Monday, May 14, 2007

Made by Monday

In an effort to justify my thrift store and yard sale acquisitions, I've been trying to turn them quickly into kokoleos. Two weeks ago I got these cool vintage bath towels at an estate sale and thought they would make great beach totes. See?


I got that wool patchwork quilt they're laying on at a yard sale this weekend for $1. I'm thinking it might turn into purses soon. Or, I'll throw it in the trunk to be a nice picnic blanket. The big yellow buttons on the yellow tote came from the Melrose Ave. Flea Market. I finished the bag Saturday night and just needed some buttons to finish it off. When Erik asked me what I wanted to do for Mother's Day, I said I wanted to search for big yellow buttons and that my radar was telling me they were at the Melrose Ave. Flea Market. He and Sage humored my urge and went with me. After less than an hour I sniffed them out at the bottom of a box in the middle of the market - a bag of 4 big vintage bakelite buttons ($3) that were just waiting for their day in the sun.

I also got some vintage beaded appliques, more buttons and a big daisy pin:



I swear there's more to my life than shopping at thrift stores and yard sales and hoarding sewing notions. I do normal everyday stuff too like go to work, walk the dog, play with the kid, weed the garden, etc. These just happen to be the things I photograph the most.

Two other things I made this week were these valances:



Okay, I can't take the credit for the lovely quilt piece-work. A few years ago my friend Andrea gave me some quilt tops that her grandmother made. I told her I would hold on to them until she figured out something I could do with them for her. About a month ago Andrea proposed making valances for the windows in her son's room. I love the idea that something her grandmother made years ago will now look down on the great-grandson she wasn't able to get to know, and he can look up and see a part of his family's history.

I think that's why I love old stuff so much. I like to rescue previous generations' forgotten stuff and give it a new life.

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