Gathering Dust

Crafting Bits and Pieces End of May edition

As usual, I have about 20 "works in progress" on the crafting front.  I can't help it.  If I'm working on a project and get an idea for another project, I have to start the new project.  (If I don't, I'll forget the idea.)

This feedsack sampler is almost finished.

I've added a bandana backing and as soon as I add a strap or handle, it will be my new flea market purse.  Bandanas and bright colors aren't usually my style, but I had fun making this, so I know I'll have fun using it.

This is a little cross stitch sachet that just needs a back and some lavender to get it up and running.

I can't resist a red and white quilt, even if it's, well....falling apart.  A lot of the red fabric in this quilt has frayed away, but all the quilting is hand stitched, so I felt like I had to rescue and repurpose it.

This is what I have so far.  I cut off a square of the quilt and added some strips of a French General print.  I'm not sure what the next step is, but that's part of the fun.

And since it's almost summer and the temps are headed for the 90's, I thought it would be a good time to start knitting a wool scarf.  Crazy, I know.  But if you're a knitter, you understand that sometimes you just want the feel of a good yarn on your needles.

As proof that I CAN finish projects, I do have a couple pieces published in the Jun issue of Sew Somerset.

Both pieces used mini charm packs.  I love charm packs, they give you the fun of having all the fabrics in a collections, and they are already cut for you.  As someone who is challenged to cut a straight line, I appreciate that.

I received an advance copy of Sew Somerset a couple weeks ago, but I've heard from several friends that it's available at Barnes & Noble.

How to Keep a Victorian Nerd Busy All Weekend

The backstory:  Last year,  a group of us went to  Leila's Hair Museum.

When I first heard "hair museum", I thought hair like metal perm rollers, those old curling irons that were heated on a stove and horrors like tar based shampoo.  But the hair museum is nothing like that- it's dedicated to the Victorian art of making jewelry, buttons, weavings and flowers out of hair.  The hair museum is full of beautiful items and incredible workmanship.

Moving forward:  At the last antique show I sold at, Julie,  one of the gals I went the museum with, brought a book for me to look at because it had a large section of Victorian hairwork. 

The book is called Under Glass: A Victorian Obsession by John Whitenight. I was enthralled with the book- beautiful pictures of all kinds of Victorian arts and crafts.  Customers at the antique show would ask me questions and I would say "Leave me along, can't you see I'm reading a very good book".  (ok, that never really happened).

I debated buying the book but $90 price tag seemed kind of steep.

Fast forward to last Friday.  I got an email from Lisa saying she was going to her first auction and wanted some tips so she didn't go home empty handed, or the opposite and have to take out a bank loan and rent a U-Haul to bring her purchases home.

I called Lisa, and she said "I'm in line at Half Price Books, let me call you back".

So when she called back I had to ask:

"What did you buy?".  

Lisa said "I found the most fabulous book called 'Under Glass'. 

"How much was it?"

"$15."

I was at Half Price Books in 10 minutes and came home with the five pound book in my excited hands.

So, I've spent the weekend in Victorian nerdville, looking at how they made wax fruit, beaded leaves and wove hair into flowers.

If you're fascinated by these beautiful and almost forgotten crafts, check out  Under Glass:  A Victorian Obsession.  In the mean time, I'm back to reading about Victorian taxidermy.

 

Shopping California Style

Ok, the title of this post might be a little misleading.  I have no idea what California shopping is, but I can tell you what I saw.  I almost didn't write this post because my shopping trip was over two weeks ago, but I enjoyed the places we went so much that I thought you'd like to see some pictures, too.

Karla and I both got up before the crack of dawn to make it to CA by 10 am so we could be in the textile district by early afternoon.

The area is block after block of fabric, beads, findings, ribbons and trims. Some people might think the area is kind of gritty, but I liked it.  It's REAL, unlike some of the Disneyfied areas in cities that are block after block of Starbucks, Applebees, Aeropostale and Nintendo World.

Lots of the shops were open air with displays carrying over onto the sidewalks, like these bolts of white fabric that looked like Halloween ghosts.

This street vendor's cart made me giggle.  It's "Jesus Hot Dogs".  Instead of thinking "what would Jesus do", I kept thinking "what would Jesus put on his hot dog".

The next day, Andrea got behind the wheel of a big Ford Expedition with Cheryl co-piloting and took five of us from out of town on a little shopping trip.  First stop was Gilding the Lily.

The store was just beautiful, full of vintage ribbons, millinery, findings, jewelry bits and all things pretty.

My favorite display:

Gilding the Lily has so many beautiful wares,even though I didn't "need" anything, I wanted a "souvenir".  Since they didn't have any Gilding the Lily baseball hats (joke), I put together this little vignette to bring home with me.

Our next stop was French General.  If you've read my blog for very long, you know I'm huge fan of French General books, jewelry and more recently fabric, so this was like a pilgrimage for me.

Kaari, the owner, had prepared a nice lunch for us and a fun make and take project.

The store was full of treasures, but I think I was so in awe, I forgot to take pictures until I was paying for my purchases and spotted these fabric samplers behind the counter.

