Gathering Dust

Kansas Woman Found Buried in Avalanche of Wallpaper

 
That could have been the sad headline earlier this week, and the Kansas woman would have been me.  I went into the closet in my craft room and was digging through the rolls of wallpaper to find something.  I was taking the rolls out and putting them behind me and between the closet door, the craft room door and all the rolls of wallpaper, I was trapped.

Luckily, I had my Fiskers scallop punch with me, and I punched my way out.

 Ok, I'm kidding about that part- I just had to toss a few rolls out of the way and I was free.  But it did inspire me to start using some of my wallpaper.

I have made a bunch of these pretty little scallops that make great labels- and I've added them to my Etsy Shop .

I've added some wallpaper packages, too- and a vintage wallpaper book.

I decorated an old book cover and all the pages are vintage wallpaper. I know I haven't used enough wallpaper to save my life if there's another avalanche- but what the heck, I had fun crafting.

Shabby Chic Interiors, New Farmhouse Style: Book Reviews & A Giveaway

 
Every so often, usually when I'm having trouble falling asleep, I find myself on line, joining a book club. This time it was a crafter's book club.  I really wanted the New Farmhouse Style book, but with a list price of $45, I convinced myself that I'd be better off to get it through a book club, and pick up a few other books along the way for about the same money.

 
  
 Rachel's Back!

I loved Rachel Ashwell's first two books, and can't tell you how many hours I've spent over the years pouring over them looking at all the little details.  Besides her fabulous flea market finds, I loved her little drawings and her color swatch boards. 

Her third book- the one where she redecorates a kind of dark and gloomy 1970's style house- wasn't quite on the same level of worship that I gave her first two books, but I did enjoy seeing how she completely turned around what was really kind of a spooky house.  That was also the house with the refrigerator with clear doors- and I wondered, how can anyone keep there fridge that neat?

I didn't enjoy Rachel's next books nearly as much, maybe they seemed a little too forced, or maybe too much like a rehash of her earlier books without a lot of new content.

But, I think that Rachel's back with Shabby Chic Interiors.  Her style and eye for the special piece of furniture, picture or trinket is right on.

Her decorating style is a little sparse for my taste, but I have to admire someone who can show such restraint.  It really makes each object in the room stand out.

 
 
Marie Claire Paper Crafts with Style was a disappointment.  I don't read the magazine,but I had the idea it was very trendy and cutting edge.  Maybe I was wrong about the magazine, or maybe this book isn't a good representation of the magazine.

 
Even though the pictures are lovely, the ideas are not new.  Making flowers from folded paper is a craft I learned in first grade art class- we called them snow flakes, but the idea is the same.

Several of the ideas were repeated, just using different materials.  These are  paper mache trays that were molded around silverplate trays using book pages.

This is a paper mache teapot and teacup molded around- guess what? a coffee cup and coffee pot- only this time they used tissue paper.

And another use for tissue paper and glue- vases that look like saggy bags.

My favorite of my new books is Terry John Woods' New Farmhouse Style.  It's crisp and clean and old and worn all at the same time. 

This is the kind of book I like to have on the table next to the bed and take a peek at a few pages every night to give me sweet dreams.

 
Turning the pages in New Farmhouse style reminds me of the style of the  Jeanne d Arc Living magazine that Carol of  Raised in Cotton introduced to a lot of us. So many of the simple things we love like fresh flowers and ironstone arranged so that each piece seems special.

And the giveaway part of my post:

I said I usually join these book clubs late at night- well, I guess I was still kind of asleep when I joined this one, because I ordered two copies of Martha Stewarts Encyclopedia of Crafts- so I'm giving one away.  Just leave a comment and let us know what your favorite craft or decorating book or magazine is. 

(The book is HEAVY, so I'll be shipping it via media mail which is only available in the US- but I still want to hear from all my international friends, so I'll have a second giveaway of vintage paper- wallpaper & postcards etc- for a non US winner)

I'll pick two winners on Sunday night.  Thanks for playing!

Vintage Sewing Keepsake Box

 
In my last post, I mentioned that I had a "start" on the first project for Mary's Artist Class... I had found a box.  The first project is an assemblage piece called Tribute to a Loved One. 

Since I'm not always good at following directions, and I've been wanting to make a sewing collage- I changed the project from "Tribute to a Loved One"  to "Tribute to Stuff I Love"-  a vintage sewing box.  My next project might be "Tribute to Dove Chocolates".

I added two gals cut from a 1950's pattern to the lid of the box.

And inside I have a couple more.

 
I still haven't figured out exactly what I'm going to put IN the box, but I have plenty of raw materials to work with.

I'm off to Artist Class to see what's going on today- there's a new post every day with a project or idea.  If you'd like to enroll, you can do it here.  And if you use the code "gatheringdust", you'll get $10 off. 

