Easy zipper pouch

Even though I totally should have been riding my motorcycle today, I decided instead to take on a few small projects that I've been thinking about for awhile. A couple of them were just spray-paint projects,. but my favorite is this cute little bag I made using Kate's super-simple zipper pouch tutorial.



Seriously adorable!!

My little pouch is made up of some favorite scraps: green corduroy from a blazer/jacket - I left the flat-felled seams intact because I really love the look of them...



and lining made from a too-small shirt I bought at Goodwill just because I liked the toile fabric.

The crochet trim is a scrap from a grab-bag of old sewing notions I recently picked up while thrifting.



The whole project took me a little over an hour - I have decent sewing skills, but I don't have the patience to make anything too complex. I also don't have a "zipper foot" on my vintage sewing machine, so there were a few tense moments getting past the zipper pull ;)

But, Kate's tutorial was spot-on simple, and I am IN LOVE with this little pouch. I am not even sure what I'm going to put in it - I just knew I needed it!


More soon -

More thrifty joy

Just thought I would show you a few of the treasures I've found while "junking" lately - I haven't really been looking for anything specific, just the "I'll know it when I see it" type of stuff.

First, I went to a church rummage sale in my neighborhood and boy, do those ladies know how the meaning of "priced to sell"! I bought this Fall tablecloth for a dollar (I might make some pillows out of it - not sure yet!)...



...and this pretty gold wire-and-bead box (in which I'll be storing some floral notecards) for 50 cents.



Moving on to the Goodwill, I found this gorgeous (and heavy!) blue glass vase, about 10 inches tall, for $1.99...



...this blue Depression Glass toothpick holder in the Moon and Stars pattern for 59 cents...



...and this urn-style vase in a sort of "polished pewter" faux finish, also about 10 inches tall, for $1.99. (This one will be getting a makeover!)



Finally, up the street at the Salvation Army thrift store, I found this pretty faux-silver bon bon dish for $1.59...



...and these darling little heart and cherub figures. They stand about 1.5 inches tall and there are five of each, all ten figures for $1.59. I am not sure but I think possibly they are figures from a Valentine-themed Tic Tac Toe game.



More soon!

My favorite cupboard: Heart of the Home

I wanted to share my beloved barrister bookcase, which is full of keepsakes from the estates of my mother, grandmothers, and mother-in-law, as well as some of my own thrifting finds. The cabinet itself came from my grandparents' home, along with two others which now reside with my brother.



Along the top, a few notable treasures include a blue Depression glass banana bowl in the Moon & Stars pattern, a couple of favorite blue vases, and - yes, that IS a picture of a bird firing a cannon!



Also on the top shelf, a plastic urn I spray-painted filled with Goodwill flowers, and a "natural edge" pencil cup turned by my hubby on his lathe.



The first interior shelf houses my (very) few pieces of Royal Albert Old Country Roses...

a collection of bone china animals...

and a stack of thrifted (and Ebay) dinner and luncheon plates.

Most notable on the second shelf are a short stack of vintage table linens, and my most recent thrifted treasure: a Lefton rose chintz teapot (sans lid) for $1.99:

Finally on the bottom shelf, a few favorite figurines and other goodies.

Now here's my secret: I had to pull furniture away from the cabinet to take its picture, because it's really crowded in the ol' mom-cave these days. Here's how the corner usually looks -

More soon,

Aqua round-up

A look that I really love, that I'm seeing a lot of these days amongst shabby and romantic style blogs, is a little infusion of aqua among all the white linens, chippy wood, and milk glass. I decided to go around my own home and gather up some aqua elements, to create a tabletop vignette that celebrates this particular combination that's soft, yet crisp, and sooo pretty... all at the same time! Here's what I came up with.





















More soon!

Romantic address book re-do

I've been on the lookout for a larger-format address book (because I'm in complete denial about needing eyeglasses) and I recently found this lovely 80's/New Wave version complete with totally blank inside pages just crying out for a re-do.



For the new cover I chose this pretty floral fabric that I had on-hand.



I removed the inside pages from the book, and using Fabritac I applied white felt (to create the feeling of padding under the cloth cover) to the front, back and spine.



Then I laid the book open onto the wrong side of the fabric, and using Fabritac I simply began gluing the fabric down with some care taken to create tidy corners.



I actually intend to choose another fabric for the inside covers which will cover the raw edges you see here - but, I haven't decided what to use yet so for now it's incomplete.



I closed the book and thought it looked great, but still needed a little detail on the cover.



I used one of these small metal label-holders used in scrapbooking, inserted a printed label proclaiming "Addresses" that I made on the computer, and added a couple of small faux crystals in the holes on either side. (The label-holder is secured to the cover with Fabritac.)



I love the finished look - romantic and entirely suitable for a cottage writing desk, don't you think?



More soon!