My Creative Space

In September of 2013 we moved my creative space from our smallest bedroom into our master bedroom. It was the DH's suggestion. His reasoning was that since I'm in my space for a good part of every day and since our only computer, which we both used, was also in that space it made sense to move it to the bigger room. I had to think about it for a bit - really, how would that look to other people? - but he was right. We've never had a lot of company - our nice-sized guest room had only been used a handful of times in the last 19 years - so we made that our master. Now the DH has his extra-large garage (part of the reason that third bedroom is so small but that's a whole other story!) and I have lots more room for fun junque! I intended to take pics of the "new" space ages ago. It's a bit messy (always) but here's a tour. 

As you look in the door, you see the table the DH made for me to work on. It's two cubbies from Target topped by a piece of MDF. Since I usually work standing up, I had him make it higher than normal and added bar stools from IKEA. For the holidays, it can serve as additional dining space. On a day to day basis, it's usually piled like this with estate sale finds unless I'm working on a project. Love, love, love my IKEA cart underneath!

The cubbies hold canvases, lace, and miscellaneous craft supplies on one end...

and mostly fabric on the end closer to the sewing table.

As you walk in the door, this white chest is mostly filled with lace and trim. I thought it would hold my entire collection, but not even close. Above that are creations from various classes, some gifts from friends, and a few things I've made on my own or purchased. And since this is also my office/Etsy shipping space, here's the printer and postal scale.

Next to that is the armoire where I store most of my Etsy stock and shipping supplies. It's amazing what will fit in there! My petite dress form stands watch.

Next is a cobbled-together bookcase found at a local antique store. Someone used scrap lumber and sort of threw it together, but it actually functions fairly well. It's cluttered but I know where everything is.

It holds tags from most of the tag swaps I've joined, buttons, millinery, and lots of little bits and pieces. There's a shelf "missing" between the two photos below. You can see a bit of it in the second pic. That shelf holds all my journals - ones I've made, some I've received, and several blank ones waiting for me to get creative.

Next is my IKEA Expedit shelving. I had wanted this for ages and finally had room for one in this space - barely! The top is covered with class projects, things I've received from swaps, gifts, and various things I've collected. The shelves are loaded with jars of buttons, boxes of linens and lace, books, and more interesting tidbits than you can imagine. The canvas bins hold paper, embellishments, and things I just can't let go of. One is full of just little boxes, mostly vintage but all too cute to throw away. Might need one for a swap or gift someday!

Here are close ups of a few of the cubbies. The locker basket in this first one is full of hankies and napkins. I need to pull the glove boxes out for a peek as I can't remember what's in all of them!

This next cubby has buttons, ribbon and my two bags full of vintage buckles.

The pretty boxes in this next cubby are full of lace and ribbon. The jar at the top is full of old strings of faux pearls, and there are lots of things I'm hoarding for future projects.

This next cubby holds four one-gallon pickle jars - one with Scrabble letters, Bingo tiles and checkers; one with miscellaneous small junque items; one behind full of sewing notions; and the other full of glass tubes, vials and tiny jars - more than I could ever possibly use. 

One more cubby and then we'll move on. This one holds my four jars of white buttons, a jar of rhinestone-accented buttons, jars of pink and gray buttons, and a gallon jar stuffed with rayon seam binding. The oil cans are just two of several in my collection.

Next up is my vintage cabinet. My mother gave me this. It originally belonged to her grandmother. It holds lace, a shoe box full of cabinet cards and vintage photos, vintage gloves, porcelain heads and lots more. 

Here's a close up of a few of the things in the cabinet. On the middle shelf you can see my two partially completed Briley the Birdie dolls from a Colleen Moody online class. Need to finish those!

There isn't much wall space left in this room, but this tiny bit beside the window holds a shelf of stamps and stamp pads, plus a couple of hooks for blingy things.

My sewing table sits in front of the window. I just got a new machine and love the bit of turquoise on the front.  The plastic cabinet on the left holds my Etsy files as well as folders from retreats and classes. That's my newest dress form on the right, still waiting for a frilly skirt to cover her exposed foam rubber. 

