For the Table.....a terrific borrowed idea

Another update: The stamp set I used for the napkin tags is called Kitchen Classics from Crafty Secrets. Link is here. It's a set I dearly love.

And don't worry about cloth napkins being too pretty to use. Hey I spill food on my shirts almost daily and they wash up just fine. If you're doing something like a BBQ, give everyone a tea dowel or dish cloth for the evening. I collected cloth napkins and place mats for years..rarely used them except for special occasions. And then we were too fearful of messing up Mom's nice stuff. Get over that.....it's just fabric. It will wash. :)

Something I forgot to add: I'm so glad for the lovely comments so far. I know I digress here on the blogaroonie sometimes but all these little stories matter so much to me. Here's a tip: If your dining table or bar area (like we use for meal times) is a mess.....CLEAN IT UP. You will be doing yourself and your family such a huge favor. I know so many families that have crap piled everywhere and they end up eating in front of the tv because there's no room at the kitchen table. Take back family meal times. It's so important...so many great conversations take place at the dinner table. And have the kids set the table. Make it a ritual. If you have your utensil tray front and center (like a decoration), it might even be a fun little event. Hope you give it a try.

I have something so fun to share with you today. Amanda Soule from Soule Mama posted a fun idea that she does with her family. Thank you Amanda for letting me post your photo and share you wonderful idea. Be sure to check out Amanda's blog, she's got lots of wonderful ideas.

photo courtesy of Soule Mama Blog

She has been making her own place mats out of re-purposed curtains and fabrics that are simply adorable. There are little applique patterns on them too. They're the ones shown in the photo above. Then she has this wonderful old box that sits on her counter top that holds jars of her mixy-matchy silverware along with mixy-matchy white napkins. Each family member has their own signature napkin ring. They use the napkins for a few days or until dirty and then she washes them all up....dries in the sunshine to remove stains. I am so in love with this idea....everything from switching to cloth napkins, making place mats, purchasing some mixy-matchy old silverware....and definitely showcasing it all in an old re-purposed box of some sort.

Amanda has two posts about her table wares. You can read them here:

PART ONE

PART TWO

Here's my version of a tabletop place setting box.I am finding myself more and more inspired by handmade items and re-purposed items.

I used a wooden tray that I got at Nell Hill's a few years ago. It was sitting outside so it's been naturally weathering. It was the perfect size for my table setting pieces.
On the left I nestled three pint size mason jars into my wooden tray. Another great use for the jars!! One for forks, one for knives and one for spoons. Next up I did some experimenting and found that two old bread tins fit perfectly into my wooden tray. I was jumping up and down from this awesome discovery. One bread tin holds my hand sewn cloth napkins and the other tin is displaying some vintage silverware I found at a garage sale. I just like the look of it in there. When we have company, I sometimes put some paper napkins in there too.
I have been sewing up a storm with my vintage fabric. I've been making us sets of cloth napkins that are so much prettier than you'll find in any store. I am on the search for four different napkins rings that are unique to my family. But in the meantime I found these pewter napkin rings on Ebay. They are from Pottery Barn. I haven't figured out to put an initial on these yet so that we each know which one is our own napkin.
I keep the tray right on my counter and pull it out a bit when meal time comes around. Eric is not the most thrilled about the entire idea. He's so used to getting the silverware out of the drawer that he gets lost in the kitchen now. I simply put half the silverware back in the drawer to appease him. We're all happy now. I think if he had some camo napkins instead of pink, flowery napkins he'd like that too. I have to say it was quite a change to switch to the cloth napkins. I think Eric felt like he was wiping his dirty mouth on the curtains or something. But we're all adjusting and I love this concept!
Here's a few photos from Heather Bullard's blog that were inspiring also. I love her old wooden box that is nestled in the white serving platter. Just think outside the box as to what you can use for your utensil tray.

And here she had a great idea for giving vintage napkins as gifts....tied up with an old spoon and a nifty tag.

Speaking of napkins, I got a little napkin crazy and was sewing many more napkins that we could ever use or need. I decided that I will keep four of a kind on the napkins. I have some very nice vintage white linens that I got at an auction that I keep on hand if we have extra company. So what that means for you is that I'll be putting some of my vintage napkins up in my Etsy shop. Some are just vintage napkins that I find and most are ones that I have sewn up myself. Check them out at my Etsy shop....(very soon). Enjoy! You can see a sampling below.

These pretty ones are my faves.....they are double layered with another pink pattern on the reverse side.

