MyMothersPearls

After a bit of a break, I am happy to be sewing again.  I embroidered a few motifs during my trip to use in an upcoming project,

have been doing a bit of hand sewing to create items for an upcoming Silver Bella swap,

and have been totally inspired by this new book by Kay Whitt.  You may be familiar with Kay the dress and bag patterns she creates for McCall’s.  Let me just tell you that this book is fabulous.  I love every single project in it and am really motivated to make myself some new clothes to wear for the fast approaching school year.  I am starting today with this dress in these fabrics, and I will be sure to keep you informed as to how things progress!

(For some reason its easier for me to make clothes for my daughter than for myself, no idea why!)

I did adapt one of the skirt patterns for another project that has been in my head for a while.  Here’s a quick peek at that work in progress. 

All the fabrics, trims, and buttons used came from my trips to Germany and Austria.  They have the most wonderful 100% linens in the sewing shops there!

Have a lovely and creative Wednesday, everyone!

Sue

One of the things that really struck me during  our trip to Germany and Austria was how many people were using bikes as transportation.  Of course, they make it easy there, with dedicated bike/hiking paths connecting the various towns and villages.  I am sure that the incentive of gas prices (for unleaded) being the equivalent of around $8 a gallon (with diesel not being that much cheaper) also plays a part.  Having fallen in love with the cruiser style bikes reminiscent of my childhood,  upon returning from the trip, I treated myself to this pink beauty.  Yes – PINK!! It’s a Schwinn and I am just loving it!  I ordered it from amazon.com and my terribly handy hubby had it together for me in no time!

Since the idea is to use it to ride to the nearby grocery store (less than a mile away), I obviously needed a stylin’ wicker basket for the front (removable so I can take it into the store with me!)  I also added two collapsible wire baskets to the back rack.  They weren’t meant for my kind of rack, but once again my amazing hubby came to the rescue and made it work!

Just looking at this pink beauty has me grinning!

I went shopping with my daughter the other day – running errands and such.  Here’s what she wore

Yep, that’s a crinoline over her long shorts!  She went for a not-so-fluffy one, and I think she totally rocked the look!  I think it’s pretty cool that my girl is into vintage and prefers to shop thrift stores, flea markets and auctions instead of the mall.  Just like her mama!

Have a great day everyone, and go do something courageous!

Shops in many Bavarian towns close at noon on Saturday and are closed all day Sundays.  However, not to fret, as Sundays are Flea Market days in Germany!  We found a small one nearby and had fun exploring the treasure.  Some of the loveliness I brought home included an amazing old lace collar,  jewelry bits, old keys and some lovely thread holders embellished with tiny lilies of the valley. 

Other finds during the first week included this awesome felted heart,

antique books and postcards(the one with the birds below is actually hand-painted not a print – beautiful!!)

and some wonderful German scrap pictures!

And here’s my favorite – Snow White!

(Sadly – not a frozen Charlotte to be found anywhere, even though we were right near the purported mother-load where they originate!)

Throughout the  trip I gathered charms (both vintage and new) to create a special charm bracelet memento of this trip.  I’ll share how it turned out, as well as a bit about our week in Austria, in my next post.

Hi everyone!  We are back from a magical trip to Germany and Austria.  If you ever have the chance – they are truly two of the loveliest countries on Earth.  We spent the first week in the Franconian Bavaria region of Germany , right at the intersection of the castle road and the romantic road.  Days were spent exploring medieval walled towns and Gothic cathedrals

And our nights were spent here…….. Yes, we stayed in a 14th century medieval castle (with modern conveniences of course!)  You can book a stay here through a wonderful organization called Untours.  Our  apartment included a bedroom, sitting room, bathroom and tiny but functional kitchen.  My daughter had her own set of rooms right next to ours (which she loved, of course!).  It was so cool to come back to the castle after a day of sight seeing, cross the moat, and enter the ancient wooden door of the keep,

knowing that we called this remarkable abode our home! We loved having a kitchen, as it gave us the opportunity to check out the local markets and prepare some of our own meals. 

Of course, no trip to Germany would be complete without Apple Strudel!

