Fresh Cut Grass....

Who doesn't love the color and ahhhh- the smell of fresh cut grass. Sitting here buried in 2 feet of snow makes me love this Etsy Treasury list even more!

Curated by LaneyStudios, this lovely collection features my Linen Bird Bag. Thanks Laney! You can see the entire list here.

Heart Sessions

I should have been working on a commission today (sorry Emma!) but kept getting distracted by yesterday's post on Rebecca Sowers' blog. I'm joining her in scattering hearts all over our cyber-world. I stitched my heart on linen, with an old Japanese glass heart and antique lace, set in an old pocket watch frame.

These 2 rocks are among my most prized possessions. Given to me by my young son, he found them in a nearby stream. He came home that day, so excited by his treasures, and told me to close my eyes and open my hands. He placed them in my hands and simply said-

"I love you with all my heart"

So it is those simple words spoken by an 8 year old, and 2 found treasures that inspire me and lift my spirits when I'm down.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Pocket Watch Parts & Porcelain Doll Heads

My monthly studio cleaning- you know-when I have to get rid of a few things in order to acquire a few more...I just listed some pocket watch parts and antique German doll parts in Mike's Etsy shop...

This old relic, with the crude inscription "Founded 1929 by Mahlon Lowell" has such a "To Kill a Mockingbird" vibe.

I love the old pocket watch frames- use to frame a photo or small stitched sampler.....

I love this little Shamrock lady- I've never seen one like her......

I'll be listing more doll parts all week so check back!

Haiti By Hand

I came across this Haiti By Hand site last week while reading Rebecca Sower's blog. This was so inspiring to me I just had to spread the word. The Haiti By Hand Etsy shop is accepting items from artists worldwide- when your donated item sells- you send it out & 100% of the money will be donated to the relief and rebuilding efforts in Haiti.

All the details on how you can donate can be found here- it won't cost you a thing! Spread the word! And maybe donate something you made- I did....

Some New Earrings...

New in my Junebugz shop (where everything is under $20) I'm starting to list these earrings.

Made from vintage religious medals and vintage glass beads, these are so affordable you can but one of every color! The little vintage religious medals depict Our Lady, with an assortment of my favorite glass beads.

These square green glass beads are antique African glass....

These are vintage Czech glass....

More tomorrow... Good night!

Snow White & the 7 Dwarfs Linen bag

Inspired by this awesome Snow White ribbon, I made this bag yesterday & just listed it in my Etsy shop. I can't get enough of this designer's ribbon- by Portuguese designer Rosa Pomar. My previous post was about last week's inspiration- which included more of her ribbon.

This will be a limited series of bags- I'll mix up the linen colors & ribbons (you know I HATE to make the same bag twice!) I also just got a big box of my favorite linen in- with a new dove grey color I haven't used before. Maybe before I move on to the vintage crewel textiles I'll play around with the grey.....Yea- that's what I'll do. After tying up a few loose ends, I'll make a grey bag.

Stay Tuned!

What Inspired Me Last Week...

After last week's Plain Dealer article, people were asking me where I get my inspiration. Truth be told, I didn't really know. So I sat in my tiny little studio and looked around. That was it! It's these things I surround myself with....

These things I collect and gather- stacked, put in jars, drawers, tins, wrapped on spools, tacked to walls...These things I find in my travels- fleamarkets, dumpsters, estate sales, auctions......unique, unusual, antique, tattered, unwanted.... I collect fabric, tattered quilts, buttons, millinery, antique lace , antique porcelain dolls, doll parts, doll eyes, kokeshi, vintage glass beads, watch parts, tiny corked vials, French ephemera, vintage wallpaper, ventriloquist dolls (ok- so I only have one), birds' nests, shells, river stones, vintage sequins, beads, more beads.....

This is just a little glimpse of my studio...the shelf above my sewing machine. This batch of ribbon & lace has been my most recent inspiration. I love the whimsy and graphic images. But I get bored easily- so after a few more linen bags with these ribbons, I'm dipping into my stash of wool crewel remnants. More on that in my next post.

Vintage Retro Barkcloth

New in my Etsy shop....I just finished this bag made from my very last bits of this awesome barkcloth print. It's an old Waverly print, very unique. I was always drawn to the geometric print.

It's accented with a removable pin, made from an antique chenille millinery flower. (I've been hoarding these flowers & decided it was time to use some!)

The pin can also be worn on a jacket or lapel.....

You can find it for sale here.

Have a great weekend!

A Few New Bags....

Being famous here in Cleveland yesterday was quite fun (see previous post) but it's back to work! Trying to replenish my inventory for spring, here's a few new bags. This is it for the polka dot series, the linen remnants are no more. I'm running low on the big vintage buttons too!

I'm not a purple person but I really like this bag- I might be keeping this one!

Also a few more birds, and of course the Matryoshkas. Coming soon will be some pillows. I decided to make a small series for those folks who have admired my work but don't want to wear it. Pillows are less of a commitment I think- and who can't use another pillow!

All these bags are now in my Etsy shop. I'll be adding new bags every few days so check back often....

Have a great Thursday- Oh! Doesn't Project Runway new season start tonight?? Can't wait!

People in Style- I'm in the Style Section!

WooHoo! Check out page 3 of the Cleveland Plain Dealer today! There's a wonderful article about me- yes- me! Cleveland journalist Kim Crow called last week, she liked the look of my bags and has been very supportive of local artists. I love the article! (although the picture of me looks distorted! The camera was about 12" away from my face in my tiny studio!)

VERY exciting! You can read the whole thing here. More later- I just wanted to post this today. It's not every day you make the newspaper!