have you on my Google reader, so I always know what's going on in your blog, Laurie!

January 5, 2012 5:52 AM

And, I know Beth! I've met her in person at Birdsong (and you can, too, as she's teaching at Birdsong II! But you have to be quick because I understand it's filling up quickly!) This is not the first time that a blog giveaway I've done has gone to a person I have met before! Which just goes to show that blogging opens doors for so many friendships!

Congratulations, Beth!

Last day of my giveaway!

2012-01-14T11:39:00.001-07:00

It's the last day of my Blogaversy Giveaway!

And, the last day for my button giveaway on Button Floozies!

Good luck, everyone! Winners announced tomorrow!

(Also -- still time to join my Valentine Swap!)

Mother-of-pearl button book

2012-01-12T16:32:00.001-07:00

As promised, here's the fabric book I made to keep; I just finished it a few days ago. I was inspired to make it when Jeanelle gave me this pretty little bag of carded mother-of-pearl buttons.

I decided right then and there that I needed a book full of pockets to hold my new treasures!

Here's the frilly front cover...

with a favorite element: a lovely mother-of-pearl "Mother" brooch!

The first two pages, with pockets created with vintage fabrics, and trimmed with vintage crochet embellishments.

Pages three and four are bright!

The piggy got a bow and flower collar, while the pocket on the bottom is decorated with printed and real buttons.

You'll recognize this fabric from Jeanelle's book; this is the other piece of the same linen towel.

I sewed on two doilies to create pockets, and embellished them with buttons.

The next two pages...

Two pockets on the left, continuing the bright pinks and corals with some beautiful barkcloth fabric scraps made into pockets;

I edged the pockets with some French General "I love you" tape, and embellished the page with vintage millinery and a fountain pen nib. The next page switches palettes to pale blue.

I stitched a gorgeous embellishment from a white cotton panel that had been damaged onto a bit of a ruffled, pale blue sheer pillow cover. Then it was edged in blue crochet trim.

All of that went on top of a piece of finely embroidered table runner. I even sewed a bit of Salamandre blue and yellow trim to the edge of the page.

The next two pages...more blue and white, and then full color with patchwork!

One of the elements I love best about this page, besides the girl at the pianoforte (so Austen-esque!), is the German silk souvenir ribbon.

The facing page has three quilt "squares" on it! All feedsack fabric, the ones on the right earlier than the left. I sewed some blue silk seam tape onto one of the squares, and I will tie button cards to it through the hole at the top of the card! I adore the multicolored tatting in between the two types of quilting!

These are my favorite pages: first, the blue and white on the left -- I just love that blue and white trim that shows at the edge from the previous page!

I used two coordinating fabrics; the narrow strip at the edge is from a linen kitchen towel that belonged to a friend's mother; I attached it with some hens feet stitching to a similar fabric that came from a linen tablecloth. I've gotten a lot of artistic use out of that blue and white tablecloth, and this is among the last bits of it! I wanted my favorite tablecloth to show through so I sewed the corner of a sheer placemat over it to make a pocket.

The next page is a pocket sewn from a large Irish linen napkin; I stitched a beautiful, double doily to the front of the pocket, and decorated it with some pretty metal buttons.

Then I printed out an antique postcard -- a view of San Francisco's Cliff House beachfront -- onto a piece of transfer paper, transferred it to a bit of muslin, and sewed that to the top of the page. Above it I pinned the most breathtaking tiny spoon pin, which was a gift from Suzanne; it says, "San Francisco 1948" and I think it is SO PRECIOUS! San Francisco is my hometown.

I trimmed the bottom of the page with the last bit of fancy pearl trim I have, as well as the last of my heavy crocheted drapery trim.

Here's the back cover; again, the same fabric I used in one of the pages of Jeanelle's book -- it is so whimsical! I sewed three wonderful brown buttons to the edge of the trim.

Here's a bit of detail I loved from the front cover; it's that French laundry tape in my initials:

Finally, a few photos of how the button cards look in their new home:

It was a very satisfying project!

Download, design, create, undecorate, exterminate

2012-01-11T09:32:00.001-07:00

Exterminate?

I just wanted to have a chance to show you the Dalek my son decoupaged onto a canvas, using the method I've been using for my art collages:

Cute, huh? If you're unfamiliar with Daleks, they are the antagonists on the BBC series Dr. Who.

Adorable Jello mold ornament by Tami

Today we are expecting snow, so I thought I'd spend the day finally taking down my Christmas decorations. Yes, they're still up, and I'm not even tired of them yet! But, it's time.

Here's my latest creation (above.) I wanted to make another tea cup fairy style decoration; for this one, I had to fashion a "skirt" from rebar. Don't laugh -- it's my first try at this!

Then, I glued a small tea cup, with a tiny cup on top of that, to create a "body", finishing it off with a porcelain doll head. Next, I get to embellish her and hang stuff on her "skirt"; I hope it turns out okay! (Look at her face; she doesn't look convinced!)

I designed a casemate (cover) for my iPhone, on Zazzle. It's so easy: you just upload your photos or images to the site, layer and put it together as you like, and then they will create it for you! I uploaded a few different images for a few different designs, and others can purchase them from Zazzle with a kickback to me of course. Since all my designs are Jane Austen themes, I called my Zazzle shop "Indulge Your Bookshelf". (Smirk!) You can see all of these over there in an ad in my right sidebar. I totally recommend playing with designing your own stuff on Zazzle or other shops like that online; I've had a Cafepress shop for years and things I've designed six years ago still sell once in a while!

My Christmas cactus this year

Don't Forget: Friends, it's a good time of the year to think about downloading and sorting your 2011 photos! Those of us who blog are constantly downloading photos, I know, but some of you might otherwise procrastinate. Don't! I will never forget last year talking to a woman at a shop who was in tears because her camera had been stolen, containing all of her photos from months past. Including her son's graduation photos -- lost forever. Don't delay safekeeping those precious memories! And back them up, too -- along with all your other important computer files. Now's the time!

ALL kinds of fun in 2012!

2012-01-10T10:56:00.000-07:00

I had the chance to go to Antiques Roadshow a few years ago, and it was so much fun! One thing to check off that bucket list!

pbs.org

Now's your chance; they have just announced the 2012 Roadshow Tour cities and tickets are free -- though you must apply for them and they're chosen by lottery. Get details from my examiner.com article, here.

I'm so excited to be going to Birdsong 2 at Karla's Cottage! 'Want to meet there? Here are details!

Don't forget to join my Valentine Swap!

And enter to win my Blogaversy Giveaway!

Plus, my button giveaway on Button Floozies!

Last, but not least, I just did a little blog re-design. How do you like it?

The anatomy of a fabric gift

2012-01-09T13:49:00.003-07:00

I was inspired by Terri Wilkerson to create a fabric book, and decided to work on it as a Christmas gift for my friend Jeanelle. I was so happy that she really liked it! It was really a labor of love, and a wonderful way to play with my hoard of vintage and antique fabrics!

Jeanelle loves bright colors and whimsy, as well as antique and vintage fabrics, so I chose the materials for her book carefully. I love the vintage linen towel that I used as a cover! I added new flower trim on the "spine" and an old red crochet shade pull as a sort of "latch" for the front cover.

That's a crazy, fruity Carmen Miranda-like clip earring on top of the shade pull!

I used a long piece of fabric as a base for the pages; the fabric in this case was a beautiful white linen that began life as a United Airlines napkin (for first class passengers in the '60s, I'm sure!)

For this first page I used a beautiful old bird-themed, embroidered linen towel. I edged it with a bright red and white vintage fringed trim. I just tacked on some vintage elements that I thought Jeanelle might want to remove and use in projects later: a vintage embellishment with a fountain pen nib on it, and a stamped fabric panel that I had received in a swap; it carried through the bird theme of the towel.

I also stamped Jeanelle's name onto muslin and stitched that on.

On the facing page, I sewed two scraps of bright vintage fabric on either side, and three beautiful vintage millinery flowers down the middle; I gave them vintage embellishments as leaves.

The middle one -- a gorgeous green -- got a mother-of-pearl button center!

The next two-page spread is perhaps my favorite; I love the brown toile fabric with a hot air balloon gondola on it -- so whimsical!

It's trimmed at the bottom with antique drapery crochet lace, many vintage brown buttons, and an antique key tied on, too.

I left the top edge rough, letting the fabric unravel for a soft touch.

On the facing page, a linen pocket made from a napkin, onto which I'd sewn a gorgeous piece of antique tulle lace with a floral motif embroidered onto it.

The pocket held a collection of white plastic, vintage buttons that had been put together by a local antique dealer, sewn onto green felt.

On the next two page spread, I sewed a strip of a ruffle from an old skirt onto the outer edges of both pages. Then on the left page, I sewed a piece of patchwork -- not a square, but a strip that was once intended for a quilt.

The way I sewed it, it became a slide in pocket, and it contained four pieces of quilted "squares" (but they're really tear drop shaped) that Jeanelle can use. The feedsack fabrics in the squares are just terrific!

