Indulge Your Shelf

I was reading Somerset Studio recently and saw a book that an artist made for times she needed creative inspiration.  It was so pretty that it totally inspired me to make one for myself. I really need some writing encouragement these days.  I have a selection of favorite quotes about writing that are meaningful to me, so I started there. I printed some of them out for my own writing inspiration journal.  Then, using a base of scrap booking paper and lots of paper ephemera, I collaged a bunch of pages for the quotes. I used paint, gesso, and stamps and then sealed it all with Decoupage.  I worked really quickly. The pages aren't real refined, but... they really do the trick for me! I've always loved that W. Somerset Maugham quote; I used to have it printed on my business cards!  On another page, I hand wrote one of my favorite quotes, by Unknown: Reading about writing is not writing; talking about writing is not writing; thinking about ...

Jane Austen and vintage buttons: two of my favorite things in the world! Over the last couple of days I put the two together -- along with a few more favorite things... like vintage papers and millinery -- and made some art pieces! They can be cards, tags, embellishments... displayed in a mason jar, or clipped to your inspiration board. I love them, and I hope someone else takes a liking to them, too: they are now listed in my handmade Etsy shop, Leaves and Lace .

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 journ...

Thanks to everyone who had encouraging things to say about yesterday's post.  I seldom talk about that kind of, as someone said, "keeping it real" stuff here, but I was pretty overwhelmed with the gloom.  I'm slowly snapping out of it... I was able to have some fun this week when I visited a gal who lives nearby and is an Etsian.  Her name is Amy and her shop is called Purrfection Sewing .  She makes the most incredible sweater jackets from thrift shop sweaters!  She was very friendly and fun to interview, plus I got to play with some of her 7 cats while I was at her house.  You can read the article I wrote about her here .  I'm planning to do more of those kinds of articles for examiner.com this year. I also finished up my Valentine 3 inchey swap squares for the swap, which is due next week.  I'm excited to show you the whole thing soon!  I'm working now on sewing the three incheys I got in my Silver Bella swap onto a sampler. Here'...

If you're looking for Show us your Best Handmade 2010, click here . This morning, I finished up a project I've been working on for six years total, but one year in earnest: scanning, printing, and cropping my entire family's photographic history.  I blogged about it a bit here and here . Two volumes worth: all of my parent's photos from their own history and childhoods, and all of my childhood through age 18.  I'm so happy to be finished!  What a great way to end the year. A safe, happy, fun new year to you!

I have the blahs today. I think because it's gray, foggy, and rainy. Not only that, but my son is camping nearby in the forest, where it's grayer, foggier, and raining more heavily.  I didn't sleep much last night, as I listened to the rain on the roof, and imagined my son shivering in his tent listening to the rain on the canvas.  I've resisted many urges today to drive over, pick him up, bring him home, cook him soup, and wrap him in a blanket! On the bright side, I saw the first color in my garden so far: daffodils.  They're stunted and short, but shock yellow.  A little further away my purple hyacinths are peeking up.  It's very strange that they're blooming at once, but I'll take what I can get.  (I would have taken a picture for you, but it's so cold and wet and gray out...) I have managed to do two squares on my embroidery project: A silhouette   A little house and tree (spells contentment to me...) I'm not sure whether or not...

I am so happy to have FINALLY had the time and the inspiration to work with some of the beautiful vintage BINGO cards I received for my birthday (last September!) I made two wall hangings: This one is my favorite; I used a beautiful piece of original Victorian scrap as the centerpiece. I call it "A Gentle Word." This one also has a genuine Victorian scrap on it; I also tinted one of those beautiful old doilies I had and embellished with a fun jeweled fabric button! I call it "May Your Life Be Peace." I also enjoyed getting out my sealing wax again! Click on the photo above and below to go to the wall hanging's respective listings in my Etsy shop, Twice Shy Restored !

Here are a few Valentines I made for some of my friends. I started with vintage Valentines, mounted them on a tag, and then embellished away. This one was for my friend Cathy, who loves sweet antique images like this little girl hanging hearts on the line. The fact that the image implied being out in the yard was perfect for Cathy, since our yards back to each other! Cathy likes bling, so I added some gold glitter glue around the edges of the big gold heart. I think the mother of pearl antique child-size buttons, the sheet music, and the embroidered lace were a nice touch. I used the fancy yellow trim at the bottom to pick up the color of the little girl's hair. I made this for my friend Michelle. Michelle is an artist who hails from Wyoming, and has recently moved to a new home. She's switching out her decor from cottage-style romantic to western in her new place. Thus, the little cowgirl on the card I chose for her. (As an aside: can you believe the little cowgirl ho...

I have just finished my very first hand made journal. I used the covers of a vintage reader that I bought recently for its charming vintage illustrations; here is what used to be the book's front, which I have now turned into the journal's back cover: I drew inspiration from the colors of the original book cover for the rest of the journal. Here's the journal's front: I included a tag tucked into that tiny paper bag on the front... ...which has, on its reverse, one of my business cards: Here's the inside front cover, with that fun strip of vintage wallpaper: And here's Snoopy... Wait a minute! How'd he get in there?! And finally, the back inside cover: It was fun and didn't take very long at all!