Gathering Dust

Quickie Crafts: Family Photo Album

 
My Mom's birthday is November 24, and I usually get her a Christmas ornament or decoration as a birthday gift.  This year, I got her a couple of these frames on chains from Curious Sofa.  My original idea was to add some Christmas clip art and call it good.

 
THEN I decided that because it was so easy to slide the pictures in and out of the frames, I should include more than just one picture per frame.  And maybe the pictures didn't have to be just Christmas- the frames could be used all year.

THEN I decided that the "extra pictures" should have their own little album- so I made this one.

I started with some chipboard coasters for the pages.

And covered them on both sides with wallpaper- NOT vintage.  I know my mom would prefer some these newer Waverly patterns.  I got this wallpaper from a sample book.  Sample books make it easy to pick out different but coordinating patterns.

Using the same wallpaper book, I made photo mats. To make the mats, I measured the frame, added about 1/4" on each side and used a paper cutter to cut wallpaper rectangles.

 
The corners, with their slits for pictures, are from using the Fiskars punch on the left.  When I bought it, I thought I was getting just a corner rounder- like the punch on the right.  I couldn't figure out how to get the Fiskars punch to JUST round the corners- then I realized that wasn't going to happen.

You have to be careful when you're in the craft store- the choices can be overwhelming- and you have to know how to read the diagram on the punch!

I printed out some family photos- and a Christmas postcard. (Looks like some one could use a new ink cartridge...)

Slip the pictures into the corners of the mats.

And glued the mats to the wallpaper covered chipboard.  I finished by hole punching the chipboard, adding some binder rings and a ribbon tie.

The "PLAY" letters are from the Logomachy collection at Mary's Green Paper Packages... and Mary is having a sale- use the word "giving" as the discount code and you'll get a 25% discount on ANY digital download.

I'm Dreaming of a White (Ironstone) Christmas

 
 
It was a good estate sale Friday.  I got a nice stack of white ironstone- you can only see a couple of pieces of it here.  Some of it is a little chipped, some a little crazed, but I like it all. 

I was buying with the upcoming Miss Frenchie's Antique & Art show in mind.  I'm planning a booth with a holiday look of white, gold, silver & greens - with pearls and lace thrown in.  If you haven't looked at the Miss Frenchie's blog recently, check it out- the vendor list has been updated and new pictures have been added.

A couple of my favorite vendors from The Old Summit Antique Show- Joyce Gilpin and Diane Ripper -will be setting up at Miss Frenchie's, too.

 
More Friday finds- I'm really not sure what this folder is- but I loved the ladies with their hats & parasols.

Here's the inside.

Maybe a needlebook?  Maybe an early version of the one piece stationary that you write on the inside, fold it up, seal it and write an address on the outside? Doesn't matter what it is....just love those clothes.

Spoiler Alert:  Is anyone else a Project Runway fan?  I was surprised that Irina won with her almost all black clothes but honestly, I thought all three of the finalists had great collections.

And speaking of sewing, I picked up some fun vintage notions today.  I love the names of some of these pins- Peacock, Guardian, Amazon and Javelin.  Which pin do you think would hold the best?  Going just on names, I've got to think Javelin.

 

I found this can of "Bronze Powder" in the garage of a sale.  I'm not sure what bronze powder is- but I like the label.  I'm always just a little bit afraid of unknown chemical type things found in garages and basements.  I've passed on many a pretty apothocary jar because it looked like it still had the remains of a pharmaceutical compound.

 
I'll feel a little safer if I put it under glass...that's a little joke- I think almost everything looks more important if you put it under glass- even if it's just the dome from a cheese tray.
 
 

A Few Pretties

 
I have a little bit of a sore shoulder from patting myself on the back so much.  I'm so proud of myself for having set up for the Silver Bella Vendor Faire on Friday, and having everything unpacked and sorted by Sat...well, actually it was early Sunday morning.  That's a record for me- I have packed Rubbermaid tubs in the basement from flea markets I did three or four years ago.  So much for "turning the inventory".

 
Some treasures went to my booth at the antique mall, some I'll take with me to the Miss Frenchies sale in December, and I'm listing some in my Etsy Shop.

 

These are a few groupings from my booth at the antique mall.     
I'm off to take some Advil for that sore shoulder...

