Thrift Thursday 10.5

A week ago Sunday we drove down to Shupp's Grove flea market again for what will probably be our last trip of the year. They close down for the season later this month and it's already getting quite chilly most mornings. Chilly as in maybe I'd rather stay in bed. Besides, I did so well with flea marketing this summer that I'm pretty well stocked with materials to last me through the winter. I don't really need to be shopping for more stuff.

So I found more vintage eyelet, a pretty feedsack, four mint-condition bib aprons for $3 each, and lots of buttons (for 25 cents a card!!!)



We also stopped at a relatively new antique mall called The Mad Hatter (Route 272 and 61 Willow Street, Adamstown, PA). The front part is set up with glass cases filled with beautifully-arranged antiques and vintage things—I mostly remember how sparkly and glittery the jewelry looked. Towards the back are rows of individual booths and I found some cool things—a pair of crochet baby booties ($1.50)...



a bag full of vintage rickrack ($6), and this funny towel with ducks ($5). That's a bit more than I'd normally spend for a tea towel but the pattern is so cute. Or maybe cute isn't the right word—what is that little duck doing with such a big knife?



I keep thinking of that line from one of the Crocodile Dundee movies where they're accosted by punks with a knife—"That's not a knife. This is a knife."—as Paul Hogan whips out what is indeed a very large knife :)

A walk in the park

Some friends from Tennessee visited us last week and we went for a walk at Lackawanna State Park on Friday afternoon. It felt funny to leave the house with heavy sweaters on but we were glad to have them when the wind picked up across the lake. Brrr! But the sun was warm and the leaves glowed red and gold in the sunlight. Surprisingly this year, not all of them are turning colors—some are dropping straight from the trees before changing. We love our autumn colors here so that's disappointing.



There was a flock of Canadian geese on the lake and two blue herons fishing along the edge. They were skittish and flew away as I approached so I couldn't get a good photo. And I tried to be as quiet as I could, too. Oh, well.



There's no point whatsoever to this post except to show some pretty autumn pictures. So enjoy!

Barkcloth

I think I mentioned once that people contact me occasionally asking if I buy vintage stuff—fabric or buttons or whatever. I bought lots of vintage fabric this summer from a guy in Wisconsin and you'll find some of it for sale now on my website. You probably wonder how I can bear to part with it but there was so much that I could keep yards of each design for myself and still have leftovers to sell.

I don't know if any of you are interested in barkcloth but he recently sent two designs to me hoping that I could sell them for him. And these pieces are the real deal—one is mint condition never used and the other has been made into curtains which are a bit dusty and could use a good cleaning. Tons of fabric to work with. Both are 1940s-50s.

These will go up on my site soon but if you want either of them before then email me and we'll work out details.



47" wide x 3 yards mint-condition gray background with browns, greens, pinks, and black. Selvedge edge says PATTERN NORTHCLIFF - GUARANTEED TO BE VAT PRINTS - PRE-SHRUNK. Selling for $45 (plus shipping)



Two curtain panels in a gorgeous leaf design with green and maroon on light grey. 39" wide (with 1.5" hems on each side) x 87" long (plus 3" deep header and 1.5" hem). They do need to be cleaned but the only real flaw I can find is a 10" long section cut out from the hem of one curtain. Not sure why someone would have done this. You can't see it from the front but, if you wanted to use them as curtains and it bothers you, you could shorten them by a few inches and no one would ever know. If you're going to cut them up, say for pillows or bags, this won't be an issue. Selling for $50 (plus shipping). If I had a room with a single window in my house, I'd be keeping these babies!

Update: The leaf design curtains have been sold!

Win cool stuff!

It's time once again for the Happily Handmade Giveaway. What's this, you ask?

HHG is a special promotion that independent businesses participate in. We donate handmade goodies and you sign up on participating member sites for a chance to win one of 50 gift baskets stuffed full with those goodies. You can read more about it here and will soon be able to see what's in each basket there, too.

