"I would have my secretary do it, but she's dead"*

recently attended a really fun estate sale at a office building downtown...it was built in 1964 & apparently never redecorated after that. the building is going to be demolished to make way for an expansion & renovation of a YMCA so everything down to the doorknobs was for sale:




this lamp was in the room that housed the bar, which I wish I had gotten a photo of:

the building had this really amazing design that included two atriums on either side - most offices except the receptionist & the bar included a view of them so there was wonderful natural light throughout even though looking at the virtually windowless building from the outside you would never have guess it. the bar however was strategically placed in the middle of the building with two doors {one to the main hallway & one to the conference room} so it was dark & hidden. if I wasn't a mad men watcher I probably would have been surprised there was a bar at all...





all the cool light fixtures were sold by the time I got there. the amazing room divider was still available but too pricey. I walked away with just some paint by numbers - on velvet no less...they seemed so out of place amongst all the office-type stuff, I found it hilarious & of course fate that I was meant to get them.

*don draper - mad men. {here's a short video or a longer video about the episode}

rhythms with witch...

recently my 3 sisters & I have been having fun exchanging emails in an effort to compile a list of the best movie villainesses...this is who we have so far:

elphaba

maleficent

the white witch

queen grimhilde

bellatrix lestrange

cruella deville

alien queen

annie wilkes

bridget gregory

alex forrest

baby jane hudson

we'd love some help...who would you add to the list?

{have a wonderful weekend!}

p.s. the photo is from halloween 1978 - that's me as dorothy & my lovely sister as the witch :)

thursday = embroidery

this week's vintage embroidery pattern is a little squirrel...because I like squirrels:


happy stitching!

a couple more necklaces

this time I'm going to share two examples of necklaces that I made/repurposed:


this was super easy - all I did was glue an accordion onto a round bail plate I bought at the craft store.


I think the plates are a great way to highlight little buttons or other vintage findings you might collect that you love but aren't sure how to use.

another little project I recently worked on started with a pair of screw back earrings I thrifted because I liked the look of the metal knots:


because I prefer shorter dangle earrings I separated one of the knots from each earring & added a lever back. then I took one of the remaining two knot pieces & turned it into a necklace:


quick & easy...my favorite kind of project!

recently thrifted: necklaces

in case anyone fancied any of those I thought it would be fun to look on etsy & provide links for similar necklaces:






locket * horseshoe * bowling pins * bird * apple

because monday's can be tough sometimes...

for your {hopeful} amusement I give you the dog - as susanna:

rolling the cross-process dice

{taken with my iphone using this app}

have a wonderful weekend!

thursday = embroidery

a recent custom order:


love that I got to use colored floss on this one :)

and this week's vintage embroidery transfer is a little fuzzy because the pattern was printed in silver but she was too cute not to share:


happy stitching!

go-anywhere pants suits

"these rainy-day suits were designed for busy people in chilly, drippy climates. and whether you live in new york city, or newton iowa, they'll make the fashion forecast look good even when the weather forecast doesn't."

{copyright 1973 better homes and gardens: crafts & sewing magazine}

indeed

{poster from the mall back at xmas time...part of an ad campaign by fossil}

books

lately I have been considering some new types of posts I could add to the rotation here on the blog - for example today thought I'd share some books currently on my radar:







1 * 2 * 3 * 4 * 5

{in the spirit of full-disclosure: I've not been contacted by anyone associated with these books nor do I own them - just thought they looked interesting.}

in regard to the new types of posts thing - I'm not planning any kind of revamp of the blog or any kind of schedule. I'm just interested in freshening things up a little bit in terms of content to keep myself & you readers engaged. so I'm curious - would you like to see more posts about stuff like books, photos, crafts/embroidery, etc...that I've found online that I like? or do you have suggestions for types of posts you'd like to see? thanks!

space dog

the thrift store seems to have an endless {and surprising} supply of things for me to put on the dog...



{have a wonderful weekend!}

thursday = embroidery

I'm not sure when I found this project by haylie waring on design*sponge:


but when I did I thought to myself I would like to make a button display hoop with embroidered line-work. and so I did:


instead of doing french knots I used black beads in two sizes because I am lazy & also because I have not yet mastered the french knot:


here is the reinterpreted line-work {based on a 12" hoop} if you'd also like to make one:


happy stitching!

merci beaucoup marie claire idees

the jan/feb issue is wonderful!