Craft Day

Kerry, Chris and I met one day last week to work on our version of Lisa Kaus' "Playground Found" project as featured in Volume 4 of Stampington's artists' cafe.  We all had classes with Lisa at Silver Bella last year, so were excited to work on another "Lisa" project.  For this one, you start with a 10" x 20" board, create a grid, and attach random items.  Chris had done her homework beforehand and was able to finish hers in the time we had, and Kerry finished hers that evening. 

Chris' Fly

Kerry's etcetera

It took me a few extra days as I kept placing and re-placing items, and had to search for a couple of things I wanted to include.  I still need to find a few old nails for the door handle and plan to get some sea grass for the bottle the next time we're at the beach.

Each board reflects the artist's personality.  That said, I'd happily hang any of them on my wall!  Love, love, love!

Another part of our day was a She Art canvas swap.  We all took Christy Tomlinson's on-line "She Art" course earlier this year, and Chris is currently in the "She Had Three Hearts" journal workshop.  She made this canvas for me:

Don't you love the texture of the sand and the glittery top?  So cute!

Kerry's canvas was made for Chris.  Love it!

and I made this canvas for Kerry:

I'm still working on being a little more "loose" and not so literal in my She Art, but I do love the background and colors.  Kerry seemed pleased, and that's what counts!

I SO enjoy these craft days with friends.  They give me so much inspiration, and I always look forward to the next one.

Gypsy Brocante Bag Giveaway

Jill at Gypsy Brocante is giving away this beautiful bag!  To enter just leave a comment on her blog before the end of the month.  Check out all her posts while you're there! You're sure to find some inspiration.

Random Crafting

I've been doing some random crafting lately.  Nothing major, but since I usually post more about what I buy than what I make, I thought I'd share a few creations.

First, though, sweet Laurie shared one of her Birdsong tags with me because I loved them so much.  This is a terrible picture, but you can see the tags she made on her blog here and here. Aren't they just beautiful?

Seeing Laurie's and all the other lovely tags made me want to make another one quite different from the black and white one I created for the swap, so I grabbed some images from The Graphics Fairy and came up with the tag below.  I used some lace I had recently purchased on Etsy and some trim I bought to sell in my Etsy shop (coming soon!) plus a few tiny vintage millinery flowers and some seam binding.

While sorting through some vintage wallpaper for another project, I found a smallish piece with a bit of blue on it that I loved and decided to make a tag.  I added a ribbon flower with a blingy center and some tiny millinary flowers.  I left a blank area on the back so I can add a sentiment later and attach it to a gift bag or package.

I made this bag, maybe in anticipation of Halloween???  I printed the raven from The Graphics Fairy and left it on the existing white background.  I may try it again, cutting around the bird and putting it on another background. 

And finally - yes, FINALLY - I finished the French General necklace I started in Kaari Meng's class at Silver Bella last November, AND the bracelet kit I purchased there.  It only took a couple of hours and I love them both. 

Hope everyone is having a productive week!

Spreading a little Susan Branch love

Do you know about Susan Branch - fabulous artist, amazing cookbook writer/illustrator, and now blogger?  Country Living magazine is having a blog award contest and I had to nominate Susan (not sure if she even qualifies, since she's already famous, but I had to do it anyway!)  Her blog is a wonderful look into her life in New England and California, and to me embodies what the modern country lifestyle is all about, no matter where you live.  My particular favorite posts feature her walks with husband Joe around town and down to the beach, accompanied by the perfect songs.  You'll feel like you're there. 

If you're not familiar with Susan's blog, check it out here.  While you're there, check out all the other fun things on her website. I'd love to hear what you think.

Here's one of Susan's illustrations, borrowed from Where Women Cook (she'll be featured in the next issue.)

Estate Sale

A few weekends ago the DH decided on Friday evening that he was tired of staying close to home and wanted to take a drive on Saturday (in spite of the 100+ degree heat) to a town we'd been wanting to visit for a while.  I checked to see if there were any antique and/or junk stores listed and, on a whim, looked for estate sales.  That was all it took to get me travel-ready.  There was a sale that weekend with tons of vintage goodies - costume jewelry, clothing, shoes, purses, hats, oh my - and everything was half price on Saturday!
I saw this suit and velvet dress on the auction web site Friday night and was fairly certain they'd be gone by the time we got there, but they were still hanging in the closet.  I love the color and the collar of the suit. The skirt has some issues, but the jacket is wonderful. The green velvet and the trim on the dress are yummy.  They don't fit me at all so I'll probably put them in my Etsy shop if I'm ever able to navigate all the requirements of properly setting up a business. 

I love this spring green coat and it fits, but it deserves to be worn by someone taller and thinner. I'm not sure yet whether I'll keep it or sell it.
 
There were bags of jewelry for less than $2 a bag.

 The only hat left was this cream wool felt number, but the rhinestone band made it a great find, along with a pair of elbow-length grayish-purple gloves with the tag still attached, a hat box, and a little tote bag with cute sequin flowers.

There were tons of linens and a few vintage aprons.  The linens below are only part of what I bought.

I also got a big box of wrapping paper and tags from the 50s, 60s and 70s.  There are a few tags and stickers that are old and glittery and fabulous.

Had to have these little ornaments, even though I have lots already.   The wedding cake topper will most likely be transformed into Valentine's Day decor.

Neither of the antique stores was open so we stopped at one thrift store where I found a big ledger book (no writing in it, unfortunately) and a crochet book mark.  Then we took the back roads home and stopped at a wonderfully junquey antique store in a very small town, where I found several crochet hearts and lots of old Bingo cards and game pieces.

I was glad we braved the heat.  These finds were well worth a little misery!