Thrifty Goodness

Stopped at the local GW thrift store for a few minutes.

Found this sweet tote bag.

Looks like it's never been used.

A lovely grouping of bottles wrapped in wire.

 Will make the perfect set of vases for some spring flowers soon.

karen

Brown Wrinkled Paper

Sometimes when I receive a package in the mail from Amazon, it is stuffed with brown paper instead of the usual bubble wrap.

It seems like such a waste to throw it away.

 

 This time I smoothed it out a little,

 cut it into uniform pieces,

and tied it up with some jute.

It's perfect for doodling or for using in my art journal.

I think it will make cool wrapping paper for small gifts as well.

karen

Steam Junk

A primitive necklace made from found objects.

The harmonica is my favorite and it really works. 

 I'm pretty sure I'm never gonna wear this, but it was kinda fun to make.

Each piece represents some place I've been with my husband.

 Lots of weekends browsing flea markets and antique shops together.

Fun memories.

karen

Organic Accessories

Crocheted hemp pouches.

 Embellished with 

 antler, clay and stone.

 Sprigs of Rosemary

Organic

karen

Nomadic Antique Trading Company

It's the place to be on Friday evenings here in Punxsutawney, PA.
They are located in an old warehouse at 400 N. Walnut St., complete with a greeter at the door who offers you a ride up to the 2nd floor in an antique freight elevator.
People gather there to enjoy each other's company, grab a bite to eat, and browse the many booth's of antique, vintage and handmade items that are for sale.

Last evening, my husband and I braved the freezing temps and snow to do just that.
Sorry I don't have pics of the place itself, but you can find them HERE.

I picked up a few small items to craft with,

a sweet Syracuse China cup for my ginger root tea,

a handmade weaver's comb,

some vintage crystals,

and this amazing  handmade journal...

I wish I had gotten some info on the person who made this.

It's absolutely awesome!

 
It's filled with pockets that have magnetic flaps

and the pockets are filled with cards and tags.

A lot of work and time went into this beautiful work of art and I wish now that I hadn't talked her into lowering the price. I will definitely make up the difference the next time I see her.

I'm so glad that my husband talked me into going out last night.

The journal alone made it worth going out into the cold.

So, if you're going to be in town next weekend for the Groundhog Day festivities, I highly recommend stopping in at the

Nomadic Antique Trading Company.

Be sure to ride the freight elevator while you're there.

So cool!!!

karen

Creating My Kind Of Bling

Took some time out to make myself a few new blingy things.

 Bright red coral and a vintage medallion.

This one's my fave.

 Love this beautiful agate.

 Some findings that I made.

 Some findings that I bought, but still like a lot.

Another of my own findings.

 This one's a work in progress. The beautiful blue bead was a gift from my friend Sharon at www.livewirejewelry.blogspot.com.

 This last one is an experiment I'm working on.

 It is a combination of hammered copper and crocheted hemp.

Also a work in progress.

Organic Bling

Thanks for stopping by.

karen

Soup And Tea

Blowing snow and freezing temps.

Time for comfort food.

Homemade soup and ginger root tea. 

Warms the soul.

karen

Keeping Warm

Here we go again with the really cold temps.

I'll be staying inside as much as possible.

Hope you're doing the same.

karen

Bobble Head Bambi

There've been lots of deer in the yard lately, but none quite as cute as

bobble head Bambi.

Just came across these photos and thought the shadows were kinda cool.

Don't really remember when I took these pics, but it must have been a while ago, because I haven't seen  sunshine in weeks.

karen

Thrift Store Textiles

My daughter asked me to go along with her to the thrift store a few days ago while she searched for vintage treasures for her Etsy shop.

She found some amazing vintage pieces for men as well as women and will be listing them soon.

I went straight for the vintage textiles.

My favorite find was this old fabric panel with the bird and floral design. 

It will make a beautiful pillow.

I found this partial roll of vintage wallpaper too.

Just beautiful!

 This pink and blue duvet is vintage "Fruit of the Loom".

 Love the design on this old flat sheet.

 It felt good to get out for a bit.

I tend to become hermit like during the long winter months.

 Candles seem to brighten up the gray days of winter and add a warm cozy feel.

Hope you are staying warm and cozy too.

karen

Heart Of Stone

I've not been well this past week, but after a trip to the doctor and a couple days of antibiotics, I'm starting to feel a bit better now. Things have gotten behind around here, as they always do when I'm out of commission. Everything needs a good cleaning, so I started with the porch. While I was sweeping the stairs I happened to notice that one of the rocks beside the stairs very much resembled a heart.

 I always look for heart shaped stones when I'm out walking, so I don't know how I missed this one, right beside the porch. It's quite large as you can see by the photos.

 Maybe it was partially hidden by the rocks around it, or maybe you have to look at it in just the right way for it to look like a heart.

Anyway, I guess it really doesn't matter.

It looks like a heart to me.

karen

Sketch Sticks

The weather here is brutal.

Outside the snow is swirling around in the wind and it's so cold  that it's hard to breathe.

I'm having trouble focusing on anything in particular.

It was a good day to organize the clutter of books and craft supplies that had accumulated around my favorite chair.

 It's so much easier to be creative when everything is neat and tidy.

The old crock was my Grandmother's and the pencils were a gift from my stepdaughter, Andrea.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a more productive day.

Stay warm.

karen