Here it gets a bit tricky: I added an extra couple of pages into this, the middle, of the book, by inserting a yellow eyelet dresser runner; onto the first of the pages it created, I sewed a cigar fabric flag (because Jeanelle is very patriotic!)

On the back of the flag page I pinned a grouping of antique satin ribbons; aren't they beautifully frayed?

I picked those up in Kansas last year.

Next to that -- I sewed vintage embroidered trim and buttons to create a little holder for vintage linens...and tucked a couple in!

This page was sewn onto the page beneath it.

The next to pages included another beautiful patchwork piece -- a star, in the cutest fabric ever!

I sewed it down with glass button globes, and sewed a doily and a pretty crocheted embellishment in the middle of it.

The facing page was a lot of fun: it is a very pretty chair doily that I've had just forever, with perfect colors and embroidery!

Onto that I tied and pinned the tiniest doll dress ever!

I used a really pretty vintage coral silk seam binding to do the tying...so pretty!

Would you look at the tatting on that doll dress? It is just to die for!

Under the dress, I pinned a completely amazing vintage embellishment in pink of a lady in a fabulous hat; I bought it on Etsy. And then I included a tiny vintage fan, just for fun!

Last two pages: on the left, a gorgeous and altogether bright vintage embroidered pillow cover in blues and pinks on a sheer yellow background.

In the lower corner, a rhinestone wishbone that I sewed onto another vintage embellishment.

The last page has a base of a pale blue and white handkerchief, which I chose because it has Jeanelle's last name initial "R" (and she collects R's).

I sewed a pretty white heart doily with a metal lock in the center, to create a pocket.

Inside the pocket I slipped this gorgeous and very old needlebook; it has a leather-like fabric cover with a griffon imprinted on it.

Then some pretty flower trim, three paste and metal vintage buttons, and a spool of the most beautiful, peach colored DMC thread I've ever seen!

Finally, the back cover. It's made from a beautifully embroidered floral linen guest towel, edged with a heavy natural and red, wide crochet trim; I did a little "fancy" stitching in red along the edge of the trim.

What I love about the book is the way all the edges overlap and peek out when it's closed, so that you get this sense of abundant texture, and density. I also love how the book can be added to, so that it can be a showcase of sorts for beautiful things that are normally hidden away in our sewing baskets or drawers.

I've made another, for myself, which I will show you next. Don't forget to click here to enter my Blogaversary giveaway; and here for a little button giveaway on my Button Floozies blog!

A Valentine's Day Swap!

2012-01-06T10:10:00.004-07:00

**If you haven't already, be sure to check out this post to enter my Blogaversary Giveaway**

Can I interest anyone in a Valentine's Day Swap?

What we're swapping: Four (4) small handmade Valentine's Day themed ornaments, at least 1" but no bigger than 3", plus one handmade Valentine card! You'll receive one card back, and four different ornaments.

When: Due in the mail to me by Friday, January 27 -- no exceptions! If you think there is a chance you won't be able to meet this deadline, please sit this one out.

Who can join in: Followers of this blog and their friends by recommendation

What is a small, handmade Valentine's Day themed ornament? Think a small bauble that can hang from a tree branch; perhaps it began life as something else and you embellished it by hand, or, you made it completely by hand from fabric, wood, clay, heavy paper, etc. Valentine's themes can be hearts (of course), flowers, x's and o's, pinks, reds, and/or anything else that means romance to you! All four ornaments can be the same, as they are each going to a different person!

Some examples of heart-shaped Valentine creativity from my Pinterest Valentine's Board:

by GraceG2

by Linda Albrecht via Allyscraps

my own creation

Should I write on my one card? Yes -- the Valentine is a card that you're giving to another swapper as a greeting for the day.

Here's how to participate:

Email me to let me know you'd like to join, with your name and mailing address to: indulgeyourshelf ATT gmail DOTT com
I will email you back promptly and give you two things - my address (so you can send me your four ornaments and your one Valentine) and my PayPal email (so you can send me $3 to cover the cost of shipping back your Valentine package if you're in the US; if you're outside of the US please send $5.) If you don't have a PayPal account, let me know and we'll make other arrangements.
As soon as you sign up, go ahead and get started creating!
Please be sure to have your swaps in the mail to me no later than January 27. Four ornaments, and one card.
I will then send you four different ornaments and one Valentine no later than January 30.
I'll post photos of all the beautiful swaps on this blog!

If you have a blog, feel free to put this button on it:

'Sound like fun? I hope so!

Starting the new year off right: my Blogaversary celebration giveaway!

2012-01-03T06:00:00.005-07:00

On New Year's Day, our friends came over to play! We all watched the football games -- the men glued to the TV and the rest of us drifting in and out. The boys of course were distracted by video games, and us girls were crafting! There was a ton of good food to keep us all going!

Rebecca and her daughter wanted to try some of the collage/paintings I've been making with Jeanelle and Lisa, so we spent a few hours working on those.

Rebecca and I each made two!

You may recall that a couple of weeks ago I had my 3rd Blogaversary and was waiting until after the holidays to have a giveway to celebrate. Well, it's time then, isn't it?

The prize I'm offering is "Fierce Charm", my mixed media collage -- and the ink is hardly even dry because, as you can see, I made it on January 1! It's a OOAK piece, made with ephemera, paint, and ink on canvas. It measures 8"x10".

The giveaway is open to anyone and everyone has up to 2 chances to enter:

Comment on this post only and tell me how you heard about my giveaway! Be sure you have your email address either linked to your Blogger profile or available on your blog; if not, you must leave it in your comment so I have a way to get in touch with you.
If you follow this blog, comment a second time and say you do; this applies to new followers and those of you who have been friends for a while!
Leave your comments between now and 11:59 pm MT on January 14, 2012

I'll choose a comment at random on January 15, 2012; the commenter needs to respond to my email within 48 hours, sending me their mailing address. If I don't hear back from them within 48 hours I will choose an alternate name.

That's it! I enjoy this blog and all the people who visit, read along, and comment, and this is my chance to thank you in a small way for all the fun!

Welcome, 2012!

2011-12-31T22:44:00.003-07:00

Thank you for reading along this year. I so enjoy this part of my life: blogging about junque that makes me happy, art that inspires me, and all the great stuff my friends are doing and showing online! I love this blog, and all the friends who visit mean so much to me! *That means YOU!*

I’ve been reflecting on the year that is coming to an end. It hasn’t been the best year for me, personally. I made some tough decisions about the people I spend time with which, while difficult at the time, have proven sound and beneficial.

Looking back, I’m very happy that I spent more time in creative pursuits in 2011. I was also intentional about making exercise a priority.

My focus for 2012 is to be more authentic, and honest about who I am, where I’m going, and what I need. I’m planning to get better at communicating these things to the people in my life.

I’m going to be intentional about staying on track to accomplish my 2012 dreams: to write more, create and surround myself with beautiful things that make me happy, and work even harder on a healthy lifestyle. I’m also hoping to find a job!

How about you? What was your year like, and what are your dreams for 2012? Did you blog about it? If so, post a link to your post on this subject in your comment!

I'll leave you with some Gaiman. Happy New Year!

End of the year antique-ing

2011-12-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

I took a little road trip yesterday to northwest of Denver to meet up with Suzanne at the shop that's at the halfway point between our homes...

I got to meet her buddy Cheryl who I've heard so much about, and we had lunch and exchanged Christmas treats, too! (I can't believe I didn't take any photos of us!)

I made Suzanne this Ball jar that I'd filled with the sweetest vignette: an antique photo of a little girl in winter garb...

with lots of sparkly stuff inside...

and topped with sheet music and glitter!

She gave me some beautiful things, including this prettily wrapped gift!

It's an absolutely beautiful day book! I haven't had one of these in years!

I can't wait to begin using this...in a few days!

The bird theme is just over-the-top beautiful!

We so enjoyed hunting for treasures; we were all still enthralled with all the great vintage Christmas stuff...

if you're sick of Christmas, look away!

I loved the gold flower, above, with its tin petals and mercury glass bead center!

But what I really wanted was this vintage bottle brush tree; I'd never seen one like it!

It came complete with a glass star, and all the beautiful, chippy glass ornaments! I wanted it so much, but was unwilling to pay the $32 price.

Okay -- no more Christmas. Here are some of the other great things I loved at the store:

There was this lavender pair of bed slippers -- quilted satin with ostrich feathers!!

Tons of beautiful ephemera -- and that library card cabinet in back was full of sorted postcards!

Lots of pretty things...

like this to-die-for "cake box"!

~Swoon!

I can't believe I came home without ephemera; instead, I fell in love with this pretty box of hair pins!

I just loved that it had compartments and that the pins were different sizes.

Some beautiful ribbon...

and trim; I had received some of this in a matchbook swap and used most of it up, so I was thrilled to find some more. I love this stuff!

