My mom still sends cards. A LOT of cards - to family, friends, church family, and probably to strangers on occasion. Sometimes I can find nice cards at estate sales for her. A couple of weeks ago I was in a creating mood but wanted something quick and easy, so I made a few cards for her. It was a relaxing diversion.
The card themes are pretty random as I was using papers I had on hand. My favorite is the aqua and green stripe bird card. I made several more the following week but forgot to take pics.
A friend sent me some lovely ribbon recently. Barbara started as a customer. She purchased some lace from my Etsy shop, and I then swapped more lace for a darling little bird pin (read about it at the end of this post.) We've continued to send each other bits of lace and ribbon. She uses lots of tiny lace to make her beautiful pins, and sends me some of the larger things she finds.
I love these wide vintage ribbons and pretty appliques. I'm not sure just yet what I'll make with them, but I have a few ideas. In the meantime, I'll just enjoy looking at them! Thanks, Barbara!
There haven't been many good estate sales lately, but I did find a few things in April and May.
Small bird figurines are one of my favorites, as are the 1950s fancy paper napkins. The napkins don't sell well - apparently I'm the only one who loves them - but I can't resist them anyway. The chalkboard is two-sided and a nice size. The shakers are tiny with silverplate caps and would be great for some of the fun necklaces people are making. They're listed with some others in a lot on Etsy. The little spoon and forks are a bit tarnished but can be fun for crafts, and the plastic doily will be good for mixed media painting projects.
The sweet print, more ornate piece and rhinestone-studded compact have already been listed on Etsy. The compact is Avon, probably 1980s or 90s, but would be ideal for embellishing. All of these items came from the same estate sale, along with a shelf elf that I picked up for some unknown reason. It's not something I'd normally buy, but is fairly old and still has its Made in Japan label.
I keep telling myself to not buy any type of suitcases as I've not had much luck selling them. Obviously I'm not listening! The two patterns are fun, and the small jewelry box and jello mold will be good for altering. This is the second set of children's metal pans I've found lately, so they'll all be put on Etsy as a set.
And of course I bought more lace. I'm always happy if there's at least one good piece of vintage lace at every sale, but at one April sale I scored a box full. These are just a few of the pieces.
Some aren't in perfect condition - like the collar above - but are still beautiful.
The sheer and delicate Battenburg-style lace is one of my favorites from this lot. The two other pieces in this photo coordinate and each piece is two yards long. It's not often that I find larger pieces of vintage lace. All three pieces above are listed on Etsy.
I hope to be back soon with more finds to share, and some gifts from artsy friends.