Sign up between now and October 29th at any (or all) of the member sites. Winners will be chosen on November 1 and contacted shortly afterward.

I've donated ten tissue cozies like this (and they're also available for sale at Blossom Boutique):



Already know about the contest and want a shortcut? Just send an email to happilyhandmade@primrosedesign.com telling me you want to be entered and include your first and last names and email address. That's it!

Studio Friday: Toot Your Own Horn

" Studio Friday, for me, is a network of Artist from all over the world. It's a fabulous way to communicate with and learn from artists of all backgrounds. With this being said, I would love to see a showcase of what YOUR art is. Are you a scrapbooker? A clay artist? Are you a collage artist or a photographer? Do you paint or work in the fibre arts of Knitting, sewing or enbroidery? Are you a gardener a botanist or an eclectic artist of many trades? I'd love to see a piece that you have created that you are most proud of. SHOW off your STUFF!!"
~Gabi

I'm kind of a quiet person and shouting out loud isn't my style. So, I'll let the work speak for itself. Past pillow projects—some embroidered, some patchwork, some a combination of the two. I couldn't pick just one :)

Flower Power
Vintage feedsack with primary color flowers, blue striped feedsack borders, and red polkadot piping


Orange Crush
Quilt square with appliqued and embroidered orange, orange polkadot cotton, green vintage buttons


Southern Belle
Vintage table scarf with embroidered Southern Belle, black vintage button, and coordinating new fabrics


Plum Crazy
Vintage fabric with plums, pieces from a vintage fruit-motif tablecloth, and vintage solid blue fabric

Can you tell that I like crazy mixes of bright colors :)

More Studio Friday here.

Stitch School: Straight Stitch

Stitch School has moved to it's very own space on the web! You'll now find the Straight Stitch post here. Comments are now closed on this post; if you'd like to leave a comment please do so on the new one.

Be subversive

“It's not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers.” — Judy Blume



It’s Banned Books Week this week, and what better way is there to celebrate than to read a book that others have banned or tried to ban from bookshelves. Like To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee’s only book and one that’s considered one of the twentieth century’s greatest novels. You can see a complete list at the American Library Association’s website, but I’ll list ten that I’ve read and loved at some point in my life.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings—Maya Angelou
The Catcher in the Rye—J.D. Salinger
The Color Purple—Alice Walker
In the Night Kitchen—Maurice Sendak
The Handmaid’s Tale—Margaret Atwood
Brave New World—Aldous Huxley
James and the Giant Peach—Roald Dahl
Ordinary People—Judith Guest
Are You There God?, It’s Me, Margaret—Judy Blume
The House of Spirits—Isabel Allende

You’re surprised by some of the books on the list aren’t you? They seem pretty innocent. But some people wish that these books had never been written or published, and that you'd never seen or read them. You see, they would rather that you don’t think for yourself because thinking for yourself is dangerous. Once you start you might question authority. And who knows where that will lead. And this, in my opinion, is especially important these days with the freedoms we've grown accustomed to under assault.

I know a lot of you share my love for reading, so why not revisit one of these books next time you’re choosing something to read. Be subversive!

“Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us.”—Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas

Studio Friday: On the Outside

" I'm curious to see what is just outside everyone's studio. I face a wall so I don't have a view but I have the desert to inspire me if I need it." ~ Lilie

I think we did this topic a few months ago but I was busy and didn't participate. So, thanks Lilie for giving me another chance.

My studio is in an upstairs bedroom and I have two windows—one facing the side yard and the other the woods behind the house. From the side window I can see most of our yard and I can just see our neighbors house through the line of trees along the driveway that runs up the hill. That leads to another house. I can also see the fruit trees we planted when we first moved in (the ones I hope will be mature enough next spring to finally bear fruit) and the stone wall that runs along the road.



