Junque Rethunque

Who you callin' GRANNY???

2012-01-10T21:20:00.000-08:00

An old friend (as old as me, in fact) recently commented on a photo I posted on Facebook, saying "You've really got this granny gig down, don't you?" It was this picture of a great set of vintage canisters I put in my flea market booth this weekend...

Now, this friend is a male. And, he is an admitted arrogant smart-ass. But even so, it occurred to me while responding to him that he's probably not the only person out there who maybe doesn't really comprehend how brilliant it is to buy 2nd-hand and use "granny" stuff instead of buying whatever Pottery Barn and Target are selling this week. Kind of suits my "refuse to follow trends" inclinations. Except, there does seem to be a pretty big group of people out there who love the same non-trendy stuff I do. If we all love it, does it mean it's a trend??

I may not be making my own bread or canning my own veggies like my Grandmother Whillock did, but I do furnish my home with a lot of stuff found at second-hand stores, yard sales and even curbs. My first dumpster-diving experience was with my Grandma when I was probably around 10 years old. We were driving along one afternoon when Grandma spotted a great set of rattan furniture - a couch and love seat I think - sitting next to a dumpster. I don't remember details... did she have rope in the car, or did we go home and get it? But somehow, we got that set up on the roof and hauled it home for my aunt's new apartment.

My mom didn't really shop in thrift stores or hit yard sales when I was younger, but as I got older we enjoyed hunting flea markets and junk shops together. I think the biggest thrifty genes just skipped a generation, because I definitely got a bunch of 'em! I'm all about getting something at a great price, and turning something a little less than perfect into something brilliant. It was our love for finding a diamond in the rough and imagining what it could be that made us start our business, Junque Rethunque, that my sister and I are carrying on together.

So go ahead and call me Granny, my friend. I'm fine with saving hundreds of dollars and will continue to believe I'm doing my part to save the planet at the same time.

My Name is Laurie... and I'm a Hoarder

2011-12-22T20:27:00.000-08:00

Okay, maybe that's a little extreme. I'm not really a hoarder in the true, psychological sense of the word. But I have realized that I could very easily get there if I don't start USING some of the great things I've been buying and putting aside to make awesome stuff with.

Here's how it works...
1. I stop by a thrift store/yard sale/estate auction during lunch/after work/on a weekend.
2. I find a Sweet Treasure that others have passed up and I know is a brilliant piece of awesomeness.
3. I take it home and stash it in my craft room, after staring at it for a bit and doing a happy dance about the amazing things I know I can make with it.

Here's where the problem comes in...

That Sweet Treasure will sit in a basket, languish in a drawer, or just remain piled on a shelf... taunting me. It says "I thought you loved me! I thought you boasted about finding me on Twitter! I thought you commented on images on Pinterest about how you were going to make Amazing Creations with me! What happened??"

Busted...
I am a hoarder of Sweet Treasures that have the potential to be Amazing Creations... and which I am afraid to use.

I love the thrill of the hunt. I love the excitement of finding something and watching a dozen awesome ideas scroll through my mind's eye. But then I freeze up. I am afraid that when I cut into that sheet music, or use that vintage photo, or restyle that vintage pom-pom fringe, the Sweet Treasure will be gone. I wonder if I will ever find one like it again.

What I think needs to happen is that I need to just jump in and get busy... when I get some creations made I'll feel better about using the treasures I find. I have to remember that there will always be Sweet Treasures to be found. I have had a good eye thus far, so what's keeping me from thinking that the luck will continue, you know?

And, if I only get a few items made out of each Sweet Treasure, well that makes them more valuable. Everyone loves a one-of-a-kind! And I am an easily distracted creator anyway... so having a need to find new things to create won't be a bad thing. I'm sure that if I just get started I can be cranking out stuff as cute as Miss Mustard Seed in no time! (Look at that garland on her tree!!)

I'm going to have many days over the holiday break to spend organizing my vintage and craft stash, and I plan to get some creating done as well. I'll report on the results.

Happy holidays everyone!!!

Holiday time!

2011-12-01T07:32:00.000-08:00

It's December 1st, so it seems appropriate to turn the talk to things that sparkle and smell like cinnamon and evergreens. Or, if you're me, the things I keep in that storage closet in my house that has never lost the New Carpet Smell. I look forward to digging out the things that I or my family have made over the years to decorate for Christmas... something about the season just makes me more sentimental than, say, July 4th.

One of my favorite things to put up is a advent calendar that my mom made for me when my first child was small, a replica (mostly) of the one she made when I was little and which hung in our house during December every year. My siblings and I eagerly awaited our turn to pick an ornament from the selection and put it on the tree each day, counting down to Christmas eve. Except for Erin... she was practically an only child by the time she was 7 since the rest of us were "all grown up", so she got to put ALL the ornaments on. Lucky. She also got to design the Halloween Jack-O-Lantern all by herself... unlike we Original Three, who had to actually compete to see who got to have their brilliant artistic stylings carved into the gourd. I believe it's due to the emotional scarring those Halloween contests left on my psyche that I buy all three of my kids pumpkins at Halloween... I mean, they're only $4.00 each, right???

Oh, sorry... got off track a little... breathe...

So, back to the calendar... each little ornament is made from several colors of felt, and adorned with sequins and beads and tiny little woven trims. So ~~tedious~~ detailed! There are wise men and angels and snowmen, candy canes, stockings, a candle... pretty much anything you would associate with the season. You can imagine how excited I was when, while sorting through mom's belongings after she died, I found a plastic bag full of felt scraps, trims, and tiny little patterns for the advent tree ornaments! My oldest daughter has a little girl now, and it won't be long before I'll have to make time to create a calendar for her. I'm not sure if I'll recreate it exactly, or put my own spin on it by using some vintage fabrics... I guess I'll ask her what she prefers.

Along with the holiday decorating traditions, I'm also trying to "shop small" this year. I purchased a couple of things online, but from small independent companies, and I have been making lists of things I want to get for others that can be found locally and (hopefully) from small businesses. A perfect opportunity to get some things knocked off my list will be at the many holiday markets happening near me this weekend.

I'm a vendor at a new craft show, The Little Craft Show, happening at Vintage Fellowship in Fayetteville on Saturday, so you know I'll be checking out the awesomeness there. It's a small event with 25 local folks selling handmade goodies, vintage treasures, and also some yummy treats and music. Come out and help make it an annual affair! If you can't be there this weekend, take a short trip over to Tulsa on the 17th to The Alliday Show. There will be more handmade and vintage vendors there, and I'm thrilled to be able to be a part of it this year.

There is also the annual Holiday Market at the Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks happening Saturday, which features crafters and others from the Fayetteville Farmers' Market. There will be fresh greenery for decorating, handmade pottery, soaps, and more for giving, and probably a few things that you may need to just stick under the tree for yourself.

Take some time to get your hands busy this year and make something special to decorate your home, or for the people on your gift list. Or, support local folks by buying what they made instead. The handmade things you pull out of the closet each year will become your favorite things to put on the entry table or mantle, I promise.

Good grief.

2011-09-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday, and I have several projects that have to be addressed this week, and I sat for 2 hours on my derrier watching a movie with my daughter tonight. Not the most productive way to spend precious non-grandbaby-sitting time, to be sure. But I tell myself that I still have time left in the week. Hope springs eternal, right?

One project has to be completed by Thursday, so not as much time left there... it's a 5x5" art piece for a fundraiser held by the Arts Center of the Ozarks. I am excited about making it, and I have been putting some ideas together in my head, but the hangup is that I can't find the canvas to actually make art on. I know I brought it home... lord help me and my messy house. I may just have to suck it up and go pay for a new one. It's only $10, so I figure I can skip a couple of lunches. Not that that's a bad idea on any given day! The piece I'm planning involves stichery and vintage fabric and maybe some gesso and spray glitter for good measure. We'll see how it turns out... I'll post pics.

One of the other projects for this week is for Girlfriendology - a website where I've been named one of their latest "Girlfriend Gurus". My thing is going to be creating thrifty decorating ideas. The first is a vintage chair that's going to become a planter for the patio or front porch. I have this adorable chair I drug home from my mom's place after we had the final sale there, and all I need is an hour and some supplies. I will be taking pics as I go and describing the whole project in a post on their site. They asked to get it by mid-month, and tomorrow is the 14th... I'm cutting it close. I'm going to work on it Saturday afternoon. I considered painting the chair, but the more I look at it, the more perfect it seems to be. The rung on the front has been worn bare by feet... just so sweet! Hopefully I'll be able to find some decent plants to put in it at this time of year.

Finally, I am needing to spend some quality time with a dust-rag and vacuum cleaner. I have my book club coming over Sunday afternoon, and the house needs a complete de-clutter. We still have furniture and boxes and such in the den that will eventually go in the Hubster's music room (oh yeah, the baseboards are also on my list...) but if surfaces are just clean I'll be happy.

Wish me luck - and send me some extra time on the clock!!

We have a (lucky!!) winner!

2011-09-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

So.... I didn't have use a random number generator or anything to determine the winner of my first blog giveaway. Apparently this blog is not nearly as popular as ThriftyDecorChick or FunkyJunkInteriors... :) But I do appreciate each of you five who skipped over here to read my post, browse CraftGossip.com and tell us what your favorite project was! It really is a neat site, don't you think?? The Hubster drew a number from a jar, and he even closed his eyes first. It was completely fair, I promise.

First, I'll share the loot list:

(Everything is from ek success brands... but they have several brands under that umbrella)

set of K&Company Brenda Walton gauze flowers
set of K&Company Brenda Walton floral tags with metal edges
set of K&Company Life's Little Occasions' fall themed stickers
a sweet Jolee's Boutique 3-D "mon amour" sticker set
neon-colored hippie-style Sticko gel stickers
Vol. 1 of Martha Stewart Crafts' Party Essentials craft guide
Blingy set of Martha Stewart Crafts' wine-bottle labels for personalizing gifts
an ek success edge puncher with a lovely scroll/wave design..

WOW!!!

And the winner is......

Julie of "bright little buttons"!

Congrats, Julie!! I'll be in touch!

I also want to just tell you a little about the workshop... those few of you who are reading. hehe...

It's never a bad day when a road trip with my sister is involved, so I'll just put that out there. We got to Little Rock a little early, and didn't want to be goobs and arrive before the registration table was even set up, so we decided it was a must to follow a few yard sale signs... I picked up a couple of cute little milkglass jars for my collection that only cost me $.25 cents each. I use them next to my bathroom sink to hold cuticle doo-dads and jewelry and such. Erin picked up some glass candle sticks that will soon become beautiful dessert stands.

After another not-so-great yard sale stop, we spotted an estate sale sign and, obviously, we had to go. I have been to some estate sales. And I've seen some collections. But this house was absolutely A.MAY.ZING. The woman running the show told us that the lady who owned the home had been an antique dealer, and that explained everything. Every single room in her home housed a collection of some kind. The overwhelming theme was primitives and colonial antiques. There were even stencils of pineapples around the tops of the walls. She collected so many different things - everything from period furniture, to dollhouse furniture to framed silhouette art to antique needlepoint and cross-stitch samplers. Basically, anything that was published in Country Living Magazine between 1980-1985 was in this house. While that style is not MY style, the sheer mass, and the obvious love that this woman had for her collections was humbling and impressive. We didn't buy much, because everything was priced appropriately (read = not in my budget). I did pick up a couple of vintage black and white snapshots and a book called Arkansas Folkways that I think will be fun to do something with.

We finally tore ourselves away and got to the workshop just as the organizers were introducing themselves. We ate some tasty lunch and went around the room and introduced ourselves, and then the fun began...

We all got split up to sit with bloggers we haven't met and each table was tasked with creating a fancy top hat using some crafty items spread out on a table. Our table selected a Mardi Gras theme based on the colors of some plastic beads that were available, and we won! The judge said it was the little mask that we added that put it over the top, and I'm kind of proud to say that it was my idea. That's right, I'm tooting my own horn - what of it?

Next we each got a little kit to play with and went to work creating fabric flowers. We used a Laliberi kit that contains enough supplies to make at least 6 flowers. You can make them into pins or hair pins, or rig them to be both. I made one teal flower and it was super-easy and quick to make. The directions have illustrations included, which made it a snap to figure out.

After we all completed our flowers we were free to pick up the swag bags and start going through them. Listen, when they said we got some great stuff, they were NOT exaggerating!!! HOLY COW! They crammed a string bag full of stuff, and had to put the overflow in a grocery bag. There were 20 bloggers there, and those bags contained at least $200 worth of supplies and goodies. I was beyond impressed with CraftGossip's support of their bloggers and editors!

Some of the items in the bags will be used right away - like the eyelet paper balls from Martha Stewart Crafts that will be hanging in my grand-daughter's room within the week, and some stickers and permanent pens that will be used to create a piece of art on canvas that I am making this week as well. I am more of a sewer and repurposer than a traditional "crafter", so I will be putting my thinking cap on to figure out ways to use some of the items in the bag. For example, there were lots of lovely scrapbooking bits like 3-D stickers and paper punches that I am going to figure out how to incorporate in some mixed-media art and/or on some repurposed picture frames. But I actually think that's more fun - anyone can just slap some stickers on a scrap book page - but what ELSE can you do with it?? :)

Before we headed home we stopped by a vintage mall one of our friends in Little Rock recommended, and we found some fun things. My favorite was this table-top card catalog. It had just come in that morning, so it was meant to be mine! Unfortunately, someone had refinished it - probably to make it more "sophisticated" with the dark stain and all - but I'm planning to paint it and use it in my sewing room to hold ribbons, notions and such.


Isn't it sweet!?

Dinner at Star of India was as good as always, and the drive home flew by. I'm looking forward to sharing some of the projects I come up with here in the next couple of months. Hope you enjoy the pics - and come back to visit!

Who wants a treat??

2011-09-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

I'm excited about a little road trip I'll be taking with my sister this Saturday! We have some awesome friends in Little Rock who are editors for a website called Craft Gossip, and they invited us to an "invitation only" blogger event. Not only will we be hanging out with some very creative and mighty funny women, but we'll also be eating tasty lunch at Trio's, playing with crafty kits and supplies, and bringing home some swag bags that include items from craft lines like Martha Stewart, Dimensions, and American Girl.

What's the catch? Stoopid easy: we have to blog about our day and the products we use. Uh, whuuuut??? Don't hate me because I have better friends than you... ;)

You may be asking how this little trip of mine makes its way into a treat for you? Becaaaaaause... I'm going to pick a few goodies out of my swag bag to share, of course! Here's the deal - go to Craft Gossip's website and take a look around. Come back and share your favorite project or post or hint with the rest of us. There is a TON to choose from. No matter what kind of crafting you like best, you'll probably find it on Craft Gossip. Feel free to share this giveaway on your own blog, or with your Facebook friends, whoever you like! The more the merrier!

I'll report on the workshop this weekend, and will announce the winner Monday.

See you this weekend!

I'm a Guru!

2011-08-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

Around my office there are a few people who choose to call me a Social Media Guru. I looked up the definition of "guru"...

1. Hinduism & Tibetan Buddhism A personal spiritual teacher.

2. a. A teacher and guide in spiritual and philosophical matters.

b. A trusted counselor and adviser; a mentor.

a. A recognized leader in a field: the guru of high finance.

b. An acknowledged and influential advocate, as of a movement or idea: "In a culture that worships slimness, he was the Guru of Lean" (Erica Abeel).

I am fairly confident that I'm not looked upon as any kind of spiritual leader, unless social media and online networking could be seen as a spiritual journey. I suppose that for some, it is... but anywhooo, that's not what my co-workers are talking about, I'm sure. Although... I did round up a few to go with me to see the Dalai Lama this spring... hmmm... Okay, no, probably not.

Instead, I'm thinking 2.b. is possible, or, on a very small scale (i.e. my office) 3.a. is more likely. I manage the Facebook page, Twitter account, electronic newsletter distribution, and weekly blog for my employer, and based on my level of understanding of social media functions and analytics, I guess I am comfortable being called a Guru. I kind of dig Goddess a little more, truth be told...

But all that is irrelevant, really, to the Guru status that has now been afforded me by a completely new group of people. I follow a website called Girlfriendology that is aimed at - you guessed it - women. It's a place to find advice on everything, articles, chat forums... all just for women. (They will actually delete requests for membership from men.) The other day I saw in their Twitter feed that they were looking for guest bloggers. Well, you know me, I don't pass up an opportunity for fame and fortune! I read through the requirements and decided that I'd rather ask them more about the Girlfriend Guru program than guest blogging...so, I sent in a propopsal. You see, a Girlfriend Guru is someone who, as the definition implies, is an expert at something and writes regular blog posts about that thing they are expert in. I do feel I am an expert in a LOT of things... and I like to write, soooo....

