Thrifty Treasures

On my list of must finds has been a Liberty of London printed blouse. Last week I spotted one when I popped into the Nearly New Shop of Christ Church Cathedral and discovered that everything in the shop was fifty per cent off. My husband found a sport shirt and I found a beautiful old handkerchief and a silk square in a beautiful icy blue. Before Christmas, I found a beautiful brown patent leather Ferragamo purse and a brown printed Liberty silk scarf so I knew that this was a location with potential.





On this occasion I also found a Kasper jacket. As a student of fashion history, I have been aware of the designer for a long time with his designs being in the Vogue Patterns catalogue years. This particular jacket seems to be like many 'designer' clothes in that it is just an off-the-rack item with a designer's label sewn in but it does fit me well and it is pink!

The Liberty blouse also came with a skirt and shirt jacket. They are slightly faded compared to the blouse and the styling is fairly dated (or too old for me as my daughter said) so I think the parts are slated for a reworking. I am not a big label chaser but the quality of Liberty fabrics is well known and the beauty of the prints is almost matchless. Liberty of London is definitely a place I want to visit when I am in England with the choir. This was definitely my thrifting high of the week but I was also able to make another thrift store visit and some Saturday Garage Sale finds.




I occasionally find hand potted pieces and have a preference for blue glazes. Here is one that caught my eye shown here in our family room with Lily of the valley from the garden. The glaze matches the fruit bowl we use in the kitchen so I can see that this will be used frequently. The other photo shows another cache pot which is one of my recent thrifting obsessions. It is sitting on a new, thrifted linen skirt which combines my favourite blues with a light brown and should prove a versatile addition to my wardrobe.




Another cache pot, this one being made in West Germany with an apron in blue. Have others noticed how we often find items in themes or colours without intending to. The blue apron is beautifully handmade and if you click on the picture to enlarge it you can find the perfectly matched pocket. Sometimes the shorter stitch length used in some home sewing can create an obviously homemade look which is not the case in this apron.


Saturday's garage sale finds included some Ikea storage containers and rail system spotted by No. 3 with plans for its use for his art supplies. We used the same system in my recent sewing room makeover and it is very reasonably priced but he bought it for $2. He is already becoming quite good at finding good bargains and enjoys it like me. He just needs a little more experience in figuring out what we will actually use.

I am a sucker for vintage office supplies, so this mail scale was an exciting find. It does seem odd to me that an item (dated 1982)from the time I was in high school is vintage but I am sure that I will encounter such vintage items again. I certainly remember the postal rates of the time and remember with fondness the letters I received from my long distance boyfriend of the time. I had No. 3 study the scale for a while to figure out what it was and within a minute he had it even though the scales at the post office now are nothing like this one.


I found these jars and the carafe when I went back to pick-up a wood and cor-plast Ikea wardrobe with the van. I will use for summer storage of the snowsuits and parkas. The jars and carafe were free!!! Sometimes the best deals are the things that others have passed over. The jars will likely be used for food storage. With a family of six, I buy a lot of food stuff in bulk through a natural food buying club. It is less expensive and avoids excessive packaging. The carafe still had the tag on it and will allow us to make more than one pot for entertaining. There is also a vintage jar chopper. I already have one so I am not sure if I will keep it.

I love to share all my thrifted and garage sale finds and I have found other bloggers who like to do the same at Rhoda's blog where many other are sharing their treasures.

My Creative Space: How I found religion with Amy Butler

I love Amy Butler's designs and would gladly spread them around my whole world so sometimes I just have to go and spread the word. This book does not contain all the secrets of life but it does look pretty. I am not really a paper crafter but I love the available supplies. Around the corner from my sewing studio, I have a curbside-find dresser with all my supplies: bone folder, various adhesives, cutting tools and embellishments. It takes up part of the laundry room/extra pantry space adjacent to the studio. When we have finished painting, etc. I will post photos.



The little book started out as an extra date book given to my husband by the local musician's union. Calendars become obsolete rather quickly and I had yet to find a purse size book for myself. The ugly, black plastic cover was a problem I could fix and Amy Butler showed me the way. Well not actually, but her paper and stickers inspired me! I used card stock sized paper which was a little short for the height of the booklet but that gave more reason to use the stickers. I also glued in a length of narrow pink ribbon to mark the pages. Of course, I need to work harder at daily observance of said book but that may take practise.



My post's subtitle is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek reference to how design-centred are lives have become. For creative types, it has always been the case but for the rest of the world this is a new revelation that is fed by manufacturers and marketing. Organization is the saviour of our modern world! Organization is required for all the stuff we are encouraged to accumulate. I do believe things have gotten more than a little extreme with de-cluttering/organizing television shows and magazines devoted to this trend. In the end, it seems to suggest that more consumerism is the answer, the concept of which I do not agree. It is better to eliminate what truly is unnecessary and improve what remains. Not to throw the baby out with the bathwater, my modern vintage philosophy advocates organization and finding beauty in order, while trying to use what you already have. So here is my little kitchen 'desk' makeover before; a little cluttered looking and not pretty.



The Amy Butler effect here is covering the phone directories. I still prefer to look up a number in the books rather than online but I hate the way they look. We do not have cupboard or drawer space I was willing to devote to phone books so I think this solution works well. I used sheets of Amy's double-sided 12 x 12 scrapbook pad, using two sheets per directory, craft glue stick and my dymo label maker. I think that the overall effect is a big improvement. The pens, pencils and scissors etc. are all in two Ikea plant pots found at the Thrift store. The improved appearance should increase our motivation to keep the area attractive and functional.



Do not forget to check in with who other creative spaces at Kristy's
blog.

My Creative Space: Before and After the Sewing Studio Makeover

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In all the years I have shared a home with my husband I have had a space to sew. At some times it was just a corner of a room and when we had only one child, it was my own sewing room. Having the space was good and decorating it was not really part of the thought process. The urge (or sometimes need) to make something was stronger than my need to control my environment. Or so I thought...


For the last seven and a half years that we have lived in our house, this has been my sewing space. It is in the basement, the walls are drywalled, there is flooring on the concrete and even a sewing counter left by the previous and original owners. I have blamed my lack of productivity on having four children, working part-time outside of the home and family health/injuries. My husband urged me to improve the room but I always said that we had other areas of our home that really needed our time and money.


I began to realize that the only time I was spending in this room was when I absolutely needed to or when the creative urge was so overwhelming, I did not care what the room was like. I really hated the pinky-beige paint on the walls and the green vinyl tiles on the floor. The storage had potential but was not complete and lacked purpose.


Despite the window providing good light (southern exposure), the life seemed to be sucked out by the colour scheme and the clutter. I think it looked like a candidate for the de-cluttering T.V. shows on HGTV and despite my interest in collecting and thrifting I do not see myself a clutter person. So after months of planning and two weeks of hard work the new studio is ready for viewing.


Of course, the pictures are really the best way to describe the room now but I can say it feels great just to be in the room. It feels like it will be easy to keep it (almost) this clean and amazingly almost all the supplies,etc. in the before pictures came back in the room.



Every notion, bits of trim and threads have a place. We have kept the counter and wall shelves in place but added or reconfigured the storage.



A large (&flattering) full length mirror is on the wall next to the drafting/cutting table. Storage carts are under the table's surface and contain patterns, thread and fabric. The picture rail holds rulers and a metal rail beneath it holds the metre stick and quilting frames.



A wall of Ivar shelving stores most of my fabrics, felted sweaters, books and has desk area for my computer or crafting. Be sure to check out other creative spaces at Kristy's blog.