Rearranging

I love flowers so much that I will rearrange a bouquet until all the flowers are dead.  These are the dregs of the bouquet given to me last Wed.  Sometimes I leave the dead flowers if they are still pretty (not in water, though.)  I also rearranged my closet (giving a bunch away), my chest of drawers (taking out winter and putting in summer), a journal I started long ago and never finished (still not finished), a file cabinet and a gadget drawer.  Whew.  I made use of no Preschool and no plans for today.  Now I need to rearrange 100 more things and then maybe I'll be close to organized.  One can only hope.

Iris Explosion

I love irises.

Everyone's have gone wild this year.  These are growing behind our garage and only we get to see them so I thought I'd share. 



Floral Tribute

This is a bouquet presented to me Wed.--Preschool program.  I'm "retiring" from teaching preschool, well, from teaching anything.  It was music at home, then music in college, music in preschool, music in church.  I'm not retired from the "music in church" and probably won't be until I can't read it anymore or my fingers won't work anymore.  I love the flowers and the thought was nice; I just don't like the limelight--would have preferred drifting off into oblivion and just going home.  It's nice to know I don't have to schedule for two morning chunks a week, work up songs, programs and be Ms Sally, the Music Teacher .  Now, VBS.  Maybe I can concentrate on that.  Coming soon to a church near you.

Birthday Tags

I made these little tags quickly this morning in celebration of a couple of Preschool teachers' birthdays.  I cut these from an old manilla folder and the template was from an existing tag.  I added felt background strips, ribbon, paper flowers, sticky jeweled flower centers, cheese cloth and stick-on letters.  I used seam binding for the ribbon and stained the edges of the tags with ink--very quick and simple and something special and homemade. 

Flowers appear on the earth;

the season of singing has come,

the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

Song of Solomon 2:12



Spring Colors In Layered Flower Hair Clips

These Spring Flowers went to S'more Couture yesterday.  Bye, little flowers.  Have fun!



Welcome Spring Signs

Here are a couple of "signs of Spring":  a little bouquet of Lilies of the Valley and Violets my husband picked for me.  (I love flowers and he knows it) and a little cross-stitched sign I made quite a while ago--part of a four seasons grouping that I change with the seasons.  I love Spring.  The cobalt blue vase was one I picked up a a sale somewhere.  It's handblown and lists to one side (that's not the poor photo shot.)  It's the perfect little vase for me--listing to one side is something I do well.

In and Out of A Quandary

SOME DAYS I'M IN A QUANDARY---

I have no idea what to do with this shirt the way it is now.  What do I add?  Do I add something?  Do I take it apart again (this is one to which I added a vintage collar and it didn't sell last year.)  Do I let it sit here for a season and see what my creative spirit tells me in a few months when it's too late for a tank top?  Or...do I just take it to the shop as is?  Hmmm....



SOME DAYS I'M NOT---

This is the sweater of a set I bought for myself at a church bazaar a couple of years ago.  I didn't wear it much because it wasn't too spectacular.  It was very plain until Saturday when these little mesh flowers appeared all of a sudden.  It didn't take me long to totally change the whole attitude of this set.  I wore it yesterday to church and got some complments on it.  It makes me smile--compliments or none.

How to Conceal a Stain I Thought

 I had a one inch berry stain right in the middle of this t shirt and was so sad because I paid a lot for this shirt, even on sale but I loved it--so comfortable and such a pretty robin's egg blue color.  I cut little squares of cream mesh fabric and sewed them on with a French knot of white perle cotton thread (Click on photo for enlargement).  Now I can wear it again--- but wait....

When I was handwashing it, I found ANOTHER stain down at the bottom, in the middle, near the hem line. Now what do I do? It's going to look weird with another swatch of fluff at the bottom of the shirt. Guess I have to wear this as a house shirt anyway. Sob... Oh, wait....

I have another shirt and I liked this design so well that I did the same with it.  This one, however, is not for me---another sob...but I hope to make some money on this one so I'm drying my tears.  Sniff....

Two Black Rose Hair Clips

I've made these two black fluffy roses into hair clips--bobbie pin style--and one of them will wind up in my sallylsmith Etsy shop.  They are made from a vintage long dress, probably tricot fabric, with added black lace to the center.  One has a large pearl from a vintage necklace and the other a large crystal, also from a vintage necklace.  I love making old things new--repurposing, recycling, reconstructing.

She selects wool (tricot) and flax (lace) and works with eager hands.

Proverbs 31:13



Commissioned Flowers for a Drawer?

Many times I'll trade my handmade flowers for other items.  This time I traded Amy five flowers for a large typeset storage drawer with the original handle and metal framed sign.

Pretty cool, eh?

Because I already own one of these drawers, I'm thinking about selling the drawer by itself and the handle and sign individually.  What do you think?  It should cost a whoppin' fortune to mail this drawer.

Ruffled Sleeves From Vintage Lace

 Vintage Lace and matching fabric from cut-off long sleeves make up the ruffled sleeves of this shirt. (Prettier on a form.)

Vintage lace and the bottom edge of a vintage voile skirt make up the sleeves of this shirt.

The beige shirt went to S'more Couture on Saturday and the grey shirt goes in tomorrow.



Happy Mother's Day

My husband and I took a walk this afternoon and these lovely Lilies of the Valley were at the back of our lot among the trees.  This is the first year we have noticed them and they smell so sweet.  Hope all you mothers had a good day today.  It's good to see the sun today.  Happy SUNday.

Fluffy Rose Pin

I made this fluffy rose yesterday to fulfill a commission I received from Amy at S'more Couture.  I happened to be in the shop delivering something and was about to leave when Amy stopped me and called a lady over.  She said, " This is the lady who makes the flowers.  Tell her what you want."  She did and then I did what she wanted--a pin with a variety of different fabrics and a large satin pearl that she could wear with many different things.  Hope she likes it.

My Antique Shop on Etsy

I've added my Vintage/Antique Shop on Etsy to my side bar.  You're seeing some of the things I sell there.   I'm trying it again and have sold two items since I reopened on Monday.  I just thought I'd share with you another activity that I do. 
I'm still making things for the three shops in town where I sell my handmades.  I've hit a snag on creativity at the moment but it will return, God willing.