Gathering Dust

A Little Junking, a Lot of Crafting and a House Full of Dogs

 
My junking mojo isn't completely back, but I did make it to one estate sale that gave me hope and the will to go on...

 
This velvet fruit covered purse had a lot to do with it.  I just couldn't resist.

 
When was the last time you saw a velvet watermelon?

 
I love the way the little pearl peas are nestled in a velvet pod.

 
The sale was full of treasures, too- pretty books, pretty buttons and a tiny celluloid picture mirror.

 
The rest of the weekend has been a crafting marathon- putting together projects for Karla and my next online workshop/e-zine.

 
I love putting the projects together, but it's been a challenge for me to remember to stop and take pictures after each step in the project.  When I get in the "craft zone", I don't want to have to think too hard.  I just glue and cut and play with paper.

Most of the time when I sit down at my craft table, I don't have a plan, I just find some bits and pieces that I think would look good together and start gluing.  And as I'm digging through piles of paper, labels, magazines, postcards etc etc- if I find something that seems MORE interesting, I'll start a new project.  I think I've got ADD when it comes to crafting, but I'm having fun, and isn't that the point?

 
So it's good for me to have to focus on finishing projects.  These are drawstring bags that could be used for gift bags, or stuffed with a little fiber fill and used as ornaments.

 
This is a little embossed felt folder that I've used as a book to hold Christmas carols.  Wouldn't it be fun to hand these out at a Christmas party, and get everyone singing?

 
This is a little pixie ornament/decoration that's a snap to make- how about putting one of these on everyone's plate at a holiday dinner? (Of course, you better have some turkey, stuff & potatoes, too)

We've called this crafting a White Christmas, but really not  everything is white- a lot of it is the low color, soft sepia tones that we like so much.

I'll have details on sign ups for the class on Wed or Thur.

FOR LEOTA (My Mother In Law)

 

(Maddie  & Button on their dog paw blanket on the couch)

My mother in law, Leota, says she love to read my blog- but it really doesn't have enough pictures of her grand dogs- so this part of my post is for her.

 
(Button, watching the Chiefs game)

 

(Button- thinking deep thoughts)

 

(Buddy- hard to get a good picture of him because his nose is always on the ground, sniffing out dangerous squirrels and rabbits.)
 

Christmas Goods from Curious Sofa

 
Thur night, Deb and her crew at Curious Sofa put together a fabulous and inspiring Christmas house.  Of course, I was drawn to this display with brown transferware- a perfect fall display that would take you all the way to Christmas.

 
I love this little owl guy- he'd be a wise addition to any table.

 
Lot of soothing whites and neutrals.

 
Including the infamous chair, in all its rusty glory- perfect paired with a linen script pillow- and perfect on its own.

 
Glitter sprinkled keys, sparkly fruit and a touch of pink.

 
Reindeer dancing around a bird cage.

 
It's not all neutrals- check out this collection of beautiful felted floral pins and pink cushions.  Yummy!

 
Sock birds, sock elephants and a sock moose- classics.

 
And what did I get?  I'm not usually a "retail" shopper- I get most of my home decor, craft supplies, office supplies and even clothes if I can, at estate sales and auctions.  But I couldn't resist- these sparkling slipper ornaments were calling my name- along with the beautiful bouquet of vintage cream millenary flowers.

 
And I had to get one of those wool pin cushions- I love how it picks up the colors in this vintage game board in the bookshelf in my living room.

Blissfully Traveled Trish Visits Bottoms Up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you heard of Tricia Samsal's magazine Blissfully Traveled?  Tricia travels a lot and has a great eye for picking out the best places to shop for all things vintage.

 
Last Sunday, Tricia came to visit us at Bottoms Up while dealers were setting up for the show on Nov 4-6 show, and took pictures for an upcoming issue.

Tricia got lots of great pictures of antique and vintage treasures, but one of my favorite pictures is of Miss Vivien Leigh.  "Viv" belongs to Teri Eliot of French by Design.

 

 

 

 

 

If you'd like to do some armchair antique browsing, check out past issues of Blissfully Traveled.

 
Me, Tricia & Gwen of French by Design.

