Gathering Dust

Snippet Swap: Vintage Darlings

While writing a post about this snippet swap, I realized I've been swapping art via the internet for over ten years.  Way back in 2003, I started playing in swaps via Yahoo Groups.  Back then it was almost all ATCs (Artist Trading Cards).  I still remember the anticipation of getting a package in the mail knowing it was full of art.

I felt the same way when I got my snippet swap package from Heidi of Sugah Beez.  (I wrote about the snippet roll I made for Heidi here.)

Heidi packaged my snippet roll in a handmade bag embellished with a darling picture reading "Vintage Darlings 2014".

Because a snippet roll is long (18") and narrow, it's hard to take a picture of the whole thing, my pictures are just "snippets" of the roll.

A beaded "B" for Beth.  I love the feather stitch that Heidi used around the pictures.

The roll was finished with a full lacy ruffle and one of my very favorite (and hard to find) embellishments- velvet berries. Lush!

Heidi also made this sweet little scissor fob, which I actually needed the very day I received it. My Mom gave me these nice sharp scissors several years ago for Christmas, and added a tag that read "Fabric Only".

The tag fell off long ago and all that was left is the little red thread that held it on. The thread was about "this close" to falling off.  As soon as that thread broke, I knew I'd have to replace it, or risk accidently using my scissors to cut paper. 

I don't have a lot of crafting rules, but one of them is keeping a seperate scissors for cutting fabric. 

As soon as I opened the package, I tied that scissors fob on my "good" scissor.  Crisis averted.  Thanks, Heidi!

My snippet roll is hanging on my "wall of low color art"- all made by friends.

My Nature's Blessing Journal

On Tuesday, I went to Karla's Cottage for a craft day.  Karla had two tables in her studio just full of pages that people had sent in to be swapped.  Lots of eye candy.

Earlier, I had made sample pages for Karla to show on her blog  to give swappers some ideas for pages.

(Karla doesn't really need anyone to make extra art projects for her, she's pretty prolific on her own).

Anyway, Karla added those pages to my swapped pages, so I got an extra thick book.

Karla helped me pick out some pages from piles in her studio, and then put them together in my journal.  I was just amazed at how well all the pages flowed together. 

The way Karla bound the journal, pages made by two different people just blended together for a really cohesive look. 

I wouldn't have minded if the pages were very random looking, that's what a book page swap is about, but this surprised me.

This is my partially colored doodle page that Karla includes with every journal.  I gotta tell you coloring is fun, and very relaxing!

I decided that instead of using this as an "everyday journal", where I just paste or doodle whatever tickles my fancy on a given day; I'm going to use it keep special cards, notes, & clippings with a nature theme.  Like the card on the left that I got from Heidi with my Vintage Darlings snippet roll.  I'll show you pictures of that sweet piece of art tomorrow.

If We Lived Like Normal People

My estate sale finds from this weekend fit right into one of my favorite palettes, "low color".  I thought about doing a blog post about how I love white and wood, but they need a little "umph" to make them look their best. 

That's why the first picture is "just the facts ma'am"- no fluffing or verving or styling.

My husband came home in the middle of my picture taking and asked why there was a tablecloth on the table and all the papers, magazines, keys, dog tags (that still need to be put on the dog's collars) and other flotsam and jetsam that is usually on the table was piled on the floor.

I told him I was pretending we lived like normal people who eat at the kitchen table instead of just stacking stuff on the top of it.

And I even set the table twice just to prove I still could.

Grouping It

While I was looking at the pictures I took at the antique show, I realized that groups or collections of things really catch my eye.  Even a humble wooden spool looks important when you gather a group of them together and invite them to live an big old garden urn.

Wooden dominos look like art when they're arranged on a wooden plate.

Even someone else's bills and filing looks good when they're tied with a ribbon.

Stone fruit isn't really a humble item, but a table filled with catches your eye.

Baby shoes are darling all by themselves, but seeing different shapes, sizes and materials makes me say "ahhhhh".

And a group of blue ribbons...well you know you've got a winner.

(Sorry, that was a really corny way to end my post....)

