Bring a Hankie to the Wedding--Or Picnic

When is a handful of handkerchiefs not just a handful of hankies? When they're a stylish runner fit for the most colorful, casual picnic or the prettiest, most elegant wedding.

Hubby and I are starting to think about retirement and whether to stay in our current home. That means I'm beginning to take stock of all the things I've collected over the years and am starting to thin things out.

I have a large stack of vintage handkerchiefs that I've always wanted to put to good use. This week, I got them all out, gave them a good washing, starched and ironed them and made a couple of runners out of the white ones. I still have dozens in other colors to use on future projects.

Making a handkerchief runner is simple. Lay out the hankies in a pattern you like, using as many as you need for your table, buffet or piano top.

Sew them together by machine or hand, iron and you're set to go!

This runner looks great layered over my grandmother's 60-year-old picnic blanket and an antique French linen table runner I made for my son's wedding. My casual vintage kitchenware is a nice contrast to the elegant simplicity of the pretty hankies.

Either of the runners I made could be used for a dinner party table or a wedding cake table. The simple shades of white and off-white and the pretty embellishments can dress up a country, rustic or cottage chic setting.

I layered this one over a crinkle fabric semi-sheer repurposed window curtain and a different runner from my son's wedding (this one made of antique Belgian linen).

If you want something a little more whimsical, you can string the runners like a banner on a length of pretty ribbon or twine using mini clothespins (available at any craft store).

If you have a nose for vintage hankies, think about these versatile accessories in a new way next time you run across a pile of pretty ones at a sale.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Saturday Sparks

Bouquet of Talent
Share It Sunday
Nifty Thrifty Sunday

Share It One More Time
Knick of Time Tuesday
Cottage Style Party
What's It Wednesday
Thursday Favorite Things

Repurposed Wine Rack Is DIY Fabric Organizer

Let me set the stage:

I don't have a fancy schmancy craft room. What I have is the unfinished side of our basement where, for the original owner of our 50-year-old quasi cottage-style home, the wood and metal shop resided.

After we became empty nesters, I was determined to take up creative endeavors that I had abandoned more than 25 years ago, when the kids were young.

I know my way around a sewing machine and other artsy crafty tools, but neither hubby nor I are handy around the home. So, I made do with a simple facelift to the workshop. I pulled the doors off the cabinetry above the workbench, painted the cabinetry and bench and have called this crude space crafting home ever since.

I have an overabundance of fabric. The bigger pieces are stacked by color inside those cabinets I painted, visible at a glance without the cabinet doors. Organizing the remnants after I cut into the yardage has been more of a challenge.

Enter this odd-looking and probably homemade wine rack.

Standing more than four feet high, it's probably no surprise that it hadn't been snatched up by the second day of the rummage sale where I found it. For me, it was repurpose love at first sight. I knew instantly it would be the answer to my snarl of fabric remnants.

Even though it looks as if it were made of Tinker Toys, it is rock-solid sturdy.

Gave it a nice wash of Annie Sloan chalk paint. I liked the dark wood peeking through, so I only gave it a light coat, not worrying if it covered completely. And, frankly, the design of the piece made painting tedious.  Now it just looks distressed--without the extra effort to distress.

At first, I set the rack up vertically, which is the way it was designed.

After moving it around the workshop, I decided to place it horizontally on an old steamer trunk, which made it more accessible. No stooping all the way to the floor to reach the low rows.

So nice not to have to dig through piles to find just the perfect scrap.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
You're Gonna Love It Tuesday

What's It Wednesday

Whatever Goes Wednesday

Swing Into Spring
Work It Wednesday
Thursday Favorite Things
Share Your Cup Thursday
City of Links
Creativity Unleashed

We Are a Reflection of Our Mothers

Mom and me in 1954. Mom made the dresses we're wearing  in this photo. She was a skilled seamstress.

[This post first ran on Mother's Day, May 13, 2012]

When I became pregnant with my daughter--my first--I was 29. I had a career. I had hobbies and interests--I was occupied with hiking, biking, fishing, gardening, photography, sewing, crafting and frequenting auctions, estate sales and garage sales. 

