picnic blanket

breakfast picnic/photo shoot

After eyeing Amanda's blanket for ages, I finally got around to sewing a vintage sheet picnic blanket of my own. The bright colors and crazy floral patterns make for a festive summer outing. K and I have been enjoying the heck out of it and inviting our friends and family to come share it with us. I'm looking forward to using this blanket even more when the weather cools off in September and October (fingers crossed--it will eventually cool down, right?).

Our friend Christine relaxed on the blanket while listening to a concert by the river.

K rested while my sister and I played gin rummy.

Mom, K, Julie, and I all squeezed on the blanket to play one of our favorite new card games, No Thanks!. 

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For my next picnic blanket, I'd like to use a thicker backing and make the whole thing a block or two bigger. The chenille I used to back this blanket is on the thin side, so we layer another blanket underneath for cushioning and to sop up any moisture from the grass. 

(Photos by Christine, me, and my mom)

the cathrineholm collection begins

I had some wonderful luck over the weekend. On a whim, I stopped by a yard sale as I walked home from the farmers' market. This CathrineHolm pan jumped out at me. There was no price tag on it, so I tried to contain my excitement as I asked the lady how much she wanted for it. "A dollar," she said. Only $1? Are you kidding me? "It's a great omelet pan," she told me, as if I needed convincing. I paid her quickly and high-tailed it out of there before she could change her mind.

Now that I've got a CathrineHolm pan, I can't help thinking that it needs some company. My eyes are peeled for bowls. A tea kettle would be a great find. I found a cute print that would look good in my kitchen. I couldn't resist buying one of Amy's new fabric designs. And so, just like that, a collection begins.

daily reminder

This little phone nook vignette is a daily reminder to live this year with intent. 

I love changing this shelf up to suit my mood. (You might remember my crafty collection). I was feeling pretty contemplative and wintry when I made this, but I'm ready for more color as I look forward to spring. I think my next vignette will be joyful!

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The photo is K when he was tiny. He looks like he's pondering something, doesn't he?

Patchwork Pillow

Last week I turned on my sewing machine for the first time in months. Cold weather makes me want to curl up on the couch with a ball of yarn. The slow pace of crocheting soothes me and snuggling up with quilts and afghans is pretty nice, too. But I had forgotten that sewing has its advantages as well, such as finishing a project in a matter of hours rather than weeks. I cut out the squares for this patchwork pillow one night and sewed the pillow together the next day after work. Nearly instant satisfaction.

I had all of the materials on hand, which helped to make this project so speedy. The pillow form was already on my couch, covered with a black and white IKEA pillowcase that made my couch look a little too serious. The vintage sheets were in my fabric stash. I even got to use a couple of scraps that Jodi sent me. 

This patchwork pillow makes me so happy with all of its pink, yellow, and blue. It's the perfect place to lay my head for a little cat nap. 

I'd like to sew something else soon to keep my momentum, but haven't settled on a project. Do you have any suggestions for a small, quick, and easy sewing project?

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My home decorating skills are pretty limited. I focus on details and have a hard time thinking of the big picture. Plus, I work slowly and gradually so things always look a bit like a work in progress. This latter tendency has left K in the dark about how I plan to decorate our place.

Case in point, a recent conversation between my mom, me, and K.

Mom: So you all are starting to have a lot of yellow in the living room.

Me: Yep.

K: Not on purpose, though.

Me: Of course it's on purpose. 

It seems he thought we just kept coincidentally buying yellow chairs and fabrics and bowls! I think I've set him straight now.   

Hallway Crochet Love

Our hallway has one of those spots that used to house an old-fashioned phone. You know, the kind of phone that doesn't fit in your pocket. Since we don't have an old rotary phone that needs a place to hang out, I like to use our little phone shelf to create vignettes. 

This one is an ode to crochet and vintage things. Milk glass bowl, cotton threads, crocheted stone from Ms. Margie Oomen herself, pin cushion, Matryoshka doll, doily jewelry holder with vintage brooches, beeswax candle (smells so good!). 

Each time I pass through the hallway this collection makes me breathe a bit easier. It's calming. The light colors let my eyes rest. I've thought about switching things out for Christmas decorations, but I keep waiting. I'll keep these things out just a couple days more, I think. But I like them too much to tuck them away. 

Are your holiday decorations up? We've done a little decorating in the living room, the tree and some stockings. Can you believe it's almost December? I'm so excited for the holiday season!

