Those Buttons and LAST Sunday

 Better late than never!  My Blogger issues are still not resolved but I managed to upload some pictures by resizing them.  Still no idea what changed or WHY I need to do that but enough whining and I will take it! 
This is my meager haul from the VOA last Sunday.  A pretty tin, a new hammered aluminum basket for my collection, a steamer of wings and a vintage photo album.  I have no idea why I am attracted to those old photo albums with the black pages, other than the nostalgia factor.  Don't we all have things we are drawn to thanks to childhood memories?

These are my favorite plastics from the button jar I got at Plucky Maidens.  LOVE that cream colored flower and pierced designs are always a favorite!

Bone and china buttons.

 Mother of Pearl.  Does anyone know anything about the ones with the offset holes?  I have a few others and I have always wondered about them.  Laurie?

 Vegetable ivory or horn whistles.  I don't actually know how to tell the difference between horn and vegetable ivory.  Just another thing to wonder about...

 Glass buttons, including one white milk glass button.  I don't have many milk glass buttons so this is a score.

Pretty wooden buttons.

 This is the rest of the story or the "ordinary buttons", as I like to call them.
If Blogger agrees then I will show you my Black Friday adventure tomorrow.  NO, I did NOT go to the mall!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Squint your eyes, please.

This is a picture of a pretty

vintage postcard.

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Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

 

(According to the forums I am not alone with my broken Blogger.  Hopefully they will have a fix soon.  In the meantime, I am thankful I can still post words and wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!)
Update!  It is working again and I am THANKFUL!

                     

Well Dangit!

This post is supposed to be about my favorite buttons from the jar I got and Plucky Maidens and my Sunday junk.  Alas, Blogger tells me I have finally used up all my free space and need to buy more, which I have done.  Apparently.  But I still cannot upload a photo.  Reboot.  Log out.  Log in. Nada.  The Help says I may have to wait 24 hours.  Really?  I can email back and forth with a friend on the other side of the world in real time but it takes Google 24 hours to upgrade my account?  {Big Sigh} An hour of my life I'll never get back.

Plucky Maidens Junk Fest Fun

 I spent yesterday at the Plucky Maidens Junk Fest.  That Pam, the Pluckiest Maiden Of Them All, really knows how to throw a party!  I had the pleasure of visiting with two of my blog land friends and a fun encounter with a fellow button lover.  The Party Bird above was made by blog-friend Laurie, aka Magpie Ethel and she very kindly gifted it to me. Be sure to link over and check out the photos of her booth.  She has a magic touch!  The two Mr. and Mrs. Snowman sweethearts were gifted to me by blog-friend Amy from Into Vintage. She has an amazing eye for vintage goodness!

 She included the cutest little Christmas gift card.  Dang!  Why don't I ever find these!

 Naturally I had to do some shopping, as well.  Vintage white hankies, pocket watch lenses and a lovely lady that will make her way to an inspiration kit or altered Altoids tin.

 A big score of vintage sewing trims wrapped on wooden spindles.  I am not sure how I will put these to use but for now I am content to get my eyes filled up with the beautiful colors and patterns.

 A nice little packet of vintage bling for adding to my ever-growing stash.

The scale doesn't show up right in this photo because this is a large jar of buttons.  Stay tuned and I will show you my favorites in the next post.
I hope your weekend was filled with wonderful junk!

I Don't Collect These

When I was sorting and putting away all the poke sack loot I realized how many needle threaders I have managed to accumulate.  The key word here is ACCUMULATE.  Another one of those things I never buy on purpose and yet here they are, poke sack collateral.  The funny thing is, I never, ever use one.  I always thread needles the old fashioned way.  But if I ever need one I'm set!
What do you accumulate??

Weekend Picks - Part Two

 The VOA yielded a big poke sack score on Sunday.  Let's take a closer look at some of the goodies.

 Buttons - of course!

 BIG pile of DMC floss that is already listed in my Etsy shop.

 Vintage lingerie notions.  If you are of a certain age I am sure you will recal how UNCOMFORTABLE these were.  Yes, Virginia, there was a time when there were no pantyhose!

 Sweet pink sewing box.

 Crochet forks in three sizes for making hairpin lace - a nearly lost art.  I briefly entertained the notion that I might give it a go, until I Googled how to do it.  I got over the notion pretty quick and listed them in my Etsy store.  Please, someone, keep this art form alive!

 Floral wallpaper border for making tags.

 This is a c.1936 picture puzzle that is stamped with the name "The Guardian Angel".  The box was clearly used for more than one puzzle since it says 300-500 pieces and the picture is glued, not printed, on the front of the box.

 Notice how the pieces are much thicker than modern puzzles and they don't interlock.  It is poured out on the kitchen table right now so we can put it together and see if all the pieces are there.  It is proving to be a challenge since everything except the focal image is VERY dark.

 An assortment of interesting little sewing kits.  The yellow one holds a needle threader and thread and that little red button on the side works the built-in scissor on one end.  The green matchbook is a hosery repair kit.

 The red kit opens up to reveal a very unusual assortment of threads.  Instead of tiny spools or thread wrapped on little tags, it is a woven piece where you pull out the thread color you need.

