Valentine flowers.
It’s Yellow Week over at House on Hill Road and beyond.
Yellow Week :: Day 1 February 16, 2009
I am participating in House on Hill Road’s Yellow Week.
Yellow will be a challenge for me.
It’s not a color I gravitate towards but am starting to appreciate it’s cheerful pop more & more.
This shot was taken ttv, shot with my Nikon through the viewfinder of my vintage Kodak Duaflex. It’s a process that is extremely satisfying to me. Combining modern technology with the vintage I adore.
In order to make it work you need to shoot through a “sleeve”.
I constructed mine out of cardboard and hella duct tape.
There are many more fetching contraptions out there but this one does the job.
Here’s a link to the TTV Flickr Group for more information and inspiration.
Alphabet Sunday :: Letter O February 15, 2009
Lauren says, O is for Opportunity:
*Wishing you a safe and mind expanding trip to Matenwa Lauren!
Tracey says, O is for Oh:
Quick Valentine Idea February 14, 2009
I am coming late with the Valentine ideas but here is a fun card to make.
I made these a few years back, in my Get Crafty days, and just found the photo in the depths of my Flickr sets.
I printed vintage Bollywood posters then use repurposed cardboard and I sewed them sandwiched with vinyl. Finally, I punched some grommets in the corners to hang the cute little cheap Valentines.
And here are the presents we gave to my son’s teachers today. He glittered up some wooden IKEA frames and picked out a vintage Valentine for each teacher from the shop. I forgot to take a photo of them before I wrapped them.
I was laughing at how many non-laundry uses I seem to find lately for clothespins. I love these little mini ones that I used to fasten the photo card to the package.
I am trying my hand at making some Valentine chocolates tomorrow. Will report back.
I am a posting MACHINE this week.
Vintage Photo Friday February 13, 2009
I forgot about Vintage Photo Friday! I am sure that you didn’t though. You must have worried yourself sick, checking back every few minutes compulsively to see if I had updated. Fret no more!
Today I present a couple of vintage photos of my Granny taken when she came to visit me when I was born in Bangkok, Thailand, 1969.
I was talking with my dad on the photo while uploading these photos (my kind of multitasking, blogging and talking on the phone instead of say, folding laundry and making dinner) and I realized that my dad and I found the dress my Granny is wearing in these shots while I was home in December. We were sorting through the behemoth collection of items stored in my Granddaddy’s old antique store when we came across it. I brought it home intending to sell it in my shop but am glad I didn’t get around to it!
Look how happy my Granny looks! How brave it was of this woman to travel all the way around the world by herself. I believe it was the first time she had left the state of NC. I will be keeping the dress!
And of course I used some of her clothespins to pin it to my window hanging! I really do wish she were alive and I could bring her here for dinner to meet the children, ask her stories and of course to take more photos of her.
Here are a few pages from her scrapbook of her visit to Thailand.
That yucky bit is a very vintage stick of gum.
I am lucky I come from a long line of savers. I feel like I have such rich pieces of family history and heritage and I wish all my grandparents knew how much I appreciate and value them.
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And please check out Shannon at Pineapples & Artichokes
I am so glad that she is joining me in Vintage Photo Friday. Let me know if you would like to play along and I will link to your blog. Cheers!
Quick “Homemade” Valentine
I love a good handmade Valentine and so does my son. For the first 3 and then he runs out of interest and our lovely Valentine making project turns into a battle, “Just 15 more to go. Come ON!” Not in the spirit, huh? This year I was prepared. My son set up a scene in my light box with his favorite stuffed animal and a background he drew. He spelled out his name in candy hearts (I covered them with big fake ones for the blog, you get the idea) . I gave him full artistic license and he took the photo himself. We messed around with Picnik and he added the peace sign and double “gritty” to the original photo. We sent it off to Snapfish and then presto we got “homemade” Valentine cards delivered to our door soon afterward.
So it may be too late for you this year. I’m talking to you tired mom with glitter glued to her finger tips!
But tuck this idea away for next year. It’s a winner!