I tossed them the idea of letting me write a monthly column that offers DIY tips and projects centered around decorating with rethunque junque (clever, no??). One project a month, and I'll take photos and walk the readers step-by-step through the projects from start to finish. The way I see it, this endeavor will kill two birds with one VERY large stone. I'll get more of my writing out there AND I'll get a ton of projects that are waiting in my garage DONE. MAJOR Win/Win. My husband would like to do a happy dance, but he's playing it cool.

I've sent a few ideas to them to post on their Facebook page to let fans vote on; four ideas for my first project that I could tackle over the next few weeks. I'm really excited about this new thing... I need a bit more focus for my writing and my project-completion, so even though this is a pro-bono thing (okay, that's a bummer), it's going to be a great addition to the resume and it will get some space cleared in my garage. Not a bad trade-off. Plus, how could I pass up the opportunity to post another awesome orange badge on my blog??

Head over to Girlfriendology yourself, sign up, and tell them I sent you. Then be sure to check back to read my posts and get some great DIY ideas!

Crazy times.

2011-08-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

I am so envious of those awesome bloggers that I follow who blog every day. I realize that most of them are running decorating or design businesses, and that they make updating their blog part of their daily work schedule. I realize that I work outside my home for 8 hours a day and that makes doing a daily update a little more difficult. But given the fact that this blog hasn't been updated since early July, I still feel like a ridiculous slacker. But enough whining...

So, my sister and I had an aMAYzing trip to Chicago!! The DMB Caravan was out of this world. So worth the trip, even with the dirt (see below...) and heat and crazy people. Dave and crew presented completely different concerts each of the three nights - and the other bands on the schedule didn't disappoint at all. Some favorites: Gomez, David Gray, Tim Reynolds, Ray LaMontagne, and Michael Franti. The festival food was even yummy AND priced reasonably. We discovered a food company called .evol that made really, really yummy little burritos (and we didn't even have the munchies!). They were handing them out for free, and we had more than one each. Maybe more than two... I think they sell their products at Whole Foods, and they're worth looking for.

Of course, we had to do some treasure-hunting on the way to and from Chicago. Let me tell you, the flea markets and antique malls between here and there did NOT disappoint. We were bummed that we only had a trunk and not a truck or even a covered trailer to fill up. Next time... We brought home some lovely things for ourselves and for sharing with our fans, and have plans to make a road trip every few months to bring back some things that we just don't find around here very often.

On the way back we stopped at a flea market called The Pink Elephant that not only added to our stash in the car, but also had a little ice cream stand outside that was worth stopping for in and of itself.

Today we stopped by a little shop called Red Hill Gallery owned by a great couple of ladies in Fayetteville. We have been wanting to sell some Junque Rethunque things there for a while, and finally talked seriously about it. Erin left some of her upcycled dessert/cake plates for them to sell, and I have been asked to create some buntings and other items out of vintage fabrics. After spending about an hour with sweet Cari, we are both really excited about creating some new things and getting the Junque Rethunque brand in front of more people.

"Awwww...." moment: While talking to a friend of ours today we mentioned not having spent any time together since the road trip and needing some "sister time". Our friend said that she is the opposite when it comes to her sister - that she's usually ready to get away from her. I'm so glad that I can say that my sister and I truly don't feel that way at all. We share so many interests, we have so much to talk about, and we have so many things that we want to do together... siblings like that are truly a wonderful thing. I'm so thankful to have brothers and a sister that I would like to spend more time with, not less.

So, did anyone get in on the action at the Bargains Galore on 64 this weekend? We had hoped to go check it out, but just didn't make it. There's always next year... If you went, what fun things did you find??

ROAD TRIP!!!!!

2011-07-05T22:03:00.000-07:00

That's right folks! I'm making a list and checking it twice and cleaning out the cooler and stocking up on Doritos and getting ready for a road trip with my sister to see Dave Matthews Band and a craptastic* AMAZING lineup of bands at the DMB Caravan in Chicago this weekend.

I heart Dave ------->

What, you may ask, has this to do with junqueing? Well if you're asking that question, you are not a true fan of junqueing. Those of you who are saying "Hell, yeah!!!" know what's what. Our road trip will take us up through Missouri and into southern Illinois, and will take about 10 hours. You know that 10 hours on the road means 10 hours of scouting the roadsides for crusty, overwhelmingly junky flea markets and antique malls that call like sirens to those of us who make a hobby or living out of finding unwanted junque and giving it the love it deserves.

My sister and I have been doing stoopid little happy dances for the last couple of weeks when either of us mention the trip to the other. She was busy getting an oil change and cleaning out her car today and allegedly making a mix tape (shut up - it will also be a mix tape to me!!!). I'm making a list of stuff to take so my poor old decrepit brain doesn't forget anything important (like the Doritos). We're both anticipating not sleeping much tomorrow night as we await the alarm clock telling us it's time to hit the road.

Look for pictures and retellings of our adventures. I'm sure I'll have a few things to share.

* my sister, who is obviously a lot smarter than me, pointed out that the definition of "craptastic" is exactly the opposite of my feelings of delight and eager anticipation for the bands we're going to see this weekend. I can only claim ignorance and a very late night in my defense.

A cleaning proverb, a sweet chair and a table with potential.

2011-05-15T20:47:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of amazed at myself today. I spent a solid 8 hours cleaning and organizing the garage and carport, and my poor old 45 year old body is now letting me know that it may have been a bad idea. I disagree. I might be ~~a little~~ really sore tomorrow, but by god, I have SPACE in my garage again!

I know everyone has messy garages, but ours had gotten pretty ridiculous. It's not just the boxes and boxes of things that I brought home from my mother's house over the last year. (sisters' sorting parties are in the works!) Those are definitely taking up a lot of space, but the other issue that is more frustrating is the lack of interest that my better-half seems to have in putting things where they belong.

He's a pile-maker, if you know what I mean. You know, why walk five more steps and open a drawer to put away the glue and screwdriver you just used when you can just put it here on the kitchen island? Or, an example from today... AFTER I'd spent hours and hours cleaning!!!... after playing with the grand-cuteness outside I'll just pile this blanket and these toys here on this table on the carport instead of putting the toys back in the box 10 feet away and leaving the blanket in the laundry room on my way into the house. Yeah, you know what I mean.

So I heartlessly threw stuff in the trash all day, I put stuff in the attic, I put like things together and organized them, I listed a ton of stuff on Craigslist.com... and at the end of the day I have some space in the garage again. Awesome. I feel lighter.

And as a bonus, I pulled out this sweet chair that I brought home from my mom's a couple of weeks ago and cleaned her up. It was in the workshop that mom and I had been using as our "this has potential!!" storage area, and I just couldn't leave it behind.

It's missing a couple of cross-braces between the legs, and obviously a seat. It was filthy to start with, but as you can see it cleaned up pretty well. The plan is to staple some nylon window screen into the seat so that it can be planted with some annuals and put on someone's porch. Adorable!

How cool is it that you can see where the rungs in the front are worn from someone's little feet resting there? I love stuff like that.

I also pulled this table out and gave it a second look. It is too colonial for my taste, but it was a freebie on the curb I picked up a while back. The top was hinged so that you could store stuff in it, but where it hinged didn't allow for it to open enough for it to be really useful. It would be hard to find stuff back in there, you know? I thought about just putting it on MY curb... then I thought again. I grabbed my rubber mallet and started giving it some whacks, and eventually it was topless.

Definitely better... of course that's when I saw that the top wasn't just glued in, but actually had screws in it. I was too impatient to discover this pre-whacking...

No damage done, however. I'm thinking it would be a great display table with a small window or even just a piece of glass placed over the top. Ideas? What do you think??

So I was thinking...

2011-04-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

I've been reading a lot of blogs lately that primarily cover home decorating and renovation. There is a great "home tour" this week at Poppies at Play that has been a lot of fun to follow. Not only am I getting a great list of ideas for future repurposing projects to create for my business, Junque Rethunque, but I'm also getting ideas for my own home.

This, for example, is the answer to what to do with my vintage umbrella table (found it here). How awesome is that??? I seriously have this exact same table sitting at my mom's house waiting for me to bring it home. I also considered painting a facsimile of a vintage souvenir plate on it... that's still being decided.

Which led me to think "what if I start blogging about my own home redecorating projects?" I live in a traditional sprawling ranch built in the 1960s and have a great pile of projects to complete. I also write. And I have a camera.... Luckily, there was a fire that resulted in some folks buying the house and remodeling the parts we as buyers most wanted remodeled - the master suite, laundry room and kitchen. Also fortunate (in my opinion) is the fact that the guest bath is still stuck in the 60s and the exterior was not affected at all.

While the homes in the blog tour I mentioned are all leaning heavily toward shabby chic and cottage style like this great look from Funky junk Interiors - which I do love - I would say my own favorite look is more of a eclectic mix, and includes more color than most of the blogs I've seen so far. These women are, as a group, keeping Heirloom White at the top of the paint colors charts. :)

My home is decorated with a mix of antique furniture with flea market and curbside finds, modern/contemporary furniture, and retro accessories like lamps that harken back to the original build date of the house. We also have a lot more color on the walls than most shabby chic styles use. However, I have been rethinking that last bit...

So I believe there may be room for yet another blog that shares images and ideas for decorating. Now, to start getting some "before" pics taken and some projects started. There is already a long list... and I have a feeling it will only get longer.

The niche is shrinking!

2011-02-19T18:20:00.000-08:00

A while back, I shared my wish for a little shop. A little corner where I could stock with lovely handmade items (mine and other artists and crafters I love), vintage finds, and repurposed items. I don't think it's uncommon for creatives who decide to start selling the results of their crafting to the masses to eventually at least think about what owning a little shop would be like. Or maybe I'm a little off my gourd. But whatever.

My sister and I have started (or re-started to be more accurate) a business and rented out space at a local flea market to test the waters. We have paid for our second month's rent with the sales of the first month - which is great - but the space still doesn't really suit our vibe. We need to punch up the color and have decided that covering the walls with white burlap will be just the ticket. It will lighten the space a lot, but it's forgiving if we hammer a few nails through it to hang things on the wall. We also need to come up with a logo, get some rubber stamps made, create a packaging plan for the things we make ourselves... a little at a time.

Our original idea was to experiment with our ideas in the booth, with an eye on the possibility of opening a stand alone shop someday.

Fast forward to this week. We found out about YET ANOTHER boutique recently opened in our area that seems to have the vibe and viewpoint that our non-existent shop would have. It sells vintage finds, repurposed goods, handmade art and homegoods...

SCREEEEAM!!!

My sister went by today and checked out the evil competitors who are stealing our dream. She found the new shop to be awesome. It's run by two delightful, creative women, and too perfect and lovely for us to hate.

*sigh*

So... we're rethinking our plan now. Instead of opening our own shop, we're thinking that we need to focus on production. We can still sell vintage finds in our Etsy shop, but we can get our brand put together and wholesale our creations in OTHER people's shops. No overhead, no employees or payroll, no working weekends. Kind of a win-win, right? As long as we find the right shop, a shop that looks like what we would make our own shop look like...

So, updates will be forthcoming. But until then, if you are hanging out in Northwest Arkansas do visit Red Hill Gallery & Homewares and let us know what you think. Tell them Laurie and Erin sent you. :)

Bedding! And eventually drapes.

2011-01-30T20:33:00.000-08:00

Got the bed and the go-ahead to "do what I want" in the master bedroom. Awesome! But the queen-sized duvet was barely stretching from one edge of the mattress to the other. Not awesome. So it was time to look for a comforter or quilt.

Criteria:

goes with purple

not too formal

has to be a bargain

I want our bedroom to be light-hearted and whimsical, but not too "girlie". Florals are not completely out of the picture, they just can't be frou-frou. Don't want to freak the Hubster out the first time he gives me free reign...

Here are some things I'm loving:

these gorgeous prints are from mincingmockingbird.etsy.com

and these fluffy beauties are from PierOne.com

I thought these might look okay with purple walls. But still wasn't sure. Then a miracle happened. Hubster told me he might be okay to lose the purple. Hallelujah!

New Criteria:

~~goes with purple~~

not too formal

has to be a bargain

After looking at a ton of websites and several stores, I wandered into TJ Maxx recently and happened to find a HUGE home sale! I was thinking of trying a spa feel with a cream or white blanket, and these would have worked:

But they weren't the most colorful options. And I can change the wall color now, remember?? Then... I found this:

It's not as light blue as it looks here. More of a dusky blue/green. The flowers are made of ribbon, and there's not a ton of them, so it should fit the criteria of "not too girlie". And the best part - it was a whopping $49.00 for a king-sized comforter and two shams! I even sprung for a great little green pillow to match the leaves... :) (Obviously, someone needs to add king-sized pillows to her shopping list.)

Now I have to decide on drapery fabric... you can see that the window right above the bed is about four feet off the floor. I'll take the drapes from ceiling to floor to create a bigger impact, but probably won't make them go all the way across - sheers or some shutters or blinds will work for privacy. So this is what I'm thinking...

Your thoughts?

Mine, All MINE!!!

2011-01-10T14:09:00.000-08:00

Maniacal laughter? Yes! Happy dance? Yes! Things are about to get interesting in my bedroom!

As a friend on Twitter pointed out... that kind of comment can be taken one of two ways. My intent is HGTV-interesting, not Playboy-interesting. Just so we're clear. (thanks @TomRedwine!)

My husband commented this weekend - sort of offhandedly I thought, given the gravity of the moment - that I can do whatever I want when I am making decorating choices for our bedroom. You may nod your head in when I tell you I got a little light-headed with joy, and had to ask if I'd heard him correctly. Thank god I was already sitting down.

We have lived in our house since 2006. When we moved in we painted a few walls and uninstalled a large chandelier in the dining room to replace it with a projection system. That's about it. Now, it's not like I don't have plans. My plans are AMAZING! But things have been a little nuts for the last few years, and those amazing plans haven't quite come together.

Part of the reason for the delay rests in the fact that Hubster and I don't always see eye-to-eye on decorating. He likes intense colors and knick-knacks that play around in the Gothic realm, just this side of weird. We both like the terms "Unique" and "Interesting" used on a metaphorical mood-board, but I prefer to also include "Attractive", you know what I mean? Unique for the sake of being Unique just doesn't cut it for me.

Thankfully, a change in Hubster's attitudes toward decorating has occurred, and I can only assume that I have HGTV to thank. Over the last few years Hubster and I have watched HGTV together, and I believe the shows have begun to turn him. He has started to appreciate the beauty of re-purposing furniture (and other items) to give it new use, and he can see the value of finding things that can serve a different purpose than originally intended. I think that Candice Olson and Genevieve Gorder have also proven that soft colors and even florals can be used in a way that is not too prissy and girlie. Lucky for Hubster, I at least have his interests in mind... if not in the forefront of my decision making.

More on the inspirations I'm thinking about later... for now - here's what I am working with so far:

Grape walls, extremely white molding and ceiling, and a crazy deal of a bed from a local thrift store - king size Henkle Harris WITH the mattress set: $1,000. I know - stupid, right??? There was no way this was not coming home with me! (sorry for the crappy pic - it's from my phone. I'll put up a better one later.)

I'm working with a very large room, a lot of purple, and a mid-60s ranch style house with these funky windows halfway up the wall... as I said, things are about to get interesting!

Sometimes I dream...

2010-09-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

of having a little shop. A small brick-n-mortar storefront with a big front porch. I would sell vintage and re-purposed furniture and decor items... goodies that I currently pile in my garage, or just have to pass up because I can't own it all.

I would sell creative, beautiful indie art and crafts, made by local and almost local artisans. I would decorate and stage my shop by creating little vignettes throughout the shop, and sew up slipcovers and curtains out of vintage tablecloths and tea towels.

I would provide baskets and vintage market carts for my buyers to use to carry their goodies. Because they wouldn't be able to buy just one item!

I would plant a garden of herbs and hostas and lovely flowers. I would place vintage statuary and handmade stepping stones in it, along with some metal gliders and perhaps a porch swing... or maybe that should be on the porch? A little quiet reflection in the middle of a day is never a bad thing. For buyers or sellers. In the fall, I would divide my hostas and give some to my buyers. In the summer, I would include a little bag of fresh herbs for every visitor.

My front door would be painted turqouise. A yellow ceiling would brighten up the inside, but the walls would be a lovely shade of eggshell white. However, this would look pretty amazing too...

