Swaps, Sales, and other Stuff

It's amazing how much you miss when you're gone for a week with only dial-up Internet!
So much to report:
First of all, I've been shopping on Etsy again--and no, I will NOT be ashamed!

If you're looking for something fun, check out The Overloaded Noggin. I purchased two rings--one for me and one for sister, so she wouldn't be jealous!--made of Scrabble tiles and decorated with the album cover from U2's Zooropa. And the proprietor, Mike, sent two fabulous Bono buttons! And, he sent it all in an adorable take-out box (like from the Chinese restaurant) accented with a sewn-on flower. What's even more fun is that his 7-year-old daughter has her own Etsy shop--Art by Fiona--where she lists magnets and pins to raise money for college.

In the past few months, I've taken part in a few swaps. However, with life being crazy, I've not blogged about them and given the goodies their due!

First up: the Marie Antoinette swap. I received a fabulous box from MaryAnn of Follow Your Bliss (and of course I still haven't taken a good pic of it!). It was full of a "tea for one" that included cookies, blooming flower tea, a beautiful teacup/saucer and sugar bowl set, and my first ATC!

Then I was in a Spring Swap, and Jewel of Shabby Boutique sent a box of FUN! A mask, a decoupaged "T" for my wall, a decoupaged hat box full of cards, clothespins (yay!), and other assorted fabulousness!

And just today I got a box of amazing finds from Amy of Julia Belle Vintage. She makes the most amazing bracelets! We've become friends these past months online, and we decided to do a one-on-one swap with a twist--we had to write a story to go with one or more of the treasures. She wrote this great spooky story to go with a photograph she sent. My box also included some vintage trims, buttons, book, hankie, salt shaker, and a painted vase.

Want more pics? Of course you do!

I just got back from Arizona where I snagged a sewing basket FULL of vintage goods, including yards and yards and YARDS or ricrac, buttons, trims, and even a set of hearts cut from a vintage quilt, ready to be appliqued to a pillow!

Some I'll keep, some I'll share with sister, but some will end up listed on the Etsy shop. Speaking of, there are some new vintage "bundles" up for grabs, including this Pink Lady Bundle with vintage garter clips...

And this set of vintage embroidered linen silverware "envelopes"!

Adding my goods!

Tiff gave us a great shot of her goods, so I must add mine too! We had a grand ol' time--and DID have lotsa good treats!! Many beautimous tables, cabinets, and cloths, but alas, I have 5 months until I get to fill a house with the goods! here are mine:

Treasure Hunting

Today the RicRacSally gals went to the Springfield Antiques Market, and they found everything!

It was an extravaganza weekend at the show, so there were at least twice as many booths set up as usual. Just getting in the gates, paying, and finding parking took 15 minutes. It usually takes us about 3, tops!

In between eating all sorts of fun carny food (read: everything fried!) we were distracted by pretties everywhere! Here is part of my take. And yes, some of this will get listed in the Etsy shop this week!

Wading in the Vintage Waters

After much discussion, we've decided to change direction a bit in our Etsy shop. A while back, we listed our first ever supplies: a set of 20 vintage crazy quilt squares. They sold, and they sold fast....

So, in hopes of destashing and clearing our craft rooms (as well as our minds), we are going to start listing vintage and supplies, and some vintage supplies!

I have a huge stash of vintage odds & ends. Many were collected for the sole purpose of making shadowbox collages, like this one (still available in our shop!). I'll be listing bundles of vintage sewing bits & bobs, vintage baby-themed items, and other assorted "stuff" that's perfect for someone wanting to make her own romantic art.

Our first vintage listing: this fabulously girlie ruffled pink & white doily!

Soon to come: some vintage chenille (with the fringed edge!). Also on its way are amazing vintage rhinestone buttons, vintage sewing supply "bundles," some sheet music, and great paper goods.

So stay tuned and keep an eye on RicRacSally :)

Crafting for a Cause

Fellow Etsy Cottage Style member and Etsian, Christina at Tangerine Dreams, had a great idea ... and, for a worthy cause, I'll follow suit to get the word out!

Jewel, another fellow ECS member and a lovely person, has told her story over on the Etsy Cottage Style blog. But what's even more important is that she's come up with a way to create something bigger by asking fellow artists and crafters to band together to make a special altered book that wil be auctioned later this year, with all proceeds to go to a children's charity close to her heart. Go to the blog to read all about it.

It's All Luck

You're probably all sick to death of pictures of gardens, flowers, and herbs, etc. But this I just had to record for posterity.

See, years ago--five? four? six? I can't remember--sister gave me a tree peony. I have lots of regular peonies growing in my yard, and I have a greenish thumb (like the color of an old bruise...), which leads me to think that I can grow things that I've seen in books and magazines. Exotic things like blue poppies--um, they don't work so well out of their natural environment; or even mundane things like mini roses--and every time I've bought them the buds have fallen off within a few days. I just don't have luck with plants that have a certain je ne sais quoi. Or that I covet beyond all reason or growing zone.

But several years ago I learned about tree peonies. Their tiny branches bend at right angles, giving them a sinuousness at odds with the gnarly texture of their trunks. Their blooms are giant--6 inches or so across--and the smell on some varieties can be an invisible wave that you all but ride on from several feet away. They are, in form and color, just so ... Japanese to me.

So, however many years ago, sister gave me one. They take a LONG time to bloom and can be rather spendy if blooming size, so the one she gave me was a tiny stick in a box! The first year, a few little leaves grew from the stick only to be eaten by a bunny. For the past few years, it's gotten bigger and leafier ... but no sign of a bud. Until now. It finally, finally bloomed. And I go outside to look at it about sixty-seven times a day.

The Divorce Will Be Final Momentarily....

I have a problem.

Wait, let me rephrase:

I have a hobby that has become a problem. No, I don't need an intervention, a 12-step program, or anyone to light a candle for me. Because, see, the promblem isn't mine ... it's my husband's.

I love furniture. Especially orphan furniture. And he hates that I bring home wayward dressers, sad and pathetic magazine tables, and benches looking for a hand-up, not a hand-out. I can't seem to say no to cheap, desperately-in-need-of-a-coat-of-paint-to-make-it-all-better, carved and cabrioled pieces of furniture. They just sing to me from across the flea market tarmac. And I answer the call, immediately deciding how I'm going to fit it into the car, what color it will become, and where it will go.

And what I'm going to tell my husband.

Case in point: Last week I went out to some local shops and estate sales. I didn't go in the hopes of finding anything bigger than a breadbox. But then I found this cabinet. It weighs a ton and a half, had spiders living in it, has peeling veneer, won't fit up the stairs, and I love it love it love it.

In hopes of keeping marital harmony, I got rid of a rather small, very plain dresser. I think it's a good exchange, don't you?