Breakfast at Tiffany's Fabric Book Swap

A couple of months ago Laurie Jackson of Indulge Your Shelf invited several friends to participate in a Breakfast at Tiffany's fabric book swap.  Six of us made pages, sent them to Laurie, and she bound them together with her page and covers into a fabulous and beautiful book for each of us.  We were all so excited to receive our books this week, and I know some of you have been waiting to see.  I'll provide links below for Laurie and the others with blogs so you can visit and see their photos, too.  Click on any of my photos to see a larger view.

When I opened my package, this is what I saw - pretty wrapping with an A for Audrey.

Laurie made the front and back covers, plus another page.  I love the fabrics and trims she used. She also sent each of us a pretty coordinating bookmark and a little book with interesting tidbits about the film.

The inside front cover features a typewriter with a removable "page" that includes the contributor names and information - genius on Laurie's part, I think.  Check out that tiny tassel trim at the top of the page.  The opposite is the front of my page.  The background has the lyrics to "Moon River."  The dress is velvet with tiny "pearls" and a rhinestone button sewn at the neck.  The pleated ruffle at the hem isn't a part of the dress as it appeared in the film, but I had just found a vintage slip and couldn't wait to use the ruffled trim so I exercised artistic liberty!

Next is the back of my page, and the front of Lisa Stanton's page. Laurie kept the two Okie's together! My page is a black velvet handbag with a rhinestone clasp and a string of pearls.  The little card is a claim check for the engraving of Holly's Cracker Jack ring.  Lisa's page is very plush black velvet with blue satin ruffles, rhinestones and pearls.  Beautiful! 

The back of Lisa's page is black satin with white satin bows - so Tiffany!  Opposite is Tamatha Kaplan's page titled "Holly's Crazy Apartment," and featuring a collage of photos from the film crazy-quilted with sumptuous fabrics and trims.

Up next is the back of Tamatha's page titled "Shopping With Audrey." It has nine "shop windows" on satin trimmed with tulle, ribbon and rhinestones.  Opposite is Suzanne Wingfield's beautiful Tiffany-blue satin "box" tied with their signature white ribbon.

The back of Suzanne's page shows Audrey as seen from inside Tiffany's. It's on white satin and trimmed with net, lace, velvet ribbon and pearls, and accented with a rhinestone and pink jeweled pin.  Opposite is Laurie's "Little Pink Dress" page sewn on beautiful striped pink satin accented with a vintage doily, beaded trim and and ruffled silk ribbon.

The back of Laurie's page includes a hand silhouette holding a vintage earring. Underneath is the line from the movie, "You can always tell what kind of person a man really thinks you are by the earrings he gives you."  This page is accented with sequins, brocade trim, lace and vintage black glass buttons.  Opposite is Linda McMillin's page with a beaded New York City skyline, a silhouette of Audrey's dress from the opening scenes and beaded with pearls and a rhinestone button, a silhouette of Cat, a ribbon and a tuxedo button.  Along the edge is glitter ribbon and roses.

The back of Linda's page shows several iconic images from the film. Linda added stamps, flowers and rhinestones.  Opposite is Tami Hacker's lovely page with an image of Audrey sewn to beautiful fabric and accented with rhinestones, tulle, ribbon, a little doily and pompom trim.  Very pretty!

The back of Tami's page includes the lyrics to "Moon River", a pretty organdy flower with a rhinestone button center, and more ribbon.  Laurie found cute NYC brownstone fabric for the inside back cover and added a blue moon and Cat.

The back cover, also by Laurie, shows a silhouette of Audrey overlaid with tulle and accented with lacy ribbon trim, buttons and Tiffany blue seam binding.

If you have a chance to see one of the books in person, you should.  Each page is truly lovely and together they are an amazing collaboration.  I'm honored and proud that I was able to be a part of this project, and so appreciate the work Laurie and the others put into the book.  Please click on the highlighted names above to go to the other blogs and see additional photos and information.  You'll be glad you did!

I sent Laurie a few little "swap hostess" gifts, mostly not in the Tiffany theme but things I thought she would like.

September Finds

There have been lots of estate sales this month, but I haven't found much to buy.  I actually left one sale without buying one thing - a first!  We got a later-than-our-usual-late start one Saturday earlier this month, causing us to almost skip one sale, but I'm so glad we decided to go.  It was actually a garage sale, but in their Craigslist ad I spotted some old photos.  Not only were the photos still there - at almost 3pm - but there was a bag of very old lace and a beautiful but tattered hanky. I bought a few other things, too, but have already sold some of them in my Etsy shop.  The lace will probably be staying with me.