 This was my very favorite find and addition to my recently-admitted needle book collection.  A WWI needle book. I wish I would have gotten this posted for Veterans Day!

 The inside is complete and appears unused.

I find the back side pretty ironic.  We were at war with Germany and the needle book was made in Germany.  Buying it was certainly a questionable contribution to the war effort and surprising that it was even available!

Weekend Picks - Part One

 Time for just one estate sale on Saturday and I left with a sweet pile of sewing notions for my Etsy store.  Yes, that bowl in the back is the one I bought a couple of weeks ago.  It is holding 50+ zippers.

 Everything isn't headed to Etsy.  This vintage dried flower picture is staying with me.

 And these Fostoria Baroque parfaits will be added to the husband's collection.  They are sitting on a stunning lace scarf head cover that is already listed in my Etsy shop.

 A cute little Royal Ruby vase for my collection and, in front of it, cards of vintage rayon seam binding.  I love that stuff!  My stash is overflowing so I need to get some of that listed, too.

 My proudest accomplishment....  There was a huge pile of doilies and I heaped them right into my box, like I always do, and then...  wait for it....  I put them back!  For once I left them behind for someone else to rescue.  Of course, my box was really full with all the sewing stuff so no promises but, as they say, one step at a time!  I kept this one table runner because it was a unique pattern...

...and this pile of crochet squares that are just waiting to be stitched together into pillows or a tablecloth.  The two tiny salt and peppers will be added to my collection.
Stay tuned for Part Two, Sunday at the VOA.

Better Late Than Never

 Here it is, Saturday already and I am just now posting the finds from last weekend.  My son gave me a heads-up about a new second-hand shop he discovered a little way out of town.  Naturally, I had to check it out.  For those of you who are local, it is called BJ's Imporium and it is on Orient Drive, outside Gresham.

 I wandered through the maze for at least an hour.  The owner came out to chat and asked me what I was interested in.  I told him buttons and sewing notions were my favorite so he took me into the huge barn behind the store to show me a sewing basket.  {Love! these walnut-slice buttons!}

 The barn was packed.  It turns out he has an auction every Tuesday night.  He puts things in the store for a while and then they go to the auction.  From the look of all the boxes piled high in the barn, I would say a lot goes straight to the auction because I can't imagine how he could fit any more in the store. {This small scrap of embroidered Asian fabric was in the bottom of the sewing basket.}

 I'm excited to find out about a local auction that is in my area.  I have always wanted to go to one.  I might wait for the longer Summer days to venture out on the country roads at night but it is absolutely on my to-do list. {Set of 6 hollow celluloid buttons and a thimble marked "Peirce Spork and Beans".  Spork??}

At first I thought this was some kind of hat but once I got it untangled I realized it is a crochet purse.  It is sort of an odd pattern because the motifs on the center sides pouch out.  It looks like it probably had a lining at one time but I can't quite visualize how the lining would work with the bulgy sides.  Just one more thing to wonder about...
That and what is inside all those boxes I saw in that barn!

Really, I'm Not Down In The Dumps!

I finished a couple of new pages in the never-ending altered book project.  I didn't realize the quotes are slightly negative until just now when I uploaded the picture.  I prefer to think of the one on the left as optimistic and the one on the right as, well, speaking the truth.
Okay, maybe I'm just a little sick of this sore back.  I have things to do for crying out loud!

A Delightful Delivery

 A while back I sent a package of vintage crochet doilies to dear Heather at Vintage Grey.  She surprised me last week by sending me a delightful thank you package.

 She makes beautiful vintage-inspired tea towel that she embellishes with doilies, appliques, and her signature scalloped crochet trim.  I love that she has the talent and patience to create this trim and she uses the most beautiful colors.  She also sent the small zippered bag in the upper left corner.  It has the most soft, wonderful "hand"!  You can see more of her in her shop, here.

 It might be tea and it might be coffee but I see a chocolate pot.

I will treasure these gift always.  Thank YOU, Heather!

That Was Then And This Is Now

 At this time of year, 25+ years ago, I would have been frantically painting my little candlestick people for the annual holiday bazaars The Husband and I always participated in.  I would paint bowls and plates plus dozens of little people, lined up like soldiers, on TV trays next to my painting table.  There were other designs but the ones in this picture were handy.  But wait!  What is that standing in the middle of the little army of folk art??

 A while ago {quite a while ago!} I asked The Husband if he could take a stroll down memory lane and remember how to turn one for me, sans the candle hole in the top.  I used it to make this little talisman or Muse for my art room.  Oh yes, times change and so do tastes!

 She has bling around her middle and an assortment of charms dangling from her belt.  She has little tinkling bells for cheer, a crown because it is good to be queen, a bird for freedom, stars for dreams and glass and pearl beads because they are things I love.  My MIL, a talented fiber artist, always says her brains are in her hands.  I gave my Muse big hands.

 She is dressed in vintage lace, has a beehive hairdo decorated with old millinery flowers and flys with tarnished wings.  My Muse - a velveteen woman, indeed.