Oops, I said no more Christmas, but I forgot about this -- isn't it the cutest? It's paper ribbon.

This gorgeous needlepoint stole my heart...

with its careful stitches, bright colors,

and satin backing. It was only 99 cents so of course it had to come home with me.
The rest of my bag was filled with BUTTONS! I still need to sort and photograph them for you, so stay tuned for that, either here or on my Button Floozies blog!

I'm thinking up an end-of-the-year kind of post for tomorrow or the next day, so be sure to visit again for new year wishes, friends!

And so this was Christmas

2011-12-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

I hope each and every one of you had a nice holiday, filled with joy, relaxation, and good food!

A few days before...Ben and his best buddy playing XBox

A vintage stocking I repaired

My initials on some beautiful laundry tape I found on eBay and ordered from France; it arrived on Christmas eve.

Using the good stuff

The second table, which inadvertently became "the kid's table"


I don't remember what I was talking about! (With Rebecca at dinner...)

Okay, admit it: you've taken photos with your own feet in them!

Dennis gets a gift

The boys on Christmas morning, playing with their gadgets


It seems like every photo of my son these days looks like this!

This year, we all got iPhones (back in mid-October) and agreed that would be our Christmas splurge. So, although we've had our "gifts" for a couple of months now, we're all still novices at using them. (Well, except for Ben, who is applying his iPod Touch knowledge to the phone...) I haven't had time yet to fully explore all that the phone has to offer, but I'm working on it!

As you know from earlier blog posts, we're in trying financial times right now with my husband's new job paying less (but being a better fit for him.) Therefore, Christmas was quite lean this year. I very much enjoyed this approach. I plan to keep spending down and frugality up during all of 2012 and beyond, as my son's college years quickly approach!

We got the biggest snow of the year yet a couple of days before Christmas; it wreaked havoc for those last minute shoppers -- and I was glad that didn't include me! Here's a view of America's Mountain (as we like to call Pike's Peak) as we were leaving a restaurant after breakfast last Friday.

Me shoveling the driveway, later that same day!

The hot chocolate that we never got around to serving on Christmas Eve; other things we didn't get around to doing included showing the year-in-review slideshow I made for the digital picture frame, singing the Christmas song Ben practiced on his guitar for a sing-a-long, and eating the Dreyer's peppermint ice cream!

I'm in a post-holiday, mellow kind of slump right now, how about you?

I will now get off the computer and go to swim some laps, as the slump has included fewer trips to the gym and that is Not Good!

Yessiree, any minute now I'm going to get off the computer and go exercise...

There's no such thing...

2011-12-23T08:00:00.001-07:00

...as too many pretty vintage Christmas ornaments!

I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

Our white Christmas!

2011-12-22T06:00:00.004-07:00

I'm pretty sure we're going to have a white Christmas! It snowed on Monday...

and it was my favorite kind: fresh, powdery snow!

My 85 year old Aunt Delores, who was visiting for a couple of days, got out and shoveled the driveway with me!

But it wasn't all hard work while she was here; we also made fudge!

I promised photos of the finished snow men! Here they are!

These little ones are my own creation -- they stand up and clip to the tree; they are standing in a vintage tart tin!

The little snow heads are from a great tutorial that was part of Artist Class, by Dawn at The Feathered Nest! I really love making them!

Click on over to my Button Floozies blog to see my latest button delights!

I can't tell you how excited I am that my Christmas cactus is blooming, just in time for Christmas! I've found three blooms -- the first of which is in the bottom-to-middle right of the photo above!

We had another storm blow in last night! Fingers crossed that the snow sticks around for the holiday!

I am so gifted!

2011-12-21T06:00:00.007-07:00

Here are some more amazingly wonderful things that have been delivered to my door!

Would you look at this face? This chocolate chenille bear was made by my buddy Angela and she sent it to me as a Christmas gift!

It's been so long since I've even held a teddy bear; wow, it is a great feeling! He's entirely handmade by Angela!

You may remember that she was the one who made me this amazing quilt! I have such talented and generous friends!

Then, Heather was having a giveaway of this collection of fun and fantastic Christmas goodness from IKEA on her blog, Speckled Egg, and I won it!

I'm having so much fun with these cute cupcake liners, which can hold cookies and homemade fudge;

and these really great cookie cutters,

and bags and tags in the shape of this cute nordic Santa-looking chap, and his friends! Thank you so much, Heather!

Julia, aka Spotted Sparrow, gifted me a box full of great scrapbooking items that she no longer needed -- it's so awesome that she thought of me!

I've already used a bunch of it and shared some, too! I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to have Julia bestow all these great supplies on me!

Oh, and, I bought this wonderful custom print from Julia, which arrived at the same time! It's my favorite lines from one of my favorite songs in the world, You Wear It Well, with my and Dennis' names included; it's called Art Deco Love Quote Print and you can order if from her store in any song and choose from many colors!

I ordered it in lavender and looks awesome in my living room/dining room -- especially after I found the perfect purple frame to go with it!

Beautiful, handmade jewelry arrived as a surprise from Angela -- who keeps me in stitches on Facebook and who I will meet up with one day in real life! Isn't it divine?

Then, this arrived from Tami; it's a beautiful cuff she made herself! She included other sweet gifts, like this ornament:

Aren't I gifted? Hee hee -- you know what I mean: I am One. Lucky. Gal!

Creative gifting

2011-12-20T06:00:00.069-07:00

You may recall Pam's project to provide journals for homeless in her area; I was happy to create one for the cause:

It was a lot like my usual journals; I did put in some extra, intentional inspiration, like this antique postcard which says, "All good wishes for a bright and happy future";

also this exhortation that time is a gift (a stamp that I have)...

and a notecard that says, Write Your Own Story.

I like to imagine the person who might receive it and, with some luck, use it for good!

Here's a covered box that I created for my friend Terri; she has a blog and an Etsy shop by the name of Junque Seeker, so I used my favorite new collage technique to personalize it with that name.

I filled it with buttons!

I covered another box -- this time, a vintage jewelry box, for Tami, in honor of her brand new Etsy shop, Somerset Lane!

I put some fun vintage trinkets inside of Tami's box; in the future, I hope she fills it with vintage Treasures that she'll sell in Somerset Lane!

This little house is my latest, and I was so happy with it that I gave it to my husband;

it hangs in our bedroom over the spot where he keeps his watch and loose change, so he can see it every morning before he leaves for work.

This is wreath my pal Suzanne made for me last year; she encouraged me to add to it, and I finally did the other day, but putting on the outer layer of dictionary pages and a new bow!

I've also been making some snowmen; I'll show you those when they are finished!

Silent Sunday (my version of Wordless Wednesday!)

2011-12-18T06:00:00.003-07:00

Being on the "Nice" list

2011-12-14T11:52:00.001-07:00

I am trying to stay on Santa's "nice" list by staying away from the thrift stores when I have so much (better) stuff to be doing. Like finishing my holiday decorating (I'm procrastinating right this minute, I fear...), and wrapping gifts, and writing articles for examiner.com. And I've been good, for goodness sake. I've only gone twice in the last couple of weeks.

Do you know how long I've been looking for a hat stand? A long time. They are few and far between around here. So I had to pounce on this one when I found it.

I saw the two chips on this beautiful, well-dressed woman, but I didn't hold them against her.

I've never seen a belle so slim and stately, wearing such a beautiful blue dress.

I have to look up her mark; meanwhile, I'm just enjoying her calm poise!

Echoing the sentiment of another blogging friend, I have to say I love anything these days with a fleur de lys on it, like the pretty yellow-bordered plate on top.

The blue-rimmed plate on the bottom is stamped Minton, which makes it all the more desirable to me! Each plate was a mere 99 cents, and therefore un-pass-up-able in my book; although I must say I left many more pretty plates behind that day. I had to be choosy because at the very moment I was shopping, I knew I had two tall piles of pretty plates on my dining room table awaiting storage!

And, no sooner had I typed the words vintage ornaments have been slim pickins' this year to another blogging friend than I found a whole pile at the thrift store!

I want to sob when I think that I almost missed out on this pretty blue one! It has to be one of the prettiest I've ever found.

I think the reason I love them so much is that, growing up, we had only plain, colored balls on our tree, plus the ones we made by hand in school. I still remember the first time I saw a tree decorated with fancy glass ornaments at my best friend's house when I was in 2nd grade. I could have stared at it for hours! I always knew I wanted a tree like that when I grew up, and it still delights me to own ornaments like this!

Another thrift store find -- ice-skating children!

A mischevious-looking Santa in a wreath of lights...

still in his Woolworth's box!

Two more vintage Christmas pieces I just fell in love with: first, this candle with its glittered wooden angel peeking out of a paper window!

Did you notice the cool, curvy console-style holder?!

I also picked up the tin under it; it's a bit battered but so iconic, with its shiny, starburst-y decorations!

