Bound by Joy

I have acquired the full Anne of Green Gables series, in the cheery floral hardcover glory that is the Tundra Books edition! To close this delightful year of 2017, here's an excerpt from Lucy Maud Montgomery's diary on Tuesday December 31st, 1889. "Well, journal, this is the last day of the old year. to-night we will say farewell to '89, with all its record of joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, and bid the New Year welcome. God grant that it may never record unfulfilled aspirations, unsatisfied longings, or ungathered flowers. Good-bye, dear old year. You have been on the whole a very happy one for me." 

Swing Dance Book

I'm devouring this book about Swing. It goes over the origins of the Charleston to various forms of Swing, complete with style and music info, dance tutorials, and excellent vintage and contemporary photographs of people swingin'! It makes me want to leap up and start dancing while reading (which I may have done)!

Plaid & Peace

"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:14

O Christmas Tree

I love to snuggle under the pastel glow of a shiny brite filled Christmas tree and ponder, as the song goes:

"O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!

How richly God has decked thee!

Thou bidst us true and faithful be,

And trust in God unchangingly."

Bakeware

I see festive potential in this pile of bakeware! The shine and patina of the silver starbursts, swirls, and scallops...think wreaths, reflectors, candle holders, and ornaments.  

Crown Jars

I love these crown jars, with their pressed glass crown logo and zinc patina lids. Hot chocolate mix, anyone?

Nordic Sweater

I have been on the hunt for a black and white Nordic sweater for years and this $5 beauty jumped off the thrift store rack at me the other day! The red collar makes it extra mid-century ski outfit-esque.

Mr. Mustard

My Mr. Mustard design is up for voting in Spoonflower's Year of the Dog challenge!

New to Shop: Pinks and Blues

These new surface pattern designs are now available for sale in my shop as fabric, wallpaper, gift wrap, cut-and-sew patterns, and homewares. Here's Turkish Tile

Cabbage

Fresh Berry

Bubblegum Calico

Horizon

December Bulletin 2017

Twirls in tulle, serenity, and majesty

Textural

My Textural design is up for voting in Spoonflower's Hygge design challenge!

1920s Charleston Costume Hunt

I'm scouring thrift stores, malls, and fabric stores for beading, tassels, fringe and all that jazz to piece together a flapper costume. Over the past year I have taught myself how to dance the Charleston (the most amusing form of exercise) and now, of course, need to be able to dance in the period appropriate attire!

Piano Makeover: Before

 We're painting our 1900 Baldwin piano! This is the before...a very red mahogany. Before the before it was painted avocado green and orange by my grandma in the 1970s! I love to play it opened up and see the mechanism moving. Also on the inside are little treasures like a pencil note saying it was fixed up on February 16th, 1921. What colour might it be for its next phase of life?

Stay tuned...

Icing

My Icing design is up for voting in Spoonflower's Gingerbread challenge!

The Pretty Lady

I found this edition of 1918 novel The Pretty Lady by Arnold Bennett (1867-1931) at a book sale for a song. I admit...I bought it purely for the title and the glamorous gilded pattern on the black cover!

The Soldier's Service Dictionary

This pocket-sized dictionary is 100 years old. It was printed in 1917 by Funk & Wagnalls Company in New York. Then it was presumably used in WWI, and about 70 years later my mom picked it up at a book sale. I wonder if in between it was picked up and used in WWII.

The interior translates common military terms into French for practical use by the "Belgian, British, and French armies." It even translates geographical terms in a pictographic way.

Quite the fascinating read!

Liberty Apparel

Whenever I am thrifting I keep an eye out for Liberty clothes! The calico cottons are unmistakable. My latest acquisition is the William Morris Strawberry Thief shirt. These florals make my heart sing!

November Bulletin 2017

Rhythm, fading saturation, and creative preparations

Reformed Floral

In reading about the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation (which is today!) I stumbled across this issue of Tabletalk and the cover caught my eye. The surface pattern design was created in 1617-9 by Italian artist Jacopo Ligozzi (1547-1627), who designed for pietra dura and embroidered textiles.

A Tangled Web

 Lucy Maud Montgomery's A Tangled Web, published 1931, is a novel about two intertwined founding families, and the drama of inheritance and romance. It is full of Montgomery's witty, descriptive observations.

Old Lace

I love the intricacy of lace and doilies. They are elegant, ethereal, and versatile. They can be used as a myriad of embellishments...patches on jeans, sewed into a tablecloth, starched into a pendant fixture...the list goes on...

Cabbage

My Cabbage design is up for voting in Spoonflower's Farm to Tea Towel challenge!

Dundee Marmalade Jars

These marmalade jars have a talent for popping up in décor magazine vignettes, and it just so happens that I have a few on hand from thrifting jaunts. Judging by this article, the jar on the left is from the 1860s and the jar on the right is post-1960. The striking black logo on the stoneware makes them pretty storage containers.

Urn It

I've been playing around with this collection of thrifted urns; I love the variety of materials and textures. It makes me chuckle that an urn gives the displayed item a little bit of elegant pomp.

Steadfast Thanksgiving

I'm off to a Thanksgiving meal and am so grateful for God's steadfastness! "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.'" --Lamentations 3: 22-24

Almonte Antiquing

If you're looking for a place to go antiquing this weekend, head out to Almonte, Ontario for a visit! It is packed with antique stores, adorable boutiques, intriguing architecture, and is centered around a waterfall! Mill Street is the historic downtown in which every door leads to something quaint.

October Garden

I love gardens in October. The bees become dazed, and the twigs get crispy, but there are still a few defiantly peachy roses hidden in the brambles. Frost wilts the nasturtiums but makes the apples sweeter.

October Bulletin 2017

Burnt orange, patterns on patterns, and exotic ideas

Sketchbook

This is a week of observing, reading, pondering, and doodling. 

1897 Art Nouveau book cover of Sketchbook by Washington Irving, 1820.

Equinox

Rust, peach, mustard...I love the colour combinations of this season. This oil painting was thrifted for $3.

Vintage Floral Apron

This sweet Value Village find is from the 1930s or '40s. I love the cheery checkered floral on the airy cotton.

Canadian Feed Bag Book

I have some fascinating reading to do! Check out this awesome book I found at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum. It is full of domestic history, photos of different feed bags and companies, photos of quilts and crafts made with the vintage fabrics, and the memories behind it all. What a heartwarming and insightful resource.

Feed Bags from Fibrefest

Behold my Fibrefest find! I found this lot of feed bags for $5 at one of the vendor booths. I've been hoping to come across a few of these for a long time, and am pleased because these are specifically for products that I like, clover and oats. I love the the bold logos, the typography, the faded ink, the hole clean through the clover seed bag, the name Gold Standard, and reading the Ontario place names. 

Fibrefest 2017

The textile town of Almonte, Ontario, Canada, is decked out in buntings for this weekend's annual Fibrefest!

 Tomorrow the fibre fun continues from 10am to 4pm at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum and the Almonte Arena with vendors, workshops, a raffle and more!

Here are a few snapshots of some of the unique vendor items.

This thrill has begun! I have stumbled across my surface pattern designs being used by creative people making neat products...retro-inspired products no less!

Glorious floral and a pun

Fluffy sheepies!