On a recent visit to our favorite local coffee establishment, Krankies, Jed inquired about purchasing leftover coffee sacks. The barista immediately summoned Jed to follow him behind a counter and bestowed upon him a burlap coffee sack from Guatemala. He refused to charge us for the sack and sent us on our way with our delicious coffees in hand. Of course I could not wait to get home and staple my new found treasure onto something. It did not take me long to zero in on a mismatch pair of chairs that I purchased for $5 a piece at an autumn yard sale. The old brown vinyl seats were in deperate need of a makeover and the burlap coffee sack was the perfect solution. Less than an hour and several staples later, we now have two extra dining room chairs to pull up to our table when extra guests join the party.
Belt is no longer a four-letter-word Wednesday, Jan 26 2011
Sewing Projects 8:51 pm
During the height of pregnancy, I constantly complained that belts had become a four-letter word. Unless a belt was nine feet long, it was simply not an option. In fact, I never realized how much I took a belt for granted until I became so rotund that I could no longer wear one.
Now that I am happily back to wearing belts, I decided to add a few new ones to my wardrobe. Lucky for me, the bag of buttons from my mother-in-law (see previous blog) also included a couple of buckles. With the addition of a third buckle that I purchased at an estate sale, I was able to make three new belts. The green belt is made out of a green wrap/shawl that I picked up at a thrift store. I am guessing by the shiny fabric that it formerly accompanied a bridesmaid dress. The second belt is made out of an elegant silk fabric remnant that I bought at a yard sale, and the third belt is made out of one of Jed’s old ties that once also belonged to his father.
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H is for Hurt Saturday, Jan 22 2011
Sewing Projects 11:26 am
As a Christmas gift, my mother-in-law gave me a bag full of vintage art deco buttons that she purchased at an auction. Needless to say, I was genuinely stoked and decided to put several of the buttons to immediate use. I meticulously laid them out into an H and sewed them onto a burlap tobacco sack. Then I made the whole thing into a pillow. There are a total of 46 buttons to be exact . . . but who is counting?
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Tea Time Thursday, Jan 20 2011
Sewing Projects 6:11 pm
Over the years, I have developed a healthy collection of vintage linens. Most were purchased inexpensively at antique shops and yard sales. Rather than hide them in a closet, I recently decided to give a couple of my tea towels a new life by transforming them into toss pillows.
Eddie and Fern Saturday, Jan 8 2011
Craft Projects and Plants & Garden 8:43 am
Meet Eddie and Fern. Eddie is a cutting from an arrangement sent by the VT Alumni Association when Jed’s father, Eddie, passed away ten years ago. Fern is a rabbit fern that we bought at the farmer’s market last summer. Both plants recently received upgrades to new pots and needed a place to be displayed. I created this table using an iron base purchased for $2 at a yard sale. I added a salvaged window to make a sturdy table top. Now our beloved house plants can thrive on their prime piece of real estate near the window.
The Twelth Baby Tuesday, Jan 4 2011
Mattie Windsor 6:15 pm
Unfortunately, Mattie Windsor’s bedtime coincided with the kick off of last night’s Orange Bowl. We regret to say that this may have been a contributing factor to the Hokies loss against the Stanford Cardinals by a score of 40-12.
Packing It Up Sunday, Jan 2 2011
Christmas 6:38 pm
It is hard to believe that the holidays are officially over, and it is already time to pack up all of our Christmas flair. In the absence of storage containers, this year I rounded up a few unused vintage suitcases* to house our decorations until next December 1st.
*I have a crazy weakness when it comes to old suitcases and have managed to amass quite a collection over the years.