Do you know what this red fabric is? It's a cut-out-apron panel; there are two aprons there: one is rectangular, the other is curved like a half-moon. The straps are along the sides! It is a sheer, wispy fabric with green-flocked designs. I was so surprised to find it! I have a Christmas apron like this that I love...you will probably recognize it as the background for some of my recent Christmas photos, like this one:

In my defense, Santa, the Christmas stuff is marked 50% off this week at my favorite thrift store; what's a girl to do?

Flea Market Finds

It's almost my 3rd Blogaversary!

2011-12-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

Unbelievably, this little blog is about to be 3 years old! My Blogaversary is December 11. To celebrate, as is my custom, I'm going to have a giveaway!

Since December is such a busy time for all of us, though, I'm going to wait and have the giveaway in January. Because by then we'll all be ready for some post-holiday fun, right? How does that sound?

Meanwhile, I thought I'd show you the fun I had this past Sunday, when my buddy Rebecca and I attended a free Christmas decorating class at our local Pottery Barn.

It was so casual and relaxing: we literally sat on the furniture displayed in the front of the store and listened to one of their experts give us great ideas for tabletops, tablesettings, and hospitality. It was truly inspiring!

I found all sorts of ideas around the store that I wanted to copy, like those cute boxwood topiaries, above...

and this Christmas ornament which reminded me of the Teacup Fairy I made last year at Silver Bella.

Rebecca held up this Christmas stocking for me to photograph because I loved the color combo of the fabric...

and I made sure to get a photo in front of one of their pretty tree displays. In the end, Rebecca was totally inspired to do this sideboard display:

but we didn't think the bay leaf tree was worth the $99 price tag (even though, for attending the class, they offered all of us a 10% discount.)

So, after a trip to the craft store for supplies, later that evening we crafted one of our own!

Well, sort of. Because, as you can see, we used silvery leaves instead of bay leaves. But, I think it turned out beautifully!

We also did a bird nest project that Rebecca found in a magazine:

Here's mine, and Rebecca did hers with cardinals; we used greenery from her backyard.

Of course, after I got home I had to fuss with mine a bit more, and in the end I replaced my little bird with one I'd purchased at a craft fair:

I love it! I think it's sweet, and it was very fun and holiday-cheer-y to get inspired at Pottery Barn, learn some tricks, and craft with a friend!

It's only the first week of December...

2011-12-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

and I already feel behind! Raise your hand if you are with me!

We have been having extremely cold temps for several days. Because of that, I haven't been able to decorate for Christmas outdoors. Maggie and Snoopy say, "Brr!"

Snoopy says, "And no one is taking me for walks, either!"

At least we have put up our Christmas tree...

but I have hardly done any other decorating indoors.

Anyone else out there who just can't seem to get started?

Two of my favorite vintage kitchen towels

A favorite vintage apron

I've been getting GREAT mail lately, though. Here's just a small sample:

A beautiful ephemera/inspiration kit from Terri;

that little black box was full of tiny, beautiful, old glass beads! ~Sigh!~

A sweet and generous gift of war ration books/stamps I'd admired in Linda's gluebook page, which I received in the gluebook swap; she shared some of these with me, which are dear to her because they were from her own family. I was so touched!

A sweet tag, with tree made of birds on branches, and studded with buttons, from Lelia, which came with Thanksgiving greetings.

Wonderful...

interesting...

old...

and beautiful ephemera which was a blog giveaway win from Mary!

A wonderful package I ordered from Karla, which came beautifully adorned in a burlap bag with a bottle brush tree...

with a treasure inside: her beautiful light switch cover I'd admired in her home, which she was passing along as it didn't fit in her remodeled kitchen!

A beautiful nutcracker ornament studded with fun realistic buttons from Donna and

a trio of sweet and frosty snowflake ornaments with buttons from Deb; these ladies sent ornaments as a thank you to me for hostessing the Christmas Ornament Swap on Button Floozies!

These are just some of the things that have arrived at my doorstep lately, and, believe me, I am counting my blessings!

Despite all this inspiration, I still can't seem to get on with my Christmas decorating. How are you doing in the deck-the-halls department?

Sense, Sensibility and Hoarders, Buried Alive!

2011-12-05T14:14:00.001-07:00

I had an interesting day this past Friday -- one which included Jane Austen and a local hoarder.

Beginning with the latter, let me explain: the TLC show, Hoarding: Buried Alive recently filmed/helped a Colorado Springs resident, and a local church announced it would be selling off her hoard Friday. You know I couldn't resist that! The entire church sanctuary was FULL of her stuff. (Doesn't that make you feel better? I mean, I know I couldn't fill a church sanctuary with my stuff!) The lady hoarder was there, too. She kept telling everyone, "I'm a CLEAN hoarder. I have a shopping addiction. But my house isn't dirty like the ones you see on TV."

She assured us her home was NOT like this, a typical hoarder's home

I was really happy for her, that she'd gotten help and was able to get rid of so. much. stuff. The advertisements I'd seen for this sale said most of her stuff was new with tags, but I didn't find that to be true, unfortunately. She had tons of new-in-the-box Princess House and Pampered Chef, but I wasn't interested in any of that. I did find:

we shared a love of kischy Christmas stuff, like this adorable Santa and Mrs. Claus!

Also this little Santa and sleigh. Although, upon getting him home, I found he is a little wild-eyed. (With that look in his eyes, maybe he shouldn't be allowed to carry that whip. What do you think?)

This was my favorite purchase, though. It is a chrome, ca. 1950s 3 tiered server. You can't see it, but there are little atomic-style stars etched into the plates. I love it!

There were TV crews there filming us as we paid and left with our arms full of hoarder junk. So, maybe you'll see me on TV next season!

My handsome husband

Later that day, I took my husband on a date. (Tomorrow's his birthday.)

First, we went to a downtown restaurant called La Creperie.

We started with wine and a cheese plate, then each had soup and a crepe. Mine was brie and ham and it was lovely.

Then, we went to a locally written and produced musical celebrating the 200th anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility!

It was magnificent. Truly: beautiful costumes, talented performers, and wonderful, original music.

The adaptation strayed from the novel a bit. For example, in the photo immediately above, the girl on the left is Jane Austen; she sits there taking notes on what is happening, actually writing the story as it is acted out.

There was even a sword fight between Willoughby and Colonel Brandon! I was happy about that, for my husband's sake.

Close up of some of the set decoration

I enjoyed it IMMENSELY! (I do apologize for the dark/blurry photos; it's not easy to get good pictures in dark, romantic restaurants, or playhouses!)

What did you do this weekend?

Christmas Ornament Swap pt. 2

2011-12-04T06:00:00.001-07:00

Because we had an odd number of swappers in the Button Floozies Christmas Ornament Swap, I ended up in two swap groups. Double the fun!

For the second swap, I was inspired to make button ornaments from tiny French tart molds! Here are all of them, along with the little cards I made to go with them. Because the molds were so tiny, I gave everyone 3 ornaments.

I think this one is my favorite; that's a 1935 Christmas seal, with music paper behind it and lots of glitter; it has a little stack of red buttons hanging from the bottom of it.

This one is decorated with music paper (a Christmas carol), vintage millinery, glitter, and a vintage white button that holds the silver thread it hangs from onto the tin.

These round molds each have sparkly vintage button in the middle, with some vintage lace behind it. A white glass button dangles from the silver thread on top of each one.

Earlier this year I'd bought these red molds, envisioning a Christmas craft use. They turned out to be the perfect packaging for the three little ornaments! And...here are the ones I received in return:

This beauty is by Jeanelle. Look at the tiny stitches and the fantastic color and texture of those red buttons! The back is a different vintage fabric that is just sweet -- I wish I had photographed it for you, but trust me! (Jeanelle joined me in doubling up on swaps to fill out the last group!)

This adorable snow angel is made of chenille, with plaid wool wings! He's a creation by Angela, and you can't see it too well in this photo but he sparkles, too! Angela's a talented seamstress and quilter, and if you want a deal on a quilt or other handmade Christmas gift, visit her shop now -- she's having a sale!

Wrapped up in this cute package is Robin's button ornament:

Pink and white buttons, rimmed with green tinsel, and all a-sparkle!

Robin also sent this tiny button jar full of pink buttons! It is so CUTE!

This swap was so, so much fun! I loved every ornament I received!

Here's your chance to see them all, too! We're having a Linky Party over on the Button Floozies blog; click here to see many more ornaments!

Christmas Ornament Swap

2011-12-03T10:52:00.000-07:00

We had another really fun swap on my other blog, Button Floozies. It was the Christmas Ornament Swap; we had to make ornaments that were decorated in some way with buttons, and then swap in groups of four. It was a quick turnaround, with only 2 weeks from the close of the swap to the day they needed to be mailed, but we still had 32 people participating! I know my group has received them, so I'm going to show you mine!

I decided to make tussie-mussie style, decorated cones. I used some of the very oldest ephemera pages I had; two of the pages even had a Christmas theme!

All of them were embellished with mother of pearl buttons. This one also had a vintage square doily.