Unfortunately, the back view is too messy to show a picture of. Long story, but we had a swimming pool that flooded during a weekend-long rainstorm a couple of years ago. There's a runoff channel that funnels water down the hill and it overflowed, filling the pool with mud and gravel. We decided that since it's really not warm enough here to get much use from a pool (and it's really more work than we want to deal with) that we'd fill it in and put a garden there instead. It's still very much a work in progress.

Strangely, I don't find my views inspiring. Beautiful, yes. Calming, of course. But I think I would be more inspired by the hustle and bustle of a city street with people passing by and that whirl of bright colors, smells, and sounds that's unique to city spaces. That's the NYC girl in me, I think. Still, it's nice to have both options—living in one and visiting the other as often as I can.

See more Studio Friday here.

Unbelievably, this is my 100th blog post! I feel like I should do something to celebrate :)

Thrift Thursday 9.21

I haven't been thrifting for a couple of weeks but I was out today and took the long way home past a new favorite place called Melben's Mercantile in Nicholson, PA. It's a pretty drive up along Rt. 6 — the leaves are just beginning to change color and I got to see the famous (at least to railroad buffs) Tunkhannock Viaduct.

The shop is located on the main street in town and looks like it might have been a grocery store back in the day. Inside you'll find lots of small booths and a weird mix of country crafty things, collectibles, and antiques. Today I found a pretty rose-printed cotton bedspread with ruffles along the bottom for $10. Some cards of pearly pink and blue buttons for 50 cents each. And a bag of embroidery thread for 75 cents.



All of which will be put to good use in future creations :)

As always, there's lots more Thrift Thursday here.

Button your lip

I found some cool ads for buttons in the vintage women's magazines I bought this summer. Here's a not very politically-correct one for B-G-E Originales:



Doesn't seem like a good way to advertise buttons to women, but what do I know? It was probably very funny in 1951 when this issue of Good Housekeeping was published. The ads for La Mode buttons are much different—very chic and elegant reflecting their Parisian heritage. I think I'll do a little history of the company to go along with them so look for those some time soon.

You won't see many ads for buttons these days; at least not in the major women's magazines. Women in general don't sew any more, and that's also why you won't find many independent sewing and fabric stores. But I do think advertisers are aware of the resurgence in crafts and sewing, and I'm starting to see ads in some of the more specialized sewing magazines. I just wish the buttons were as nice as the vintage ones are!

I could have been Rachel Ashwell

Here’s something you don’t know about me. I used to want to be an interior designer. When I was a kid one of my favorite things to do was to go through the Sears catalog and decorate my future dream house. I know, Sears, can you imagine? Think what I could have done with the West Elm or Pottery Barn catalogs!

I even went to college for interior design—for just one semester. Then I talked myself out of it. Could I design something for someone if it wasn’t my personal style? How practical was it as a career choice—could I actually find a job? I wasn't sure and there was no one I could turn to for advice. So, I transferred schools and switched to graphic design. The ironic thing is that I ended up designing things that weren’t my personal style for clients that thought they knew all about good design but didn't. What they don’t tell you in art school is that design is more about helping others to implement their style and and less about your own style.

Knowing what I know now, would I have stayed with interior design? Probably. I still have a very strong interest in it. I read design magazines, or shelter magazines as they’re called in the business. And probably half of the blogs that I read every day are design-oriented ones. Here are some current favorites;

Atelier455
Bohemian Modern Style by a San Francisco Girl
decor8
Design*Sponge
Modish
Poppy

My personal design style has changed a lot over the years. When I lived in apartments I made do with hand-me-down furniture and inexpensive accessories. When I had extra cash I bought things from funky shops that sold ethnic textiles and artwork. Since buying a house in the country my style has gone in a more country direction. Not chickens and ditzy fabric country but what I like to call modern country. Comfortable. Kind of funky. Bright clear colors on the walls, a clean stripped down look with antiques and flea market finds showcased as art objects. At least, that's what I aspire to. We have too much clutter and I'm constantly trying to edit our possessions and simplify.

