A Blondie Day

Lace in the Garden

A few weeks ago, I went to an estate sale, where I found such wonderful treasures.  It was the same sale where I found HER.

Amongst the many goods I discovered that day was a vintage vinyl lace tablecloth.  I was not sure where I would end up finding use for it, but at $2, it was not to be left behind.

Well, now that I am in "garden mode", I got to thinking that just maybe that pretty vinyl lace may be the perfect way to have lace in my garden.  After all, there is lace in just about every other place in my life, it was fitting that it should be in the garden too.

So I got to thinking about how to use it for planting, and then got the idea that were I to combine it with burlap, I may just be able to make pretty little hanging lace "sack-lets".

So I did.

 

 

The open weave of the burlap, plus the openings in the vinyl lace provide drainage for the little flowers.  

The burlap and jute that I used for the handles are natural fibers, so they wear pretty well outside.  And the lace - well, it's vinyl, so water doesn't bother it at all.

 

If you would like to try them, it is simple!

 

Make 2 "sacklets" in a rectangle shape, the size of your choice (but keep them on the small size - the soil you put in them can get heavy!).  Make the inside burlap sack a 1/2 in. smaller than the outside sack so it will fit inside easier.  Also make the burlap sack about 1 in. longer so you can fold the top over.  It gives it a nice "sack" appearance.

Vintage vinyl tablecloths can often be found on eBay and sometimes on Etsy - or you may find one of your own at a sale!

 

 

Then cut little holes on each side top so you can insert your jute string.  After inserting the string through the hole, tie a knot to hold it in place.

 

 

Next, decorate your little sack-lets with fabrics strips, buttons, lace - any odds and ends you have about.

 

 

Fill them with soil and assorted little flowers.  Give them a touch of water -

and hang them up.

 

 

I hope you enjoy these if you decide to give them a try.

I have my "thinking cap" on to come up with other ways of using the rest of this pretty vinyl lace tablecloth!

Much love,

Helena

 

Ghost in the Garden

About a year ago, I purchased a big 'ole lampshade at a yard sale.  I could not resist it.  It had such pretty lines, and at $3 I knew I would find something to do with it.

A few weeks ago, JW looked at it perched upon the top of one of my fabric stash cabinets, and I was asked the question "Are you ever going to do something with this thing?"

I knew the time had come.

 

 

 

As most of you know, ghost shades are all over the crafty corners of the internet, and I did like them.  But I wanted to do something a little different with this.

So I thought - Why not the garden?

I stripped off the dusty old fabric and out to the garden it went.

 

 

It made the perfect pretty cage for flowers!  I loved the way it looked.

 

 

You can hang all kinds of pretty bits off the shade, as long as it is something you don't mind getting wet or blown around a bit.  Old lampshades are so easy to find at yard sales and thrift shops.  Find one with a shape you love.

 

 

And as the flowers grow and poke through more here and there, it will look prettier and prettier.

 

 

 

Now there will be those who will be curious...

 

 

 

...and those who may look at you as though you've lost your mind...

 

 

...but don't you mind them one bit.

 

 

You just enjoy your Ghost in the Garden.

 

Much love,

Helena

 

Sweetness

I have so much to share but only a little time!

 This morning JW and I ran around for a while to some garage sales and an estate sale.  It's a good thing when he comes with me sometimes.  I have a horrendous sense of direction, and he whizzes us from sale to sale while I would still be struggling getting from the first to the second without getting lost for hours.

I found some lovely treasures, but since I only have a few moments, I wanted to share this one.

 

 

Isn't she the sweetest!

I have to tell you that I did not edit the saturation in this photo in the slightest, so those are her true vibrant blue eyes.

I don't usually buy dolls, although I do like them.

But something about her... I could not pass her up.

 

 

She captured my heart.

She reminded me of a very sweet internet friend I have, Paula.

I just knew if Paula was with me, she would have loved her too, so I imagined Paula's sweet heart whispering to me to get her.

