Welcome 2014

Can you believe it has been FOURTEEN years since we were all wondering if the water would be off and the clocks would be running backwards in the morning - lol!

Wishing all of you sweet friends health and happiness in the bright and shiny 

New Year!

XO

Kathy

The Comfort Of An Old Friend

I added two more quotes to the altered book this week.  I am amazed this thing does not just split open but there are only four empty pages left and I will stop pushing it's limit.  I have been working on this project for so long that it feels like an old friend when I open it up. Finishing it is starting to feel a little bittersweet, like reaching the last chapter in an especially good book.  You want to know how it ends but you hate for it to be over.

Last Minute Shopping

 My last minute shopping had nothing to do with Christmas.  While everyone else was fighting the crowds at the mall, I was treating myself to some last minute junking.  I scored another aluminum tray for my collection at the VOA and the rest is from Nina and Joe's Division Street Antiques.

 A big pile of buttons and a sweet little tin sugar bowl.  The button pile was the "real" kind so had all sorts of treasures, including a bullet, which I did NOT save.  I will show more of the buttons in a separate post.

 Creepy doll eyes.  Don't judge.

 This was a fun find.  I live in Portland but this is the first time I have found a City of Portland Fire Department uniform button.

Uniform buttons are a whole button category to themselves.  I don't know much about them but I always save them.  I Googled these and discovered the POD stands for Post Office Department.  Who knew!

Merry Christmas To All And To All A Good Night!

Wishing all of you and the ones you love a very

Merry Christmas!

XO

Kathy

Oh, Christmas Tree...

A few of you have asked to see our Christmas tree in its entirety so here it is!  It is a small tree for a small room but I managed to squeeze on every single one of my vintage ornaments.  The husband kept saying he didn't think I could fit one more and I kept saying "watch me" - LOL!  I still have not found the perfect top but that leaves me a reason to continue searching, which I don't mind a bit.  I hope you are all having fun squeezing in every bit of Christmas you can!

Nothing To Do With Christmas

Nothing at all to do with Christmas but a new page in the almost-finished (seriously!) altered quote book.  Don't believe everything you think - good to remember!

Christmas Times A-Coming!

 It has been mighty busy at the big-girl job this season so I haven't done a lot of decorating because I realized it is one of those things within my control and I can choose not to, if I want.  Who knew!  It was a revelation.  I did put up the tree in the living room and moved all those pink ornaments I collected last year to the main tree.  It is small so it is packed full and I love that busy look!  This birdie is new (old) for this year.

 A pink reflector clip-on ornament, handmade by Magpie Ethel and extra special!

 This birdie is new for this year, too.  Hey!  There is Mrs. Claus!

 Hey, there she is again!  She gets around.  This is my only clear ornament.  Vintage love.

 Sorry for this fuzzy one but I couldn't leave it out because I adore that vintage shape.  They sure knew how to make an ornament back in the day.

 So I stand corrected, that one with the yellow stripe is clear, too.

 See, they really knew how to do it.

My favorite ornament and I am more than down with this being the start of a collection.  Christmas time is coming and I hope you are doing the things that bring you joy and setting the rest aside! XO

Sleigh Bells Ring, Can You Hear 'Em!

 The tree is up and Santa and his sleigh landed below to unload the packages for good boys and girls.

 Santa's helpers lined up on the window ledge to assist and who is that I spy in the reflection?  It must be Mrs. Claus!

I bought this mistletoe at the thrift at least 25 years ago and it is part of our Christmas tradition.  It always hangs in the doorway between the kitchen and living room and quietly waits to pounce on anyone who lingers there a little too long. That mistletoe could tell a few stories!

Do You Need A Little Christmas, Right This Very Minute?

I am way behind the rest of you but finally getting a little Christmas decorating done.  More to come when I have some daylight to work with.  When I was in High School I was a "dresser" one year for a community theater group that put on Auntie Mame for the holidays and that song is forever stuck in my head!