And I went too safe with my paint color choices downstairs and want to make a brightening-up change. Thanks to all the new design magazines (like Domino) and blogs for expanding my options and opening my mind to possibilities. I'm afraid Sears just doesn't cut it anymore :)

Studio Friday: A Floral Treat

" I was thinking, all the ladies work so hard in their studios: maybe it's time we all treat ourselves to a lovely bouquet of flowers for our creative spaces? Maybe some fragrant, or colourful buds to make us happy? Let's treat ourselves this Friday, and buy a nice arrangement of flowers for our studios!" ~ Leslie



Well, this was an easy topic—thanks Leslie. I love flowers and sometimes buy them for myself if there's nothing pickable in the garden. And I love to receive flowers - I think most of us do. And that's a small hint for any men who happen to be reading this. We love flowers. It's as simple as that.

One of my best memories from childhood is of picking up my father in the evenings from the Staten Island ferry terminal. We would park across the street, then watch for him to appear at the entrance. Often he would have a bouquet of carnations for my mom. I can still remember holding them on my lap on the drive home, the crinkly green waxed paper they came wrapped in, and that strange spicy fragrance they have.

I bought these gerber daisies yesterday and cut the stems very short so they would fit a smallish round glass vase. I love their bold shapes and bright colors, although I chose softer-colored pink ones this time. I did the best I could with the photo as it's still rainy here. Yes...still. The color of the flowers is a nice contrast to the rain-soaked roof you can see outside the window.

More pretty flowers here.

Jenny Hart

You probably know Jenny Hart from her embroidery pattern business Sublime Stitching. But you may not know that she started out as a fine artist creating amazing embroidered portraits of modern icons like Dolly Parton and Iggy Pop. And she continues to do that. There’s a gallery of work on her website if you’d like to see more.

I picked up the September/October 2006 issue of Fiberarts magazine the other day and they have a great article titled “Pop Art” about her work and the work of Whitney Lee, who does latch-hook rugs depicting feminist themes. Love this magazine by the way.



Art Star in Philadelphia is featuring Jenny’s work this month (the exhibit closes on October 1) in “Embroidered Works by Jenny Hart”. Unfortunately I was not able to attend the opening reception as I would have loved to meet her, but I’m hoping to get down to see the show before it closes. As with most art it’s much better to view it in person so you can really get close and see the detail, something you can't do with a book or online photo.

And, speaking of books, Jenny’s latest “Sublime Stitching: Hundreds of Hip Embroidery Patterns & How-To” is just out. You can find it at Amazon or your local book store.

Art Star, 1030 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123

Rainy days and Mondays, er... Sundays

Just a brief update on this rainy Sunday. We've had a week of rainy weather here and today is no exception. Since I can't do anything outdoors, I'm taking some time to add a bunch of new things to the website. Two sets of vintage baby hangers—one with animals and one with cowboys and Indians, vintage towels, and two new pillows.





I'm not sure if I have any local blog readers but, if you are and want something fun (and indoors) to do today, check out the Waverly Antique Show and Sale at the Waverly Community House on Abington Road in Waverly. Hours today are 11-4. I have a bunch of pillows and sachets for sale at the Shades of White booth. And there's a table full of beautiful pink depression glass in the booth next to hers!

Studio Friday: Tools of the Trade

" There's such a diverse group here, with such different art forms, I think it would be interesting to see what tools others use on a regular basis to create their art or product. " ~ Carrie



My work these days involves fabric and sewing so I use all of the basic tools common to sewers everywhere—scissors, pins, rotary cutters, sewing machine, needles and thread. I also do a lot of embroidery so I have several sizes of needles and hoops and a plastic bin full of floss in every color imaginable. And loads of fabric, of course.

And I've dabbled in other mediums in the past. Weaving in college with brightly-colored wools and harness looms. Photography with its dark rooms and funny-smelling chemicals (before digital, of course). More recently some jewelrymaking with all of the requisite findings and beads.

