Pillow Love and Adding to the Fabric Collection

Lately I've been embroidering and making fiber collages on some pillows I've made using "new" condition vintage handkerchiefs. They're fun and airy and have a really summery feel-- there are more in the works and they'll go in the new Etsy shop which I will be opening sometime over the next month or so. Details soon to come! There's a 20% off sale in my shop now, 'til June 7.

Black corduroy, fringed linen, crewel upholstery fabric, brushed cotton, polished cotton, 

vintage eyelet pettticoat

 Beat up Battenburg lace tablecloth--the stuff of dreams!

Must take advantage of yard sales before it gets too hot around here to even venture outdoors after 10 am. My daughter picked out some great Motown and jazz records at one, and I scored all the sewing goodness including fabrics and trims above at another for $1!! Makes up for the overpriced local estate sale/auction companies who will remain nameless here.

Hope your thrifting adventures have been wonderful this weekend. Check out Her Library Adventures for more inspiration!

Weekend Finds Continued

I saved the best for last--a very old typewriter from the local pharmacy used
to type the labels for prescriptions...

This isn't from a garage sale, it was one of my favorite beach finds in Martha's Vineyard! I think it came from a private island west of MV belonging to the Forbes family.

Not especially exciting, but these wooden things will certainly come in handy at some point--isn't that the whole reason we do this, besides the thrill of the chase? Finding a pair of old gilt frames is unusual, though. And old yardsticks are always cool.

This is a hot plate from a chemistry lab that goes up to 600 degrees F.
Ready for some mad science?

Weekend Finds

Already at home in their new place, the 70's globe bookends.

Various useful and not so useful things. The brush on the right is like a great one I already have that I absolutely adore for painting trim! The black thing in the middle is a portable music notebook full of music on paper. Old cards are always handy, one must polish one's jewelry, metal bits and bobs are indispensable. Oh, and shouldn't everyone own red and white mushrooms on a twist tie from the 70's?

An old milk crate with some various metal delights. The ancient license plates were dug up on the guy's land which used to be a dump for old cars. They found lots of old bottles too. I don't understand why our land didn't have (m)any treasures as we have definitely dug around everywhere.

Just Broaching the Subject

Recent acquisitions

Are most artists into collecting stuff? To me, that's part of of who I am, although it's often a love/hate relationship. Sometimes I envy those who don't create because their lives and homes seem simpler. But they do border on sterile, at least that's how my life would seem if every thought and action didn't somehow seem to involve making something. I'm not going to lie, making money is among those thoughts (and on a good day, actions). Mainly a question of survival/freedom so I can create!

One of my favorite quotes (albeit deliciously cynical) is from Frank Zappa:
"An artist is someone who makes something from nothing and sells it for a lot of money."