Five Prom Dresses, 100 Grumpy Fairies & A Nice Fall Day

 

 
On Saturday I took my prom dress finds from a couple of weeks ago to Karla's to take pictures of them so I could sell them on Ebay.  My house is so small that its hard to get far enough away to get a picture of a whole dress without getting a stack of magazines or a wastebasket in the picture, too.

The garden circle in Karla's driveway was the perfect spot- we still had some roses, some leaves were turning, the sun was shining and it was a nice fall day.

 
If we'd had more time it would have been fun to dress up all of our mannequins and have a prom right there on the driveway. 
 
But we had work to do.  Karla had one hundred grumpy fairy books to glitter.

Karla wrote and illustrated "The Grumpy Fairy" for her granddaughter Miss Sugarwings (Leandra).  You can see pictures of the book here.  And you can buy it in  Karla's shop.  It would make a great stocking stuffer.

 
  
I, on the other hand, am still obsessed with sepia, black & white and vintage fashion, so I was working on tags and ornaments for a sepia Christmas tree.

Do you ever sit down at your desk, or work table or dressing table and find something that you have no idea how it got there?  This happens to me...well, with some frequency.  I'm sure that part of this is due to the large quantities of junk, uh... vintage goodness I bring into the house.  Right now, I'm wearing a sterling ring with leaves that I found on my craft table.  No idea where it came from.

The same thing happened with the tiny little circle frame at the top of the picture above.  I was clearing a work space, and this sweet little frame just popped out at me.  It's not attached to the tag its on- I think I'll make it a tag of its own.

Maybe fairies are leaving me gifts...I don't really believe in fairies, but they might believe in me.....

 
Mary's Artist Class started yesterday.  I designed one of the projects- pictured above.

The first project is "Homage to a Loved One"- a shrine making project.  I'm in the class but I've already fallen behind.  Here's what I have so far:

 
Yeah, I know, its just a cigar box, but its a start- and I have a plan- and the tutorials will stick around until well after Christmas, so I've got lots of time.

If you're interested in taking the class, you can sign up here.  And if you use the code "gatheringdust", you'll get a $10 discount. 

What I'm Bringing to the Antique Mall

 

The title of this post should have been "What I BROUGHT to the Antique Mall".  I turned down a craft day at Karla's because I thought I just had too much to do this morning- errands for work, UPS, flu shot, trip to the antique mall, Costco.  What I actually got done was...nothing.  There are still boxes in the back of my car, stuff to price on my couch, my cupboard is bare, and I am uninoculated.  Now, after a two hour nap, I'm ready to start my day.

The guys at the top of the post are part of a pin cushion collection.  They need to be restuffed, but I'm not sure what you stuff a pin cushion with.  Any suggestions?

 

• A pretty little English bone china pin dish made by Shelley.

I recently read that using sheet music and books in general as a background for your pictures is overdone.  

So, I apologize for being less than cutting edge in my photos....

 
...but I thought this was kind of funny- "expressly composed and carefully fingered for SMALL HANDS".

 

• This is my new label for packaging buttons.  It's part of Mary's  collection Vintage Graphics and Text.

  

• Books, and more books- I have  big cabinet at the antique mall, but it can be really hard to fill- small items tend to get lost.  My solution- I'm bringing in stacks and stacks of more or less neutral colored books to make levels to use as backgrounds and platforms.

• the lunchbox- I just thought it was cute, but it works the same way.  I can use it in a stack and put something on top of it, or open it up to create a little vignette inside.

 

• Even though this book is NEW, it's about Kansas City history, so I think its a good fit for the antique mall.  I really enjoyed it- I didn't really read it as much as studying the pictures.  I love looking at the clothes, the street signs, the old building and window displays.

 

• My favorite find to take to the antique mall- brown and white transferware...

...appropriately named "Quails".

Sarah of My So Called Junky Life was the winner of the wallpaper giveaway.  Thanks so much to everyone who left a comment- I do enjoy your comments.

I suppose I should get going on that "to do" list since I'm about eight hours behind.  Or maybe I should be more like Buddy- he's doing the same thing he's been doing for months- on the lookout for squirrels.  So far, he hasn't caught one, or even scared any away from the yard that I can tell- but it doesn't seem to bother him a bit.

Wallpaper Giveaway & Artist Class Update

 
One of my junking finds this week was a beautiful 1880's autograph album with a leather cover with "Floral Album" imprinted in gold.  The graphics inside are so pretty. If you'd like to use them, click on the image and it will open in a larger window.

I'll be scanning the whole set and they'll be available as part of Mary Green's Artist Class.   Several new class descriptions have been added to the Artist Class blog . I'm excited to be a part of this, and I'm going to try my hand at all of the projects.  If you'd like to sign up for the online class,  go here and make sure to use the discount code gatheringdust  to get a $10 discount.

In my post yesterday, I announced a wallpaper giveaway and promised I'd add some "pretty" papers to the more elegant (and 70's) wallpapers I found yesterday.  Here's a scan of a few more that will be in the wallpaper pack.

 
If you'd like a chance at winning, just leave a comment on any post between now and Sunday night- and even if you commented on yesterday, you can comment again and you'll be entered twice.