These black and cream gingham napkins are so striking when paired with creamy lace and doilies. Or keep them plain for a more masculine look.

The little blue flowers on these white background napkins are so pretty. Mix and match...I love that look too. Napkins will be sold in sets of two.

So let me know what you think about this concept. It is quite a big change but to me every little piece that we can save from going in the trash makes a huge difference. I have also stopped buying paper plates. I love my glass dishes so much better anyway. I only break down and get the paper plates when we're having a huge party. Would love to hear your thoughts and if you think you might give this idea a try.

Okay....the napkins will be up in my shop later this morning along with a few other treasures. Then I'm heading to my Artsy Studio to do some creative paper crafting for some upcoming blog posts. Stay tuned. :)

Watering cans, mailboxes and shopping cart...

Okay, here's another round of my auction finds. Oh gosh, is this fun or what? My sister left on Sunday and she stopped by an antique mall in Wichita, Kansas. They were having a contest for the best patriotic decorated booth. Oh come to mama....how I love patriotic decorations. So I'm going to show you my finds from the auction...and then some photos that Karen took of similar items. I want to hate her for going there without me. But I don't.

Okay first up is my shopping cart. I actually call them flea market carts. I had to have one a while back and searched and searched. I found one on Etsy with a vintage lining for $65 bucks plus the shipping. I now own it. This one below, I got at out weekend auction for a buck. Oh boy, did it come in handy. Karen and I decided that it needs a fabric liner because small items kept falling out. A beer flat in the bottom did work pretty good though. And I tied my tote to the handle which held my water bottle, phone, etc. I definitely need to *granny* this cart up.
Here's one my sister saw at the antique mall. It has red lining.
And a price tag of $42 bucks! I got a heck of a deal on mine. You can buy these new (all shiney and non vintage) online for like $30 bucks. I'd hold out for the real deal though.
Next up is this white, shabby mailbox. Mail goes in the top and a newspaper goes on the hooks. Nothing we don't already know. However, living in the country most of my life, the mail is stuck in a mailbox at the end of the driveway. But when my mail lady brings boxes, she'll leave those on the porch....and she puts my regular mail in the mailbox. I thought if I had a mailbox at the door, she could now leave my letters and such too. I love it. I haven't asked the hubster if he's willing to screw holes through the siding. I think I can sweet talk him into it though. He's a melty snowman with a little sweet talkin'.
I'm thinking it needs to go right above my old chair with the petunias. I can hang stuff from the two hangers where the newspaper is supposed to go.
My sister(the one I want to hate for getting to see all these goodies up close and personal without me) snapped this photo of a cutie, white, shabby mailbox. I love the flags. Need to put those on my list...then soak them in tea for a day to vintage them up. This one was $12. I got mine for a buck.

Ohhhhh the watering cans. These go for really high around here. I made a splurge and got these three for $20 bucks for all of them. I really wish they had the spouts but I know they would have been pricier. I might try to find some on Ebay. I found out the front can has holes and doesn't hold water. It's going to become a planter. The other two I will use for actual watering cans. Of course Libby was curious.

Maybe I can decorate my non-usable watering can like this one below. Isn't the red can so pretty with flowers and flags. Swoon. I must get out my patriotic decorations.

Okay, there ya have it. I have more to show you this week so stay tuned. We're off to the dreaded Walmart for much needed groceries. Don't worry, we checked the forecast!

At the auction with my sister...

My sister Karen and I hit the most awesome auction yesterday! It was almost 100 degrees but we stayed til the very last item sold. We kept making trips back and forth to the vehicle with all of our great finds. At the end, I ended up with a big item so we had to unpack every single item and repack. We barely fit into our seats. Our mission was to get back to my house, unpack my purchases and distribute them throughout the house and garage so that my pile didn't look so big. My sister....her pile was so big there was no disguising it. We were like Sanford and Son! In the photo below, my sister is sporting a Coca Cola drink carrier like you see at the baseball games. We had a good time with that last night while sipping on ice cold margaritas. (I hear you guys want my recipe, eh?)

Everything went really cheap. I couldn't believe the low bids. If I had a trailer, I would have went completely nuts at this auction. Below is a sign that I made Karen buy for her new shed. She's going to hang it proudly. About mid-way through the auction, I got this old wire shopping card for a buck. I had so many people stop and ask about it....I could have made a killing on these things! I scored lots of other goodies....you can see a peek at a blue jar below. I'll show you more goodies this week so stay tuned.

