A Few of My Favorite Finds

 I am still sorting things and washing and trying to find places for everything but I thought I would show a few of the interesting things I uncovered along the way.  I want to know what you all think about this crochet piece.  I'm guessing it isn't a crochet bra!  I'm thinking it should be folded in half and sewn together but no clue why it only has the small medallion on one side and what the purpose is.  Have any of you seen something like this finished??

 Okay, Renee, did I find my fist ever piece of sack cloth??  It was in a little baggie with some sewing notions so naturally I grabbed it.  Imagine my surprise to find this in with a batch of filthy quilt square and at The Bins of all places!  It is in pristine condition despite it's "roomies".

 Now isn't this clever!!  It was in the big bag of millinery flowers.  It is a plastic rose with each petal painstakingly covered in aluminum foil.  A tedious process, I'm sure, but I love the look!

 I included the black and chartruese millinery flowers just because I thought they were different.  Click this one bigger so you can see the black rose surrounded by tiny velvet daisies with star centers.  I have not attempted to untangle these bunches at all and some of the leaves are really bent.  I emailed Karla Nathan, "The Hat Whisperer" for advice and she said some people steam them.  Another project for another day.

 How sweet is this?  I spotted it buried way down deep in a bin and it was so dirty that it was stiff.  I very gently soaked it as clean as I could.  I was really afraid it would just dissolve away.  Just look at that detail.  There is even a tiny little collar and the bottom of the sleeves are gathered for a cream-puff effect.

The back features button loops and tiny little mother-of-pearl buttons.  I am afraid to force them through the buttonholes so it will stay just as it is.  A lot of love went into making this so I think I need to honor it by using it in a piece of artwork.  Me and my muse are rolling around some ideas.
I am not going to have access to my computer to respond to comments for a couple days so please don't think I am ignoring you.  I love your comments and read them all!

There Should Be A 12-Step Program

 Remember when I said I was going to stop making tons of work for myself by rescuing every doily in my path?  So much for that.  Off the wagon.  I went to The Bins today, intending to look for ruffled curtains.  There was not a ruffle to be found but everywhere I turned there was a doily.  To be more accurate, every heap I turned over had a doily in it.

 A new little studio friend jumped in my cart at some point.

You have also hear me lament that I never, ever find hats or millinery-type flowers around here.  I found out why.  Someone else was hoarding them and finally decided to let go.  A seriously HUGE bag full.  This will be fun to look through.  The Bins is no place for sorting...  at $1.69 a pound, in the cart it goes.
I'm off to "weed" the flowers and water the doilies.

I'm A Winner!

 I was thrilled earlier this week when I learned I had won Pat Winter's 600 Follower Giveaway.  She is an amazing crazy-quilter.  I follow her blog, Pat Winter Gatherings, and love to watch her creative stitching (not to mention her and her Mom's beachcombing adventures!).  To a stitching-challenged crafter like me it seems like her fingers must fly!  You can see more of her creative work in her Etsy shop and for those of you who stitch, she publishes a beautiful indie magazine called Crazy Quilt Gatherings.
The bag arrived packaged in a sweet envelope she stitched from pattern tissue and decorated with a tag tied with vintage seam binding.  Beautiful presentation!

Here is a closer shot so you can click it bigger and see the exquisite detail.  The bag measures about 6"x7" and it is embellished with beads, metallic embroidery, charms, ribbon embroidery and flowers.  They all surround a Victorian picture printed on fabric.  The variety of fabrics, laces and embellishments she incorporates make her artwork truly stunning.
Thank you Pat!!

The Rest Of The Weekend Pick And A Little Peek In The Other Art Room

 I went out again on Sunday and think I managed to satisfy that junk-Jones I had going on!  I visited a second sale in the most amazing turn of the century house.  That is one of the things I love about estate sales, sometimes you get a chance to see inside those wonderful old houses - up close and personal!  I had to keep circling and asking myself if I had been in that room already.