(Gwen wanted me to explain that because she's recovering from shoulder surgery, she is unable to comb her hair, put on make up, and can barely dress herself.  On the other hand, so to speak, I'm perfectly healthy and have no explanation for my appearance....)

 
This settee is right across from my booth- in Gwen & Teri's booth- and I just couldn't take my eyes off it-so I wanted to share it with you. What a great combination of primitive and elegance.

(If you like this- Gwen & Teri of French by Design have some beautiful pictures of their space at Marburger here on their Facebook page.)

Something Spencerian This Way Comes

These three things have nothing to do with each other...but I do like to make lists.

 
1.  While I was going through "my stash" to sort and price for the Bottoms Up antique show the first weekend in Nov, I ran across a German book FULL of beautiful images, handwriting and Spencerian script. 

 
It's a little bit scary, because I have no idea where the book came from- only that I think its really special, and I can't imagine that I didn't know I had it.

Anyway, I scanned a couple images that I thought were interesting- you can right click on them to open in a new window and then save them to your computer and use them as you wish- I think a little pillow might be nice.

 
2.  One thing I love about fall is the apples- so many different kinds- all good, unless of course, you're Snow White- and you bit the poison apple.

(That's my great niece Grace- she has a bit of a flair for the dramatic- and this picture just cracked me up.)

3.  I've added a few things to my Etsy shop SugarPinkMoon...

JEWELRY

Books & Foreign Playing Cards

 

and these really ornate but cute lampshades.

 

And the Fairies Were There

Thanks for all the feedback from fellow junkers,  antique dealers and treasure hunters- it made me feel better to know I'm not the only person that had ever had a "lull".

Last night my other friend Karla (no blog) and I went to a baby shower for Karla's soon to be here grandbaby.

Of course the decorations were over the top cute- I wish I'd taken more pictures- but I did get some pictures of the darling fairy tree Karla made.

Little babies with wings and accessories perched on real branches.

 
And on the dining table, she had picture paper dolls of the babies Mom and Dad and brothers and sisters on branches for a real "family tree".

 

There's still time to sign up for Karla and my Romantic Gothic Ghosts Halloween online zine.  We'll each be having a giveaway of some crafty decorative doodads, and to be eligible all you have to do is sign up for the class by Oct 31.  The sparklies in the picture above are my giveaway.

Baby, Baby Where Did Our Love Go?

 
"Where did our love go"- that's how I've felt lately about antiquing and junking- it's like another song - "The Thrill is Gone".

 
I thought that junking was a like a bug, and once you got bit, you were hooked- but lately, it's seemed more like work than it used to.

 
 
Has that ever happened to any of you other die hard junkers?  I've thought maybe I just need to take a break and concentrate on sorting and disposing of some the "inevitable excess stuff" (IES) that comes along with junking.

 

By IES, I mean-  you buy a jar of buttons at an estate sale.  You sort out the "special" ones, and sell them or use them in a project.  You don't want to get rid of the rest of the buttons- you might need them for another project.  But in the mean time, ANOTHER jar of buttons comes along, and you do the same thing. 

 

  
Multiply that times a few bags of flatware, a few flats of cabinet cards, a few sewing baskets every few weeks, and well, you've got a lot of IES.

As an example- this little envelope in the picture on the left.

When you open the envelope, it has a business card for a hotel in Hutchinson Kansas.

I have no idea what it means, but it's old, and it's funny and I'm sure there's a good story behind it- and I can't throw it away.

 
And really, it's those silly little extra and surprises that make being a junker so much fun.  There have been plenty of times when I've bought a $3 box of junk because I knew that I'd have a lot more fun sorting through it than I would reading a $4 People magazine.

(Speaking of People magazine, I just saw the latest cover about Courtney Cox and David Arquette's split, and I'm just a little bit sad about it)

 
Maybe just like I don't need to spend a lot of time worrying about Courtney and David's break-up, I don't need to contemplate my feelings about junking too much.  Obviously, I have enough stuff to sell in the next few days- and we'll just see what happens after that.

Pre Dreaming of a White Christmas

 

By popular request (oh, I've always wanted to say that...), Karla and I are putting together another on-line crafting and decorating workshop zine- the theme will be something romantic, and something holiday and probably a lot of shades of white.

