Etsy Craft Party

Etsy's Craft Party is an annual event. It is actually a "meet-up" of locals who get together to all craft on the same subject together and get to know one another a bit. The theme this year was "Recapture". The idea was to give an old photo new meaning.

I think etsy is getting better and better at enabling this event. On etsy's website, one could find a Craft Party near where they live, you could register online through EVENTBRITE, receive a list of possible projects and the materials needed to accomplish them.

Of course someone needs to volunteer to lead each event. I'm not sure of this, but I think etsy will underwrite financially the materials acquisition if a local event registers a certain number of participants. In the case of the one I attended, that person was the beautiful KIRA of:
                                         https://www.etsy.com/shop/KiraArts

Kira reserved a classroom in a local JoAnn Fabrics Store which was furnished with long craft tables and chairs. The tables were festooned with samples of the photo projects the participants could make, made by Kira for our benefit. Tasty snacks were also provided. But, if you're a crafter, you know that when working on a project you very rarely ever stop to eat. You are so intent on finishing the project.

All the materials were also graciously provided. Embroidery thread and needles, water colors and all the accoutrements, buttons, and even vintage photos, (Kira's grandfather was a photographer) etc.

I got to meet totally charming local etsy folks and we all traded business cards so we could visit each other's shops.

These are the projects that I worked on:

A baby picture of me jarred up in a natural setting. This project is in memory of a position that I am not able to do any longer - legs akimbo

Aunt Rose - born in 1900 - crazy auntie that gave us millions of laughs - I put vintage tatted lace around her neckline and a flower in her hair (which is a thing which she would totally wear.

One of my precious granddaughters - we always called her the Italian Princess - I "officially" crowned her as such, water colored her tee shirt and stamped her title on the photo.

This is another childhood pic of me - at the beach - probably Wildwood, NJ - the photo holder is a vintage wooden spool of thread and a large paper clip - the banner is made of flags from the pages of a vintage dictionary - I feel like this picture wants more embellishment.


In the metro area where I live, there were two more etsy Craft Parties that I know of. One was held in a local artists enclave and the other at a private home.

What Are Little Girls Made Of?

My granddaughters are crazy for the movie FROZEN. They know and sing all the songs and are signing up for dance lessons to learn the dances in the movie. They watch the video over and over again, ad infinitum.

Recently they sent me a "fashion alert". Grammy, please find ribbon with FROZEN characters on it. We want to make hair bows from it. I found the ribbon here......
https://www.etsy.com/shop/GumdropSupplies?ref=search_shop_redirect

I misunderstood their "alert" and thought they wanted me to make the hair bows. So I went to YouTube to get some video instructions for making a bow which is attached to a barrette. There were lots of very informative videos and I quickly became adept.

Here's a pic of the bow I made:

I brought a little kit to work with me that contained all the materials I would need (ribbons, hot clue, blank barrette, scissors). I took a phone picture of my first attempt and sent it to them. They replied immediately - "no, no, Grammy, we love it, but we want to make the bows. So I packed up the ribbon, blank barrettes and the bow I made and sent the package off to them.

I hope they send me pictures of the bows they make with the FROZEN ribbon.

To answer the question of "what little girls are made of"..........they made of sweetness, adorable-ness, hair ribbons, ballet shoes, smiles, squeals, giggles, drama, and every other kind of wonderful-ness you can think of.

Always a Surprise

CRAFT BITS & PIECES is a resale shop in my neighborhood. They sell the leftovers from craft projects or attic "cleanouts", stash "cleanouts", estate "cleanups", etc. The funds raised from the sale of these items generate income for the my town's senior living council.
Senior Options for Independence (SOFI) Care Management and Elderbus Transportation programs.

I try to visit CRAFTS BITS & PIECES  http://craftbitsandpieces.com/?page_id=12 at least one time a week. This little shop is entirely run by volunteers and is open for business from Wednesday to Saturday each week. Very convenient hours too: 10 am to 5 pm on weekdays and 10 to 4 on Saturdays. I like to visit on Wednesdays, if I can, because that's when they have been closed for several days and have been restocking the store.

You actually never know what kinds of surprises you'll find there. Here are a couple very surprising items I found on my most recent visit.

    


The long white apron, I call my Downton Abbey apron. It is completely hand sewn. The lace is wonderful. I could not resist having this. My dress form is wearing it and I love it on her. The small panels with little dolls on them, I just brought home with me because I was hoping I could think of something to do with them. I have a couple ideas. One is to stuff them and make them into little "softie" dolls. The other is to frame them in a hoop - for a child's room. Do you have any suggestions?

