Braided Embroidery Thread Bracelet

I finally found time to try to make a bracelet I saw at Miss Lovie Creations.  There is a beautiful tutorial to make this bracelet.  I deviated a bit and added a couple of re-purposed chains along side just to give the bracelet a bit more width.  I also added a small charm on the clasp to keep it heavier on that side so it stayed on the underside of my wrist.

These were tough pictures to take, I couldn't  quite capture the detail, but it turned out very pretty.

Garage Sale Chronicles - 3rd Edition

I got up early on Saturday and headed up to an Estate Sale up in Cold Spring, MN.  Once again I got a number of good jewelry pieces to repurpose.  Unfortunately or fortunately, when I got back to the studio and checked out the goods, many of the rhinestone pieces were signed by Weiss or Kramer.  I can't repurpose such lovely things.  Anyway, here's what I picked up....

A gorgeous gold beaded bag, tag inside says handmade in Hong Kong

Ah, some lovely vintage tags!

12 mini trays.  Funny, I picked up 6 identical ones at a sale a couple of weeks ago.  These are perfect in the studio for setting out beading projects.

Oh, the things I can do with these!

Weiss dangles!

Marked as very early Kramer.  These rhinestones really sparkle.

Beautiful!

I plan to use these as anchor pieces to some simple rosary necklaces.

Unmarked, but fun nevertheless.

Kramer at their finest!  

This beauty really, really sparkles.  The prong settings are so wonderful.  You can really tell this is really high end.  The necklace is really heavy. Really :-)

Unsigned, I think these may end up as rings.

Oh, these were the first things I repurposed. I'll be posting my necklace soon!

$10 Dresser - Before and After

I bought this dresser at an estate sale this weekend and came right home and gave it a new paint job.

A simple white pine dresser.

OHHHHH!  I'm lovin' that color! 

Nice new storage in the studio.

Garage Sale Chronicles - 2nd Edition

Bling. Bling. Bling. A girl's best friend.
Gotta Love it!

I typed in Vintage Jewelry on Craig's list and low and behold this lovely estate sale ad popped up!  How can you pass up calling on this one?  Read it and weep.  Sally was great to deal with and really didn't strain my budget too much.  It made me sad to hear her say she had already sold much of the estate's jewelry at a church garage sale, including signed vintage pins from the 30s through the 40s.   Wahhhhhh.....

"Bling on a budget = vintage jewelry! I am helping to liquidate the estates of 4 elderly women in my family...one of whom never married and worked at Donaldsons...where she used her employee discount to buy jewelry for herself and her sisters. I literally have suitcases full of jewelry-most of it costume, some real and much of it is BRAND NEW with the original tags! Some items go back to the Victorian and Flapper (roaring 20's) eras!!! Prices vary and range from $3-$50 with most items between 10-$20."


Here's just a quick glance at a few of thing I bought.  I hope to repurpose some of it.

Check out the large red stones in the ring in the box and the earrings at the top left!  

They sparkle and sparkle.  Gorgeous.

Aren't those two daisy flower pins just to die for?  

Beautiful rhinestone pieces.  I really love that spider!

Minnesota Fall Fire Pit

For all my new blogland friends, and particularly for those that don't get to experience the beautiful seasons of Minnesota, here's a taste of my home.

No staging.  Just s'mores, a chill in the air, and family.

I believe this may be the last of the fall, 

the weather forecast says snow by the end of the week.

Time to store the patio furniture and get out the kids sliding sleds!

Up-Cycled Victorian Romantic Necklace

I love layering multi-strand necklaces!

This beauty was made out of re-purposing vintage jewelry found
 during my junking adventures at garage sales.

I'm thinking black t-shirt and a jean jacket...

Garage Sale Chronicles

Look what I bought this weekend!

I fed my garage sale addition a bit on Saturday.  

Would you have bought it?

Five books for $2.00, One is an operation manual for a movie theater projector, one Hymnal, one engineer manual for the St. Paul railroad, and one 1915 Navy engineering manual.  Love them!  I really wish they could talk and tell me stories of where they have been all their lives.  Below are just two of the graphics within.

SCORE!  Below is a few pieces from an 8 piece Lu Ray Pastel dinner set.  Paid $10 for the whole set.  Only a couple chips in the yellow plate and cereal bowl.  I'm tempted to fill out the set with the serving pieces.  Mostly from the 40's through the 60's LuRay offered an 8 piece set for $2.64 cents.  I believe from reading some old ads that housewives of the era could sell these in home parties.  

Were these the precursor to the dreaded tupperware parties?

OH the sadness.....I followed a tiny little estate sale sign later in the day after taking my son to Karate practice.  Why oh why, did these people not advertise on Craig's list.  If only I had been there at the start in the morning!  As it is, I managed to find some jewelry for my re-purposing and some beautiful white Haviland.  As I was checking out and chatting with the woman running the sale, she told me she just sold a whole box of vintage jewelry for $15.  ARGH.  I came so close!

Well, I'm going to be making some fab pin cushions out of the cream and sugar, wait and see!