 I also went back to the book hoarder house.  Even on the third day you still had to turn sideways between the stacks and not for lack of customers.  I picked up this one because who could resist that cover??  The book was published in 1854 so I will have to actually read it and see what is inside.  The sub-title is "and what I saw there".  The era would make me think it is the evils of drink but the font is a little too light-hearted for that.  I will report back.

 Doesn't this sheer bow look like an angel?  I see a project here.  Those magazines were from the book hoarder, as well.  I picked these two out of the stacks for the ads.  I could have thumbed all day.

 When I got home I walked out to The Husband's art room (the shop) to let him know I was home.  He was turning an exotic hardwood called Padouk. 

The sawdust was the most amazing orange color, way more vibrant than photos in the poorly lit shop can convey.  When the sawdust is freshly turned it is a bright, vibrant orange.  Beautiful wood!  He is experimenting with making corkscrews and bottle openers so keep your eye out for them to appear in his Etsy shop.

Estate Sale Fix

 There haven't been any estate sales on my side of town recently so I was really looking forward to the ones listed for today.  The first house was filled to the rafters with mantiques.  Clearly a book hoarder and no woman had ever lived in that house.  I did find a nice little pile, though, including sheet music with great covers plus my very favorite find of the day.  I might cruise back over to that one for half price day tomorrow.  Who doesn't want radio tubes at half price??

 Do they still make a Skipper doll, Barbie's little sister?  I had Skipper and Scooter and Ricky when I was a girl.  I was never a doll girl and it's till true, but I always buy paper dolls when I find them.  I AM a paper girl.
The title on this sheet music tugs the heart strings.  WWI.  I have not idea what that metal thing is but I knew when I saw it that it would come home with me.

 Sweet sheet music cover.  I got three with a bird theme - yay!  That wooden tag on the keys is labeled with ballpoint pen and says Cabin #136 Silver Springs. 

 My favorite find of the day!!  "I Married Adventure" by Osa Johnson.  I remember the summer of 1968, between 8th and 9th grade, when I read this book.  It used to be in my mother's bookcase and I don't know what happened to it and always wished I could have it back.  What to my wondering eyes should appear.  Even in the hoarder house of books this cover jumped right out at me.  The spine is pretty filthy.  Any ideas for how I could clean it up??

I really am trying to not buy any more vintage linens but a bundle of 11 for $2 and none of them broken.  Well duh.  Could.Not.Resist.  I also bought a box of interesting bits and pieces of bling.  There are three interesting pins in the center of this picture.  They say USSR 1965.  I have looked on line and can't find a thing about them.  I think they are interesting since that was the height of the cold war.  If you know something about them please let me know.
I might have gotten the junking out of my system, or maybe not.  We will see what develops tomorrow!  Half price day, you know....

Some Fun For Me Tonight

I don't usually shop eBay unless I am searching for something very specific but I ran across this listing when I was looking for a finial for my Steampunk lamp.  Don't ask me how I got from lamp parts to vintage buttons...  LOL!  How could I resist a button listing with low (fair!) shipping.
When I got home from work tonight, the package was sitting on my kitchen table.  I will be having some fun tonight!!

Steampunk My Way

 The vintage finial I bought off eBay arrived toady so I was able to finish up my lamp project - steampunk done my way!  This idea has been rolling around in my head for a while and it turned out exactly the way I visioned it.  Whew!  I know steampunk isn't for everyone but I love the look!  The filament in the bulb looks kind of like a heart doesn't it - perfect for Valtentines' Day tomorrow.

 The lamp base has been sitting on my bedside table for years but the shade I made for it had seen better days.  I knew I wanted to do something completely different and this is a far cry from the batik-covered shade with the purple fringe!

 I don't know how to do wire-wrapping so I winged it with attaching the vegetable steamer "petals" around the bottom.  I soaked the shade frame all weekend in highly concentrated Miracle Grow.  The harp wouldn't co-operate at all so I ended up dabbing on brown StazOn ink to mute the shiny brass.

I said I would show the Paris souvenir scarf from the last post after I washed and ironed it so here you go.  Love the Eiffel Tower!!
Happy to have a project finished and moving on to other things.  The ideas always come faster than the time allows.  This is headed back to the bedroom now.  Sweet dreams!