I don't have a "bucket list" but if I did, going to French General would be on it, so I was just tickled to have a chance to visit.  Just looking at these fabric sample boards makes me want to get out my needle and thread.

For sure, a shopping trip full of ideas and inspiration.

Remember That Time When I Was in LA and Saw Warren Beatty

When I first saw pictures of the hotel that Kim Caldwell's An Affaire at Downton

would be held at, I was a little in awe.  The Millennium Biltmore website just oozes old style glamour. 

I already knew the event itself would be fabulous.  Every detail at Kim's events is perfection.  Karla has some great pictures of the table settings,  ballroom and the beautiful mural she painted on her blog.

The hotel exceeded our expectations. This ornate wrought iron balcony looked down over the tea room complete with fountain and grand piano.

Am I starting to sound a little bit like a rube from Kansas? 

It gets better.  Warren Beatty was directing a movie at the hotel.  The main concourse of the hotel was full of actors, techs, extras and equipment.

Occasionally the hall was blocked for a few minutes while they were filming, but no one seemed to mind.  How often do you get to see a movie being made?

Mathew Broderick is in the film, which is rumored to be about Howard Hughes.  I didn't actually see Mathew, but Tiffany posted this picture on Facebook.
But I did see Warren Beatty.  I was on the elevator, the door opened, no one got on or off, but a ruggedly handsome man looked into the elevator and smiled.  As the doors were sliding shut, the three of us on the elevator screamed "That was Warren Beatty".  So, I was 10 feet away from Warren Beatty for about five seconds.

(This tops my previous best "brush with fame", which was selling millinery flowers to Sally Struthers at an antique show.  I already told you, I'm a rube.)

Through out the Biltmore you can see the "Biltmore Angel".

I didn't spend a lot of time looking for her, but she showed up in several of my pictures anyway.

The Biltmore angel even showed up on dessert.

The spa is modeled after a 1920's cruise ship.  Teak deck chairs and beautiful tile work are everywhere.  I especially like the drinking fountain with the seashell motif.

Here are a few more pictures of the lavish decor.

All in all, a perfect place to bring out your finest duds.

(The walk in closet in our hotel room.)

She Wanted to Play: Good Bye Little Girl

I've had ths business card for years.  I think I put the collage together in 2006 and turned it into a business card in 2007.  So that was about 6000 business cards ago.

When I realized I was running low on cards, I wanted something new.  I tried playing with the original image- going sepia, adding color in just a few areas, but it just didn't work.

So, I looked through pictures I've used on my blog over the years and found this one.  I thought it looked like me- not literally, but it shows the things I like- buttons, lace, vintage millinery and stitching projects.

I'm happy with how it turned out, but I keep looking at it wondering if I misspelled a word or got my blog address wrong.

Over the years, I've played around with MOO cards, too.  They're fun, and customers seem to really enjoy them.  Occasionally I'll be putting a handful out in my antique booth and customers will ask "Can I take more than one?"  because they can't decide between the different pictures.

When I switched the picture on my card, I wondered if I would be losing my "brand".  I've heard a lot about branding your business, but I'm not exactly sure about the details of it. 

Obviously if you see a big red bulls eye, you think Target, and if you see a peacock, you're watching NBC; but does a business card make up a brand?

I'd be interested to hear any other thoughts on what does it take to brand a one person business, and how important is it?

In the meantime, please welcome the Little Blue Girl.

Crafting Downton Style: Journal Swap

Last weekend I was lucky enough to go to California for An Affaire at Downton for a lot of crafting, shopping, and the chance to stay in a fantastic historic hotel.

(For any other architectural detail nerds like me, I'll have a whole post about the hotel later).

One of my favorite parts was before the event even started.  Michelle Geller hosted a journal swap.  I've posted before about  Michelle's journal swaps, and what a great hostess she is.  The collaborative journals she creates are beyond fabulous.

The inspiration for the swap was the many scenes in Downton Abbey episodes where the servants deliver letters and calling cards to the family on silver trays. 

The "pages" in the journal swap are envelopes, either true vintage envelopes or envelopes made to look old. 

To make my envelopes I sewed vintage postcards on envelopes I'd made from toile wallpaper.  I added some bits of lace and aged them with lots of distress ink.

Each book is made from one envelope from each artist, for a total of 14 envelopes (plus a few extra made by Michelle) per book.  They were then bound and wrapped with  this incredible cover. 

I asked Michelle how she put together such a great looking, sturdy, flexible cover.  The process involved fusing, sanding, staining, gluing, sewing and then more sanding and varnishing. 

Just looking at the cover you can tell Michelle put in an incredible amount of time and artistry.  But there are even more special details inside.

A title page tag listing the participating artists.

Inside the back cover is a thank you note  with a tape measure "handle".

And, if that wasn't enough- everybody filled their envelopes with ephemera.

I've already spent several hours with my journal, pulling out the bits and pieces of pretty old paper, pretending I'm the Dowager Countess and I'm paging through my scrapbook.  (Of course, as I'm reading, I'm also making witty and snide comments as fits the Countess).

I'll treasure my journal but the craft classes at the actual event were keepers, too and I'll show you more when I've finished.