Vintage Ornaments Sketch

Remember these?

Participating with Sunday Sketches today! 

Go on over and see what everyone else is doing! 

"Frydeee" Faves

"Howdeeee!" as Minnie Pearl would say!  "It's Frydeeee", and  in Minnie's style, I have found some lovely vintage and country finds that you might enjoy!!



Minnie Pearl collection by CheesyShrimpGrits



Straw Hat without hanging tag by dronning



Vintage 1950s Hat Box by luncheonettevintage





Minnie original Painting by kylieharris





Vintage Sifter by MagnoliasAttic

 There are several great youTube videos showing Minnie's humor!  You'll get a real country kick out of them if you take the time to look them up!!

Hope you enjoyed this Blast from the Past! 

Mom, is that you?

This picture was originally posted by my friend Laurie, on one of her lovely blogs. She collects all kinds of odds and ends and makes beautiful things! I don't know where she got this picture, but the two gals on either side of the lamp stand look exactly like my mother and her sister!  The brunette looking like my mom, Jodine, and the blond like my aunt Wilma.  Both sew, and have all of their lives.  They are both in their eighties now.   My aunt Wilma, even altered an evening dress for herself the other day, because she wanted it short, not long for her granddaughters wedding!

Wouldn't it be a hoot to find out that this IS a picture of them!  Mom lives far away from me, so I am re-posting this for her to see on my brother's computer.  We will see what she says!  

UNstuck!

Yesterday I asked for input.  Thanks for your feedback, everyone!  I took the challenge, and just in time, for today is the deadline for a June Collage Challenge that Laurie suggested. Laurie is a friend that I met in a journal swap that happened to be a lot of fun.  She is a great collector of ephemera and you really shouldn't miss her wonderful blog. 

Anyway, I liked the challenge that she suggested:  Create any piece of art using at least part of each of the 3 images that were provided for download.  You can see the three on the link above.  Here is my offering and the process to complete it.  And you can see the other participants artwork on the Green Pages blog.

I started with an ordinary shipping tag, removing the string.

After downloading the required collage prints, I started cutting and pasting.

In my ephemera stash,  I had a little package of some pressed flowers that I previously didn't know what to do with.

Here's the finished tag!  "Time for Perfumery"!

 What a fun challenge!  It added a little bit of fun to my day!!!

Vintage Fabrics!

It's Thursday and I am wondering what to put in my blog!???!!  Ever get writer's block?  Or think that you have nothing to offer?  I'm not really a chatty person, more of a thinker and planner.  So, I'm not so inclined to tell you each detail of my day, although that might be interesting to some. I have been working on a few creative items, but basically they are a repeat of some that I have already posted.

So, I thought I would tell you about a new venture of mine.  I have been filling my time with something  different for me.  I've been recycling fabrics! I go to the local thrift outlet or to an estate sale and look for fabrics and notions.  I find that many elderly people leave behind vintage fabrics and projects in various states of completion.  I have been able to find some AWESOME pieces of yardage!  Here are a few, some already sold.  I guess that there are other people out there that love vintage fabrics too!

Dotted Swiss

 Very popular, when I was growing up, for Sunday dresses!

Rural New England Scene

 This one was wonderfully patriotic with it's American Flag!

Tablecloth?

This one really got me to wondering if it had not, in fact, been some one's tablecloth back in the 40's!

I usually have to wash the fabrics because they have a musty smell.  Probably came from some one's attic or garage! But the work is well worth it to find hidden VINTAGE treasure!  I have several others in my shop, if you are interested!  

Yesteryear Finds

On Tuesdays,  I usually spotlight some craft or sewing technique from days gone by.  But today, I want to highlight several Etsy shops that have lovely vintage items---finds Yesteryear style! 

I love old photos, this shop has lots to choose from:

Vintage Photos from VintageWarehouse

Love Vintage Style?  Lots of patterns in this shop:

vintage patterns by OpalsOwlVintage

 Vintage items, including this old spinning top:

Toy top by LJKSupplies

And my favorite, because the first movie that I ever went to see, when I was a teen, was Bambi.  My boyfriend then, my husband later, & I went to a drive-in to see it!  Do any of you even remember drive-ins?