Everything below was $5

Ah, Frosty my fav!  I rescue doilies all the time.  I know how much work women put into these things and even though they are slightly out of fashion now, I can not stand to let their hard work go unappreciated.  I box them up and wait for their time to come again.  I may even starch some and hang them on this year's Christmas tree!

A beautiful plastic pin for $.25

Below, a really great bargain.  Someone had enough of scrapbooking and stamping.  She put everything in a bag and marked $10 on it.  I peeked in and saw a couple circle punches and knew those were expensive so I picked up the bag and checked out.  Later I realized at the bottom was a complete Stampin Up set of 12 ink pads that were not even open.  Normally these sell for $55.  Not only did she include the ink pads, she included a great big selection of stamps as well.

Now I just have to find space in my studio.

Memorial Earrings

Another quick project.  

I made these earrings using Ice Resin, pre-made bezels, and images cut from a sympathy card from my father's funeral.  I love the idea of repurposing all those lovely cards and thoughts into something beautiful.  These always make me smile a bit knowing where the images came from and as I put them on I enjoy a private moment remembering my father.

Handkerchief Baby Bonnet

Remember these?  All my 20 to 30 year-old something nieces had them.  A antique handkerchief simply sewn into a baptism bonnet and brought out again at their weddings for something old.

I made my new great-niece-to-be one for a baby shower time capsule and everyone commented that you just couldn't find these anywhere anymore.  Do you suppose I revived this old staple into a new trend?

To make these simply fold a handkerchief in half and baste a 1/2 inch seam on the folded edge.  Slip a ribbon through the opening and gather.  Tie a pretty bow at the back.  For these I sewed pretty bow and flower into the front lower corners so it could actually be worn.  I'm pretty sure it took me all of 10 minutes.

There are several versions of the poem that accompanies the bonnet if you search on the web, but this one is my favorite.

This bonnet at first seems small in your hands,  

A treasure of lace and ribbon bands. 

But this gift is more than linen and charms 

For the sweet baby who rests in Mother's arms. 

From boxes long sealed, she will search for the hat, 

Snip off the ribbons, and after that 

Hand over this handkerchief with a smile 

To her grown-up daughter, who will walk down the aisle. 

Or to maybe her son, a young handsome groom, 

She will hand him a gift, a family heirloom. 

He will give it to the girl who holds his heart 

To have and to hold, till death do they part.

Baby Shower Corsage - Book Page and glitter!

A baby shower corsage for Leighton's mom

and with a bit of hydrangea!

These were made with vintage book pages, glue, and fine glitter. 

Baby Shower - Onesie decorating

Baby Shower Onesies

One last craft post from the recent baby shower.  We decorated onesies as our baby shower activity.  It was way more fun than a traditional unscramble all the words list!

It  really worked well to break the ice and everyone had a fun time.  

My sister and I brought a ton of craft supplies to the party and everyone had a lot to choose from!

What to bring:  

Onesies - I bought a few less than the number of attendees because I thought not everyone wanted to do one.  I was wrong and ran short.  I bought a variety of sizes.  T-shirts for a little older would be fun also. I mean really, how many onesies does a baby need?

Fat squares or spare fabric, Ribbon, fabric paint, buttons, precut iron on shapes, sequins, lace, stamps,  rick rack.

Sewing supplies: multi-colored thread, scissors, needles

Baby Shower Invitation & Time capsules

Baby Shower Time Capsules

Oh, did we ever have some fun with these at a recent baby shower for my niece!  

I picked up a dozen tin prom time capsules at a garage sale and have been searching for the perfect thing to use them since.

Brainstorm! I sent them out along with the baby shower invitation.  Instructions on the back of the invitation requested the attendee to decorate the tin,  fill it with something for the baby, and indicate a date or age in the future when it should be opened. 

Of course we all voted to open them and check out the contents at the baby shower because we knew the mother wouldn't be able to resist peeking and we were all curious what was in them.  Wow.  Did everyone get creative with the contents!

Here are some of the great ideas people came up with:

A USB hard drive filled with digitized family photos and a family tree fan pre filled out with 5 generations on the baby's mother's side.

For Baptism - a christening baby bonnet and bracelet

At 5 - an apron, chefs hat, and favorite cookie recipes for an afternoon with grandma.

At 2 - Frilly training pants and cute socks.

At 16 - two quarters taped to a very funny offer to pick her up if she calls from a house party at midnight and needs a ride home.  All assuming there was even a public phone then.

At 6 - plastic beads and bobbles to make fantastic jewelry.

At 22 - a big oversized shinny faux diamond ring and advice to learn to cook to get a real ring.  It included a favorite recipe.

At 18 - a necklace and earrings worn by her great-grandmother when she attended the baby's parent's wedding day.

At 4 - a tin filled "girl" lego figurines.  Our family has an overabundance of boys so the baby's grandmother saved all the girl figures as the boys abandoned them.

At 21- two airplane size bottles of alcohol - do you think those will make it 21 years?

The christening bonnet

An apron, chefs hat and cookie recipes

An family tree and a USB drive
filled with family photos

I actually substituted these cans from Joanne Fabrics
 because I ran out of the tins

Yeah, I bet those won't make it 21 years!