Seller's Remorse

2010-09-02T07:06:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my sister and I (have you met my sister? She's awesome!) had a spectacular and exhausting estate sale at our mother's house. My grandfather built the place, and mom bought it about five years ago. She died last fall, so we've had the house on the market and need to get it sold. Before that can happen though, we needed to get things cleaned out. We've spent time out there over the last year going through the things in the house, cleaning out cabinets and closets, and deciding what's going to be kept and what's not. It was a long, but not as emotional as I expected, process.

In the end, we spent a couple of long evenings tagging and organizing and staging the things that were going to be sold, and had a line of eager buyers queuing up outside when we opened the doors Friday morning. By the end of the first day, almost all of the large furniture pieces were sold and gone. The second day all of the remaining furniture sold, except this dresser and a few antique beds. I think we had them priced right - the challenge is to sell full-sized beds. Most people seemed to be looking for queen-sized.

We can post what's left on our local Craig's List, but I may just store the beds until I have guest rooms to put one or two in. And the dresser may come home with me as well. We'll see... I already have several things set aside to keep, including this table. It was in our house since I was a kid, and it's perfect for a corner of my living room. I'll cover it with picture frames full of smiling faces of my family.

Even with the things we're keeping, I keep thinking of a few things we sold that I wish I had kept. There was this gate leg table, for example. I had no use for it and no idea where I would use it, so it was priced and sold. Then I saw a spread in the October issue of Country Living where a very similar table was being used as the breakfast table in the kitchen and thought "dammit! I could have had that table!" Not to mention, I'm sure the price we put on it was a bargain. But we wanted to get stuff out, not make a fortune.

Then there was the dining room table my grandfather built, which I didn't get a picture of, unfortunately. It had a narrow middle-section, two large drop-leaves on either side held on with piano hinges, and mortise-jointed legs. I remember hearing conversation about the hinges when I was younger, how they were difficult to do well and how great the table turned out. And we sold it. I do appreciate that the man who bought it was also a woodworker like my grandfather, and he seemed impressed to hear that my grandfather made it. That's how I took his reaction, anyway. I just have to keep reminding myself that I really do have enough things he made to share with my kids someday.

At the risk of being annoying, I took the time to tell the stories that went with particular pieces as people bought them. Like the little bucket with the nut cracker and pick set that set on the fireplace since forever. It was always full of walnuts and pecans, and my grandfather sat next to the fireplace and ate nuts in the winter. I considered keeping it, but 1.) I'm far too lazy to eat nuts out of the shell; and 2.) have enough other memories of my grandfather. You just can't keep all the Things in an effort to stay connected. It's an easy mistake to make, but my sister and I made a promise to ourselves early in this process to let things go unless we truly loved them, and/or we would be able to use them. Neither of us need more stuff. She's been better at keeping that promise than I have.

We were really pleased to see several things go to people who appreciated their history and their ownership. One of my grandmother's cousins bought a chair that had been in an upstairs bedroom for years. Turns out, according to another family member, the chair was a gift given to my great-great grandmother in the 1920s. They were thrilled to find out it was a family piece, and we were happy that it stayed in the family. A couple of bakers' racks that my grandfather built also found good homes. One to a young couple who are also cousins. He used to mow my grandparents' yard and spent some holidays at the house. When he found out his wife was at our sale he told her to get something my grandfather made. The other went to a woman who worked with my mother and went to church with my grandparents.

Life goes on. Things find new homes. I've got to find room for my new stuff...

60/30/10

2010-08-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

I get email from HGTV almost every day. It's freaking distracting on a good day, and downright evil on a day when I would rather be doing anything else but sitting at my desk at work. Or on those days when I don't mind being there, but I'm supposed to be writing something and the words aren't coming. On those days, an email full of suggestions for redecorating my bathroom or how to plan color palettes in a kitchen are obviously going to get bumped to the top of the priority list.

So today was kind of one of those days. Or at least it was for a couple of hours. I did actually get work done. Shut it! I did!!!

And I got the email from HGTV that, after clicking a dozen or so links that led to other links, and so on... led me to this Very Important Tip: when planning a color palette, one should use the formula of 60/30/10. Your main color should occupy 60% of the surfaces or space in the room. Another main color - or perhaps a neutral? - should dominate 30%, and the remaining 10% is your accent color.

This is huge for me, as I am struggling with what to do with my master bedroom that is currently painted a lovely grapey purple. Don't look at that table! What do you think, does having Jay-Z on my bedside table make me hip?

We painted it that color four years ago when we moved in, and now I can't walk by a decorating magazine without seeing a big, crazy cover photo or a huge spread inside that proclaims the perfection of purple. I'm so way ahead of my time that way. HOOOOOWEVER. When the walls (and it's a big room - there's lots of wallspace) are covered with a medium-toned grape color, what the hell do you do to balance it? I mean, that's a shitload of Barney, which is not conducive to romance and relaxation. My original plan was to go black and white on the linens... and of course that's all trendy now too. Or it was a year ago, actually. But it's seeming like it might be a bit too stark for my taste. I am a collector of stuff, and love a good thrift store, and my stuff is generally more colorful than black and white.

I do have some amazing lampshades that have a black design on the inside (and the real thing looks a good bit better than my rendition above). When the light is turned on the black shows through the shade. There's one on each side of the bed, all matchey-matchey cuz the hubster likes it that way. Thank god my boobs are symmetrical. The shades sit on top of two practically edible white milkglass lamp bases handed down to me from my great-grandmother. (pics will follow!) I also have a white chenille bedspread that I'm not in love with, "temporary" white linen curtains that are actually table cloths I got on the clearance aisle at Walmart three years ago, and white crown molding around the room. Where to go from there??

What about my 30% color being a kind of dusky sea blue... like the blue on this image of the Tom's Shoes label?

Or this barn, but greener (the brown horse could represent my bedside tables):

I have some fabric to cover an as yet un-located headboard, and would also come up with some pillows and maybe the curtains should be white but with a design or stripe in a shade of the blue?

Then what to do for the 10%? What about this??

I'm kind of loving it. That chair is allegedly from Target?? What the WHAT???? It needs to be in my bedroom right now!!! So, that's a combination of colors I don't think I've seen before. Sure, turquoise and yellow, purple and yellow, but not all three together, right? Oh, and I might even be willing to sacrifice my ceiling fan if I could get this little piece of bedroom jewelry:

I'm typing cross-legged to keep from peeing my pants. It's that cute. *sigh*

What say you??

what the hell!?

2010-07-23T21:52:00.000-07:00

How on earth is it the end of July?? I had so many things on my list to do this year, and I've gotten so few done. Ugh.

I have to say, though, that I have been busy doing Important Things. For example - this week I've been learning how to be a Grandma. Actually, I don't think I can be a Grandma... it's got to be something like Nanny, or Nonny, or Gammy... Grandma just sounds like I should be at least 60 years old. Which I am not.

This is a great way to waste my time...

And last week, I even got a project done! I replaced a toilet in our guest bathroom. The old one was at least 45 years old, and rocked and banged against the wall every time someone sat down on it. It got to the point that it was running constantly, and we were turning the water off and on behind it as necessary whenever we used it... but since I was hosting about 17 people at my home for a baby shower last Saturday, it was time for it to get done.

Of course, as is typical for me, my project could not just consist of making a list of things I need, putting aside the time, and getting it done. That would be too EASY. And my character has not been honed on having things come easily to me.

So, here are my best instructions on how to install a new toilet:

Spend a lunch break at Lowe's picking out toilets.
Ask hubby to pick up toilets on his way home.
Have friend's plumber hubby come over to cut the corroded bolts on old toilet that won't be budged by your lame household tools.
Find out friend's plumber hubby thinks you bought the wrong size toilets.
Call hubby to keep him from picking up wrong toilets.
Freak out, because the schedule for getting the toilets in was being delayed by a day.
Take off work early the next day to go to another place to pick out another toilet.
Get frustrated with the hubby who doesn't know how to help.
Spend 30 minutes scraping off a NASTY wax ring, discover the iron flange coming out of the floor is broken on one side, making it impossible to bolt the toilet to the floor securely.
Set new toilet in place to verify size and find out it's THE WRONG SIZE, which means the ones you bought the day before were actually correct.
Drive like a bat out of hell to Lowe's and pick up one of the toilets you bought the day before, and find something that might help me fix the broken flange issue.
Cry over an open toilet drain when the flange doesn't seem fixable.
Suck it up and figure something out... offer up thanks to a life that has taught you to live like Tim Gunn and Make It Work.
Cram that wax ring on the bottom of the new toilet and set it in place, tighten the bolts, connect the water line, and flush!

It took me four hours - including the extra trip to Lowe's to get the first toilet I purchased that I was told was the wrong size - to finish that damn toilet installation. It should have taken an hour. That's what I get for having an old house I guess. Won't comment on the plumber who can't read a measuring tape because he's a friend and he could probably beat me up.

So the morning of the shower I spent another four hours getting all the decorating and cleaning done, meaning I was exhausted by the time it started. I had planned to spend a couple of hours the night before doing some of the prep work - instead of the four hour toilet installation. Ugh, again.

At least it's done. Now, I just need to repaint the bathroom cabinets and save up for tearing out all the 45 year old tile...

Potential

2010-06-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

I've been working hard to come out on top of a personal struggle recently. It's not the reason why I haven't posted in over a month (I have no excuse for that, actually) but it's something I've been dealing with, nonetheless.

Probably a lot of people would not see what I've been dealing with as a serious problem... it's not like I'm trying to quit smoking, or lower my blood pressure, or reduce my blood sugar numbers for health reasons. But I know that you will understand.

I'm Laurie, and I'm a Project Collector. I'm trying to stop pulling into strangers' driveways to check out a huge pile of stuff at their curb. Odds are there really isn't anything in that pile that I could make into anything useful, right? I'm trying to stop buying furniture at yard sales just because it's cheap and has Potential. I know, potential is a very relative term, in both projects and men. Hehehe...

But one day recently I was weak. I looked at the furniture category on Craig's List, and found these, and had to have them! I spent $30 for both, which may have been a tad high, but they have it. They have Potential!

See, I've been looking for new bedside tables for my bedroom, and although I thought I would find two that are not a pair (I don't care for matchey-matchey), these little darlings have convinced me otherwise.

They are definitely "projects". They are going to eventually be painted a glossy black with silver accents, but first they need some serious TLC. The woman I bought them from had a whole bedroom suite that went with them, and when I was taking them out to my van she said "So you like old furniture?" Immediately, it was clear that, to her, these are only "Old" not "Vintage", "Antique" or even "Classic". So sad... and they haven't been cared for very well. Let me present the evidence:

Water rings (have they never heard of COASTERS??), bad patches of split trim, and just bad repairs in general. They are definitely more of a project than I'd hoped for, but they will be so gorgeous when they're done! I'll update you as I go along.

Anything will be better than what I have now... good grief. I wonder if it will be a good or bad thing that the new table won't hold as much crap?? I'm guessing good.

A Life Creative

2010-03-24T22:18:00.000-07:00

Some people are happy with a life that includes a little bit of time spent cutting colored paper and pasting photos in a book, or the odd evening during the month when the crosstitch project is pulled out and a new pattern is begun or finished. These are nice hobbies. They are relaxing and potentially heirloom-producing, which is all good. But for me, the need to be creative - to live a creative life - is not something I can happily pursue a couple of times a month.

Now, I am perfectly aware that anyone who might have spent a short lifetime as a fly on my wall recently would accuse me of being a big fat liar. They would tell you that I have not been in my sewing room since Christmas. A quarter of this new year is almost over and I have not made one thing with my hands. No thread spun onto a bobbin, no fabric cut, no notions sorted through. Nothing. I have no excuse, really. At least, none that I can articulate either orally or digitally. (is typing a digital thing since I'm using my digits?)

But once again I've spent time away from the routine of my home life and found that I am energized and enthused and excited about the idea of being more creative on a more regular basis. The last time I spent time away, it was at some training I had to take in Oklahoma City. Not a particularly inspiring city, but the time alone allowed me to consider my goals for writing. Most importantly, it allowed me to read uninterrupted, therefore encouraging reflection upon what I was reading - something I don't often have time for. I made commitments to myself during that trip to write more often, carry a notebook with me to record writing ideas in, in general, just behave more like what I think a writer should behave like. I've made some inroads there, and am fairly happy with my progress.

This time around, I'm in Salida, Colorado. It goes without saying that the scenery is breathtaking. I truly feel like a better me here. I want so badly to live in Colorado that I envy everyone I meet. It's probably not healthy for my psyche, but I do it anyway. Even hearing the woman who runs the hostel where I'm staying tell me that she has three jobs to pay the bills doesn't deter my lust for the mountains; "Yes..." I think, "but you get to wake up in Colorado every single day!" My intoxication with this place is just that thick. And possibly certifiable.

But back to my desire to live creatively... I wandered through a few galleries today with my daughters, taking in the wonderful things that other people are making and (I assume) selling. Pottery, painting, jewelry, glass, metal, mixed media works... it's all here, and it all sticks in my brain like little shards of something precious and stays with me, sending little sharp stings into my consciousness that says "You have ideas like these. Why aren't you doing anything about them?" Why, indeed. So many reasons. So many distractions and excuses. (I know, I said I couldn't articulate them, but I changed my mind) Time. Job. Family responsibilities. Laziness. Fear. Things that the people who make the things I look at in galleries either ignore or work through. Or they haven't filled their lives with the things I have that get in the way. Or maybe they've spent time dealing with all of those distractions and now they are living their "second life" creating. So perhaps I need to be patient?

But one thing I did realize today while making notes in my writing book has buoyed my artistic spirit quite a bit. I was writing about wanting to de-clutter my life of stuff, and thought about my clothes closet. There are a lot of things hanging there right now that are not often worn, so I started to consider what kind of clothes I really want to wear, as opposed to what I own. What I want to wear is more natural fibers, original designs, vintage pieces, and - for lack of a better term - more "artistic" things.

I have felt for quite a while that I'm limited in the amount of creative freedom I could infuse in my wardrobe due to my career. I had been working toward a position as a fundraising professional, and since that would require meeting with people who, at times, are older than I and of a level of society that would perhaps prefer to meet with a person wearing a suit, or at least pumps and a nice jacket, wearing a linen tunic and embroidered Mary Janes might not work well. But my job has recently taken a turn that has changed my responsibilities somewhat. I am still in the same job, but am no longer the one who will be meeting with those people. I will instead be doing more grant-writing, work with corporate sponsors, and plan some events.

There is absolutely no reason whatsoever that I can't totally remake my wardrobe - and more than that, the image I portray every day. It sounds ridiculous, but somehow it feels liberating to think about this. I am trying so hard to make my life the life I want to live, and this is one more step toward being the person I want to be every day - not just when I'm manning my booth at the Farmer's Market, or when I'm shopping for fabric on the weekends. It makes no sense to have costumes for different roles I play - I am the same person inside, and should be that person 24/7.

If I can't live in Colorado yet, at least I will be that person who dreams of Colorado every single day... and someday, maybe that line will be marked off on my to-do list as well. One more step...

So there WERE larger women back then!

2010-02-07T09:06:00.000-08:00

I love the look of vintage dresses. The lines that are (at times) more flattering to a woman's body. Unfortunately, though, it's hard to find vintage clothing in good repair in my size. I wear a size 16, and it's apparent when browsing a vintage shop that there weren't many women in the 50's and 60's wearing my size. At least, if they were, they weren't wearing fashionable clothes.

So imagine my delight when I found a couple of piles of vintage patterns at Goodwill recently all in sizes 16-20 There were six or seven patterns in each batch and they were only $.99 per batch!! I can't wait to make a few of these to add to my spring wardrobe. (especially the white sleeveless wrap above - so cute alone or over jeans!) I hope most of the pieces are included, and of course I may have to check actual sizing since it's possible a 16 in 1964 was not the same as a 16 today... but it's a good start anyway.

If any of you work with vintage patterns much, do you have any advice to offer? Or good resources on altering vintage patterns to size?

I'll post more on these projects as I get fabrics chosen and start the work. How perfect is this Vogue dress with the square neckline? LOVE it!

Patterns, and Fabric and Projects, oh my!

2010-01-31T11:32:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago my sister and I spent some girl-time at a fantastic shop a few minutes north called The Rabbit's Lair. It's heaven on earth for anyone with a fabric addiction. They sell bolts and bolts and fat quarters and skinny eighths and all manner of patterns and what nots... it's just divine.

