Big Brooch, Little Bag

I am trying to build up my inventory at sewnsunday so that I can bring a bunch of goodies to sell at Textures. Since Christmas, business has been slower and I haven't been sewing as much. Well time to get busy!!! Today I have been working on my Amber Wristlets in various colors using flower brooches that I already had on hand. I have three down and two to go!

Amber Clutch in Aqua

Amber Wristlet in Forest

Amber Wristlet in Forest

Amber Wristlet in Brown Dots

Amber Wristlet in Brown Dots

Soon to be an Amber Wristlet

Soon to be an Amber Wristlet

Front Page this Week

Thanks to halfpintsalvage for creating a retro treasury...it hit the front page on Wednesday with my mod wallpaper. Hip Hip Hooray!

Check out his cool shop. He takes old and vintage items and makes them into cool modern designs. I love his use of old hardware with this cabinet door chalkboard:

Recycled Cabinet Door Chalkboard

Painting and Sewing

I have been painting away on my fabric this weekend.

This is what I have sewn up.

Painted and Stitched with Vintage Buttons

Front

Back

Painted, Stenciled, and Stitched

Graffiti Clutch

I Heart Etsy: Retro Office

I love wasting time searching through etsy for the perfect items for treasuries. Sometimes though I don't like to wait for the magic numbers 222 or 333. Now that I have a blog, I can create personal "treasuries" of my favorite items. These six items are inspired by my latest vintage find...this faux leather briefcase. Here are some great classics that would be the perfect addition to your organizational needs.

Retro Briefcase by gingerscraps

Turquoise Stapler by halfpintsalvage


Postal Scale by TheVintageCabin


Vintage Utility Pencils by SweetLoveVintage

Steel Box by shrimpsaladcircus

Floral Clipboard by AllThingsArtsy

Nine Key Calculator by AMradio

Wanna Make a Keychain?

This past Sunday I spent time catching up on some little sewing projects. I needed to sew some key-chains for the fabulous brick-and-mortar store, Textures. The owner, Maggie, a very kind and creative soul told me they were running low. I thought I'd take a few pictures of the journey from scrap bin to key keeper...

First, I pick sets of coordinating scraps from my large collection.

Then I cut them out in this curvy hourglass shape.

I add some fusible fleece to one side of the pair.

I pin them together and stitch,

leaving an opening for turning the piece.

I trim off the seam allowance to get rid of bulk.

After I turn the piece, I top-stitch around the edge.

Then I sew each piece to a big key ring

and add the final bit...a vintage button.

Finally, they are ready to carry someone's key collection!

Small Packaging

I recently attended a workshop that gave me a great idea for using the scraps from my vintage wallpaper collection. This is just a sample of how I am going to start packaging the little things that I sell in my shops. Fun, fun!

PJ Saturday

Don't you just love Saturday? I have gotten in the really bad habit (or good habit, depending on how you look at it) of spending the whole day in my PJs. I wake up and make myself a big fattening breakfast. Today it was pancakes, bacon, and eggs. I have at least two huge mugs of hot tea and sit down to watch some of my dvr shows. I watched the latest Project Runway and Launch my Line this morning. Then I usually get busy doing chores and hopefully a crafty-type project. Today, while still donning my sheep pajama pants, I got busy on something that I have never done before but have been longing to try forever.

I used a rather large piece of wooden board that has been the canvas for several of my former craft projects. The latest being a painting of a super-sized tropical flower, which had a piece of fun fabric stapled over it because it was not "wall worthy". I used it to create a collage with bits and pieces of vintage wallpaper from my etsy shop, gingerscraps. After I glued down the wallpaper, I got out my paint and stamps and created this 3 ft. by 2 ft. piece.

The inspirational phrase I stamped came from something that I have come to truly believe. That the journey that you have in your life, the things that you choose for yourself and the things that happen to you, all add up to who you become. You should have no regrets for the mistakes, losses, and missed opportunities. You should hold close to your creations, loved ones, and choices. All these things add up to make you who you are. Embrace those things, for they make you, You!

All that to say, I was in my PJs until about 6:45 pm, when I finally took a shower, ate some dinner...and got in some nice clean PJs for the evening.

Leftovers add up to Something Yummy!

I love my fabric scraps. It is so hard for me to throw something out. You never know if you might need a small piece of fabric for a little accessory, applique, or patchwork bag. Last weekend I decided to paint some of my scraps. The little bits and pieces were like mini pieces of art. It wasn't until tonight that I decided what to do with some of them.

A collection of painted scraps

All laid out in a color combo I like

Ready to stitch together

Stitching...

More stitching...

All stitched up

Sewn into a clutch. This is the back.

I appliqued the front a bit because I loved that

piece with the berry sun burst and wanted to highlight it.

The final product. I think I have more fun sewing

scraps than large and perfectly fresh yardage.