So home with me this little Vintage Angel came.

And I am thrilled with her.

 

I will gently clean her...

 

 

...and soak her delicate gown to freshen her up the best I can.

 

 

And then everytime I look at her, I will think of Paula.

 

I am so thankful for all of you.  You give me such joy and inspiration and I am full of gratitude!

 

Happy Weekend!

 

Much Love,

Helena

 

A Week in Review

This past week held for me...

 

...new goods in the shop...

 

 

 

 

 

...some old pretty drapes from the Thrift Shop...

 

 

 

...a sunny, warm Mother's Day over the weekend which included flowers and a handmade card from My Girl...

 

 

 

 

...some fabulous Craft Books from a very thoughtful JW...

 

 

...and a trip to the aquarium to pet the stingrays...

 

 

...and visit with a Caiman that needed dental work...

 

 

 

...a lovely Day of Sewing with Ollie as my sewing buddy...

 

 

 

 

...and a trip today to the Thrift Shop, where it was apparent that vintage sheets and pillowcases were in the cards for me.

 

 

Hope your week was filled with goodness

with more to come this week.

 

Much Love,

Helena

 

 

Scrappy Feet

Would you like Scrappy Feet?  It's very easy.

Here's how.

First, take your bits and pieces of fabric scraps.  You know you have them!  I have bowls of fabric, lace and ribbons scraps everywhere.  I cannot bear to toss them out, and they look so pretty altogether in a bowl, just daring you to come up with, yet again, another way to use them.

 

 

Then take a favorite pair of flippy-flops.  Tie your assorted scraps on across the top, right above the toe piece.

Be creative!  Mine are rather conservative, but you can tie on as many scraps as you dare.  I have used assorted colors, but you can stay to one color scheme if you wish, or use only lace scraps.  That would be very pretty and lady-like.  

Twist and turn the scraps as you tie them on and arrange them as you please.  Once you have them tied on securely, you can trim them into the desired lengths.

Have fun with them.

 

 

 

Then treat yourself to a nice, fresh pedi.  You deserve it.  For today's pedi, I chose pretty silver toes because I liked how it goes with just about everything.  

 

 

 

Then insert your newly prettified feet into said flippy-flops.

 

 

 

And voila!  You have Scrappy Feet.

 

 

 

Hope your weekend is a happy one!

 

 

Much Love,

Helena

 

Today

Today was the first Me Day in quite a while.

Not complaining at all, but sometimes a Day Just for Me is absolutely what the doctor ordered.

So what did I do first?

Yes, kindred spirits - I went thrifting.

There wasn't too much in the thrifting cards for me today, but that did not matter a wit.  Just strolling along the aisles of my favorite thrift shop, casually taking in the sights, was pure pleasure.

And I came home with yet another pair of thrifted overalls.

 

 

I love overalls, and wear them around the house and to work in the garden very often.  I also from time to time put a pretty, lacy blouse underneath together with a pair of cloggy shoes and wear them out.   If it is a little chilly out, then a big, slouchy cardigan on top completes it.

 

Next on my list was a yummy sandwich for lunch while watching part of a favorite movie on Netflix... Sense and Sensibility.  I could watch this movie over and over again for many reasons.  The romantic clothing, the stunning scenery, the lovely, lyrical language, but most of all because of him...

 

Oh, how I adore Colonel Brandon.

 

After lunch, I fussed about changing some decor here and there.  It was time to once again bring out my blue vintage typewriter thrillingly discovered at the thrift shop some months ago.

 

 

And I thought, why can't a little old typewriter be used as a vase for some thrifted silk flowers?

 

 

And I thought - well, there's no reason...

 

 

No reason at all.

 

I had a very lovely Me Day.

 

But even if Me Days are few and far between, we should always try to fit in a few Me Moments every day - at least.

It's good for the soul.

 

Much Love,

Helena

 

 

 

Big and Bright

I'm so happy to be back!

