It's All About the Stories

First, it has been waaaay to long since I have written a post. I got busy with real life and put this, thrifting for vintage goodies, and selling said goodies on the back burner. I have missed this part of my life.

 

On to the good stuff....
I was doing some pricing research on Etsy when I came across these Fantastic Vintage Folk Art Chickens listed in Sandi Olmstead's Etsy shop WimsyBooks.   While they really weren't anything like the piece I want to list, they were so familiar to me. I had forgotten until I saw them that my mother had something like this when I was a little girl. Warm and fuzzies.

I scrolled down to the product description expecting to find a sentence or two about the pieces. What I got was a wonderful story about how she and her husband took a detour and found themselves at this estate sale. The story goes on to tell how these chickens came to be made and for whom. Five paragraphs later I have a personal connection not only to the listed item, but to the seller. Take a moment to visit this lovely shop.

I love when sellers tell stories about the pieces they are listing.  Thank you Sandi.

The Beatles

I love the Beatles.
My dad loves the Beatles.
I love my dad!

Vintage Sandwich Trays and Vintage Simplicity Sewing Pattern

This afternoon I listed 2 items in my Etsy Store. The first is a set of 3 Mid Century Orange Sandwich Trays with Cork Coasters.



These trays are in good vintage condition. The trays are approximately 10 1/2" x 7 1/4". These 3 trays are so cute. They are made of plastic and each has a coaster indent lined with cork for your icy drinks.




I also listed this cute 1960's Misses' Dress from Simplicity #4802. It is a size 16 with proportioned sizes according to your height. This pattern has the option of short or no sleeves. The skirt is so pretty with it's box pleats.

My store, KoolBeanz, has a variety of vintage items. Please come by and look around.

Archeological Dig

Ever since I was a little girl, I thought it would be fun to go on an archeological dig. Sun on my shoulders, pick and brush in my hand. Not necessarily for bones of prehistoric animals, but for household items from past societies.

It seems that I have been doing this very thing without even realizing it. My favorite past time is going to thrift stores and looking for hidden treasures. One of my favorite places to search is the local Goodwill Outlet Store. Locally it is known as "The Big Dig". This is due to the fact that you must "dig" through bins of stuff to get to the treasures.


One of the best finds I made at "The Big Dig" was about 50 vintage sewing patterns just sitting in the bin waiting for me. I love looking at clothing styles from the 70's, 60's, 50's, and beyond. How did the lifestyles of these decades influence Fashion? Color? Hair? Make-up?


Then there are the little notes written on the envelope or directions sheet. Did Grandmom sew for Grandaughter? or Did the seamstress make the clothing for herself?

One day I still would like to go on an actual archeological dig, but for now thrifting keeps me happy.

Happy Earth Day!

This adorable video was posted by one of my Facebook Fans...The Freecycle Network. Check out the video, then check out Freecycle's facebook pages.



Celebrate Earth Day in this magical imaginary garden, made almost entirely from recycled, Freecycled fabric scraps, a feather, an old book and some photos. This is the video for award-winning children's performer Jake Differ's song "My Garden" from Ziggy Zaggy Road. www.musicbyjake.com. Created by Jake's wife Valerie Lapp, with backdrops painted by their daughter Kathleen.

Libbey Carousel Hostess Glasses

Just looking at these hostess glasses from Libbey is a joy. Yesterday I ventured out of my comfort zone and created a video featuring these vintage beauties. It's actually more like a slide show, but it is a lot of fun to see.



I hope you enjoyed watching it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

These drinking glasses are for sale in my Etsy Shop if you would like to have these treasures in your home.

Repurposed Skirt Becomes a Reusable Tote

About two or three years ago I found a very cute skirt at the Goodwill Clearance Center. (I really love that place) At the time I thought I could maybe sew some pretty beads to it then sell it in my Etsy Shop. It ended up sitting in a drawer in my sewing table ever since.

December 2009. I wanted to make a few reusable tote bags for my mom for Christmas. I started looking through my stash of fabric when I found that skirt I had purchased years earlier. As I held the skirt up, the wheels started turning. Why start from scratch?! That little A line skirt could easily be made into a bag. So I started cutting, rearranging the pieces, and sewing. The final product was the cutest bag I think I ever saw!

That was it! The next day I went back to the Goodwill for more skirts. I found a few that I liked. Took them home and started cutting, rearranging the pieces, and sewing.

Here is one of the skirts:

Before


After