"Book Cover Challenge".......

Amy, artist extraordinaire, from mittensathome.blogspot.com has issued a book cover challenge and here is my entry. Sorry my pics are all over the place and totally not in the order I uploaded them, but either Blogger doesn't like me, or I'm a dunce! 

The cover of this old book has such an appealing charm to me so of course I left it as is. I decided to make a little notebook out of it.

I added some vintage elements, such as glassine bags and little envelopes. Then I filled them with tags made from old Logomachy cards (not the originals but photocopies)

I covered the back with some tea stained fabric that I thought  echoed the flowers on the girls hat on the front cover.

Sweet little metal rimmed tag with a bird stamp on it, just for fun.

Inside the front cover I added a library pocket and a fabric stitched bookmark.

This is the front of the bookmark......

Many thanks to Amy for putting this challenge together, it was really lots of fun! I can't wait to check out some of your altered book covers!

My newest project.....wish me luck!

So I bought this gorgeous french jewelry/vanity box from a lovely seller on Etsy..it's pretty, right?

Until you open it! Then it's like a house of horrors! Oh my goodness, what have I gotten myself into?

Now in fairness to the lovely seller, I did request some good photos of the inside before purchasing....

Because I know these boxes can be in various states of disrepair, and rarely are they perfect.

Some of these trims I already owned, the velvet I bought today at the thrift...wish me luck with this particular makeover...please! It will be that fine line to make it look truly "old" and vintage when I'm finished with it. I'll be sure to post pics when I'm done.
What projects are you working on right now?

FINALLY listing some new Etsy goodies.......

Vintage floral hatboxes...

Sweet vintage crochet cap.....

Prettiest pin cushion ever!

Gorgeous vintage napkin or hanky holder.....

I truly love Etsy, it's so much fun "owning" my own store and having total control over my time spent on it.....highly recommend to everyone :).
Hope you're all having a productive, or restful weekend...and in a perfect world, a little of both!

Do you have a weakness for......

vintage children's books? I must admit to being a "junkie" for years! Nothing can beat the colors or the sweetness of the stories

Little Bitty Raindrop is my fave! It's hard to explain how cute this story is...the travels of a baby raindrop...

I love the endpapers in these little books, they're just adorable!

Look at the beautiful face on this raindrop, what a fabulous artist who drew this.

This little book also has charming artwork inside....

Lucky getting in trouble :(

What's your favorite vintage children's book?

Ahhhh, sweet success at last!!!!!

So here are some pictures...at last, of my new bottle collection. They were all purchased at the same yard sale from the nicest man named Willie.....I had 4 bottles in my hands originally, got too hot and irritable, so couldn't decide what to buy. Please tell me you've done that before....., well, bet you haven't now that I think about it!  Willie saw me put them back and said, "I'd love to give you a bottle, choose anyone you like." Huh? Really, how sweet is that? I said, "Oh, you don't have to do that" and his response was, "But I want to, I'm a firm believer that you get what you give in this life."

Well, needless to say I scrambled and found several that I liked, then went back a few hours later for more! He gave me a great deal on them so who could resist? Not me!

I like the old tobacco tins to use for altered art, and the old folding ruler, well, it's beat up just enough...I'm off to bed, I've been futzing with my blog for 1 1/2 hours now trying to change the background....ran into some issues....(shocking I know)!

It's an "instant" collection.....

Well, I want to post some pictures, really I do! What's up with you blogger? I can't very well post my "instant" collection without any pictures now, can I? Huh, huh, are you listening to me blogger?
Oh well, maybe tomorrow......stay tuned.....:(

A couple beach finds........

So my lovely MIL, Mary Ellen, gave me a generous gift certificate to my favorite antique store on the coast, Yankee Trader. I had so much fun shopping, even though the store wasn't open very much while I was there because the owner was helping her dd with the Fair that was going on, so she had to close her shop quite a few days while we were there.

The locker baskets were a must-have, who can't use those for storage. The file box was an interesting find. I've seen them before in thrift stores but this one felt heavy. Upon further investigation, I saw the file dividers inside, which make me think this must have once belonged in a sheriff's/police office one day.Just look at some of these interesting file dividers...."explosives", "glass broken"..huh?"Family Troubles", "Dogs Vicious",

and my personal favorite, wait for it......."Bum Checks"! Admittedly, I'm weird enough to think this is kinda funny!
The copper bin on the bottom is something we've wanted for a long time, to put ice in and serve drinks, or wood in the winter......love all of these things!
Thanks Mary Ellen for the lovely gifts!!

If money were no object......this would be my next "project"....

So we just got home from our beach vacation on Sunday, and had a great time! The weather was cloudy every day, but no matter......as my husband is fond of saying, "It's a trip to the beach!"
Well said.......

I was really loving Astoria (as usual), I just have such a crush on this little old town! And as we were driving around, look what we saw...isn't this house amazing? I so wanted to get inside it, but all we could think about is what a great halloween house this must be, or could be.
If $$$ were no object I'd buy it and fix it up.....it's sitting up high on a hill (most houses in Astoria are) and has a fantastic view of the harbor.
I can't even fathom how much work needs to be done on this old house, but it's kinda creepy because it looks like someone is inhabiting it right now.....so spooky, I'm sure you'll be seeing this in something I make......... closer to halloween!

Be sure to click on the photo to make it larger....notice the vegetation growing out of the chimney? That amazed my 9 yo dd!