jane's apron

altered train case

When I started working on stuff for the Rock and Roll Craft Show, I knew I wanted to make one "wow" item...a good stop-and-stare show piece.  I didn't know what I'd make but figured something would come to me.  When I found a nearly perfect American Tourister train case at my thrift store, I knew I had what I was looking for. 

Meg at pixiegenne makes the coolest altered lugguage pieces and I have been in awe of them for a long time.  I always wanted to try to make one and have made a few (much smaller!) altered lunch boxes.  I decided to make everything from a McCall's Home Catalog from Summer 1962 and just started cutting stuff I liked and pasting it on the case...it really isn't something you can plan or layout but rather it just kind of evolves from a very quick and frenzied paper cutting session.  My final step was to add a stitched ribbon to the top and base...the perfect finishing touch.   

Now, about the case.  It is amazingly well-made...just look at the detail on the handle.  It has a cool combination lock and fun snappy closures.  And the inside...

It already had the pearl straight pin in it so I used that to pin a little ticket to the inside (I plan to write the combination lock number on the ticket).  I'd also love to add a bling-y brooch to the inside if I find one this week.  The envelope opens to reveal a perfect mirror.  Oh...and I bought it at my thrift store for $1.81.

So, what do you think?  Is it a "wow"?

 

pattern dress

It's coming down to the wire to finish things up for the Rock and Roll Craft Show...my inventory list is due today and it's going to be a busy week actually making some of the things I'm putting on the list. 

One of the things that I've had on my "to do" list in my head was to use just the dress from a sewing pattern.  It's really kind of hard to find one that works...no hands or anything else covering the dress, no weird pose distortion.  The one I found is just perfect.  I added the dress to a little hanger, added a tiny silk flower, layered it on one of my favorite papers, and added it to a shadow box frame.  Here's a pic of it in the frame...

Ideas in my head don't always turn out as planned but this one turned out even better than I thought...I love it.  I found a few shadow boxes at one of Target's "give it away" clearance piles last summer...it looks even better after I slightly sanded the frame to give it a little more character.

I sometimes get caught up in a project and forget to think ahead...but this time I remembered to scan the dress so I could make more.  These are a few more that I made that are finished on the back so they can either be mounted on a background or just hung up "as is".  They are embellished with a silk flower or a tiny vintage button.  I'll be putting these in my etsy shop today. 

And, on a completely unrelated topic, I just have to give this shout out...M.I.Z ... Z.O.U! 

etsy holiday

Have you taken the handmade pledge?  I love this idea...and now that I have etsy, it makes buying and giving handmade so easy.  I've bought and received a few etsy goods in the last few weeks...

I received a beautiful package of goodies from my Happy Miscellany swap partner Cathy at Cranberry Cottage.  Cathy sent two bars of her handmade soaps...Cinnamon&Cider and Warm Sugar (yum!).  Check out her etsy shop here.

This crazy-cute necklace is all mine...from LuLu Sparkles.  It was my birthday gift to myself and I have worn it almost everyday.  I love that this is made from bits and pieces of vintage jewelry and is totally and completely one-of-a- kind.

Whether you have taken the Handmade Pledge or not, we can all surely find or make something handmade...visit your favorite shop and check out the hand crafted items, hit a few craft fairs this season, make that cute item you've seen in a magazine,  encourage your kids to make things...have fun!

 

frosted cranberry cherry pie

I'm hosting Thanksgiving at my house this year.  It's not really a big deal because my sisters, mom, and mother-in-law will all bring big parts of the dinner and dessert.  Still...a slight panic has set in...all of the shopping, preparing, and cleaning, family day at school and, of all things, a soccer tournament.  And then of course is the temptation to completely goof off and make stuff for the craft show that is coming up.  Serenity now...

If you haven't decided on a good Thanksgiving dessert yet, I have a recipe for Frosted Cranberry Cherry Pie that is really pretty and also good.  It won a pie contest hosted at our school picnic a few years ago.  It's a good mix of tart and sweet.  To save a little time, I googled it and found the same recipe I have here.

I also wanted to let everyone know about National Tie One On Day on November 21...find out more about it Apron Memories.  I don't know if I will be able to participate fully but all of the girls in my house will have their aprons on on Thanksgiving Day.

One last thing...thanks to everyone for all of the birthday wishes...you really made my day!

not really a baby boomer

I found out a couple of years ago that technically I'm a baby boomer (did you know it goes all the way to 1964?).  Me? No.  The Graduate?  Actually more like Animal House, Porky's, and Sixteen Candles.  The British Invasion?  You mean Madness, Fine Young Cannibals, and A Flock of Seagulls right?  Did I just write the words "A Flock of Seagulls"?...yikes!

So, anyway, I'm 45 today.  It doesn't bother me a bit to be a little older.  Everybody always tells me that I look younger than that and having a kid in 1st grade helps add to that illusion.  I'm good with that.

