Christmas Mannequin

I decorated my "tree" with vintage lace, crinoline, fur, and chandelier crystals!

New Designs in Shop: Cooler Weather

 This is an exciting week! From Monday to Friday I'll be posting about the 28 new designs in the Creatively Graceful Surface Pattern Design Shop! They are available as fabric, wallpaper, and gift wrap as well as cut-and-sew patterns and homewares. Here's some designs for this chillier weather: Apple Pie

Faceted

Autumn Echinacea

Waldeinsamkeit in Winter Woodland

Thrifting Goodies and Collection

 What's in my bag? Well, when I'm at thrift stores, antique fairs, and flea markets, it's the stuff above. My Thrifting Goodies design is in Spoonflower's What's in Your Bag challenge of the week. Here are the other designs in my Collection collection:

 Thrifting Locales

 Ditsy Daisy

 Crystals

 Faded Mod

Milk Glass

Collections

I'm always curious to find out what dear little objects people hold close to their hearts. Often times collections go beyond the typical stamps, marbles, and post cards. I recall reading a magazine article about a man who collects vintage doll heads--yes, (previously detached) heads of dolls that happen to be rolling around flea markets and antique stores--and stores them in a big, fat glass-front cabinet. Personally, if I woke up and saw all those eyes peering at me from the dark I'd squeal in terror, but hey, collections are wonderfully subjective. Here's what I'm drawn to:

 Knobs: I feel like Aunt Clara from Bewitched. Ha! I've been amassing them for future furniture revamps. I've already spruced up the drawers on my two desks and turned a chunk of moulding into a rack of hooks.

 Chandelier crystals: They're sparkly, they're geometric, they're glamorous, and they're a part of the whole Pollyanna optimism mentality. I'll make a chandelier some day.

Doilies: I don't know how to crochet (...yet...), so these ready-to-go bits of lace are great for a variety of projects from collars to buntings. They are readily available and varied in design.

Fabric: If it's pretty, I'll take it. If it's pretty, I'll use it for something. It could be a big chunk or a little chunk and I don't care. I'll turn it into a shirt or tack it to my wall and stare at it. Fabric is my thing. Oh, and a good floral fabric is just too delightful for words.

Vintage sewing patterns: These guys are beautifully illustrated, frameable, and symbolize fashionable potential and former Home Ec glory days. Plus, they can make some cleverly constructed and flattering garments.

Paper: Everything from designer sheets to inspirational magazine clippings to metallic envelope linings makes the cut. I have a box under my bed several inches deep in the glorious stuff; I guess it's an extension of my love for surface pattern design.

Vintage books: In addition to hunting down old editions of classic reads, I'm drawn to books with amusing titles or beautiful illustrations. I also have a mini challenge with myself to find the oldest book possible. My oldest running date is 1887!

Frames: Alas, ornate frames are the closest things I can get to chunks of European architecture. They are arguably even nicer hung empty.
Basically, I love how collections are personal groupings of inspirational objects. They can be used to make more pretty things or they can just be gaped at, but either way a collection gives a collector a little flutter of joy in their search for beauty. What do you collect?

You Rock

"If only you could sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person." 

--Fred Rogers   

Inspiration: Icy Woodland Vignette

Crystal chunks and sweet little animals!

Vintage Find: Crystals and Stamps

I've been wanting to start a collection of chandelier crystals for a long time, but I never seem to find any off the fixture. So when I saw this pair for $5 at an antique store I bought it to start that dream once and for all. I have always wanted to make an elaborate chandelier, although for now I will channel my inner Pollyanna and the sparkly melange will hang by my window.

That same day I also found this nifty British stamp album from the '50s, which I bought for $10. 

Thanks to Mr. James David Crawford I now have a myriad of stamps, from several countries, dating back to the '30s, and '40s. I will use them for various creative projects!