A new week starting after a busy one last week.

This week I am blogging after I have listed all these items on the store. Unusual for me, but that's the way the week went. So many fun things found thrift shopping.

Many vintage pillow cases. Bright colors, mostly standard size, some cotton, mostly cotton and polyester and amazingly all floral patterns. Just love it when we find these.

A beautiful Vera sheet. Blue with more flowers and yellow butterflies. It was a good week for finding vintage linens.

We found NIP pillow forms, statutes of Mary, vintage ice cube trays, coin bank and wire baskets to aid in the organization of the apartment. The blue Bar Code Pyrex was listed and SOLD within 18 hours of listing. Great find going to a new home. 

It was a week of finding many different vintage items. Home made pink doilies with a baby blue edge, a vintage plastic Madonna and child and this NIP, made in Japan cheese and cracker tray just to post a few of the finds. It was a fun week. I know it's a full time job being an on line re seller, but finding and learning about some of these items makes it fun. 

All of these items are listed on poetcharms.etsy.com so stop by and check out all the items newly listed.

Thrifting, sewing and spending time with family

"The most important things in life are not things." I have loved this statement ever since I heard it quite a few years ago. Last week I got to spend some special time with two of the most wonderful boys in the world. The two boys are my grandsons and we cherished the time we had together. They will be back in school soon, playing football and studying and the time we have together will be less. I am grateful for Facebook so that we can stay in touch.

We did some thrift shopping and flea markets together with my daughter (Auntie) and they found everything from sports shorts and sweat shirts to video games, board games, and books. We ate out, walked parks, saw movies and played video games. I didn't take pictures of the clothes and things they found, but they are getting to be great thrift shoppers. It's fun to just let them go and grow.

The boy's mom (my younger daughter) referred us to a recycle shop in town an we took the time to go look. I found some things I could use.

First I found a barrel full of bubble wrap. The shop charges by the bag so I proceeded to fill this $3.00 bag. All you can fill in the bag for yes, $3.00. They have different size bags, but I emptied the barrel and kept looking around. It was all hit and miss, but it was worth it.

I also found a bundle of plastic bags that I can use to package my fabric once it's been listed on the stores. They also fit in the $3 bag.

I found a bag with all of these hooks in it and it also fit in the bag. I really didn't have use for them, but I knew I could list them on my store. butterflyplace.etsy.com.  These also fit in the $3 bag. It doesn't look like a lot, but at the cost of bubble wrap and plastic bags to me it was the ultimate find. The hooks are already listed for $3 so hopefully I will recover the money spent to go back in a couple of weeks. 

My daughter found thrift items for our apartment and they are very colorful.

She found two yellow hand towels and two orange wash clothes for our totally orange and yellow vintage thrifty bathroom. The bathroom doesn't have a window, so we needed to make it bright. I know we succeeded. She found two lime green Pyrex bowls to add to her aqua and green kitchen and a yellow Pyrex dish to brighten things up. Her colors are aqua, green, orange and yellow. So far from my primary colors. She found many other items too and we will be working on taking pictures and listing them on her store, poetcharms.etsy.com.

Last but not least for today's blog is the finished product from the cutting table. Cowgirl pot holders. Couldn't believe that I got the pattern to work, but here they are and they are already listed on the store. I love spending time sewing. I think that's where I belong. 

Until next post I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

On the cutting board this week.

Yesterday was Sew Therapy Day. I need more of these days. I am working on a prototype for a new project and after several tries this is what I have so far. This is just a teaser. I'll show the final result and what it is when it's finished. Hopefully soon.

Cowgirl Something.

Thrift shopping with my daughter.

We haven't done a lot of thrift shopping recently because there have been other major things going on and we have so much to work with already. We had a 30% off coupon to Savers from all of the donations we have been making and had more to drop off, so we decided to go look around. This is what we found. 



A two yard piece of vintage alphabet fabric, a Raggedy Ann and Andy Sheet and a geometric print sheet which conjures up all sorts of ideas.