This one had a round linen and crochet vintage doily. I embellished all of them with some new, velvet rick rack in a soft moss green color that I purchased from Linda; it wasn't until later that I realized that she was one of my swap partners, so she was going to see how I'd used my purchase! How funny is that?!

For this last one, I used glitter glue to highlight the very old black and white pictures on the paper, and two shades of tulle around the top instead of lace. All of the cones have the two shades of tulle around the very bottom, and a bell, so they tinkle sweetly! They are stuffed with tissue pattern paper, and hang from skinny silver tinsel.

I also sewed some little button trees on a square to go along with the ornaments; these inchies can become ornaments themselves with a bit of string to hang, or, they can be incorporated into a quilt, sewn on an apron or tote bag, or glued to the front of a journal.

I used little library cards and envelopes as cards/enclosures for everyone! AND, here are the ornaments I received in return:

From Karen: A spoonful of sugar! She used those white and mother of pearl buttons that I love so much, and lots of sparkle! And just look at that little tree hanging from the twine on the card she included!

From Mary Helen: a sweetly decorated Christmas tree with a large variety of buttons, and some beads/charms, too!

She included a lovely handmade Christmas card.

From Linda, a pretty button embellished package...

and inside, the world's cutest deer with mother-of-pearl button spots! I adore this!

I participated in a second ornament swap group, too; I will show you those next! Whee! Christmas fun!

A gifted journal

2011-12-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

My friend Pam over at Finderskeepers has a Christmas project she works on annually: to fill a stocking for the homeless with useful gifts, to include a journal. Her vision is to give children a place to be creative with crayons, and for adults to put down their thoughts while they are on their difficult journey.

Pam is inviting her blog readers and friends to send her a journal with an inspirational message for her project. Her specifications are simple -- to make a journal with whatever supplies you have on hand, to include an inspirational message, and send to her for her gift stockings as soon as you can!

She inspired me to make a journal this weekend, and if you like the idea, too, visit her blog post about her project for more details!

Vintage charm

2011-11-30T06:00:00.075-07:00

For a long time, I've been wanting to make my own necklace from vintage charms and bling that I collect from thrift stores, estate sales, antique stores, and the generosity of some of my swap partners. The other night, I finally did it!


Sorry for the blurry photo -- but, you get the idea!

It always feels so good to do a project you've been thinking about for a long time, doesn't it?

For the "base" of the necklace, I bought a gunmetal-colored chain from Michael's craft store. That's the longer chain on the outside; for the shorter, inside "chain" I used a beautiful rhinestone necklace that was too short for me to really wear otherwise. I fastened it to a very old piece of chandelier glass, which I then tied to a piece of beautiful vintage velvet ribbon, in moss green.

The little cuckoo clock charm was originally a souvenir pin from a German town. The square charm in the lower right corner of the photo above is from an industrial line of jewelry findings; it unlatches and you place whatever you want in between the glass. I put vintage sheet music in it, along with a pretty piece of old lace.

I added a pretty, very old filigreed ball button, and pieced some pearly beads and an embellished charm that I received in a swap -- it's a bird, nest and blingy "eggs".

A vintage rhinestone pin...

a soldered charm that was a gift from Viola, more beads...

a pretty rhinestone crown -- I love this piece!

A skeleton key, and some pretty vintage glass buttons.

For the focal piece, I put on a claw clasp. That way, I can change out the charm! Does that sound strange? I just have so many pretty charms I'd like to wear more often...

Like this Jane Austen piece...

this beautiful Silver Bella souvenir from Hope...

and this little fairy charm that was a blog giveaway win. I think they will all look very cute on the necklace!

Just for fun, I decided to make some earrings, too. The earring findings were not expensive at Michael's, and adding the beads was very simple!

I wore the necklace out the other day, and really enjoyed the feeling of wearing something I'd made!

And a partridge in a pear tree

2011-11-28T06:00:00.008-07:00

Here is a close up of those fabulous 3 inchies I received in the 12 Days of Christmas Swap:

Jami Miller - A Partridge in a Pear Tree

I love the pear green envelope with a button!

The texture of the pear is just amazing.

Tamantha Kaplan - 2 Turtle Doves

The packaging is divine, but the

inchie is even better! So much beautiful detail!

Hope Ellington - 3 French Hens

Beautiful French-country style!

My 4 Calling Birds

Mollie Morrison - 5 Golden Rings

I love the vintage "gold" velvet

and other old textures she used!

Karen Hess - 6 Geese-a-Laying

Pearl "eggs" nestled amid a nest

of so many beautiful fibers!

Nora Neeley - 7 Swans-a-Swimming

A needle-felted swan, and just look at all

all the stitched embellishments!

Mary Kahler - 8 Maids-a-Milking

I can hardly believe the creativity of this interpretation of a girl milking a cow! It's awesome! The cowbell is such a great detail, too!

Lisa Hadja - 9 Ladies Dancing

Do you know that until I photographed this, I hadn't realized the ladies are twirling in the shape of a "9"! You are looking down upon them -- and I think that is just brilliant! Bravo Lisa!

Sheila Rumney - 10 Lords-a-Leaping

I completely love the colors,

and the simplicity,

of this one!

Robin Weins - 11 Pipers Piping

By the same token, I completely adore

the detail, textures, and collage-

effect of this one!

Jeanelle Ricca - 12 Drummers Drumming

Soft pink and minty green

with lace for texture on

the drum. It's brilliant!

I got to help her assemble the piles for the swap.

And as if all that beautiful textile goodness wasn't enough -- Jeanelle also treated us to a piece of this fabulous vintage Christmas handkerchief fabric! Isn't it FUN? It was so hard to cut it up! And some vintage music note flashcards (shown with her drum inchie.)

Thank you to all the talented ladies who participated in this swap! Your talent and creativity humbles me!

A banner day

2011-11-27T16:13:00.002-07:00

Here's what I did with the inchies I received in the 12 Days of Christmas swap:

I made them into a banner! I know it's hard to see, but I wanted to show you the whole thing; I made it in two sections of six "flags" each.

I used alternating, heavy vintage fabrics. One was a bark cloth design from the '40's, and the other was a green toile that was probably from the late '50's.

I used some heavy embroidered eyelet trim to string them all together, then strung green and rose seam tape, respectively, through the middle row of 'hole' in the eyelet. All the materials I used were from my collection vintage materials! I love that.

I'm really happy with how it turned out. I'm also proud of myself for "committing" to sewing down all the pretty inchies; it's so tempting to just hoard and admire them!

The banner's already hanging, as shown, in the archway between my living and dining rooms. It was the first bit of Christmas decor that went up in my house this year!

Tomorrow: a close up look at all those inchies!

ALSO: For Cyber Monday, and the remainder of the holiday season, I'm offering FREE US SHIPPING in my handmade shop, Leaves and Lace!

Four Calling Birds

2011-11-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

(Spoiler Alet: many have received their swap but some have not so if you're in the latter group, stop reading!)
I've always loved The 12 Days of Christmas. My jr. high school choir did a fun satire of the song, called The 12 Days After Christmas; it begins, "The first day after Christmas, my true love and I had a fight. And so I chopped the pear tree down, and burned it just for spite..." It remains a fun holiday memory!

This year, I enjoyed doing a 12 Days of Christmas 3-Inchie Swap with some of my Silver Bella friends! All the inchies have finally gone out so I'm going to show you mine now! I had 4 Calling Birds.

See how the bird's mouth is open? It's calling. I made the bird from some pieces of felted sweater I'd gotten from Elizabeth Shea last year. The bird's eye and topknot are beads, and the feathers on her head are made from a piece of eyelash yarn. She's trimmed with vintage laces, and the musical note fabric as well as the background fabric were a giveaway from Angela; it was leftover from one of her quilt projects. I had an Etsian custom-make the little medallions for me, stamped with the number 4.

Naturally, I had to make 12 of them...

I wrapped them very simply this time, using that cute graphic of the 4 calling birds.

I sent along a little grab bag of vintage Christmas stuff for each swapper -- including cards I made from vintage wrapping paper and vintage Christmas cards; each bag had those hard-to-find Christmas seals, stickers, decor and even some buttons. Next I'm going to show you all the 3 inchies I received! They are fabulous, so be sure to come back and see them!

Oh, and: It's almost time for the The 6th Annual Original Printables Holiday Countdown! Different downloadable images December 1 - Christmas!

Thanksgiving wishes

2011-11-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

Here's a scan of the cutest vintage Thanksgiving card I bought recently, for your viewing pleasure or artistic pursuits:

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

Moving on to Christmas

2011-11-21T15:42:00.001-07:00

Judging from the things I've been attracted to in my thrift and antique shopping, I am way into the holiday spirit!

But, it's the wrong holiday! Meaning, I would like to skip Thanksgiving altogether this year. I am so. Not. In. The. Mood. I would love to just move on to Christmas already!

