Saturday, May 30, 2009

Cottage Charm Giveway Results!

Thanks to Kim of One Woman's Cottage Life for sponsoring the Cottage Charm Giveaway! I had a great time reading so many new blogs and discovering new shops!

I had 104 entries and used a random number generator for my results:

Congratulations go to the 34th poster - Sadie Lou!
You can check our her shop here!

Friday, May 29, 2009

Turning Five


I can't believe that my baby turns five today! She's growing so fast! She is celebrating today in her birthday dress - one of my first purchases on Etsy. It's a bit shorter than last year, but still super cute!


RockabyeRetro was so sweet and helpful with my custom order, I just knew that Etsy would be a great place for me. She let me pick the length of the skirt, move it to the top instead of underneath, and picked out the best color for the bodice. And the matching button hair ties are the best!


She designs outfits for so many occasions I'm sure that you can find the perfect thing for your little one, too!

Friday, May 8, 2009

Vintage Pillowcase Project Ideas - Finale

Of course you can use a vintage pillowcase to make anything that you would normally use simple fabric yardage for and I enjoy using things that have already had a life.


Two more projects in the works are a craft apron for my little one and liners for those toy baskets! She loves yellow!

Leaving you with my favorite, mostly because the fabric is so gorgeous, but also because I love how the ribbon and lace look like they were always meant to go with the dress (and I found them stashed away in my closet!).




Thursday, May 7, 2009

Vintage Pillowcase Project Idea, part 2!

One of my very favorite things I have made and even mention in my profile is a valance for my daughter's window.


My great-grandmother made this absolutely perfect floral pillowcase with a ruffle and a bit of trim (like seam binding) along the edge and made into a bow.

After much debate with myself, I decided folded up in drawer was just silly and not what my great-grandmother would have wanted, so I very carefully ripped out the seams so it was a flat rectangle of fabric (with a ruffle, of course!). I made a lining for it with an opening at the top of the sides to thread the curtain rod through.


I found a discounted rod at PBK, glued some sparkly cupboard knobs to the ends, dug through my closets and came up with some sheer ribbon to tie the fabric up and turn it into a sweet, girly-girl valance!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Vintage Pillowcase Project Ideas

What do you do with pretty vintage pillowcases?


One of my favorite sellers on Etsy, SoSoRosey, makes sweet little bowls.


And a couple of posts back, I showed a rug that I made with a cut-up sheet and a cut-up "not-so-pretty" vintage pillowcase. (It's the pale blue-green stripe.)



Of course, you can just use it as a pillowcase, but some are way too pretty to hide under the covers.

This is what I did with a vintage 60s or 70s pillowcase. It was a long one, so I was able to make 2 pieces - my little one loves it! The shorts are low-rise, but that kind of goes with the 70s theme anyway!


I'll post some more projects later in the week! In the meantime . . . what have you made out of a vintage pillowcase?

Monday, May 4, 2009

Buttons, Buttons, Buttons!!!

I can't believe it!


My mom just brought over a tub of buttons that she rescued from my grandmother's old house. They are caked in dust, but there are metal buttons, wooden buttons, "plastic" buttons, and even an old U.S. Army button - wonder if it was my grandfather's?

One square Czech glass button, too!

I sorted out the plastic ones and am getting ready to scrub the layers off, but here are just a few that I had to show - love the colors! I'm guessing they are mostly from the 50s?

And a couple of buckles, too - I have no idea what they used to buckle, but they are so sweet and dainty!