I really found myself drawn to the Gothic artwork on the buildings, city fountains, and of course in the breathtaking churches.

The week at our castle was over way too soon, and then it was on to the mountains of beautiful Austria.  I’ll share a bit of that trip in my next post. 

Longest day…shortest night

I hear that on this day, if you look carefully and perhaps leave out some bread and honey,

you might just see some fairies when they  come out to play.

I’m off to see if I can spot any, and will be taking a short break from blogging.

I look forward to sharing my adventures with you.

Have a magical day everyone!

(lovely image complements of The Graphics Fairy)

Warning – spoiler alert!!!

If you have me as a swap partner, this post will spoil your surprise!

Sweet Heather at Speckled Egg has done it again!  I am becoming addicted to these wonderful swaps.   This version of the Petite Inspiration Box Swap had a Paris theme, so I simply had to play.  Each participant was assigned 2 swap partners.  We were directed to create a box (using a large match box as a base) full of pretties that fit the theme.  I was inspired by some French photo postcards in my collection, some really fabulous antique buttons from Paris,  as well as a wonderful issue of Vogue from 1926, so I sort of went the route of French couture and fashion (mostly!)

Inside the boxes, I placed a custom made cuff bracelet, a vintage beaded flower, some vintage lace and french trim, a lovely key chain made from the handle of vintage silverware, a fun Paris magnet,  a fabulous glass ball button, and a tiny milk glass jar holding an enameled Eiffel Tower Charm.  I also included a tiny envelope of papers from a French grammar book plus a selection of actual ads from the Vogue magazine featuring fabulous shops in Paris, circa 1926.

I plan to drop these pretties in the mail tomorrow, and can’t wait to see what my partners send me in return!

Au Revoir!!

The vintage crinolines from last week’s auction adventure are all washed – final count 53!! Totally amazing. Here’s what they looked like all nice and clean – piled on the guest room bed. Sort of puts into one’s mind the Princess and the Pea story, only instead of mattresses I have a pile of frothy vintage crinolines! (there are actually quite a few pale pastel ones – we washed those first so they ended up at the bottom of the pile!) There is NO way these will all fit on the garment rack I bought….

Perhaps I can hang them at some of the windows instead of curtains??

In the meantime, between wash loads of tulle, I have been working on some last minute  gifts for some staff and students at the school where I teach.  These are  for a couple of one-on-one assistants I have worked with,

Their dedication and patience has truly been inspiring.

This tote bag is  for a fabulous young teacher who survived her first year in the classroom!

The text under the photo reads “With heavy hearts, teachers sadly wave goodbye to their students for the summer.” (you can click on the photo to see it in a bigger size)

I also put together some journals for 3 of my students who will be moving on to 4th grade, which means they will be too old to work with me next year. 

I sure will miss the little critters!  Hopefully these journals will inspire them to write, draw and create a bit over the summer.  I found the wonderful images for the journals and tote bag on my friend Karen’s website – The Graphics Fairy.  Every day she scans in several wonderful old images that can then be used for all sorts of projects.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful and creative day!

I’ve been auctioning again….

The auctioneer decided to sell all these beauties as one lot.

How could I possibly say no?

I am spending the day washing up this frothy fabulousness.

My daughter is enthusiastically assisting (she has her eye on some of the green ones to wear over jeans!)

We’ve washed and dried about 30 vintage crinolines so far, and I am estimating we have at least that many more to go…

I went out and bought a garment rack to store them on until I decide what to do with them all.  Some we will keep, some we may make into skirts for a local shop…..  For now they are forming the most colorful cloud of froth while waiting for their turn in the wash!

I’m a big fan of cuff bracelets. It’s like being able to wear mini works of art.  Isn’t this one  just to die for? Thank you to sweet Leeanne, the swap hostess and organizer of the Young Victoria Altered Book Project I participated in this past spring.  She made each of the gals who participated a scrumptious one-of-a-kind cuff bracelet.  I met Leanne at Silver Bella last year (I tell you that art event is simply the gift that keeps  on giving!).

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!  I am busy playing with my latest auction finds – just wait ’til you see!!