Pinwheel Friends

My sewing machine saw the tiniest bit of action this weekend. It's the third weekend in a row I told myself that I was going to finally finish up my second pinwheel pillow cover. The first needed a friend, you know? So there I was at 11 o'clock on Sunday night stitching this together so that I could reach my self-appointed deadline. Success!

The pinwheel covers are for my living room floor pillows. I don't know if it's from living in Japan or what, but I often find myself wanting to plop down in the middle of the floor to work on projects or just listen to records. These floor pillows make the hardwood floor a little more bearable.

These are made with vintage sheets from my growing collection. I can't get enough vintage sheets in my life! If you missed it the first time, I used this fun tutorial for making the pinwheels.

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In a happy coincidence, today is pinwheels for peace day! Thanks to Elizabeth for the heads up.

Flea Market Finds

Last weekend the big flea market came to town--the flea market with lots of antiques that only comes twice a year. I had a little bit of luck finding vintage crafty materials to work with. 

I scored a vintage floral curtain, a pink and aqua sheet (perfect for a little recovering project I've got in mind), some colorful crochet hooks, furniture keys, and some itsy-bitsy crochet hooks in their own wooden case. 

The vintage crochet threads are from my mom (thanks, Mom!) who knows the vintage things I like and keeps an eye out whenever she's at a thrift store. As you can see I couldn't resist breaking into those threads and have already whipped up a lacy little project (far right). Now that I've got all of this thread, I might have to try my hand at crocheting ric-rac. Crocheted ric-rac around the collar would really perk up a plain t-shirt, don't you think?

A closer look at the hooks and keys. I love the soft colors of the hooks; they look like after dinner mints. The furniture keys each have a character of their own. I want to keep them all! However, I do need to think of something else to make besides necklaces so that I don't become "that girl who always wears a key around her neck." Any ideas for how to use my excess of vintage keys would be greatly appreciated.

These are the hooks from the green wooden case. They're so tiny! I don't know if I'll ever actually use them, but they're pretty fun to look at. 

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Have you had any thrifty luck lately?

Etsy Love: Lace Details

Outfit details:

Lavender tea shawl--me

Forget Me Not Vintage Lace Necklace--That Old Blue House 2

T-shirt--H&M

Custom Grey and Lace Camille Skirt--Liesl Made

I just had to share two of my favorite Etsy purchases ever, which I happened to wearing on the day of the shawl photo shoot. Both involve lace, but that won't come as a surprise if you've been reading this blog for any amount of time. I seem to get girlier and frillier by the day.  

I bought the lace necklace as a birthday present for myself. Vintage lace is sandwiched between two thin slices of glass; it's a great way to preserve and appreciate something so delicate and fragile. Lisa makes all kinds of necklaces, earrings, and brooches using vintage materials like lace, crazy quilts, and cards. 

Talented Miss Liesl made the skirt--it's a lovely shade of gray that goes with anything. The lace detail makes it just perfect in my mind. This skirt has been my go-to summer attire for neighborhood walks,  flea market jaunts, and day trips to little old towns. Liesl sews beautiful, high-quality clothes, home items, bags, and more.

I hope you'll check out these two wonderful shops! I know you'll find lots to love in both.

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I'd love to hear about your favorite handmade buys. Any favorite online shops I should check out?

Summer 2010 Vintage Swap

First off, let me just say that today is such a lovely day. The windows are open! I can feel the breeze blowing in as I type and the temperature is still under 80. It feels like a dream. 

Now, on to the Vintage Swap goodies. My partner was Amanda of Urban Almanac and she sent some doilies, a hand-adorned pillowcase, and a cheery yellow teapot. 

Over the years I've collected quite a few teapots, which I justify by telling myself that each teapot creates a different mood for a tea party. Some are small for solitary sipping, others are large and whimsical for more celebratory occasions. I am running out of room for teapots, so I've had to become pretty picky about which teapots I buy and which I leave at the store for someone else to love. 

This yellow teapot definitely has a spot in my life. I mean, it's yellow! Plus, it has such wonderful details, like the golden oak leaves and acorns and the little hook to secure the lid. I love it.

As proof that this teapot was meant just for me (and to better show off it's gorgeous color), it matches my sunshine chair perfectly. I see in my future quite a few fall evenings spent curled up in this chair, crochet project in hand, and this teapot steaming beside me. Cool breezes from the open windows will keep me company. I can't wait. Thank you, Amanda!

Here are the things I sent to Amanda. You'll notice that we both gathered yellow and green items. My finds ended up being very kitchen-y. I sent her a metal recipe box, buttons, a half-apron, a green Pyrex bowl, a wooden spool of yellow thread, and a zigzag hand towel. I hope she finds some use for these vintage items. 