A Few Pretty Buttons

 I haven't shown any buttons in a while so thought you might like to see some recent finds.  The ones above are all colorful plastic.

 These are glass and MOP.  I adore that red glass bow!

 These are all plastic with rhinestones.

Plus a few cards.  Sometimes I save them because the card is complete and other times it is just because I like the card.  The red buttons are glass.  Click it bigger so you can see the sweet blue flowered ones.  I seldom find that kind so was delighted to find a full card.
NOT a Christmas post, for sure, but I did get my tree up yesterday so I have finally started!

Altered Book Pages - Five In One

 These pages were inspired by a project Maureen at Victorian Studio recently posted as a video on her blog.  If you haven't seen it, you must go here and watch!  This is her first video and she did a remarkable job.  I sat there with my mouth hanging open the whole time I watched it.  My altered book page is nothing like her steampunk journal and doesn't have any fancy pull-out tags or anything but she inspired me to make a fold-out.  A first in my altered book!  The image above is the first page.

 Flip it open to the left and two more pages and two more quotes are revealed.

Flip the right side to the right and another two pages and two quotes.  I kept the pages pretty simple, the backgrounds are mostly papers from Recollections, and chose brief quotes since I was doing five pages at once.  The first fold-out in my book and so fun to work from Maureen's inspiration.  Thank you, Maureen, and I am looking forward to more videos - you are a natural!

Black Friday - My Way!

 The flurry of art room re-organizing that started here continued with a score from Nina and Joe's last Friday.  Not only do I NOT participate in the big-box feeding frenzy, but the small boxes were all about used.  Black Friday my way!  I spotted this little cabinet of 27 drawers on Wednesday and left it behind because I couldn't think of where to put it.  Needless to say, it haunted me all day Thursday and on Friday it had to be mine.

 This is "as found", with no knobs.  Another shopper in the store was appalled when I said I might paint it but, trust me, this is not a fine antique.  It is made mostly from redwood but there are a few drawer bottoms that are old pieces of paneling.  I didn't end up painting it.  I covered the fronts of the drawers in wallpaper, lined the drawer bottoms with vintage music paper and fitted it with 27 new knobs.  Did I mention it has TWENTY SEVEN drawers!!  I have emptied many, many glass jars and a few boxes of various trinkets and actually have a few blank spots in the art room.  Egads, imagine that!!  There are still some empty drawers. By moving a few things around I found a spot where it fits perfectly.  It measures 18" x 21" and each drawer is about the size of a cigar box.  I am using very vintage labels from 1932 and writing in pencil in case I change my mind, which you know I will!

 My girlfriend came over to make the rounds with me while the boys brewed and she brought me the last of the patterns her sister is cleaning out of her MIL's house. The good ones will be listed on Etsy when I get around to checking them and listing.  Some from the first batch are still sitting here waiting, too, so lots of work ahead.

I also got a a big bag of upholstery trims at the VOA.  A very fun way to spend Back Friday!  Did you brave the crowds or choose the road less traveled?

Junk Update

 These are a few recent find from the VOA.  That lamp waited a week for me so I decided it was meant to be.  The colors are a nice fit in my living room and I have been wishing for a taller lamp next to my chair since the one I have there now is a little low for reading.  I was happy to find that it works and the wiring looks good so I don't need to re-wire it.  I was disappointed that the shade I have isn't a fit since I really like it so now I am on the hunt for one in the right size.

 Whimsical is decidedly NOT my style but this little vase is so colorful and unusual that I couldn't resist it.  I think I will enjoy it for a while before I send it on to a new home.

 These noise-makers were a mistake since I got them home and neither one of them toots.  Maybe I will be able to incorporate them into a project sometime, though.  Some tiny treasures for shadow-box fodder and embroidery floss that will be headed to Etsy.  I am SO behind on listing.  I always "find" faster than I list!

This yarn container looks like an alien - LOL!
The firestorm of cleaning and re-arranging that the wallpaper drawers set off goes on and wait until you see the new set of drawers I treated myself too!