Happy Valentine’s making to you and yours.
Fight the Power February 12, 2009
My super cool friend from college, Becca, is full of great ideas!
She has a fun etsy shop: Treehouse Togs. And yesterday she was on TEE VEE!
I can not figure out how to stick the video in the blog but here is the link. (Anyone know how?) She was interviewed as a small business owner reacting to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. Check it out, it’s informative.
I just found out that the law would make it illegal to sell vintage children’s books! Are you NUTS? So the thrift store will no longer sell them to me? So I can no longer sell them to you? I know I’m coming late to the party, but I am outraged and a little scared!
***And on another note, thank you all for your fabulous ideas for the auction. I think I have a plan (but am still accepting your sage advice) and look forward to sharing the finished product with you.
Your Brain, Please February 11, 2009
You are all the craftiest folks I know and I could use your help! If you are a friend, a reader, a commenter, a lurker, a stumbler, or just an other; I need to pick your brains.
Here is the deal, every class at my son’s school decorates 1 chair which is then put up for auction to raise money for the school. I was asked to be responsible for the K chair. I was thrilled and flattered! I picked this wonderful (but in retrospect more work!) vintage desk and chair.
My first ideas were:
-sort of decoupage but of what? The children?
-A stencil of words to describe the school.
-Chalk board paint and…?
– a paint by numbers kind of thing. I am thinking about using a photo of the AMAZING teachers (which would open up bidding to other grades and not be so specific to the parents in this current K) A friend suggested I use the Obamicon but it didn’t quite come out right.
-My very first idea was to have the kids rip strips of fabric and weave it in the slats of the chair but while I like the symbolism I think it would look a mess.
My sense is that in the past the children have had varying levels of participation. I was hoping the woodshop teacher would let me bring in the pieces so the kids could help sand as a choice during woodshop. And hopefully they could be involved a little bit more than that as well.
Any ideas? Links? Suggestions? Half formed visions? Exact drawn out plans? I welcome any and all suggestions. PLEASE HELP.
Oi vey, I am starting to panic.
A Perfect Afternoon February 9, 2009
One of my favorite times is when my little one wakes up from his nap. (Okay, there are times it is hard to pull myself off the computer, put down my book or stop sewing but even then I am happy he is safe and up and looking for me!) Sometimes I can hear the fast pitter patter of his feet running down the hallway but my favorite times he calls out, “Mommy”, and I go in and get some sugar. Today was perfect. The boys and I spent a good part of yesterday cleaning, organizing and revamping their bedroom. If felt good to go into a clean room and I could tell he felt like staying put. The pile of books he stacked by the bed was a big clue. We snuggled, read, looked at photo albums and then I ran for the camera.
The drawing was done by a 6 year old he idolizes. She is the daughter of a good friend and a friend to my oldest since they were babies in playgroup. She made it for him and we’ve hung it up on the bottom slates of the upper bunk. It’s very sweet. The cloud fabric pockets (second from bottom right) hung on his crib and yesterday we put them up at the foot of his bed to make the bottom bunk a little more cozy and comfy and less like the little brother dungeon. You can also see the remnants of the robot wall stickers, he peeled 3 off the first night they were up.
After reading and drawing we played the postcard game. My parents do a great job of sending the boys postcards when they travel and the boys have saved them all. I bought a pocket chart at the $1 section of Target and both boys enjoy putting them up and rearranging them. A new “game” my youngest likes to play is planning to go or avoid the places depicted on the cards. Today he showed me the dolphin postcard from Florida and said, “I no want go there. Too loud.” The cavern postcard also got the pass, “I no go there. Too dark!” but he was very excited about the old mill which he mistook for a mall, “Have duckie in there?” He is a sucker for rubber duckies.
I think the possibility of going back to work is on my mind and I’m treasure moments like this afternoon even more.
So thank you little one for a perfect afternoon of laughs and learning together.
Alphabet Sunday :: N February 8, 2009
Lauren says N is for Nostalgic:
Tracey says, N is for Nesting:
