Believe in the Power of Beautiful Stuff

click on each picture to be taken to my Flickr so you can see the full size

At the Botanical Gardens, this is right at the entrance to the Japanese Gardens. Such a beautiful place.

A mosaic statue of a person praying.

A close up of some flowers, there’s something very dreamy about it.

This is a freaking huge button. I really like it but wish there was a little more color to show the details of the mermaid. Hrmpf.

Not a vintage button, a mermaid behind resin in a silver cup.

 These are the new pride and joy of my button collection. They come from the garment district in New York circa 1920’s. They’re pretty fabulous when sitting in your hand. I think the blue one is the best!

(Did I just turn my blog into “adult content” with all the mermaid boobs?! HA! Who would have though that a post about buttons would yield so much nipple. I bet my blog hits just went up because I typed nipple! Twice! HA!)

A few months go by, I make a few posts a week and everything is great and then I forget to take pictures. And then everything piles up where I have to make a post apologizing for not updating like I should.

*sigh*

I’m going to try and set a little better about that. Stability is the key here.

Anyway, I really do have some super awesome and fun things to update with. For instance, I know I talked about the glass classes that I’ve been taking but I haven’t taken a single picture of my finished work. I ended up coming home with 6 different plates, a set of coasters and some pieces of glass that I don’t know what to do with. Taking photos of glass is a bitch, so I know I’m going to have to set up a little studio to get things going.

Speaking of photos, I broke out the Holga and the Diana+ and went over to the Missouri Botanical Garden to take some photos of the Niki exhibit. I felt like a huge, goofy hipster traipsing throughout the garden with my Yahoo branded messenger bag filled with cameras but I did have a good time. I’ll find out if I got some gems or not tonight!

Now one thing that is probably pretty apparent is that I really enjoy hoarding things, in fact I jokingly refer to myself as a crazed chipmunk. Well over the years I hoarded a pretty nice collection of makeup samples that I finally convinced myself to sell them on Ebay. They sold for a nice amount and I used the acquired funds to purchase a Gocco.

This thing is blowing me away with fun. Out of control fun. I’ve done two unique prints and I might just throw a few of them up in the old Etsy shop. Guess what’s holding me back? PICTURES!

I also just signed up for a vintage button swap on Craftster and I’m pretty sure I was paired up with the most perfect person ever for this swap, I cannot wait! Too fun!

I leave you with the cutest felt food ever made by my friend Jenny.

A big “hello” to everyone visiting from IKEA Hacker!

Stop in, look around and leave a comment so I can read your blogs as well!

And here is the amazing jar that I received.

Contents:

My swap partner went above and beyond and she really went with the vintage theme that I wanted. I was really touched that she included a “little people” person as she explained that they always had a special place in her heart as she was a sickly child and they were one of her favorite things.

The first time I ever heard the term “Jar of Whimsies” was from One Good Bumblee. Basically, it’s a jar filled with little treasures like Cracker Jack Toys, vintage buttons and bits of ribbon; anything tiny and fascinating gets put into the jar.

I recently participated in a Craftster swap where we created jars of whimsies, here is the jar and the contents that I sent to my partner. Part 2 will cover the amazing jar that I received.

The contents:

…and have been so busy with life.

I can’t wait to update you on my recent projects and my amazing experiences at glass class but for now a pendant I threw together today to hold us over.

The flowers are from my vintage stacking beads, the middle is an antique button from the 1920’s with an aurora finish. The bail (the loop that connects it to the necklace) is sterling silver.

The Big Minuature Sampler by abelemporium

Ok, everyone knows that cupcakes are super trendy and I’m thinking they’re going to be “in fashion” for quite a while. I think these awesome cupcake toppers are going to be the newest addition to the trend. They all look vintage, but they’re not! When perusing the store, go ahead and buy the Magical Forrest Sampler set and invite me over for cupcakes and coffee! Please!

Woodland Necklace by lusterstudio

While we’re on the subject of magical Forest creatures, I thought I’d bring up this little pretty gem. I’ve been really drawn to kitsch lately and this is really full filling that need. The price is fabulous for all the little detail this pendant has; check out the Rainy Day Necklace too!

6 Soapsicle Party Pack by soapylove

I squealed at these, couldn’t help it. If you’re a reader of this blog, you know I love me some super saturated colors. I think these would be the cutest party favors ever. Take a moment and browse all the styles offered, I love the one titled “dreamy”.

A few weeks ago, I participated in Bath/Spa swap over at Craftster. If you’re a crafty type and have not participated in any of these; shame on you for missing out on all the fun. Seriously, they have swaps for all types of crafty people, from the gothic to the new mothers.  Nothing is more fun than coming home from a long day at work to a big box of surprises!

Anyway, I was excited for the bath swap because I have an unusually large stash of Lush product that I really love to send to people, this of course was a perfect excuse. The only problem was that you’re supposed to send things that you make as well (duh) so I had to come up with a few ideas.

One thing I sent was a small cosmetic type pouch.

What made the pouch so special was it was the very first time I ever inserted a zipper, I used a tutorial that I found on Craftster.

I also made a hair turban. Basically the turban is made of absorbant terry cloth, wrapped around the head and secured with loop around a button. It’s an easy desgin and a really functional thing, I use one every single morning! It cuts down on hair drying time and looks nice if you have to answer the door.

Here is the front view, notice my amazing widow’s peak and stew in your own jealousy.

The back view.

A closeup of the vintage button I used (including a loose string of two!)

I made a quick graphic tutorial on how to make your own, click on the picture to be taken to my Flickr where you can see it in larger sizes if you need to.

1. Cut out two pieces of fabric that look like the pink image. 
2.  Sew the top (the rounded head part and the tail) together.
3. Finish off the raw edges at the bottom.
4. Sew on a loop of ribbon or rope on the tail.
5. Sew on a cute button at the rounded head part.

Or course you can go crazy and embellish the hell out of it! Have fun and comment or email me if you have any questions!

Here’s a few items I’ve recently purchased from Etsy. Click on the picture to be taken to the sellers store.

All of these Etsy sellers have been amazing and I totally, totally am recommending them to you!

Just a little something to add to my vintage flower collection. This came with an awesome little goody bag as a thank you from the seller! I love it!

This is a great panel of fabric that I’m not sure what I’m going to do with just yet but had to have. I saw this going on Ebay for twice the amount I paid for it. One lesson I’m learning is that almost everything is cheaper on Etsy versus Ebay, which to me was unexpected.

And once again, a little fodder for my obsession.

Things I’ve purchased but haven’t received yet:

I have a “thing” for mermaids and don’t have many wooden buttons.

I bought these today as they are really different from any vintage buttons I’ve ever seen. The cutout puff design is so neat.

What treasures have you purchased from Etsy?

…everything would be organized by color.

These are the vintage stacking flowers I bought a few weeks ago of Ebay. I fortified the collection with a few more purchases from Etsy.

I am a sick, sick individual for I cannot bring myself to even use one of these cheap little beads. I like the way they look, so perfectly organized and neat, the thought of one of those colors being depleted makes me too sad.

Saturday evening I literally spent an hour in Micheal’s bead department fingering different chains and clasps and findings only to put back every single thing in my cart; I’m just not ready to throw these out into the world.

Please tell me that I’m not the only one with this horrible hoarding sickness!

Here are two Etsy sellers I had a great transaction with;

vintagerecreations

crescentmooncreation

Their prices are better than anything I found on Ebay and their shipping was fantastic. vintagerecreations even included a fabulous little goody bag filled with even more treasures!

That I purchased off Ebay.

I cannot wait to get my paws on these!!!

So, my sweet Mom is turning 60 this year and had expressed that she would like a party to celebrate the milestone. Party? Party! I love (LOVE!) throwing parties so I jumped at the chance.

The party is in May and I’ve been working on the invites for the past week. I expect a few more party crafty posts in my future.

Here is the front of the invitation. I chose these colors because I thought they were “Springy” but not pastel (yuck!).

The flowers are light plastic scrap-booking supplies that I picked up from Hobby Lobby, they were all separate pieces and I E600′edthem to stay together. The middle of the flower is a faux half pearl, I guess it would be called a cabochon.

Close up of the different flowers I made, the middle one is glued, the two others are still loose and placed there for picture purposes.

The inside of the card, blue polka dotted (Mom loves polka dots) paper. The handwritten font is called “Popsies“, tying those little bows was kind of a pain.

You can see that the envelope is kind of see through, I’m still not 100% sold on that but I guess it will do. These will be going out in the mail next week, I can’t wait for the response!

In the next month I’ll be planning and hosting a 60th birthday party for my Mom, planning a family weekend to go diamond mining in Arkansas and having my first one year wedding anniversary (insert goofy grin). Just to add to the drama, I work a second job.

So what do I do? I get all sorts of crazy inspired from Average Jane Crafter to join in in the Stacy’s Sophia Sew Along which in a nutshell is sewing Amy Butler’s Sophia Bag.

It’s simply a gorgeous bag and I’ve really come to appreciate a bag that can carry all of my stuff and have a little room left over.

I’ve called my Mom, who is an amazing seamstress and already told her that I might be needing some help along the way. I mean, I just learned how to put in zippers and have only put one in!

Now I need to spend some time finding just the most amazing fabric! Argh!

Make sure to keep an eye on the Flickr poolto see everyone’s amazing work!

Do you have any Ben Franklin stores in your town? We have two, one to the south and one to east of me. I usually go a little bit out of my way to the southern store as it’s bigger, cleaner and better organized. Last night though, I got a wild hair and went off to the eastern store to look around.

The store itself is an odd one. It’s in a very affluent part of town but the store is just in disarray and the old style fluorescent lighting washes everything out. The neat thing about the store though is that it makes you feel like you’re in a 50’s craft store, or as I’m only 29 what one would imagine to be a 50’s era craft store.