One of my favorite purchases was these green depression glass shakers. I always get outbid on these because they go for such a high price. Yesterday I knew they would come home with me. I was on a mishion.

I don't know what I'm going to put in them just yet but I think they look pretty snazzy with my flour and sugar jars. I have the green theme going on with the green glass measuring cup and the tin measuring cup with green wooden handle. Love.
I also got these green jar with no lid. It sparkles like new once I got it all washed up. It now holds my tea and coffee bags. Must have iced tea in the summer time. I just brought Eric a tall glass while he's tilling the garden. I love how he gulps it down and lets half of it spill down the front of his shirt. (Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there by the way)
I also got a bag full of button cards. Oh how I love these. My sister loved them too. We told the auctioneer that if he saw us in a cat fight over an item to just ignore us. He asked us mid way through the auction if we were still doing okay. Auction tip: Don't make chit chat about auction items with other auction attendees....everyone is your enemy until the biddin's over.
Okay, that's all my peeks for today. When I got home and got the mail yesterday, I had this wonderful package of Heather Bailey fabric waiting for me. I know I said I'd never buy new fabric again after all my wonderful vintage finds. I lied. I couldn't resist the beautiful colors. I ordered a purse pattern from Heather's website too. I'm hoping to have it done in time for CHA in July.
I'll leave you with one last auction tip for the day: Bring a water jug and lots of water bottles. Bring lots of ice to refill your water bottles. Bring some old tea towels to soak in cold water to put around your neck. These items were our life savers yesterday.

Good Lord it was hot standing there all day!! I got out early to plant some perennials in the flower beds this morning....but this afternoon it's all about air conditioning. Crank it up people.

Sweet Roses Card

Up for viewing today is a sweet little card made with Dawn McVey's Color Couture product line and Nichole's newest Year of Flowers: roses stamp set. Can you tell the accents that are Color Couture products? I cut out accents from Color Couture for the two leaves, the *sweet* sentiment accent piece and the scalloped accents at the bottom of the card. Having these pre-printed papers and images to cut out is so handy. And Dawn always picks the cutest color combos.
For the rose image, it's so pretty that I just couldn't cover it up much. I stamped the rose flower image onto pink 2008 Bitty Star Basics patterned paper. I used a Copic marker (RV34) to do some basic outlining of the petal images. Such an easy way to color but it adds a nice bit of shading.....looks cute with the white stars on the pink paper too. The buttons were tied onto the Color Couture tag and a Tiny Tag from my Etsy shop, which I stamped with the sentiment *roses*. Wrinkle Ribbon adds some dimension to my card. The background paper on my card is from Pine's Green Boutique collection.

Have a great weekend everyone! Eric and the girls are off to watch some softball tournaments while my sister and I are heading to an auction. Fun for all! Later friends.

Introducing Button Cuttin' Tags...

TGIF friends. Today I have something new to show you that I'll be carrying in my Etsy shop soon. Jordan helped me name them...they're called Button Cuttin' Tags. I've taken Medium Parcel Tags and embellished them with fun October Afternoon patterned papers, stitched on buttons, tiny embroidered flowers and machine stitching.

Very cute by themselves to use on cards, scrapbook pages, or to tie on a gift.
But the sole purpose of my Button Cuttin' Tags is to cut them apart to use on projects. You can see in the photo below how I've cut apart my tag into three separate pieces. You can cut those pieces into even smaller parts if you wish.
Then, you can use the cut apart pieces to embellish more Medium Parcel Tags, Small Parcel Tags, Carnival Tickets, etc. Or could use them on scrapbook pages, card fronts, etc.
I've got my Etsy shop is now refilled with all of my tags and tickets...lots of colors and sizes available.
And how about a cute project using one of the cut up pieces from my samples above? I didn't get a chance to use the cute, new teapot die from Papertrey so it's front and center on my card today. I love the fresh blue and yellow colors of the October Afternoon patterned paper. My friend Cindy from Starlit Studio has an excellent selection in her online shop HERE.
You can see from this angle in the photo below, that I took the top portion of my Button Cuttin' Tag which has the angles and the tag hole.....and placed it on a Medium Yellow Parcel Tag. This created two layers that I could thread my ribbon through for a fun look on my card.
I used Papertrey's Vintage Cream Luxe Satin Ribbon to create a pretty bow at the top of my layered tag. I also added a Tiny Tag from my Etsy shop that is layered with a tiny snippet of October Afternoon gingham paper that is stamped with the *Friend Blend* sentiment from Tea for Two Additions. Such a great little companion set for Tea for Two.
The chubby little teapot was first die cut with the new teapot die from the Tea for Two Collection. Come to mama....this die takes the Tea for Two set to a whole new level, don't you think! I colored my teapot with Copic markers to get a wonderful blended look. I then stamped my colored image with Vintage Cream ink using Polka Dot Basics II. What a cutie pie tea pot I have now. The *Thinking of You* sentiment is from Tea for Two Additions...I just stamped it onto patterned paper and then cut it apart. Oh how I love this pretty little card. Makes me want to have a tea party....and I don't even drink tea. Maybe I should start.
Know a tea drinker? I think these adorable silver plate cream and sugar sets would be a wonderful gift....along with a beautiful card and maybe a pretty doily. It's a tea party in the making. You can find these sugar and creamer sets along with teapots galore at auctions, thrift stores and on Ebay...probably Etsy too. And I like the somewhat tarnished look to them so I don't polish them up. It gives them that vintage, aged character. Jordan and I recently used our sugar and creamer for strawberries and sugar. If you think outside the box, these little gems can hold any kind of condiment or party fixins.
Enjoy!! My sister is coming for the weekend so I've got to get a movin' and shakin' around here.