There's a little old town near me that is undergoing a nice revival so I'm going to head to Ferguson and hit two of my favorite vintage stores and the cutest little bakery for some birthday treats.  If I'm lucky enough to find something, I'll let you know!

vintage cinderella

You may have seen this Cinderella book a few times on my blog...the notecards and the lunch tin purse.  The only thing left from the book was a few scraps and the covers but I saved it for "something".  When I discovered the whole eyelets-through-book-cover idea, I couldn't wait to try it on this book cover.   I love this version of Cinderella...what happened to her?  The colors (and print quality) in this book are amazing and the cover is the same way...muted and so pretty. 

Since this is a "big" golden book (about 9x13), I used large eyelets at the top and then tied it with the a brown-edged nylon ribbon (martha stewart at michaels) and added a few pretty buttons.  This hanging would look great anywhere but would be so cool hanging on a door.  It's in my etsy shop for any of you that are Cinderella fans like me.  Does anyone remember the made-for-TV Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella?  LOVED that!..."in my own little corner, in my own little chair..."

 

holiday postcards

I know I'm contributing to the holiday "frenzy" with this post, but I promise it will be my last holiday post until December. 

I have designed two very, very simple postcards for the season...one has pattern girls with scarves and says "warmest holiday wishes" in a fun "bewitched" font and the other has pattern girls dressed for the holidays and simply says "sparkle".   They are both available in my shop here (the little "shop" button on the right).  I am offering these in small sets either with or without envelopes because you could use these as gift tags (they would look so cute as a tag with red & white baker's twine) or as part of other holiday decor (maybe a banner with pretty ribbon?).  I am planning to use a few for some cookie packages I'll be exchanging with my friends from college.  If you'd like them in a different quantity or mix than I have available in the shop, just email me and I can put it together for you.   

Now, I've got to get my mind back on Thanksgiving...

rock-n-roll craft

I found out a few weeks ago that I was selected as one of the artists for the Rock-n-Roll Craft Show.  It's set for Dec. 8 and 9 at the Mad Art Gallery in the historic Soulard District in St. Louis.  This is, by far, the coolest craft show that I've participated in.  The Mad Art Gallery is a former art deco-style police station that has been converted into an exposition space.  The show is set up so that crafters do not have their own booth but rather similar items are grouped together.  This sounds like a great idea because I don't have to sit there all weekend and can do some shopping myself.  To make my items stand out as "jane's apron stuff", I've decided to only bring vintage sewing pattern creations.

I found a great new sewing pattern counter book with some images that are perfect for 7x12 banners (that are awaiting french laundry hangers).  Here are a few more...

In the next few weeks, I'll be sharing lots of stuff that I'm working on for the show but will also be updating my somewhat neglected etsy shop with other goodies too.  I'm excited about two new postcard designs for the holidays and will have them here too...soon! 

swap fun

I jumped right in to the "a happy miscellany craft swap" hosted by the girls at domestic bliss.  Paper? Ribbon? Fabric?...yep, I've got that.  I just opened some drawers and made a pile of goodies.  This package was sent to Ann at keeping up with the tatums.  I love how things seem to "go" together when they are gathered in a group...I could make piles like this all day long. 

I also received some goodies from blog friends "just because" in the last few weeks.  The "Letters to Jane" book is from Mary Ann at a very mary design and will make great collage material (the text is really funny in a crazy 60s way).  The other cute things are from a much larger package I received from Analise at sugar sugar when she was celebrating her 100th item sold in her etsy shop.  Notice a few buttons missing from the button card?  They've already been put to use on a few projects.   Lots and lots of new projects going on around here that I can't wait to share. 

one is (not) the loneliest number

I checked my first blog entry last week and it was posted on November 2, 2006.  That makes this little project that I started on a 30-day-free-trial exactly one year old today...wow!   Do you see what I bought myself to celebrate?   I never made the leap to the next TypePad level because I thought I would constantly mess around with the banner and never get anything done.   

When I first started my own blog,  it was pretty scary...I'm kind of charismatically impaired and thought I would come across as really, really boring.  But, I kept at it...creating posts, leaving comments in all of the fun and crafty blogs I found.  At the same time, there were a few other brave girls starting their own blogs.  It seems we kind of "discovered" each other around the same time...I left comments and, in an amazing turn of events, they left comments for me.  Like that bumble bee girl in the 'blind melon' video, I found crafty, thrifty, paint-chip-color-loving girls just like me.  Anyone reading this blog probably knows everyone on this list but I'm calling them out anyway...

• jen at the cottage nest
• charlotte at house wren studio
• catherine at red shoes
• amanda at every little thing

Of course, my list of blog friends has grown much larger since then...and seems to grow a little more each day.   After a year, I'm still full of ideas and fun stuff to share and am sending a big thanks to everyone that takes a minute to peek in on my crafty, thrifty, little corner.