Most days I'm all about vintage fabrics rescued from obscurity in the thrift store shelves or auction tables, but I have to admit that I was all gaga over the stuff in the shop. I have a new project to work on this spring and picked up some things to use. A local children's boutique called Terra Tots has asked me to bring in a few examples of tunics I have in mind to make, so I thought the bright fabrics I picked up there would be perfect. The idea is to make them reversible, and they would be great over jeans or leggings with pretty much any kind of shirt underneath.

I've been keeping an eye out for a pattern for a tunic that will give me a jumping off point for what I want to do, and found these. The one on the left is what I had seen in my head - with the ties on the sides. But I also just LOVE the little blouse in that middle one. How adorable would that be made out of vintage bedsheets? Now I need to learn how to alter patterns... I smell a new sewing book (or three) on my horizon.

Here are my thoughts on the pieces to put together... and a couple I bought just because I love them.Disregard the tiny wrinkles... if you want to see ironed fabric, go here.

Oh how I love a good thrift day.

2010-01-25T19:54:00.000-08:00

My sister and I spent a great day recently hitting up some flea market/thrift stores and found some amazing goodies. Last Sunday, we spent a lot less time at Goodwill, but still came away with some cuteness. Just thought I'd share.

A sweet little decorative plate... and I love Colorado.

And a dinner-sized one from Georgia. Georgia is way too hot in the summer.

(Cue flashback to time spent at Fort Gordon in July)

Two little berry bowls. So darling!

Preserving a Husband

2010-01-20T18:30:00.000-08:00

One of the things I brought home from my mom's house was an accordion file full of recipe cards and clippings from magazines. I went through them tonight with plans to make a few (or more than a few) and also to create a cookbook out of them to give to family members.

The file apparently belonged to my grandmother, since most of the handwritten cards were in her handwriting. But there were a few that were either written by others, or had "from ______" on them. My aunts, my mom, our great aunts, great grandmother, cousins and great cousins and people we called our cousins just because several generations ago someone in their family married someone in ours... neighbors and friends. It's really a great little treasure.

But I had to share this recipe that was in the "Miscellaneous" section. I believe it came out of a magazine published by the local electrical co-op. I think you'll enjoy it.

Preserving a Husband
Be careful of your selection. Do not choose too young. When once selected, give your entire thought to preparation for domestic use. Some insist on keeping them in a pickle, others are constantly getting them in hot water. This makes them sour, hard, and sometimes bitter. Even poor varieties may be made sweet, tender and good by garnishing them with patience, well-sweetened with love, and seasoned with kisses. Wrap them in a mantle of charity. Keep them warm with a steady fire of domestic decoration and serve with peaches and cream. Thus prepared, they will keep for years.

I love the "poor varieties" comment... I've known a few of those.

Purging

2010-01-17T19:43:00.000-08:00

My sister and I spent about five hours at my mom's house this afternoon going through her office. Last week we spent about seven hours, and got all the bedrooms, her bathroom and the living room done. Comparitively, it seems like we didn't accomplish as much today, but given the volume of stuff packed into her office, we actually did.

Going through mom's stuff is really making me look around at my own things with a more critical eye. I have a lot of things - things I like to look at, that mean something to me, or both. And I have those books, lists, magazine pages... little stashes of things that I want to do something with... or that I think will have some purpose at some point. But as I clean mom's house, I'm finding it easier to clean my own. I've loaded several bags of stuff in my car to get rid of over the last week, just because I don't know why I have it. I really want to have things in my house that I'll use, or that means something very special to me. Now, there are things I have because they just make me happy to have them, but I'm finding it way easier to get rid of those things lately.I can have things that make me happy, AND that I'll use. It's just a new way of looking at stuff.

At mom's there were shelves full of books, magazine boxes full of magazines, files of important stuff and non-important stuff and way too many office supplies! We filled a couple of boxes with stuff to keep, made a pile of stuff for our brothers to decide on, filled a couple of bags full of trash and a box full of stuff to shred, and the stuff we're going to sell was left on the bookshelves. Not bad, really. There are a few boxes of things that we'll have to go through slowly with a bottle or two of wine, but that will be left for another day.

Some cool finds:
a great little envelope full of pictures of mom during the time she was a Tupperware Lady, most of which I'd never seen before;
five or six diaries and journals belonging to mom;
notes and letters we'd given mom over the years that she kept;
several lists of mom's belongings that she assigned beneficiaries to... most of which we agree with. :)

We also found a certificate that mom got from her flight school when she made her first solo flight on July 11, 1990. We decided that we should get our brothers to join us on July 11 this year, the 20th anniversary of that flight, to take her ashes up in a plane to... what? Distribute? Sprinkle? Dump? What do you call it??? Wouldn't that be perfect? We think so.

We kept finding piles of newspaper articles on gardening, magazine pages with photos that mom had written notes next to.. "these stairs"... "cabinet doors"... "fireplace mantle". Mom loved visual inspiration, and I've inherited her tendency to keep those bits and pieces. She also had a few little notebooks with sketches and notes in them that detailed ideas she had probably seen in a magazine, or on a t.v. show... or maybe they were just her own ideas. Oh, and books with little sticky notes on her favorite pages. Yes, it's genetic, I'm sure of it. So, I loaded up a couple of tote bags with her decorating books, and one of her file folders labeled "Craft Projects". I figured I would go through them before putting them on the estate sale shelves... a little more visual inspiration is always welcome.

Warm Thoughts and Inventory

2010-01-07T20:40:00.000-08:00

Okay, I had the great idea of posting this pic of my homemade bunting made for a craft fair last fall, in hopes of sharing warm fuzzy thoughts when it's about 4 degrees outside. Then, I remembered that at said craft fair my sister and I were freezing our booties off every morning because it was around 35 degrees. It was NOT, however, 4 degrees. So, comparatively, it was WARM.

I'm enjoying a little break this month from the constant pressure of making sure I have inventory ready for the next craft show/market/promotion on Etsy... it's allowing me some thinking time to consider how better to brand myself this coming year, and what items I need to focus on making. One of my frustrations with myself is that I have 847 different ideas flying around in my head on any given day. But of course I don't have the time to spend on 847 different ideas. Knowing I don't have the time frustrates me and makes it hard to focus, and then I don't know where to start. So, I have to narrow it down a little.

The branding thing is difficult for me. I'm far too fickle when it comes to my shop's banner designs. And my color favorites change with the seasons. But I am going to get a stamp made based on a screenprinted business card my brother made for me last year. I'll use it with some washable ink to label my items, and scan it into the computer to use on my banner. If the name/font stays consistent, maybe a quarterly color and image tweak will not be a big deal.

I think my 2010 shop inventory will look like this:
Market bags - made from repurposed vintage bed and table linens.
Tote bags - sturdier fabrics like curtains and upholstery remnants, with appliques and other decoration.
Hip bags - for the fall and winter only, made with repurposed sweaters.
Aprons - hobby aprons made from canvas and vintage decorator fabrics with appliques and pockets

I'm cutting out the drink coasters because there are nicer ones on Etsy and they're a pain to make. I may make some lapel pins up and list them to see if they get noticed... they sell well at the fairs, but haven't tried them on Etsy. I'm also going to make some repurposed t-shirt scarves and kids' tunics, but am going to sell them in local boutiques. I made my neice some cute-as-a-button hats for her American Girl dolls out of scrap wool from my repurposed sweaters... but see, that's another project.

Now I'm just rambling...
What are you going to work on this year? Are you focusing on any new items for your shops, or just reworking what you've got?

A Contest for the Holidays

2009-12-02T18:32:00.000-08:00

There are always a few awesome contests being hosted by wonderful crafty bloggers out there, but I have found one that is truly exceptional. For 12 days, JoPackham at WhereWomenCreate is offering a daily drawing for anyone who comments on their posts. You can enter twice a day if you add their widget to your own blog (like me!) and it will totally be worth it.

Go check it out - and good luck!

29 years ago today...

2009-11-27T21:18:00.000-08:00

On the 27th of November, 1980, my mom woke me up around 2am and told me she was going to go to the hospital - she was in the early stages of labor with my sister. Mom took me to the kitchen and gave me a quick run through on how to prepare a turkey and all the fixings. See, it wasn't just delivery day, it was also Thanksgiving.

I got up later that morning and started working on what would be my first Thanksgiving meal. It was pretty tasty, if I do say so myself. Except for the gravy. I had never made gravy, and started with the flour, rather than the turkey drippings... It was pretty much just lumpy, flavorless paste when I was done with it. Not pretty.

The turkey's automatic timer popped out, the mashed potatoes were creamed, and my two younger brothers and I sat down around the table. Just as I started to hack away at the bird, the phone rang. My mother asked "Can you hear her?" It was a girl! We jumped around the room like maniacs, cheering the birth of our sister.

Erin Nichole turned 29 today. While I don't often jump around like a maniac in her honor anymore, I am still extremely proud and pleased to have her around.

The last few years have been especially important to me. Erin moved to NW Arkansas after graduating from UT, thinking she'd live here near our mom for a few months to a year as she figured out what to do next. That was in 2004... Since then, we've become closer than ever - we've gone on shopping road trips together, started our crafting businesses together, cared for our mother through her cancer battle together... I can honestly say she's become my best friend over the last five years. I'm pretty sure that November 27, 1980 was one of the best days of my life. Except for the gravy.

Happy Birthday Erin! I love you!!

I knew it all along

2009-11-22T20:34:00.000-08:00

When a woman reaches a certain age, she begins to wonder if her outward persona is still jiving with her inner. At least, that's something that I wonder about. If you don't - good for you. You're either incredibly self-assured, or your delusional, or maybe just in denial...

So, along those lines, I question the potential popularity of my handmade crafts as I'm coming up with new things - and think about what audience they might appeal to the most. When I started making my little hip bags out of repurposed wool sweaters, I observed that my best customer for them was young women who are a little on the ~~"crunchy"~~ "ecologically conscious" side - educated, concerned about the environment, listening to alternative rock and shopping at the local farmer's markets... also a fan of vintage clothing perhaps. I don't think any sorority members or Ed Hardy fans are carrying one of my bags yet. Anyway, I have hoped that I am creating items to continue to appeal to these lovely ladies, and that I am cool enough inside to know what works and what doesn't for that demographic.

Yesterday at the Fayetteville Farmer's Market a sweet boy in his 20's (that's right, I said boy) was admiring my bags, and applauded my ability to make "hipster" bags and other items that appeal to a different group of people. I was ridiculously excited to be told that I am, indeed, able to execute a hip item properly. My inner cool quotient increased like the Grinch's heart on Christmas day. Silly, I know, but sooooo satisfying.

Crafty Memories

2009-11-14T20:06:00.000-08:00

I was out at my mom's for a bit today and found a box in the shop that was full of fabric and a smaller box of clothing patterns. I pulled a of the well-worn envelopes out of the smaller box, and found a little time capsule of sewing. There was the peasant skirt and blouse from the 50's that my grandmother made mom when she was 10. I'm not sure if this is the same outfit, but it's another handmade bit of loveliness created by my grandmother in any case... how adorable was my mom!?

There was also my prom dress, dresses that mom made for my girls, the dress she made for my sister's band formal, Barbie doll clothes from the 50's, the cowboy vests she made out of faux leather for my brothers in 1974, the dress and blouse she made for me when I was part of the chorus in my high school musical, Oklahoma!

These patterns mean more to me than her jewelry or keepsakes. They are symbols of the love she had for her kids. She loved us through the time and effort she spent making these things for us. I'm so glad she kept them.

Holiday Boutique!

2009-11-05T08:40:00.000-08:00

You don't want to miss this! Okay, I might be a little biased, but not unreasonably so...

My sister and I and a few other fantastic women are going to host a little get-together and would love for you and your bffs to join us.

Snacks, drinks, music, shopping... we even have a masseuse involved!! What's not to love!?

See you Saturday!

(click on flyer image to see it in a better format... can't get it to be clearer here for some reason.)

I heart custom requests!

2009-10-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

I recently shared a booth at the Bella Vista Arts & Crafts Festival with my uber-talented sister. We met a terrific young woman named Jennifer who works at Denali State Park during summers, and winters with her mom or with friends who live in the lower-48. I am totally envious of her and wish I had been aware of cool jobs like that when I was in my 20s... but I probably wouldn't have taken advantage of them. I'm so not the person now that I was then... thankfully.

But I digress... the cool bohemian girl loved one of the bags I had at the show, but it sold. I wandered by her mom's booth on the final day, and was asked if I wanted to trade a bag for something she had there. I picked an adorable star-shaped candle box with a painted snowman on it, and yesterday I mailed off the bag I made for Jennifer. It's almost like the one she liked - except that it has the buttons from the front of the sweater it was made from. The original was made from the back of the garment.

I would be happy to get to the point where people asked me to make custom pieces for them more often.

Sorry - this is a pretty boring post... I'm in a bit of a funk.

While wandering the local craft fair...

2009-09-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

My sister and I spent a couple of nice, relaxing hours at a local craft fair a couple of weekends ago. Two years ago, having a booth at this fair started us both on our way to being professional handmade artisans. We enjoyed looking, and eating, and laughing, and remembering why we love making stuff and selling it to people who love what we make.

There were many beautiful things - not the least of which were the new paintings and prints by my favorite local artist, Temple Moore. There were a few things, however, that were unequivocably not good. Don't ever, ever, EVER do things like this. I love handmade, but THIS is crap.

These skirts are repurposed jeans on top, fleece on the bottom. FLEECE. Like, what you make blankets from.

There is just no way to explain this abomination, nor is there any way to excuse it. I thought when I saw it that I had no words, but obviously I do. Several. Some of them start with the letters W, T and F.

Next in line is this yard art. You can kill two birds with one well-aimed stone if you put this on your lawn. You can call yourself an Art Lover*, and at the same time, you can be accused of sacrilege by your neighbors!

I'm pretty sure that Santa Clause (or anyone else with a similar name) was NOT hanging around by the manger when Joseph and Mary's first child was born. I mean, I'm no biblical scholar, but... I was president of my church's youth group. So, you know... I know stuff.

I don't even go to church regularly, and I read athiest blogs, and I was still offended by this piece of dung. I didn't check the price. But if it wasn't free, it was too much. (hint: click the photo for the full offensive effect)

*not really.

Finally, we turn to the apparel that should not be worn when going to a craft fair. Or anywhere. Maybe in your own house... but only with the lights off.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. This poor woman obviously had nothing but this to wear. I can only guess (hope) that all of her other clothes... the ones that didn't creep into her butt-crack and make her an immediate candidate for What Not to Wear... were burned in a house fire the day before. And all of her cash, checks and credit cards were lost as well, leaving her unable to shop for new clothes before the fair. That is the only explanation I can come up with.

But if I am right, then she should have kept her spandex-encased buttcheeks at home. Seriously, there was no need to subject anyone else - even the person who made that manger scene - to that. I would have even been okay with her wearing one of those WTF skirts if it meant I wouldn't have to see those pants... leggings? Tights? Shorts? What the hell are they??

I won't even get into the fanny/belly pack and shoes. I feel a little faint...

HGTV's Design Farce

2009-09-09T17:42:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of the series on HGTV called Design Star. I really am!! But this season, some weirdness is going on, and I'm ready to call it like I see it.

In the first show this season, Clive Pearse announced that the winner was going to be chosen by judges (and, presumably, the producers) rather than by the viewing public as has been the case in prior seasons. No big deal... I can understand that to some extent. Why leave the decision of who the people want to watch up to the people who watch, right?? Who knows the HGTV viewers better than the stars of HGTV shows? Okay... maybe not. But anyway, it didn't seem like a big deal to me.

Fast forward through a couple of shows... I'm wondering where the hell the personalities are? Isn't this a contest that is based on design chops AND the ability to keep the interest of some people staring at a screen for 30 minutes?

I'm sorry, NataLee, Amy, Jen, Tashica, Jany, Nathan, Jason, Torie, and Lonni - you all are in desperate need of a big dose of creativity and a personality that would stand out in a crowd. Even a small crowd - like, say... a reality show for would-be television designers.

So now we're looking at the final two: Antonio and Dan. Let me get to the crux of my brilliant theory...

A few questions:
Why are all the designers, except Antonio, so BORING? (remember Sparkle Josh!? And that surfer dude guy?)
Where are the knock-out designs we have seen in other seasons? (David Bromstad, nuf said...)
Why are some of the comments by the judges so blatantly fabricated to fit the elimination decision for the week? (Lonni was screwed by installers - not her own lack of planning.)
And WHY did one of the best designers of last week's episode go home?