On the far right is my ribbon rack, and under that are six plastic bins of things that won't fit anywhere else in this room. Purging might be in order. Next to that is a three-basket rolling rack full of old books and various vintage paper items, topped by my Harbor Freight four-tier lazy-susan-style storage rack. Plus a basket with more ribbon. And a few other things. Eeek.

The bookcase and computer desk are next. Lots of assorted things find their home here, and the desk is always messy.

The top of the credenza holds lots of little jars and containers with beads, sequins, rhinestones and more. A recent addition is the wonderful graphic my mom did for a correspondence art course when she was a teen. I get my artistic inclinations from her.

There are more containers on the other end, and an amazing angel creation from an amazing friend. This room is filled with gifts and creations from special people, and it always makes me happy to be in here.

Lastly, here's a little table that holds my tool carousel, two boxes full of costume jewelry, and bags and bins of vintage velvet ribbon. Underneath is a vintage overnight case that holds more millinery flowers.

That's it! It really is a fun space and I'm happy to have it. Now I just need to clear off that table and start creating!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lace and Vintage Fashion Finds

Last Friday I went to a sale in Guthrie, Oklahoma - a town known for its statehood-era homes and a historic downtown area packed with antique stores. It turned out that the "estate sale" was actually the moving sale of a local antiques dealer who is getting married and selling her early 1900's home and most of the contents. As a dealer her prices were a bit high for resale but I did find a few affordable bits of lace, a sweet terrier needlepoint piece and a small framed print.

There were several large bins of gorgeous lace and it was SO hard to leave without it. Had the prices been better it would all be here now!

On the way home I stopped at a sale in north Edmond. It didn't sound that promising but was on the way. I didn't see much at first but then spotted some wonderful vintage clothing. The woman conducting the sale told me the clothes belonged to her mother-in-law. 

This amazing moire' satin two-piece was her wedding suit, circa 1941. It fits my dress form like a glove.

The trim on the ruffled collar is so pretty.

This peignoir set was her wedding night attire. The black lace is a bit discolored - it looks kind of green in the bright sunlight - but it's still a lovely set. 

This satin dress with matching hat - a Dance Original by Fred Perlberg - was worn to her sister's wedding, in the late 40s or early 1950s. The matching hat is a framework of velvet-covered wire with little bows and rhinestone-accented tulle.

I wasn't planning to buy this kimono. It was hanging against an armoire and though it was pretty, I wasn't sure if it was something I could sell. 

The woman really wanted me to take it, though, so I consented and her husband went to get it for me. When he came walking back with it, I was SO glad I had relented because he was holding it with the back facing me, and...

isn't it beautiful???  She also sold me her husband's darling little going-home-from-the-hospital knitted sweater and cap from 1950.

Although it will be hard to part with them, the clothes will all be going to my Etsy shop soon. I'll be listing a few lace lots as well. 

I've finally managed to take some photos of my creative space and will be sharing those in the next week. I've been in this space for over a year now and have given up on it ever looking neat so I'll be sharing it as-is!

February Finds

The DH and I hit four estate sales Saturday but everything I bought came from the first one. He didn't find a thing but it was a nice day - and we knew bad weather was headed our way - so we enjoyed the sun and had a nice lunch at a favorite spot on the other side of town.

Even the first sale didn't look promising at first, but there was lace - a King Edward box filled with tatting. There were a couple of pretty pillow case edges buried in the bottom. A bit high priced, but there's quite a bit of yardage there and I just can't leave a sale without this stuff.

Another thing I can't seem to leave, even though they don't sell that well, are tissue holders. This is the first I've seen in this style - already painted aqua and with the painted stainless steel cover. The cover slides off to one side, and there are holes to hang it on the wall. The flowered hat still has the original price tag attached. 

These 1950s patterns are fun. A couple are unused. Patterns are sort of "hit or miss" sellers, but the envelopes provide fun cutouts for journals and the tissue is good for packing.

