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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!!!!

Full Tilt Boogie

 
Whew! Where does the time go when the warm breezes of summer invade the atmosphere? So far behind in blogging due to a long stretch of hanging out in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Always such a privilege to soak in the beauty and charm of this special place.

But I hope to set aside some time in the next few days to catch up with all my bloggy friends. I don't think I've ever gone this long without inspecting my google reader.

I have to admit, on my drive back from the cabin all I could think about was getting my paws on my art supplies! You see, Mary Ann's newest online class Full Tilt Boogie debuted in my absence. As usual, her video instruction is superb and full of inspiration. Not to mention Mary Ann's adorable sense of humor...so add the word entertaining to the previous sentence as well.  

 
Although the instructions in this class are focused on altering an old Victorian photo album, any type of book will work. The real empahsis is on bookbinding methods.

For my first journal {she will be teaching several different types of binding} I chose the open back binding. Isn't that fun? Another girl in class posted a photo of her completed journal where she used the baker's twine and I was sold! 

 
The "book" I altered wasn't really a book at all! I repurposed the thick cardboard backing on one of my watercolor pads and made my own book covers! In order to give the covers more of an authentic look of an old victorian album, I first padded them with several layers of cotton batting {a slight brushing of mod podge to hold the layers in place}.

 

Before wrapping the covers in some upholstery fabric, I sewed different embellishments to the front cover using irish waxed linen thread.

The beautiful old velvet violet millinery flower was a gift from my friend, Patty. So fun to find a special place for this much loved little gem!

 

 
 One of my splurges for this class was buying a Japanese Screw Punch. I've wanted one for a long time since I have gobs of uses for this little beauty. It even punches through thick leather with extreme ease. For this particular class, it drilled all the holes for binding my book together.

 
My plans will be to add my own photos I've taken, as well as add lots more tape-in sections, pieces of ephemera, a little paint, rubber stamps, and of course, some journaling.

So much for that housework getting done....!

And by the way, I'm pretty sure you can still sign up for Full Tilt Boogie if this is your cup of tea! It's a delicious cup for sure and the best part? The class never closes...meaning, you will have full access to all of the videos forever and ever. I love that about Mary Ann's classes!

{no, i am not a paid blogger! i post this raving review of the class of my own free will!}

Hope you're finding some time to live in your sweet spot too!

xo, Sue

What I wish...

Besides wishing that those weren't our vehicles sitting out on the driveway instead of inside our garage...

 
...especially since Atlanta just got clobbered with about five inches of snow...and intermittent periods of:

 
...with the potential for more on its way...

Besides wishing that the ice would stay away,

and that our vehicles were snuggled inside the garage...

...more important than those types of wishes,

 I wish for:

 
The kind of peace that wouldn't allow the heartbreaking events of Tucson, Arizona to take place.

 
The kind of peace where violence, and anger, and hatred, are not the chosen methods to solve whatever issues, or problems one encounters in life.

 
And I also wish for an outpouring of prayer. Prayers that would reach the hearts of all those whose lives have forever been changed by this senseless act of violence.

Oh, let there be peace.

***

credits: all textures used on photos by Kim Klassen.

A Heaping Spoon{ful} of Grace

 
Squeal with deeeee-light! That's what I was doing as I slowly opened a package from a recent swap with Patty {Magpie's Nest}.

You know the routine...slowly is the operative word. Not only do you want to savor the moment as each new treasure/layer is revealed, but you also want to capture all the beauty with your camera...or as best as you can given that the sun was no where to be found that day...

 
I love details, don't you? The pattern on this hammered spoon handle, not to mention the word "grace" are just the best! A spoon, I might add that Patty makes with a little help from Mr. Magpie. Check out this post of Patty's for more photos of these wonderful altered cutlery... 

 
Backing up just a tad, I have to show you this MOST ADORABLE little zippered pouch. It is made entirely from recycled materials. Tucked inside was the spoon that was sitting on multiple layers of treasures that eventually led to the altered matchbox. The theme, if you will, of our swap. 

However, as you are about to see, Patty went above and beyond...three times around the moon and back gathering bits and pieces and treasures and trinkets...

 
In fact, tucked inside the larger covered matchbox, was this smaller matchbox filled with its own goodies! How cute is this little matchbox?! Way adorable! The eye actually winks! Love that little inchie she made as well. She has a great tutorial on her sidebar for making inchies.

 A A gorgeous TAP transfer with the stamped piece of eyelet...such a great saying!
 
Steampunk wonderful! Unlike anything I've got in my stash!

 
A beautiful tag with the sweetest words on the back...yummy handmade papers... 
The big-sized matchbox! In all it's glorious details...get a look at the lace collar and cuffs in that photo. So perfect to give that little royal boy a lace crown.

 
Another peek at the textures and creative details...

