Indulge Your Shelf

I normally don't show my swap items until after they have been received, but I'm not worried about spoilers this time because I actually FORGOT to take photos of my finished pieces before mailing!  I almost never do that!  And it's especially sad because this time when I made the six cards I LOVED each and every one! Luckily, I took one "during" photo of the first paint card, so at least I can show you what I was up to in this swap.  I really got into the "vixen" theme, using cute little reproduction cards of women in lingerie, and finishing with some vintage netting and little garter clips!  The pretty length of rosy paper is a tiny wallpaper border -- vintage, of course.  It's the first time I could ever bring myself to use it! Also, it was my first time using paint cards as a base.  I don't think it will be the last.  (Even though I feel badly using the cards for something other than what they were intended for!) 'Can't wait to

Since being unemployed, I've made more frequent, shorter visits to thrift stores and estate sales than I normally do.  My husband has been working a lot from home, so in an effort to stay out of his way I've been spending less time in the office at the computer.  The result is that while I've found oodles of fabulous linens and fabrics -- I've not taken the time to blog about them as often as I should!  Today I'm going to try to catch you up -- get ready for lots of photos of vintage fabrics, lace, crochet and some other odds and ends:  Almost without fail, I end up with lots and lots of crochet and doilies... Believe it or not -- I do try to limit myself to only the most interesting and unique ones, and leave the rest behind for others to find!  I'm getting ready to make some of those "dreamcatchers" with doilies, so I've been collecting for that purpose.  I buy hand-tatted trim whenever I find it -- because we all know how hard it is

I hope all the mothers out there are having a lovely day.  And, if you're not a mother, that you're also celebrating because we all have had mothers -- even if (like mine) they're not on Earth right now. Yesterday my husband took me to a great All the Pretty Ladies sale at my favorite antique mall,  Sweet William .  There were many sales available, and we were greeted at the door with delicious cookies and champagne punch.   That put a smile on my husband's face right away!   I took some photos: I love to see how vendors stage their spaces, don't you?  I hope you enjoyed the photos; as for me, I was only tempted to buy a couple of ephemera items.  It's rare, but I do have days where I'm just not in the mood to shop (gasp!) Happy Mother's Day!

I went to a very fun estate sale yesterday, and I love every little thing I bought there!  Here's a peek:  Three antique lithographs of The Flowers of Shakespeare like the one above; these came complete with... certificates of authenticity from a couple of decades ago, when the previous owners bought them in England. I'm not exactly sure what the use was originally for these letters and numbers; they are yellow metal and come in columns of 3.  Does anyone know?  Of course I couldn't pass this little guy up...  or this one: it's a tiny stork scissor pin!  It will look so cute in a fabric journal, someday!  I tend not to buy antique photos, because I always want 25 or so and it gets expensive.  But, I loved all of these ladies so they came home with me.  Four place mats; they were marked "baroque linen" and they smell divine (if, like me, you love the scent of old linen!)  You know I have a thing for hydrangeas!  This is a small