My answer is this: This whole season is a giant joke built around the fact that the producers found their winner during auditions - Antonio. He's got a strong personality and an attitude that no one else on the network has. He is good-looking in a Stallone-meets-Fred-Durst kind of way. He creates drama with his bully tactics. And did I mention that there is no one else like him on HGTV? Oh yeah, I did.

Antonio can do the job of holding his own on a show, as he's shown in both of his "hosting" challenges, and has decent ability as a designer, so he was picked out of the hopefuls early on and the producers picked other designers to surround him on this season's show that would not only NOT stand out in the design arena, but would also crash and burn in terms of their ability to make people like them. All season I've been saying "gee, there's no one I really LIKE this season." Now I know why.

And for those of you who are sure Dan can pull it off - have you noticed that there is already a designer like Dan on HGTV. His name is David. Yes, his nursery was a better design than Antonio's office - and so was Lonni's guest room - but viewers will understand that they can't pick another DB to win. What would happen if Lonni's room kicked Antonio's ass in the finale? Lonni had to go.

So, you're hearing it here first, folks. Antonio is a ringer, and they've eliminated contestants all season to get it to the point where the finale is between Antonio and someone who would lose for obvious reasons... because he's too similar to another HGTV host. Antonio will take it, and we're all suckers.

Project #847,049

2009-07-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

Don't laugh! I feel like that's how many things are on my to-do lists. I have several... one in my head. Or maybe three... and a few written in the odd notebooks and on pads of paper here and there in my purse(s) and desk drawers and car. I read somewhere that one should make lists if one desires organization in one's life. So... it hasn't really seemed to help me much for some reason. Hrrmmm....

Anywho ~ I share with you the pictures I took of my gloriously and horridly vintage bathroom! I love the way the cabinets angle in at the bottom. It lets my guests - for this is our Guest Bathroom - get reeeaaaallly close to the mirror to inspect their enlarged pores or search for gray hairs in their eyebrows.

The tile is not too bad, except that the color is not quite describable. It's a goldy, greeny, odd kind of color that doesn't seem to go with anything. And, it's everywhere. On the counter, on the floor, up the walls, in the shower/tub.

BUT, lucky me, I found this lovely shower curtain with a tropical feel to it (a perfect addition to the vintage tiki god tumblers I use as decor on the counter top) with leaves that perfectly match the goldy, greeny, odd color of the tiles! I couldn't believe it! That was the start of the idea to redecorate. I'm going to paint the bright white cabinets a deep chocolate color, to bring down the visual assault a bit. They were originally a horrible off-white-turned-yellow color, so the white was definitely an improvement, but I think a dark brown will be in keeping with the more modern look I like in bathrooms I see on HGTV.

Then, as I was hanging out on Fabric.com looking at their sale fabrics, I spotted The Perfect Fabric to make curtains out of! If you take a close look here, the current ones are two halves of a pillowcase. A little too "dorm room" for a house with a mortgage and established trees. Doesn't it look AMAZING next to the shower curtain!? I'm ignoring the fact that one of my daughters and my husband, upon seeing the fabric for the first time, pointed out that the design is remeniscent of a Star of David. Not that I care, of course, I have nothing against the Israelis or the Old Testament, but it's RATTAN!!! Good grief. Non-decorators...

So, the final goody that will grace my newly redecorated bathroom will be these gorgeous little prints by soon-to-be-famous artist, Brian Biggs. He has a great little shop on Etsy where you can get prints just like these (and a few others). Oh, and he's my brother. I'm going to frame them sitting on top of the brown burlap you see behind them (also from Fabric.com) and hang them on the wall opposite the sinks. At first I thought I'd paint the walls, but I think once the rest of the stuff is done, it will be enough. The cream walls will be a nice backdrop for the dark cabinets and colorful prints. Or I could put a mural on the walls... hmmm... project #847,050!!

Yard Sale Finds

2009-07-04T14:41:00.000-07:00

A long weekend, a visit to the in-laws, a sweet score of vintage goodies to share with my readers!

We are just north of Kansas City, MO for a week of R&R with the Hubby's family. Yesterday his sister suggested we should see what kind of yard sales we should find... of course you know I didn't argue with that!

We found one that offered up a pile of t-shirts and shorts for the boy-child, but the real finds were these vintage lovelies. A great little overnight bag that is in pristine condition, a Pepsi bottle box, a cookbook from the 1970's, an old crocheted doily, a vintage apron, an embroidered table scarf, a pile of vintage canning jar lids and some cardboard milk bottle lids. I know I'll keep a few of the jar lids, but I think most of this stuff will be listed in my vintage Etsy shop. The doily will be incorporated into a bag.

There are a couple of thrift stores and antique shops I have always wished we had time to visit when we come up here for a weekend, so I'm hoping to get to those this week as well.

No market spaces = New items in the shop!

2009-06-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

I'm working tonight on updating my Etsy shop with the bags I had held aside to sell at the Fayetteville Farmer's Market. Why, you ask, would I do that??? Won't that create a bit of a headache for me each weekend as I have to take things out of the shop in case they sell at the market, then put them back up again if they don't... just too much work, isn't it??

Well, it seems I will not be at the market this summer as often as I had hoped. Our local market is soooo successful that they juried some new craft vendors in order to add to the selection, but it is also soooo popular that there are just too many booths crammed into the location and the Board of Directors for the market decided to reduce the booth numbers to help with congestion.

So, my thrill of being accepted lasted only two weeks or so. On the upside, the market manager is hoping to be able to rotate the newbies ("floaters", we're called) every other week. On the downside, I'll be out of town for three weekends in a row, so it will be the end of July before I'm able to get back up there. I'll survive, I'm sure.

In the meantime, my Etsy fans will enjoy a bigger selection of goodies than they had to choose from in the weeks prior! Enjoy, and spread the word!

Green, the color

2009-06-16T20:14:00.001-07:00

I'm all about being green in terms of environmental activism... I recycle my glass and plastics. I repurpose materials in my crafts (and home decor). I reuse containers that once held strawberries to grow seeds into veggie plants.

But in addition to THAT kind of green-ness... I seem to be drawn to the color. Especially green glass. It's just such a refreshing color... so clean and lovely. Like the hostas growing like gangbusters in my garden this summer. These little bottles were treasures waiting for me at a barn sale...

And this lovely Hoosier Glass bowl was a thrift store find. It can be yours if you love it as much as I do!

Finally - this little mug isn't as sparkly as the glassware, but I have a soft spot for the color olive. Maybe because I grew up in the 70's? It and its twin are also looking for a new home... they're perfect for some hot green tea!

Carrying on the family tradition

2009-06-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up my grandmother and grandfather were farmers and craftspeople, raising cattle year-round, and spending nine months out of the year making and selling handmade wood crafts. Grandpa was a self-taught carpenter who, along with his brother, owned Whillock Brothers' Construction in northwest Arkansas. I have some wonderful things he made - a cedar chest, a rocking horse, a dresser...

Grandma took some of the smaller items that Grandpa made - bread boxes, clocks, wooden plates - and with the practical nature of a woman raised during the depression and the eye and spirit of an artist, she tole painted beautiful flowers, birds, and free-hand designs on them. I also have wonderful things she made, including the bread box that was a gift to my mother one Christmas.

Grandma and Grandpa went to the War Eagle Craft Fair each year for many years to sell their handmade crafts. War Eagle has long been a mecca for craft-fair enthusiasts, bringing thousands of people from all over the country to our little corner of the world just as the temperatures are becoming cooler and the trees are starting to turn color. Their cedar chests and painted items were shipped all over the world. They sold their goods for too little, in my estimation, but they made enough to get by.

I remember one fair when I was with them in their booth for a couple of days. They were set up next to a man who made candles that were dipped in layer after layer of color, carved with a hot knife, and the carved pieces would them be twisted around to show off the layers of color and reattached to the candle again. I'm sure you've seen them in flea markets or in your grandmother's living room. Anyway, that man would cut off pieces of wax after he dipped his candles and give them to me to mold. He showed me how to make little wax mushroom candles, which thrilled me to no end. They were probably one of the first "crafts" I ever made. Those, and the little rounded stones Grandma taught me to paint faces on to keep me out of her hair as she worked.

Grandma and Grandpa also set up a table with a bright yellow vinyl umbrella on the Fayetteville Square on Saturday mornings and sold their crafts and Grandpa's sweet clover honey to local market-goers. The market in the 1980's was far different from the market that goes on today. Not as many people, for one thing, and I don't remember there being as many dogs or musicians either. Certainly, if you wanted to have a hot cup of coffee and a muffin for breakfast, you brought your thermos and a napkin full of homemade pastry from home.

This Saturday my sister and I will set up a couple of tables on the Fayetteville square as two of the newest members of the Fayetteville Farmer's Market. I'm sure to most passersby there won't be anything all that special about our tables... (aside from our fabulous crafts!)... but I'm pretty sure that we will be feeling a bit nostalgic and very proud to be a part of the market - 35 years old this year. Unfortunately, my Grandpa isn't with us anymore, but I will definitely send a snapshot of Erin and I behind our tables to my Grandma. I think she'll be pleased.

Girls' Night Beaut-ique

2009-05-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

I mentioned on my previous entry that I'm participating in a "beaut-ique" this week... so here's some info for those of you who live close enough to attend.

I wish I could make this graphic bigger... but the details are:

What: Girls' Night Beaut-ique
When: Thursday May 28th 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Balanced Body
816 B West Poplar, Rogers, AR

There will be lovely items for sale including locally designed handmade jewelry, bags, soaps, personal stationery and handspun yarns, as well as facials and massages for a very small fee. Free snacks, wine and door prizes and specials round out the evening. Bring a friend or a few and join us for a great time out!

Time flies...

2009-05-26T11:41:00.001-07:00

and yet I don't know what I was doing all this time or whether it was fun or not. Okay, mostly I was working during the day, and then at night I was not working and not wanting to do anything LIKE work, which typing on a blog is to some extent. So, there's my excuse. Not a good one, but it's all I got. And I'm back.

I strongly encourage all of you out there to make your spouses take your kids away from the house for hours at a time on occasion. I had heard that some husbands do this - just whisk their offspring away to allow their wives to experience a little peace and quiet, time to themselves to do whatever they darn well please without interruption or distraction. It was pretty much an urban myth in my mind, but then yesterday it happened to me.

Love of motherhood aside, it was wonderful to have the house to myself! Actually, I've known for some time that I enjoy cleaning house MUCH more if I'm home alone. Logic would say that I should enjoy more the family pitching in and getting everything done quickly so that I don't have as much to do and we are done sooner. But I am not logical. I would enjoy cleaning the entire house - top to bottom - if I could just be left alone to do it. Go away and let me get my mop and rags and bottles and sprayers and have at it.

I wasn't as productive as all that, but I did get the pile of Large Things cleaned that were collecting in the left half of my kitchen sink (that's why they invented sinks with two sides, right - to use one side and hold dirty dishes in the other?), and I cleaned my son's room, and I did several loads of laundry. Lest you think I've gotten confused and started posting daily stuff on my crafting blog, it is all relevant because I also got SEVERAL hours of sewing done. I am participating in a Girls Night Beaut-ique with four other fabulous women this Thursday night, so some crafting activity was a definite necessity.

So, thanks hubby for the time alone yesterday. Even though he did it only because he'd pissed me off earlier that morning and was trying to make up. Doesn't matter WHY, really... but he did score a few Good Guy points anyway.

Chicken with it's head cut off

2009-04-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

I am in love with my self after making this bag. The top part was a remnant - I didn't cut the chicken's head off on purpose. But once I sewed it to the linen it seemed so... so... decapitated. I just decided to give it a body, and I think I did a pretty good job. One of a kind, I'm sure!

I've sold a couple of things in my vintage shop this week, which is great. I shop pretty smart for that shop - aiming for finding real bargains and things I am certain I can turn around for a profit - and I get a nice return for very little effort. I have to say I am sometimes amazed at the prices I see in vintage shops on Etsy. I'm not knocking them - if those other shops can sell a cup and saucer with some vintage 70's motif on them for $20, more power to them - I just feel better about making a profit, but not a killing. Maybe I'm crazy, but I feel good about my karma.

I always knew I'd be a bag lady someday...

2009-04-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

...and if you take a look at my sewing room you'd agree. I'm going to participate in a home show in Fayetteville at the end of May, so I'm working hard to upgrade my tote bags and get a system down in terms of what kinds of bags I'll be selling. I tend to just do whatever strikes me - which is great in terms of creativity, but not so great in terms of people seeing a design they like and finding the same thing in different colors or fabrics in my Etsy shop. I want to get a few designs honed and then make a LOT of them, with a few one-of-a-kinds thrown in for fun.

I also have quite a stash of vintage fabrics and upcycled clothing now that I have to start using before I buy any more. I am just so in love with the fabric, it's hard to cut it... but I don't have the space to be a hoarder. (I know I'm not alone in this!) So, over the last couple of weeks I've been seriously banging out some bags in the hopes of getting a decent inventory put together for the home show. I've uploaded pictures into my Flickr account - but here are a few for you to check out.

It seems I lean heavily toward bold, graphic fabrics - wouldn't you say? I have thought about embellishing a couple with trims and other bits of materials... but they seemed so "vocal" as they were I left them to just strut their stuff through the fabrics and colors. I do like the pocket on the gold and red one, and will probably do more of those. Vintage buttons? Pom-pom fringe? What do you guys think??

Projects for Spring!

2009-04-19T08:18:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me is fully aware of my penchant for the "Project". Not big stuff, like tearing down walls between rooms or roofing the house, but mostly stuff that grows out of a stop at a local thrift store, a transaction on Freecycle or Craig's List, or an unexpected treasure found on the curb. Along those lines, I have a couple of things to share...

One visit to my local Craig's List recently got me a couple of terrific pieces of furniture that are now sitting on my carport waiting for transformation. The first one - a vanity-turned-desk is painted a horrendously bright yellow and has the Corona Cerveza logo painted on one side. (??) The woman I bought it from tells me her daughter used it as an art desk. Judging from the paint all over the top of it, I'd say she REALLY enjoyed it. It's going to go out in my craft room as soon as it's repainted - and as soon as the craft room is reorganized.

This cute little thing is a bit of a mystery. The woman advertised it as a painter's cabinet - which would be an interesting thing to use it for given the holes and such inside - but I'm not sure. The top is a little bit bowed up, but not so much that I can't still use it as a bedside table as I'm planning.

A little shot of inspiration please!!

2009-04-11T22:15:00.000-07:00

Why is it that no matter how many ideas are running around in my head (or even being put down on paper) sometimes the desire to get into the sewing mode is just non-existent?? Today, for example, I really wanted to sew. I wanted to make things. I was bummed that Hubby and Boychild wanted to go to the park - even though I knew going to the park with Hubby and Boychild was a GREAT thing to do.

But then, when I got home from the park, I just didn't feel like getting busy in front of the machine. I think the key here is that I didn't FEEL like it. I think I have to quit waiting until I FEEL like sewing. I have to make a goal of getting a certain number of things done, and do them. I have new bag ideas. I have been wanting to play with altered clothing. I have some aprons already cut out. I just have to get them DONE.

Tonight, I got a great boost of inspiration in the form of an invite to participate in a trunk show with my sister in late May. She was invited by a woman who organized a show last fall, and I asked if they needed a bag maker. She asked, and I'm in. I'm going to upgrade my market bags made from vintage linens, and make some Elliot bags with new (vintage) materials and embellishments.

Okay, tomorrow I need to sew.

Craft Magazine Loves ME!!!

2009-02-13T21:06:00.001-08:00

So, I almost missed it due to my well-documented issues with organization and time-management... but I got my photos posted in the Craft Magazine and Singer Sewing Company "Sewing with nature" contest last month. There were a ton of really cool projects posted in the flickr group, and I did not envy the judges.
The article advertising the contest said that they would pick one winner who would win a sewing machine and a heaping helping of sewing books, and three runners-up who would receive dress forms and subscriptions to Craft Magazine. I actually kind of hoped I'd be a runner up - I would DIG a subscription to Craft!!

The deadline for posting a project was last week and I've been checking every day to see if any news had been put up about the winners. Finally, yesterday I received an email informing me of the decision. I didn't win, nor was I chosen as a runner up, but the judges decided to create "honorable mention" category due to the number of great projects entered. Lucky me, I got mentioned honorably!

