As the Summer Sun Fades...

This week's Tag Tuesday challenge is to use a calendar. I was inspired by the golden shades in this Paris paper to create a tag for the fading of summer into fall. We've also had some cooler temperatures here in TX, so I have fall on the brain.

For my tag base, I used the patterned Paris paper and then adhered the calendar, which I tore from my mini calendar above my desk. I added the gold clock charm to signify time, and to cover the "2010" on my calendar. It looked like a little pocket watch, so I added the gold chain.

I typed the sentiment on my old typewriter and added the vintage velvet ribbon hanger.

It's that time of year again, and I've already been busy making holiday decorations and gifts. I'll have so much to share - as soon as I can get some of them completed!

Recycled Packaging

Now that I've given these gifts, I can share them with you! I was looking for some unique gifts and also wanted the packaging to be just as special. (I apologize for the odd photo location. We've had a lot of cloudy days here in TX and I can't get good photos.)

This vintage sewing box became a little girl's treasure box.

I filled it with some crafty treats so she can do crafts with the big girls.

This vintage popcorn box has great graphics. (I also bought one for me to display in my kitchen.)

It's the perfect container to give a gift of sweet, salty, and sour snacks.

This vintage shell box holds treasures from the sea.

And finally, I upcycled a plan brown kraft gift bag to give it some style.

Miss Kitty ATC

I finally finished making all my ATCs for a swap. "Vintage animals" was my last group. Here is the ATC I created. I cut "Miss Kitty" from a vintage image and layered her on some lace and patterned paper.

I typed the title on my old typewriter and added a few little posies and glitter to make her sparkle.

My Junk Bonanza and Minnesota Treasures

Here are my (bad) photos of my treasures from Minnesota. I filled two heavy suitcases to lug them all home. Here is what I bought at Junk Bonanza and thrifting in MN.

Footed silver tray ($14), and lots of ephemera (25 cents-$1). The fabric under the tray is linen calendars. I bought one for the years of my husband and my birth, and I'm planning to make them into pillows ($1 each).

Vintage fabric ($21 total) and knitting bag ($10).

Old cake carrier ($6), lots of linens ($1-$5 each), and various trims (most about 25 cents each).

The smalls! Adorable vintage playing cards ($4), various beads and findings, and vintage jewelry. And (one of my favorite finds) a box of religious medals ($5).

Here's a closeup.

My dear friend Julie made some treasures to welcome me: this great hanging using her signature vintage dress pattern lady.

She included a great frame for our photo, a pretty card, vintage glitter ('cause I like to sparkle), and a couple of her fabulous bookmarks.

My bloggy friend Kate also made a gift for me. She included a frilly vintage apron, trim, and a decorated matchbox that holds lace gloves and bracelet.

My beautiful friend Melissa also gave me a welcome gift - full of MN treats, which are already housed in my pantry. These MN ladies made me feel so welcome!

Once we got back to Julie's house and were sharing our finds with her husband, he said, 'I have things like that I was going to throw out.' Lo and behold, he brought up a bag FULL of vintage hankies, doilies, fabrics, etc. Julie pulled out half to keep and gave me the rest. The hankies and doilies will make perfect pockets for my ruffled purses!

This is really just some of what I hauled home with me. I have more ephemera, lace, and fabric that I just got tired of taking photos and didn't get to.

A Birthday Card

My dad's brithday is coming up. I always panic a little when I have to make a masculine card. It doesn't seem natural to not put flowers and ribbons on something! So, they ended up on this card, too :) The trick is I used more masculine colors, so *I think* it all works.

I made the flower using paper in various shades of brown, beige, and green. The papers and ribbons are all in these same shades.

I'm still waiting to get some pics of my Junk Bonanza finds - we haven't had much sun here in TX so I'm hoping to by the weekend.

A Chilly Weekend in Minnesota

Last Thursday evening, I flew up to Minnesota. It was 95 degrees when I left Dallas. It was 55 degrees when I landed in Minneapolis. I headed up north to visit some wonderful friends and attend Junk Bonanza! What a wonderful time we had.

Here are a few photos from the weekend. First up, the junk:

Here are  my friends Melissa and Julie. I spent the weekend with Julie in Amboy.

Here I am with miss Kate, a.k.a. Auntie Cake. She is a bundle of energy and we had a lot of fun hanging out with her!

