Pretty display.

Today I found this old wooden cigar box at the local antique mall. I love how it's really wide and very flat. I haven't made a final decision yet, but I might apply for this year's Chicago Renegade Craft Fair. If I am accepted, I think this box would be perfect for part of a table display.

Here it is holding some cuffs:

It even has little mechanisms to keep the box locked so it won't spill its contents during transit.

While I was at the antique mall, I also picked up this vintage planter. I'm going to use it for collecting tiny scraps and bits of thread that always end up everywhere when I'm cutting fabric.

I already have a smaller version of the same planter in green that I've been using for years to hold embroidery floss and trim, which you can see in this old photo:

I hope you're all having a great Sunday!

Random things around the house.

It's a nice sunshiney Saturday, but I wish it wasn't so cold outside. I hope you're all having a great weekend!

Consider the stars...

Wrote Virginia Woolf:

When you consider things like the stars, our affairs don't seem to matter very much, do they?

I decided to make this new variation of my consider the stars cuff, just a handful of twinkling stars on a nighttime blue sky background. I think it's such a sweet and powerful sentiment to keep with you all day long. In the shop now.

Thrift store score!

I went to the thrift store on my lunch break yesterday and they were bringing out this vintage chair just as I walked in. It looks kind of gigantic here, but it's really a very dainty chair! It's a super pale celadon green color, and it has that vintage velvety fabric that you can rub in different directions. It was in really great condition and it's pretty comfy, too! I snagged it for $30.00.

It doesn't photograph very well...I think it's much cuter in person!

Also, how cute is this pillow cover?

I got a set of them a long time ago from EmmaDear. I couldn't resist that vintage print!

The mailman was good to me today.

How adorable is this necklace I just got from lauren haupt ?!! I included my ugly hand just so you could see how dainty it is. The tiny wooden "wings" are barely longer than the width of my index finger. I'm sure this will end up being my go-to necklace this summer. I would just love to buy everything from her shop. Plus, the necklace was shipped immediately and got to me so quickly! Thank you so much, Lauren!

P.S. Make sure to enter the amazing giveaway below if you haven't done so yet!

I'll be jealous of the winner- AWESOME giveaway!

Last year I was lucky enough to receive the above drawing of my daughter from the insanely talented Kelley of drawworm. It makes me so happy every time I look at it. She does amazing work!

Kelley has graciously offered to create one 9x12 portrait for one of my readers!! This would make a great Mother's Day gift, don't you think? All you have to do is leave a comment below saying who you'd want Kelley to draw. Oh, and just for fun, she'd love to know if you'd rather be a dog or a cat. I wonder if my readers are mostly cat people or dog people! :D Leave it in the comments!

For an extra entry, tweet, blog or facebook this giveaway and let me know you did so!

I will draw the winning name at 7:30am central time on Wednesday, April 6th.

Here are some more gorgeous examples of Kelley's work:




**Important**
If your comment is from "Anonymous" and you do not leave an email address or webpage where I can contact you, you will not be entered!

Good luck, everyone!

Love is real.

Love is real. Real is love. John Lennon was singing this song in my head the whole time I worked on this cuff today. Speaking of John Lennon, did I ever mention here that I named my daughter, Julia, after this song? Take a listen if you haven't heard it in a while. It never gets old.

P.S. Stick around for the coolest giveaway ever- coming soon!

Lovely light.

Isn't that a gorgeous light?? Usually a giant globe light would be pretty contemporary, but I love the dainty, lacy look of all these vintage doilies arranged in globe form. So lovely! See more here.

I love this.

How perfect is this?! From marthastewart.com: a random assortment of family keepsakes, from a grandfather's spectacles to a baby's christening spoon, takes on a cohesive, deliberate look that's almost Victorian when encased in a delicate glass dome. The little tree is a lightweight branch bought from a florist, then spray-painted matte gold and held upright with epoxy.

I think it makes for a meaninfgul and interesting display. See easy instructions to make your own here.

I can't wait to get sewing!

I got some gorgeous 1930-1950s reproduction fabrics (with the exception of two 1800s repro fabrics) in the mail today. Keep your eyes open for some super cute spring cuffs in the shop soon!

Awww...

It looks like Finn approves of my thrift store blanket!

Thrift store score!

Today on my lunch break I went to a really junky thrift store that I rarely ever visit and I found this great vintage blanket! It would fit a twin bed and it's pretty heavy. So cute!:

It has the same flowers in an orange color scheme on the reverse side:

I really lucked out with this one. $5.00!

Put a bird on it.

I love Portlandia.

New today.

Brand new and ready to ship! In the shop now. :)

Calling all lovers of tiny things...

How cute are these teeny tiny houses and mushrooms?! TheOakLeaves is just about the sweetest shop ever and full of tiny little villages. For some reason, the little houses remind me of the opening pages of Harriet the Spy, where she's playing "Town." Remember? She's outside in the mud pretending the roots of a tree trunk are a mountain, and imagines all these people of the town living near the mountain and all the things they do. Harriet would've loved these.

Thank you, PeskyCatDesigns, as I'm pretty sure I swiped this shop right outta your favorites. :D