A mustard yellow, orange and white floral sheet which is my favorite find, some white cotton valences with a crocheted lace which I am going to use for an up cycle sewing project, a few vintage doilies and two orange and yellow vintage wash clothes for our thrifty vintage bathroom.

Add to those finds these blue and pink floral sheets and what a wonderfully bright collection of linens to add to our over grown stash.

In the glassware we found a vintage Pyrex oval bowl with lid and a lovely mid century modern pitcher made in Japan. Not much, but the time with family was great and I look forward to many more outings. Please stop by the shops to see all the new listing. Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful week.

poetcharms.etsy.com
butterflyplace.etsy.com
butterflyplace.storenvy.com

I like aprons.

My daughter and I just love sewing and aprons have been a big part of that love.

 

 

 

Recently I made this sheer apron out of an up cycled curtain panel and some fruit print fabric for pockets. It was made just for fun and to keep one curtain panel out of the landfill. I also reclaimed some trim from a second curtain panel. Some times we just have to get those ideas out of our heads.

 

 

 

I also made this one out of denim. I like the durability of denim and I added just some simple eyelet lace around the bottom. Fancy isn't usually my game, but lately I just need to fem it up a bit.

At the following sites are two of my daughters funky fabric aprons. I love these too.

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/50480811/egg-stordinary-vintage-waverly-fabric

https://www.etsy.com/listing/50554502/whats-cookin-very-retro-reproduction?ref=shop_home_active

 

Stop by the stores and see what's new.

butterflyplace.etsy.com

butterflyplace.storenvy.com

poetcharms.etsy.com

 

We sure hope that if you're creative you have the time to make it happen. Have a wonderful week everyone.

 

 

 

 





Using my thrift finds.

I thrift many fabrics because I am obsessed with it, but I have come to the conclusion that I will never use my accumulations in my lifetime. I've been cleaning it out and offering some to friends, donating to good causes and listing most for sale. Since my daughters remade my sewing space for me I have made the time to actually sew. Getting some of my ideas out of my head and just having some fun. I have been sewing since I was seven years old and I still enjoy it.

 

This weekend:

 

 

I cut oven mitts and potholders out of vintage reclaimed fabric. I'm in love with this fruit pattern and lately I've been making things for myself. I've got to find a few more thrifted packages of double fold bias tape for this project. Then it was time to create a soft toy out of all the pieces of scrap that has been accumulating. Also trying to use up a shoe box full of rick rack.

I'm pleased with the result and will be listing these on my store, butterflyplace.etsy.com, and see what happens.

 

 

 

I hope every one has a wonderful week.

 





In all my years.

Canning is second nature to me. Or is it?

Failed Strawberry Jam.

Imagine my shock.

 

So with strawberries being so reasonable and my last jar of jam gone, I decided to make some more. I have been canning and putting food by for about forty years now and this is my first ever failed batch of jam. By failed I mean that it didn't set. Not fatal and I know I can make it over. But...

 

 

Imagine my delight.

After thinking it over for a while I decided it wasn't failure at all. I will set them aside in the pantry and use it for special things. Strawberry shortcake through the winter, cheesecake topping, ice cream topping and even some for atop home made waffles. Being so sweet I may have to add a few fresh strawberries with them, but for now I have strawberry GOLD.





A few thrift finds this week.

 

Vintage items found this week.

 

 

It's not that there are so few items to be found out there because if I had the room to store things I could make this a booming business. I think this will come in time, but for today taking one moment at a time is the best I can do. First find was a leather purse handle. It's 24 inches long and although it's not vintage it will make a beautiful addition to any home made purse. My first vintage find were these waxed paper stencils used with window wax to decorate for the holidays. Admitting that I used  these, ages me and age is a number not my life. I have a lot of living left to do.

 

 

Then there was this lovely set of Wamsutta rainbow and clouds sheets. These seem to sell quickly on etsy. There was also this lovely 1950's Vera scarf.  It has her famous lady bug trademark on it. The camera will not do it justice. It is dark purple and pink not the blue that the camera is picking up. I have some friends that will be helping me get better pictures so that it can be listed.
That's about all for today. I have some growing and marketing to get done, but I wanted to get this post done and stay up with everyone. I hope everyone has a wonderful week and I'll be watching my blogs list to see what everyone else is up to.