CB&P always has all kinds of yarn (very reasonable priced), all colors of crochet thread, knitting needles and crochet hooks (extremely reasonable). Most of the yarn is less than a dollar a skein. I have made entire prayer shawls for approximately $3. They always have rubber stamps and other paper crafting items, laces and fabric trims, zippers, elastic, thread, ribbon, patterns, fabric yardage, Christmas decorations, jewelry, pattern books, florals, even greeting cards. And that's not all folks. It's just a treasure trove experience.

This shop helps me keep some semblance of control over my stash, too, because when I'm finished with a project and certain I won't use the materials again, I drop them off at the "donation station" which is just a few doors away.

Whenever I visit CRAFTS BITS & PIECES, it's always like a child going to the circus - great anticipation, excitement and breathlessness. I feel like an explorer or an archeologist on a hunt for hidden treasure.

A Louie Memory

I've just been reading the blog posts that were submitted on the castteam's (Christian Artists Street Team on etsy) weekly BLOG~BLITZ. My teammate, Carla TePaske blogged about:

http://theriverflowing.blogspot.com/2014/05/in-love-and-cow-poop.html

And that reminded me of a "Louie memory". My beloved husband is now with Jesus but my memory is overflowing with stories about life with Louie that would fill many hysterically funny books. Carla's blog post this week reminded me of this one.

One day, after I had been out of the house for a while, upon returning home, I encountered something that had never happened before in all my long years of marriage to Lou. It was the first thing I noticed when I walked into the house. There were clothes hanging on the line in the backyard. He had done laundry !!! I was totally amazed.

I walked around the house, looking for him and found him by his favorite haunt - the computer. I said "you did laundry". He said, "don't ask". I couldn't wait to hear the story. This had to be good.

He went to Wegman's (the local supermarket) to do some shopping. We happen to live very close to one of the oldest, most outdated Wegman's on earth - it boasts ONLY one bathroom - and that one was an "employees only" bathroom until the law dictated all public places of commerce must provide washroom facilities for the public. Now this lone bathroom is both a public and an employee facility. It is still a single unit. No separate men's and women's facilities. ONE.

Here's Louie's story. He's innocently shopping around the store. A woman rushes past him and runs to the service desk (which he is close to) and asks for the loo. She is advised where it is. She speeds past him again but this time, sadly, leaking all the way. Lou tries to make a quick exit away from this event which he is caught in the middle of but not before he slips on the now slick floor, looses his balance and falls in the messy puddles that now dot the floor between the service desk and the washroom.

In their haste to get the buckets, mops and yellow "wet floor" cones out, I don't  think that the store management even offered him free groceries for his trouble but he dashed home and did the first one and only load of laundry he ever did in his life.

Signs of Spring

It takes Spring a loooooong time to finally reach the shores of Lake Ontario that border the metroplex where I live. I think I see it peeking around the corner right now, playing "peek-a-boo" with me. Hooray !! I do see some little signs that it will be making it's grand entrance very soon.

The pointy little green spikes of hosta are pushing their way up through the now defrosting soil. Same for the lily of the valley and peony bushes. But some very brave little plants are taking their chances of getting their noses nipped by Jack Frost.

The chives are really the very first sign that Spring is on it's way. This little potful has been grinding away pushing chive stems up from the dirt for about a month now.

 Another one of the first harbingers of Spring. The forsythia bush. I like them totally unkempt. Just growing every which way, like they like to do. This one lives beside my garage. You can see the trees in the background have yet to leaf out.

This magnolia tree is in my neighbor's yard. I don't have one. These magnolias are different than the ones in the southland. These just bloom once. In the early spring. When the flowers wilt and fall on the ground, you'd think it snowed again. Once the flowers are gone, the magnolia leafs out and has those shiny, leathery leaves like the southern magnolias have, only much smaller.

This quince bush is in my yard. In bud stage now. The flowers are exquisite. A bright persimmon color. When the flowers fade, the fruit follows. I do have a recipe to make quince jelly, but I never have. Maybe this will be the year. The squirrels like to nosh on the quince fruit that falls on the ground.

I just had to share this picture with ya'll. Cinco de Mayo. This is when we western New Yorkers know that Spring is about to break out. Our local favorite supermarket celebrates by serving this at lunchtime. Two shredded pork filled tortillas with a side of rice and black bean salad. Delicioso !!

