Dear Sandy Klop,
You know that I love your designs enormously, and I hope you also know that I think you are one of the nicest people in the fabric industry. Â I am sorry that you have to be reading this and seeing the attached photo. Â I felt like I had to purchase this bag at a garage sale today for $2 to save it from itself. Â I tried not to look the seller in the eye when I saw your lovely orange dots in the most unfortunate of marriages. Â There was, thankfully, well over a half of a yard that remains unsullied in the bag. Â I promise to unpick the unbearably tacky sports themed fabric from the blocks and to pair them with another fabric more worthy of your good name.
Sincerely,
Susanne
p.s. I did also find a Viking Professional hand blender for $10 in the same metallic grey as the $20 KitchenAid Artisan mixer I scored last weekend so I feel like the garage sale karma is in my favor at the moment.
Susanne, July 31st 2010 |
Posted in Garage Sale Finds, Sewing
I love making baby quilts as they come together so quickly and easily. Â I used some flannel for the randomly pieced strips and minkie for the binding.
I found the pink leaf fabric on the back from a garage sale last year. Â She was the Pottery Barn sheeting buyer and had all of these sheeting samples.
It was a gift for my neighbour who just had a baby girl, Natalie, last week. Â Confession: I wish she hadn’t opened it in front of me because her first response was: ‘This looks homemade’
*cringe*
Then, ‘Did you make it? Â How wonderful. Â Can I wash it?’
*sigh*
I know you can’t control the level of appreciation for your handmade gifts, but I do wish I had made my exit before she had opened it so I could make up my own version of her reaction!
Ah well. Â It was fun to make, and I think I’ll do another random stacked coins for another baby quilt for another friend of mine due next month.
Susanne, July 26th 2010 |
Posted in Garage Sale Finds, Sewing
My Garage Sale Find today! Â I am officially obsessed with this fabric. Â Love the colors…what a crazy mix of vintage floral and safari animals. Â Must find perfect project for this!
Susanne, July 25th 2010 |
Posted in Garage Sale Finds, Sewing
On the way back from holiday along the coast, we decided it was time to replace our bathroom sink (picture 80s oak with a cream sink bowl and goal hardware…ick). Â Being a cheap so-n-so and into reusing whenever we can, we went to Urban Ore Ecopark in Berkeley to look for a replacement. Â We wanted a vintage 40s cottage feel pedestal sink to go with our new house.
There was quite a selection:
I almost talked DH into the pink suite:
But in the end we went with a classic pedestal and only paid $50! Â Woot!
I love reclamation yards, and want to go back to see if we can find an old wooden screen door.
Susanne, July 16th 2010 |
Posted in Garage Sale Finds
Oh Tufted Tweets, how I love you so! Â I finally made some coasters. Â I seriously cannot believe that it took me so long! Â We’ve needed them for ages, and when my lovely 1/2 yard cuts from the full collection of Tufted Tweets came in, I couldn’t resist. Â I want to make up a bunch of small things from this collection of fabric which is one of complete favorites as it has the perfect combination for me. Â It’s like my life in fabric. Â Birds. Â Furniture. Â Fabric. Â All it would need is a couple of kids thrown in and a husband somewhere and it would be all of the things I love best…in a fabric! Â Oh, and books. Â hmm…not the most attractive fabric line, but surely the best life combo for sure!
I used some Heather Bailey Nicey Jane cotton laminate on the other side which is so fantastic to sew with.
Finally, a place for my water cup at night. Â ahhhh-it really is the little things!
Susanne, June 24th 2010 |
Posted in Uncategorized
Okay Annemarie…here is your hat!
I need to add a flower on the side, but, as you can see, I was completely a big liar when I said that I wouldn’t use girly fabrics—I couldn’t resist using some of the fabulous Bari J. fabrics she was sweet enough to give me from her first collection. Â I lined it in pink so that it is reversible!
Susanne, June 23rd 2010 |
Posted in Uncategorized
Hurrah! Â Garage sale find from the weekend that I just “re-discovered” from the depths of the car! Â They could have been $10 and I would have bought them (vintage, floral and graphic..um…no brainer), but lucky for me they were only 25 cents for both! Â Yippee! Â Does that mean that I actually have to unpack all of my dishes now?
Susanne, June 22nd 2010 |
Posted in Garage Sale Finds
I just had a lovely lunch with Elizabeth, Pam, and Monica. Â Goodness, oh how I love my job on days like today…when I get to sit and chat about fabric, books and sewing with some amazingly talented people. Â And Elizabeth was so sweet to bring us a gift made with her new fabrics from P&B textiles called Red Rose Farm!
This adorable pincushion!
Aren’t her fabrics beautiful?! Â This is especially exciting as I recently received a pincushion upgrade from my husband (I was still using the 1970s brown square pin cushion that I made in Home Ec class in the 80s) after he saw me looking at it on Etsy from this wonderful artisan. Â So I have two new pincushions!
I am especially thrilled with Elizabeth’s as I am ashamed to admit that I have picked up the pincushion mug of coffee thinking it was my actual coffee! Â Yes, you are reading the work of a true genius here. Â To be fair, we do have mugs from the PB basics line that look exactly like them…really.
Thanks, ladies, for a lovely chat in the middle of a beautiful day!
Susanne, June 18th 2010 |
Posted in Sewing
Twice a year, the Antique Fair comes to our city. Â Owning a consignment shop, I usually don’t find a lot that I want, but this time, they had some vintage fabrics that I could not resist. Â My pocketbook is safe until it comes again in the Fall!
booths up and down the whole street…
I love this color combination! Â Sea glass green and cotton candy pink.
I almost came home with that orange…um, what should I call it?
Here is where the vintage linens got me!
Susanne, June 18th 2010 |
Posted in Garage Sale Finds
I started this great tradition from something that was inspired from the blog by Amanda Blake Soule, which was a family draw night.  So every Tuesday we sit down at the dinner table and someone decides on a theme for the evening (last night was ‘things you find at the beach’) and we all draw pictures until the page is full!
And each week on our fridge, we swap out the new for the old. Â Fabulous, right?
And this is what I love about blogging. Â That from the millions of posts each day, I can see one that turns out to be an idea that changes the way we interact as a family. Â Like many (although sooner that I thought as I am still a newbie blogger), I have now had a moment where I really regretted that the “private” thoughts I record in my personal blog were able to be read by someone whom I wish would just rather not have. Â But, that’s the nature of the beast I suppose. Â So, I look at the positive, and what I gain from being a part of the larger community and feel happy to be here.
So, enough of that! Â You should try setting aside a night a week for this (or even one night a month if that is all you can manage). We always enjoy it as it breaks up our usual nigh-time dinner, bath, book and bed. Â Thanks, Amanda, for helping us find ways to continue to connect as a family!
Susanne, June 17th 2010 |
Posted in Family