I missed you, my friends, and I missed my little blog.

I have two tales to tell.  One regarding one of my little chickies, Lily.  But that tale will wait.  It is a little bit of an emotional, scary tale, and it deserves its very own post.

So first I will tell the tale of our vacation... and then my NEWS!

We set off on vacation the day after Easter, but things started a little shaky. The night before we left, My Girl had a 100 degree fever.  But the fever was gone the next day and she showed no other symptoms, so off we went.  I was a bit suspicious.  I know about those lurking fevers that come and then go into hiding for a few hours, or a day or 2, only to rear its ugly little fevered self again.

And sure enough, My Girl got sick while we were away on vacation.  We had to take it very easy on her, so we mostly drove around, taking turns getting out of the car to do a little bit here or there, leaving her back in the car with one of us so she could rest.  The most she could do was to take a little 20 minute swim here and there in the indoor heated pool (swimming is one of her favorite things to do, and she had so very much looked forwared to the hotel pool).  But other than that, My Girl was TOAST.

I did a little bit of shopping and thrifting...

 

 

But I was limited as to what I could possibly take home with me on the airplane..

 

So things like this vintage mirror were out of the question.  And I had to leave lots of prettiness behind...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This has me convinced that a pink adult tricycle is a Must Have.

 

 

And that bicycles in the garden, in general, are a great idea.

 

 

 

By the time we headed home, we had a very sick Girl.  She slept in the plane all the way home... and now has bronchitis and a double ear infection.  My poor sweet kidlet.

 

 

So now...

 

CAN YOU GUESS WHERE WE WENT ON VACATION?

 

I'll give you a hint.

 

"The stars at night shine big and bright..."

 

OK, a few more hints in case you don't know that song...

 

 

Still don't know? 

OK, maybe this...

 

 

And in case you STILL don't know...

 

 

 

 

And before you think I am crazy, my Friends, this is so important because...

 

WE ARE MOVING TO TEXAS!

 

Yes, this New York Born and Raised Girl is moving to Texas.

 

I am scared, excited, exhilarated, emotional, happy, sad, giddy all while having butterflies in my stomach.

 

You see, I've never lived anywhere but New York.  I love New York.

But JW got a job offer there that is just too good to pass up.

So off we go.

 

We have about a year to relocate, which gives us plenty of time to do what we have to, and let me settle my mind a bit and adjust.

 

So, since I had never been to Texas, off we went on vacation for a week.

 

We did a little house looking, even though we won't be ready to buy for about a year.  We wanted to start getting an idea of what we are looking for and what is available.

 

I know one thing.  I wouldn't mind this being my porch...

 

 

Or looking out my back window and gazing upon this...

 

 

Or adding one of these creatures to my family...

 

 

 

... and maybe a horse, some alpacas, ducks, rabbits and of course, DOGS!  Oh, yes.  I will have a regular little farm.

 

So for the next year, I hope you will bear with me from time to time as I share the preparations, trials and tribulations of the move of my little group... family, chickens and cats... to Texas.

 

I AM NERVOUS!!  In a good way.

 

Oh, and by the way, I did make it home on the airplane with some goodies, of course...

 

 

 

Good to be back!

 

Much love,

Helena

 

 

 

Vintage Embroidery Joy

Last month I posted this and shared some inspiration from vintage crafting books, many of which were embroidery books.  But there was one book in particular that several people emailed and asked me about.

This book happens to be one of my favorites, and after I received inquiries about it, I started to do a little research on the artist who illustrated/embroidered it.

This was the book...

 

 

I bought this a few years ago on eBay, and since then it has been one of my favorites.

Here is some more gorgeousness from this book.  It is a combination of collage and embroidery, and I adore it.

 

 

This is so sweet, I want to eat it up!

 

 

 

Turns out that the embroidery artist's name was Virginia Tiffany.  I could not find much information on her at all, but I did find that she had illustrated/embroidered several other books.