Here Comes the Bride...and a Wallpaper Giveaway

 
Well, if it's Friday afternoon, I bet you can guess where I was this morning- at the estate sales.  But my favorite find of the week came from an auction.

It's this circa 1910 wedding dress.  Such beautiful details.  I think it's a lovely addition to our deck and backyard.

(Just kidding, the dress is back inside now, its been so dark and gloomy lately that I had to go outside to even try to get enough light to take a picture.)

There are pearls on the top of the neckline and bugle beads on the bottom.

And the skirt is beautiful French net lace.  And, can you believe it- at the bottom of the box were the shoes.

I know it's silly, but I was so excited about finding the shoes, a little tear came to my eye.

The down side to wedding dress- the OTHER stuff that came with it.  That's how auction lots are...

Several of these full faced furs - with little buckles and snaps underneath them so the fashionable lady could wear multiple faces at once. 

Even though I wouldn't want to actually wear most of it, I really like vintage clothing- but this is one style that I just don't get the appeal of. The eyes and those little feet crawling around my neck....ick!

If I'm going to have a fashionable fur accessories, I'd rather it be one of my puppies.

Maddie resting in fresh mulch.

Buddy- on squirrel patrol.

(These pictures are for their Nana, who always asks about her granddogs)

I really lucked out at an estate sale this morning and got a LARGE box of vintage wallpaper for $3.  There are several different papers in it- but these were my favorites- but the lack of sunlight makes them a little blah...

 
I'm going to give away a wallpaper pack - and I'll include a few brighter and floral papers, too.

Like this one, taken from The Brady Bunch bathroom.

But really, I will add some more pretty papers.

If you'd like to enter the giveaway, just leave a comment on any post between now and Sunday evening and you'll be entered.

The Junking Gods Were Kind for a Tuesday

 
Imagine my luck- an estate sale on a Tuesday morning- and I managed to find two beautiful hats- some of The Hat Whisperer's skill must be rubbing off on me.

 
However, the felting gods have not been kind to me.  This purse and scarf shrunk to about one third their original size.  I guess when the instructions say "wash in warm water and check every five minutes" they don't mean "throw in the washing machine and go to an estate sale".  Maybe I can learn how to make those wool penny rugs... but this felted yarn is so thick I'll have to get tin snips to cut through it.

 
I've finished my project for Mary's Artist Class.  Check out the blog for project pictures and class descriptions.  You can sign up for the class here, and if you use the discount code gatheringdust, you'll get a $10 discount.

While I was going through my own ephemera collection to find some new (old) scans for Mary's class, I found some cute ones to share with you.

If you click on the image it will open in a larger screen and you can right click your mouse and select "Save As" to save to your computer.

 

 
  
 

 

It's Not All Crowns and Party Dresses, Sometimes You Have to PROCESS

 
Every week of junking isn't full of royal headwear and dancing gowns...sometimes, when you're out on the junk trail, the best you can do is rescue a well loved Teddy bear.

And sometimes, you need to take a little time off from BUYING junk, to actually PROCESSING the junk you already have- the bed in the guest room STILL looked like this this morning.

I did "process" some buttons into bird bags for Silver Bella- and I still have a lot more to process- it takes a long time to put price tags on a shoe box full of jewelry- especially if you have to admire each piece as you tag it.

I'm putting together a project for Mary's Artist Class.  Here's a peek at my project.

 
Another project I've been working on to entertain myself is a collage book I've been mentally calling "Decades of Fashion".  These pages are 1880's, 1900's and 1930's.  I'm not absolutely sure Iof the historical accuracy of my dates but I'm pretty sure I have the pages in the right order at least.

My only other junking find this week- these (formerly) leather bound books with marbled covers and end papers.

I know- they're a mess---but - stay tuned- I have a plan for PROCESSING them....

Come Dancing

Who would expect to find a cache of vintage prom dresses in ca 1990 house in the suburbs of Kansas?  I only went to this estate sale because it was close to home and I like the company that was running it. I couldn't imagine that a newer house in a new neighborhood would have anything I might want- but you never know, sometimes I can pick some cheap light bulbs or laundry detergent.

But there, right at the bottom of the basement stairs was a portable clothes rack full of vintage prom dresses.  I bought these three on Friday- and left behind a black dress and a red dress with the same taffeta and netting style.

I don't know why, but I think somewhere in the back of my head, I thought that buying FIVE prom dresses would be greedy- or else I just thought that only "fast" girls would wear a red or black dress to prom...

 
My picture doesn't captrue the details as well as I would have liked, but this dress has the most beautiful pink embroidery on white.

 
I also picked up some darling pink baby dresses.

 
This dress has such sweet smocking and a Shirley Temple label.  Apparently Mary Kate & Ashely Olsen weren't the first child stars to have their own clothing line.

 
By they way, I went back to the estate sale this morning to buy the red and black  dresses- even fast girls need a nice dress for the prom