Bambi Children's book by MyraMelinda



Yesteryear--Vintage Doilies

If you love vintage, you probably have/and-or love doilies!  I have a sentimental place in my heart for doilies, because I watched my aunt crochet them and my grandmother used them in her home.  They were originally used  as toppers for a chest of drawers,  and sometimes even used to cover the divan arms to keep them from soiling or to cover a worn area.  I find myself admiring them, still, in the second hand store.  This one I couldn't resist and is available in my shop.

They are lovely, with all the intricate stitching and designs.  But, what do we do with them?  If your home decor style is not romantic or early traditional, you probably don't have a place to use them.   I recently ran across a pattern for showcasing and using them in a  crib size quilt. 

This quilt was made up of 10 to 12 inch squares, each with a doily attached in the center.  Instead of the traditional three layers of a quilt the patchwork top, the batting and the backing, this quilt called for a fourth layer of organdy.  It was laid over the top of the doilies, then the whole thing was quilted with the quilting circling the doilies.   I'd like to try this!  It's a neat way to preserve the past with a creative future!

Help! Comments, Takers, Advice?

A few days ago I was given several discard boxes from an elderly lady's house cleaning efforts. She saw no value in the discards, but I feel like a got a vintage treasure! There were several hand sewn quilt tops, some batches of hand sewn blocks ready for assembly, lots of old Quilter's Newsletter Magazines from the 60's 70's and 80's . . . . and in the very bottom of the box were several flour sacks from the 30's and one sugar sack! WOW, was I blessed to be the receiver of these goodies!!!

Some of the tops are soiled, how they can be cleaned? Any advise? Also, anyone recognize any of the fabrics, what era they might be? Some may be old feed sack fabrics??!!. Also, any takers on some of the magazines? (I will catalog and list the dates of each in a later post.) Anyone know any collectors of these magazines. I list a few of the photos here, a more complete album of the box contents can be found on my facebook page. www.facebook.com/pruittCreations

Favorite Pin Cushion!

I have been participating in an Etsybloggers Street Team Journal Swap (More about this in a future post next week). My swap mate has two etsy shops and I found this cute little item in her IndulgeYourShelf shop.

I love this little rocking chair pincushion that comes complete with a small drawer beneath the cushions. This one is "upholstered" with a really fun cordouroy floral fabric in purples, blues and green. It has a spot for the scissors, (You'll have click on the picture here to go to her shop and see the pictures!), thread, and three little holes that might have held dowels for more thread at one time. It is about 8.5" tall, 8.5" wide, and 7" deep. It is so clever a design! And Vintage too! Don't you think so?

1950's Embroidered Quilt

In honor of EARTH DAY (GREEN!), I decided this was the correct day to post this post!

My son-in-law, Eric, likes to visit in the neighborhood garage sales. He doesn't like to hold garage sales, but he does visit them! Several years ago, he and my daughter, found a bargain. It was some fabric in a plastic bag, that looked like someone had the start of a quilt. White squares with embroidered animated animals. They were like the ones that I saw as a little girl when my mom went to those paint embroidery parties! Much like the embroidery patterns that were available in the 50's!

Some squares were sewn with a border of lime green cotton. There were more pieces of green fabric and several pieces of fabric in various stages of production. My daughter purchased them all for one dollar!!! She gave them to me and I finished the quilt with a flannel juvenile print backing of yellow and lime green. I had enough of the original fabric to re-arrange all the squares and make the quilt top. Finished size is a full bed quilt, maybe for a child's room! Or with the nature of the vintage embroidery, maybe it would be better in a lovely guest room where it would not get so much wear! Anyway, it was a fun project!

P.S.  I like lime!   See my "Lime Surprise" Treasury now thru Saturday 4:40 a.m.   http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=54021

Aprons back into Vogue!

Aprons are fast becoming an item with the trendy set! Aprons coming back into vogue? Yep, there's the story about the teen who found an apron in an attic box and wore it to school the next day as her fashion statement. What was grandma's everyday staple in the kitchen is becoming retro-styled everyday wear!

Vintage styles and cute new styles with up-to-date fabrics and contemporary prints are seen everywhere from the streets of the Pearl District to the prevalent mania in the craft shows! Besides enjoying my photos, you might want to check out http://www.herapronstringsshop.etsy.com/ for some retro styles, a french maid style and others!