Note: Look for the Button Cuttin' Tags in my Etsy shop soon......I may not get them up til Monday now since my sister is coming. We've got a good auction to hit. :)

Friends are the joy of life card..

Hey friends, today I have another card from my June Papertrey release projects to share with you. I created a whimsical, colorful card using Lisa Johnson's new Flutterfy Friend stamp set.

Using my mixy matchy style of selecting patterned papers, I used FIVE patterns on this one card.
I used my Copic sketch markers to color the adorable butterfly images, then finished them off with Glossy Accents and a small epoxy clear dot on the smaller butterfly. The sentiment was stamped on a Fillable Frames #5 die and then stamped with Pine's new Mini Scrapbook Series: Library Ledger stamp. I finished the card off with some Summer Sunrise Ribbon tied off with a snippet of my Wrinkle Ribbon.
Here's the Copic sketch colors I used for my butterfly images.
Hope you enjoy!

P.S....have you ever seen The People of Walmart photos? Well yesterday the girls and I got an up close and personal experience with about 100 or more of those people. As we had a cart loaded full of groceries, the tornado sirens went off at our Walmart. We had to be corralled like cattle back into the shipping area. It was hot and crowded.......cell phones were buzzing everywhere.......Jordan was scared and crying and biting her fingernails back and forth like an electric typewriter.........I got to stand next to the family with no teeth and BO like you wouldn't believe. Then there was the lady with the swim suit coverup. It should have been called the un-coverup. Gross. People. Please start dressing up when you go to Walmart.

A few updates...

Just a few updates for you:

Many of you have asked about my patriotic Wrinkle Ribbon bundles. Sorry.. but I ran out of supplies to make anymore. I will have more colors up in the shop within the next week or so though.

New Etsy shop items coming soon...wait til you see a new item I have in the works. I think you'll love this new concept I've come up with! Also, a few new kits...a few new aprons.....some beautiful new ribbon....cards and more. Plus Jordan has been making some adorable felt and fabric house collages. So sweet!

On a different note, I wanted to let you know that I am no longer designing for JustRite Stampers. I'd like to thank Kellie and the JustRite gang for everything during my stay with JustRite.

Be sure to check out my previous post from today, below.

And.......I'd love any suggestions for Josey's birthday party. She will be 13 and we can't decided on what to do for her party. I know some of you will have great ideas!

Teacups Birthday Card

Hey friends, hope you're having a great day. Today I have a card to show you from my June Papertrey release projects. I used the Tea for Two Additions set to create a focal image collage of teacups and silver spoons. Papers are from the Green Tea Leaves and Pretty Pastels collections. The bottom of my card was finished with the Moroccan Motifs Impression Plate along with some Melon Berry Satin ribbon. To give the ribbon a matte finish, I swiped it along my Vanilla Cream ink pad. Tiny sentiments were stamped onto a Tiny Tag from my Etsy shop. Notice the fun button accents. I threaded two buttons onto the string of the tag...a very simple application.
The Copic Sketch colors that I used to color the teacups are shown below. I also did a little paper pieced strip of the patterned paper on the teacups.

Hope you enjoy! I'll be working on some new Etsy shop additions soon so stay tuned!!