Join Me On Tuesdays for A New Link Party!

Well, I am doing it--I am taking the plunge and hosting my own link party on Tuesdays!

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So come back tomorrow and read all the details, grab a button for your post, and Tell Me Tuesday about all of the great new projects you have been working on!

Vintage Pollyanna Featured on Yellow Blackbird

I am excited to report that my Vintage Button Necklace was just featured (or should I say her necklace) on Yellow Blackbird's blog!


A few months ago I followed Aubree's tutorial for making one of these beautiful necklaces. You can see my necklace here. Yesterday she did a round up of people who had sent her photos of projects they had made based on her tutorials, and my necklace was one of them! The post is called You Tried It!!

Thanks Aubree! Aubree has a fantastic blog, filled with refashions and great tutorials, plus her writing style is great. Oh yeah--and she has a sweet Etsy shop. Go see for yourself!



Today's post can be found over a Market Yourself Monday On Sumo's Sweet Stuff!

Fabric Rosette Necklace on A Silver Chain Tutorial

I have been seeing fabric rosette necklaces all over the Web, but they are usually pretty big pieces with three or more rosettes. I wanted something really clean and simple with just one rosette.

I have made vintage button necklaces in the past, and so I had some hardware, but when I was in Target yesterday I checked out the clearance jewelry section and found this necklace for $4.99.

It is cute, and there was a time when I used to wear a lot of hammered silver, but instead I got to thinking that the circle would give some nice structure and a little bit of weight to a fabric rosette necklace!

Here is the rosette I used--I made a few from muslin scraps and I liked the way they came out. I went to You Tube and looked at a few videos and then combined methods.


What works for me is tearing 2" scraps about 15" to 20" long out of fabric (I really like using muslin.) Tearing creates more natural fraying and looks great. Then I take one end of the strip and using hot glue I fold each side to the middle, and then I fold the strip in half and start rolling and gluing the center of the rosette. Next I twist and turn the rosette gluing as I go along. Trust me--go to You Tube and look for fabric flower tutorials.

I ran some hot glue around the outside of the circle and pressed the rosette onto it. Then I ran hot glue around the backside of it,


And I added a denim circle to cover up the mess. Lastly I added a little hot glue around the outside and sort of pulled the rosette toward the back to make the muslin meet the denim. (Truthfully it's not pretty--but hey, its for me and it doesn't have to be perfect--just sweet!)


And here it is:


Do I look pleased with myself, or what?


I was wearing my new favorite tee shirt yesterday--a charcoal boatneck, and I think it looked great. Stay tuned for another post about the pin and the headband that I made with the remaining rosettes!

This post is a part of the following link parties:

Marketplace Monday at Finding Fabulous

Sew Cute Tuesday at the Creative Itch

Lucky Linky Tuesday at Lucky Star Lane

Hoo's Got Talent at Night Owl Crafting

Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts

We Did It Wednesday at Sew Much Ado

Show Off Your Stuff at Fireflies & Jellybeans

Let's Sew at Whimsy Couture

Get Your Craft on Thursday with Life as Lori

Frugal Friday at the Shabby Nest

Frugalicious Friday at the Shabby Nest

Sweet Vintage Tablecloth

I feel a new urge coming on for another vintage collection. This time for vintage tablecloths. Look at this new (old) one that I brought home from Maine a few weeks ago.


It was in a great pile of miscellaneous textiles that my Dad had. He asked my sister and I to go through it and pull out any items we wanted. I saw this tablecloth and knew I had to have it. While my sister went through the pile first I crossed my fingers hoping she wouldn't take it. Boy was I lucky!!


Doesn't it make you feel happy and sunny? On closer inspection it does confuse me a little--I think the larger red fruit is cherries that are running around the inside border--but around the outside I am pretty sure those are bunches of grapes. What do you think?


I already collect vintage and antique kitchen tins, buttons, storybooks, homespun and laundry items (oh, and baby clothes, fabric, pillowcases and canning jars . . .) Hmm . . . looks like I am going to need a bigger house!

A Vintage Fabric Rosette Wreath for Thanksgiving

I was so excited about the sewn fabric rosette pin that Flannery gave me last week that immediately I taught myself how to make the rosettes and I got busy making a Thanksgiving wreath for my front door.


These sewn rosettes are made on the machine by stitching a long ruffle from 1 1/2" fabric, and then sewing them on a circle of fabric, starting along the outside and twisting and turning the rosette beneath the sewing foot until you get to the middle.


I used vintage green upholstery fabric and plain muslin for the flowers. I finished them off with vintage buttons and a few new wooden beads from my stash that I had purchased to make these vintage button necklaces.


