Birthday Pick

Yesterday was my birthday so I went to Michael's at lunch and treated myself to the latest Somerset Studio magazine.  When I got home the husband suggested we go to TinTin for dinner.  TinTin is an Asian buffet and they serve sushi that I just love.  I know that sounds goofy to eat sushi from a buffet but trust me - it's really yummy.  I attempted to eat my weight in calamari and sushi!

 When we finished and went outside there was a cloudburst pouring down rain.  We hadn't gone prepared for that so we stood there on the covered sidewalk, gazing forlornly across the parking lot at my car.
Me:  "You know, we can walk under this cover all the way over to the VOA".
Him:  {with a look of panic} "NO"

 Me:  "Seriously?  Not even on my birthday?"

 Him:  {panic escalating} "NO".

Me:  "I drove.  I have the car keys."
Him:  "That just proves I should always be the one who drives."
Me:  "I have the cigarettes, too." {I know... I wish...}
Him....   hangs his head in defeat and follows me down the sidewalk and through the VOA where I picked up the rest of these treasures in the picture.  I did offer that he could just sit down on one of the used couches and wait. I think I saw a rainbow when we came out.

Blogger Be Good!!

No pictures today...
Several of you have mentioned your Blogger woes to me lately and I have shared, via email,  what little I have been able to discover.  Since the Where Bloggers Create III party kicks off tomorrow I thought I would go ahead and post this in case it will be helpful to others.  This is just what worked for me.

• When my Followers stopped displaying on the side bar of my blog I upgraded my browser to Internet Explorer v.8 and that fixed it.  How did I discover this?  My Followers displayed on my computer at the office but not my one at home.  The browser versions were different.
• When you try to leave comments and get redirected to the Google log in screen DO NOT CLICK THE STAY SIGNED IN  BOX.  That is what envokes the message about commenting as "anonymous" and won't let you leave a comment.

I have been receiving email announcements from Google about a major change they are making to Google Apps at the end of this week.  I have my fingers crossed it doesn't crash the blog party.
If anyone else has additional information and solutions they have found useful for the recent Blogger issues please feel free to share in the comments!

A Cluck-Cluck Here and a Cluck-Cluck There...

I haven't posted about something I DON'T collect in quite a while then Magpie Ethel gave me a big *cluckle* with this post about the chickens she doesn't collect and inspired this post.  I never set out to collect chickens but this little flock has come to roost on top of the curio cabinets in my living room, just the same.

I bought the two large ones on the right on purpose.  It was many years ago when I had in mind to decorate my kitchen in a red, white and chicken theme.  I got as far as the pair of chickens and a picture for the wall and moved on.  The two salt and pepper shakers on the little "nest" in the center were a gift from a relative visiting from Germany and the rest were my mother's.  They don't eat much.
I'm hooking up today with Cindy's Show and Tell Friday over at My Romantic Home.  She knows how to throw a great blog party so be sure to check it out!

The Vacation Pick

Today was back to the office and the real world.  I did take pictures of my junk outings during the week so let's see if I can remember where I was!  You can click them all bigger to get a better look.

 This pile was from the old, reliable VOA.  They put out a coupon for $3 off any purchase of $10 and it is good the whole summer.  Well, I couldn't let THAT go to waste so I made a couple trips over there.  I slipped into some kind of picking trance before the week was through and totally forgot I also had $10 of free money at the VOA that I forgot to use.  Doh!  More fun for another day!  My favorite find in this pile is the box of corsage pins.  Those will come in handy for my Inspiration Kits and SugarCushions.

 This pile is from The Bins.  I hit an estate sale that morning and it was a total dud and I was already close so decided to swing by The Bins.  I got some great loot but the bins always means lots of washing and ironing to do.  Maybe that's why I don't go very often, I make work for myself.  Check out those vintage cookie cutters in the center of the picture.  One even has a green wooden handle.  A pretty good score at $1.59 a pound.  A young man (!) walked past my cart and looked at them and gave me the thumbs up and said "score".  Ha!

 This was another trip to the VOA.  That 1942 McCall children's pajama pattern to the left in the middle row went in to my Etsy store tonight.  I was amazed at the condition of the envelope.  They don't make them like that any more!  The Advance pattern next to it is a different story.  Advance was Penny's private brand and the pattern IS NOT PRINTED.  No markings on the pieces at all!  They have perforated letters to identify them but nothing else.  Oh, and they only allowed to a 1/2" seam allowance.  I wonder if anyone ever used one and made something they could actually wear.  I guess maybe you actually had to know how to sew back then!