But what interests me more than our differences, is the tools we all share no matter what our art style or medium. And that's our minds (to dream and envision ideas), our eyes (to see the beauty around us), and our hands (to make those dreams a reality). I may not always work with fabric—who knows what the future will bring. But I'll always carry these three basic "tools" with me.

See more Studio Friday here.

Thrift Thursday 9.7.06

I have a very small collection of vintage valentines, and I found two more this past weekend at the Pocono Peddlar's Village Antique Mall (Tannersville, PA). $1 each.



As a graphic designer, I love the bright and kitschy illustrations that somehow look as modern today as the did when they were published. And I'll be able to scan and use them as illustrations for Valentines's Day promotions—maybe for a postcard that will go to my mailing list.



I usually have very good luck at this antique mall but I didn't find much this time. Besides the valentines, I bought two aprons. I know, that's very unlike me :)

More Thrift Thursday finds can be found here.

Crocheted Pot Holders

One of my new favorite blogs is the purl bee and she has a great post today about vintage crochet pot holders. I don't collect them but I have this strawberry-shaped one from my grandmother.



It's had some use and a few stains that won't soak out, but I love the shape. I've never seen any like this in my travels, either a finished one or a pattern. And I don't know if she crocheted it herself, although it looks like something she would have done. Here's a closeup of the top.



The seeds are embroidered with six strands of black floss and the ring at the top is crocheted on.

Studio Friday: Artist's Block

"You've heard of 'writer's block'. Well as an artist, I sometimes suffer from "Artist's block". What is this you ask? It's when you sit and sit and can't come up with anything. This can go on for hours, days, weeks even months sometimes. I want to know how you break free of Artist's block! " ~ Gabi

Once when I was in college I had a photography assignment due the following week and was really having trouble coming up with an interesting subject. I was hanging around the photo studio as I often did between classes, actually moping around is a better description. My professor just looked at me, shook his head, grabbed my arm and gently nudged me out the back door into the courtyard. He knew exactly what my problem was. He said "You're thinking too hard. I want you to shoot a whole roll of film without leaving this courtyard and don't come back in here until you do."

After spending a few minutes cursing him because it was a really small courtyard, I started to look around. And there was an interesting crack in the wall, the sun made a cool shadow in the corner, a leaf formed a perfect little still life on the pebbles. You see where this is going, of course. Within 15 minutes or so, the roll was shot and I was back inside ready to develop the film. My professor just smiled and didn't say a word.

These days I'm very easily inspired by the materials I use, so I don't find myself stuck very often. But, when it happens, I step back and stop trying so hard. Maybe I'll iron some just-washed fabric or sort buttons or update my idea books. Sometimes a trip to a museum or taking a walk outside helps if I need an extra push. Before I know it something catches my eye and I'm pulled back in.

My advice? Don't stress about it. Go do something else for a while. Even if you think it's lost, it will come back.

Want to read what others have to say on this topic? There's more here.

Company's comin'

Sadly, I'm missing Thrift Thursday this week. We have company coming for the weekend and I've been cleaning, making up the guest bedroom, and generally spiffing up the place. And finding no time for thrifting or shopping beyond the usual run to the grocery store. By next week, I hope to be back to normal schedule-wise. Because I'm not getting much work done either.

I don't entertain that much so this will be fun. Tonight I'm making pork and sweet potato kebabs and broccoli with lemon. And I picked up some lemon tarts for dessert, although my husband just called to tell me that he had just stopped at a bakery in NJ and picked up a tiramisu cake. But, I always say you can never have too many desserts! I'll make something homemade later in the weekend—probably with fruit from the farmers market.

And tomorrow is the big day. The hardwood is being delivered for our new kitchen floor! Finally, we're replacing the yucky raspberry-colored carpet that's been there since we moved in. I've never been a fan of carpeted kitchens—way too hard to keep clean—and I'm so looking forward to this change. The wood has to acclimate itself to our house environment for about a week before it can be installed. I'm not sure I can wait—it's going to be so pretty! I'll have to post before and after pictures so you can see.