Visit poetcharms.etsy.com to see all her new listings including some of the above items.



Lots of things been going on.

 

I wanted to learn a new craft and the library was having a brown egg etching class. It was so fun. You can tell that we're not expert, but if I wanted to do it again it's not expensive.

 

Thrift Finds

 

 

Just a few items found at one short stop. Include is a set of four playing card themed napkins now listed on poetcharms.etsy.com. Also found were two sets of vintage K-Mart post card books. One featured Christmas music and another woodland creatures. Also found was a Ben Seibal bowl by Iroquois. It is a dusty aqua color with a white interior.

 

 

 

From the sewing room we continue to up cycle reclaimed fabrics. Created this week were some cotton coasters and we cut out oven mitts and pot holders. Cutting things down makes more space available and things are ready to get to when the time is available. Now that all the graduations are behind us and we have some more time to enjoy summer, maybe we can get to some more thrifting and do some of the things we like doing.

My Daughters have given me a new start.

36 Square Feet to CREATE

 

 

My official address has changed and my eldest daughter is taking good care of me. This past weekend my younger daughter gave me the stacking shelf where my fabric is stored. My eldest daughter put together this 36 square foot  sewing center for me after convincing the landlord to take out a closet door. We found a corner desk for $10 at a flea market and I was in business.

 

 

We have utilized as much space as possible. The corner desk had shelves on either side and she hung a thread rack for me so that everything I need to start over is within reach. I have hung some art work from my best gal in CA and some other funky stuff to make it mine.

 

 

The corner desk worked out perfect for my serger and serger thread. I have a few more things to hang on the wall, but I am the most blessed woman in the world to have such wonderful children. It amazes me that I could have such a wonderful work space in just 36 square feet. I even have room for shelves on the wall if I need them. So as far as I'm concerned waking up this morning, June 17, 2013 is the start of a whole new life. I hope everyone has a great week.

 

Thrifty finds with friends.

Vintage linens found include fruit print cotton towels, a yellow towel for the vintage bathroom and floral pillowcase.

 

 

We found vintage orange fabric, doilies and dresser scarfs.

 

 

 

Some simply wonderful vintage sheets were found along with some Dansk Gourmet Design fish shaped hot plates or wall hangings. We found some vintage recipe cards from Current and four Pear shaped dishes that may have been part of something else, but would make a lovely afternoon desert dish. Find some of these items listed on poetcharms.etsy.com. This store has some of the nicest home made bags and fun bags too.

Please stop by the Craftzone Facebook page and like http://www.facebook.com/TheCraftZone1

Have a great week everyone.

 



New listings on one of my favorite stores

 

 

Up cycled Bo Ho Bag

Stop by and see the happenings at poetcharms.etsy.com .

 

 

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/153069442/boho-bag

 

The Path

Where is this path leading?

 

With summer just around the corner it was time to take the time to figure out where my path was headed. I spent some time at the lake shore enjoying the newness of life. Breathing the fresh cool air and trying to find some inkling of an answer as to where I am headed. Today's path took me to the shore of lake Ontario.

 

 

 

Checking out the beach and enjoying the blue view.

 

 

The path took me through the park where trees older than I led me to admit that they are wiser and more understanding of the world than I. Like soldiers they shelter us from the sun and clouds.

 

 

They shelter the paths and roads like covered bridges. A natural protection from the encroaching world. These trees much older than I have no plans, don't fight their destiny and don't even worry.

 

 

Today's path took me past natural art. A tree fallen and assumed gone, but still giving beauty to any one who takes the time to look.

 

 

 

It led me past wild bushes displaying their magnificent flowers. How could I not stop and take the time to see? After all this was where the path had led.

 

 

It took me past the meadows where the deer had just walked through. It helped me smell the newness and hear the nature that surrounded me. It was a short path to travel today but it gave me insight into what I need for me. I will not worry, fight my destiny and I will stand like a soldier and enjoy the path no matter where it takes me.