Blogger Blues - the only thing Blogger will let me type right now is titles! Hopefully I'll be posting again soon!

A Little Junqueing and an Old Car

It's been a while since I've shown any fun finds. There hasn't been a lot lately but I did pick up a few little things the last couple of weekends. 

The hat is certainly not the most attractive as it's a wild orange and yellow print, but the beige flowers will most likely be removed and used on projects.  The blue and gray roses are vintage pins.  The holiday apron pattern will most likely go in my Etsy shop.

The pretty lace collars and cards came from the same sale, along with the woven department store ribbon from Cash's - one roll has 1953 and the other rolls has May and Cash's. I need to research this as I don't remember a business called Cash's here, nor do I know how the ribbon was used. If anyone knows, I'd love to hear.  The photo was my sole purchase at one sale.

My friend Leann messaged me about an estate sale near me this past weekend.  Our friend Chris and I were headed to Leann's to craft this weekend, so we stopped by the sale on our way.  I found these cute books. The larger book has only one page of journaling and the smaller has none but I was still pleased to get them. Chris did find one of the record books that was filled with financial journaling, and even used a couple of the pages in one of her projects later that day.

I liked the olive green, pink and gray embroidery on this table runner, but got it home to discover that each end was worked in different shades of pink and green. Now I have to wonder if the maker ran out of thread and made do, or if they changed colors for some other reason.  

This little fruitcake box was filled with garters and straps, apparently stockpiled but never needed.  The packages appear to date from the 1950s and 1960s.  Here's my favorite:

I have no idea what I'll do with these. They'll be added to a small collection I've gathered from the purchase of various boxes of vintage sewing supplies. I did use one garter on a Birdsong project, so maybe the others will be of use someday.

My favorite find was this little hat for $1.  There were several other hats at the sale - all marked $20 and none as cute as this.  It was in the garage with some holiday decorations - can't imagine why, but I'm glad I found it.  I'm crazy for those ruffles around the edge, and the shabby rose makes me happy, too.

That's it for now.  The DH may be taking some leave on Friday so hopefully we can find a few good sales.  That's if I can pry him away from his 1939 Chevy. He's making progress. After years of sanding and hammering and welding he's starting to fit all the pieces back together. The doors will go on this weekend. 

It started out about like this but rusty and dirty. I can promise that A LOT of work has gone into it up to this point, and there will be a lot more as he's doing it all himself.  He's getting to the critical and expensive parts now, but hopefully someday there will be a great looking - and driveable - vintage vehicle in our garage!

ATC Swap

Kimberly Laws of ArtJoyStuff is creating 52 ATCs this year - one each week - and swapping with 52 other crafters.  You can read about it here.  Her work is amazing - to prove that point, she was just selected for the first-ever Gilded Life Design Team!  I was lucky enough to swap for her ATC #30.  I had been tempted all year, but this little beauty was just calling my name.

Kimberly sent along an extra spray of those tiny turquoise flowers - just my color! 

It took me a couple of weeks to come up with something I thought was worthy, but after a couple of false starts I found an old necklace bit that I had been saving for something special and things picked up from there. 

At an estate sale a few weeks ago I found a bit of unusual pique trim that I loved, so I included a piece for Kimberly to use in one of her creations.

Thank you, Kimberly, for a wonderful swapportunity!

Colleen Moody's Briley the Birdie

Just before Birdsong, I learned I had won admission to Colleen Moody's "Briley the Birdie" class. The class is part of Artful Gathering, an annual online art retreat.  Friends had made birdies during an in-person class with Colleen some time ago. I really wanted to make one, too, so signed up for her blog giveaway and was thrilled to win! 

I wish I could say that I finished one or two birdies during the six weeks of class, but between Birdsong prep and the actual event, then a week of catchup when I returned home, I didn't get started until three weeks in. Now don't get me wrong - there was plenty of time to finish.  I'm just a moody crafter and if I'm not in the mood, it's better to just wait and resume when I am.

I did manage to start on two birdies before my creativity waned. This was my first experience with the paperclay and I like it. 

I also made two sets of feet, but I'm not sure if I like them so I may try more. There are instructions for clay wings, also, but I opted to purchase feather wings from Colleen. 

Class is over tomorrow and I'm obviously not going to finish by then, but I WILL finish.  These little girlies are just too cute to not finish, and Colleen's birdies and all the beautiful creations by the class participants provided tons of inspiration. It may be a while, but I'll be showing MY finished birdies to you at some point! Be sure to check out Colleen's blog here to see her beautiful Briley and here to see a few of the very lovely class creations.

