Poke-poke~

I was poking around like I like to do visiting other blogs.... and I hit upon one and thought I bookmarked it... I think my bookmarks are completely full because it didn't save it for me. Sooooooooo I had to spend some time searching for it...and I found it again! When I find a blog that I love I like to click on the blogs that they find interesting and I normally am not disappointed. Anywho, this blog ----> Present past Collection is worth a lookie-loooooooo~ The photos are LoVeRLy I am so going to copy a few of her ideas for my own (drastically needing a make-over) studio. I already bought a bulletin board and I'm going to load it with some fabulous treasures like she did.... ok, and a big word beside it as well. What that word will be I have no clue, but its going up there lol. Here is the photo of Heathers bulletin board....*drooling* Hmmmm now I think I'm going to go root through the huge piles of stuff I have ear-marked for donating and rescue it back :-) I am sooooooooooo like that!

Productive~

Sometimes I feel if I don't blog about what I've been working on or what I've accomplished...I feel like I've been idle~ Far from the truth lol. The first picture are some baskets that I painted white and I've lined with some Waverly fabric for my daughters house, along with a note/photo board that I repainted and added the same fabric. (I love "matchy-matchy!")

Ok, I thought I would toss in a photo of the words "Artsy-Fartsy" I thought this turned out cute. Vintage papers (with a tan cardstock shadow) outlined with glitter~One of my works in progress. This is a black & white transparency that I've attached with brads onto a canvas of papers. Assemblage... got to love it. This is not even near being finished, this is just the first layer. I find I have to do these in stages or they end up looking even stranger than they are suppossed to!

Lastly, my grandson, he keeps me very busy! Here he is riding on the pony I got for him. He likes to push himself off of this little pony...right off the backside. I guess all pirates can do trick riding these days huh.

Versatile Little 1950's Jackets

The Land of Lost Jackets...it's that place where vintage suits get separated. The dresses go one way, the skirts another, and, sadly, the jackets get separated from their mates. Alas, your chances of finding an exact match are almost nil.

We don't know how it happens. Perhaps the skirt was worn more often than the jacket and wore out before it's mate and so was sent to skirt heaven. But the jacket was in great shape, so it stayed in the back of the closet.

Maybe a favorite dress came with a jacket that just didn't work, so it was given away or hung separately from it's mate, while the dress became the life of the party.

Whatever the reason, these lost jackets have a new life to lead! They look great paired with your favorite jeans or trousers. Co-ordinate them with a plaid or tweed skirt from your closet. Throw them on over a sleeveless sheath dress to keep you warm on those cool autumn mornings. Finish your outfit in style!

See these jackets and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Cleanin'

I've been busy cleaning out my studio...again. I think I work better when I have less stuff..odd I know. So out with the old books, sewing notions, fabric.... useless stuff I thought I would/could use that is now just clogging up my creative thinking. I've been reorganizing, shifting and sorting and its coming along nicely :-) I am hoping to start working on some art pieces very soooooooooooon. Thats the plan anyway! I am in a one on one Christmas swap with Melissa. That has been the only thing I've been goofing around with lately~ I'd like to take photos of what I've made, but I'm to lazy right now :-P sooooooooon, maybe after a few sodas lol!

Looking for Plus Size Vintage?

Finding great vintage clothing in plus sizes without looking dowdy is not easy. At a recent auction I attended, there were 3 racks of plus size vintage clothing from the 1940's and 50's, most still with the original tags attached! Believe me, I fought long and hard to win those racks of dresses for you, and I've listed a few today in my EBay store. Many of them are summer styles, so I'll wait to list those in the spring, but here are a few of the fall and cocktail dresses listed now:

All of the dresses were clipped to the mannequin to approximate actual fit. They all have bust measurements between 49" and 51".

See these dresses and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Show & Tell Friday~

I'm going to share a WoNdErFuL website that I have bookmarked on my computer~ It is a site that shares FABULOUS photos of CUTE homes that will make you click each one bigger so you can inspect every single corner...no lie! It is called "The Old Painted Cottage" and they feature a different "Cottage" each Month... you can find it here: http://theoldpaintedcottage.com/cottagemonth.html Your going to want to bookmark this yourself...I promise you! Such wonderful photos! Enjoy~

Here is a photo of a clothspin bag that I made using an old vintage clothspin bag as a pattern. It was super easy to make... I'm going to use this one to hold plastic bags :-) The original wasn't quite squared across the bottom...and I didn't realize it until this one was (of course) finished lol. The next one will be straight! lol I was thinking these would make cute gift bags to hold small gifts in. Here is a photo of one of my cats, Charlie. She likes to be called Char-Char. I wrestled her from the grips of death over a year ago. She was literally a starving to death ferral runt/kitten when I rescued her. She was wild but so weak she couldn't move so thats how I was able to get her. It was my intention to get her to a healthy weight and give her away.... yep, she is NOT going anywhere now! lol This photo does not do her justice. She is thee most loving, talkative cat that has the most loving ways about her. I am blessed to have her in my life. It wasn't my intention to blog about Char-Char but she kept walking across my keyboard until I promised I would~ the little stinker.

My Favorite Decade

I love the fashions of the 1930's. The silhouette was long and lean with lots of intricate details and elaborate seaming we just don't see anymore. Take this dress, for example. This is a simple black rayon crepe dress, but look how dramatic it becomes when the upper bodice and shoulders are accented with sheer black chiffon. 1" wide bands of the crepe are appliqued a scant 1/4" away from the edge of the seam where the chiffon and crepe meet. Those bands are perfectly straight with no ripples or uneven seams, as they would be if I tried to sew them!

