Vogue 1922

Sneak peak! I found this dress and plan to alter it into flapper frock inspired by this June 1922 Vogue cover.  

Minxy Vintage

I found this book (or it found me), rather appropriately, at the local thrift store along with some clothes to repurpose. I highly recommend! It was exciting for me because there were so many moments of "Wow, this lady crawled inside my brain!" in terms of fashion philosophy and winging it to produce some sartorial statements. Here's a particularly well-expressed tidbit of fashion philosophy I have to share: "I can attest to the importance of finding clothes you can integrate into your existing style. I'm not about stridently holding up the ideals of other eras--the modern world is grand. It's precisely the mix of old and new that I love...And who wants to be, or slavishly replicate, a woman in the pre-feminist 1940s? Certainly not me...Long live our love for cherry-picking the best bits from the past, and making them new again: reinvention, rather than nostalgia. Whatever you do, just make sure you own it. Individuality is a quality to be admired."--Kelly Doust, intriguing point.

Apricot Lace

I found this pretty cotton dress at a thrift store, originally from Forever 21. Though it is contemporary, it has the perfect structure to be transformed into a gloriously Edwardian gown that would fit right into a Downton scene. I love the pale apricot fabric, mesh neckline, low square back, and lace details. It is a costume project in the works for whenever I next discover an outdoor tea or the like to attend! It shall be lengthened and embellished. 

Steed

This handsome horse head was a casualty of work. Apparently he had enough gusto to leap off a table I was merchandising, but not enough to remain whole, so I scooped up his pieces, glued him back together with some PL and Chalk Painted him from brown to grey to cover his scars. Quite the elegant fella now! Note: if you are Chalk Painting over PL, I found it does create a crackled look in some places, which was to my advantage for this stone-look statue. Just a little heads up for your DIY knowledge!

Velvet and Pelt

My favourite part of IKEA has always been the AS-IS section. Oh those bins heaped with discounted textiles and that furniture with a bit of quirk! I recently found this deep green curtain panel for $15 and the iconic sheepskin for $20. The sheepskin I have draped over my desk chair and the velvet (hello, John Singer Sargent) I may end up using for a upholstery project down the road.

Frankenstein Cat Eye

I have been looking for gold cat eye frames for a looong time. While trying on my other new pair of glasses at the local glasses shop I was lamenting that fact, and the ingenius optician proceeded to dig out three boxes of vintage glasses parts. Creative people unite! We rummaged through the boxes and found two arms, the body, and the tips to create my dream pair of pearly and golden tones. I affectionately call them my Frankensteins. 

While putting the tips on the frame there was an accidental hole punched, so we filled it with a rhinestone. Nothing like covering up a mistake with a little sparkle!

Pssst! You may have noticed that the arms cross in a funny way. That's because they are actually two of the same side of arm! A little bending fixed that problem, and now the glasses have some (inconspicuous) quirk.

I'm so thankful for this fellow outside-the-box thinker! Ta-da!

Backyard Flea

Here are a few snapshots from the tail end of Tin Barn Market's 6th Annual Backyard Flea! Check out their page for the beauty of the beginning of the sale, loaded with stunningly merchandised pieces!

Tent of goodies

Topiaries and tree trunks

Sweetex tin

Wildflower chair

Embroidered seat

Garden retreat

Rustic wood and burlap and baskets

Garden party

Queen Anne

Buntings foreshadow fun! I'm looking forward to the 7th Annual!

Local Thrift Load

I hit thrift store pay dirt the other day! Every Thursday the local thrift store has a fill-a-bag-for-5-dollars sale, and it just so happens that I stuffed 16 delightfully curated garments into a bag and joyfully skipped all the way home! A bright pink circle skirt dress for $0.30? Not too shabby. So now I am in textile heaven drooling over the surface pattern design and texture details of these pieces, altering some, and wearing some as they are!

Plume Bobbin Pen

Ooolala, this is an ideal pen with which to write a love letter! It is crafted of a re-purposed bobbin from a loom (my textile-loving heart just fluttered) and a glamorous ostrich feather. I bought it at the MVTM.

Work Bag

I found this vintage sewing work bag at a fabric rummage sale for $0.25. It's probably from the 1940s. I wonder how many garments were tossed in here and lovingly stitched back together. Make do and mend!

Lace Denim

This old pair of jeans was sitting around and I decided to embellish them with some lace. Then I was trawling through the aisles at Value Village when this cotton lace cardigan caught my eye. It originally had big bell sleeves so I whacked them off and re-purposed them into embellishments for the denim. Voilà!

Delft Tile Tray

I found this mid-century cheese tray at a local thrift store for $1! Frankly, the tiles alone are worth more than that. It was originally medium brown wood, and those little right-hand circles were red magnets, but I covered the whole piece in some coats of Old White Chalk Paint. I might use it as a tray for craft projects, or I might hang it on a wall and secure some fancy knobs into those left-hand circles as hooks.

Either way, I'm in love with the painterly blue and white tiles!

Découpaged Flower Chair

This project began with me hoarding magazine clippings of flowers for 7 years.

I wanted to cover a chair in them, but was waiting for the perfect chair to drop into my life. One day I was driving home and realized it was garbage day in my neighbourhood. I took a detour looking for furniture at curbs and slammed on my breaks when I saw this chair upside down on someone’s lawn. I threw it in the back seat as the neighbours stared, and I smirked gleefully all the way home. The chair has funky mid-century lines. 

I washed it and ripped the decomposing upholstery off the seat; there were 3 layers of atrocity to work through, the crowning glory being this exquisite '70s fabric. Needless to say, ew, that was a task and a half. 

Then I started gluing the flowers to the surface with Mod Podge. 

And gluing...

And gluing...

It took too many hours to count, but it’s exactly the cheerful piece I first imagined oh so long ago!

Here's to the warm and flowery days to come!

Découpaged Musical Stool

Here's the twin to my Franglais Stool--my Musical Stool!

 I découpaged it with sheet music I saved from the trash at a book sale I volunteered at.

Découpaged Franglais Stool

Découpage is great because it totally hides an ugly surface with beauty.

 I picked up this stool at the curb. I think it was a child's chair at some point because I had to fill up those 4 holes at the back of the seat with some wooden dowel stubs. 

 Then I ripped pages out of this French/English dictionary and cut them into strips.

 I used Mod Podge to glue on the clippings, but plan on giving the whole stool a coat of Varathane to protect it.

  Voilà!

(Pssst! The stool has a twin that has yet to be embellished!)

Recent Thrift: Metal Ornaments

I found this switch plate and these metal ornaments at an architectural salvage store. I'm thinking of painting the ornaments (letting some of the metal ridges show through) to use with pretty knobs on furniture.

Reclaimed Jewellery Frame

My friend Meagan made this jewellery hanging piece from a frame she found on the road and a thrifted crocheted pillow cover. She painted the frame with a mix of Antibes Green and Louis Blue Chalk Paint, waxed it, and then used a staple gun to attach the lace. It could be used for displaying cards and such too! Isn't it lovely? Well, hint hint: Meagan will be starting up a furniture refinishing business soon...

Uppercase #24 Scavenger Hunt

Exciting news! Remember my Paper Dress? It's going to be included in the Scavenger Hunt spread of Uppercase Magazine #24! The issue will be coming out in mid-January. In case you are interested in subscribing or renewing your subscription to the glorious magazine that it is, you can celebrate this event by taking $15 off your subscription with the "scavenger" code! The offer is valid until February 28th. Happy ordering!

Decorative Acorns

Why are acorns so darn cute? I've been painting them, covering them in velvet, and stuffing loose caps with colorful felted balls for some seasonal displays.