The bag is one I gave away at Christmas. The recognition has really satisfied a part of me that was struggling with the idea that my crafting is "just a hobby". Kudos to my hubby who has not dismissed my sewing as a silly girl thing I do, but he doesn't really see it as an income-generating operation either. Not hard to see why, when you tally up what I have sold over the last couple of years... but in the last few weeks I've had a number of sales in my two shops, and now this bag I designed my very own self gets some love. I have to say I'm feeling pretty good.

Place your custom orders now!! :)

Anti-Valentine's Contest on Dabbled.org

2009-02-06T21:09:00.000-08:00

When my hubby and I first met, and soon after fell in crazy impetuous love with each other, he admitted to me that for years previously he had cut the 14th of February out of calendars. He didn't just X it out. Or ignore it. He actually took the initiative to find a pair of scissors and make sure that day was just not included in the year he was living in. I thought at the time that his attitude was unusual, but I have discovered that he was not alone.

Dabbled.org is holding a Black Heart Anti-Valentine contest - the 2nd annual. The rules of engagement (pun intended) are pretty loose. The deadline is the 12th, but materials and point of view and such are open to interpretation.

So, if you don't have anyone to spend the next few days creating something special for (or even if you do but are highly competitive), why not create something special for your SELF and go enter their contest! Good luck!

Etsy Trashion Loves Me!!

2009-02-04T08:54:00.001-08:00

How do you beat a nagging case of No-Creative-Juices syndrome? You get blogged about! Check it out!

Thanks Etsy Trashion for noticing (and appreciating) my little revamped wool vest! I would be wearing it my own self if I were a couple of sizes smaller, but maybe someone else will snag it instead.

I feel some inspiration coming on...

a slow start

2009-02-02T19:09:00.001-08:00

I know, I know... you're reading a blog about crafting, so you probably don't want to hear about my inability to get fired up to make anything for the entire first month of 2009. Sad, aren't I?

It's not that I'm boasting. I certainly haven't been reveling in my idleness. No complacent arrogance here. Every evening that I've spent doing anything but craft I have felt guilty about not crafting. I walk by my kitchen counter where I put my bright shiny new journal in early January and can feel it staring at me. "Write! Draw! Blot your lipstick! Just USE ME already!" it says... but I avert my eyes and go pick up the dryer sheets that have accumulated on the couch where the clean clothes wait for dispersal.

Part of the problem might be the weather. It should be a perfect way to spend dark wintry evenings - perched in front of my sewing machine making things that remind one of coming warmer days, like my repurposed bed linen market bags. (Oh how I look forward to farmer's market!!) But unfortunately my craft room is actually a window lined sun porch that is heated separately than the rest of the house and stays VERY chilly in winter.

I could say that I haven't had any inspiration lately, but that would be a lie. I have sketches, I have had ideas, I have seen finished projects in my head... I just haven't wanted to go out and start making them. My craft area is a bit messy too. There's a good excuse. You can all sympathize with me there, right? SAY YES!!!

Mostly though, I think I've been lazy. What kind of true artist or crafter lets themselves get bogged down with the details of daily life so much that they don't get their crafty groove going at least a FEW times in a month??

SNAP OUT OF IT!! *smacking myself around*

A Lovely Bag

2009-01-11T18:38:00.000-08:00

I made a lot of my Christmas gifts last year (saying last year is weird), and this is one of my favorites. It's made from a coupl of wool sweaters, an upholstery sample, and a woven belt. I'm in love with it. It went to my brother's girlfriend, who also made a lot of gifts. She knits, so she made neckwarmers and head bands for us all.

I share just because I'm proud of it. I plan to make more for my shop, this week in fact. I'll get them posted asap.

Attention Crafters!!!

2009-01-03T21:24:00.000-08:00

When I get inspired in front of my sewing machine, I don't always make something that will be posted in my Etsy shop or used as a gift. Sometimes I just want to sit in my craft room and think about future projects... or, let's get real, get away from the kids and listen to Keane. So, I sew.

But now I don't have to feel like I'm wasting my time while I sit there with my Coke and my i-pod! I have found the most amazing inspiration for my little "me-time projects" - it's called Spirit Jump.

My girl Sally already wrote about it over on Dogwood Lane, but this idea deserves as much exposure as it can get. The basic story is that the website was created by a young woman named Meaghan who is a cervical cancer survivor (and recent law school grad!). She was so uplifted during her extensive hospital stays and treatments by the little gifts and cards she received from friends and people who were thinking about her, that she decided she needed to find a way to hook up people who have a talent with people who need a "jump" in their spirits.

Check out Meaghan's site and sign up to be a Spirit Jumper yourself. You KNOW you have things you could send to someone. You know you want to. In 2009 I'm giving back - and this is one way I'm doing it.

A New Year of Craftiness

2009-01-01T17:13:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking lately about the things I make, and the things I want to make. In 2008 I was a supply-buying fool, so I have a ton of clothing from thrift stores, sewing notions, bits of ephemera, and other odds and ends that I have found here and there... but it doesn't seem like I have used as much as I've purchased.

I have bits of this and that that I thought I would use to make art cards and collage shadow boxes, but that idea, in particular, did not come to fruition. I like to think I'd make some cool things with all of the wonderful things I found... I even bought frames as I found them in thrift stores to put them in. I failed at the collage-making. I think I'll post a lot of stuff in my Girlchild shop as supplies. (Be ready, Denise!)

I also have fabric that I thought I HAD to have, that I had big ideas for, but for the life of me, I don't know what those ideas consisted of...Mostly, I went back over and over to the sweaters and vintage linens. They speak to me somehow. Don't pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about!!

Worse yet, I started projects that I thought would be awesome, but then they didn't turn out as planned and I abandoned them. Poor little Ghostfolk... At least I haven't thrown them out!! And I did find out that stamping my name on the fabric works great...

My Punkinhead shop has been a little bit random... but I want to get more focused on "lines" of items. I also want to create seasonally. I typically end up coming up with great Halloween item ideas on October 25th... Christmas items on December 20th. Not a great plan for selling anything right? In 2009 I am going to have a schedule, and spend more time working on ideas for projects that can be created on that schedule.

Right now, I'm liquidating holiday items in my Punkinhead shop (go see!) and I'm going to start working on some things to sell for Valentine's day. My plans are for more Hearts-on-a-Stick, but that's all that's coming so far.

How are the rest of you re-working your shop or craft room for the new year?

My boy's a crafter!

2008-12-23T21:01:00.000-08:00

We stopped in at the local Vintage Stock the other day to do a little browsing, and happened to be there when they were having a snowman decorating contest. They had some styrofoam balls stuck together and a few markers and a bunch of long pipe cleaners. They were going to decide on a winner at 4pm, and offer a gift certificate to the lucky designer.

No self-respecting crafter can let that kind of opportunity pass them up! I asked Griffin if he wanted to decorate a snowman, and he agreed to help me. :)

Griffin drew on a lovely Tim Burton-esque face, then added shoulders, arms, and cheeks. (Kids are so physically aware - who knew snowmen need shoulders?!) I put on some curly-cue thingies, but he made the "wings" all by himself. We added a scarf, and he put on a red belt thing. I submitted our creation and we stuck around for another 20 minutes or so until they made their decision - and Griffin won!!

He was SO excited! We picked out three Hotwheels cars and he handed over his $10 gift card to pay for them. He's excited about getting to go back another day to get a couple more cars.

Next up - learning to use the sewing machine... or maybe a dremel tool...

Holiday Goodies

2008-12-22T19:00:00.000-08:00

Not only is it Santa time, but it's also SECRET Santa time! I sent out a package to my good friend and fellow Aretsy member, Denise (way later than I should have) and she let me know it arrived today. Edith the Snowfolk is quite an independent woman - wearing vintage whenever she can, haunting the thrift stores for treasures that have been discarded by others. I think she and Denise will get along famously.

I already reported on my adorable journal from my Aretsy Secret Santa, The Beehive, but I also got a Secret Santa gift from a co-worker. She paints adorable canvases and Christmas ornaments and picture frames for custom orders and also sells at some shows locally. My gift was two of her painted canvases that I LOVE!! They have glittery paint on the snowflakes in the background, which you can't see here. And there are little rhinestones on the berries and a sweet ribbon on the ornament. I have a perfect spot for them in my living room!

I have almost everything I'm making for Christmas made. Only a couple of little things to go; some coasters for hubby's grandma (who will send your gift to her back home with you if she deems it not useful enough!!!), finishing work on my Philly brother's gift, finishing the item for hubby's niece and making things for my dad and stepmom. Okay, maybe I have quite a bit to go... what am I doing on my laptop???!!!

Secret Santa and Blog-o-riffic

2008-12-06T16:17:00.000-08:00

I got a goodie in the mail today! My Secret Santa giftie from my fellow Aretsy artist showed up, and I'm so excited to share the pics with you. The talented Sunny of The Beehive created an adorable little mini-journal for me... it's kind of like a gorgeous custom cake that you don't want to eat because it's too gorgeous. I'm not sure I want to mess up the adorable-ness by putting something in it!

The sun was down before I opened it, so these pics were taken with flash. I was thrilled with the colors - salmon and orange with turquoise and blue are my favorite combos! Thanks so much Sunny!!!!

I have to thank Denise Felton as well, one of my favorite Aretsy artists. She is one of the newest (and most prolific) contributors to the Craft Gossip website, and recently featured my humble little Snowfolk in my shop. Today - I'm sure because of her marketing genius - I sold Ally McTeal to a nice buyer in Baltimore, MD. Ally is pretty hip - I think she's definitely got the makings of an east coast girl.

Snowfolk for everyone!!

2008-11-27T20:38:00.000-08:00

Etsy sales abound this weekend, and my shop is no different.

Not only am I offering free shipping on all purchases through Sunday, but I'm also throwing in a set of four handmade vintage fabric drink coasters as well! What a deal! A gift for you, and a stocking stuffer for your Mother-in-Law!!

I've made my Christmas gift list, and am pleased to report that I can make 99% of the gifts I'm giving this year myself. Coasters, pillows, bags, and a couple of other miscellaneous items are on the list... I can't wait to get started. I guess I should say I SHOULDN'T wait to get started... time's a wastin!!!!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Creative Inspiration

2008-10-24T19:05:00.000-07:00

My sweet co-workers gave me this great book by Amy Butler for my birthday. I don't buy her fabric (sorry Amy!) because I use vintage and repurposed remnants and linens in my projects, but I LOVE her use of color. The book includes not just instructions, but patterns. I'm totally going to make some of these things for Christmas gifts this year!

I've been listing some new Snowfolk in my Etsy store, but haven't had many views on them. I know they are cute, and everyone who sees them says they're cute, but I guess they are just a unique thing to collect... only a lucky few have them, right??

Meanwhile, I need to figure out what I can make that might actually sell. Ideas? What would you be interested in if you were looking for handmade sewn things?

Craft Fair Weekend

2008-10-18T19:35:00.000-07:00

It was a BEAUTIFUL weekend for craft fairs! I had hoped to spend all day yesterday with my sister (http://www.idyllhands.etsy.com/) at the Bella Vista Arts & Crafts Festival where we had a booth, but since I unexpectedly had to take Thursday off work to take my mom to a doctors' appointment those plans were scrapped. So it was great today to spend a few hours with her, and with my mom, enjoying some sunshine and handmade craftiness. And fair food... YUM!

Of course, a day at a craft fair isn't complete without almost getting into a fist-fight with someone at the portapotty. At least, MY day at a craft fair. But let me explain... My mom is dealing with an illness that has robbed her of the use of her left side, so we're getting her around in a wheelchair. In addition, she has a sense of urgency when it comes to getting to the toilet, so when we need a bathroom we need it now. So we headed for the handicapped portapotty when she needed to go soon after we arrived, and as we approached I saw a woman entering the ONLY one in the line. She wasn't in a wheelchair, or even using crutches or a cane - just walked right on in.

We waited outside the door, and when she came out I said something to the tune of "you shouldn't use the handicapped bathroom" and she had the gall to say "You don't know my issues." I replied "I know you're not using a wheelchair." She got miffed, and said she was sorry but I didn't need to be so rude. I told her that it was rude to use a handicapped bathroom if you're not handicapped. I think mom was worried that she would be waiting for me when we were done, but I must have scared her off.

So I guess I was bitchy... and no, I don't know her issues. But come on... There was a long line of portapotties - like, 15 or so - if that woman was able to walk, she didn't have any issues that would require that she use the handicapped one.

But other than that excitement, it was just a nice day. It was really cool as we were driving out. My grandparents (mom's parents) were crafters and participated in War Eagle for years selling their stuff. I just had a wonderful feeling of being connected with that "culture" of crafting that was really special and important to share with mom somehow.

Oh Em Gee!!!!

2008-08-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

You know how sometimes you stumble across a sweet little bit of fabric, or a perfect little piece of ephemera, and you make something out of them and then they're gone? You may think wistfully about the perfection of those items, and wish you could get your hands on more, but you just assume that they were fleeting things in your artistic life that were not meant to last.

Well. I found a lovely little pillowcase last fall and created a really pretty market bag from it. It was a favorite of everyone who saw it, and it finally sold last week to a lucky lady in Ohio. I was satisfied that it would be a one-of-a-kind cutie that would make her very happy, and let it go.

But then, yesterday I was piddling around on Ebay and found THIS!!! There are two flat sheets and a fitted- all full size - and three pillowcases. Of course, I had to have it. Tonight I won the whole lot, and I will be offering a new collection of gorgeous market bags soon. Don't miss your chance to have one of your very own!! :)

*doing the happy vintage linens dance*

On another note, I apologize for my absence to my reading masses (har har). I will be making a better effort to share more regularly from here out.

Salvage, fleas and various other goodies...

2008-07-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

The last day spent in the Saluda/Tryon area of North Carolina last week my mom and I headed into Tryon to go to a place that advertised itself as a warehouse of salvage and other such goodies. Neither my mom nor I have ever met a termite-eaten, flaky-paint-covered piece of anything that we didn't like, so we thought it sounded like a great place to spend a little money and a lot of time.

Turns out, the salvage end of things required quite a hefty bit of money, so all we did there was browse. The owners obviously travel to Europe and South America quite often, and bring home some fabulous pieces of buildings and furniture items to share with Wealthy Vacationing Americans. That term doesn't describe anyone that was on the trip last week, so we just admired. I was really wishing I could spring for the antique French bottle racks they had - those A-frame shaped ones that are hinged at the top - but they were over $400 each if I remember correctly. Maybe it was $200... in any case, they were more than my limit of $25 so they stayed put.

We did, however, do very nicely in the flea market that was adjacent to the salvage place! The actual flea market was pretty much like every other flea market... some dishes, some linens, some crap, some old books, lots of record albums... But then my mom needed to find a bathroom, and we found the mother-lode.

In the back of the building, beyond the booths and organized stuff, were piles and piles of stuff that had been picked up, it seemed, at estate sales and office liquidations, and whatever other kind of sales that would garner a person a dozen or so filing cabinets of different vintages, some professional dishwasher parts, and stacks of child-sized school desks. There was a whole lot of stuff we didn't even bother to try to look through (or couldn't reach) but I came away with a roll of vintage upholstery trim, a dozen or more wire frames to some sconce shades, half-a-dozen little brass keys, three small shutters, a couple of wooden turned posts to make candle sticks out of, small antique bottles - 4 for a dollar - and I'm sure there is something I'm forgetting. It was a great haul. I didn't get the sheets I found, but they were just overpriced - I'm used to paying pennies for sheets and pillowcases at local thrift stores, so paying $5 for a pair of cases would have been against my nature.

Now I have to get busy. I have two craft fairs to attend this fall, and need to decide what, exactly, I'm going to sell. I'm thinking that the Snowfolk are a no-brainer - especially at the October fair in Bella Vista. But I'm also going to make stacks and stacks of fabric drink coasters and some smaller hip bags. I have too much fabric not to make it pay off now. No more buying, lots more selling!!!

Mama's got a brand new bag!

2008-07-05T18:42:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine just had a sweet little baby girl, after having two boys. As you can imagine, she chucked all ideas of buying gender-neutral clothes and went for the pink!

When I found out a few months ago she was having a girl, I told her I'd put together a diaper bag made from some of the lovely vintage fabrics I've got in my piles. She picked out some fabrics, and I put them aside to work on... Miriam was born two weeks ago, and I finished the bag today. I never guaranteed her a delivery date, thank goodness.

The main part of the bag is made from a Tommy Hilfiger sheet, the bottom part is a vintage curtain and they have a little trim of white in between. The "flowers" are cut from a felted wool sweater, the leaves are bits of linen tablecloth and vintage fabric samples, and the strap is another sheet. Vintage buttons finish it out, and it's lined with a vintage pillowcase.

