Shopping and inspiration: Antiques in Hancock, MD

On the drive back from a weekend in Cleveland, I got the urge to stop along the way and do a little antiquing...and found some great stuff at Hancock Antique Mall in Hancock, MD.

My favorite spot was definitely the Lill booth--the owner had set it up super cute, with all kinds of teapots and china and glass trays and lovely tea things. I also considered getting a shabby chic sort of carved wood frame mirror but it looked like it needed some repair...and there were some pink goblets to match the bird bowl that I wish I had picked up too. Might require a return trip!

 

From top:

Dep pink bowl with birds on side: Lill

Popegosser china dessert plates: Lill

Kentucky Cardinal apples sign: Lois

Nippon handpainted dip plate: Lill

Blue marble trinket box (with cockatiels on it!!!): Lill

Vintage hankies: Lill

Micro floral tapestry vintage pin: Val

Metal coaster set: Lill

Car coasters: Lill

Omg I was SO excited to find the cockatiel box especially. I happened to go back to the Lill booth after my round of the entire antique mall...I was really looking for vintage hankies and teacups so I overlooked it on the shelf somehow the first time! This is definitely my favorite new piece.

In other news, welcome to fall! I was half-surprised to see the leaves on the sidewalk yesterday, even though the weather is getting noticeably cooler.

 

 

Might be time for a road trip to enjoy all the pretty fall leaves :) Or more apple picking!

Ornament sketches

When I'm super bored and sitting on an airplane I love to make lists and brainstorm project ideas.

Here are some sketches I made a while back of potential ornaments to make.

So far from these I've only actually made the owl ornaments...

 

 

...but I'm sure I'll come back to these sketches later when I need a new project to start!  

Shopping inspiration: Frederick, MD

A few weekends ago Brie and I spent the afternoon shopping in Frederick, browsing all the cute little boutiques...and getting caught in a downpour.  Even though we got soaked, we managed to pick up a few cool things.

Bird necklace and all earrings: Simply Beautiful Boutique.
Metal birds ringholder and Little Miss Austen Pride & Prejudice picture book: Retro Metro.
Vintage embroidered handkerchiefs: Tiara Day.
Leaf necklace: Alicia L. Boutique.
Bird greeting card (outside reads: I don't know where I'd be if I hadn't found you, my love. Inside reads: But I'm betting there'd be a lot less farting.): Simply Beautiful Boutique.

Also worth checking out in Frederick:

• Treat yourself to some delicious authentic gelato at Juliet's Italian Market and Cafe!
• Shop at The Muse for handcrafted gifts from local artisans.
• Stop for lunch and get a tasty pretzel pizza at Pretzel and Pizza Creations.
• Head over to the family-owned MDL Holiday Cinemas to finish your day with a cheap movie! 

What a great way to spend a day! :)

Craft project list--organized or overwhelming?

I was inspired by WendyMoonDesigns, who has a yearly project list on her lovely blog...and decided to do something similar. I thought this was such a great idea...but when I started compiling my various project ideas into one list, I started freaking out a bit. How will I ever get to all of this stuff?!

Perhaps my list just needs to be prioritized a little? Here's a first stab at my craft project list though. Keep in mind the items are in no particular order!

Also, I am taking requests...if you have a project idea you'd like me to try, comment below and I will add it to the list!

Octopus purse in progress!

I'm working on another custom piece, an octopus purse for Gleb's other niece, and came up with a few template options. I'm still trying to decide what to put on the back, along with her name. Ideas?

Gleb and I both liked the tie-dye one best...although the orange is more striking. The blue one was my first try, and I think it would look super-cute with some green tentacles!

I'm also thinking of doing a orange-yellow version, that would be striking as well on the purple background, and could have orange tentacles. The tie-dye one is probably a bit busy for tentacles.

I cut these out freehand, which was way harder than I was expecting. I am now the friggin octopus MASTER. The first one I cut out of light blue felt ended up being 2 inches too big in each direction to fit on the bag! However, it's super cute so I'm saving it for a wall piece or something. Gleb said, "I may have other uses for a large felt octopus. It is just the kind of life I lead." I think perhaps it would be a good piece to keep my felt Whaley company.

This also made me think of Doctopus:

I don't remember how we found him, but is he not fantastic???! In the good ol' days at Kaplan, we printed him out, colored him with crayons and hung him on the wall. Ah I miss that sort of ridiculousness!

More hoot owls--now in blue!

Ok so I've been working on these owls for like 3 days now, and surprisingly, I'm not tired of them yet. Today I worked mostly on blue owls, making both pins and pendants.

Next on my list to do:

1) Finish sewing princess purse.
2) Make felt cupcake pins & pendants. I couldn't find any I liked on etsy, which is shocking. Clearly this is a void I must fill.
3) Something holiday or winter-themed for the Washington Post Holiday Crafts Contest. I'm thinking something featuring images of either snowflakes or candles. I'm not really much of a snowman person though...can you see me carrying or wearing anything with a dang snowman on it?

Craft project vote winners: Solar system felt tags and owls

I've been working on the items selected as my next craft project from the poll. My solar system felt tags are finished and I plan to post them to my etsy shop this afternoon!

I also got started on the "something containing owls" craft project. I started by sketching the owl I had in mind (along with a candy corn felt purse that came to mind):

So on Friday I made my first owl...which is a little bit batlike for some reason...perhaps the eyes? Otherwise cute though, I like all the detail stitching.

Right now he's just an applique and I haven't decided what to put him on yet...maybe an eyeglass case?

After the first owl I decided to try a few without tails and made these adorable little guys, which are actually pins.
 

I think I'll make some into barrettes and pendants as well. It would be super cute to have a necklace with an owl pendant and also some felt leaf pendants attached.

Trip to JoAnn's & lots of new craft projects!

So coming soon I will have a bunch of pictures of the new things I've been working on:

1) 60 more flower barrettes in a variety of colors/styles
2) bookmarks featuring toadstools, acorns, bees, falling leaves, snails, and fishies
3) felt tags--some of the same themes
4) more colorful collections of coasters!

I also went to JoAnn's today and picked up some plain tank tops and baby hats that I'm planning to embellish with fabric appliques. I swear that place is dangerous...I went in with a very specific list of things to buy and walked out with like 25 other items. Lots of good ideas though!

And here are some books I saw at JoAnn's that I have now added to my wish list:

     

 

An excellent idea

I just finished this set of coasters as a custom order through my etsy shop...I love the way the colors look together!