Why Didn't I Think of That?!

Goodwill was good to me this week, three great books to make me add more to my list of things I want to make. It's not the Martha Stewart books I found so exciting (though at $1 each, a great buy), it's that one on top Christmas Stichery. Even though it was published in 1986, and some of the projects are a little dated . . .

Look at these lovlies! If you click on the picture and make it big, you should be able to read the caption. Look at that last paragraph, they suggest using cookie cutters! How neat is that? Maybe everyone knew about that little trick but me, but I have so many ideas swirling around my head now! It wouldn't just work for felt, but fabric to applique, or just plain fabric ornaments, or paper cutouts for any holiday or event. Even if you don't have a massive cookie cutter collection like I do, they're very easy to come by in any shape or size you can think of. Hope you all think this is as neat an idea as I did!

Making Things With My Daughter

I was asked to make centerpieces for my sister in law's upcoming baby shower, and who knew it could be so much fun! You can probably tell from all the green and yellow that they don't know if they're having a boy or girl. I didn't think anybody let themselves be surprised anymore, but I think it's nice. After this baby is born in January, their only other child will be 18 in February, they're starting all over! But that's not what I came to tell you about (as Arlo Guthrie would say). Sorry, but it's a Thanksgiving tradition on our local radio station to listen to Alice's Restaurant at exactly noon on turkey day, and I've been thinking about Thansgiving. But anyway. . . My daughter and I had so much fun buying all the goodies to go in our baskets (check out those little tennis shoe socks, too cute!). Then dragging out all the papers, and cutting tools and stamps, I'd forgotten how much fun we always had when we did that together.

And no, the tags my daughter made aren't fancy, but it got us in the mood to scrapbook again, and spend an afternoon together around the dining room table, with a paper mess in front of us, talking and creating, and I think that's a good thing, don't you?

Christmas by Threes

I don't usually get in such a Christmas-y mood this early, it's not even Thanksgiving yet! But I found this adorable little choir last week at Goodwill. I love these old candles, we had several from different holidays growing up, and I know my Mom has her pilgrim kids out right now.

Then a few days later, at two different places I found more elves to add to the collection I started last year, you can see them here and here. Don't know too much about them, but I love 'em!

Stopped at Goodwill another day, and I found brand new, still in their box, s'more choir! I love these guys too! Maybe you remember my Halloween s'more tree from my last post, or you can see my Christmas s'more tree here. It's always the first thing I get out each year, easier and quicker than the big tree. ;)

Another thing that's making me think Christmas is I'm taking part in a Christmas tag swap over at Creative Breathing. She shares tons of her vintage images on fickr, but I really wanted to use my own, since this is the first paper type swap I've ever done. I asked my Mom if she had any old cards (she's a keeper of things, at least I know where I get it) that I could scan to use. She lent me these old German postcards. Not too many Christmas ones, and not quite the look I was going for, but I love looking at them! Most were sent to my Grandma or her sister in the mid teens.

These calling cards were in the same box. Hands and doves were big weren't they? I love the idea of dropping one of these off when you stopped to see a friend.

I did find my own little collection of vintage Christmas cards at a tiny little antique store later that same week. Sadly, they told me they are going to be closed all winter, they just can't afford to heat the place. They don't have near as much business since a new highway bypassed their little town, progress, eh?

So I'm working on my tags with one of these images, I'll try to share a picture of the finished product in a few days. Anyone else thinking Christmas yet?

And a big thank you to everyone for the nice comments last time about my daughter in her costume. :)

Happy Halloween, from me and Robin Hood

How messed up is it that my seventeen year old daughter gets to wear a Halloween costume to school, but when she was in grade school, they wouldn't let the kids do anything? We just happened on a 99 cent pattern sale a few weeks ago, and she picked this out for me to make. She says she does want to learn to sew, we just haven't taken the time to practice yet. I love the way this turned out! The moccasins are mine, and the fedora came from Goodwill. Seriously, who on earth owns a green fedora that they can donate to Goodwill??

I've done a little Halloween stitching too, just on a cheapo Dollar tree towel, not the best for getting perfect stitches.

My favorite Halloween decoration, I love these little s'more guys!

