My Weblog

Where Bloggers Create

 
With my hand on a vintage french missel {english translation: Bible} I hereby swear that I am a vintage-aholic of the worst degree.

*I have collected "vintage" for decades

**and I stuff it all in my wonderful bonus room above the garage.

***Adding to that overstuffed room are all the supplies I use

**** in my TOO NUMEROUS to mention crafty pursuits.

 
 
The previous photos are a sampling from the pics I posted last year for the tour. The posts are located here and here. I posted so many pics last year, and since not a whole lot has changed, it's easier to refer those who might be interested to those posts.

But a few things have changed...

 
An old vintage french wine rack, or bottle dryer as it is sometimes called, was added to the room.  

 
I've moved it around a few times and continue to add vintage dolls as they become adopted into my collection.

 
 
Another addition to the room this past year is this shelving unit. I just happened to be in the parking lot of an antique store as this was coming off a truck.

 
The top shelf is loaded with vintage Christmas.......it's just too pretty to pack away!

 
I will also admit to being totally obsessed with vintage dress forms.

 
I purchased this one off of Ebay quite a few years back [for approx. $50]...she's a 3-D inspirational board of sorts...and I love her dearly.

 
I am forever pinning new items to the form...

 

As a point of reference, to show you the size of this beloved dress form, I've placed another form next to her...

 
 
Being a visual person, I like to have a lot of my stuff "out"...

 
 
Another way fun addition to my room this year...

 
...is the Crepe Myrtle tree that has now grown tall enough to show off her pink blooms through one of my windows....

I'm looking forward to spending the next few weeks {months?!} visiting all the entries to this year's Where Bloggers Create Party. To see a list of this year's participants, head over to Karen's place at My Desert Cottage.

An enormous thank you to Karen for hosting this spectacular event! One of my fav's in all of bloggieland! May wonderful things come to you for all the time and effort you invest in making this such a special, and much anticipated event!!!!

Where Bloggers Create Party

Don't ya just git giddy when something you've wished for, waited on, dreamed of, but mostly

WORKED HARD FOR, !!!finally!!! happens?

For most of my "creative life" which now spans decades, my creative space and supplies were scattered throughout our home in closets, bins, tucked under beds, and so forth. The dining room often became command central. And upon walking by such headquarters one would immediately receive the distinct impression that command central had been heavily bombed! Chaos reigned supreme.....
 

 But when I read that Karen, at My Desert Cottage was hosting her second annual WHERE BLOGGERS CREATE PARTY I knew this was the motivational spark I needed to get busy.

I inherited the bonus room above our garage several years ago, but as life goes, for a number of out-of-my-control-bumpy-mountains-in-the-road-of-life reasons, the room never got put together.

Until now....still have a little ways to go, but the hardest parts are behind me. NOTHIN' like company coming to set a body in motion, is there?!

I worked like a mad woman. Or perhaps madder than normal would be more appropriate...what is normal anyway, does anybody know? Stay on task Sue...

Jewels got sorted...

...dolls got hats...

...and with each little accomplishment I could feel the cobwebs that had taken my creative spirit hostage begin to release their sticky grip...speak nothing of the physical cobwebs in the actual room...

My rusty imagination began to awaken...it was all I could do not to stop what I was doing to follow the latest inspirational muse...but untrue to my given nature, I kept plowing through box after box, bin after bin, sorting, tossing, organizing...

Why, even fresh flowers were lovingly gathered from my garden and scattered throughout the room...they are such happy little creatures, aren't they? Not to mention that nothing, save a warm hug, says welcome friends more than fresh flowers.

Despite the fact that I am beyond blessed to have such a wonderful place to now work on a variety of creative pursuits, one major flaw in this room is the lighting. Although there are five windows, each is housed in an alcove which can be a real issue...especially at night. One thing I have invested in to counteract this challenge are Ott lamps. JoAnn's, Michael's, Wal-Mart, among others carry this brand and routinely put them on sale at 40% off.

The majority of my furnishings are hand-me-downs that were used previously in our homes through the years. Several pieces came from thrift stores and one piece was stolen. Yep. You heard it right. Theft. That would be the bin housing my stash of vintage wallpaper. It's original purpose was to house goober pairs of golf and other sporting shoes in our garage. The idea being that my family members would dutifully and joyfully place their shoes in the tidy little cubbies......NOT.

 

A year or so ago this vintage dress form came up for auction on Ebay. It is about three times the size of my other dress form I'll show in the next photo. She has been the perfect 3-D inspirational board, if you will, and I continue to pin new items to her daily.  And BTW, I was the only bidder and shipping cost me more than the dress form. Felt badly for the seller, but happy for me!

I've taken way too many pictures of my newly organized space...excitement about my new room and working with crummy lighting conditions most likely influenced my excessive photo snapping...

 

Here's an oversized spice rack I picked up at Goodwill for maybe $5 or so. I love making, giving, and receiving mail {handwritten letters....ahhhhhh....love 'em}. I used to be so much better at sending these personal greetings. Hence, I am hoping that having this little rack hanging on my studio wall will be a visual reminder to improve upon sending more snail mail to brighten someone's day.

 

Not withstanding the fact that I've rambled long enough, Typepad or my computer has chosen this point in time to go into total rebellion. Consequently, on both accounts, I'll bid my farewell and continue this tour in another post {or two+!} in the coming days.

Thank you for your visit and I'm anxious to head out to see all the other creative work spaces. But before I go, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Karen for what has had to be a monumental undertaking to keep an event of this size so well organized.

Warm wishes to all,

xo, Sue

NOW I KNOW WHY...

 

Yessiree...now I know why. And in a minute, so will you. I know exactly why I'm not making good progress on this mess, I call home. Too many pretty little distractions for this old gal who need never look far, ever, to divert her attention from housework to something else, shall we say, more pleasant? more palatable? more enjoyable? more rewarding? All of 'em actually...

 

It all started with these. Aren't they adorable? In case you're stumped, these are a collection of old baby bottles tucked away in an old wire rack used way back when, for sterlizing. I snagged them from this talented girl's Etsy shop. A blog I was first introduced to by Dawn {another talented blogger}.  The possibilities of how one might repurpose these darlings are endless. But let me try and scratch the surface...

 

 

 

The hankies spark a thought...maybe some lovely flowers in the center bottle. Then perhaps the remaining bottles could hold eating utensils? Each set being wrapped in a pretty napkin that's been tied up with a lovely ribbon. What a way to add a touch of elegance to a picnic or dining outdoors!

 

Or perhaps a more utilitarian approach...colored pencils? Knitting needles?

 

How 'bout some vintage Christmas?

 

As long as we're talking holidays, how about Easter? Tulips in the center, jelly beans, etc. in the other bottles. Do you see how my little handpainted bunny is wearing a necklace of sorts? Well, one day I was out weeding and I accidentally pulled a clump of real flowers....................oh, never mind.  It's all part of the distractability issue I was mentioning earlier.

Maybe you don't have baby bottles and a wire carrier in your stash of stuff. But how about a collection of other bottles? Instead of a wire carrier, maybe the bottles could rest in a shallow glass bowl, or a tray of tarnished silver, or.........

At another time I'll show you the most precious little "extra" that was included in my box of bottles. Talk about sweet. Okay, I will! Because when I went to make sure my link to Lisa's blog was correct, what do you suppose her newest post was about? A giveaway that you will not want to miss!

I need to go now, after all the housework is still waiting.