 
The aqua-colored fabric swatch on this piece is so gorgeous. The Kim Klassen texture on this photo distorts the true color...it's more like the previous two photos. I also was having a difficult time capturing all the glazing/painting/inking...in other words, the details on this altered matchbox.

  
 
Patty tucked in lots of little pieces of art...Not only do I love her Zendoodles, I also learned that term from reading her blog. Didn't even know there was a name for such purposeful/artful doodling! Come to think of it, I've learned a lot of artful helps by reading Patty's blog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

...don't miss the name of the venue for the Daughter Elks Ball...High Hat Night Club!  

 

...this vintage cake/cupcake topper is the best!  I've bought quite a few pieces over the years of vintage plastic halloween stuff to give to my two sisters who are avid collectors of the items. Sorry sissies, but this one is staying at my house! I'm thinking of taping it to my forehead on those days when I want to warn everyone as to the condition of my estrogen level.....non-verbal cues can be so effective!

 
More squealing....Patty gave me one of her wool felted heart pendants!

 

Love these little figurines too!

And then.........just when you think it doesn't get any better than all of this.....it does!

 
Tucked inside my package was this beautiful french maid's apron in all its glory! I LOVE "FRENCH" and I do seem to do my share of "maiding" at my house ...........but in a little spirit of fun {or subconsciously am I trying to send another nonverbal suggestion?!} I decided to let Mr. Dressform model this beauty.... 
 

A little better look at the scrumptious detailing in this apron!
 

 I absolutely love everything Patty sent me, and then some! It also occurred to me that the word on my spoon-- "grace" {and creative, and inspiring, and insightful, and kind, and generous, and thoughtful, and encouraging, and witty, and, and, and,.....FUN} are all great words to describe Patty!  

Without a doubt she spoiled me rotten with all these treasures! But as much as I am enjoying my rotten state, what I love even more are the connections I've made with Patty and others through blogging.  These are the bestest treasures of all....

Xo, Sue

Vintage Doll

In my last post I mentioned that I was having to go and tidy up an offspring's apartment after a move out.....

#!@&*!!@#%+?<%$#!!!!

Thank you for letting me vent. Now, to more pleasant subjects...namely, new Dolly Love...

...despite the fact that she is in pieces...save for a couple little boo-boo's on the dress, she is in beautiful condition....

I almost missed spying her... in a plastic ziplock, tucked under a shelf...when I saw the original price, which was a steal in its own right, but to slather on even more incentive, she was marked down by 50%.

  

I mentioned she had a little dress...

But I failed to mention that it is stinkin' cute ..... {apologize for the nasty slang but i'm still recovering from my cleaning job from yesterday...}

The vintage millinery flowers are still in her hair...I know if she had been my dollie as a child, those flowers would probably be missing by now! But I know one little pink girl who would have kept her this pristine...

For any Georgia bloggers, I nabbed this little beauty from THE QUEEN OF HEARTS up in Buford, GA. Same goes for the tart pan and the three old Kodak film canisters...

Me been a good little antiquer these past few days. And shamelessly, I'm within an inch of cashing in my stash of coins I save for emergencies...I think I've found something that I can't stop thinking about...sounds like a bona fide emergency to me...!!!

Stay tuned...

Xo, Sue
 

Where Bloggers Create, Part II

 

I warned ya'll that there might be a few follow-ups to the original tour...was having voo-coo computer issues on my first attempt. Most of my computer issues tend to fall within the realm of  "not the brightest bulb when it comes to technical stuff"...{{{sigh}}}

Not sure about you, but I am in blog heaven bouncing around the list on Karen's blog visiting as many places as I can squeeze in here and there. Going down the list from A-Z was getting boring so in order to mix it up, I copied and pasted the list to a Word document and printed a hard copy. As I visit each blog I place a little check beside the name. It's also a great way to make notes to myself so that I can easily go back and find some of the inspiration I would like to follow up on at a later time!

But over and over again, I am struck by how many creative souls there are scattered throughout this huge world. So many unique expressions of who we are...

   a variety of styles

a wide assortment of creative pursuits

more hoarders {{{ha ha}}} than I dare to count

There's a growing list of blogs I'm adding to my google reader. Not sure how long, if ever it would have taken me to stumble upon them on my own. I even enjoy following blogs of people who create or pursue interests I might not necessarily ever pursue. But I appreciate the beauty of what they create, or the warmth, or humor, or wisdom that oozes from their posts.

 But the one common thread I see over and over again, are the kind hearts living out there in blogland. Hearts that love, nurture, and cherish their family and friends. Hearts that have an instinctive need to express and exercise their creativity in a multitude of ways. I like to think of them as the treasured souls who add color, music, depth, and more sunshine to this world!  

Before I head out as my MUST DO LIST {think: once on to do list but got ignored} is demanding attention, I wanted to mention the paint color on my studio walls as I've had quite a few requests asking for the color. It is a Behr paint {carried by Home Depot} and the color name is Valley Mist 460E-2...mine is in the eggshell finish. Had never worked with this brand of paint before but was very happy with it's quality. 