 This scrapbook has never been used. The little felt sandals were too cute to leave, and the embroidered piece has two birds which made it an instant keeper.

We're expecting more snow and maybe ice this weekend so I doubt there will be junqueing. My 30+-year-old sewing machine died last week so I have a brand new electronic one to learn. That should keep me occupied!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day, and sharing a few more heart-themed creations. This little piece was made from the lid of a candy box and embellished with copies of a vintage Valentine, crepe paper festooning, and Stickles. The background is the same Authentique paper that I used for the tags from my last post. 

A couple of years ago I stamped and sewed hearts on a few tags, inspired by Jackie of Good Grief Girdie fame. I can't find a pic of Jackie's on her blog but they were all wonderful, just like everything she makes. I had used plain manila tags for mine and didn't like the way they looked. Last week I decided to cut this stamped heart and surrounding seam binding ruffle from the original tag and use it to create this more colorful tag.

Much better! I have two more and I'll give them the same treatment as soon as I find the right embellishments.

Enjoy your day of love, everyone!

Here's My Heart!

There's been a bit of Valentine creating going on here. I joined in on Paper Crown's Valentine Postcard Swap and that inspired me to make a few things.

For the swap I copied a vintage Valentine and used it to create two tags. One will go to another participant and one will be displayed in the store. 

I'm crazy for the vintage rose trim and it goes perfectly with the pretty background paper from Authentique. The cream crepe paper, doily and little bouquet are also vintage. 

The back was just a bit too plain so I added two little hearts and a bit of lace trim after I took this photo. When I dropped my postcards off at Paper Crown there were already several on display - all wonderful! I'm excited to see whose I receive!

Cindy, the owner of Paper Crown, is the sweetest person and always doing something nice for someone. Since she's the swap "hostess" (and is giving everyone who participates a $5 gift card!) I made her a little box of goodies.

The embossed roses were cut from a vintage greeting card. The gorgeous paper on the sides is by Anna Griffin. The lace heart trim came from a recent estate sale.

I filled the box with vintage trim, buttons, a buckle, an earring, and a few other tiny items. I then bagged it up with some chocolate hearts. Hope she enjoys it all.

More later! I have a couple of other Valentine themed projects in the works.

You Know It's All About the Lace...

Vintage lace is one of my very favorite things so I'm always happy to find it at estate or garage sales, flea markets or antique stores - just anywhere! January sales yielded a fairly good selection of lace and other trims. Click on any photo to see a larger shot.

My favorite in the grouping above is the darker embroidered organza trim. I like the cafe' au lait coloring and delicate design.

The lace and trim above all came in a large bag - the only thing I purchased at that particular sale. I wasn't that excited about it at first but when I got home and dug through the bag there were some nice pieces. The embroidered rick rack is a favorite, and there were several little trinkets with it that have been added to my stash of "odd bits."

A local vendor had leftovers from a couple of estate sales and offered them at a small community fairgrounds a few weeks ago. I hadn't made it ten feet past the front door before the DH directed me to a table of lace and trim. He's a good scout! I got all the pretties above and more. 

I've never seen the Bonnie Brand bias tape before. It's soft and shiny polished cotton and looks to be a bit higher quality than what one normally sees.

These tiny heads came from the fairgrounds sale. The smallest is about an inch high. There's a chip on the shoulder of the girl but I love her face.

Last weekend was a bit of a bust sale-wise, but I did find this sweet little flower pot and a bit of bling. Aren't the rhinestone earrings and necklace wonderful?

I'm not seeing much of interest on the sale calendar for the upcoming weekend either, but keeping my fingers crossed!

New Girl in Town

Last Thursday I went to an estate sale where I asked the sales clerk if it would be possible to just transport an entire room to my house. The homeowner had been a seamstress, and there were bins and bins of mostly vintage lace (not antique, but 60s to 80s vintage) patterns, notions, buttons, and two dress forms. I wanted both dress forms, but didn't need them and didn't really have room for them. I decided to leave them, even though the prices were reasonable. 