A book recommendation

I picked up this book some time ago in the bargain bin at a local discount store. And didn’t really examine it closely until this weekend. Wow! The Embroiderer’s Floral: Designs, Stitches & Motifs for Popular Flowers in Embroidery by Janet Haigh covers just about everything you need to know about embroidering flowers. The author starts with some history:

“Flowers and embroidery are inextricably linked in the English language. In the past the verb “to flower” was a synonym for embroidery, and embroidered flowers are found recorded throughout textile history from ancient China to modern times.”

She discusses materials, making your own patterns and transfers, hand and machine embroidery techniques, and projects like napkins, cushions, and aprons. But the main part of the book is the Floral Directory where she focuses on specific flowers with beautiful pictures and specifics on how to create each one. Patterns for most of the motifs and instructions for individual embroidery stitches can be found at the back of the book.

Flowers include allium (done in star filling stitches and French knots)…



...anemone, convolvulus, cornflower, daisy, dianthus, fritillary, hellebore (shown on the cover), hydrangea (done in ribbon embroidery), iris, lavender, lily, narcissus (done in machine-stitched appliqué)…



…pansy, poppy, primrose (!), sweet pea, rose, tulip, and violet. This is a great book for when you’ve graduated from stamped-for-embroidery projects and want to create your own designs or to learn new stitches and techniques to expand your repertoire. The work shown reminds me very much of the projects you find in the magazine Inspirations, which is published in Australia but can sometimes be found here. I occasionally see them at my local Borders.

Copyright 2002 Collins & Brown. Text by Janet Haigh, Photography by John Heseltine. Krause Publications ISBN 0-87349-443-1

Feel like venting about PR?

Wednesday nights episode of Project Runway left me feeling kind of queasy—such nastiness. And an obviously producer-chosen winner (again!). I'm honestly getting tired of yelling at the television. So, I was happy to see a recent post at Blogging Project Runway. Titled To the Producers (and actually read by the producers of the show) it's your chance to tell them what you really think. No holds barred, although cursing is against the rules. Better grab a cup of coffee if you're going to read all the comments—it was up to 249 last time I checked. I knew PR viewers were smart and knowledgeable about fashion already but there are some really insightful comments and suggestions. Join the fun if you feel like venting. Who knows, maybe they'll actually listen. And your television will thank you.

And, for more PR goodness, tune in to Larry King tonight from 9-10pm (CNN). His guests will be some designers from Seasons 1 and 2 (Santino Rice, Chloe Dao, Jay McCarroll, Daniel Vosovic) along with Nina Garcia, Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn.

Thrift Thursday 8.24.06

After the antique show last Saturday we stopped in the town of Cazenovia for a late lunch. Then we walked up and down the main street, browsing in some of the shops. One of the antique shops had a bargain drawer where everything was $1.00. I found this vintage box of pink rick rack. The rick rack itself isn't anything special, but the packaging is wonderful. I've never seen it in anything but the flat cellophane packages. I love the little dressmakers dummy-shaped window!



More Thrift Thursday here.

Patterns

I've had a couple of requests for closeups of the silver I bought at the show, so I took a few more pictures of it and the china it goes with. It's almost scary how well the patterns match. Like they were made for each other. And no, I didn’t carry a piece of the china with me :)



Maybe it’s because I’m such a visual person. I’ve been known to come home with articles of clothing that exactly match things I have in my closet. So, somewhere in my mind I’d stored away the visual information on the china. The triple band, the little dots, the flowers. Incredibly, the flowers on both are practically an exact match!