As if that is not enough, the lower sleeves also have angled insets of the sheer chiffon with the decorative bands at the upper edge. Maybe one of the reasons I like this dress so much is because, as a seamstress, I can appreciate the hard work that went into the details. They just don't make 'em like they used to!

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Sewin'

I haven't felt like doing much of anything lately lol.... I get like that sometimes. I have been sitting behind my sewing machine though, trying to at least accomplish something. I've made a scalloped edged tablecloth for my daughters kitchen table. Today I'm going to be working on a scalloped edged tablecloth for an antique table she has in her living room. I'm also going to be making her some matching pillows if I can get going on them! My daughter's kitchen and living room are almost one entire room... so she is using the same fabric in both areas. In the photo below is a quilt with the fabric she is using throughout the two rooms. I just love Waverly fabrics~ The little cutie-pie is my grandson Jonathan posing for his "four month" photo.

I'll post photos of both tablecloths when my daughter gets time to take photos. Hmmm better get to work or I'll just end up turning into a useless blob behind the ol' t.v.~

Tuckered out~

We have been having to deal with the final stage of life for my mother-in-law. Its been emotionally exhausting. My husband is her only "family" in town and has been her sole support for her during this time. On top of all of that he is the executor of her will. I googled what an executor would have to do... and it looks very complicated. It involves a lot of paper work, sometimes going to probate court. Ohhhhhhh goody~ He did contact her lawyer and has gotten some paper work.... 2 sheets essentially costing $200 buckeroos. Who knew paper was so costly? Hmmmmm I must be a bazillionaire with all the paper I've got! :-P She has been hospitalized now going on 11 days, so he was needing to get power of attorney so he could pay her bills and take care of her home and pets. Goodness, what does one do with a huge dog and 3 cats??? Sooooooo much to do, its overwhelming.... on that note, I think I'll take a nap lol~

Finished my chair~

*My show & tell is under this post*.... Well I finally finished sewing everything for my chair with that Ralph Lauren fabric I bought on Saturday at a local Boutique~ (disregard the antique mirror behind the chair, I was/am to lazy to move it lol) I covered the cushions, made some covers for the arm rests and I made a slip cover for the foot stool. I LoVe piping and I LoVe scallops, so I did both on my chair. I love how the fabric has that vintage look to it. I got the wooden chair for freeeeeeeeeeeee and the little foot stool for $8 buckeroos and of course the designer fabric that I bought for $5 bucks~ Not to shabby for a grand total of $13 dollars! (It will be shabby once I take some sand paper to it though lol)

Show & Tell Friday~

This week I'm showing off some treasures I purchased at an auction. I am so addicted to going to those now :-) I bid on and won two of those small containers which house small bins. Each one has 60 little bins.... one was $4.50 and the other one was $5.00. Now, that alone was a great value.....

But.... inside each of these containers was baggies full of faceted rhinestones! Can you believe it?

The autioneer was going on how it was chalk full of beads....I thought, ok, a girl can never have enough beads...for $5 bucks each, not a bad deal. The cases were laying on their backs so when he set them upright, they looked empty.... I think thats why I got them so cheap. Wow, was I surprised to see it full of gems! These are jewelry quality rhinestones. There are labels on the front of each drawer with the color & size. *smiling* I have NO clue what I'm going to do with all of these....but I've got 'em! There are some that are soooooooooooo small that they look like glitter, but they are cut like a real diamond would be cut. Amazing! Now, I'm never going to turn my nose up at any of those old vintage pieces that are missing stones.... I NEED to buy them just to use up my new stash! :-)

I also bid on and won a large box of old ephemera from around the 1940-1950's. It was full of old ads from local stores long since torn down. That box was $9 bucks.... I've filed all that away or I would have taken a picture of it lol.

This show & tell Friday was hosted by: Kelli

Ah-Choo! Artist Signed Hankies

Before the onslaught of Kleenex, proper ladies always had a hankie or two at hand. Whether slipped into a purse or pocket, one always needed a hankie to deal with such indelicacies as sneezes, lipstick smudges, or Junior's sticky hands. But the hankie had another purpose. In a world of proper, ladylike solids and prints on her clothing, a woman could express a bit of her personal style with a printed handkerchief in an unusual and artistic design.

Several textile artists became known for their signed prints on ladies hankies in the 1950's. Tammis Keefe is perhaps the most prized, as her designs were prolific and unusual. The example above is one of her famous antique furniture prints.

This hankie by Jeanne Miller has a lovely Fall design of squashes and gourds with cattails and sheafs of wheat.

And this one by Betty Anderson has a sweet design of roses worked in an unusual bright vibrant orange.

Who needs a calendar on the wall when you can carry one on your hankie? While this one is not signed, I just love the uniqueness of the design. This one is from 1960, by the way.

See these hankies and more vintage accessories at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Spinning wheels~

Well I've been super busy "spinning my wheels" but I haven't accomplished anything lol. On Saturday I bought some Ralph Lauren fabric.... 8 yards for five dollars. *gasp* tis true! Its a beautiful beige with a flowery print. I've washed the stiffness out of it and I recovered the cushions my chair that I have in my studio. Today I purchased a big foot stool that I'm going to paint white and recover to match my chair. I'll post pictures when I'm done :-) I better get back to it or I'll just end up sitting in that chair...and it will never get done!