Mother's Day Terrariums

All because I found a 

centerpiece brandy sniffer at a garage sale. . .

I stopped after work at a garage sale and picked up a $2.00 brandy sniffer 

because I thought it would make a great terrarium.    The elf above is another garage sale find.

I came home and talked my son and husband into going to the plant store to make a it a family project.  Unfortunately, our local greenhouse didn't have miniature plants. 

However, I told my husband if he would go back to the garage sale and pick up the other two brandy sniffers they had for sale, I'd make our mom's each a terrarium for Mother's Day.

Since he hates going to garage sales, I was surprised to get a call at work that he actually had gone and bought the other two!

A garden center near my work had a terrific selection of small plants.

My son and the kitty helped put together our presents.

They were so easy.  Layer of rock, layer of soil, plants, and moss.  Done.

Now I want to make MORE.

A new look for my mailbox.  

The name was cut with my Silhouette Cameo using 651 Oracal vinyl.  

I actually did paint the post a deep chocolate brown after taking this picture.

I just love the font.  Doesn't it looks like a old department store logo?

Amelia Island Shell Necklace

We recently vacationed on Amelia Island in Florida.  I picked up some shells from the beach and created some necklace charms for new friends we met on the trip.

I brushed the front and the back with Diamond Glaze, drilled a hole with my flex shaft, and attached a jump ring.  

I used a Krylon 18K gold pen to coat the edges and give them a bit of bling.

This one I coated the entire thing with Krylon 18K gold.  I really like it!

Thought you'd like a glimpse of what a trashed out space I work in!

Pretty Vintage Linen Tote #1

Another Vintage linen sewing project.   Isn't she lovely?

I created the pattern to fit the vintage embroidered table runner I cut to size.

Using duck cloth as an interlining made the bag stiff enough to stand on it's own.  A thick piece of cardboard covered with fabric inserted at the bottom to makes the bottom stay flat.

There is a pink polka dot lining with an interior pocket as well as covered buttons on each end to draw the  sides together.

I just think she's adorable.  

I made her a pocket on the front of the bag.

Oh this picture makes her look so wrinkly! I'm off to the iron.

Garage Sale Chronicles #11 - Books and Butterflies

My latest find was a color plate book of Renoir prints.  Opposite each print is a short "review of the artwork by a leading scholar of the times."  I bought it for $8.00.  I thought it was expensive until a realized if I was actually at a museum the price would have certainly been 10 times that!

I continued to dug through the pile of old books and found the beauty above.  Aren't the colors and gilding wonderful?  I  briefly thought of doing an altered book, but the thought vanished quickly as I realized it didn't need altering at all!

Tucked into a box of sewing notions that contained a fabulous pink tatting shuttle, was an envelope containing this set of butterflies.  Won't they look great framed up?  I can't decide if I want to frame them together, individually, or create silver bezels and use them in jewelry.  I think I'll just consider the $2.00 spent on the box as the cost of the tatting shuttle and these are FREE.  Thoughts about ideas to use them?

I haven't taken a real close look but the wings look real and the bodies appear to be printed paper.  The detail on the bodies appears to simulate the real colors and patterns.

Garage Sale Chronicles #10 - A tatting shuttle!

Deep in the basement of a Minneapolis Mansion estate sale was a vintage fancy soap box with about 25 wooden spools and balls of crochet thread.  I was delighted to spy a pretty pink plastic shuttle amidst the tangle of thread.  Marked $2.00 for the box.  Needless to say I snatched it up!

Beautiful pink silk threads, so soft.

 I dug through stacks of old books to find a 1890 book on needlework which contains wonderful fold out patterns and directions.

The book illustrates the "right" way to embroider.

Many of the spools were silk.  Love the labels on the ends of the spools.

I also added two new tatted handkerchiefs to my collection from sorting through a handkerchief box.

My Needle Book Collection

I've been collecting needle books for over 20 years and they look terrific framed and hanging in my sewing room.  

  A lot of needle books were early advertising for the latest tonic, particular store, or specific brand of needles.  Sometimes they are very plain, but I have always been attracted to the ones with image graphics.

I believe all of my collection is American, but I know there were Germain, British, and Japanese ones made as well.  

I've picked mine up at estate sales and an occasional one or two off Ebay, but I don't think I've paid over $5.00 for any given one.

I think it is really fun to see the same graphic content used over the years with the women illustrated  getting a fashion update each decade or so.

The insides are interesting and wonderful in their own way.  Usually they contain little foil packets of needles and occasionally a threader.  Sometimes the graphics are just as wonderful on the inside. 

I framed this one to show the inside of one that was complete and simply beautiful.