I did see Ki Nassauer when we arrived and when we left. By the end of the day, I was too exhausted to seek a photo or autograph. We shopped until we almost dropped!

For the rest of the weekend, Julie and I shopped in some nearby towns - Jordan, MN and New Ulm, MN. I bought so many things - I filled two suitcases. I'll have to unpack and take some pics to post later this week.

I also got to spend some time with Julie's family. They are so adorable and sweet. We went up the Hermann the German statue, played at the park, did some scrapping, and visited a lake.

What great memories I have. I will definitely be returning to MN to see them again, but not until the snow melts in June!

Fashion Week Continues

In honor of New York's Fashion Week, I have one of my own - for Marie Antoinette! I'm participating in a Marie Antoinette shoe swap. Here are the shoes I made. (They look so much more ornate and sparkly in person. I don't know what is wrong with my photos.)

For a stroll through the gardens, we have this pink delight from the Papillon Collection. Adorned with vintage lace, flower, and butterflies, it is sure to make the flower heads turn.

Next we have a daringly sparkly shoe en bleu. This one is a personal favorite and will be a hit at a fall soirée.

And finally, this dainty bedroom slipper will the softest Danseuse Étoile flower.

My First Sewing Project = My Junk Bonanza Tote

I was reading this blog a few weeks ago when I saw her post about making a ruffled tote bag. She even had a link to a pattern for an "easy" to assemble tote bag. So, Friday night I stayed up until 1 A.M. making my bag. This is the first time I have attempted to use my sewing machine for anything more than sewing paper (and I mean stitching a border around a piece of paper for a card). Because the pattern really doesn't have any instructions, I winged it and only went wrong in a couple of places, but no one will know. And now I know how to make one for next time.

Here is my bag. It will be coming with me to Junk Bonanza this Friday!!! The ruffles are all from vintage fabric. I added a big floppy flower pin and string of vintage costume pearls. The back is also layered with ruffles.

I even stitched a toile print lining.

I think it came out pretty nice, especially for my first try. I'll definitely be making more bags - probably a little smaller, and with more ruffles of course!

We Play

I made this collage about a month ago, hung her on the wall, and then forgot about her. Poor Sally Ann.

For the base, I used a page from an old cabinet card album. I printed out the photo of this little cutie to fit the opening, and then scoured my old children's books for inspiration. I came upon the story "We Play," and little Miss Sally Ann Harris was born.

I added the book text around the photo and then embellished with antique lace and trim, flowers, and some bling.

This old trim with the wide pink border was so perfect for adding a little name plate to my collage. I have some left over that I'll use to make a cuff bracelet.

Back to School Twinchies

The Wednesday after Labor Day was always my first day of school. Labor Day weekend is a much more welcome sight to me now than it was back then. For my inchie group this month, we did a school theme and changed to twinchies (2"x2" squares). Here is the set I made.

I used pages from a vintage children's school book as the background and added photos from an old yearbook. Then I added a little ruler to each. A very simple design, but I like the retro look.

We're Off to See the Wizard...

I'm participating in Karla's Dorothy Tag Book Swap. I was at a loss for what to create. I tried a couple of things, but they didn't work out. Then, when I was out antiquing a couple weeks ago in a little town on the TX/OK border, I found vintage Wizard of Oz fabric! How special is that?! I no longer needed inspiration - my theme was set.

Since the fabric has such a fun, graphic print, I didn't want to over embellish it. Here is a look at my tags.

I stitched the Oz fabric onto a plain ivory fabric with some quilt batting between them. I stitched on a little ruffle at the bottom. I typed a little Dorothy quote and glued that to the front. Because the back looked pretty plain, I drew a little picture of a house and typed another quote for this side. I hope my swap partners like it!

Butterfly ATCs

I'm participating (and hosting) an ATC swap. One of the categories I signed up for is Butterflies. Here are "The Queen" ATCs I made.

I used vintage book paper for the background and used some pages from a vintage butterflies book. The butterfly queen stamp is from Prima. I stamped it using Staz On ink and then used watercolor paints to color the image. I added some Stickles for added sparkle.

I cut her out and adhered the queen using pop-dots for added dimension and adhered a few Martha Stewart butterfly punches here and there.

One set down, two more to go...