Making Do

 There were no estate sales inside my driving bubble this weekend and slim pickings at the thrift so I had to make do with some bottom feeding at The Bins.  Junking, one teeny, tiny piece at a time.

 This vintage Paris scarf was worth the long drive over there.  I will show the whole thing when I get it cleaned up and ironed. 

 Yes, that is a plastic elephant.  It's kind of funny what you pick up when you are paying $1.69 a pound.  There is another elephant somewhere in this heap.

 Oh look, they are both in this picture.  Very, VERY vintage plastic deer that I got home and realized their ears are missing.  Good grief, now that will be a challenge.

 I got a total of nine bells.  Those blue Christmas bells will do well with a coat of blue glitter.

 There are three vintage German Putz-type sleighs.  Those will need a little glitter-love, as well.

A vintage sewing pattern, a dreamy vintage negligee, many snippets of embroidery, a rose stencil, millinery rose bunches and some sewing trims.  Bells and elephants.  Go figure.
Some days you really have to squint your eyes to see the possibilities!

Update From The Rescue Vortex

Just a quick update from the vortex so you know I didn't electrocute myself with that vintage Bakelite lamp socket.  After I switched it out and ran to living room and told The Husband, "get ready, I'm going to plug it in" and, WooHoo, the lights didn't go out in Georgia or here in Portland Oregon, either!  Little wins.
Sorry I have been so absent this week.  I am still caught up in the vortex of this project, Etsy and the big girl job.  Still much work to be done, patina... the shade...  Just wait till you see what this bulb looks like when it is turned on.  I hope I can figure out how to take a picture of that.  Oh!  And I ordered a very cool vintage finaial for the top.
Until next time,  I'm back down the rabbit hole....

Monday? Really??

 Monday? Really?  I must be caught in some time-warp thing.  I don't even know where the weekend went.  Maybe it was all the fat I ate during the Super Bowl party.  Slowed my brain to a crawl. 
So what is this thing anyway?  It is part of the recipe for one of those Strange Notions thats starts whirling around in my head when I should be doing something constructive.

 Believe it or not, I bought this ugliest lamp in America (or maybe the world) to get that Bakelite socket off the top.  All the way to the checkstand, I told anyone who would listen (and some that didn't care) that I was just buying it for the socket.  They looked at me funny.

 Here's another little hint.  I had to do the same thing when I bought this a couple weeks ago.  It was covered with the most gawd-awful red and white lace boudoir hooker shade that it was embarassing to buy it.  Seeing things for what they CAN be is one of my talents.  Maybe.  Time will tell.

 I mentioned the trip to Rejuvination Hardware for the special must-have light bulb to make my dreams come true.

 I thought I couldn't buy a new harp that would fit the vision so I bought one off eBay (which hasn't arrived yet) and then what to my wondering eyes did appear at the VOA??  I love choices.

 I might use these...

Or maybe some of these.  That's all for today.  I'm back down the rabbit hole.

Tissue Paper Confessions

 I was wandering through the Dollar Tree the other day and discovered that they carry some really pretty patterned tissue paper.  I'm a sucker for roses so of course I had to have this one with the white roses, among others.  Well, okay, I bought every pattern they had, after all, it was the Dollar Tree.

 Today I found this sturdy letterhead box in the recycle bin by the back door at the office.  No, I am not too proud to dumpster-dive.  I find some great boxes there.  It's one of the undocumented perks at the big-girl job - LOL!  I had been wanting a "just right" box to store by die cuts and this fit the bill perfectly.  I covered the box in tissue papers and glued a rose border on the end so I can remember what's inside.

I used the same paper as a background for a new page in the altered book several days ago.  I already showed you the page on the right but the one on the left is new.  I love the way the text on the page shows through the sheer tissue.  It creates an interesting background with little effort.
Hmm.  Well, I have gone this far so I might as well admit I have a vintage suitcase filled with tissue paper.  I buy it.  I save it from gifts.  Sometimes from other people's gifts.  I use it to wrap my Etsy sales.  I use it to MAKE stuff.  I USE it.  This means it isn't a collection - right??