not for the squeamish

Oh, the gems we have uncovered in the depths of my grandmother’s sewing stash. Vintage patterns, galore. She made a lot of beautiful, lovely things but I’m quite sure that this is where my grandfather drew the line. I offered to make my husband one of these for his birthday. I even said he could select his favorite from the three pictured patterns. Can you believe he said said “no thanks”? (And a few other things I can’t repeat!)

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope your Wednesday has gotten off to a good start. There’s a fresh list of Regulars for February and if, like me, you have trouble being still, here’s some food for thought.

a question for you…

We enjoyed a weekend of vintage treasure hunting, laughter with friends, and a bit of live music in spite of the dreary rain. Needless to say, the housekeeping was sorely neglected so today I’m playing catch-up. I’m afraid today’s post is a bit on the side of hum-drum. Some mornings are filled with creativity and others with laundry. This is the latter. Hopefully, you understand.

I do have a small favor to ask this morning. I’d like some feedback from you. I don’t want this place to become a barrage of unending shop updates but at the same time, I’d like for you to have the first peek at what’s new in there (hence the photographs, above). So I’d like to hear from you. How often do you want an update? The most I am willing to do is once a week, but that seems a bit much to me. Please share your thoughts because I’d really like to know. The drawing for the vintage quilt is still open so be sure to put your name in the hat.

Have a great day. I promise something more fun tomorrow!

p.s. Later this week, I’ll be featuring some of your submissions to Childhood: The Fine Print so be sure to add your photographs!

vintage luminary

[ thrifted cheese grater + 3″ pillar candle = vintage luminary ]

I stumble across these old rusty kitchen tools at nearly every estate sale and antique shop that I frequent. I’ve also spotted a few on Etsy at Rage of the Age, Bella Vintage, and The Dapper Apple. And of course, if you run across an old flour sifter, remember that you can use it this way.

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to put you name in the hat for the hand-tied vintage quilt giveaway. Details here. When you have time, be sure to drop in and make the new folks feel at home. Have a great weekend!

p.s. Craft Hope has set up an Etsy shop filled with beautiful handmade goods to aid the relief effort underway in ravaged Haiti. All proceeds benefit Doctors Without Borders.

thrifted, vintage, handmade nursery

Our “big girl” room is nearly complete. It’s a bright mix of handmade, thrifted and vintage. “Happy eclectic”, we’ll call it. Soon enough, the crib will be replaced with the toddler bed built by my grandfather. This momma’s in no hurry. He also built the white chest of drawers (not pictured), which sat in my mother’s room as a child. She was kind enough to make the red bed skirt.

The rug was a $15 yard sale steal.

I thrifted the toy chest here.

The no-sew fabric bunting was one of my nap time projects.

The tiny rocker was a gift to my husband from his dear Grandaddy.

The framed vintage needlework was $12 at the local antique market. 

I discovered the storybook canvas hidden away in the back of a nearby small-town thrift shop. It was badly soiled and stapled to a stretcher frame but at $3.99 I decided to take my chances. A bit of Biz and Oxyclean worked wonders. I replaced the frame with two wooden dowels and some ribbon.

I’m looking forward to adding the quilt on Christmas morning.

I’ve enjoyed watching this colorful space come together and relished every minute of “the hunt”. A bright room for our bright-eyed girl, who is growing up way too fast.

Now that the pre-holiday madness is dissipating, I’m signing off for a couple of days. (Seems a bit backwards, I know.) If you’re looking for some easy craft projects to enjoy over the holidays, you can find a few here. Thank you to everyone who helped me out yesterday. I look forward to reading more of your suggestions.

Wishing you a weekend of warm gatherings.

Merry Christmas, from our home to yours.

a shameless plea for help

I’ve never really been one for New Year’s resolutions, however this year, I do have just one: to add more hearty, healthy dinners to my repertoire. I’m in such a rut! I have a long and sordid history with my cookbook collection. Consorting them always feels a bit like a game of roulette. One in particular, has a recipe for “stinky chicken surprise”, filed under some other innocuous title.  I’m typically not feeling that adventurous at 5:00 in the afternoon with a cranky toddler hanging onto my leg. I need field-tested, family-approved fare for my table.

As I’ve pondered this, it occurred to me that you probably have at least one “go-to” recipe that your brood applauds, so consider this my shameless cry for help. I also figured I’m probably not the only one with this dilemma, so if you’re feeling generous, feel free to share your favorite dinner recipe in the comments or put it in your own post and leave a link for me to check it out. (A plug for your favorite cookbook or recipe site is equally welcomed.) After today, I’ll add a link to this post in the sidebar so we can continue to share  favorites throughout the new year. Feel free to add as many as you like and rest assured, I’ll be consulting the list often.

In the spirit of reciprocity, I’m passing along one of our new favorites.

Open-Faced Crab Cake Sandwiches
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp canola oil
12 oz. lump crab meat
1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup of low-fat mayo or fat-free Nasoya
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 350. Gently, but thoroughly, fold all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup or an ice cream scoop, form small mounds of the mixture on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking oil or lined with parchment paper. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve open-faced on toasted sourdough or french bread with your favorite clam chowder and a bowl of fresh fruit.

p.s. The recipe box is my new favorite piece of vintage. In case you were wondering, yes, it’s still empty!

reclaimed vintage

I love the challenge that vintage thrifting invariably presents, stretching my imagination and coaxing me to color outside the lines. I nearly passed this by. I certainly did not set out on my morning jaunt in search of a rusted old flour sifter. The mesh screen in the bottom provides adequate drainage.  A small plate placed underneath catches the run-off. 

Thank you all for your kind emails and comments about the holiday tea tree and the tutorial collection. One of my favorite things about this space is having you in it. Happy Wednesday.

  

printable spice jar labels

I recently traded in my modern rotating spice rack for this vintage shelf I thrifted at the local antique mart. I fell in love with the worn paint and the vibrant hue – an added burst of color to our already sunny kitchen. Only problem is that all my jars are labeled on the lids (which are no longer visible). Since it seemed a batch of printable spice jar labels were in order, I decided to share them with you. Click on each set for a printable image. Print onto adhesive paper or affix with contact paper. For a more vintage look, experiment with one of these ideas before putting them on the jars. If I’ve neglected your favorite variety, let me know and I’ll gladly add another set with any requests. Enjoy!

SET 1

 

SET 2

 

SET 3

A special “thank you” to Ohdeedoh for featuring my no-sew fabric bunting earlier this week. I am honored!

The blog tour for I Heart Patchwork (Rashida) and Sew Liberated (Meg) begins today! Click here for the full tour schedule and a giveaway.