Indulge Your Shelf

In honor of the scrapbooking/stamping party I hosted last night, which was tons of fun and VERY inspiring, I wanted to show you some of my button packs. I spent quite a bit of time sorting vintage buttons into piles of similar shades and then packaged them for sale for your scrapping, collages, or other art or passion! There are 50 in each packet - at least - all different sizes! All are clean and thread-free. Here's a sampling - don't they look great arrayed on Starbucks dessert plates? These are all available right now in my Etsy store ! This one is called "Cotton Candy Mix": Then there's "The Blues": Chase those blues away with some "Sunshine"!

Well, it's getting to be the last day of January, 2009. How are you doing on those resolutions? Me, I didn't make any. I figured that, since this was the year I was going to attempt to finish two 22 week college courses in 8 weeks, that was enough of a challenge. If you're not faring so well on that list of resolutions, here's something for you: The to do list you can actually do: Hit snooze. Shampoo; rinse; repeat Forget to floss Eat a bagel Forget to put laundry in the dryer Screen phone calls Get sucked into a movie on Lifetime Put off remaining duties while reading celebrity gossip Skip Pilates Eat a burrito Get sucked into surfing around on Facebook Pick up The Story of Edgar Sawtelle on nightstand Read paragraph. Put book down. Leave eye makeup on Lights out (adapted from Real Simple magazine , back page January 2009)

...then these are the cards for you! I am the happy owner of a set of this Friday I'm In Love valentine card pack! Julia of The Spotted Sparrow has created this set of cards using antique images and the titles of '80's songs! You must see them. They will, they will rock you. Right now it's sitting in its pretty red, handmade box in this Shawnee planter, along with some vintage Valentines. Soon, though, I'm planning to clip the cards on a string of red ribbon and hang it above my desk. I can't bear to part with them by sending to friends, sorry folks. Maybe next year.

I love this pillow I made for sale in my Etsy shop ! The pillow front speaks for itself, don't you think? The fabric that frames the front and makes up the back is "Holbein" by the English Nina Campbell. My cat, Kyra, approves!

Okay, I know I can't be the only one who's still putting away their Christmas things...can I? Here's something I wanted to share before it goes in the box for next year: a couple of weeks ago I did a scrapbook of all my special Christmas ornaments. As I was decorating the tree I was enjoying putting them all on the tree, these ornaments we've been collecting since we were married 17, almost 18, years ago. They include Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments depicting a special event from the year, and also ornaments we collect whenever we travel. I got to thinking, what will happen when I'm gone? Will anyone remember why this particular ornament is a keepsake? I decided then and there that while I was on break from school I'd create an ornament scrapbook with all the stories in it. I used a small, 8 x 8 album kit which was on after-Christmas clearance at Hobby Lobby. It came with the little album, pages, some stickers, some borders, and a couple of embellishments. A...

After unseasonably warm weather for the last week or so, we've had a weekend of typical January weather. I awoke yesterday morning to that frigid, frozen landscape I know so well, with snow dusted ground, evergreen trees that look dipped in powdered sugar, bare-branched trees that appear frosted white, as well as a white, rather than blue, sky. Yesterday the sun eventually came out. Today it didn't. It snowed all day -- sometimes sparkly little flakes that blew in the wind like so much glitter, other times real snowflakes. I know this, because I was out in it all day. As part of an effort to raise money for my son and his fellow Boy Scouts to take a trip to D.C. next year, we were slated to deliver telephone books Saturday and Sunday. Little did I know when we signed on for this that it would take us two whole days of hard work in the bitter cold. Yesterday my husband delivered with my son; today it was my turn. Yep. When we began tramping around in the snow with those...

I've been sewing busily away and have piles of pillows newly listed in my Etsy store ! Here's a sneak peek: One of my favorites -- I love the fabric and how well it coordinates with the antique French pom pom trim! I couldn't resist this one; I only just found the vintage floursack dishcloth embroidered with the little girl a couple of weeks ago and it's already a pillow! If you know me, and how I hang on to linens for years sometimes before I use it for its intended project, you'd see how unusual that is! More like the one I'm giving away for One Heart One World are in the store, and, MORE TO COME!