My New Etsy Store

If you like using vintage and unusual items in your projects, check out my new Etsy Store, Thrift Store Supplies. I'm always on the search for discarded treasures to use in my creations and now I will be offering some to you at very reasonable prices.

Lest We Forget...

I was in somewhat of a reflective mood this morning and came up with this thought provoking card called "Time Travel". I am quite involved in family genealogy, and my ancestors settled in Buffalo, New York from Germany, so this card really comes from the heart. My purpose in creating the card was to let the recipient stop for a few moments and reflect on where they came from and where they're going.

Some of my Favorite Craft Blogs

I love surfing the craft blogs. Here are 3 of my recently discovered favorites:

A Time 4 Art A little bit of everything - altered art, atc's, postcards, tags, etc, etc, etc. - all with a vintage flair!

Paper Cat's Page Altered art, more postcards, collage and more!

The Best of DIY Links to totally awesome tutorials for the crafter.

Related post: Introducing "Just Blogs"

Mother Earth's Children TAGS

I discovered a wonderful child's book at a thrift store and just had to use the pictures for something! I made sturdy chipboard tags, then used old Farmer's almanac pages covered in mulberry paper as the background. The pics of the plant children and the quotes were copied from the book. I then added ribbon and an old print-like picture of the apple and strawberry and finished them off with a fiber hanger. I like these a lot and plan on creating more from the many plates in Mother Earth's Children: The Frolics of the Fruits and Vegetables.

Latest Treasure Hunt Finds...

Ah - Scrabble tiles - a versatile little piece of wood! I always pick up games when I find them at thrift stores or garage sales. I don't care what the box or the board looks like - I only want the tiles! But yesterday I hit the jackpot - I found a deluxe edition that contains maroon tiles! They will be the perfect addition to my vintage style cards. Most likely, I'll save these tiles to use just as they are. My brown wooden tiles which are much more easily found, will be the ones I'll use for decoupage or stamping, or altering in any way. I also picked up a bag of dominoes. Along with the large plastic ones I use for pendants, there are also a number of dark brown wooden ones. There is a Chinese dragon embossed into the wood. I foresee something new and exiting over the horizon! I can't wait to get started using these little beauties. My next search will be for vintage buttons - not the cheap plastic rip-offs you find today - but the little treasures made of bakelite, bone and ivory I remember in my mothers button box many years ago.........