Fall Decorating Ideas from the Antique Show

Yesterday's antique show was another good one.  As always, I get to the show early to have breakfast -biscuits and gravy -provided for dealers by Sandee, the show promoter and her husband.  That's a pretty nice perk for an antique show.  After breakfast I wander around between the booths and enjoy the great merchandise.

One thing I love about this show is how the dealers decorate for the season while still staying true to the country roots of the show.  No bright orange jack-o-lanterns or witches on brooms. 

Instead you'll find clever displays like the fall color tins paired with an owl; or black pinecones with black branches in a garden urn.

A raven perched on a paper mache goose next to a black shutter.

A baby pumpkin is a nice contrast to this set of blue books.

A basket of oatmeal colored yarn makes you think of fall and sweater weather.

This dealer went all out with his corn stalk fence.  I doubt I'll decorate for fall with cornstalks in my house, but it made a dramatic display at the show.

Old Summit Antique Show THIS Saturday!

If you're in the Kansas City area this weekend, and want to see some one of kind antiques in great displays, check out the Old Summit Antique Show, Saturday from 9-4 in the John Knox Pavillion in Lee's Summit.

I've been collecting treasures all summer for you, and I'll be selling in my usual spot by the stage. 

Estate Sale Friday: Beats Housework Edition

Before we talk estate sales, I have to introduce my newest great niece, Sadie Marie; born to my niece Melissa and her hubby Brandon.   Very appropriately, Sadie was born on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, and is so lucky to have two big sisters (Molly and Grace) to look out for her.

My plan wasn't to go to estate sales this morning.  Nothing sounded like a "must see" sale.  But then, I got up, had my Diet Coke, watched the news on TV and thought about what I should do today.

Somehow, going to estate sales seemed to be the easiest choice to make.  Washing the kitchen floor or dusting never really crossed my mind.

As it turned out, I was pretty happy with my time to miles to finds ratio.  I was only gone for about 2 1/2 hours, and only drove about 20 miles, but I had to make two trips to carry everything inside.

Really liked this repousse rose picture frame. It's vintage but in great shape.

On the table right next to the frame was this sweet picture of a girl with a BIG bow in her hair, with her mother.  I bought the "Nouvelle Bougie" box just because I liked the French label.

These nasty looking candles were inside the box.

A pretty book, gold frames and gold appetizer forks and a little Eiffel Tower.  You really can't go wrong buying an Eiffel Tower for resale.  I've never had one last more than a couple days.

German curtain clips- these are getting hard to find, but are so cute to use in crafts- or to hang your curtains.

I love red leather books and books with red and gold spines, so these were a no brainer. 

Except, the books were all on different shelves in a book case.  I was so happy to have gathered five together.  I thought I saw a sixth book, but it turned out it was just a cover.

Duh, it was the cover to one of the books I bought.  Rookie mistake!

So, that was Estate Sale Friday.  

It's probably too late in the day now to think about housework, isn't it?

 

Lost and Found: My Moleskin Gluebook

I'd heard that Moleskins were the cream of the crop when it came to notebooks, so I picked one up on clearance a couple of years ago.  What I didn't know when I bought it was that it was a calendar, not a blank notebook.

Then I thought, I can work with that- I'll turn it into a gluebook. So, on July 2 2013, I started gluing.  I feel like I should point out that on the very first page, I broke with the definition of a "true" gluebook, which should be made only with glued images- no writing, highlighting or doodles. 

I'm thinking I could also benefit from a lettering class...

Other than adding washi tape to some pages, I pretty much stuck with just scissors and glue when working in the book. 

(The earring in the upper left corner isn't attached, it's just to hold the page down.)

Several months ago, the gluebook disappeared.  It wasn't in any of the usual places I put my projects- which can be just about anywhere in the house except the kitchen.

I looked in drawers, pulled books out from bookshelves, looked under the bed- I thought it was gone, probably tossed out with a stack of papers.

Last week, in my ongoing (and slow) attempt to organize my craft room, I opened up a little suitcase that had a tag that said "Images" and inside was my Moleskin, along with lots of images, a pair of scissors and gluestick.  It looked like my Moleskin was taking a vacation, or I had planned to take it on a vacation.

I was happy to find it, and happy to start gluing again.