Hope everyone has a fun holiday, however you celebrate!

Rainy Day Sewing

I think all it ever does in central Illinois anymore is rain, then maybe you get one sunny day, then another week of rain. So when your husband decides it's time to start destroying the bathroom a little more (our toilet set on the deck all day yesterday, really!). I needed a project so I wouldn't be following along behind him, cleaning up every little speck of dirt. Oh, if it was only nice outside, I could just leave and forget it all!

I've been meaning to make this purse for quite awhile (nice fall colors, right?). Only thing is, I didn't have quite enough fabric, so I had to shrink it down a little, do a little patching on the lining, and worry about my people's heads going the right direction. I like the way it turned out, and my daughter (oh teenagers!) tells me, it doesn't look at all like a granny purse since it's so small and cute! The pattern is from the fall 2008 magazine Quilts and More, designed by Monica Solorio-Snow of the Happy Zombie. And just in case your interested, this will be our new floor when it's finished, isn't it perfect for our 1941 house? I love it!

I'm Back! (With Lots of Pictures!)

Wow! It's been a long time since I posted here! I was having a great end to my summer, we had our annual Steam Show and Flea Market, which I had really been looking forward to. When almost as soon as I walked in the gate, I saw this toy stove, I had to snap a picture for Carol over at Old Glory Cottage. She posted about her childhood toy stove here. The stove is the only picture I actually took at the Steam show, I hate it when I do that!

I was starting to have a really bad backache that weekend, and spent most of the next week in the recliner on a heating pad. It got worse, moved around to the front, so off we went to the emergency room, and I ended up having to have my appendix out. I feel great after about a week of recovery, but my goodness we've had yucky weather! Rain, then colder, then more rain. The sun finally came out today, so I jumped on the chance to take some pictures.

First, is an adorable little sewing box (a child's?). I plan to use it to store some of my vintage sewing notions.

Like these, I've picked these up here and there this summer. I just love the old images! The one that says Happy Home, I've seen several places online, does that mean it's a reproduction? Or were there really just lots of them? Anyone know?

This batch below was all in a Fire King bowl for $1, at the first booth I stopped at. That funny looking red thing is a needle threader. The airplane card is out of a pack of cigarettes during WWII. My Mom told me that she had two aunts with boyfriends in the service, and they would send them cards just like this in their letters home. Click on the picture and make it big so you can read what that little kit is for at the bottom.

Three! Yes, three lovely vintage aprons! I love these! I know I could make them, but I truly love to find one of the old ones, I like to imagine the ladies who wore them.

And, just as my sister and I were leaving the grounds, someone living right across the road (aren't they smart?), was having a garage sale. Still in the shopping mood, we stopped. I was going through some old patterns and the lady asked if I sewed, well yes, some I said. She told me to come over to her truck, she had some fabric she hadn't even bothered to unload, didn't figure anybody would want it. Lookie! Brand new scottie dog fabric! Two to three yards of each, all for five dollars, along with a couple of unused purse patterns. I won't make purses out of this, but I love it! Maybe an apron. . .

Here's another scottie, the only embroidery I've done for ages. It's on one of Aunt Martha's red striped towels, from a pattern I picked up at a quilt shop this summer

Embroidery and Thrifting, Together!

Last week at Goodwill, I was lucky enough to find two books on embroidery, both are older, but both are filled with wonderful information! A few projects, some out of date (see picture below), but definitely worth the 75 cent (paperback) and $1.00 (hardback) price tag.

There's great pictures of lots of stitches, some I know, some I don't, but they're all very clear and easy to understand

Who knew you were supposed to separate your threads like this?

I don't know what to say about this, other than you sure can tell this book was published in the early eighties.

On to real embroidery (but not my own). A lovely tablecloth, so much work, it's big! 25 cents at a sale last week.

I think this is a child's apron, it goes around me, but no room left to tie it! I stared at the embroidery at the top forever, it made no sense at all, but in the picture you can clearly see it says Juarez Mexico, 10 cents.

And no, this isn't embroidery, but it was too cute to leave out. Small pyrex refrigerator dish, 10 cents. I'll find a lid for it someday. Potholder from sometime this summer.