My Little Treat

On Friday last, April 25th, I treated myself to a little "R&R". You know I love all things vintage, Victoriana, lace, frills, ruffles..............

One of my favorite places to indulge this habit is my beloved antique mall, THE SHOPS ON WEST RIDGE  www.theshopsonwestridge.com  I visit there on my "special days" like my birthday, Mother's Day, and any other day that I need to be pampered. My dearest vendor there is a huge shop called Maison Fleur de Lis. Practically everything in the shop is some shade of white. The shopkeepers of Maison Fleur de Lis repurpose, reimagine, reinvent, and remake vintage furniture. Loooong buffets, carved and embellished dining room tables, elegant dining room chairs, lounge chairs, sofas, plant stands, tea tables, desks, vanities and so much more. They recover, restore, and of course, paint. I believe they use "chalk paint" (more on that in a future post). They carry a charming supply of shabby chic tchotchkes too, like cupcake servers, birdcages, recipe holders, cloches, etc.

Entering their space is like Alice walking through the looking glass. Everything is heavenly, ethereal, restful, elegant. I practically swoon.

These charming shopkeepers had a special sale last Friday and Saturday. They staged it in an old landmark theater. All time-worn, dark wood, vaulted ceilings huge windows, double door entry. Wonderful building. I visited on Friday. I wasn't looking for anything in particular. Just wanted to be inspired. And my desires were abundantly fulfilled. Tables set for lunch and others for tea, restored wicker setees with lush floral cushions, garden furniture, garden accessories, wall art. It was a feast for my eyes.

The shopkeepers, themselves, were wearing vintage inspired attire. Maxi dresses, lots of lace and florals. And, best of all ! high heels. What devotion to their aesthetic. Some even wore fancy white aprons.

This single sized bed was painted with the white chalk paint and covered with the most elegant white linen vintage bedspread I've ever seen and folded, at the foot of the bed a stunning hand crocheted vintage counterpane. I can just envision this in a little girl's bedroom.

I took some pictures with permission and they have wonderful pictures on their facebook page, too.
https://www.facebook.com/MaisonFleurDeLis

 Luncheon is served ~ I have a hunch that the chairback fabric has handpainted roses

Above is a very old, rusted stove, lovingly transformed into a sofa table by the addition of a glass top.

                                           Musical dress form



As I was meandering through the displays, on a small, white (of course) occasional table were three, 3 piece place settings of a child's tea set in the blue willow pattern. It was priced very reasonably as one dish was cracked. I snapped it up as if it were the last one on earth. I have two dollies who are desperate for a cup of tea and in dire need of a tea set and since there are just two of them, it didn't matter one bit to me that one of the dishes was cracked. I wrapped up the entire third place setting and packed it away. Here are a couple pictures of the dollies enjoying afternoon tea with their new tea set. They are delighted with it.

Vintage Pot Holders

Dictionary.com definition of pot holder: a thick piece of material, as a quilted or woven pad, used in handling hot pots and dishes, an insulated pad for holding hot pots.

These vintage pot holders make a total mockery of that definition. They aren't thick. They aren't insulated. I cannot even imagine pulling a hot pan out of the oven with these little dainties in each hand for protection. Yet in the 1930's, 40's and 50's, this was de rigueur (strictly required, as by etiquette, usage, or fashion.) for what we now call "retro" kitchens.

These "kitchy" linens were crocheted by the homemaker with heavy cotton thread. Oftentimes, they were a gift to her. Perhaps even a wedding shower gift or housewarming gift. They were crocheted with patterns for wee dresses, skirts and bloomers, attaching a small ring with which to hang them on a hook near the stove.

I was fortunate enough to inherit the ones you see here from the home of a 90 plus year old homemaker when she went to be with the Lord. I consider them most precious. Firstly, as a memorial to her to whom they first belonged and secondly to a simpler time gone by.

As you can see, I have given them a place of honor in my home (hanging above my kitchen sink - a place where I spend lots of time). I lovingly laundered them to get them pristine once more. Then I stretched them out on a mini "clothesline" of hemp cord, hung them with tiny clothespins, making of the collection a kitchen garland or banner. Perfect for my "shabby chic" décor.

Apologies for the gray day in the pictures. Nothing I could do to change that. I did give you a shadow of the lamp over my kitchen table, though - in this picture.