 
 
I've been digging through vintage postcards and made a preliminary trip to Michael's for some supplies.  Even though today is a beautiful fall day, pulling together some pretty sparkly holiday goodies has put me in the mood for some Christmas crafting.  More details soon...

 
In other crafting news- I have a FINISHED knitting project- a self patterning baby afghan for Karla's soon to be here grandbaby.  I tell ya, that self patterning yarn is  a no-brainer; you knit, and the design magically appears.

 

 

This Is Making Me Very Happy....

 
For some reason, this silly little pin cushion has made me very happy.  I bought it at an estate sale last week-   it was plain felt and bright  Christmas red.  I soaked it in bleach water until it faded and got kind of fuzzy, and then sewed on the lace, buckle & tape measure.

I realize I spent a lot of time on a quarter pin cushion, but I had fun "altering" it, and it's big enough that so far, I've been able to keep track of it and have always had a needle handy when I needed it.

 
On the other hand, this has made me sad.  It's the cowl neck hood with the ruffled edge that I thought was going to be so pretty, and keep my neck warm this winter.

 
It's been on the top of my knitting basket every since August, and I've finally come to realize that I have to "frog it".   In other words, "rip it, rip it".  I've started to pull it apart, and the yarn will live to see another project- hopefully one more successful than a turtleneck for a giraffe.

Even my dogs rejected it as a sleeping bag.

 
But after all, why would Button want to sleep on an itchy sweater when his big sister is always willing to snuggle with him?

...and the sight of them together brings me back to something that makes me happy.

Crafty Bloggy Gifts

 

Crafty bloggers are some of the most generous people I've ever met- and I've been the lucky giftee of some thoughtful and fun gifts lately.

 
Dorthe sent me one of her beautiful driftwood dolls, along with an ATC and fabric collage all the way from Denmark. 

 
Dorthe has a wonderful way of incorporating nature into her art- check out her Etsy Shop.  Her items are beautiful and shipping is very reasonable.

 
On our trip to Texas, Jodie, Lisa, Karla and I exchanged gifts.  Lisa made this beautiful journal...with this sweet sentiment inside.

 
Jodie made this darling keychain.

 
It's way too nice to ever see the inside of my purse- if they had episodes of Hoarders just for purses, I'd be on the season finale.

 

Karla gave me one of her beautiful velvet cuff bracelets- decorated with buttons- because that's my dog's name.  I'm naming my next dog "Diamond".

 
The mother of one of my oldest friends (the friend isn't old- the friendship is - like...gasp...almost 40 years), is so sweet to read my blog.  She found this box of spools at an estate sale for me, and knew I'd love it. 

I have no obligations for the next three days, so I'm hoping to get in a little bit of estate sale shopping and a lot of crafting- and I have a little plan for this box.

Crafting Challenge at the Antique Show

 

I usually bring along a craft project to do during slow times at antique shows.  I used to bring a book, but then I decided that might look kind of rude to potential customers..."Yeah, yeah, I'll be right there to help you as soon as I get to end of this chapter".  For a long time I'd bring a simple knitting project- a scarf or cotton wash cloths that didn't require concentrating on a pattern- but lately it's been free style stitching.

(I would love to be able to tell you that I stitched the doily in the first picture...but I didn't).

I'd packed a bag with scissors, floss, ribbon, buttons and some fabric- but before I got started on my planned project, I bought a big stack of vintage index cards from another dealer.  They're cards that an insurance sales person used to keep track of policies, customers, payments & prospects.

 
I decided to challenge myself with embellishing some cards with just what I had on hand- which didn't include glue.

 
As I stitched, I was surprised when customers asked if they could buy what I was making- you bet you can was my answer.

The next day I made it a little easier and brought a glue stick.  I tried to use things I might otherwise throw away- bits of torn pictures, lace remnants, and the dark piece on the card on the left is part of a leather book spine that fell apart.

I have the (unembellished) cards for sale in my Etsy Shop, if you'd like to challenge yourself, too.

 
When I pack up at an antique show, I try to be organized and sort by where I think items should go next- Ebay, Etsy, antique mall etc.  (Sometimes the trash can is the "where things go next"). 

 
These things ended up at the antique mall....

and these things just got listed on Etsy.