Tell me the truth: how much do you love this little Putz house? It's my first! I have never splurged on one before! That little blue star hanging down from the ceiling is so cute, I even don't mind the kitschy little mushrooms over there on the right!

I had never seen one in this shape, so I really had to have it!

I also got this vintage ornament, which is such an amazing red!

And I love that it has a different motif on the reverse!

Some people would think I'm nuts because these little seals, and their envelope, make me sigh deeply. I only wish I had all 30 of them!

Likewise I love these little plastic embellishments; I think they are from a liquor supplier, and were made to be stuck to the outside of those wrapped liquor boxes you can buy at holiday time!

Kitschy chenille, anyone? I thought this was such a fun old ornament!

Who could leave these little guys behind? To give you an idea of their size, that is the edge of that tiny chenille ornament next to them!

And here's more holiday kitsch...

than any one person should be allowed -- right?!
Do you like that tablecloth in the background, by the way? It's for sale here in my shop.

Seriously -- what more can I say?
Linking up:

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Art Redefined

2011-11-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

Last week Jeanelle gifted me this amazing work of art:

Isn't it BEAUTIFUL?! She made it just for me, using Christy Tomlinson's method of Art Redefined to layer and texture a wonderful work of art! I loved it so much, and so Jeanelle had me over yesterday with another friend, Lisa, to make some of our own!

Jeanelle had everything all set up for us, and we just brought some bits and pieces of ephemera, paper, and stamps and stuff to add to the mix.

Here I am holding my blank canvas, ready to start.

First I layered alot of different ephemera; the idea is to have plenty of texture.

Here's Jeanelle, coloring with her daughter while her canvas

dries. She is an awesome multi-tasker!

Her sweet pumpkin of a daughter was so patient as we created!

Lisa, hard at work on her layers

My canvas in progress, after paint, stamping,

and paper "trees" have been added!

More additions, including rub on letters.

We stopped for lunch, then had about an hour to finish up.

Here's Jeanelle's work -- not yet finished but already looking great!

Lisa's canvas -- look at all that texture!

And here's how mine finally came out!

This technique is SO much fun!

I smell an obsession coming on...!

Piles

2011-11-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

Lots of piles going on here...

Piles of my Moo cards, packaged with buttons,

as tote bag favors

Piles of swap pieces waiting to go out...

one swapper is late and holding up

the whole group. They were due Sept. 26,

and still haven't gone out!

So, so inconsiderate!

Makes me VERY. GRUMPY.

Piles of neatly-stored ribbons and trims,

which I FINALLY got around to organizing

the other night! These are bits and pieces

that come to me from thrift store outings, etc.

If I have a piece or strand that is not long enough

to be wrapped on a card...

the whole pile goes into bags, sorted by color.

Then, if I'm working on a small project, I can pull out

those little pieces and use them up.

What about you -- any piles going on at your house?

Re-Scrap

2011-11-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

We worked really hard on the Operation ReScrap show. We marketed it as best we knew how, with multiple specialists doing great work.

When we got on site the day before, we took these two huge empty rooms and set up these long, heavy wooden tables -- about 50 of them -- and then went to work setting out consignment craft and home decor items as they were dropped off.

By the end of the day I was so tired, but excited; here I am holding up one of our really cute, custom-printed tote bags which were to be the opening night giveaway. I'd stuffed them with goodies as one of my tasks that day.

We had a line waiting at the door on opening night, Friday -- shoppers on the hunt for those great crafting bargains! We had refreshments...

live music...

and lots of vendors set up in the second venue with their vintage and handmade items for sale!

Amy's Pink Attic Cat booth was my favorite...

The crowd opening night was smaller than we'd hoped, and unfortunately that trend continued through the weekend.

So many great things to see...

...but few to see it. It was one of those "live and learn" experiences. I was so disappointed to be sent home on the second day of the event (Saturday) and lose all the hours I'd counted on working. I hope you all had a better weekend than I did!

2011-11-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

If you've been reading my blog for a while, then you know that I adore vintage Christmas stuff! This was all in one of those grab bags at the thrift store!

I grabbed it for the old bottle brush trees, which I can never seem to resist! But then I was charmed to get these little primary-colored plastic houses, too!

Look at this wooden one that was also in the bag!

It's funny looking...

and seems even stranger when you look at the label on it!

I've scheduled this post ahead of time as I'm spending the weekend at Operation ReScrap's Craft & Home Decor Consignment Sale -- working! (I love that I found a "job" that pays me to be at a craft and vintage fair!)

The photo above shows a few crafty and vintage things I'm taking along to consign at the sale. I can't wait to tell you all about it when I get back!

Don't forget: there's still time to sign up for

the Christmas Ornament Swap at Button Floozies!

Thank you, Veterans

2011-11-11T06:00:00.010-07:00

I live near a town with a huge military presence: Colorado Springs. We have Fort Carson, Peterson and Schriever Air Force bases, and the Air Force Academy. We used to house NORAD here, too. For Veteran's Day every year, we have a huge parade downtown. This year, Ben marched in his school band in the parade. I thought you might like to see it:

To all the veterans out there, I salute you! Thank you for your service!

Waiting out the snow

2011-11-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago we had a snowstorm in the forecast. I was sure I'd be stuck inside the next day so I treated myself to a stroll around one of my favorite antique stores. It was such a peaceful and enjoyable time of browsing...sigh! Here are the few little things I picked up there:

a sweet vintage German Christmas ornament

buttons...

and more buttons!

This mid-century train brooklet.

It gives a narrative of what passengers can see out their windows.

The area I grew up in figures prominently in this section.

I love train travel, and the idea of train travel.

Then...guess what? It didn't snow after all the next day.

It went to her head...

2011-11-08T22:03:00.001-07:00

Here's my creation for Mary Green's November Collage Challenge:

I used vintage wallpaper as a background; she's in her hotel room in Paris, taking in the view of a sparkling Le Tour Eiffel from her window (wasabi tape for a windowframe.)

It's always fun to see what people do with the same three images! Take a look.

Old pages, new pages

2011-11-03T16:42:00.000-06:00

I recently participated in Mary Green's Gluebook Swap. I showed you my pages here; and now I've received the swap:

Each page is so beautiful!

This one was gorgeous on the reverse, too!

I love the colors in this one.

This one also...

had a beautiful back!

I think the imagery on this one if my favorite;

it evokes a time of sacrifice.

Another pretty back!

I love the composition of this one best of all.

And another pretty reverse!

Lovely layers on this one.

To see mine, visit my post here.

If you have a Blogger blog, have you seen the new dynamic pages? I really love the layout called "Magazine" and am dying to use that for this blog. But, have you noticed that you can't use gadgets with those layouts? I can't give up my gadgets (<--all the stuff on my left and right sidebars-->)! So, for now, the new dynamic pages will have to wait until Blogger's dynamic new pages catch up.

Crafting Bliss and a Christmas Swap

2011-11-01T19:06:00.000-06:00

I mentioned earlier here about some freelance marketing that I've been doing for Operation ReScrap. I'm helping to promote an event called Crafting Bliss, which is a Craft & Home Decor Consignment Sale! If you are anywhere around Castle Rock (Denver), Colorado November 11-13, 2011, go check it out! There will be vendors who specialize in upcycling and revamping vintage items who will be selling art and decor. And, to make it more fun and exciting, there will be artists and crafters destashing their supplies at low, consignment-store prices!

Opening night will be super-fun -- the first 300 guests will receive a tote bag full of goodies, and there will be refreshments and music. Plus -- you get first shot at all the goodies on sale! Any admission paid Friday or Saturday gets you in free for the rest of the weekend! So you can come back on Sunday for half-price consignment items! I will be there the whole weekend, so if you come, be sure to find me and say "Hello!"
If you have a Facebook account, visit and "Like" our page for updates!

Hey, did you notice this new button over there on the right hand sidebar? It's time for another swap on my other blog, Button Floozies! This time we're swapping Christmas ornaments in groups of 4, so everyone will send and receive 3 ornaments. The ornaments will be handmade and will be decorated in some way with buttons, of course! It will be fun -- and anyone is welcome to join so head on over and follow the directions here to sign up! Sign ups close November 11!

Thrifty finds!

2011-10-30T17:28:00.000-06:00

In case anyone was wondering, I'm still planning to start my own version of a thrifting linky party. There are some good ones out there, but I want mine to be a bit different. The thing is: I want mine to be ONLY thrifty finds -- not craft items where thrifty finds were used, or tablescapes using thrifted items, or makeovers of a thrifted item (before/after), or frugal meals/recipes. Not that there's anything wrong with any of that -- I just want my party to be about the thrifty find itself, fresh out of the shopping bag. I guess I'm just a purist! I'll debut my linky party in the new year, okay?

Do you like these little covered crock? I really do! I love their shape, age, and their cute flower and leaf design. I love how there are four identical ones, all in their own little holder!

I think they're great for this time of year -- to hold chili, or french onion soup -- but could also be used in other seasons, like at a cookout to hold condiments and burger fixin's, and stay covered to keeps the bugs away! I got the set for $5 at a thrift shop, and they're unmarked. Does anyone know the maker?