I had a lot of fun picking things out with Amanda in mind and was thrilled to receive such a great teapot. I'm not sure when the next Vintage Swap will be, but if you want to participate, just keep your eye on this blog for more information.

weekly wanderings: joe ley antiques

this week k and i, along with his parents, spent some time meandering around a huge antique store downtown. joe ley antiques has four floors packed with old stuff. it was a pleasure to browse, and i know we'll return to scour the massive record collection in the basement. 

i really enjoy finding collections of things already put together, like these vintage tennis racquets. 

this is one of several staircases that were lined with books. it made my bibliophile heart race.

wooden shoe forms piled in a barrel. 

and finally, the feet that carried us through more than two acres of antiques. whew...

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where did you wander this week?

this moment: playing at the antique store

antiquing with mom and jules. lots of moments to remember.

photo by mom.

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find more moments here.

Thrifting + giveaway winner

 Lately I've been finding lots of good things at thrift shops.  Here are some things I found last week. Most all are from my favorite vintage shop, Tickled Pink. If you live in Louisville, I highly recommend stopping there sometime. The guy that runs the shop is so down-to-earth and passionate about vintage things. Plus, the prices are really affordable and the stock moves fast, meaning that each time I go in it's like entering a new shop.

I found some great textiles--a bit of old feedsack cloth, a scarf, and cloth map of New Zealand, which I have vague notions of someday incorporating into a travel quilt along with reminders of all the other places K and I have traveled. A scrapbook quilt, if you will.

I picked up quite a few doilies (the owner of Tickled Pink said they sell around 5,000 doilies a month!), some simple egg cups, and a pretty tin. We'll get back to the tin in a minute...

K and I have also had a lot of fun shopping for used records. There are actually lots of places in our neighborhood to find records, but we spent hours this weekend hunting for some real bargains at a peddlers' mall. K is very selective in the records he buys, while I want to buy everything cool I find. 

Lately I've been looking for older stuff and I scored quite a few good albums. The Nat King Cole one from 1963 is just perfect for summer--so carefree! The back cover reads: "So break open the popcorn, fill up a giant-size pitcher with root beer, and listen to some of the happiest music in a long, warm century of summers." When K saw that line he said the record sounds like it was made especially for me. And yes, I love it. I also like the super sweet 1937 sounds of the Andrews Sisters. Their music is absolutely perfect to listen to while baking a pie. 

The record I'm most excited about finding is the Crosby-Clooney one from 1958, which I recently read was Rosemary's favorite recording.  I had my fingers crossed that I'd find one of Rosemary's albums and am so happy I did!

Now back to that tin. I typed up the names of everyone who left a comment on my giveaway post, put the slips of paper in this tin, and had K pick one out.

The winner is Chrissy! Congrats Chrissy, I'll get your goodies in the mail soon. 

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway. I appreciate all of your comments so much, and I especially liked reading what you like and dislike about blogs. 

Thank you again for reading my blog! I love getting your comments and emails and reading your blogs, too. I have been so inspired and encouraged by all of you who stop by this space and take the time to read my posts. Thank you!

Spring Sewing

Happy first day of spring!

 This morning K and I went on a long neighborhood walk and then browsed at the bookstore where I fawned over this sewing book. I want to make myself a dress so much!

Speaking of dresses, have you been keeping up with all of the little girl dresses that Alicia of Posie Gets Cozy has been making? I'd like the morning glory, bouillabaisse, and little prairie in my size.

Well, this week I haven't been making dresses, but I have been doing quite a bit of other sewing. I've also been making my bed, which you can see in these pictures. I'm turning into quite the grown up.*

These are napkins I made for Julia and Lucas, a couple of friends who are getting married. I found the fabric last weekend  while visiting K's parents. We went for lunch and a bit of shopping in Augusta, Kentucky (hometown of George Clooney)** and I stumbled upon the neatest little shop filled with home-sewn quilts, pillows, and lots more. The actual name of the place is Small Town Gift Shop, which is pretty darn quaint. In addition to already sewn items, they had a large assortment of fat quarters tucked away in the back, so I picked up some for these napkins.

This pillow cover was a commission for my friend Sarabee. She liked the one I made for myself so much that she requested one just like it. I had a lot of fun sewing something for someone else.

I sewed up some lavender-filled sachets from vintage sheet scraps. One went to Sarabee, and I put the other one to work making my clothes smell wonderful. It's doing a good job.

