Vintage sheets

My mom, sister and I have a tradition of going out to yard sales together the Saturday before Mothers Day in order to spend some quality time together doing something we all love to do. I usually make out a map and I or my sister will drive. We like different things and its is fun to see what we all think is interesting enough to buy. Afterwards my mom will pick a  restaurant and we will visit over lunch. It is one of my favorite things to do all year.

Last year we stopped at an estate sale and my sister chose a sheet and commented that if it did not fit her bed she would sell it. I asked her about it and found out there are several groups online that are for collectors of vintage linens. Initially I was surprised. Old sheets, who knew? Fast forward a couple months and I was looking for some sheets for my own bed. I was having a hard time finding anything I liked that wasn't out of my price range. I remembered that conversation and decided to look for myself what kind of sheets would be available. I was pleasantly surprised to see such a range of colors and patterns. The prices range about as much as the choices. I found a Facebook page to follow and studied what was on trend and popular before venturing out on my own to find some of these pieces "in the wild." 

Although my local area boasts a variety of thrift stores, the best selection for vintage sheets is at the Goodwill. I try to stop by once a week to see what they have to offer. It has refueled my passion for resale, finding new and interesting items to share. If you are interested in learning more on vintage sheets, this is the Facebook page I follow: https://www.facebook.com/groups/817573291645843/

If you are interested in seeing the sheets I have available in my etsy store, you can click the gallery to your right. 

Lost Lake - a novel

I just recently finished this novel and it was like an after-dinner treat. Not entirely unexpected but still refreshing in that it takes your mind off of the world for a short while. Isn't that what hobbies should be about?

The first time she saw Lost Lake, it was just a picture on a postcard, but she knew she was seeing her future. That was half a lifetime ago. Now all that's left is a once-charming collection of lakeside cabins succumbing to the Southern Georgia heat and damp, and an assortment of faithful misfits drawn back to Lost Lake year after year by their own secret dreams and desires. It's not quite enough to keep Eby Pim from selling up and calling this her final summer at the lake. Until one last chance at family knocks on her door. Kate spent her best summer at Lost Lake, at the age of twelve, before she learned of loneliness, and heartbreak, and loss. Perhaps, if she returns, her young daughter can cling to her own childhood for just a little longer...and maybe Kate herself can rediscover something that slipped through her fingers so long ago. One by one, people find their way to Lost Lake, looking for something: a second chance, a mystery solved, a heart mended. Can they find what they need before it's too late? In this atmospheric and enchanting novel, Sarah Addison Allen illuminates the secret longings and the everyday magic that wait to be discovered in the unlikeliest of places. - Amazon

There are a few mystical elements that I felt were unnecessary and unsubstantiated and one in particular that was used to pull the heart strings. While the ending was mostly predictable, it was a sweet read for a couple afternoons.

Happy Package

My package of hope came in the mail - as in my seeds, because isn't that what you are planting along with them? Hope for a lovely garden, healthy plants and a decent harvest. I am trying some new things this year.
Last season we tried corn, peas, beans, zucchini, tomatoes radishes, beets, cucumbers, cantaloupe, cilantro and basil. Our larger tomatoes didn't do very well but the cherry tomatoes... Oh my!
This year I decided the corn wasn't worth the space. The zucchini is a keeper, and the beans as well. I am going to try a new cucumber hybrid, peppers and Brussels sprouts.
Now to wait until late February to start the indoor seeds.

Only a week away and a Teacher's Appreciation printout

So many times over the past year I have written blog posts and Facebook updates in my head. Sounds crazy but even when I can't decide what direction I might would go in writing a blog, I still think in terms of one. So here I am about to give birth to another kiddo and thinking I might start again with my blog. Perfect timing to take on ONE MORE THING, right? I am just not going to over-think it and share either what's on my mind or something new that I have made.
This time of year we think about getting small tokens to show the teachers in our kids' lives that we appreciate all their hard work. A friend of mine was having some printer issues and asked me to print out something very similar to what I have here but I couldn't find a print file on the website. So I just remade it. Feel free to use this for the teachers in your life. Right click with your mouse and save it to your desktop. While I would love to give credit to whoever had this clever idea, it would be near impossible to discern where it came from originally. So thank you Pinterest!

UHA: Reusing socks

The Universal Household Assistant promises to tell you "what every person should know." What is so interesting is that the book was published in 1884. Some of the information is good, some very outdated and some quite laughable by today's standards. Every Sunday I will bring you an interesting tidbit that I find in my book. Enjoy!

Skirt for a child: A good way to utilize ribbed socks when the feet are past wearing, is to cut the legs off straight above the heel. Open up the back, sew or crochet enough of them together to give width for a child's skirt, making shell trimming for the bottom, and sewing in a bank at the waist. These are warm, durable, pretty and little trouble to make.

If I were a handy sewer, I would have to try this!

Christmas Wreath

I don't really have a tutorial this time, just a couple pictures of a project that I have wanted to make for a long time. I have collected ornaments for a long time to make this wreath and last week I finally sat down make put it all together. To help with filling in the cracks, I covered the wreath with that red, velvet ribbon that you can get copious amounts of at Christmas.

I used some new, but mostly used ornaments. The best advice I have for you is use a lot of hot glue and keep the wreath laying flat. If you move it too much, it won't lay flat on the wall when you hang it. I have had to go back and re-glue some of the small filler ornaments. Good luck!

Trivet Pin Board

Pinterest has everyone pin-happy, but I still like to actually use a physical pin board for bits and scraps and ideas. While I was at Ikea a few weeks back I bought several packs of cork trivets to make my own cork pin boards. It was an easy afternoon activity to put together several groupings.

Your basic materials are cork mats or trivets, metal mending plates, screws, screw driver, and a small d-ring hanger. You can get a lot fancier with paint and ribbon but this is the original simple idea. 

Place the cork pieces in the position you want them to be in, use the mending plates and screws to connect them together. 

Attach the d-ring hanger at the top of the board, and hang it where you want to use it. I used a little hot glue to hold the screw in place for the hanger, it also keeps the screw from scratching the wall. I also used trivets because at Ikea they are pretty thick and inexpensive. Sometimes cork at a regular department store can get expensive.

This is where I hung one of the boards I made. It hangs on the corner of my corner cabinet, no irony intended!