I purchased the grapevine wreath from Michael's for $3.99, and the two ribbons I used were on sale in the $1 bin.


Welcome to my home! And Happy Thanksgiving!

This post is a part of the following link parties:

Making the World Cuter Monday
Market Yourself Monday with Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Just Something I Whipped Up at the Girl Creative
Made by You Monday at Skip to My Lou
Mad in Crafts' Mad Skills Party

Rosettes from Fabric and Zippers

I love it when a crafty friend writes on my Facebook wall first thing in the morning, "Rosettes tonight?" That means I get to look forward to an evening of inspired crafty fun all day! And a fun evening it was. Flannery from # Sisterz came over after all fo our little ones were tucked into bed for a fun night of rosette making.

I've been taken with the whole zipper rosette trend that has been spreading across Etsy like wildfire. While scrounging my vintage fabrics for material for last night, I ran across a bag filled with zippers! (Thanks Dad!) Here is my first zipper rosette-turned barrette:


I tried a few tutorials to make them, including this one that uses hand sewing and this one that uses hot glue. I tried both methods and found that the hand sewing was less messy and I had more control in how the flower turns out. This tutorial at That's Sew Me is another great resource, especially when it comes to how to affix the rosette to a bobby pin or a brooch pin.

Flannery started making fabric flowers out of scraps that she brought over--she got the hang of it right away. This is the best tutorial I could find on how to make them. Flannery used a tutorial from Little Birdie Secrets, which also works well, but the one I found today utilizes a cardstock baking, which I think would do wonders in helping me to keep my attempts flat.

Flan made three and grouped them together for a pin:


Here it is close-up. I found that they look great on everything from jean jackets to blouses, plain t-shirts and bags!


Here is a flower pin that she brought over with her, a different tutorial that requires machine stitching.


Doesn't it look FABULOUS on my bag?


And GORGEOUS on my blouse?


As soon as I can find the tutorial she used I'll post it! Meanwhile, go visit her over at 3 Sisterz for her wrap-up from last night!!

This post is a part of the following link parties:

Tuesday's Get Your Craft on at Today's Creative Blog
Sew Cute Tuesday at Creative Itch
Take A Look Tuesday at Sugar Bee
Topsy Turvey Tuesdays at I'm Topsy Turvey

A Peek at My Dad's Space at Cabot Mill Antiques

For those of you who have read this blog for a bit, you know that it us inspired by the antique shop that my parents ran for nearly 20 years in Bath, Maine and the Ebay auction site that they held for nearly as many years.

Since my Mom's passing in 2009, my Dad closed the shop in Bath, but opened a space in Brunswick Maine's Cabot Mill Antiques. He has also kept the Pollyanna's Antiques Ebay site active. On a recent visit back home to Maine, Chris and the kids and I visited my Dad's space.

Here he is with James standing in his space--surrounded by all of the antiques he loves--creels, lures, early tools, baseballs, tins, duck decoys, and early furniture.


I really love how he has displayed the creels on some branches he brought in from home. Decorating a small space like this--after having an entire shop of his own means that every inch has to be organized to tell the story in a way that is efficient.


Dad's duck decoys have always been a favorite of James'--since he could walk every time we visited home he could be found walking around the house with a decoy in his hand!


And check out the high chair! Take a look in the basket: anyone need a vintage baseball glove? I also love the floor--Cabot Mill is housed in a 15,000 square foot space in Fort Andross, which was originally a textile mill. The floor tells the story of years of labor!


My Dad makes the checkerboards from old breadboards. See, a little old, a little new, a little new and old, a little handmade and I love it all! Take a look on top of the table below, there are two pantry boxes stacked on top of one another--Dad gave me one for my birthday and I will be featuring it this coming Friday. I especially love the paint on this old table:


A close up of some of the many tins that Dad has available for sale:


If you are ever in Brunswick , Maine and want to take a look at the great antiques available at Cabot Mill, visit this link to learn more.


And if you want to take a look at Pollyanna's Antiques' Ebay store, click here. Dad has some fun items on right now:

19th Century Vegetable Ivory Thimble Holder

1842 Sewing Book "Handbook of Needlework"

Lot of Ten 1890 Victorian Calling Cards

Last week he had a beautiful antique white Fiesta-ware bowl with three red stripes on his auction. Apparently it was a sought-after piece because it sold for over $1,000!

I am happy that my Dad can keep his love of antiques alive with his space at the mill and in his Ebay auctions. And hey--his brithday is this Friday. Happy Birthday, Dad!