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! 

Hat Attack!

A while ago I bought a little cream color hat just for these three beautiful vintage millinary flowers on its brim. I don't think I even took a photo of the hat before I ripped these lovlies off.

I thought I would just remove the flowers and then put the bare hat in my next bag going to Goodwill, but the vintage fabric was pretty so I decided to see what I could do with it. The hat had three layers - a plain nylon inner layer, a stiff mesh liner, and a prettier linen outside layer.  There was enough fabric in the crown and brim to make four flowers. For each one, I cut three sizes of petals from each of the three layers. I used some chalk to age the edges a bit, sewed the layers together, and then scrunched it all up to give it some dimension. I used a piece of the grosgrain ribbon hat band and unraveled it to make the stamens, and added a few little pearls. 

Using the elastic inner hat band, I made this little rose.

 Who knew one little hat would yield so much?

Birdsong Tag Book Beauty

I received my Birdsong tag book from Karla Nathan.  It has a beautiful cover and seven lovely tags.  Here's a photo of all the tags tied together as a book. I'll be adding one of the tags I made.  You can see why my black and white very simple tags, although cute, probably weren't the best choice for this particular swap.  I'll know better the next time! My tag was blogged about here.

A close up of the pretty cover Karla made for all of the 135+ books.  Click on the photos if you'd like to see them up close, and click on any highlighted names to see posts on their blogs about their tags.

My first tag is from Pam. In case you can't tell, there's an overlay with a bird cage, a peacock feather and the swap name.  Love the back, too.  

The second is from Patty.  It has several layers and is adorned with a pearl egg and tied with multicolor fibers.  So pretty!

I apologize but I can't read the name on the third tag.  I believe it's C. Potts, but I'm not sure.  It's blue metallic stamped with black leaves and flowers, and there's a white feather underneath the world "FLY." Very nicely done!

The fourth tag is from Joanne. Layers of lovliness! 

The fifth is from Katherine.  Wonderful! 

Tag six is from Erica.  It's has so many fun elements.  Very pretty.  

Tag seven is from Lynn.  So pretty, and I love the precious bird charm. 

This was such a fun swap!  Each tag is wonderful.  Thanks, everyone!

Terry/Terri July Swap

As I've said here before, I tend to be an introvert. Most of my closest friends were met through work, and I consider myself fortunate to have them. Some I see a lot, most I see only occasionally now, but they are all so dear to me.  When I retired, I did consider whether I would make more friends without work as a source to meet people.

Enter the world of creating and blogging. I've "met" so many people in the last year and a half.  Most are just acquaintances but with art in common and if we lived nearer, there are several I know could easily become close friends.  One that I consider a true friend in spite of distance is Terry.  We were paired on a swap almost a year ago, and have continued swapping over the months.  She has certainly sent me lots of beautiful things that I love, but the best thing is her sweet personality and her friendship. Through lots of e-mails, texts, and even one very long phone conversation, we've gotten to know each other better.  Hopefully we'll have an opportunity to meet in person someday. 

Now to the goodies!  For our July swap, she sent me so many amazing things that I almost cried when I opened them.  She always manages to find things I love and then puts everything together so nicely that it's a treat just to open the packages.  If she sent just a fraction of what she does I'd be thrilled, but she especially outdid herself this time. 

Everything was packed amidst blue crepe paper streamers and red, silver and blue glittery stars.  There were two little packages tied with red and white ribbon that contained the most amazing bracelet and necklace.  I absolutely love them!  I so wish my camera was better so you could see exactly how lovely they are.

There's a package with pieces of blue and red velvet, vintage red rick rack and blue check bias tape, and white daisy trim, all tied with striped ribbon and a George Washington chenille figure; a big fat package of red and blue fringed crepe paper tied with a checked ribbon and a tiny flag; and a package of red, white and blue crinkled seam binding.  There's a party hat, a cone, and a giant tag that are all SO cute.  There are tons of craft supplies in red, white and blue, including chipboard and die cut shapes and letters, gem brads, a crepe paper banner, a red rosette, and so much more.

What I sent looks a little sparse this month, but I did try to include vintage trims and unique things that she can use in her art. My package for her included this banner and tag that I made. 

I also sent a few things from the gorgeous Webster's Pages "Ladies & Gents" line, including paper, fabric ribbon and embellishments.

 
I made a tassel from an old salt shaker in her favorite colors of black and white, and added one of the new Tim Holtz stamps, a notepad/mousepad, and a gray fabric rose.

I included a vintage cigar box full of little goodies, and made a prize ribbon to decorate the gift bag. I debated long and hard whether or not to cover and embellish the cigar box, but I loved its vintagey cuteness and decided I would leave it plain and let her decide if she wanted to use it for a project. She immediately put it to use as a stand for a little 4th of July figurine she has, so I'm glad I decided to leave it as it was.

 Hope you enjoy looking at all the fun things we swapped.