Click on any of the photos to see larger versions with more detail.

There are quite a few more photos but these are some of my favorites. The lace behind the first photos was found at a Purcell antique store last weekend.

On the way to Purcell we stopped at a shop in Noble where I found this lamp.  It needs to be disassembled, the wood sanded and painted, and all the electrical parts replaced.  It was only $5, though, so it will be well worth it.  I would have paid that for the globes alone. I love the beaded, quilted pattern of the milk glass.  

That's it for now. I hope to have more finds to show after this weekend.  My next swap isn't due until the end of October, but I'll be sure to share when it's done.

A Highly Prized Ribbon

Well, I've made you wait long enough. It's time to unveil the Prize Ribbon that Tabitha made for me.  Isn't it beautiful? I love the fabric-covered center with the crown, the millinery flowers, the pearly earring, the lace and buttons - love it all! If you haven't already jumped over to Tabitha's blog to see her photos of the ribbons, you can click here to see.  She's also swapping ribbons with several others, so you might want to check her blog again later to see more.

After I received it I told her that I was hooked as soon as I opened the package and saw a waxed kraft bag with lace and flowers sewn along the edge!  I love that little bag, and it was filled with lots of pretties.



The #10 on the flash card was appropriate, as I'd rate this swap a 10 for sure!  Thanks so much, Tabitha!

Under the Big Top

The last installment of the Paper Cowgirl Summer Travel Postcard Swap was circus-themed. I'm not a big fan of the circus, particularly clowns, but when we received the assignment I immediately knew the artwork I wanted to use. The image is from a Chesterfield cigarette ad on the back cover of a 1931 Literary Digest magazine. The painting is by William Meade Prince and as far as I've been able to determine, it was created specifically for the ad.  I then found some great circus graphics from GalleryCat on Etsy, added a little foof, and here's my postcard!

Front



Back

I made three cards and switched out the "posters" on the back.  The little "Laugh" tag contains all the pertinent credits on the artwork since I didn't have room for that on the card when I was finished.

I'll be sure to share when I receive my card from my swap partner, and I'll be sharing my prize ribbon from Tabitha in the next day or two - as soon as I take photos. It's lovely!

Prize Ribbons

As mentioned earlier, I joined the Prize Ribbon swap hosted by Tabitha at Creative Wings Boutique.  My partner was none other than Tabitha herself, and I was a little nervous about making something she'd love.  Her favored colors are pale pink, turquoise and white.  I had several ideas, but ultimately went with this.

Since Tabitha's blog is Creative Wings, I thought the little lace wings were just the thing.  I used vintage lace, seam binding, ribbon and velvet cording for the streamers.  Since she hosted this and the Very Merry Unbirthday Cake swap, I sent along a few hostess goodies.

I wanted to make some kind of container for the things I was sending, and had read about using clear Contact Paper to create a sort of "fabric" with paper.  I decorated a couple of pages from a music book and then covered those and an undecorated page (for the bottom and sides) with the Contact Paper.  I then cut it to size and sewed it all together.  The flap is a pale rose-patterned fabric, also covered with Contact Paper, with a vintage millinery rose attached. The post card graphic is from GalleryCat on Etsy. 

Tabitha seemed pleased with what I sent and sent me the sweetest e-mail.  Her package for me should arrive tomorrow, and I can hardly wait to see. I'll be sharing that in an upcoming post, of course!



For the Love of Dog

Anyone who knows me knows I'm crazy about dogs - mine in particular, but I just love dogs in general.  Jackie Peters taught a cute dog journal class recently at Paper Crown, so of course I HAD to sign up.  The journal is made from a file folder with a mini-binder insert.  Jackie had lots of cute vintage dog images for us to use, along with dog-related quotes, pretty papers and ribbons.  I also won a door prize during the class - a cute little beach-themed journal.  Here are my two books.

For the dog journal, we stamped the inside of the folder, added a pocket, then vintage images, quotes and washi tape.  We then added the binder and decorated our pages.

I used vintage images on the front of my pages, and pics of my babies on the backs.

I've added a couple of pages since the class and plan to add a few more.  Yet another fun Jackie project!

I've been collecting a bag of beach-themed vintage photos and ephemera for a while, but didn't have any particular ideas for a cover.  The little beach journal I won will be perfect.  It has blank pages ready to embellish.  I've made a few additions already, and will use the photos and papers from my stash to finish it up.  Here are a couple of things I've added so far.

