So Darn Cute

Well, it turns out that my inspiration for making things has changed since my last post. Last time I was coming off a great weekend in the woods surrounded by autumn's brilliance. Now I'm inspired by things much, much smaller. Here are a couple of pics of what I made today. I'd like to say that I made these for friends who are expecting. Turns out I like them too much. I can't bear to part with them. I guess I'll keep them for our own little one. :) Sorry friends.

so embarrassed

well, that's it. i'm thoroughly embarrassed by my lack of postings in such a long time. what's worse is that i am not even going to post any craft pictures right now. it isn't that i haven't been crafting. i have. i've made a few clothes recently and a purse. i even experimented with a mitten pattern today. i just haven't taken any pictures of what i've done. i will though. maybe even tomorrow. of course, if you check this blog with any sense of regularity, you probably aren't getting your hopes up right now for fear that i might be leading you on. maybe you're right. i could very well be. i guess you'll just have to find out.

here is what i am going to post right now. a picture of inspiration that i took last weekend.



the fall splendor we enjoyed left me feeling inspired to create an array of accessories with the common theme of natural materials. think tweeds, wool, wooden buttons and all things warm.

new serger

chris bought me a serger for my birthday a couple weeks ago. i like it. a lot. it makes me feel like a professional seamstress when i am clearly anything but.

the motor smoothly hums. the dual needles steadfastly rise and fall, making perfectly impossible lines. tiny scissors neatly trim the seams so that there is not even a stray thread left waiting to be cut. all the while i am transported to a place of daydreams where my only job is to make beautiful objects every single day. this i do in my loft/barn office in the country. horses, sheep and chickens all graze harmoniously outside the windows. i admire our garden abloom and bursting with fresh vegetables. mountains are in the distance. it's all quite marvelous. meanwhile, i reach the end of my seam. @!%*!!!! i have sewn the pieces backwards! back to reality...

i have no clue yet about how to utilize the serger to its fullest functionality, but what i've been able to do so far has definitely given more polished results to projects. yes, this machine is special enough that i am considering giving it a name. maybe suellen serger or phranklin phaff. this is a dress that i made with it just today.

finally... an update

yes, yes, i know! it's been awhile since i posted last. as you've noticed on the site, i was involved in the garden gala sale this weekend. well, it's done! it was a very fun adventure in another world of crafting, creating, and artistic expression. we had an excellent party on friday night and a full day of perfect weather on saturday. esther sold a lot of kids' clothes, and it's no wonder! who could resist those adorable skirts and dresses? i could've have used a bit more foot traffic in order to sell some of my larger pieces of furniture, but i sold a few smaller items nonetheless. now i can look forward to wrapping up the end of my very busy schoolyear and planning a summer full of more crafting and creative ventures!

now announcing...

ahh, yes! spring fever!

for those of you that don't do well with change, you must be having a very difficult time looking at my blog. i like change quite a lot so i keep switching up the layout. if you aren't too fond of how it looks now, don't get all upset because i'll probably change it again soon.

today was a fantastic day to be outdoors and i had some high times with the spray paint on the back patio. here are some pictures of the things i got done.

no, you're not dreaming. this actually

is a changing table. don't go gettin' any

funny ideas though. it's meant to be just

for storage. and what a fine job it does.

it's difficult to tell here, but this is

actually a jade color. it's lightly scuffed, just

the way i like it.

this is my first experience with modge podge.

sticky, but fun.

you know those puzzles where you have to

figure out what's different between two pictures?

i made up one of my own:

okay. there are probably several differences,

but were you observant enough to notice the

table? hmm...

last, but not least this is my best thrift

find of the weekend. it's a very handy storage

chest for the craft room. it sure beats

all the random small storage bins that

were collapsing.

winter is back....again!!!

it seems that this is the winter that just won't end. snow once again today. it's enough to make a good girl cuss. argh! on the bright side, i did get a lot of things done this weekend and i have a few pictures of some projects i worked on.

thrifted lamp base

it's perfect as is but needs a fun shade.

viola! perfection!

the chair is also thrifted. it's for sure one of

the best $5 chairs i've found.

here are some old quilt blocks my

grandmother made. i didn't want to make

the blocks into an actual quilt

so i'm using them as wall art

...and pillows!

i also painted the bench this weekend.

these are some eye pillows made with

some fantastic amy butler fabric.

the birdcage is from a thriftstore, painted

robin's egg blue for spring. the chest is also thrifted

and i painted it spring green this weekend.

as you can see, the lamp is eagerly awaiting its

permanent covering. more lovely amy butler

fabric for it as well.

keep checking back as i'll be posting more pictures as the party date approaches!

it's spring!

quick update. well, if you have any sense of time, you've already noticed that i've take a lenghy hiatus from writing. what with the winter doldrums and all i just didn't make enough for blogging. it seems that between the time i spent wondering what i should do on a cold dreary night and lamenting about the lack of cable television in our house i just didn't have enough time for constructive activities like writing. but alas, spring is here and fresh inspirations have been popping up like all those daffodils i've seen lately!





first things first. last time, i wrote about a craft fair that esther and i were thinking would be good for the fort collins area. well, we've come up with an even better plan, The Vintage Revival Garden Gala Sale! you may be asking yourself what a Vintage Revival sale could possibly be about. i'll give you a hint now, but you'll have to come back for the official flier. let's just say that all the crafting and thrifting that esther and i have been doing lately will be creatively featured in this exciting foray into retail.





current crafting. to begin with, i wouldn't be able to get nearly as much inspiration or crafting done without a good dose of shopping, so indeed i have been doing a fair amount of that. in fact esther and i spent a whole day last week scouring front range thrift stores and flea markets for great deals and inspirations. we had some fantastic luck. i'll not post all the pictures of things now, as they are still in their "before" state, but as soon as i get more projects done, i'll for sure show you how they turned out.





keep checking back as more is coming very soon...

my very first blog!

since this is my very first attempt at blogging, i feel like i should set the purpose for writing. mostly i intend to keep a record of good thrift finds, projects in the works, and inspirations.

first: the thrift finds. as i am a teacher, i have had the last couple of weeks off for winter break. i spent a lot of time dreaming up new projects and visiting thrift stores for inspiration. i got some great finds!



the first picture is of the oil painting and other items was from the goodwill half price sale. though not particularly my style, i couldn't say no to the hand-painted picture for $1.50. also the pots and pitcher can be used to store limitless items. the tablecloth was also thrifted and came with four matching napkins all in tip top shape!






the next picture are the bowls that i found at various stores. i really like bowls of all kinds, but i particularly like the metal mixing bowl with all the brightly colored illustrations. i love the brown pyrex bowl, too. mostly, i can't believe anyone would want to throw out the fantastic metal star-printed colander! lucky for me. ;)







next: projects in the works. my next project is constructing a series of "picture frames" out of an old rung ladder. the idea is to hang the ladder sideways and in the inside of the rungs hang pictures. the idea came from one of my very favorite blogs, http://junkmarketonline.com/. i'll post pics when complete. recently i repurposed some old hankies into a curtain for the guest bedroom. i really have a thing for vintage linens. i don't care about brand names when looking at thrifted items. i just go for things that have personality and are a good buy.

last: inspirations. yesterday i met my bff for lunch and as usual we talked about pretty much everything, but the topic du jour was most definitely about craft ventures. the biggest idea discussed was hosting a craft fair tailored for true artisans. we'll see...