I also made a matching changing pad out of a pink hand towel I picked up at a thrift store. The beauty is that all of this can be machine washed. The sheets and towel have been washed before, of course, and I washed the curtains and sweater as well. Easy!!

I really like the way it turned out. I would love to do more things like this, using different combinations of fabrics. I think I'll post pics of this one in my Etsy shop and advertise that I'll let people pick their fabrics for a truly custom bag.

Weird Sale - Great Goodies!

2008-07-01T20:54:00.001-07:00

The other day I ran across a yard sale where a guy was selling quite a bit of old furniture and yard items. I got a metal glider and a couple of metal chairs for my mom to go on her patio. When I went back to pick them up with Hubby, the guy invited us to go through his house to see if there was anything else we might be interested in. Oh my god, was that interesting.

This guy is a hoarder. He had boxes and boxes and piles and piles of stuff in every room of his house. I mean EVERY ROOM. There were 78 rpm records from the 40's (Tex Ritter!), collections of brass instruments, assorted "see no evil" monkey figurines... And a whole lot of junk to go with the cool stuff. We quickly decided we couldn't do the monumental task of actually looking at everything justice (plus, Hubby doesn't like digging through people's stuff, even when asked to do so), so we left. But I vowed to return!

The next day my mom and I went back prepared to scrounge. After two-and-a-half hours of going through every box that looked interesting (and that we were capable of getting to), and surveying all the furniture in the house, we came away with a few things. I ended up with a little box of sewing notions, some costume jewelry, a few vintage ties, a nice Haeger pottery bowl, a ton of vintage buttons, an old crocheted doily, a milk glass jar, and some old cabinet door handles. I also have two large cabinet doors and two small ones in the garage waiting to be repurposed. I tell you I don't know how that guy has managed it, but he doesn't have any place to sit in that house. Really - now that I'm thinking about it... there are no empty chairs. Weird.

There was quite a bit more stuff I would have taken, but just don't need right now. But, I know where he lives...

ME!?? Unimportant!!!???

2008-06-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

One of my blogging and crafting heroes, Casserole, has tagged me with the challenge of sharing 6 unimportant things about myself. This could be difficult, since I'm such a narcissist I probably will believe anything I think of to be of HUGE importance. But I'll give it a shot. (Yes, that's my tongue in my cheek)

1. I wear a size 8.5 or 9 shoe, and they grew from a size 8 after I had my first child. I would have preferred that my boobs stayed bigger, but no one asked me...

2. I have a thing for men with dark hair and goatees. I just realized this after seeing Iron Man and drooling all over myself for Robert Downey, Jr. I already had a thing for the jello-knee-inducing Johnny Depp. Thankfully, Hubby meets my requirements for desireability.

3. There are some things I just have to pay brand-name prices for: Jif peanut butter, Kraft mac and cheese, Coca-Cola products, and Cottonelle t.p. Perfection just can't be duplicated.

4. I was named after a street in a southern California town where a great aunt lived. (Laurie Lane), and the gypsy woman sharing a room in the maternity ward with my mom (Michaela).

5. I hate licorice and cream corn. Seperately, not together - although that would be nasty too... I'll eat just about anything else, though. Unfortunately.

6. The first car I bought myself was a 1987 Toyota Tercel. Steel blue metallic. I guess if I still had it, it would be vintage and I could sell it on Etsy.com. Not in the handmade area, of course - I'm sure someone would report me to the admins.

I'm going to tag my brothers, Brian and David, and a couple of my favorite bloggers - Marcy and Fria.

Vintage lamps!

2008-06-08T21:56:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with vintage lamps, and I feel an obsession blossoming in my gut like a craving for chocolate covered almonds or an infatuation with - who else!? - Johnny Depp. (although R.D. Jr. is running a close second for my crush right now...)

I picked up a couple of fantastic wooden lamps quite a while back, and promptly stuck them out in my garage because I have no idea what to do with them. They have bamboo trim, and a criss-cross pattern of thatch. VERY tiki room!! I would love to use them in the house, but I've already resigned myself to the fact that I'm going to find a lot of fabulous things in my hunts and rummaging, but some of it will have to be treasures found for others. Hence the business, right??

Last week I broke down and bought a couple of incredible turquoise lamps from the 1960's at my favorite thrift store, Samaritan Shop, in Springdale. They were a steal, and apart from needing a little new wiring (for safety's sake) they are pristine. One is going to go to work with me for my desk, the other one may be held onto for retail use later. I found a little shade to go on the one I'll keep and need to get it re-vamped. It's got a hand-sewn silk cover, but some hideous trim. The trim will come off, and I'm thinking of painting the silk, or dying it somehow.

Oh, it's fun to have a new object of my affection.

Blah...

2008-05-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

It's been a few weeks now since the craft fair my sister and mother and I participated in, and I haven't even touched my sewing machine since that weekend. It's not that I've been too busy, really. I have had plenty of evenings available, I just haven't wanted to make anything.

Maybe it's because I only sold one bag at the fair. I was pretty discouraged, and frustrated - I thought that they were great (I know they are great) but am not sure why no one else feels that way enough to pay for one.

Or maybe I'm just so busy learning my new job and getting all that part of my brain up and running again, that I don't have any synapses left for creativity. Probably, it's a combination of the two. My lack of space on my inner hard drive feeds my feeling of frustration and I shrug my shoulders and say to hell with it. Admitting I have a problem is the first step to recovery, right?

Hopefully it will pass. I can't just let those stacks and stacks of fabric sit there forever...

Craft Fair vs. Swap Meet

2008-05-07T18:30:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up my grandparents had a booth at the War Eagle Mill craft fair here in NW Arkansas. Grandpa was a cabinet maker and sold beautiful cedar chests, quilt racks, spice cabinets, rocking horses... to name a few. Grandma painted many of the things he made with her incredible tole painting. Both of them were primarily self-taught artists, but their talent was such that they shipped their items all over the world to people who bought them at the fair.

Lately, I've watched a trend that I'm not happy with at the craft shows I've attended. There are booths full of items that are NOT handmade, and sometimes, not even crafts or art of any kind. This was the case last weekend at the Spanker Creek Farms show that my sister, mom and I participated in as vendors.

I could probably count on one hand - MAYBE two - the number of vendors who actually made the items they were selling themselves. Now, granted, the application for this show did not require that the items be handmade. But they did say they didn't want the booths to look like flea market booths. So, that specification makes me wonder why there were vendors at the fair selling SUNGLASSES!!?? Or - my personal favorite - 400 count "Egyptian Cotton" sheet sets. In plastic zipper bags. What the....???

I mean, I've come to terms with the people who sell relishes and soup mixes, and the ones who buy canvas bags and tee shirts and use their pricey machines to sew monograms and cute little sayings on them... but sheets and sunglasses were pushing my buttons. There was a woman across from us who was hand-lettering wooden signs to be hung over your tiki bar or on the outhouse door, but at least she was putting paint on something, even if she didn't make the signs herself!

Needless to say, the crowd was horrible, and our sales followed... we won't go back there next year, even to shop. Am I wrong to fantasize about arts and crafts fairs that ARE what they SAY they are??? Come on! We have to get back to honoring the roots of our craft... pass these swap meets up and seek out the legitimate handmade fairs - it will be worth it.

...continued

2008-04-03T22:01:00.000-07:00

It was threatening rain as I got Griffin up and dressed this morning. We grabbed a couple of pieces of cinnamon bread, dusted off the wagon, and headed down the street to my favorite thrift store, the Samaritan Shop. It had started sprinkling when we got to the store fifteen minutes later, and by the time they opened it was coming down pretty hard.

It was the first day of their “50% off of everything” sale, and I was determined to be there when they opened at 10 a.m. Not that a lot of other people would be eager to dig through the pile of pillowcases and out-of-season clothing… but you never know. Besides, they were offering free cookies!

I headed straight to the fabric section, where I’ve found some sweet deals in the past. The offerings there were pretty picked over, but the pillowcase cabinet was full-to-overflowing so I picked up a dozen or so at a quarter a piece. Several white and cream for linings, and a number of vintage prints as well.

I scoped out the sweaters on the clearance rack, but there wasn’t much left. I added several nice ones to my stash recently – some bright colors for appliqués on bags and aprons. I did snag a few oatmeal-colored ones for future Snowfolk bodies. I won’t be working on them for a while yet, but I need to start thinking about the raw materials I’ll need.

Then, I headed over to the men’s pants and women’s skirts and picked up several nice things. Some corduroy, some tweed, and a skirt made of floral fabric that I know some craft fair-goers will enjoy next month.

Extra goodies I picked up included a little chalkboard to use in our fair booth, several vintage scarves, a set of four vintage napkins, and a fitted vintage Star Wars sheet for Griffin’s bed. All in all, a great haul for $39 and some change. And, it quit raining just long enough for us to enjoy a nice walk home enjoying the birds and spring flowers.

Tonight, the newly repaired van that was supposed to be left unlocked with the keys under the floor mat was not. Wasted trip to Fayetteville, hectic evening made more hectic, and now a hectic morning to look forward to tomorrow. Thanks Lewis Ford. Good thing I had a great day of shopping to keep me mellow.

To be continued...

2008-04-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

I'm the kind of girl who likes to put pictures in her blog posts. I know my readers enjoy seeing projects I'm working on, or supplies for projects I'm working on, or just pretty pictures in general. I like to please them - my benevolent readers - but tonight I have only words. I will follow up with pictures tomorrow.

I got a perfect piece of mail a few days ago! It was a postcard from my favorite thrift store saying that tomorrow through Saturday they are having a "50% everything in the store" sale! Not only that, but the card was orange, my favorite color. It was a sign.

I was slightly bummed that I would have to miss out on the first day of the sale because I work on Thursdays. But then I took my van to the dealership to have a funny light checked out... Lucky me, it's still in the shop so I can walk to the thrift store tomorrow since I'm staying home from work. I'd like to think the promise of scoring some half-priced vintage linens and wool sweaters makes the broken vehicle worth the trouble... but I don't think I can suspend reality quite to that level. I'm no Britney Spears.

I'll report on the shopping tomorrow night - wish me luck!!

Etsy love and free fabric!

2008-03-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I were shopping for a sectional to put in our dining room-turned-media room. We found a winner at Brashear's in Springdale, and as we were talking to the salesman one of the other sales people, a woman named Debbie, admired my bag; this one:

So, I spoke right up and told her I made it myself, and I sell them as well. She had me write down my etsy shop URL, and then noticed my sweet ring from Block Party Press... so I put her shop on the list, and added my sister's for good measure.

In return for my great marketing ability, she went to the back of the store and got a pile of discontinued fabric samples for me to add to my stash! Score! And, she told me to check back on occasion, because they discontinue fabrics pretty regularly. What a deal... sectional on sale, possible sales in my shop or at the craft fair I'll be at in May, AND free fabric.

Now, if I wake up tomorrow 10 pounds lighter I'll be ecstatic.

The Craft Fairs are coming!!!

2008-03-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

Are you as busy as I am building your inventory and trying to think about who your buyers will be at your next fair? I've been a busy little Punkin collecting fabric, cutting, sewing, ironing, and designing new bags... and now I'm going to make some craft fair aprons as well.

My sister Erin, of Idyllhands, and my mom and I are going to be at the Spanker Creek fair in May. Erin mentioned that she wanted to make an apron like the ones we used to wear when we waited tables to keep pens, business cards, and other stuff in. I said "hey! I can do that!"

So here's what I made for Erin from a linen tablecloth, a wool sweater and some vintage curtains:

I also made one for my mom and one for myself out of different fabrics, but haven't got pics up yet... I'll be making some for sale in my etsy shop - check in about a week to see what I list!

Crappy Days Made Good

2008-03-11T16:57:00.001-07:00

As do a lot of people, I have a job I can't stand. It's a long story, so I'll get to the GOOD part. Yesterday, after too many hours at said hated job, I came home to find a sweet surprise on my stoop - four envelopes full of crafty sweetness!!

These two pieces of fabric are from different sellers on Ebay. The first is a sinfully cute vintage piece of juvenile print that features circus scenes. I've been thinking of venturing into the diaper bag realm, and thought it would be a great gender-neutral fabric to use for that. The second piece is a feedsack. I know, right?? I've never seen a striped one either! But it's still all sewn up on the sides and everything. I'm not sure how I'll use it yet... that's part of the thrill of having it.

This little pile of cuteness is vintage ricrac from retrocharm and I love it! She even gave me a little extra. Maybe a girl's diaper bag... or not...

And finally, these gorgeous prints are what I got in trade for a couple of my tea light lanterns from marywibis. She also sells original oil paintings and greeting cards.

Definitely turned out to be a better evening than morning or afternoon.

Building Inventory

2008-03-08T12:29:00.001-08:00

Idyllhands, a.k.a. my sister, Erin, talked my mom and I into joining her for the Spanker Creek craft fair in May. Last summer, in order to get ready for the Clothesline Fair in September, I was creating little families of Snowfolk nonstop. But they were fairly easy to whip out, and were not as needy in terms of time at the sewing machine. The tote bags I'm making now are a different story.

Yesterday I spent some time in the morning making some bags, and got three done. They were simple, unlined bags that are intended to be market bags - nothing terribly detailed or time consuming. Two are made from vintage pillowcases. I think my stepmother had a set of linens with that poppy print on them. I have several more pillowcases to make bags out of.

Another bag from yesterday is made from some orange and green vintage upholstery fabric. I have two made from the same stuff listed in my Etsy site, but those have one long strap, whereas this one has two short ones.

Now that the boy's napping, I should go work on some more bags, May is just around the corner!

Excited over crazy stuff

2008-03-03T19:35:00.000-08:00

Explaining exactly why something gets one excited is one thing...but announcing to the world that *today* that something is a new ceiling in the shop is drawing sideways glances from the students I'm hosting from Korea and Japan (societies that are a bit more subdubed) and the workers who were installing it as I danced around the shop clapping my hands!!! It's beautiful...recycled barn (or maybe a chicken house) corrigated metal siding applied to the ceiling with some rusty parts showing. The rust gives it character...really it does. Who wants a boring shiny metal ceiling when areas of rusty brownish-red is visible to break the monotony....sort of like the difference between a face at 25 and one at 63....definitely NOT boring, trust me.

The ceiling is up and now there's no reason not to begin production, unless organizing and cleaning is an excuse. But then, we crafty people ALL know if one spends too much time cleaning and organizing before getting started .... nothing really ever happens. So, perhaps the first pieces produced by Junque Rethunque will be created in the midst of chaos...

There are wonderful things lying dormant in the shop, nay, piled one on top of another, and never more so than today. The crew putting up the ceiling didn't see the treasures shining from the souls of broken chairs, rusty pipes, dirty tiles and seatless lawn furniture...they saw junk, trash, discarded garbage and moved it around as such. Pushing, shoving, tossing, stacking and repeating the process again as they moved from one end of the shop to the other with tall ladders (it's a 10 foot ceiling) to be able to apply the beautiful, rusted, corrigated metal to the rafters. Now it's time to carefully and with the respect 'old' things deserve, repair and repurpose these road-side vagabonds, so they can begin their new lives. I'm EXCITED!!!!!

Etsy photographers

2008-02-26T20:07:00.000-08:00

There are tons of pottery artists, loads of fabric artists, and a boatload of beaders on Etsy, but sometimes the photographers don't get the attention they deserve. I thought I'd share a few here in honor of my family members who carry cameras around with them wherever they go.

The inspiration for this post is this listing by ara133photography, and this has to be one of my favorite photos on Etsy, just for sheer craziness. I mean, I've seen deer poop in the woods, but even if I'd thought to take a picture of it, I doubt I would have thought someone might want to buy a copy of that picture. Wow. Lest you think they're a complete freak, however, they also sell some gorgeous closeups of bugs and flowers and kitchen goodies.

Photovita has some gorgeous, ethereal shots in her shop. This one is only one of many that are dreamy and fantastical in their quality. She has a lot of flowers and organics listed, but also includes some great shots of architectural studies and shadows and some ocean views. She has a buy one get one free special going on right now, so hurry on over there. Just come back here when you're done...

Of course, both of these shops were on the main page treasury last night, so they probably have had a ton of hits - but here are a few that may have gotten a little less attention.

Kellya from Colorado also has a special going on, but just through tomorrow - hurry! Looking through her repetoire, I can't for the life of me figure out why this girl has only sold 20 photos! A lot of her images - most in fact, are digitally altered in some way. Mostly just color editing and such - nothing that takes away from the image. Check out this gorgeous sunflower. I would so want this blown up to about 3' x 4' and hang it in my living room!!