Silver Bella 2009- The First (and Lamest) Post

 
Just got back from selling at the Bella Market at  Silver Bella.  I had a great sale, and a great time meeting new friends, friends I had only known on-line and seeing old friends.

My post is really not very descriptive or representative of the event- but at least I'm guessing it's probably the FIRST post about Silver Bella 2009.

 
I drove to Omaha on Thursday and stayed with Karla.  I got to the hotel just in time for the end of The Glitter Lounge party that Karla, Carol and Carol's niece and roomie Shelli hosted.  I didn't get any "people" party pictures- but I'm sure you can tell from the first picture- it was fun.

After the party, Karla, Carol and Shelli went to their Silver Bella dinner and class, and I went out to dinner with some other vendors.  That's what's so nice about Silver Bella- people are so happy to say "Oh, you're not doing anything right now- come along with us".

 
After dinner, I got back to the room before Karla- and look what I found on my bed.  Rolls and rolls and rolls of beautiful wallpaper.  How could Karla let me see these when she knows I'm on a  wallpaper diet?

( A wallpaper diet is kind of like Atkins or the Zone diet- but more carbs and less vintage paper).

Karla had gone to Hannah's Treasures- or as I like to call it "Wallpaper Heaven".   Hannah's Treasure's is an on-line store, but the owner let a serious wallpaper collector like Karla and some other friends make a visit to her house to buy wallpaper.

I couldn't keep myself from unrolling the wallpapers and LOOKING.  This was some of the most beautiful paper I've ever seen; but I swear,even though I was alone, and no one would have known, I did NOT cut any off.

(By the way, if you're a wallpaper person, too- Karla will be selling wallpaper packets in her store.  This is some seriously gorgeous stuff).

 
Friday, after I set up booth, I tried to take some pictures of my booth and other booths- but I should know better.  After I've been lifting, bending, carrying, toting and foofing- I usually don't take very good pictures- they end up being blurry.  So I've got the picture above of part of my booth.

And a picture of Tricia from Vintage Bliss' booth.  Tricia had great supplies, darling packaging, and she sells her own line of stamps.

Sorry for the lack of pictures.  I'll try to do better at my next show.

 
 Miss Frenchie's Holiday Brocante show will Dec 4 & 5.  It'll be a stunner and worth a drive.

 
You can click on the 100 francs piece to make the card larger.  Hope to see you there.

Misc Craftications, Ornamentations and Xmas Decorations

 
Usually on Mondays, I like to post about the junk I found on the weekend.  But I didn't get any junk this weekend, all I got was this.

 
A z-pack for bronchitis.

I wasn't so sick that I couldn't do anything, I just didn't have a lot of zip.  I did pull out the Christmas decorations I've been stashing away all year, and started pricing them for the open house at the antique mall this weekend.  

Barbara posted a picture of some ornaments she had that are just like I box I was pricing.  She said she saw similiar ornaments at an antique mall for $8 a piece.  I had mine priced at $3 a piece.  I might raise my price just a little bit.

 
One of my other favorite things to collect through out the year is old Christmas packaging. Two of these boxes came from long ago department stores and another one held tinsel.

Once, while I was working at an estate sale, a customer told me he filled the space under his Christmas tree with all vintage decorated department store boxes.  I'd love to see that.

 

This is a new scarf pattern I'm working on- it has the wintery name of "Fir Cone".

 
I did a little work on this project.  I added some of my sepia tags to this lampshade.  Normally the lampshade is hanging in the house.  My husband asked what it was.  I told him I wasn't sure, but it wasn't finished.  He asked how will you know when it's done....

... I don't know.

Here are some finished projects.

 Tags....whenever I have a few minutes, I like to cover a shipping tag.

 
And in my finished tag box,  I found this non-tag finished project.

It's a little craft mirror from Michaels with some textured rub-ons, and a ribbon decorated with an old earring.

Can't wait to go junking again.....

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.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

 
The winner of the Martha Stewart craft book is Nerissa Alford, and the international winner is Hope Griffin. 

The scan above is from a beautiful German date book I got over the weekend.  It has gold edge pages and some lovely pictures.  I tried to get Google to translate what it says-  "not communicate and do good vergellet".  I must have typed something wrong...