Weekend finds

Besides attending Sweet Salvage on 7th, I also went to the flea market at Merchant Square on Saturday morning.  Here are a few of the things I found there and other places this weekend.

 Found this great horse head bust at Sweet Salvage.

 This old book is just too aged and beautiful!!  Also found the necklace with the "J" and a "B" on the key!  How did the maker of this necklace know those were my initials.

 Found this great tote at the flea market.  Plan to use this often!  Really roomy!

Aren't these little birdies just too cute?   Love this original painting -- it's not a print.

Working on more gift bags

I made a couple of gift bags about a month ago and they flew out of my booth at Merchant Square.  So, I decided yesterday to make two more plus another, simpler one.

This was the first one I finished (approx. 8 1/2" x 11").  The lady in this image has the most beautiful dress and I love the long hair in the braid down her back tied with two big bows.  Lots of old lace bits, a velveteen fabric piece behind the image set the color scheme for this tote bag.

I finished this one this morning.  I kept the palette to whites and just added the pink ribbon for a bit of color.  This image is one of my favorites!

The inspiration for this one came from the most recent issue of Sew Somerset magazine.  I made this Paris tote bag (approx. 7" x 8 1/2" not including the strap) out of scraps from my stash and pieces from my Collage Camp creations.  It is really soft and  I think it would make a great hostess gift!  I'm on a roll today and will be making more this afternoon.  Right now it's lunch time!

This burlap bag was garnered from the produce department of my local grocery store.  I asked the department manager if he would save this bag for me after he used it in the display of chestnuts.  Earlier this week I collected this bag and asked to have any others saved for me.   I think these can be repurposed into something else!  Will be working on that for later.

Next cowgirl tote bag and more

I finished the next cowgirl tote bag late yesterday.  I like this one very much, too!  Wish I could remember where I got the images from in order to give credit.  I think it was Jack and Cat Curio, but can't find it on their Flickr page.  Anyway here she is:

I created this one with more of a girlie flair to it.  Liked the lace and flowers, but kept the rusty stuff, too.

Here's the collage piece at the bottom of the tote bag.  If you click on the pictures you will get an enlargement so you can see more detail.  Still haven't decided if I want to sell them or not.  Of course, I can't use two of them. 

Hit a pretty good estate sale yesterday.  Here are a couple of the nice finds for my booth at Merchant Square.  I am posting an album on my Judy B's Shabby Chic page on Facebook shortly.  You can see all the finds I have that will be in the booth shortly.

This is such a pretty cocktail dress in burgundy.  Lacy top and just below the knee.  Size 9/10!!  Perfect for the holiday parties ahead!

You're going to think I have hit my head and lost my mind, but I couldn't pass up this rusty, crusty ammo box!  The wire baskets were a freebee from my neighbor who was cleaning out.  I see so much "industrial" stuff in magazines and blogs these days that I can't pass up a few good ones to incorporate with the girlie stuff in my booth.

And old, broken down books.  These two books and old photo album were great finds.  I love to stack the books up and put something wonderful on top to make a decorative setting.  And, if you are into altered books, what better kind of book than one that is ready to fall apart.

The old photo album on the top has never been used.  But it has a "book plate" inside typed by the owner that it was to be the third album of a trip to the Grand Canyon and the Southwest.  Wish there were photos in it!

Cowgirl Chic Tote Bag

I told you about the Romantic Gothic Ghosts workshop.  And I made a tote bag using that theme.  Of course, I had to try my hand at a cowgirl tote bag ala Collage Camp.  Here is the result:

Cowgirl Chic

 I originally thought I would make a canvas bag, but decided to use the flower print instead.  I pinned the "Cowgirl Chic" tag onto the bag in case someone would want to remove it.  There is also an old heart cut from a quilt piece and a small bow added to it.  Nice color, nice layers.

I like it better.  What do you think???