Carinemily, from Cincinnati, has had her shop up since July of last year, but has only sold four items. It's not due to her prices or her sense of humor. Check out this great pic called "Gossip". I swear my "fashion dolls" used to talk about me behind my back... She also sells her photos in several sizes, including a postcard. Seems like a perfect combination - a photo called gossip on a postcard to your BFF.

Treasure hunting - no travel required

2008-02-24T13:40:00.000-08:00

Of course, what consitutes treasure is definitely open to interpretation, but I'm easily amused. And easily excited when it comes to finding bits of trash that I deem to be treasure.

Yesterday, hubby and I and the boy for a while hung out at my mom's house. She lives in what used to be my grandparents' house outside of town on 5 acres of woods overlooking the White River. Before my grandmother made my grandpa buy the place and build a house on it, it was split by a county road that ran through it down to a bridge that crossed the river. That bridge burned down and the county road was closed, but until that time a whole lot of people used the sides of the gravel road as dumping areas.

You see where I'm going with this, right?

Yesterday I wore my old jeans, put on some gardening gloves and took a spade and a bucket down to the hillside and started clearing away leaves. My mom is a big fan of this activity, and calls pretty much anything she pulls out of the dirt "treasure". But I have to say, yesterday was a good day. Here's a list of things we found... unreliably based on my memory, since the goodies are still at mom's:

*Pieces of green-glazed pottery
*Lots of clear glass, probably broken canning jars
*Two nice pieces of depression glass - one pink and one yellow
*Old shards of pottery with gold gilt on the edges - I think it was a bowl
*An old button
*Lots of old rusted nails, large and small
*A heavy metal piece that looks like a door escutcheon
*Another metal piece that looks like a car part
*Two small bottles with metal lids marked "Norwich"
*Two medium sized intact jars - these are gorgeous!

I'm really pleased with the little bottles and bits of pottery. I think they'll be great additions to shadow boxes and altered art pieces. I'll add some pics as soon as I have some. It was too cloudy and rainy to take any yesterday.

After getting our knees dirty for a while, we went inside and dug through a dresser drawer full of fabric and quilts. I came home with a nice little box of quilt squares to turn into something, and some other bits of lace and fabric that will work their way into my tote bags.

What a fun day! And, there's a whole closet at the top of the stairs to go through. I took a peek, and a couple of boxes were labeled "fabric".... oh joy!

Embellished bags

2008-02-22T19:10:00.000-08:00

I'm making a break for it, leaving the Snowfolk behind and running full-tilt toward the spring and summer seasons and all the trips to the library and farmers market they bring. Since one cannot have too many tote bags, I've decided to take it upon myself to create a few.

I prefer to make my bags out of vintage fabric, or at least colorful and unique fabric. In making a few, I found that the coolest part is coming up with a way to embellish them. I can't just make a bag. I have to make an artsy bag.

This is the latest... and my favorite thus far. I used wool scraps from my Snowfolk work to create 3-D leaves and flowers. I've made some bags with long straps to hang across the body like a messenger bag, but this one is for wearing over the shoulder.

More to come, but not tonight.

AREtsy Street Team!

2008-02-20T19:42:00.001-08:00

I'm a proud member of the Arkansas street team on Etsy.com. We're called AREtsy, and we are 76 members-strong!! We are made up of a wide variety of crafters and artists from all over the state, and if you haven't checked us out yet, you should!

Take a look at our blog - created by our very own Idyllhands: http://aretsy.blogspot.com/

For Valentine's Day, we had a secret swap (thanks DogwoodLane!) and everyone received the cutest, coolest things.My goodies were from Ms. Dogwood herownself. :-)

There's a little patchwork makeup bag with too too cute buttons and pink cotton lining, and a little lavender pillow to soothe the stressed eyes. So yummy! Thanks Dogwood!!

Movies inspire me

2008-02-18T20:34:00.001-08:00

I went to see Atonement with a girlfriend Saturday, and left feeling so inspired to be creative! I have always loved film - I'm a drama geek from way back and used to have Oscar-watching parties. Attendees were usually just me, my mom and brother, but I won't bore you with my ineffectual party-throwing skills...

So, I've known I love good films for a long time. But I had an "aHA!" moment Saturday when I realized, after reveling in the amazing costuming, cinematography, and even the score of Atonement, that I wanted to get home and make stuff and write stuff and just be generally creative. I stopped by B&N and picked up the Writer's Market 2008, and came home and started digging through my fabric piles and cutting out tote bags.

I got two unlined bags done this weekend, and another one, a custom for a friend. The first two are made from some great vintage upholstery fabric I bought a few weeks ago ---------------------->

Plus, I have three others that just need to be detailed and lined. Isn't it interesting how things can inspire us that are not at all directly related to the craft we actually make? I guess we're all inspired at times by nature - or music... I just hadn't put the film and art connection together before. At least, not in terms of my own art.

What are you inspired by? Anything unusual? Your children? Favorite music? Walks in the woods? Fudge brownies with that crackled crispy crust on top??

And the award goes to....

2008-02-15T18:50:00.000-08:00

So, I got an award today for my blog. But it's from my sister, Erin of Knitting Hands, so I don't know if it can be considered a legitimate award... but I'll take it. :)

Erin has a great little blog herself, where she is much better than I am about posting bits about her current craftiness and lovely pictures of things she makes and is inspired by. She also sells gorgeous knitted wire jewelry and colorful scarves in her etsy shop, Idyllhands. Little known facts about Erin: she was a sleepwalker as a child, and had to have a Golden Corral fix whenever she visited grandma and grandpa.

The rules of the blog award are fairly easy to follow:
First - Post the award on your own blog. Obviously, I'm doing that one...
Next - Indicate its original link and link to that site
Finally - Give the award to 5 other blogs that you enjoy, find creative and inspire you.

I'm not very good at collecting blogs, so I don't have five to recommend. Actually, I would recommend Denise Felton and Casserole, but they were also given the award by my sis. So, here are three fabulous places to hang out on the web that I think you'll enjoy as much as I do:

The Thicket is a lovely spot where my good friend Stacey writes about "Etsy, indie design and other goodies. Replete with mental undergrowth." She's been on an 'etsy favorite' kick for a little while now, and I've found some great new artists on her blog. She's also just a cool-ass chick.

Gooseflesh is the home of Helle Jorgensen, an Australian artist with an intriguing imagination who crochets delicate undersea creatures out of plastic bags and string. I know, it sounds weird, but you'll be amazed - trust me on this. On her blog, follow the Crochet Sea Creatures link. And all the other links along the left side... she's wonderful.

Small Motor Designs is where Becky of St. Paul, MN shares her detailed and precious little bits of recycled fabric jewelry. I just can't help but love a woman who lists her interests as "embroidery, knitting, books, pens, beer, cupcakes." She doesn't post often, but she makes me smile when she does.

Bags of the future!

2008-02-12T20:11:00.000-08:00

My newest project started as Christmas presents. I made a couple of tote bags for my brothers out of scraps of slacks and denim, and some bits of sweaters I used in my Snowfolk work. My favorite details are the pocket on the first one that is actually the pocket of the slacks and the bottle pocket made from a wool sweater on the other. (He's a law student who bikes to school - so I thought that would be handy)

They turned out pretty cool, so I have been putting together some other bags. I have one made from the top of a pair of overalls and a pair of sleeves from a cardigan, and a couple from vintage curtains... The only pics I have are the ones of my brothers' bags.

I suck. I'll post more soon, I promise!

Thrifting and Ebay day

2008-02-02T16:08:00.000-08:00

My sister and I went to a couple of flea markets and a thrift store today. We need to hang out like that more often - for many reasons. I picked up an awesome little bar stool to use at my craft table so that I can put our kitchen bar stool back at the counter. The one I bought is orange vinyl and has a split in the back, but a cover will be easy enough to make. I'll post a before and after pick when I get some.

I went back to the place with the cool books, and was bummed to find the Grey's Anatomy book was gone. I was afraid it would be, since it's been over a week since I saw it. I did pick up a couple of year books from the 30's, and two newspapers from 1934 as well. One has authentication papers with it. I can't wait to go through it and see what kinds of cool bits I can use for some collage art. I'm not sure if I want to hack into it, I may scan sections and print things off instead... we'll see what works best. Anybody have advice about that??

At the thrift store I picked up a linen skirt and a shetland wool sweater vest to felt. I was tempted to get a few other things at a flea market (some old maps) but decided I don't need to buy supplies just for the thrill of buying supplies. First, I need to use the ones I have and actually MAKE some collages - then when I need more stuff, I'll shop. How boring and practical of me!!! I must be growing up.

Finally, I won a couple of great pieces of fabric on Ebay today. They will soon be fabulous tote bags!! I made one from a pair of vintage curtains I bought from DogwoodLane, and LOVE it, so it's my new focus in the crafty room.

Etsy love!!

2008-01-25T20:36:00.000-08:00

I haven't been in the forums on Etsy.com for a while. Tonight I messed around there for an hour or so and found several new favorite shops to add to my wish list.

StonehouseStudio makes amazing transfer art polymer jewelry of all kinds. I didn't even know you could put designs like this on polymer! Etsy artists teach me something new all the time.

Rheta creates little works of art for your body. I'm totally in love with this little pendant,
but this ring is like the cute guy across the room... it's got my attention too. I love the organic feel of these pieces - they look like something you'd find growing in the woods, under a fallen log... tended by fairies.

Another jewelry maker - but one that works with softer materials, is Soleilgirl. I have a thing for pins and brooches and wore them all the time to dress up jackets when I had a job where I had to wear jackets... I'd like to have ALL of Soleilgirl's little felt flowers and a few of her birdies for my collection.

Here I am....blogging

2008-01-24T21:07:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging and I should be jogging. Well, actually it's 11:08 P.M. and what I really should be doing is sleeping. I'm blog-challenged so it took me the last 2 hours to get to here.

As I've already been 'sort-of' introduced by my daughter I'll just say 'That's true' to everything she mentioned. Seldom do I go looking for junk....it just seems to find me. Now that the business is an actuality and not just a "we're gonna do someday" discussion, I may start doing more looking. Right now I don't have far to go....my garage is crammed to the hilt with junk, closets are stuffed over-capacity, the shop is a collection of 'one of these days' items in various stages of repair....well, that's not exactly the right word. When you're planning to re-purpose (a new buzz word that is popping up everywhere these days) an item, it's condition is immaterial....just that it exists is enough. And, exist they do....cabinets that look like fire wood, chairs with and without seats/legs/backs; and if what we're adding on a regular basis isn't enough, cleaning out the stuff left from my father's wood working/furniture building days isn't going to happen. I thought it would and I would be able to 'lighten my load' but then, along came Junque Rethunque...and now everything, I mean EVERYTHING 'may' have a life beyond what it is today. So, who am **I** to stop the transformation and life going forward of that rusty bolt, nut and washer I found in the dust layered box sitting right where my dad left it 12 years ago when he shut the door to his shop for the last time.

The shop is once more open for business and Junque Rethunque is resurrecting the dead!!!!!!!!!

Narrowing it down

2008-01-22T17:43:00.001-08:00

Yeah, we all have things we need to narrow down. My waistline, for example. And the number of activities we volunteer for, for some of us... What I'd like to know is this: How did you narrow down your hobbies and your artistic interests and settle on the thing you're doing now?

As I was growing up, and in my early 20's, I dabbled in floral arranging, decorating tee shirts, creating greeting cards, making jewelry... pretty much whatever came along. I took watercolor classes, thought about becoming a graphic artist, made my daughters sweet little baby clothes, hand-decorated baby onesies with fabric paint. It seems like I don't run across a craft idea that I don't like.

For me, the biggest filter is time. I don't tend to want to do anything that will take hours and hours to get from start to finish. If I'm sitting down at my craft table, I want to pick up some stuff and make something and have a finished product to show for my time when I get up. I think that's what draws me to sewing. Although I sometimes have to leave finishing bits for later, when I'm making my Snowfolk or tote bags I can get quite a bit done in one sitting.

I'm going to be getting started on some collage and assemblage art pieces in coming weeks, and I anticipate a lot more time spent on these. I work best by just sitting with my supplies and getting inspired - but there will be a lot more detail involved with collage work, so it will likely take me a while to complete one. But that's okay, I'm looking forward to something new.

What made you choose the craft or art you make? Or how did it choose you?

Hearts and more hearts

2008-01-19T20:35:00.000-08:00

I've spent the last few evenings getting some things made in preparation for my shop being featured by a lovely blogger named Denise. She's a fellow member of the Aretsy Street Team, and features a crafter every week. I'm so flattered!! She's an awesome artist as well - make sure to check out her shop!

I have used some of my scraps of fabric and sweaters as well as embroidery thread and buttons, and made some hearts-on-a-stick. The way I figure it, if food on a stick is always popular, hearts will be as well.

I've also made a few tiny bags out of scraps. My thought is that someone will buy them to put little Valentine gifts in. They are made of flannel and denim, and have been decorated with colored thread, sweater scraps and lace. I think they're darling, and I hope you will too - when I post the pictures.

Cheap materials

2008-01-11T19:07:00.000-08:00

I know a lot of people spend a considerable amount of money on their craft materials. tThere are jewelry makers who buy sterling silver wires and semi-precious stones, fabric artists who collect beautiful designer fabrics to create bags and accessories out of. But I get so much satisfaction from finding materials for pennies, or free. In fact, I think I am more inspired by thinking of creative ways to use castoffs and odds and ends than I am by walking down the aisles of any of my local hobby stores.

Today, for example, was an exciting day for me. After picking up a couple of things at a flea market for a few dollars, I found the mother lode of cool books to be harvested for my ventures into collage and assemblage art. I was wandering around the store next to the flea market, which is filled primarily with furniture, and wasn't finding much of interest. Then I went upstairs. They have shelves and shelves of fabulous old books. Some legal tomes - Arkansas statutes and the like - lots of American Heritage books and World Book Encyclopedias, but then there were just tons of quirky things. A huge Gray's Anatomy, a book about husbandry and animal breeding with great old black and white photos, old yearbooks, a book full of photos of the Earth taken during the Gemini space flights...

I picked up the animal husbandry book, another one (an incredibly un-liberated piece) called "Always Ask a Man" by Arlene Dahl, and - the best: The Complete Guide to Illustration. It's a huge book full of black and white illustrations created from a collection of volumes originally published in 1850. It's a real treasure in terms of being useful for my art. I can copy the pages, use the illustrations I want and alter them with color... I'm so so so excited about it! I need to go back for the Gray's Anatomy and do some more looking. The hardbacks are only a dollar each. I can't afford NOT to go back.

Thrifty goodness and Etsy supplies!!

2008-01-04T19:54:00.000-08:00

Thrift stores are the greatest, aren't they? So many wonderful odds and ends and cheap sources of inspiration! Today I discovered an even cooler thing about my favorite thrift store that's around the corner from my house. Outside of the store they regularly leave a few grocery carts on the sidewalk which they fill with things they have decided to remove from the shelves for one reason or another. The stuff is there for the taking... all free of charge!

I stopped to peruse the goodies and came away with a shirt and a pair of pants made of linen, a jacket made of washed silk, a little metal candle thingie (hard to describe), a beat up plastic baby doll, and a few other odds and ends. Lovely! The linen will be used in some pillows or tote bags, the silk will be made into some little drawstring bags and handmade roses... I think the metal thingie and baby doll will be put in the supply drawer for when I start making my assemblage art.

I'll be looking forward to receiving today's Etsy purchases to put in my supply drawer as well - some pages from a book all in Greek, and some little playing cards with illustrations of young women, and a nice old photo of a bearded man with a little more going on in his head than you think at first glance.

Just in time for the goodies I've started to gather, I picked up Altered Curiosities to provide some inspiration and some lessons in the craft of making art from trash. Jane Ann Wynn has the most amazing way of turning things most people throw away into precious little trinkets and special altars of quirkiness. I can only hope to be half as creative.

Now if my craft area were a little warmer in the evening I'd be a bit more enthusiastic about spending time there...

Because I don't have enough to do with my time...

2007-12-15T20:06:00.000-08:00

As the profile says, my mom and I have jumped off the track and started our own business. It's time to make the piles of broken, unwanted and castoff items in the workshop pay off! We have tons of ideas for recycling and repurposing this stuff... we just have to get busy.

Although we are partners, I'll probably do most of the blogging. I'll document the ups and downs and stops and starts as we work to get the business off the ground.

Join us for discussion and advice, or just encouragement or critique if you have it to offer. All are welcome!!