Looking forward to meeting more of you through your blogs as well as continue to see what other bloggie friends I've been following for some time are up to these days.

Xo, Sue

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

Happy Mother's Day

   (my mother taken in the 1940's) 

Mother's Day is one of those days that can stir the emotions like no other day...At different times in my life, those emotions varied. During seven+ years of infertility, or following a miscarriage, the day stirred an emotion of deep longing. But the one consistent theme year after year was a deep sense of love and appreciation for my own mother.

Now at age 87, she is mother to six, grandmother to 18, great-grandmother to 22, and even a couple  of great-great grandchildren! No doubt those numbers will continue to increase as there are still 7 grandchildren {our 3 children and my baby sister's 4 who have yet to either get married and/or start their own families}.

One consistent theme in my mother's life next to having her family visit in person, are the piles of photos she loves to receive and sort through often.

 

She also loves to receive my handmade cards. Despite the fact that my creative muse seems to have taken a long vacation and refuses to return to me, I knew I had to try to come up with something. Recently I stitched the little verse that I blogged about here and decided it would be perfect to use in my card.

{front} 

 

{back}

Starting with an 8.5 x 11" piece of heavy chipboard I covered the front with an old piece of drapery and began layering different elements. The back was covered with a piece of vintage wallpaper with a photo added of my mom from days gone by. It always tickles her to see one of these forgotten photos included in my cards. [the little fragments of green glittered lace on the two corners were from Patty and now shared with my mum...]

 Despite the fact that my mother lives 1200 miles away and I won't be able to share this day in person, I know how blessed I am to still have her. 

Here's wishing all my bloggy friends a most blessed Mother's Day.

 [And huge hugs to the hearts of those for whom this day stirs the sadness emotion for any number of reasons.]   

Pink Saturday!

 

First, I'd like to wish Beverly a speedy recovery on her recent surgery! 

A listing of all this week's participants can be found on her blog, HOW SWEET THE SOUND. I haven't heard that there isn't a list, and knowing Beverly, if humanly possible, it is there waiting. If not, it wasn't humanly possible!

One thing I enjoy doing is making my own cards. If only the other demands of life didn't get in the way, I could have made many more than what I ended up making. But I'll share some photos I snapped along the way.

  Mother's always like to receive a little love note at Valentine's, don't they? 

  

This particular roll of vintage wallpaper was more fragile. In order to give it more stability, I first lined it with muslin. I've found the most economical [but very effective] method of adhering the fabric to the paper is using a glue stick. I buy them in bulk at Sam's Club as I go through a lot of them! 

 
I'm still having problems with Typepad freezing up on me and losing my work. Scream loud. So I'm going to stop while I'm ahead! I'll look forward to hopping around to see as many of you as I can. Due to a winter wonderland hitting the Atlanta area [a very rare event in these parts] a few things on our calendar were cancelled. More JAMMIE TIME...yeah! 

Wishing all you sweet pinkies a very special Valentine's day! 

The Last Time, I HOPE!

Welcome to Pink Saturday! Thank you for taking the time to visit.  Today we are  back in my studio. Slowly, but surely, the work continues of painting furniture, unpacking boxes, organizing  supplies.  I can't wait to have it all finished so I can spend time doing what I truly enjoy...creating.

I've sanded, stripped, painted, varnished, stained, etc. this table I bought for $15 more times than I care to remember. I hope this is the last time.  Just in case you think I change its appearance every other week, I should tell you I've dragged this table with me for the past 20+ years. It was an estate sale find, made of solid oak and very sturdy.

It's newest "redo" includes the carved onlay used to cover the gap from having inserted the table leaf . After a quick sanding, the table recieved a coat of primer, three coats of paint, and a little bit of glazing. And last, I pulled out the sewing machine and turned a king size sheet into a little dressing skirt for the table. Self-sticking velcro strips were used to attach the skirt to the table. It was the perfect solution for allowing me to store supplies underneath.

Hanging just above the table is this shelving unit I made over a year ago from an old picture frame. It too received several coats of new paint. If you look closely, you may notice that I painted the beadboard backing a shy hue of pink.

There are two shelves that will eventually find their way home to this unit. Right now they are drying. So I took the liberty to "fluff" up the table and shelf unit with some pinky items still waiting for a permanent home in my studio. But for now they all agreed to pose for Pink Saturday's post.

Before it slips my mind, for those who visited last week, I meant to tell you that the Sedum Autumn Joy plant is also a wonderful drying flower. Tucked in this old Victorian boot is a sampling of some that I plucked from my garden a week or so ago.

For a complete listing of all the participants in Pink Saturday, head over to Beverly's. She's the hostess who makes this happen each week.

xo

Sue