I also made another eye pillow from vintage sheets. I really love the soft colors and variety of flowers on these sheets.

Hope you've had a wonderful day celebrating the change of seasons!

One more thing to get excited about is that a couple of great Etsy shops are being updated this weekend. Liesl (Liesl Made) is listing new things and so is Beki (Artsy Crafty Babe). Check them out!

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*I'm pretty sure real grown ups say "adult."


**Yeah, we totally found out where George's parents live and stopped to take pictures of their house. I am such a celebrity-hound. 

Sundry goods from the Vintage Swap

Last week I received a package from Nicola, my vintage swap partner, that was just brimming with vintage goodness. The box was filled with things in yellow and blue hues, so it felt like opening a box of sunshine and blue skies. 

I love everything Nicola sent, especially this mustard tin. It's gorgeous!

I'm excited to dive into the vintage embroidery floss and to find the perfect project to use those lemon chiffon-colored buttons.

Thank you so much, Nicola! 

Be sure to check out Nicola's blog Which Name? She's got a lot of tips on frugality that I'm hoping to adopt! Oh, and she's posted about the vintage items I sent her, which is good because I didn't get  a chance to take any pictures before I sent off the package.

For those of you interested in the Vintage Swap, the next one will be in April. I had a really fun time participating in this one and getting to know lots of new bloggers. It was much harder to shop for someone else than I expected, but I enjoyed being able to say to K, "But honey, I have to go shopping again this weekend. I just have to!" 

Vintage linens

Somewhere along the lines, in my reading about quilting, I came across the idea that, "An imperfect finished quilt is better than a perfect unfinished quilt." Lately I seem to be applying that motto to my whole life, just trying to get things done rather than being a perfectionist about it. Take this post, for example. I rushed to take the photos late last night; the light was bad and I was short on time. I debated about retaking the photos and blogging about this another time, but no. I want to share this post with you now, so here it is in all its imperfections.

I have had a lot of luck finding vintage linens lately. Actually, my mom found the flowery sheet above and brought it by my house a couple of weeks ago. It's so pretty with its subdued colors and wild mix of flowers, which remind me a bit of the Sixty pattern here. I was thrilled and politely requested that Mom return to the thrift store and scoop up the remaining sheet like it (she did!).

I've got lots of plans for this lovely sheet, but I needed it in my life right away, so I made a simple envelope-backed pillow with french seams. It was my first attempt at french seams, and I'm so happy with the results because the seams look neat and clean. I'm also quite surprised at how easy it is to make french seams. Why didn't anyone tell me? I would have been sewing them long before now had I known. 

Here is the back (I told you up front the pictures were bad!). Those sunflowers make me smile and think of warmer days that are on the way. Can you feel the days getting longer? I sure can. I am loving the extra hours of sunlight.

My collection of vintage handkerchiefs is growing. Here are a few after being handwashed and hung to dry. They are so delicate! I picked up the blue one at the flea market and happened upon the other two at my mom's house. Lucky me, she let me have them.

These handkerchiefs aren't just for show, either. I've been using them ever since I posted about handkerchiefs back in December. I haven't completely switched from tissues yet, but I think the more I get used to handkerchiefs (and remembering to carry them), the less I'll be using tissues.

Lastly, here are some more vintage sheets I found at the thrift store last weekend. It was an amazing weekend for thrifting, apparently. I love this combination of patterns in greens, yellows, and deep turquoise. These are going to be made into a present for someone special and I'm so excited about it! Can you hear the giddiness? My fingers are just dancing across the keyboard.

Happy mid-week! Yes, yes, halfway done. Hope it's going well for you!

Sweetness for a Rainy Day

What's that you say? This blog doesn't have enough pink? I can't believe you're not satisfied with the strawberry cupcakes and ice cream, the baby photos, and the gingham bookmark. If you insist, though, I do have some more pink for you.

For example, I've got these sheets that I bought at the Strawberry Festival yard sale. They're affectionately (I'm sure) called the "grandma sheets" around here. The pink and yellow floral pattern is quite delightful and that little lace detail makes me smile.



Not satiated yet? How about this pretty pink garland? I crocheted it a couple of months ago using this Heart Ornament Pattern as my guide. The garland is currently hanging in my kitchen, above the washer and dryer, where it succeeds in brightening up its surroundings. I think it'll probably make an appearance at the wedding, too.

Lastly, here's a dreamy, romantic movie that's just perfect for a holing up on a rainy day with a cup of tea and some crafting. And best of all? That pink!

I hope you're having a lovely day!