Thank you so much, Colleen, for selecting me for your giveaway! I will eventually make you proud!

Birdsong Classes and Tag Book Swap

There were four classes at Birdsong, two taught by Karla and one each by Beth Leintz and Lori Oles.  First up was Beth's decorated peat pot.  We were given a lovely little kit with vintage fabrics and trims with which to sew birds, flowers, hearts or whatever we wished. Beth also piled a table high with additional fabric and trim that we could use.  Next, we decorated a little peat pot and added our creations. It was a perfect way to start the weekend, hand sewing and chatting. I used blues, of course.  You can see more on the class on Beth's blog here.

Our Friday afternoon class was Karla's little fairy cage.  Some of us (including me!) had some difficulty getting the wires on this project to stay put. There was some groaning and a bit of drama, but Karla was patient and full of great tips and ultimately we ended up with darling little fairy cages. During the process I didn't think I would want to try this again, but the result was so worth it and I got so many good ideas for other options that I imagine I'll be making more.  If you'd like to try, Karla is offering the on-line class in her shop here.

Saturday's a.m. class was Lori Oles' lacy tag wreath.  Photos don't do this one justice.  It's so pretty, and the kits she provided were wonderful - filled with vintage ads and photos, lace, ribbon and sequins.  Like Beth and Karla, she provided a table full of additional goodies to choose from.  I had trouble making up my mind so will probably add a few things to a couple of my tags at some point. 

I first encountered Lori's blog prior to Silver Bella 2010, and sort of idolized her because I loved everything she made and she was one of the first mixed media artists I was aware of. At Birdsong I learned that she is not only talented, but so much fun and very sweet.

Saturday afternoon brought Karla's necklace class. She provided kits packed in cute vintage egg cartons, courtesy of Suzanne Wingfield. There were extra ribbons, bird drawings, beads and bits to choose from, too.  I was really pleased with my necklace, and with all the projects.

We were all a bit sad that the weekend was drawing to a close, so were pleased that we had to hang out a bit longer at Karla's waiting for the resin in our necklaces to dry!  For more photos of all the classes, check out Karla's blog post here.

There is so much about Birdsong that I haven't posted on - sponsor gifts, gifts from friends, vendor night shopping - so I may try to sneak things in here and there. I've enjoyed reading all the blog posts from the attendees. They kind of made returning to the real world a bit gentler.

For this post I'll close with sharing the tags I received in the tag book swap.  Stephanie Oyler hosted the swap, and each participant made and received seven tags.

Upper row:  Cover by Stephanie Oyler, Suzanne Wingfield, Hope Ellington, Mercedes Scott, tag by Stephanie Oyler.
Lower row:  Linda Postma, Lisa Phillipi, an extra tag given to me by Laurie Jackson, Tami Hacker

Love them all!  I showed some preview pics earlier, but here are a couple of the tags I made.

I hope you've enjoyed all the Birdsong posts.  NOW, on to other things.

Karla's Wonderland

Karla Nathan's home is an amazing place.  In her house and adjoining studio, there are wondrous things to see wherever your eye may light.  In the studio there are little creations everywhere, and her supply stash is out of this world!

If you read her blog you know that she shares many photos of her home and studio, but I can promise you that the real thing is even more wonderful than the photos convey.  Every wall and furniture finish, every fixture, and every surface has been creatively and lovingly adorned by Karla's talented hand. 

For Birdsong she and her family provide delicious, nutritious and beautiful meals that leave you totally satisfied and wishing they were around to feed and pamper you on a daily basis. You feel like an honored guest. Of course, the opportunity to create and visit with others who share a passion for mixed media is the main reason we were there. The rest was a wonderful added bonus!


Photo from Beth Leintz


My poor photography skills could never do justice to any of this, but here are just a few more things that caught my eye during Birdsong weekend.  Hope you enjoy! 

The yard is lovely, too!  I took lots of little breaks to walk outside and enjoy the beautiful day and all these little vignettes.

I've been trying to hang onto Birdsong as long as possible, but I do have other things to post about so I'll try to wrap it up. Just one more post in a day or two about the class projects. After all, there's always Birdsong IV to look forward to! 

Bye Bye Google Reader

Sadly, Google Reader is going away July 1.  If you use Google Reader to follow blogs, you'll need to switch to another reader before July 1.  I'm using Bloglovin' and found it very simple to transfer my huge list of blogs to that service.  I know people who have switched to Feedly and other readers and found them also simple to navigate.   