I inherited the china from my grandmother and, since the pattern is from 1918 (Noritake ‘Croydon’), I suspect it was a wedding gift—the timing is just about right. It's very formal and I use it only occasionally—for fancy dinners and holidays—because it's fragile and has to be washed by hand. It amazes me that, with all the times I've moved over the years, only a few pieces didn't survive. I love that it has so many colors in the pattern and that it goes as well with yellow linens as it does with pink.

And I especially love that I now have silver to match it. Must plan some fancy dinners soon :)

Road Trip: Madison-Bouckville Antiques Show

This is my second year attending this show in upstate New York (midway between Syracuse and Utica). The show is always held the third weekend of August and this is their 35th year. It fills a big open field and spills over into the towns of Bouckville and Madison, with tents and booths lining the streets and filling every square inch of space. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes!

The bad news is that it rained. And I discovered that it’s very difficult to look at things while juggling umbrellas and bags and trying to avoid puddles and patches of mud. The rain seemed to keep the crowds down but it got very crowded in the tents.

But enough of this—you all want to know what goodies I found. Since this is an antiques show not a flea market, prices were sometimes very high and I had to pass over lots of lovely things that were just too expensive. Like that $350 1930s watchmakers box with lots of tiny drawers and a tray under the top lid. Sigh...so perfect for storing buttons. But I did find some bargains from sellers who were willing to deal—the bad weather helped in that regard.

I found lots of buttons (and don't you love the ones with the leaves)…



And a cute embroidered tea towel with a lovestruck kitty…



vintage fabric (this one’s my favorite)…



And several stamped-for-embroidery linens that will make great projects for this coming winter. Like this cute hungry bear linen tea towel…



…and this beautiful tinted Vogart pillowtop of a girl with flowers



I also bought some things just for me. An antique laundry drying rack that will be a great display for embroidered towels. And a set of 1934 Oneida silverplate with service for nine and matching serving pieces that goes perfectly with my grandmothers china.



We stopped in the town of Cazenovia (cool artsy place with lots of small shops) for a late lunch. And then headed home. It poured buckets all the way—the kind of rain where you have to keep your wipers all the way on high. Yikes.

Next year's show is August 18th-19th—mark your calendars!

Plum Crazy!

As you know I'm on my way to the Bouckville-Madison antique show bright and early tomorrow morning. The car is gassed up (gas down to 2.77/gallon today - woo hoo!), my wallet is stuffed full of small bills (yes, they thought I was nuts at the bank) and I'm good to go. You probably won't hear from me again until Monday, so I'll leave you with a recipe.

This is from the July 2006 issue of Bon Appetit magazine. It was super easy to make and used up the rest of those plums I bought at the farmer's market last week. I won't know how it tastes until after dinner, but it got 15 perfect reviews on epicurious.com!



Almond-Plum Buckle

Nonstick vegetable oil spray (I used butter)
1/2 cup whole almonds, about 2 1/2 ounces
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 4 teaspoons sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/4 pounds plums (about 8 medium), halved, pitted, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Spray 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper round.

Finely grind almonds in processor. Transfer to medium bowl; whisk in flour, baking powder, and salt. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add 1 cup sugar; beat until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and almond extract, then flour mixture just until incorporated.

Transfer batter to prepared pan; spread evenly and smooth top with spatula. Gently press plum slices, flesh side down, into batter in spoke pattern around outer rim and center of cake, placing close together. Mix cinnamon and 4 teaspoons sugar in small bowl. Sprinkle over plums.

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack 20 minutes. Run small knife between cake and pan sides to loosen. Invert cake onto platter; remove parchment paper. Place another platter atop cake. Using both hands, hold both platters firmly together and invert cake, plum side up. Cool cake completely. Cut into wedges. Makes 8 servings.

Have a great weekend!

(Edited to add that it was really good, but a little tart (my plums weren't that sweet) and the cake edge dries out easily. The solution to both is to serve it with lots of sweetened whipped cream!)