 

I made it my immediate quest to obtain these books, and I was able to get two of them.

 

A Child's Garden of Verses...

 

 

I know, those flowers are amazing, aren't they??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a Whitman Big Tell-All ABC's...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She has one more book, that I know of, called Rumpelstiltskin, but it is hard to find.  I am working on it.

I love her work. 

 

It is not too stuffy, doesn't take itself too seriously, and is full of charm and whimsy, color and joy.

It's everything I would love my embroidery to be.  So many thanks to Virginia Tiffany for the inspiration.

 

 

 

Hope this inspires you a little too.

 

Have a happy weekend Dear Friends!

 

Much love,

Helena

Springish

Spring has sprung.

Everywhere.

And I am behind in bringing Spring into our house.

It is a balmy 70 degrees outside today.  The sun is shining.  The sky is blue.  The breeze is heavenly warm.  And the chickens and cats are sunning themselves in various parts of the yard.  Time to get cracking!

I played around with a few springish vignettes composed of mostly thrifted goods.

 

 

And old enamel pie tin found for $3, dressed up for spring with a pretty yellow rose decal.  The statue was a thrift store find, lightened up with glossy white paint and trimmed with a bit of fabric scrap and a vintage rose and rhinestone clip earring.  The little chicken is another thrift store find, as is the petite black metal tray and the glass bottle.

 

 

 

The Mary in Prayer vase was my Mom's.  The pretty rose plate with the wire frame was a garage sale item, as was the colorful chicken figurine.  The blue glass bottle was also my Mom's and has been dressed up with a decal.

 

 

 

This gorgeous vintage beaded Asian wall hanging was found at a junque shop.  I gasped when I saw it - it is so lovely.  It was mine for $5.  The Kokeshi was found at a garage sale.  The pretty porcelain bird was from the Salvation Army and the glass bottle from an estate sale.

 

A little bit of a closer look...

 

 

 

 

I also just received the loveliest vintage rosey-pink curtains which I picked up on eBay.  Can't wait to get them up, as I am loving Pink this spring!

 Some new little goodes for the shop...

 

 

Tissue box jackets.  They button closed with assorted vintage buttons and dress up a ho-hum box of tissues with a little touch of vintage.

 

 

And they are also very polite..

 

 

These will be going in the shop today.

 

 

Hope a little Spring Fever is finding you in some way.

 

Much love,

 

Helena

 

An Update and a Winner

Some quick little updates... I can hear my chickie-girls complaining outside that they have not yet had their morning treat of warmed corn kernels sprinkled with shredded cheddar cheese and raisins. Yes, that is the breakfast of choice right now in our little chicken world.

A few new goods in the shop...

 

 

Dangly vintage button garlands.  Me and my buttons... we are a perfect combination.  Believe me, you have not seen the last of them, as I continue to dream up new ways of using them.

 

Vintage...Thrifty...Home....

 

 

I just love the way the dangles look.

 

 

 

I had also listed some new pillow covers...

 

 

These are special to me, as the vintage pattern graphics were taken from patterns that belonged to my Mom.  Aren't they pretty?

These pillow covers did all sell, but I just wanted to share them with you.

 

 

And finally, we have a winner of my Vintage-y Giveaway!  This giveaway was in honor of Blondie Blu reaching 100 "likes" on my Facebook Page.  I was so thrilled, I wanted to share the love.

 

And I think when I reach 200 "likes" I will have another giveaway!  It is so much fun.

 

OK, no more stalling.  The winner is...

 

 

MeMeRose

 

 

My Dear MeMeRose, please email me with your shipping info (just look for the green typewriter at the top right of my blog for the email address) and I will send you your treasures.  I'm so happy for you!

 

And many, many thanks to all of you who took the time to leave a comment here and on my Facebook Page.  They were all appreciated and all made me happy, happy, happy.

 

Much love,

 

Helena