Rummage Sale Treasures

Our semi-annual church rummage sale was this past weekend and it did not disappoint. I found a vintage suitcase with a lovely linen lining that was in very good shape.

Some nice old linens..can't resist these.

I just liked the cover of this book. Those cute little Bobbsey Twins.

An old fan from New Brunswick, one of my favorite places.

And the piece de resistance: An old perfectly working typewriter. And here's a funny little story. My teenage daughter was quite interested in how this "thing" worked. She cracked up when she heard the bell and you actually had to push the carriage return. She typed a little and realized how much finger strength was needed. She said, "This is nice Mom but where is the delete key?" These kids have it so easy.

Back from Washington

Back from our "get-away"...just the two of us. We took a train from Bellows Falls, Vermont to Union Station in Washington DC. The Amtrack "Vermonter" runs from St. Albans, VT to Washington once per day. Our segment took 10 1/2 hours. We sat in Business Class and had lots of room. It was fun, like going back in time. Flying is not much fun these days with all the intense security and tight seating so this was definitely different. Sit back and read and nap. I packed us a picnic lunch.

This little station in Bellows Falls (or BF as we call it) is right across the river from Walpole, NH where we live. It is a gem with all the original old benches, lighting and old suitcases stacked up in the corner. I would love to see train travel come back as a popular means of travel. It is a much gentler form of transportation to me.
I love the sound of the train whistle. We hear it all the time at our home and it is the best sound late at night when the freight train comes through. It's a lonely sound I think.
Now, for Washington where neither of us have ever been. I did not have high expectations because I am not a real city person. I was just delighted with this city! It was just beautiful and so packed with cultural activities (mostly free) that my head was spinning! The sidewalks are wide and walkable and there are so many nice places to sit and rest and look around. The museums left me speechless. And the architecture was stunning. I will definitely go back and try to see all the things that I couldn't squeeze in. I ran my husband into the ground and he "surrendered" after the third day with throbbing legs and "museum overload". I think it happened in Natural History while looking at meterorites.

We never did get in to see the treasures inside this building but the architecture outside is fabulous...next time, I guess.
This was the view from our room on Pennsylvania Avenue. At night with all the monuments lit up, it is quite memorable.
We didn't get into the White House (I guess you need like a year's notice to get tickets) but I peeked as best I could. You can actually get up pretty close on the north side near Lafayette Park. I tried to get a glimpse of something....maybe Bo the White House dog frolicking in the yard or the kids playing on the swing set but no luck.

We had a wonderful time at our nation's capitol. I must say I felt like I got my money's worth out of my tax dollars this week!

Signs of Spring

Spring is here and the birds are nesting. Here is a little necklace I made from palest blue freshwater pearls, golden wire and vintage taffeta ribbon in the perfect shade of robin's egg blue.

I found the sweetest wooden boxes at the craft store and decoupaged images of birds from a vintage bird guide book.

Flowers are blooming too...here is a way to create them in fabric and wear them all year long.

Even the fish are jumping (and the cotton is high? a little too early for that I think). The little fishes made from vintage ticking stripe and cottons are filled with sweet smelling lavender buds that I picked up at the Boston Flower Show.

And lastly, the fairies are out and about and have woken up from the winter slumber. Here is a little quilted wall hanging that I created from some of my favorite worn old cottons, woolens, lace and velvet. It hangs from a little french laundry hanger.

More Bunny Luv

More bunnies have been popping up in my studio but I guess that is what bunnies do when you are not looking.

A Taste of Springtime

I had a wonderful taste of Springtime yesterday at my annual trip to the Smith College Bulb Show in Northampton, MA. It is a petite show. Just two old Victorian style greenhouses bursting with bulbs and color. I go for the sight but more for the smell. Rich and earthy with a hint of spice. So needed right now.

Here is a shot of the exterior of these wonderful old greenhouses. You can see what a gray day it was on the outside.....

Such a contrast on the inside! These were a favorite. I love the fringe because of course it reminds me of fabric or vintage paper millinery flowers.

This year we made time to check out a few of the unique thrift/vintage shops in town. This one is called Retro Genie and it was packed to the rafters with vintage clothing and accessories.

Like these fab prom dresses....look at those ruffles!

And this sweet little bride doll in the window.

This taste of spring will have to hold me until the Boston Flower Show at the end of the month and that will have to hold me until real spring comes for good.

Remains of the Day

Can you guess what I'm doing? (besides making a colossal mess). This is me making a Remains of the Day journal. I had signed up for this wonderful on-line workshop by Mary Ann Moss and the idea of using all those little scraps to create unique journal pages really appealed to me because I have boxes of scrappy things that are too good to throw away but what do you do with them? Plus, I save every card/note that was ever sent to me. I thought it would be good to make this stuff into a thing of beauty.

Here is a peek at some of the completed signatures for the book. I used some cool old pages from American Home magazine (1934), old childrens book pages, etc.. Plus she teaches you how to do wonderful things with security envelopes. You will never look at your bills the same way again!

The cover for the journal is patched together from vintage fabric and trims. Here is the back cover.

Here is an inside pocket for collecting trivia.

Cover made from an old quilt square and an image cut from 1940's barkcloth.

Notice the detail of the rick-rack on the tie closure. I had one piece of this and had been saving it for something special. Can you imagine that someone took the time to crochet this edging around a piece of rick-rack? Amazing. I think it came off of an old pillowcase.
Remains of the Day journal all tied up and ready to go. I will take it with me on a trip to Washington DC (my first) and use it to journal about my experiences there. Can't wait.

I was a Winner!

I recently received my winnings from the One World One Heart Blog event. I was lucky enough to win this beautiful decoupaged glove box from Susan of Black Eyed Susan's Kitchen. The box itself is lovely enough but she was so thoughtful to tuck some goodies inside!

A lovely pink heart theme: vintage hankie, handmade Valentine, gorgeous heart crystal, two heart pins and a china heart pomander. The edges of this wonderful box appear to be inlaid. Very beautiful. Thanks so much Susan!