Thrift Thursday: 8.17.06

I found this stack of old knitting magazines at a church basement sale—a paper grocery bag full—for $1. I don’t knit but I wasn’t going to pass up a deal like that—a couple of them are from the late 30s!! I figured I could resell them on Ebay or on my website if I don't take up knitting myself :)



The magazines include patterns for socks and mittens, sweaters (men's and women's) and jackets, military wear, and children's things. Some of them have great graphics, like this from Woolies for Infants (1940):


Love the stork!

And this cover with cool fashion illustration, also from 1940:



This is the same church sale that I went to last year where I found a reversible feedsack apron for 25 cents that I resold on Ebay for $12. It's also where I bought the china plates that I blogged about here.

When you're out hunting for vintage treasure don't pass up church sales. I've had amazing luck with them! I suspect that people where I live are more likely to donate things to church sales than they are to thrift shops. At least the older people—and, frankly, they're the ones with the best stuff.

More Thrift Thursday here.

Anatomy of a Pillow

I bought these Vogart stamped-for-embroidery towels a couple of years ago on Ebay. I loved the designs of chicken waitresses carrying coffee and bowls of salad. But I didn’t really have any fabrics that went with them so set them aside. Then I found this fun fabric with yellow chicks and some vintage yellow and brown polkadot napkins and things started to come together. The striped fabric is a leftover piece of vintage feedsack from another project and I’ve used it for the thin border around the embroidery. It has the same browns and tans but some turquoise, too, and I’ll add some matching buttons from my stash. It needs a bright color to keep it from being too monotone.



So, with all the details worked out, I chose embroidery floss colors to match. I gave her a funky yellow and turquoise apron. And the soft red that I used for her comb, waddle, and the coffeepot is the only color that won’t get picked up anywhere else.



Next, I’ll complete the pillow top by adding the polkadot fabric to the triangular corner spaces and an outer border of the yellow chicks. And I’ll probably use that for the back, as well. The buttons will go in the corners.



I always name my pillows and I wanted it to be something chicken- or diner-related. So I did a little research and found a great list of diner-speak at the American Diner Museum’s website. And several options. I think I’ve decided on Sunny-side Up or Blue-Plate Special. But it was great fun to read the list. See if you can guess what “foreign entanglements” is. Or “nervous pudding”. Or “bossy in a bowl”.

Sadly, with so many fast food restaurants replacing old-fashioned diners, this slang is fast becoming a thing of the past. Destined to be listed on websites for people like us to laugh about. Although we still have a few diners where I live—the Glider Diner in Scranton (famous for their hot roast beef sandwiches), and the Bluebird Diner near Keystone College. I don’t know what they’re famous for but it sure is crowded most mornings around breakfast time!

I have two more of these towels—another of the same design and one where she’s carrying a salad bowl. I’ll be making more pillows but probably not exactly the same because I hate to repeat designs. I’ll start this process all over again with different fabrics and colors. And I’ll have to name it something salad-related, like “rabbit food” or “cow feed.”

Hodgepodge

I've been neglecting my blogging the past few days. I went to the local farmers market on Friday and brought home bags of fruit—beautiful peaches and plums and blueberries. I had planned to make some desserts but they were perfect all by themselves. And I spent most of the weekend working outside in the garden. There's so much to do. The veggies are bustin' out all over the place - and the weeds aren't far behind. My Casa Blanca lilies are blooming and smell heavenly—like vanilla and cinnamon.



It's starting to cool off quite a bit now (around 50 degrees most mornings) so working outside is more do-able than it was a few weeks ago.

Next weekend I'll be on the road to the Madison-Bouckville Antique Show. I went last year for the first time and found tons of cool stuff, so I imagine this year will be the same. I'll do a road-trip post about the trip and my finds next week.

In other news, my indie shop interview is up at Miss Evil Kitty. A little free press never hurts!

And finally, now that it's cooler, I'm getting back into embroidery. I hope to have a few things done this week so I can post some pictures and also start working on the pillows they're supposed to be part of.

There. I'm all caught up :)