On Saturday - half price day - the pull of vintage trim was too great, so back I went. Both dress forms were still there, and I just couldn't leave without the better one. 

She doesn't have a name yet. Her foam is showing a bit at the bottom but I plan to put a fun dress or skirt on her so that won't matter. I like that her proportions are more generous than my mannequin. Apparently the previous owner had to add a bit of padding to her tummy and hips at some point - I can totally relate. I thought about removing the extra but decided to leave her be as she seems comfortable with her size. 

She's been making herself useful, displaying some of my lovely necklaces. Her tattoo is a bit distracting, but I like it.

I may put her to work displaying items for my Etsy shop. We'll see. The lack of a head could be a problem.

Just FYI, Stewartform applied for a patent for this style of dress form in 1963. I only found one other online so they may not have been overly popular (don't tell her!)

I'll show some of the lace from this sale and another in my next post.

New Attire for the New Year

When I first bought my mannequin I dressed her in a pretty vintage aqua jacquard dress. I loved it and loved the color in my studio - it was so much prettier than it looks here - but the dress was too small for her and had to be left open in the back. No one saw, but still...

So, I sold the aqua dress and tarted her up in a "girls just want to have fun" red party dress with gold sequins.

This one was much too big and had to be clipped in the back. Plus, I don't love red. It stood out like a sore thumb in a room full of neutrals with touches of aqua and pink. The dress was fun, but it annoyed me every time I walked into the room.  

So...I've been on the lookout. A few weeks ago there was an estate sale at the former home of a local antique dealer. I found lots of pretty things, but my favorite was this vintage dress.

It's a bit stained and has a large tear in the skirt but it's on a seam and can be mended. The entire dress is rows of lace stitched together. The ribbon is black velvet. There are no labels, so I'm guessing it was home sewn but don't know for sure.

I think this dress is pretty amazing. It fits my mannequin perfectly, and the price was so low I gasped when they told me.

I'm thrilled with it, and now I smile every time I walk into the room and see my Southern Belle mannequin.

Etsy Stats

This post may not interest anyone at all, but for those who hate statistics I've included photos of a few of my favorite Etsy sales from the past year to add some fun.

Vintage Beaded Sweater

My Etsy shop is something I started after I retired as a way to possibly make a bit of extra cash for art supplies and classes and as a way to spread the wealth - so to speak - from the estate sale shopping I love so much. I do make some effort to promote my shop but not in a big way and haven't paid a lot of attention to demographics (bad shop owner!)

  

  

Vintage Nightgowns

I truly DO appreciate all my customers, and while I was doing some year-end paperwork I decided to really look at where they're from. I already knew that California is by far my best source for customers in the US (89 orders since I opened my shop) and that Australia is my best international market (9 orders.) I hoped that I'd had customers in every state, but not quite - vintage lovers in Connecticut, Vermont and Wyoming haven't found me yet. Ditto for DC.

Vintage Ribbon with Metal Dispenser

Florida and Washington each represent 21 orders, and there have been 20 from Texas, 19 from Michigan, 17 from New York and 16 from Illinois.

Vintage Millinery

There have been 13 orders each from Ohio and Pennsylvania, and 12 from Oregon. I've had 12 on-line sales in Oklahoma, but many more at the two Glitter Markets here in Oklahoma City last year and a few at a two-day antique and vintage show in 2013. 

Vintage Pendleton 49er

I've had five orders from Canada, four from the UK, and one each from Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Japan and Italy. I don't usually list international shipping rates in my shop, so I'm thrilled when people like my items enough to contact me for international shipping.

Vintage Glass Ornaments

I won't list all the states where I've had fewer than twelve customers, although they're certainly as important to me as all the others. 

If you've been a customer, thank you very much. And if you've made it this far, I appreciate your indulging my statistical curiosity and thank you for taking the time to read my blog. 

Last, but certainly one of my best sellers - vintage lace!

I'll be showing off my mannequin's new attire in my next post. She's gone from "girls just want to have fun" to Southern Belle.