This pile is from the only good estate sale I went to.  I got a jar of buttons that included some really pretty rhinestone buttons and we all know how much I love sparkly things!  I had to have the sweet copy of A Child's Garden of Verse since it was the inspiration for the little book I made for my Granddaughter.
A week of vacation picking - ahhhhh, the good life!

Art Room Spruce-Up

If you have seen pictures of my art room in the past, you know I have a big, very red, tool chest.  I love all the drawers and storage space but I was never enamoured with the color.  Nothing says garage like a rolling red tool chest.  Yesterday afternoon I did a quick little fix-up and covered the fronts with wallpaper.  The room is painted yellow and red and yellow is a Country French combination, right?  Play along with me on this please.
I just used regular wallpaper paste so it would be removable if I change my mind so I wasn't sure it would even stick on the powder-coated surface.  I got up this morning and it hadn't popped off so I think I'm good to go.  I would still like to cover up those "Husky" logos.  Does any girl really dig the word Husky in her girl cave, let me ask you??  The logos are dimensional so I haven't quite figured out what to do about them.  I am open to suggestions!
I hope you are all having a safe and happy Fourth of July!

First Waterlily Bloom of the Summer

My waterlily lifted up it's first blossom of the season - proof positive Summer has FINALLY  arrived!

I have sure been enjoying my time off.  Sleeping in, picking, gardening, picking, reading, picking...  I could get used to this life if only it didn't require getting old or broke - LOL!  I also did a little project to spiff up the art room for the upcoming "Where Bloggers Create" party.  All for future posts.  For now I'm off to finishing ironing some of my new treasures. 
Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

A Sneak Peek at My Birdsong Tags

I finished my tags for Karla Nathan's Birdsong Tag Book Swap today.  One of them will stay with me and the other seven will fly off to Kansas on Friday.  Karla will mix them up and assemble them into little books of seven tags each, plus a cover made by her.  There are over a hundred people participating.  Making eight tags took me some time so I can't imagine making over a hundred covers!

 

You might recognize the Golden Robin picture I used for the backside from this post.  Perfect for the Birdsong theme!  I had the vintage photo of the sweet little boy playing in the birdbath for a while now and wasn't sure how to use it because the birdbath was cut in half.  I think it was just waiting for the right project to come along and then it told me it was ready.

I sandwiched a piece of torn cotton fabric in between the two sides then machine stitched them together.  The soft fringe around the edges has a downy, organic look and feel.  I love stitching on paper!

As I'm typing this I realized I put my name and email on the back but forgot my blog address - Doh!  I will have to fix that before they fly off to Kansas.  I can't wait to see all the little works of art that fly back to me!

Catch Up Post and a Few Recent Finds

Holy Moly, I can't believe it's almost a week since I posted.  I am on vacation this week and I can't seem to remember last week so apparently I was busy getting ready to be on vacation - LOL!

These are a few recent finds I have managed to scavenger here and there.  Click the picture bigger and check out the "lace" collar.  It is a size that would fit a baby or a doll and it is handmade from bias tape and rick rack and it is PERFECT.  Can you imagine someone having the patience to piece that all together just so... amazing!!
I just got the double eggs cups at the VOA today.  At first I thought they were Johnson Brother Friendly Village, which I collect.  On closer inspection I realized they are a different pattern.  I think it is called Old English Countryside.  The colors and design are very similar to Friendly Village but the subject matter is different.  These have cottages with thatched roofs.  They would fit with my collection but not quite right and way too cool to leave behind.  I haven't decided yet if I will keep them or put them in my Etsy shop.  It really isn't the kind of thing I normally sell since I steer clear of the fragile stuff.  I might have to let them steep a while.
So what have I been up to you might wonder.  Well probably not, but I'll catch you up anyway 8+). 
On Saturday we went to the "Oldies But Goodies" drag races.  We both like old cars and that is one of our favorite events.  The weather was beautiful for a change and we got to see an old 1930 Studebaker pickup do not one, but TWO incredible wheelies.  I thought it was going to go over backwards and I think the driver might have been thinking the same thing as he was gazing up at the blue sky!  This was really our first time spending a whole day outside this year and we both got so sunburned we have looked embarrassed ever since.
Yesterday we climbed through the trees about half way to the top of the Ski Bowl ski run on Mt. Hood to watch the mountain bike downhill race.  Our son wasn't racing this time but another friend of ours was and this was our first time to see it in person.  Oh. My. Gosh.  Mountain bikes peddling down through and over the trees as fast as they can go, sometimes FASTER than they can go.  Trust me on this.  There is really no spectator area.  You just find yourself a flat spot to stand and hope it isn't where someone flies off the track.  Crazy stuff, I tell you!
Today we went on our own bike ride here in town.  There is a new branch to the Springwater Trail we hadn't ridden yet and I wanted to check it out.  My bad.  It was uphill both ways, I swear.
If I can still walk tomorrow I don't plan to do anything more strenuous than checking out the merchandise on the bottom shelf at the thrift store!