I forgot to show you this from my Florence day -- beautiful little feather-tree, glass ornaments. I love them like crazy. I especially love their non-traditional colors! They were a splurge at $1 each.

I found this little stick- or hat-pin at an estate liquidation store. I recognized that it is the same blown glass as some older buttons are made from; in fact, it might even be a button that was made into a pin. The clerk looked at me like I was nuts when I told her that. But we know better, don't we, button lovers? It was $4 and the reason I agreed to pay that much for it is because of the great deal that I got on the next item I'm going to show you:

This BEAUTIFUL McCoy Jardinere! I can't even tell you how excited I was to get this -- it's something I can now check off of my bucket list, as I've always wanted to own one!

It was marked $48, which is typical estate sale price, and then 50% off. When I took it to the counter, the clerk told me that all pots in the store were an additional 25% off. So, I got this beautiful pot for $12. It is an incredible deal, as I normally don't see these for any less than $70, and sometimes up to $120, depending upon the color.

Oh, happy day!

Speaking of happy days: how about those Cardinals?!

Dennis is born-and-raised in St. Louis, so they are our team!

Here's Ben with his rally squirrel on his hat!

Linking up with Sophie today:

Flea Market Finds

Leaves and Lace

2011-10-27T10:58:00.000-06:00

I'm excited to tell you about changes to my handmade Etsy shop! As many of you who are also Etsy sellers know, we were recently given the opportunity to change our shop names. My handmade shop was called Twice Shy Re-stored, a name which I found clever and suitable a couple of years ago -- but not anymore. So, I took advantage and gave my shop a name I like much better: Leaves and Lace!

my new shop banner

my new shop avatar

Since, as you know, it's been looking like this around here...

I've taken advantage of cosy-at-home time these last couple of days

to work on some new ephemera journals for my "new" shop!

You may recognize part of the covers of these two journals;

they were collages that I made for Mary Green's

monthly collage challenges the last couple of months.

I mounted them onto book covers and I just love them!

I'm also very pleased with how these two came out --

especially the one on the left, which is the very first

ephemera journal I've ever made for a man!

Something different in these four journals is

the use of Braille pages for interest.

Each of these also has either a letter from a little girl to her father,

or one from a wife to the husband (same family.)

The family was experiencing a separation in 1918 due to the war.

I love them all, but this might be my favorite,

as I used text from Pride and Prejudice on the cover!

If you want to see more, all the pages of all the journals

are shown in the listings, in my freshly-named shop!

Snowman, penguin, snow day!

2011-10-26T06:00:00.047-06:00

We are getting snow today! So, what better time to show you these wonderful items I picked up at a craft fair over the weekend...both of which fit the winter theme!

Did you know I used to collect penguins, for many, many years? I drastically downsized my collection and kept only my absolute favorites. It wasn't easy, but it was necessary.
Still, I couldn't resist this little guy when I saw him; it's my first penguin in quite a while!

One of the reasons I fell in love with him is that he's made completely from recycled materials. The gal who makes him, Cheryl Carlson, calls her company "Seal Bait." She's committed to using up all of her garbage! She makes lots of penguins of many different sizes, from a decoupage-like process, using something like a medicine bottle, for example, as the base for the bird.

I think he's very cleverly put-together!

This little snowman, also made by Cheryl, is so unique!

I love his copper nose, his wild, wire "hair",

and the cute stole he's wearing!

His base is a glass soda bottle!

With the acquisition of these

two little decorations,

and the snow that's falling,

it's time to admit it...

winter, and the holidays,

are on the way!

2011-10-25T16:41:00.000-06:00

I had some more beautiful things to show you from our visit to Florence Saturday. Wanna see?

I visited a store called Heartland; I liked this display of

great plates with women on them.

Another pretty plate -- I know, I'm addicted!

We enjoyed a really delicious lunch at Aspen Leaf Bakery;

everything was so fresh, service was quick,

and we even shared a slice of cherry pie for dessert!

At Iron Gate Antiques,

where I had a camera malfunction

and didn't get photos, unfortunately, I found:

the cutest lot of vintage fans!

These will be so perfect for future matchbox swaps,

where I'm always looking for something tiny and wonderful!

Speaking of small and wonderful,

look at this vintage Paris box!

I really loved this rhinestone heart pin!

And, my favorite buy: these two buttons!

Well, I'm not even sure this round mother of pearl one is a button...

because, look at the back of it! It's definitely shell,

but I'm not sure if it's a button.

What do you think it is?

Our last stop was Willie's Antiques.

Doesn't this faux cake on display there look good enough to eat?

I would have LOVED to have been able to splurge

on this German lace bedspread ~swoon~!

Instead, I came home with this beautiful chintz cup and saucer...

and this VERY distressed quilt top. I love the color scheme!

So perfect for autumn!

It was a very fun day full of lots of little, inexpensive but fun finds.

Florence is the perfect place for a day like that!

Autumn antiquing in small town Florence

2011-10-24T19:35:00.000-06:00

Dennis and I had a "date day" on Saturday since Ben was off camping; it was the most beautiful Fall day. It was a beautiful drive, past groves of bright orange and gold aspens.


Main Street, Florence

Our first stop was The Mezzanine, which is two floors of great stuff and thoughtful arrangement with lovely vignettes. They were in full Halloween mode!

We were greeted by the Madam


Scary masks -- which were original art

I really wanted Miss Sally Victor's rose-covered hat! Alas, it was too small for me. Most vintage and antique hats are -- I have a really big head!

Another lovely, too-small hat; this one is perfect for Autumn!

Even Dennis found some things here to like; such as this vintage signage...

and the building's original stairs, which are incredibly sturdy and well-made.


A corn husking machine

Isn't this apron-display a clever idea?

I could use something like this in my house, for all my beautiful linens!

At Mezzanine, I picked up some beautiful Czech glass buttons -- black glass --

and the cutest little cube buttons made of soft wood!

Also this very sweet old black and white trim!

But this was my favorite buy...

It's a teacher remembrance gift, given to a student who graduated in 1916!

The inside is printed with sage advice -- a send off.

It's lovely!

Next we visited Fox Den Antiques, which is full of gifts and home decor

as well as wonderful antiques!

Just getting ready for Christmas,

there were some adorable heart-shaped,

hand-sewn ornaments with buttons on them!

Of course I had to take one of those home with me,

as well as:

another beautiful heart ornament,

cut from an antique metal ceiling tin

And dreamy ephemera, like this antique, handmade folder

With sewn pocket, to hold onto clippings before they were

put into a scrapbook.

an old account book, and newer (but still old)

tally card with adorable graphics!

And then this -- A Telephone Book for Teenagers

I think it's from the 1950s.

Each page has a different teen on it...

I wonder what Rosemary did to be crossed out of the book?

Poor, misunderstood mom!

The whole thing just made me smile!

Next: a couple more Florence stores,

and more of my buys!

Online friends

2011-10-21T06:00:00.041-06:00

My friend, Terri has just opened an Etsy shop. It's called The Junque Seeker, just like her blog is, and you should run over there and make it a favorite right now! She keeps adding fun and beautiful vintage stuff at great prices.

I bought some of this GORGEOUS trim fro her shop -- it's velvet with pleated satin and to die for!

So, Terri, being the kind and generous friend she is, also sent me a gift: some of the same trim in pink (squee!), lace, and a little bag of buttons!

Aren't they yummy?

Speaking of sweet friends, I received a surprise gift in the mail from another friend, Lorraine! Lorraine, who is a paper arts aficionado and has an eye for thrifty finds, blogs over at Paper Vernissage. She told me that she saw these cards while out thrifting, and thought of me immediately!

Isn't the little French looking girl the cutest?!

(She looks just like one of the buttons on my right hand sidebar,

which is what Lorraine noticed immediately.)

I am going to have so much fun with those cards.

She also sent this BUTTON PUZZLE!

I really love my online friends!

What I bought, aka Thrifty Finds

2011-10-19T20:20:00.001-06:00

So, here's what I bought at Bart's Flea Market, in Cheyenne with Suzanne (hey! that rhymes!):

It was sort of "enamel day" -- I found a lot of it!

I just thought this little kettle was so adorable,

with its mid century modern fruit bowl,

and the cute little tipped handle! It's for sale now in my Etsy shop, here.

And I kind of went crazy over the green pear and apple motif on this

heavy enamel sugar canister! That is is a signed

Georges Briard is makes it extra special.
It's for sale now in my Etsy shop, here.

This is for my friend Jeanelle; she likes larger enamel pieces lately.

The tag said, "deeply distressed" -- and they were NOT kidding!

Here's a glimpse looking down into it.

Another deeply discounted item -- the Dutch boy and girl Shawnee wishing well planter.

Discounted because it has a crack, but I liked it anyway!

And some linens:

A fun, sheer, star motif apron. Look at the tulle on the edges!
It's also for sale now in my Etsy shop, here.