I recall telling my mom that I hoped things wouldn't change too much after children. To this day, I remember her words:  "Once a mother, always a mother. You can never go back." 

So true. Our three children are grown--scattered around the country. They're all doing their own thing, as I did at their age. None is married. All are in relationships.

I love my children. I'm proud of them. I will stand by them always. Mom was right. No matter that they're adults now. I can never go back. I will always be their mother.

I lost my mom in 2006. Sometime after I started blogging, I began to connect the dots. It became clear to me that who I am at my core and who I have developed into was no accident. Sure, the genetics could be considered a happy accident. But the nurture part was BIG.

On this Mother's Day, I am sharing something I wrote about my mother after she passed on. If you follow my blog, you, too, might recognize some of her influences on me.

Our Mom

She was an only child, a farmer’s daughter

She was born in Minden, Neb., home of Harold Warp’s Pioneer Village

On the farm, she milked cows, dressed chickens and slopped hogs

And, she churned butter, baked bread and washed laundry by hand

When we were girls, Mom was our Girl Scout and 4-H leader

She always loved nature, respected the environment and taught us to do the same

She liked to tent camp when we were kids

She loved the mountains of Colorado, but was afraid of heights

By choice, she became a working mom long before it was fashionable

Still, she made time to sew stunning Barbie clothes and prom dresses (and many other great things)

She taught us to cook and bake (that didn't stick for me)

She always enjoyed traveling, especially with her children and grandchildren

As an empty nester, she took up tole painting and became quite an artist

She lost her dad early in her adulthood and took loving care of her mom

 until her mom died

She let her creativity shine through in her daily life

She passionately watched birds and had a special fondness for cardinals and hummingbirds

She didn’t like snakes!

She taught us to believe in ourselves and to make our own decisions

She tackled every challenge head on

Throughout her life, she remained a voice of reason

For as long as she could, she gave back to the community as a volunteer

She deeply loved our dad, her two girls, our husbands and all of her grandchildren

But, she never meddled in our lives

She was unique and special and she was ours

Footnote:  My one sibling, my dear sister, is as much a reflection of our mother as I am. We are a couple of lucky women, indeed, to have such a wonderful role model and mother.

Make it a great Mother's Day!

Linking to:

From the Farm
The Creative HomeAcre Hop
Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop

Junk, Beautiful Junk

Despite how it may appear, this is not an abandoned blog. As much as I love it,  blogging just hasn't been my top priority these past several months.

My husband and I are empty nesters. But, even with all the kids out of the house--and out of the state--the past several months have been anything but life at the corner of Ho Hum and Easy Street (although we did stand in that sweet spot with my dad in Carefree, Arizona, just long enough to snap this photo last week). We both have aging parents who increasingly need as much of our attention and assistance as we can provide. After all their years of sacrifice and commitment to us, it's now our turn to give back.  Not as easy as driving across town, though. Hubby's parents are two states away, in Illinois, and my dad is more than 1,200 miles away, in Arizona.

Even with frequent long weekends away, I was able to launch my Etsy shop this summer, but haven't been able to fulfill my goal of creating and listing as many handmade items as I'd like.

I don't know how often I'll be able to post here over the coming months, but I'm not giving up. I hope you'll stick with me and check in occasionally. Even though I don't have as much time to post these days, I try to keep up on your blogs as often as possible. I continue to be inspired by all of you out there.

This weekend, I finally found time to photograph the great  items I picked up at the Nebraska Junk Jaunt in September.

These beautiful old jars are the extra big ones. They might make interesting over-sized snow globes for the holidays.

The sewing machine drawers have a wonderful design of what looks like branches in a frame shape around the carved handles. I haven't cleaned these up at all, so you're seeing them with dust and crud and all. They're so lovely, they deserve special treatment to highlight that charming carving. Onto the future painting project list they go.

This raggedy, dirty old cloth tape measure was a mere $1, but is so much more precious than its price would indicate.

Soda crates and pulleys and tongs, oh my!

One of two nice wood stove handles I picked up. This one is from a company called Quick Meal Ranges.

I see a role for this primitive rake in a horror movie. After Halloween, it can be repurposed as a unique jewelry hanger.