I'll be posting soon about the last round of the Paper Cowgirl's Summer Travel Postcard Swap, and also Creative Wings Boutique's Prize Ribbon Swap.  Hope you'll check back to see!



 



A Class and a Project Day

Dina Wakely was in OKC recently for four classes.  Because of scheduling conflicts, I was only able to take one of the classes - Dying for Dylusions.  We made this vibrant little tag book using Dylusions spray inks, modeling paste, stencils and stamps.  The book is a single folded sheet of paper.  The tags go into pockets formed by the folds.  

The class I most hated to miss was a "Dear Self" encaustic tag book.  My friend Chris was able to take all four of Dina's classes and being the nice person she is, she invited Kerry and me over last Sunday to make a tag book.  She had everything ready for us, but of course we brought a ton of supplies anyway.  I wish I had taken photos of their books because they were both amazing, but bad blogger that I am, I didn't take my camera so my book will have to suffice.   

 

This is one of my favorite things I've made, not only because my self-esteem can always use a boost, but I just like the whole idea of how the book is made and the endless possibilities for this format.

Dina was a great teacher and I'd encourage anyone to take her classes, but I have to say that Chris was a pretty great teacher, too!

A Very Merry UnBirthday Cake Swap

Finally I remembered to charge my camera battery so I could show pics of the beautiful cake I received from Kimberly for Creative Wings Boutique's Very Merry UnBirthday Cake Swap.  We both chose the "vintage dirty" color scheme. The box Kimberly sent has scalloped trim with vintage buttons, and don't you love that little banner?  The vintage millinery rose is beautiful, nestled atop a bed of organdy roses.  I would never have thought to paint and glitter one of those little pink plastic ballerinas, but it is so pretty!  You can see Kimberly's photos here and here.

Inside the box were lots of goodies - vintage lace on old clothespins, tiny vintage millinary flowers, a doily, a little jello mold, a doll head and arms, and lots more.  I love it all!  Thank you so much, Kimberly!

This was my first faux cake and it turned out a bit more Victorian-looking than I intended but I was happy with it overall.  I covered a round box with lace from a vintage table runner, then added a row of pleated trim from a 1940s lampshade.  For the top I added a couple of extra embellishments to a Jolie's Boutique flower. It's all bit more "dirty" and not quite as white as it looks in the photos.

I filled it with a doily, lace on tags, Scrabble tiles (great minds think alike, right?), a little tin full of buckles, buttons, and other little goodies.  I also made a tag using a Character Constructions stamp, a bit of vintage velvet ribbon, and a piece of my favorite vintage lace.  The last thing I added was a flower made using Rebecca Sower's tutorial from Etsy.

 This was one of my favorite swaps, both for the fun of making the cake and for what I received.  I'm doing Creative Wings Boutique's Prize Ribbon Swap next and will have photos to show later in the month.

Swaps and Crafting

The second round of the Paper Cowgirl Summer Travel Postcard swap is complete. I was fortunate to be partnered with Betti for this round.  She made a beautiful geisha card with an additional greeting panel.  It's hard to capture the dimension and gilttery loveliness in a photo. Wish you could see it in person!

My card was made using a couple of images from old advertisements on the front, embellished with a little gimp trim and some vintage millinery flowers. The little lanterns on the back were cut from vintage wrapping paper.  The cards I sent Ms. Betti and Cindy at Paper Cowgirl had oriental faux stamps in the corner instead of the doily. 

This swap group is off to the circus next, and I'm excited to start on that one.  I have a 1931 magazine ad that will be perfect!

There was a "baby party" Saturday for my friend Kerry.  She's already received so many cute clothes, I decided to get her "necessities" so she'll be prepared when little Miss Lizzie arrives. That said, I couldn't bear to give just necessities, so I made her a couple of baprons (see info here) and a sweet little pair of Mary Jane's.  Those are necessary too, right?

I'll be posting later this week about Tabitha's Very Merry UnBirthday Cake swap. You'll want to see the lovely cake and "treats" I received.

Thank you, Fresh American!

A few months ago I read (on someone's blog, sorry, can't remember whose) about a blog that sounded interesting - Fresh American.  It's by designer Annie Selke, whose home remodel I had followed and enjoyed in House Beautiful magazine.  That got me hooked, but they were also hosting daily giveaways at the time.  I'm one of those people who had only won a couple of things in my life - small things - but I signed up several different days never expecting anything to come of it.