I wanted to check out the fabric selection but that left a lot to be desired, too many “cutesy” prints for my taste. The ribbon selection was amazing though and I got some super cute things. 

The tiniest ric-rac I’ve ever seen in my life.  That’s a quarter there! I’m not sure how I’m going to attach it but we’ll figure something out.

I also got these two ribbons which invoke a very 80’s prom feeling when put together. Makes me want to spray some Exclamation! perfume.

Later in the evening, I picked up some pretty dishware from Pier 1 for $1 a dish! What a steal!

Folkloric Deer Votive Holder by maryink

This is one of those little things that one should have laying around the house that tells your guests, “Hey, make sure you check out my great style.” I’m a sucker for the color of this but the design itself is brilliant, it’s very Anthropologie*. This is a great price and would be an amazing, yet totally affordable hostess gift.

 Retro Rainbow Drum Lampshade by hunkydory

This is really capturing that modern/retro dichotomy that people love. The first thing I thought of when I saw it was Rainbow Brite from the 80’s so it really stirred up good memories. Cute, happy and cheery; I’m all about it.

Atlantis Found Pendant No 24 by sojourncuriosities

The color of this pendant is the first thing that got me; it’s so bright it almost hurt my eyes. This blue/green color is one of my favorites and I love the random wrapping of the silver around it.  The green is sea glass harvested from the ocean floor in Maine.

*For those of you on LiveJournal that love the Anthropologie look, be sure to check out (and join!)  this community!

“Le Chic”

“Gauranteed Washable”

“Special Value in Fashion Buttons”

The “Imported Button” Card

For good measure, vintage patches.

These just knock my socks off, I know I’ll be hoarding these for awhile they deserve only the most special of projects.  They are freaking huge and loaded with gems.

I love the text on the card, “Unusual Value in Fashion Buttons”.

Mermaid Novelties.

In late January, my husband and I had to make an emergency road trip all the way from St. Louis to Tampa, Florida because my father-in-law had to have emergency surgery. Thankfully, everything turned out just fine with the surgery and we got some unexpected, yet fun family time.

We stayed with my sister-in-law Jo who is very crafty herself and surrounds herself with all sorts of neat stuff, including her awesome collection of faceted gemstones. She knows I like to sew, so she pulled out a real treasure for me to have.

My father-in-law and mother-in-law had a tailor business back in the 60’s. They would make custom dresses and swimsuits for the rich ladies of Long Island. Their business closed after some years, but Jo still had a huge box of buttons that was left over that she gave to me!!! I was (and still am) thrilled over these and over the weekend I took them out, petted them and then took some photo’s of some of my favorites.

These are plastic with big thick rhinestones set in them. I have hundreds of these and can’t wait to play with them, Jo said that she can still remember the dresses that her parents designed for these buttons. Since I have so many of them, I’m thinking about dremmeling (<-totally made up word) off the shank and gluing them to some thumbtacks, to make pretty push pins.

I also have to mention, these sweet melamine bowls were a birthday present from my Mom. They are perfect for one scoop of ice cream and I love them.

When I was a little girl, I was not very good at coloring. It wasn’t the fact that I went out of the lines, it was the fact that my Mom was perfect at coloring and I was perfect at being bossy and telling her where to color.

I kind of surprised myself when I saw this on IKEA hacker and couldn’t wait to get my hands on some IKEA fabric to play around with. I didn’t know what I wanted to make, but I knew I wanted to play fabric designer.

My biggest problem was finding an IKEA, as they refuse to come to St. Louis and the closest one is 5 hours away in Chicago. Enter one of my best friends, who lives in Baltimore and sent me a big box of IKEA fabric for my birthday. Woo-hoo!

 and here’s a closeup of the pattern;

On IKEA hacker, they colored in their fabric with fabric markers. I didn’t want to buy any and had at my disposal 2 huge sets of multicolored Sharpies. After doing a few tests with water and an iron, the marker held up on the fabric just fine. I broke out my copy of Lotta Jansdotter’s Simple Sewing and decided to make another “All Day Tote” but to make it larger than my first attempt.

I cut out all of my pattern pieces and settled down to color for the evening. It took me about a half an hour to decide on my color palatte and another half hour to decide on the placement of the color. One random petal on each flower won and I’m really proud to say that I didn’t mess up once, the marker stayed within the lines.

It took me about three hours to color all of my pieces in. I also made an executive decision to make the handles and the bottom on the bag in black, I think it would have been silly to have white fabric on the bottom of a bag and I still was a little worried about the color rubbing off on a shoulder if it had been on a handle.

I also decided not to include inner pockets in this one, I’m not really an inner purse pocket kind of gal. I simply lined the tote in the same black fabric that I used on the base and the handles.

I’m over the moon on how this turned out and can’t wait to color in some more fabric for some more projects. I also love whipping up these totes and plan to make one in a fabric that’s been laminted with clear vinyl.