More Leather Beaded Bracelets

I just finished a new series of leather & vintage bead bracelets...designed to wrap around your wrist 3 times. Mostly one-of-a-kind, I use vintage religious medals, antique lace, and my new "Evil Eyes" (lower left).

I'm starting to make some of these a bit simpler, without the brass studs. Not all will make it to my Etsy shop~ but you can find these here.

I'll be back in a few days. With the school year winding down I have a lot to catch up on at home. AND my garden! I can't wait to dig in the dirt again!

Mustard & Burgundy

Here's a little snapshot of an Etsy Treasury East that includes one of my house pillows~ curated by BlueForestJewellery. It's a beautiful collection called Mustard & Burgundy~ you can see the whole collection here.

I can't stop making these pillows! Here's a few more new in the shop...

I like the 70's brown & orange theme here....

That's all I got- more tomorrow~

...A Few More Leather Wrap Bracelets...

I just listed a few more leather wrap bracelets in my Etsy shop. This black leather bracelet features a vintage brass locket and vintage glass beads. It's two-of-a-kind~ you can find it here.

The brass locket really opens! I like the contrast between the feminine beads & masculine leather. I sell the heck out of these at shows. It's hard show them online because you really have to try them on to get the full effect. Some are very simple and some are jingly like a charm bracelet.

In this teal glass beaded bracelet I mixed new teal beads with antique African trade beads & a vintage transit token. You can find it here.

This last one is part of a wholesale order- I'm just showing off :) I used vintage Haskell-style beads and a vintage glass shell bead.

That's all. Coming up~ new pillow designs.

Have a great weekend!

Petite Vintage Fabric Birdhouses...

More Petite Vintage Fabric Birdhouses in my Etsy shop. I made a dozen or so of these last spring and they were very popular. I enjoy making these but it turns my studio up-side-down.

I organize all the scraps of vintage quilts fabric I can't throw away, all the little bits of "stuff". These are like 3D collages- very fun but labor intensive.

I was inspired to make more this spring because a woman contacted me wanting to purchase a few to decorate her baby's nursery. How could I resist?

I just listed 9 in my shop- all one-of-a-kind using bits of old quilt fabric. Each birdhouse has a little mother-of-pearl bird bead perched on the top.

Whew! I made my (self-imposed) deadline. What next? More pillows of course- butterfly and octopus- (after a few more custom orders).

Have a look at my new Petite Vintage Fabric Birdhouses here in my Etsy shop.

I'm off to watch Project Runway~ Have a good night!

Little Vintage Patchwork Bags

I think I might be obsessed with vintage quilts. I have so many of these vintage quilt squares I have to start using them. I blogged about these last month- I started making them to stock up for summer shows.....

Each one has a different front and back pattern, with cotton crochet lace trim, a hidden magnet closure, and a vintage button.

I use mine as a camera bag- or when I only need to carry a few things.

My niece uses hers to carry little toys around- for only $12 you can get a few.

I listed a few here, here, here, and here in my Etsy shop.

I'll be back Fri. with my birdhouses.

More Vintage Fabric House Pillows....

I LOVE making my house pillows because it satisfies the quilter in me. Here's a sampling of a productive weekend's work~ rainy days in the studio.

All pillows are machine appliqued on linen with raw edges- using mostly fabrics from vintage quilt tops. This black one is my new favorite. I'll be listing it in my Etsy shop later today.

I started adding the little Russian Matryoshkas to the houses- do you like? Just a little variation- you can find it here in my shop.

This burgundy one was inspired by a special order. My friend wanted one with teals and burgundy, so I made a few in this color palette. I used a few vintage hankies...find it here.

Another with Matryoshkas....

...and I'll list this one later today in my Etsy shop.

I'm off to make little birdhouses. Have a great day!

New Work for Summer Shows...

Here's a sneak peak at a few new bracelets I made. It's that time to start building inventory for summer shows. I love putting my sewing machine away for a week or 2 to make more of my leather wrap bracelets. Just the right combination of feminine & masculine...

Mostly one-of-a-kind, these leather & vintage bead bracelets are designed to wrap around your wrist 3 times. An eclectic mix of vintage glass beads & semi precious stones, vintage brass studs, old train tokens & religious medals. This vintage German cobalt blue glass beaded bracelet is available in my Etsy shop here...

I love the vintage glass beads on this bracelet- they remind me of pine cones- combined with black leather and other vintage trinkets- available here.

This one is a mix of vintage glass beads, quartz, carnelian, and a vintage Catholic medal. I might keep this one :)

Photos don't do this bracelet justice- it's a best seller at shows. A fun mix of vintage glass ladybugs and brass charms- in my shop here.

Well- off to work! After my special orders I'll be making more of my little fabric birdhouses- hopefully later this week. That's always a flurry of fabric scraps everywhere!

Have an inspiring day!

Antique Dresden...

Who does this by hand anymore? Is hand quilting a lost art? Don't get me wrong- I LOVE my sewing machine, & I especially love the satisfaction of completing a project (which is why I'm not a quilter)....

I have always admired my Mom for being able to work on the same quilt for months- sometimes years! I would lose interest and have to move on. Is that just me or my generation?

I've been making pillows from my overflowing collection of antique quilt pieces- wonderful old feedsack prints and ticking. While pondering these hand quilted pieces late last night it hit me! Why are there so many vintage quilt squares and pieces out there at auctions and estate sales?

Is it because there were a lot of women like me in the 40's & 50's? Spend 2 months on 12 Dresden Plates and maybe it's time to move on? Tuck them away in the hope chest- in hopes that some day they will become a quilt......

...or perhaps a pillow! Could there be a woman up there smiling down as you read this- happy that we're enjoying her work? (or did I just stay up too late last night?)

I'll be listing more Dresden pillows in my Etsy shop all this week.

Happy Tuesday!

More House Pillows....

More house pillows this week- so much fun to make. I'll be listing these and a few more as time allows in my Etsy shop. (I always forget how long it takes to do photography, edit, upload, etc. while trying to help with homework, start dinner, etc.)

All my pillows are one-of-a-kind, using mostly vintage fabrics salvaged from old quilt tops. They're stitched on linen, and embellished with bits of antique lace and trims.

I used to have a hard time cutting up these old quilts, but most were damaged or stained. The variety of prints is amazing and the colors still vibrant.....

These teal and brown pillows are the first in the "Picket Fence" series.

More tomorrow.. I have a few Dresden pillows to share...

Have a great evening!

Crazy Busy!

So I come home Easter Sunday evening from family festivities with a flurry of activity in my Etsy shop. 3 of my Vintage Fabric House pillows sold, a linen bag, and 14 messages requesting more house pillows. Wow- I've been on Etsy's front page before- but never had sales like this.

I finally found my House Pillow featured in the Etsy Daily Finds- a daily email featuring themed items from a variety of shops.

These 2 pillows have had so many special order requests to keep me busy for awhile :) Each pillow is one-of-a-kind- featuring mostly vintage feedsack cottons from my collection of salvaged quilts. I also had a few requests for custom house pillows- using the style & color of someone's own house- how fun!

Thank you Etsy!!!