A Little Pink for the First Day of Summer

Today is the first day of Summer and it is lovely and warm outside.  I can actually go out on my patio without a coat.  Not so much last Saturday.  We had a soaking rain that lasted all day long. 

 Needless to say, the just-opened Peony blossoms filled with water and went head first, straight to the ground.  That is a pretty common scenario here in Portland so I rushed right out to salvage what I could for a bouquet.  At least I don't have to feel guilty about cutting them since I'm really "saving" them!  I don't bring Peonies indoors because they always have ants in them so we just enjoy them on the patio.  They are just as beautiful no matter where we enjoy them!

I also snapped a photo of one of our first roses while I was out.  Blogger decided to turn it sideways but it's just as pretty either way.  The Portland Rose Festival ended about a week and a half ago and there were few roses in bloom for it this year because everything is so far behind this year.  I'll take them when I can get them!

The Button Picking Gods Smiled Down on Me Again!

I stopped at one estate sale yesterday where I picked up five gorgeous white lace-trimmed hankies plus two rather faded floral ones.  I also got a hand full of wooden spools and yet another jewelry box.  I was on my way home and made a last second decision to stop at the VOA.  Well, maybe my car decided.  It knows the way there and what it should do when it gets close. 

 Thank you to my well trained car!  The VOA coughed up yet another poke sack of buttons.  This was a much bigger bag than last weekend but I suspect it may have come from the same original donation because there were a few buttons that match what I got then.  How lucky is that - I got the rest of the story!

I didn't photograph all of them but these are some of the more interesting plastics and MOP.  Look closely in the upper left corner and you will see I put a quarter in for scale.  Those white plastic buttons are HUGE.  The MOP at the bottom of the photo are some of the biggest I have seen.  My favorite is the orangish one in the center with the crescent moon cutout.  They just don't make 'em like this anymore!

Pick a Pile O' Poke Sacks

Say THAT three times fast!  I did a little junking while my MIL was here.  No big "scores" but I did pick up a pile of poke sacks and you know how I love those.  I even got a couple little sacks of buttons, better yet.

 They were filled with vintage sewing notions and those are my favorite.  There is just something about them that makes me feel "connected" to the creative spirit of another generation, to know those women from another time had the same need to make something.  It makes us all one.

 Old velvet ribbons and trims and an old silver-plated sugar bowl that might become a sugarcushion experiment.  It is pretty, hmm...  rustic.  Yes, that's a good word...

 A set of sweet little hors d'oeuvre forks in their original box. I'm sure glad that word was on the box.

 A Christmas Angel Band, also in the original box.  Someday I will accumulate enough little angels to replace the strange characters on my big wooden Christmas candle chime.  A pack of pinochle cards with birdies on them.

 Elastic button thread - who knew??  Sounds like a great idea so I wonder what became of it.

A few pretty glass buttons and my first EVER rolls of vintage rayon seam binding.  Love that stuff but have only found the small packages until now.  The "good" stuff!  Digging through a poke sack is just like opening up a treasure box - you just never know what you will find inside!

Alexa's Secret Garden

Over a year ago in April 2010,  I took some pictures of my Granddaughter, Alexa, playing in her "secret garden" in our backyard.  They eventually became a little fabric and paper book that I submitted to SEW Somerset last Summer.  It was published, along with the story, in the Summer 2011 edition which just came out the first of June. 

 I kept the whole thing a secret {no pun!} until she and her Mommy and Daddy were over to visit last night.  The little book hasn't been returned yet but once it is I have a keepsake box for it and will include a copy of the magazine {autographed, of course! LOL!}.  Alexa's 15 minutes of fame will make a fun "show and tell" for first grade next year!

 I didn't have any luck trying to scan the glossy pages so I just photographed the magazine.  Stampington included a link in the magazine to some additional pages that didn't make it in to print.  You can see them here:  http://www.stampington.com/html/snoopy/2011/0611/sew/alexa_garden_of_verse/

 I mention in the story that I was able to photograph her in the Secret Garden because it isn't so enclosed in April when the ferns haven't come up yet.  These next pictures show how it looks right now.  What a difference a couple of months makes!

 This shot is taken from roughly the same location as the ones in the magazine.  The ferns completely hide the secret garden.  You don't even know it is there until you walk right past the "doorway" between two evergreen branches.

 This little doorway is actually about 4 feet high and just right for a little fairy princess.  A little hard on the rest of our backs.

The inside is a perfectly enclosed little playhouse with a canopy of green overhead.  What more could a fairy princess want!