Friday, May 29, 2009

Annie Oakley on a quilt square

I am having an absolute ball with the techniques I've learned from KC Willis' Collage Camp. This has been such a great experience for me. I am jazzed again about creating! If you haven't taken a look at the camp site, please click here or click on the camp button at the right.

Here is Sureshot Annie Oakley on one of the cutter quilt squares. I love this one!I am out of town now enjoying my grandchildren and getting ready to celebrate little Ryan's third birthday. Am also looking forward to a shopping trip to Lucketts General Store. Will post again after my return on June 3rd.

Happy Trails!!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Yesterday's great find

I went to an estate sale yesterday morning. The small house was loaded with goodies. But my favorite find yesterday was this . . .
A beautiful vintage purse that is covered with lace ruffling and much to my surprise, an old dance card was tucked inside!! This is a keeper for me! I love vintage purses and hats. But the dance card was the ultimate surprise! The little purse, and I do mean little, is lined with pink satin and is in remarkable condition.
This is the inside of the dance card. Signed by the fellows at the prom who had a dance with this girl. I hope you can read some of the cute writings that the boys wrote to her. Wonderful!!!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

My heroes have always been cowboys

Found in my stash -- an old log cabin cutter quilt! My friend Gail and I found the cutter quilt well over a year ago and decided to split the quilt between us. She wants to use it to cover small stools and I wanted it for altered art. Well, instead I now find that they are perfect for small collages. I did this one yesterday. Got to use up old junk (rusty belt buckle, old nail and a button) plus more recent stuff (a leather skirt found in a thrift shop). Nothing like a good looking cowboy! And nothing better than watching one walk away in great fitting Levi's!! Right, Kim??

Monday, May 25, 2009

Remember

Remember to honor our fallen military heroes today. They all have worked, fought and died to keep America the great country that it is.

One little indian boy tag

I love doing tags! Why not try a tag using the collage camp techniques? So here is the first one. I love this little boy or is it a little girl? I can't figure that one out. But whichever, the outfit is just wonderful! Must have been a favorite outfit for this child in order to have the picture taken. I printed out a bunch of transfers in a small size (there are more to come) and ironed them to small pieces of the dyed canvas. Then I just used left over bits of fabric and some embellishments to complete the tag. It doesn't take much. I have to remind myself to "KISS" -- keep it simple stupid -- because I tend to over do!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

My doll Jane

Here is my latest fabric collage. I have wanted to incorporate this doll dress into a fabric collage for a long time. I actually transferred the tiny picture to the dress and then hand stitched tatting and tiny buttons to the picture over a year ago. It is a picture of a little girl beside a chair with her favorite doll all dressed in white. There is a tiny doll bib that I attached to the dress and made a pocket out of it. From the pocket I draped a tiny pink pearl necklace. Perhaps you can see (it's awfully tiny!) that the little girl in the picture has on a pearl necklace. I used lots of vintage trims and old fabrics. The lacy piece on top of the ticking is an old dresser doily. The coffee dyed it up great.

I am headed to Virginia early on Thursday morning to visit my grandchildren. June 1st is little Ryan's third birthday. The festivities begin next Saturday. What fun!

Also, while I am in Virginia I am going to visit my favorite store, Lucketts General Store, located in Lucketts, Virginia about 7 miles north of Leesburg. It has been a favorite place of mine to visit and shop for years. They are having a spring sale next weekend! Shabby and chic!!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Mary collage

I am so "into" the collage camp. Here is Mary. She is a fallen angel.
Here is the top of the collage. I layered black lace, bird's nest paper, bits of fabric, a clumpie, and an old rhinestone pin.

This picture of the bottom half shows the cool fringe trim at the bottom plus all the bits I added.

The quote says "I like my petticoats white and my stockin's black. So do my men. -Mary"

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Ruby Culbertson collage

You may have seen Ruby before when I did the bingo card swap at Mystic Paper. I love this image. Ruby is just way cute! That's why I decided to use her in a fabric collage I am doing for the collage camp (click on the badge at the right to visit KC Willis Collage Camp).I wish I could recall where I got this picture of Ruby. I didn't find it in my stash the other day. Will continue my search.
This is a close up of the top of the collage. I used an old locket because Ruby is wearing one in her pic. The vintage earring looks like a ruby. The button and tassle are from an old Victorian frame that had fallen apart. The white fabric on the left is from an old child's dress that is in tatters. It looks like it might have been from one of Ruby's dresses. The quote at the bottom says "I may be the smallest cowgirl in the world, but one day I will grow up. Then I will be just like Annie Oakley. Ruby Culbertson."

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Little Buckaroo collage

This is the second fabric collage I have done in the collage camp. I love this picture of this little cowboy!
The quote says, "I love ropin' calfs and ridin' my pony. Someday I'll be a rodeo star."
This is the original photo. I forgot to reverse it before printing it on transfer paper, but, hey, does it really make any difference?? I love his sleeves -- see how they are rolled way up? He has some growin' to do before that shirt fits!

