Indulge Your Shelf

Don't you love it when you find something really cool a couple of levels down in other people's blogs, by following all those great links? Tonight I found Kari & Kijsa's blog that's doing a Pillow Parade -- how can I resist joining in? My first crazy quilt pillow... One made from a 1940's cutter tablecloth... and vintage button & trim. More tablecloth pillows... This one is from a vintage tea towel. This one's completely stuffed with lavender; it also has antique french pom pom trim on the edges. If you're new to my blog, please note that many of my pillows can be found in the coming days in my new Etsy shop, Twice Shy Restored . If you visit, please mark the store as a favorite and check back, or email me from the "Email me" link on the right sidebar for a particular pillow!

This is what's on my desk for the next few weeks and maybe even months: The plastic bins on the left contain (bottom) portraits and black and white, old family photos and (top) unsorted snapshots and Polaroids. The black box with the open lid contains packages of negatives, some with photos in them. The stack of snapshots next to it cover about 18 years. Also in the photo are my scanner, a negative storage system I bought a while back from Creative Memories, and a light board for viewing the negatives. My HP scanner is very cool because it also scans negatives. I learned it works well on the typical 35mm negs; we'll see how it does with the older, smaller formats. This project is something I committed to doing 4 years ago when my brother and I packed up the house my parents lived in for 38 years. I'm going to organize a lifetime of photos, catalog, and copy them. CDs will go to family and I'll distribute the originals wherever I see fit. After that, the scrapbooki...

I was on my own this weekend as my husband and son were on a Boy Scout camping trip. I had some business in downtown Colorado Springs Saturday, and happened upon the annual Saint Patrick's Day parade . It was a beautiful, sunny day in the high 50's - low 60's so everyone, it seems, came out to see the 6 mile parade. I started taking photos of some of the more spirited onlookers: This little doggie says, "I'm mortified." Based on the conversation we had, I think this little leprechaun had been hitting the Irish Whiskey! A flock of chickens looks on... while these horses wait patiently for their turn on the promenade. Have you ever seen so many DeLoreans in one place?! This one's my favorite. I think that little one thinks she has the best daddy in the world -- right down to his green cowboy boots!

Wow, I was very surprised and happy to learn I received The Audrey Award from Cinema Saturday for my entry in their Singin' In the Rain creative challenge! I'm such a huge Audrey Hepburn fan - this little square is never leaving my blog!

Here's my very first ever Thursday Thunks : 1. You are walking down the road and you look down. There is a bug. Do you step on it? No. I only kill bugs if they're in my house - not when I'm in theirs. 2. What is one fantasy that you want to come true more than any other? This isn't as easy to answer as it seems. If I say I want to win the lottery and I don't say I want world peace, am I selfish or just honest? 3. Someone knocks on your door. Do you look out the window to see who it is before you open it? Do you open it regardless of who it is? I look out my peephole before opening it and if I don't know them, I don't open it at all. I talk through the door. You wouldn't believe how much this offends some people! 4. Have you ever eaten Play Doh? Yes, when I was a child. It's salty. 5. What was your favorite Saturday morning cartoon as a child and why? I loved the Schoolhouse Rock songs in between the shows! I am a nerd. 6. Are you a "peopl...

I have finally had an opportunity to create something for a Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge ! The theme this time was "Singin' In the Rain" and you had to include an element of water in your creation. For this collage, I was inspired by the outfits Debbie Reynolds wore in the movie, so I used this image from a reproduction vintage postcard. Lydia will probably recognize the music paper I included as her umbrella (wink!) My "water" elements are the blue dotted paper which looked like dots, the crystal flower "rain drops" and the sheer, pale blue ribbon running down the side. I thought the arrangements of splatters of "water" by her feet and at the bottom gave the piece a lot of movement = dance! I absolutely LOVE this movie. My father was a big fan of that era of film and I always remember watching those musical movies with him on Saturday afternoons! I think he would have liked to be Gene Kelly in another life. That was fun! It...

My deadline for finishing up classes is quickly approaching, but I'm in very good shape for finishing on time so I've been taking short, creative breaks in between. Here are a few fun little projects I've been working on. My fledgling Etsy shop, Twice Shy Restored , hasn't had its first sale yet which is not unexpected since it is practically still empty! So, I thought I'd make up some very inexpensive little goodies to list. These are packets of trims, mostly vintage, some with buttons thrown in, that people could buy to use or just to have around. They would look cute in a basket or on a sewing table, or bulletin board. They could even be tucked into an Easter basket, or favors for a crafting or scrap booking party! I also stitched some button cards, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them yet. Any suggestions?