a little bit of delight

Last week, during my trip home, I had the misfortune of needing a filling on a chipped tooth (popcorn kernels are dangerous, people!).  So when I arrived back at my mom and dad's with no feeling in the right side of my mouth and saw this, I think I was at the very least twice as delighted as I could possibly have been otherwise.

There they were, on the front porch, waiting for me.  I can't believe they arrived the day I was in town, since it's the first time I've been in town on a non-mail-holiday in quite awhile.  In two days, I saw my best friend and conspired with her now-fiance in setting up her engagement (teehee!), saw friends I had not seen since my wedding and earlier (along with the very adorable three year old daughter of a friend, who I last saw as a baby), went to the dentist, doctor, and fabric store (only enjoying the last one), and drove back to small town land.  It was mostly lovely and all very very busy.

Oh, but you are bored with the recitation of my schedule last weekend?  You want to know what came in the box?  What splendiferous items did I choose with my certificate?

Here you go.

a vintage olive green briefcase & a fire king casserole bowl with an adorable flower pattern

a circa-1980s craft book with surprisingly good taste & a better homes and gardens recipe book

a packet of illustrations from some old books

and isn't it packaged so prettily?

There was one more little item inside, but it's a little hush-hush until it's united with its lucky recipient.  Until then, I'm simply trying to keep cozy on a very grey day in small town land and missing the lovely sunlight in my parents' house--and the warmth from yesterday.

{p.s. A million bajillion thanks, yet again, to Alex Keller and Dottie Angel.  I've come to the conclusion that crafters (and, it seems, craft bloggers) are generally lovely people.}

dishtowels.

I just realized something silly about myself.

I really, really like dishtowels.  Pretty dishtowels.  I was busily browsing anthropologie (trying to get some creativity flowing in my brain) and looked at no fewer than four in a row.  Some of them are so lovely, and take artistic elements you'd usually find in a print and put them into a practical item.  Take this one, for example, from anthropologie:

{from here}

Or check out these from Heart of Light:

{by heartoflight on etsy}

Maybe this one will give me motivation to do the dishes (even though C. normally does them)...

{by showpony on etsy}

This one would probably get framed, not used.

{also from anthropologie}

I have got to learn more and start doing some printing on fabric myself, because I could spend a fortune if I were to indulge this pretty textile obsession that I feel growing at present...

pay it forward

Have you heard about the handmade pay it forward...movement? thing? I'm not sure of the right word here.  It's been popping up on blogs and occasionally on facebook and yields a bunch of hits on a google search.  I was the recipient of an adorable brown necklace from a friend (sorry, no pictures at present), so I'm going to join in!

Here's how it works: leave me a comment and I'll make you something.  I'm new to embroidery, trying to improve my sewing, and I like making personalized cards.  I've also made some rubber stamps from erasers recently, so I could make something like that, too, provided the graphic is simple enough (as in, no curves, just straight lines, because my xacto knife is not that precise, especially in my unsteady hands).

Now, I am a working woman, even if my hours have been cut to part time, so I can't make a billion things or even a dozen too quickly. That's why I'm going to most likely stick with the first five commenters get something rule I've seen on blogs.  Of course, getting five comments on one post would be a first for me, so comment away!

When you make a comment on my blog, wordpress should (I think) link your email address to your name, so next week I will be sending an email to get mailing info (if you're not a friend or family member whose info I already have).

Now it's back to the dentist (fun fun fun!) and leaving Dolly snoring on the sofa...

ventures into the blogosphere :: getting crafty with Poppytalk Handmade

I'm always looking for good DIY projects, things that you can personalize  and make your own, and this project, a guest post by Janis Nicolay of Pinecone Camp is most definitely of that sort.  Poppytalk Handmade is a site with that wonderful wabi-sabi aesthetic ever-present, so it's no surprise that I would find something I love here.  I don't know if the style in this project would fit well with my home in the style shared here, but I have some old wall paper found at the thrift store (formerly used to cover a headboard found on the side of the road) that just might work.  You could also use some odds and ends for this project--maybe the cover of a takeout menu with a pretty design or some wrapping paper.  I'd advise against any newspaper, though--with mod podge, the ink tends to run, I've learned.  You could always photocopy something, though, if you want that kind of a look.

poppytalk: Getting Crafty in Chinatown!

 

 

{Image by & belongs to Janis Nicolay}

an idea?

I saw this on Annekata:

and I saw this the other day on Grosgrain Fabulous:

So what about combining the two projects?  Using knits, maybe taken from some tshirts (thrifting trip and a bit of fabric dye experimentation may be required), to make a simple dress?  It'd take a bit of work to find a shirt long enough, but an extra-extra-large men's shirt could do it, I think?  I do think I'll have to give it a go next week.  I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of hiking in a dress, but a just-above-the-knee-length version of this, with a higher waist, is kind of what I have in mind.

sunday morning

to begin the themed posting for today, I went to Flickr.

This picture had just been posted in one of my groups and was perfect!

{a very classic love story}

Not only is it just lovely--how can one resist old books?--but it's by one of my favorite Etsy crafters, PilliPilli.  I adore her shop and her blog and visit both for a smile sometimes.

I'll leave you with a thought for today, pulled from The Quotable Book Lover:

"It is with the reading of books the same as with looking at pictures; one must, without doubt, without hesitations, with assurance, admire what is beautiful."

Vincent Van Gogh

love candy

Now, Jen of MadeByGirl notes that these would look great in kids' rooms, but I think I like the blue for myself.  Hm...I still have plenty of wall space left in the small room...

MadeByGirl: Newest Love Candy Print Colors Added !! (Via Made By Girl)

p.s. real post and maybe a how-to tomorrow!