Monday, May 11, 2009

Here's my first collage from Collage Camp

This is my first collage using the techniques of the KC Willis Collage Camp. KC Willis has done a great job of putting together videos of her techniques so that students can achieve the great look of the Old West. Visit her website at Lipstick Ranch to see her work.

The photo identifies this cowgirl as Nora Wadeley. An internet search didn't turn up a lot. She was an actress in the mid-19teens. The dates are from 1906-1922. Obviously she didn't live very long. Which is sad, really. But I love this picture! My quote says "I am an actress first, but really, I want to be a cowgirl."

Blooming in the spring

This is my "redneck clothesline" aka Texas sage. This is so pretty when it blooms because it is covered with purple blossoms. Love it! Here is the saguaro and you can see that there are loads of new blossoms on it. I am glad because I thought the woodpecker would injure it. That is not the case. BTW, the mama Gila woodpecker does inhabit the hole. Every now and then I see her head peeking out of it. The pair are around each day, but I don't think there are any hatchlings, yet.


Sunday, May 10, 2009

Happy Mother's Day!

This is my Mom! The picture was taken when she was 17. You can see where I get my curly hair from! Mom had darker coloring -- brown hair, brown eyes. I get my reddish brown hair from my dad as well as my blue eyes. However, Mom must have had a blue eye gene in order for me to get my blue eyes. My sister had Mom's coloring, but was taller, like Dad. Isn't it amazing how we inherit something from each of our parents?!I want to wish each of you a very Happy Mother's Day!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Fluffing my antique booth

Isn't this lamp beautiful??!! I bought it months ago at an estate sale. Last day and it was a steal. I took it into my booth yesterday at Merchant Square and hung it up. Was really pleased with how pretty it is when lighted. So pretty that I may decide to keep it if it doesn't sell.This is closer up. Look at all the crystals -- glass, not plastic! The crystals alone are worth a pretty penny! It is really a lamp. It would have to hang from a ceiling hook and then drape the chain/cord to the wall or corner and plug it in there. However, you could always cover the chain/cord with a fabric sleeve and hide it. Also, I know it could be wired to be a hanging chandelier.
I also set up a pretty vanity display in the center of the booth. The two lacey dresses are so pretty! With the handkerchief hemlines they are so feminine. The one on the left is by Gunne Sax for Jessica McClintock. For some reason I can always find those!
I go for months on end and never find cowgirl boots -- pink cowgirl boots! Then I found three pair with a week of each other!
If you know of a little cowgirl who would like pink boots, here they are!

All done with fluffing for this week! Yeehaw!

Monday, May 4, 2009

Coffee dyeing

Here is the pile of fabrics, trims and flowers that I sorted out this morning for dyeing. They have all been washed before and are ready to go. The unwashed fabrics are in the washer as I do this blog.This is a real old piece of ticking and a vintage tablecloth or bed coverlet. The ticking looks grungy along the edges, right?! Well, I asked my friend, Joy, about it and she told me it is actually the downy feathers that are stuck there. I washed the fabric long ago and the down didn't come off. The old tablecloth is in tatters -- and I have a huge amount of it. It won't be dyed. It is the perfect color already!Into the big pot they go! I used vanilla flavored instant coffee and it smells great!Then quickly into the bucket!Then out to the big sage bush to dry in the sun. Don't have a great wood fence or a wood deck. Thought the bushes would do!On to the second bush!
I am not convinced the flowers will come out of this in reasonable shape. My dilemma is with the pretty pillow sham. Here you can see the front folded over the back. Love these fabrics! I think I should take the sham apart and just dye parts of the fabric. I do love the colors as they are now, but perhaps a bit of coffee would help calm the loud off white. Hmm!What do you think? Perhaps a weak batch of coffee?

Here is the newly washed fabrics right out of the washer -- in one BIG clump! Spent quite a while separating all of it. But I did!
Clumpies!! I've got lots of clumpies!

Soldered charms

Last Saturday I took the soldering class with Josie Cirincione at Mystic Paper. Been wanting to do that for some time to see if I really want to venture into another art form (what am I thinking??). Here are the charms I made:

Here are the two top row left charms flipped:I had fun doing these although I think I will have to get stronger readers (glasses) from the drug store! It was hard to tell if I got the solder all the way around the charms. I didn't buy the equipment and supplies yet. I think I will invest in all of that at a later date -- perhaps this summer because in Phoenix everyone stays indoors due to the hot weather that is coming!

Note the faded quilt piece I used as background?? I am going to coffee dye that to use in an upcoming collage I am going to do through KC Willis' collage camp. Coffee dyeing is on my calendar for later today. This morning I am off to Merchant Square (again!) to hang a new chandelier. I sold a shabby chic one on Saturday. The next chandelier isn't shabby chic, but it is a great piece. Will post a picture for you later -- once it is assembled and hung. Stay tuned!!