Our Creative Space: I Saw the Light, Again!

I have been complaining (just a bit) about the shortening days and decided to improve that a bit by creating more reflective surfaces in my kitchen. No, I have not panelled the walls with mirrors! I have simply started to scrub down the birch cupboard doors and clean the grime of my collectibles on display. I still have more to do tomorrow as I ran out of cleaning steam. While putting the items has been exercising some creativity, I really needed to do something crafty after all that scrubbing: Something quick and simple to satisfy my crafting craving. The sewing room has too many projects set to start and none with any 'instant gratification' qualities which, when you are in the middle of a big job, like "Spring" (Fall) cleaning in your kitchen, is required. I recalled how satisfying it had been to cover my phone books with Amy Butler paper and my eyes were quickly drawn to my next project. This unassuming box of printer paper.




This box usually lives on top of our computer armoire near the entrance to the family room so, if you look slightly higher than eye level, it is in plain view. It is not the ugliest packaging in the world but there is definite room for improvement. Amy Butler to the rescue! Using the same pad of her scrapbook paper that I had used on the phone books and my paper trimmer, I cut pieces of co-ordinating paper to fit the sides and lid of the box. I left a small border of the natural colour of the cardboard and pieced the pieces on the shorter sides of the box in a quilt-like fashion. I have used acid-free glue stick as my adhesive as I am rather frustrated with spray glue and decoupage medium at the moment. I will likely use a spray sealer finish to preserve the paper but that will depend on tomorrow's weather. Today we reached a near record 17°C so it would have been warm enough to use the spray outside.



It is amazing how such a simple project can make such a large impact on my well being. Having little bits of your personality peppering your living space must surely encourage creativity along with stimulating the desire to care for your space. I hope to be sharing larger projects soon but I also think it advisable to continue with this nesting trend and get a few more of these 'living environment' improvements checked off the list. I hope that I stay inspired to come up with other spur of the moment improvements. I am excited to be rejoining the linking of Our Creative Space (formerly My Creative Space) and can't wait to see what is going in other Creative Spaces.

A Sense of Accomplishment

A lot has been accomplished lately in the Thoroughly Modern Vintage household but not the kinds of things that are easily tangible. The most important event has been the successful spinal fusion surgery for our daughter and parenting/nursing care that has allowed her to have such a speedy recovery. The medical care that she received at the hospital was excellent but she needed twenty-four hour comfort care from her parents. This was perfectly reasonable considering the seriousness of her surgery, and, of course, the resultant pain, but surprised us slightly as she is usually such an independent girl. Fortunately, my husband had time off of work and my sister was visiting so someone was able to be with our daughter at the hospital and the boys at home at all times. She is at home now and recovering well. Meanwhile, I am trying to catch up on the domestic front and actually feel like I am accomplishing something!

Ironing is often the first chore to slide when things get busy but pressing a dozen shirts (10 for my husband and 2 for me) gave me a quantifiable sense of ac- complishment. I actually enjoy ironing. The smell of steam on the cloth and eliminating creases gives me more than a little pleasure. I am especially enjoying my fresh, new cover which looks very pretty in the sitting area of our bedroom.


The enjoyment while ironing was augmented by the sun streaming in the room and the lovely company of Clara pictured above. Isn't it funny how the small things we accomplish help us to put our life back on an even keel?

My Creative Space: What is Waiting on my Ironing Board

My sewing room has welcomed a new tool: a Rowenta Pro Iron! My trusty T-fal is still working but I was getting a little worried as it gets used a lot. The T-fal is fairly light weight which is perfect for garment care. Sewing can benefit from a heavier iron that produces a lot of steam. I have had a few irons in my years of home keeping and have been disappointed with some of them. Many of the more recent models do not seem to get hot enough and almost all of them have an auto shut-off. The Professional model Rowenta is designed for sewers with one of its best features being its lack of auto shut-off. It gets nice and hot and produces a lot of steam. Unfortunately, so far all I have had time to use it for is ironing some of my vintage linen tablecloths like this rosy one. It works very well for linen but its weight would deter me from using it for all my ironing.







The reason for the new iron's lack of use in the sewing room is due to the combination of my children's many activities and the effect of certain flu symptoms dancing through the family. This virus seems to come back to haunt you just when you think that you are feeling better. While I have been under the weather, I have been very thankful for a well organized bedside table well stocked with all you need when needing extra rest: favourite books and magazines, carafe and glass of water, tissues, lovely porcelain flower-shaped tea light, pen holder and basket with lip balm, hand cream and a thermometer. Extra pillows, a reading shawl and my lap top allow me to be inspired by all of the creativity out in blog land.

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.

Care Packages

It has been over a week since my last post which is not a habit that I want to slip into. Our family is getting a little burnt out by end of winter illness so my Mum's care package to me is just what the doctor ordered. The package is a late birthday gift. It was a late because the main gift is home-made and my mother has also had more than her share of illness this winter. Of course I benefited by its lateness because I received a book gift-card in time for my actual birthday so I have been very blessed this year. Its contents include organic cotton napkins(with decorative stitching added by my Mum), napkins made by my Mum, a pasta maker, newly made(my Mum) linen/cotton blend tea towels, Bon Ami cleanser,Junk Style Magazine (with DVD),ClothPaperScissors Studio Magazine(Fall) and Quilting Arts Stitch Magazine and the following items from her local thrift store: a white linen damask tablecloth, a full,wrap-style apron and a book on the Cathedrals of England. I will write more about the pasta maker and the thrifted items in a future post.
The household cleanser I grew up using does not seem to be available in my part of Canada. This product is effective,environmentally safe and generally pleasant to use but I need to ask my Mum to send me a regular supply. I find new linen tea towels impossible to find and thrifted ones are almost as scarce. Linen is far better for drying glassware so I really appreciate my Mum's gift. The tablecloth in the background is also linen with embroidery done by Mum ( and her magic sewing machine).

I grew up using cloth napkins including with my bag lunches at school. We actually wear out our cloth napkins so I am always happy to replenish our collection. Mum found the organic napkins and embellished them to match the blue of the wall in the kitchen and red handles of some of my vintage kitchen tools. The others are edged with a simple blue rolled hem.



I love magazines but cannot possibly buy all that I would like to read. I like to share my library of favourites and my Mum is generous with hers. The Studios is especially appreciated and timely as we have almost completed the sewing studio makeover.

Spring Book Shelf Make-over

Well its not spring yet, but my Christmas Cactus is blooming again and keeping the Gerberas company and the African Violets are soon to join them. Their vibrancy reminds me that I won't be waiting long...so I had better get to thoses indoor projects! This is a rather sad corner in our family room: the fish tank is empty, the ceiling above needs a patch and the bookshelf is over-stuffed. We need to fix the ceiling before we can bring back fish. We can tackle the shelf. Editing out the books could have been a solution but I keep adding to my collection of cookbooks.



This is a collecting problem that does not often get complaints from other family members; if I am interested in my cookbooks, the results are appreciated. The ultimate solution was to repurpose the bookshelf in another room and order a new bookshelf from Ikea. We put this off for awhile as we live in the opposite end of the city. Fate intervened and we had to go to the store to buy a new floor for the sewing room (stay tuned for that make-over) and because it was such an amazing price we also ordered the bookshelf. The flat-packs arrived at a location much closer to our house and much sooner than expected. As a couple, we have survived over 21 years of Ikea assembly so the shelves were soon ready for dressing. The shelf spaces are adjustable and my vintage cookbooks have their own space with grow room. The DVD's have neat and tidy boxes and a favourite photo invites us to look. I think the result may inspire me to jump into Spring Cleaning.