I hope you'll take a moment to follow my blog on whatever new reader you choose.  You may use the Bloglovin' button at the top right of this blog to follow Junque Seeker on Bloglovin', or just click this link and then hit the FOLLOW button.

Thanks, and happy reading!

Lovely Birdsong Swaps

Hard to believe it's been almost two weeks since Birdsong III! I have so much to post about, and have enjoyed reading all the posts from the other attendees.  Today I want to show you the wonderful things I received in the swaps.  You can see what I created for my swap partners in my last post here.

Mercedes Scott hosted the rosette swap. We were to create a fabric rosette that included a vintage bird brooch and give it in a pretty package.  Partners weren't assigned, but Mercedes created beautiful paper and fabric tags - one for each rosette. We then picked a corresponding small card from a bag to determine which rosette we received.  I was thrilled to get Mercedes' creation! She covered a box in vintage wallpaper and tied it with vintage insertion eyelet, then topped it with a doily, a bird and a flower - some of my favorite things.  The tag she created coordinated beautifully with the box.

The rosette is gorgeous - peach and coral and cream, with lots of lovely handwork and a pretty brooch on the side.  It's backed by a doily, and I love the streamers.

She also included a cloth bag made from the cutest fabric and filled with lavender. It was decorated with yet another pretty bird brooch! She wrote a lovely note and tucked it in the box, too.

Thank you so much, Mercedes. I love it all!

Here are all the rosette packages on a bench in Karla's courtyard, followed by all the rosettes in a group.  If you'd like to see more photos Mercedes has posted several on her blog here.

Next is the matchbox swap.  The matchbox I created went to Grace, and I also received her matchbox.  Everyone else gave their matchbox to someone and received a matchbox from a different person.  We were the only two who swapped with each other, and I'm glad we did!

Grace worried that her box was too simple, but I love everything about it!  It's already on display in my living room, and the goodies she packed inside are all things I'll enjoy using, if I can bear to part with them.

I'm a big fan of those little velvet leaves and the tiny flowers. She also gave me buckles, buttons and bling that are unlike any I have. I use a lot of the little lace pieces and these, too, were unlike any I have. Thank you so much, Grace. I love everything!

The last swap was the tag book swap. With seven pretty tags and cover, it needs a post of its own, so watch for that soon.

Click on any photo above to see larger versions.

Birdsong III Overview and My Swap Creations

My first - and I certainly hope not my last - Birdsong has come and gone. It was such an enjoyable weekend. Karla Nathan put on an exceptional event and had obviously worked very hard, along with her family, to pull everything together.  Her studio is a wonderland of little vingnettes - journals, tags, an entire buffet filled with flowered vintage hats, and more.  I'll have lots of photos over the next few posts, but here's a group photo provided by Karla.

What wonderful people to share a weekend of creating!  I am in there - you can barely see my head peeking up with a post in front of my face. Being short, everyone always wants me in front in group photos but I hate being in front so I go to the back. Usually only my head or even the top of my head shows, but I know I'm there.

For today I'm going to share the swap items I made.  First up is the tag swap. I used a pretty image from The Graphics Fairy, and used pop dots to layer the bird and basket.  I added some Stickles, pleated satin and velvet trim, millinery flowers and ribbon. The back was covered in a neutral rose print with a row of small organdy roses to cover the bottom edge.

Each person in the swap made seven tags and we received a book of seven.  I'll show the tags I received in a future post. I love them all!

For the matchbox swap, I found a small plastic "birdcage" at a garage sale that I wanted to incorporate.  I added a tiny feathered and sequined bird, placed it inside a silver-plated coaster, and surrounded it with flowers and lace. The box was covered in a taupe polka dot paper and trimmed with pleated trim from a vintage lampshade. I perched the whole thing on top of an ornate metal stand, also found at a garage sale. 

The matchbox was filled with lots of lacy and sparkly things for my swap partner, Grace. She doesn't have a blog, but if she did I know you'd enjoy it!



The last swap was a rosette that incorporated a vintage bird brooch. This sounds easier than it actually was. I scoured antique malls, estate sales and my own collection with no luck. I finally turned to eBay and found a couple that I liked - one that was a bit steampunk and the other in silver with rhinestones. I made the rosette with layers of vintage lace, then decided the steampunk pin looked the best. One of the swap requirements was to package the rosette prettily, so I made a burlap-look linen bag trimmed with lace. Partners weren't assigned in advance. I'll share more details on this swap in a later post. I promise that you're going to want to see all the beautiful rosettes and pins.



The things I received in return are all lovely.  I'll share those in a few days, along with photos of our class projects and Karla's amazing home and studio.

Thanks for stopping by!