Cigar Box Chistmas Tree Ornament Storage

I found these cigar boxes on my latest thrifting expedition and thought they would make the perfect storage containers for Christmas tree ornaments! I used cupcake papers as the separators, and put two layers of cotton batting on top to keep them in place. The effect is so winter-y and practical at the same time.

Christmas Shopping on Etsy

FOR MY DAUGHTER - 3yrs old
Knitted Pig by Fullofheart















PERSONALIZED 3 Piece Sweet Tooth Baking Set for Girls, FREE holiday gift wrap















FOR MY SON - 6yrs old
1965 OPERATION Skill Game















FOR MY HUBBY
Caffeine Molecule T-shirt

Our Nutty Chicken

We have a chicken who likes to sleep in a tree. About a week ago we received complaints that she was flying into our neighbours yard and making a mess there. So we clipped her wings, but didn't realize how bummed she'd be when she couldn't fly up into her favourite spot for a nap. So we put a ladder into the tree and now she climbs up it and is happy again. Who'd have thought.

The Best Halloween Costumes

My neighbor sewed these for her daughter and friend. They are the most fantastic outfits I've seen - and check out the matching 'planet bags' to go with the aliens!! People are so creative...

My fabric on the Spoonflower home page

So exciting! See it here...

The day we've all been waiting for

Our chicken laid her first egg today!!! Thank you, Chirpie!

Calling my name...

I usually steer clear of the 'art' pieces in thrift shops, unless they are folksy or crafty, but somehow I was unable to pass this one up. It is an original lithograph signed and numbered by the artist (I can't read it) and has a certificate of authenticity attached.

The primitive houses remind me of India, and the boats say I'm in Florida! I'm quite loving it!

Upsala Ekeby Zebra Teacup and Saucer

Thrifted cup and saucer - such awesomeness! Hand drawn lines to imitate the Zebra, designed by Eugen Trost.

The Pillowcase Skirt

Wow, I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since my last post! A thousand apologies to all who might have stopped by... who knew the beginning of school would be more hectic than ever!?

Something I made for a friend's daughter's birthday is a pillowcase skirt. It was a vintage pillowcase, half of which I used for the skirt, and the other half for the bag that I gave it to her in! She loved it and it was an especially cute pillowcase with a scalloped edge. Good use for a vintage pillowcase.

Thanks again, Spoonflower!

The night before First Grade I was up till the wee hours making a backpack for my son. The fabric was made by Spoonflower, using drawings that my son had done. I was happy with how it turned out, even though it ended up being a little big.

Snake Rescue

Great excitement and panic yesterday when we discovered a long black racer caught in the fishing net covering our sandbox. It took 2 adults 15 minutes to cut him out as he was tangled in many places and had twisted and tightened himself further as he struggled to get out. Dave held his head tight and untangled him slowly as Robert cut the net. Felt good to set him free finally!

OPERATION BEGINS













SCISSORS, PLEASE!













FREE AT LAST!

Brown Bears and Pink Piggies

My 3 year old daughter has already got a fixed sense of fashion. After many battles at the closet, we decided to print our own custom fabric to see whether that would appease the tiny diva. I whipped up about 20 designs on my computer all including some form of pink piggies and brown bears (which she loves), and this is what she chose, little girls holding pink piggies and brown bears. The forms were inspired by one of my fave etsy shops - goosegrease, and woo hoo - she loves it! The shirt was also chosen by her, from a Japanese pattern book. Thank you Spoonflower!

More Chicken Love

Heather Moore is one talented gal - I'm SO in LOVE with the tea towel I ordered - in chicken print, of course, and I don't think I'm going to be able to use it as a tea towl, it's so beautiful. Maybe frame it?

Dress Up

I was so happy when my lookbook from Wiksten arrived! It is a fantastic piece of work. I was very proud to notice that a few of her props were similar to the suitcases in my shop!

Break the Bank!

I found these amazing hand painted Piggy Banks while thrifting. These little banks don't come with a bottom hatch, so they have to be broken to get your money out! Not surprising that nobody had the heart to do that to these sweet little ones!

Chicken Love

Since Chirpie came into our lives, chicken imagery now has a special meaning!

Here are my favourite etsy chicken finds::



















Chicken Mini Art Quilt





















Fat Chicken Sculpture




















Chicken Notecard



















Chicken Tag

Tweet!

The shop will be updated tonight with some lovely bird-themed items...

Vintage typewriter for a child to practice typing

So nice to hear keys clacking instead of the LCD glow...

Suitcase Details

Here's a shot of the closing snaps of the biggest suitcase. It has some rusty spots on the outside but inside of the clips looks clean.

























I tested out closing and opening it, and it looks like there's a system as in with old things! I've found that if you hold the bottom firmly and then close the top, the closures clip in place easily.
I've filled it with things and the locks seem tight once shut and should not pop open as long as it's not stuffed tight with things. Also you can see the little scuff mark on the top of the case.





































The two smaller suitcases work perfectly and don't have rusty marks on the clips. The middle suitcase has a mark on the inside pocket as seen on the etsy listing. They are in quite amazing shape considering that they must be at least 20 yrs old! I found a british coin while cleaning them dated 1973 (though that does not necessarily mean it's that old).