These tongs are fascinating, although I'm not sure what they're used for. I thought they were meat hooks for use in a packing plant, but others think they're ice tongs. As you can see they can expand and contract to different sizes. The top is a hook that looks like it might hang over a pulley line. Do you know what it is?

A nice cast-iron biscuit pan is great in the craft room to hold small items such as beads, clips, pins and small bits of paper.

I love my new treasures and am already looking forward to Junk Jaunt 2013.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Cowgirl Up!
Knick of Time Tuesday
All Star Block Party
What's It Wednesday
Rednesday
Fridays Unfolded

Is That a Poem in Your Pocket?

Magic

Sandra's seen a leprechaun,

Eddie touched a troll,

Laurie danced with witches once,

Charlie found some goblins' gold.

Donald heard a mermaid sing,

Susy spied an elf,

But all the magic I have known

I've had to make myself.

--Shel Silverstein

April is National Poetry Month. Today is Poem in Your Pocket Day.

To observe the day, I whipped up a pocket and filled it with a few fun poems to share with my staff at a team meeting today.

I cut the breast pocket off a thrift store men's shirt and attached a ribbon so I can hang it from a hook or doorknob. I printed several poems onto banana paper and cut them to fit inside the pocket. 


A story about Poem in Your Pocket Day on National Public Radio yesterday inspired the idea, so by the time I got home from work, I didn't have a lot of time to invest. Were I to do this over with more time, I'd probably embellish the pocket a bit and create more visually appealing cards.

The cute pocket could be used for party favors, recipe cards, reminder cards, to tote a sweet vintage hanky and hung on a knob for interest.


All in all, a poetic project.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Thrifty Thursday at Thrifty Decorating
Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Simple and Sweet Fridays at Rooted in Thyme
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Pearls and Lace Thursday at Faith, Grace, Crafts
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous

Chickens Come Home to Roost

Is it just me, or do you occasionally experience this, too? You find something you really like:  a pretty plate, a vintage linen, a compelling old photograph. So, you buy it. Then, all of a sudden you start seeing other items the same shape, composition or style everywhere you turn.

That has recently happened to me with chickens, particularly roosters.

It may have started with my son who, as he was looking to decorate his new apartment at about this time last year, seemed drawn to vintage roosters. Like this vintage trivet he found at a thrift shop.

Naturally, I began noticing roosters when I became aware he had an interest.

A while back, as I was browsing Karen's extensive library of wonderful images at The Graphics Fairy for a project I was working on, I came across a gorgeous rooster image. I had been saving a fabulous piece of Waverly fabric (an estate sale find) for just the right project and decided to stop right then and make a pillow with these beautiful elements. I can be impulsive like that.

The polka dot fabric is gorgeous and the large rick-rack row at the bottom is part of the print. I transferred the rooster image on a piece of vintage muslin using my inkjet printer. I added the black rick-rack frame to finish it off.

It even looks pretty from the back.

And, the chickens just kept coming. My husband and I grabbed a set of 10 embroidered fabric cocktail napkins at a recent estate sale. The proud white rooster is accompanied by his cocktail shaker. Won't these be fun for a summer get-together?

Then, on a recent trip to Illinois to visit my husband's parents, my mother-in-law asked if I'd be interested in some of her old tablecloths and linens. They are trying to downsize and have started sorting through their accumulation of household items. Lo, and behold, more chickens.

This beautiful brown tablecloth is in perfect condition and is adorned with roosters and hens. Yes, I told her. Yes! I'd love it! Thank you.

And, finally, last weekend, I came across this sweet vintage apron at an estate sale. My daughter, a barista in a cozy, locally owned coffee shop, enjoys wearing fun aprons to work. She has a nice collection of them, but is always looking for more. And, recently, she also seems attracted to the chicken motif. This cute apron will be a birthday surprise for her tomorrow (if she doesn't read my post today).

As you can see, when the chickens come home to roost around here, it makes for a fun and interesting collection of goodies.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Primp Your Stuff Wednesday
Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures
Sister Sunday at Sisters of the Wild West
Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Design
Pillowpalooza