I was shocked and delighted when I was contacted and told I had won a Dash and Albert rug! The giveaway rug shown on their blog was white and grey with a pattern I loved, but I was told I could choose any rug in the same size range. Since we have three dogs, I decided something else might work better for our home. I was extremely happy to find that Dash and Albert had a rug I saw in a magazine a while ago that I absolutely loved. It's called "Cat's Paw," and here it is!

The dogs aren't that impressed, but I love it!

Georgia modeling

The rug also comes in a light blue background but, again, probably not the best color choice with dogs, and with our newly-blue walls, it would have been too much.  I think the brown is just right, and I love all the bright colors.  It looks modern and fun, and I'm so happy to have it!  A huge thank you to Annie Selke and Fresh American!

Lace and Froth

When I decided to sell vintage on Etsy, clothing wasn't at the top of my list. I love the look and construction of vintage clothes but what I had found in the past never fit.  The only vintage clothing I owned was a cute swing coat found at a Salvation Army thrift store, and I only wore it once because it kind of overpowered me (I'm 5'1".)

Now vintage clothes seem to find me.  A few weeks ago I spotted this beauty at an estate sale.

One of the sale staffers told me, "Everyone has been looking at that dress."  It has some minor issues, but I can't imagine why no one purchased it before I arrived mid-afternoon.  It's rather tiny and tea length with an attached lining and crinoline, 3/4 length raglan sleeves, and a dropped waist.  Its simplicity would make it perfect for an outdoor wedding.  There are no holes that I've found.  It does have some discoloration, but nothing that would stop me from wearing it if I could only fit into it.  I'm going to work on it a bit, but will be listing it no matter what.  It deserves to be worn.

At another sale I found the perfect Doris Day-era frothy pink peignoir set. It has double layer puff sleeves and a ruffled hem.  It makes me happy just to look at it.

At the same sale I found a couple of half slips with that lovely tiny pleated trim.  I'm crazy for these, even though I've not worn a dress for at least fifteen years and am basically a jeans and tee kind of gal.  The pleating detail gets me every time.

All these will be going on Etsy as soon as I've had my fill of staring at the lace and froth.

Summer Crafting

We had our bi-annual family reunion this past weekend, with a couple of my sibs and their kids and grandkids here from Texas.  We met with aunts, uncles and cousins on Friday evening and Saturday evening. We had a great visit but the time went by too quickly, as always.

It has become a reunion tradition for family members who craft, sew, etc. to make something to donate for a silent auction with the proceeds going toward reunion expenses.  Others donate purchased items and lots of us bid.  I had a few things in mind for this year but ended up making just a couple of patriotic decorations.  I was inspired by Jackie's recent class at Paper Crown (see her blog post here.)  I wasn't able to attend her class, but borrowed the idea.  Sorry, Jackie!  But I'll be there for her mystery class later this month!

My sweet sister and sister-in-law were the winning bidders on these, so a big thank you to them!

I was the winning bidder on this cute bag made by my sister-in-law.  I love the combination of suit fabric and ribbon, and check out that great lining and all those pockets.  She originally made it to carry to Canton but we had to cancel our trip, so the bag went to the auction.  Lucky me!  It's perfect for junqueing.



She sells purses, hats and other things at art and craft shows occasionally, but I think she needs an Etsy shop. She's a great artist, too, and does lovely paintings.

Tabitha at Creative Wings Boutique is hosting a Very Merry Unbirthday Cake Swap.  I've joined in, so I'll have a cake to show you in a couple of weeks.  The Paper Cowgirl Summer Travel Postcard swap continues and I'll soon have a couple of cards to show you from round two.  Here's the "Africa 1914" card I received from Debbie.  It even has a little pocket watch.  Love!  Thanks, Debbie!  You can see my Africa card and a link to the swap Pinterest page here.

Summer Means Car Shows

The DH and I went to the Knights Car Club show in Shawnee, OK a couple of weeks ago.  It was hot, hot, hot.  I have to admit to rushing him along a bit, but I did manage to photograph my two favorites.  This first one - a 1950 Chevrolet convertible - belonged to a lovely gentleman from Kansas.  The color was almost exactly the same as our newly-painted walls.

We spotted this next one at a show a few weeks ago, then again in Shawnee. I absolutely love it.  It's an Auburn, made sometime in the 1930s, and is the pefect cartoon car.  Can't you just imagine it racing down the road with Roger Rabbit at the wheel?  It looks like it's about to pounce forward.  Not sure who owns this one, but they're very lucky.

No photos of the DH's favorites, because they're ALL his favorites!