A rare Verasheer scarf by Vera Neumann

Two tattered embroidered tea towels with Cowboy Kittens!

These will become decor for a pillow.

Finally, a very cute little card from ca. 1950.

I just loved the chair, and the teenaged boy who reminds me of my own.

How about you? Any thrifty finds lately?

East of Eaton, and another journey

2011-10-18T14:06:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I made quite the road trip.

Originally, Ben and I planned to go to Nebraska to see Aunt Delores, and stop to see Suzanne on the way; she lives just about halfway to my Aunt's house.

At the last minute, though, my Aunt called to say she had company and they were all sick with the flu. I didn't want to cancel my plans with Suzanne, so we decided to go ahead anyway. Then, just as we were leaving, Ben begged off, too.

So I took the 3 hour drive north alone. It was warm and sunny when I left here but it rained through Denver and then grew cold and grey as I neared Fort Collins.

But, it was okay! I listened to a book on tape on the way up there, and when I arrived Suzanne and her miniature collie, Lacy, were happy to see me!

We had coffee and Suzanne spoiled me with fresh baked banana bread and fruit; She had decorated a little bit for Halloween, for Ben -- too bad he missed it!

Don't you love going to a friend's house for the first time? Especially when it's someone you talk to often but don't get to see much -- it's so much fun to see them in their element so that you can imagine them there the next time you're apart! There were so many beautiful vignettes to see at Suzanne's house...

...like this gorgeous decorated coffee table! I have always wanted to make one like this -- and she already did it, and did it well.

Here's her Silver Bella teacup fairy.

Here I am, reflected in her buffet mirror.

No trip to Suzanne's would be complete without a visit to the hen house.

Yes -- that gorgeous little cottage is her hen house!

Aren't they beauties? (Even though they were molting.)

Suzanne and a chick.

Here's a stepping stone in Suzanne's garden I just had to take a photo of...

she's such a Bella!

I had something to do in Cheyenne, WY, which is only about 30 min. from her house.

So Suzanne drove me there. We visited one of her favorite "flea markets"

-- which is what they call their junk stores in her neck of the woods -- isn't that funny?

(I bought a few things which I'll photograph and show you tomorrow.)

Then we stopped for a late lunch at The Pie Lady!

In addition to wonderful food, it's a cute shop

decorated with vintage aprons on all the walls!

We were so chilly that we both had hot drinks and I had a wonderful,

warm meal of Swedish Meatballs.

Then, Suzanne took me to the cemetery where

my dear friend Michelle is laid to rest.

Since I didn't have the chance to go to the funeral,

it was comforting to visit her grave site. And sad, too.

By the time we got back to Suzanne's, it was evening.

So I said another goodbye,

and I started on the long drive home.

What's up in Colorado

2011-10-12T13:40:00.000-06:00

We're about in the middle of October, which means "flip flop and snowshoe" days. Here's what I mean:


last Thursday

Friday

Saturday morning

Sunday

No snow since Saturday -- it all melted by 3 pm -- but, there's snow on all the peaks as you can see and it is definitely a bit more brisk!

Ben is on Fall Break for two weeks right now, and I've been doing some freelance work for a fantastic project that I'm very excited about: it's called Operation Re-Scrap and it's all about crafting for a cause. The specific project I'm working on is a Craft & Home Decor Consignment Sale that is happening November 11-13 in the nearby town of Castle Rock.

It's been keeping me busy for the last week, and I'll be spending more hours on it between now and the event, but I'm really enjoying myself.

Is anyone else getting a hankering for Christmas crafting?

I added a few new Christmas items to my Etsy shop, and now I have Christmas on the brain!

So...what are you up to this week?

October's Collage Challenge

2011-10-10T08:45:00.000-06:00

Here's what I did with Mary's October Collage Challenge!

I went simpler this month, blending her images with two

vintage wallpapers of my own, and hand-writing a caption.

I just couldn't resist taking advantage of the comic potential here!

To see the collages others have made

click here.

Excellent ephemera

2011-10-09T21:15:00.001-06:00

I love to look through piles of old papers to find wonderful ephemera; I could do it for hours.

Above are the contents of a plastic bag I found while antiquing, which turned out to be souvenir cards someone saved from their European vacation. The graphics on some of them are just so wonderful!

Their travels also took them to New Orleans, in 1938, where their hotel room cost $3 per night.

Here's a separate piece of ephemera, also travel-related, from the 1950s; it is a customs declaration tag for items brought back from Europe.

I also bought some postcards and photos that were bargain priced at an antique store.

I find old photos so inspiring sometimes.

After I'd scored a large sale on eBay, I splurged on this postcard album.

It was almost completely full of very beautiful cards...

some rather unique, I thought...

and I love every single one!

I don't have to mention my infatuation with antique china and transferware, do I?

Here are a few of my $1 thrift store additions!

It's my policy not to indulge in cupless saucers...

but I make an exception for Minton. Now, I'm on a mission to find the mate cup!

I must say: after so many readers admired this camera...

It grew on me, too!

I'm linking up today here:

Flea Market Finds

Amazing and Generous Blogger Giveaway

2011-10-09T15:38:00.000-06:00

I have come across the most amazing and generous blogger: Liz Mathews Now, you know I'm not one to blog about giveaways unless they're my own, not unless they're really special. And this one fits that description so I had to tell you about it!

Liz is having a huge giveaway -- one in which she adds something new to the trove every day of the month! It's not too late to join in the fun and try for your chance to win. She has wonderful taste and I know you'll love what she's offering! I borrowed the above photo from her blog to show you what I mean: it's what she's assembled so far, and she'll be adding something new each day -- all for the one lucky winner. Go visit!

Curiosities Matchbox Swap

2011-10-06T09:33:00.000-06:00

I had fun doing the Petite Inspiration Box Swap Curiosities Edition sponsored by Heather; I'm not a huge fan of Halloween but I do like the black and white, gothic theme. We had to do two boxes for two different partners. My partners were JoAnne and Cassie. Here are some photos of the ones I sent:

for JoAnne


for Cassie

Here are the goodies I included for them:

I made a couple of tags

back of tags

glass and fabric buttons, baubles, and black cut outs

beadwork, lace, an antique barette, little yarn doll, and a "Tangee Rouge" antique make up tin for JoAnne

really cool old cards with Halloween-y motifs

lots of Dresden, old watch parts bottle, and vintage and antique scrap

bling, key, fountain pen nib, metal cigar label, game pieces

small ephemera repros from my originals

glitter in an antique jar, and other goodies for Cassie

cool little jar, top


a pair of cinnamon scented decorations, in a wax paper bag

I added a set of tiny cookie cutters for each of the gals -- they are so cute!

Here is the matchbox I received from JoAnne:


world's cutest matchbox with baby head!


filled with goodies!

wonderful matchbox with mirror decoration from Cassie


loads of wonderful stuff inside!

LOVE the soft gray velvet rickrack, the decorated spool, and the letter "L"

tiny decorated matchbox filled with wonderful buttons!


SWEET decorated salt shaker full of lovely beads!

If you get a chance to do a matchbox swap, I really encourage you to do so!

Gathering and hunting

2011-10-04T06:00:00.064-06:00

Over the weekend, I had a chance to get together with a few of the new, artistic ladies (aka members of my tribe) I have recently met. They all live north of me, closer to Denver. We met bright at early at Maija's house for coffee.


(Maija, me, Rachel, and Lisa)

I brought a bunch of cuff bracelets I'd been sewing that week

and everyone picked one they liked.

Maija has a beautiful home full of art she's created, or her friends have created, and a studio that made me want to pull up a chair and get to making art. But, there was shopping to do!


Maija's beautiful mini Beagles!

Our first stop was A Paris Street Market -- the last one of the season!

Fun...

fun...

and more fun!

There was a lot of cool vintage and antique stuff that I was somehow able to resist!

After APSM we rested at a restaurant over lunch.

Then, it was off to the Horsehoe Market, further north in Denver!

Here is a photo of Lisa and I, hanging out in Jeanne Oliver's booth.

(I didn't get a photo of Jeanne, darn it!)

I think you can tell by looking at me how very HOT it was by then!

Fall Schmall.

We had so much fun admiring all the handmade art,

fashion, and food. Plus wonderful vintage stuff.
It was so inspiring!

The whole day was a treat.

I hope to have many more like it!

Admitting to Autumn

2011-10-02T19:36:00.000-06:00

Okay, I admit it.

It is Fall.

I may still be running around in shorts and sleeveless shirts...

and it may be 86 degrees outside...

but, thousands of Colorado aspen trees can't be wrong!

Today, Dennis and I took a drive to the nearby mountains.

It was such a beautiful afternoon!

By the way: how do you like my leaf-peeping gear?

I bought this barn jacket at a thrift store, for $6.99.

It's by Coldwater Creek, with velvet collar and cuffs.

Not bad, huh?

I hope you're enjoying your changing seasons, too!