Thank you for your comments and sales!  I admit, launching the new shop is a little nerve-racking, hee hee.  Anyway, I’m glad to have put the shop up because I can focus more on making things, the best part.

There are many new treats in the shop, including these vintage digital kits!  I’m really happy about them, actually.  I love vintage postcards, particularly Victorian and Edwardian ones, and I’m so stingy about them - I can’t seem to part with them!  So, along with vintage buttons, millinery, calling cards and even an old saucer, I made a digital few kits to share.  Violets & Violas, above, has a ton of high resolution PNG files which are really nice because they have transparent backgrounds which are good for layering in blog headers and scrapbooks.  (And since they are 300 dpi, you can print them out too!)

There’s also a kit with pretty blue vintage buttons, ranging from the 1920s through the 1950s, in PNG format and in a handy collage sheet (JPG) to print out (both 300 dpi).

And red & pink vintage buttons too!  Love those swirly ones.  Oh!, what projects can be made with these…

I’m so thoroughly enjoying the little rain we are having.  Staying in, snug and cozy.  For dinner tonight we’re having tacos with blue corn torillas  (I just love the novelty of them) which I need to make ready right now.

Happy Wednesday, my dears!

(P.S. Images are watermarked and degraded for posting purposes - digital files do not contain these watermarks and are high quality, of course!)

This image is an oldie but goody.  I love this skirt though I hardly wear it;   I think I like it better on the form!  Anyway, I was going to post a lesson or talk about my wedding dress today; I have (had?) this wonderful picture of my family from the 50s that I was going to include in the post.  But I can’t find it.  My fiance’s sister was in town a couple of weeks ago so I “straightened up” my room and, of course, I put things in seemingly logical places that are far from them.  The worst part is I’m an avid recycler (Ok, not’s not really a bad thing) and I’m wondering if it ended up in the recycling by mistake (being in a nondescript off-white note card-type frame).  So then I started to freak out and cleaned up my room for reals this time and I still can’t find it!  Then, naturally,  I ate too many chocolate chip cookies to cope and now I have a stomach ache.

So, ANYHOW,  I’m posting a few links for you in lue of a normally scheduled sewing lesson post:

Must-read: Alicia shares some words of sewing wisdom

See Casey’s completely awe-inspiring Alice dress

Check out what Elizabeth made for her daughter Caitlin - as always, lucky girl!

Wish me luck finding that photo!  I really hope it’s in here somewhere…

I was just tickled pink (hee hee) when the lovely Andreae emailed me to let me know that her daughter, the Miss B I’m talking about here, was inspired by my version of this Built by Wendy dress.   I especially love Miss B’s choice of pink candy-striped fabric!  I think she looks so sweet, don’t you?  Please check out Andreae’s post about this adorable dress (and a little candy-striped number she ended up wearing herself).

Speaking of candy-striped goodness, I have been saving some other sweet things to share with you…

Vintage dress from encorevintage:

Vintage cabochons from ScarlettsGarden:

Vintage tumblers from PreserveCottage:

Vintage fabric from fabriquefantastique:

Vintage hostess apron from ABelovedTreasure:

I haven’t been this excited about candy-stripes since I bought pink and white candy canes for my tree last Christmas.

Ok, wedding-related notion shopping I must go.  I know I owe you all a wedding update post!  Coming soon, I promise.

Here’s the tutorial I was talking about a few days ago.  A little late, I know, but that’s how it goes this time of year for me. But, never fear, you can make them for next Christmas or for fun, because cute little mushrooms aren’t just for the holidays!

These aren’t cotton but paperclay. They look just like those vintage cotton mushrooms you see for sale, only you make these yourself which means you can customize them however you like: size, color, shape, etc. (Yes, I know, that why we crafters are so crafty!)

Skill Level: Beginner

*This project takes 2-4 days because of drying time.*

Here’s what you’ll need (you can find most/all of these supplies at Michaels):

• Paperclay, preferably Delight because it’s white and very lightweight
• Floral wire
• Red and white acrylic paint (or desired colors)
• Acrylic varnish (I used matte, indoor/outdoor)
• 1 small flat and 1 small round paintbrush
• Small wire cutters
• Something to protect surface
• Cup of water
• Paper towels
• Optional: Alligator clips

The follow pictures are kind of crappy because I didn’t have good light in my work area, but I think you’ll get the idea!

Cut a 6″ piece of floral wire. At one end, twist or curl the wire to form an anchor. Then, take some paperclay (approx. the size of a golfball to start) and form it around the anchored end, leaving about 3-4″ of wire at the bottom:

Wrap paperclay around the wire and sculpt into a vague mushroom shape:

Continue to work the paperclay into desired shape. You may wet your hands a little to help smooth out the clay. Here are 3 slightly different examples:

Let forms dry for 1-3 days. (One day should be fine since these objects are small.)

When ready, use the flat paintbrush and paint the tops red. Apply 2 coats. (According to manufacturer’s directions.) Paint stems white if you used non-white paperclay. Dry.

With round paintbrush, add white dots. I hung mine up to dry in the laundry room, away from a certain cat:

When paint is completely dry, coat mushrooms with varnish. I choose to coat the entire mushroom, but I suppose you can coat just the top. (Painted area.)

Position your mushroom on top of the end of a branch and wrap the wire around it.

****Optional: Wrap wires from bottom of mushrooms around alligator clips. This may extend the life of your mushrooms as the wires will probably eventually break from bending.

You can also try making the wire stick up from the top of the mushroom, or using a loop of heavy thread or string at the top so the mushroom will hang like most other ornaments. OR, skip the wire altogether and glue the mushrooms into your decorative arrangements.

Enjoy!