Happy Easter!

Ah, the art of Easter egg dyeing. 

Yesterday my mom and I sat ourselves down with a PAAS dye kit and over a dozen eggs. We made some:

...bright and cheerful eggs...

 ...rather unappetizing 70s retro eggs (originally brown eggs instead of white)...

 ...springtime eggs (note the scallops and 60s mod floral)...

 ..."I don't exactly know what happened here" eggs...

 ...vibrant colonial eggs (also originally brown eggs)...

...and rustic sunset eggs (with another attempt at scallops)!

However, the true meaning of Easter is much more beautiful:

"I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die." 

-Jesus in John 11:25

The Pattern Haul

A little while ago my stepsister's work bought an industrial sewing machine from a company that went out of business in the 1980's. To go with the sewing machine the company donated several boxes of sewing patterns that had been sitting in a garage for over 30 years! It's amazing what fantastic finds can be lurking in random garages! Fortunately, my stepsister thought I might be interested in perusing the boxes and offered that I could take as many patterns as I wanted for free! 

It took about 5 wonderful hours to sort through them all...

They were mostly Butterick patterns from the 1970's and 1980's and they ranged from patterns for complete outfits to things like collars and bikinis.  There were some ridiculous 1970's styles, especially the drawings for the disco suits and male underwear patterns! However, I did manage to scoop up some very classy patterns!

There was even the September 1981 pattern book thrown into the mix! I will be using it for reference and probably various découpage projects.

Considering all of the typically 70's and 80's styles in the patterns, it was really interesting to see how much fashion also stays the same. Time to get sewing!

A Blog is Born

HEY THERE AND WELCOME! I am so, so, so excited to be starting Creatively Graceful! I have high hopes for this little blog o' mine--thanks for taking time to check it out! I may as well go all metaphoric on you and say how spring is a time for new beginnings. So, I decided to launch my blog today at the start of the lovely season of spring (my favourite time of the year). To get this going, here is some background info on me based on the blog topics:

Art: I’ve always enjoyed drawing and photography, and last year I was in my first two art shows. Fashion: Fabric is one of my favourite mediums, and I think (especially vintage!) garments are works of art (you can check out my Spoonflower shop for some of my fabric designs). I am working on improving my sewing skills because I adore making my own clothes! Literature: I love the intricacies of language. I have had several poems and short stories published, and my favourite authors are Lucy Maud Montgomery and Jane Austen. Decor: I read decor magazines, decorate my room, and I endlessly dream of my future house! Crafts: I love to make stuff! I currently sell my Graceful Cards (handmade greeting cards) and other crafts to friends and family, and am a vendor at a local holiday craft sale. I plan on opening an Etsy store as soon as possible. Nature: I am constantly amazed by the incredible, detailed artistry of God. Don’t be surprised if you ever see me plunk down into a field of flowers and stay there (alone, in blissful awe) all day. It’s a habit. Vintage: The stories behind each vintage piece fascinate me, and it is a thrill to find beautiful bits of the past. Vintage clothing is fabulous. All in all, I have a lot of pent up ideas to share with you and I am pleased to have the opportunity to do so on this blog! Please feel free to subscribe by email and stay in the loop!