Something Missing

Well Hello, Blogland friends!


Can you tell I have been busy? Its only been six+ months since I've posted. Remember that job offer I accepted back in February? Well--let's say that I didn't really have a full understanding of how much time would be left at the end of the day for me when I took it.

Its a classic story, right? Getting back into the full-time world of work after five years of working from home and consulting. All of a sudden in this new world my time is not my own. It has taken some getting used to, and some strong organizational skills to navigate.

I haven't been wholly absent from the social media sphere, however. My Twitter account, though mostly geared toward my work at Ovation has been growing steadily. I am also a regular poster on our blog, OvationNation. And even though I am enjoying the job immensely, part of me is missing. I've been mulling it over for a few days.

I have a family blog, Under A Shady Tree. I have this blog, which combines my love of antiques, crafting, baking. But really, what it all is is storytelling. I am a storyteller through and through. But where do I blog when I have a few precious moments? Under A Shady Tree? Here? I feel pulled in two different directions. What I am considering is closing Under A Shady Tree and posting family content here. Why not? Those of you who read VP get the occasional family tidbit anyhow. And why not? Its part of the fabric of who I am.

And--I'm a marketer, through and through, and I gotta say, the ring that Vintage Pollyanna has as a blog name is so true. It resonates with me, and clearly with the thousands of readers who stop in here to lurk, or to read, or to say hello.

I've missed you guys. I think I am coming home. Stay tuned.

A Fun Ruffled Scarf from an Old T-Shirt

So as I mentioned in the previous post I have been absolutely dying to buy one of Lindsey's scarves over at the Pleated Poppy. But, now that we are adding up the initial costs of full day preschool for James and daycare for Ella, my start-up clothes allowance for my new job is shrinking. So, I looked at her scarf, searched around Blogland a bit, begged a t-shirt off of my husband and tah-dah!! I made this scarf in about five minutes.

SERIOUSLY. No joke.

Make it!

I found a great tutorial here.

XOXO


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A New Venture -- But Don't Worry, VP is Staying Put

Oh my goodness, readers, I know you have been waiting on pins and needles to hear this, so here goes:

I GOT THE JOB!!!!

Whoo hoo!! I know, I know, it has been a simply CRAZY whirlwind of a month since I found out about the opportunity and went for it with guns-a-blazin'. I mean, I worked my HINEY OFF and with such a great result!

The position is a senior level Marketing Director for a company that I really admire. I'm not going to say who just yet, as I will be signing the paperwork to make it official next week. Then I'll let you know. But in the mean time, I need to start building a wardrobe!

Now, while the true, born-in-the-wrong-era Allison wishes she was going to be headed off to a Mad Men-esque office, I don't think I can really pull off the Joan look. I mean, auburn hair is SO HARD to maintain, right? (tee hee).


But I can remember to have little pops of Allison style coming through, which means I need to start pulling together some key items for my office wear!

It is time to shop! Of course I will need one of these, from my own collection:



And then I'll need to buy this pattern from V & Co. to make a fabulous skirt:


Of course I'll be sporting this necklace around the office:


But I also need one of these fabulous ruffled scarves from the Pleated Poppy:


And I DEFINITELY need one of these Pedal Pusher pins from the Pleated Poppy as well:


A girl needs a little funky jewelry, too, so I also have my eye on this pendant from SaraWaxWing on Etsy:



I am a little eclectic yet conservative to a point (especially in office wear) and I tend to wear a lot of black and grays but with nice pops of color or chunky accessories and of course the occasional ruffle!

Do you have any great suggestions for me from Etsy sellers or Blogger that you love? Tell me in the comments section, and be sure to give me a link!

a

So Long Tell me Tuesday, It's Been Fun!

Hello my friends! If you are checking in to post for Tell me Tuesday, I have sad news. I am no longer going to be hosting the party.

There are a couple of reasons why this is the case.

The first is that McLinky Tools is now charging a subscription fee. While I understand that, I don't currently sell any of the items that I create here on VP, so I can't really justify the expense.

On another note, my current interviewing process for a job I would adore is winding down, and I am very close to finding out if I have received the position. If that is the case (and I have my fingers crossed) I will be returning to full time work and will need to let some things go, among them Tell Me Tuesday.

That said, I do not plan on ending my blogging here on Vintage Pollyanna. I have developed a nice group of followers, and I still enjoy having this space to share my treasures.

And speaking of vintage treasures, my Dad has some fabulous items in his Ebay auction this week! Here are a couple of them:

19th Century Needle Case

Vintage Wooden Painted Folk Art Bird

So again, I am sorry if you were coming to link up and I have disappointed you. I have really enjoyed making new friends, and hope that you will continue to come back and see what is going on here in the world of Vintage Pollyanna!

Best,

Happy Valentine's Day 2011

I hope your day is sweet!

I'm Back! with A Little Love Day Goodness

Wow, readers, what a whirlwind of a week it was!

I am 85% sure that there will be some great news coming out for me at the end of this coming week, so I don't want to jinx it and mum's the word for right now. But THANK YOU for hanging in there with me!

Last Year's Valentine's Day Handmade Goodies

With all of the craziness going on the last few weeks with this possible new change, I have completely forgotten about Valentine's Day (or Love Day, as my boy calls it). Last year I was a sewing crazy lady and pumped out about ten fun gifts for family and friends. No such luck this year!

I know, me, the woman that always tries to make handmade cards and gifts took the store bought route this year. Sometimes you just have to know what to let go of to make your life simpler, and this year I thank Hallmark for stepping in and delivering my messages of love.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and a sweet as chocolate Love Day!

Taking A Little Break

Hello my friends, remember when I mentioned that I have a lot of things going on, including the possibility of returning to full time work? Well next Friday I am giving a presentation that will hopefully seal the deal for this new position. That said, I am taking a little break from Vintage Pollyanna to work on my presentation. There will be no Tell Me Tuesday for February 8th, so that I can prepare.

Thanks for all of your support and stay tuned for new developments!

XOXO

Tell Me Tuesday #12

Welcome to Tell Me Tuesday #12 here on Vintage Pollyanna!


What a crazy week we've had--another foot of snow on top of the two feet we already had, and as I type this the snow is falling again. They are forecasting another foot. I love the snow, and New England, but I think I am just about over it! The only good part about this storm is that they are calling it Winter Storm Ella, which is my daughter's name!

We didn't have as many partiers last week, maybe everyone is too busy digging out! However, we did have some new friends join us, and a great variety of entries!

Here's one of my faves from last week, and is from a new blogger I haven't seen before called Back 2 Vintage. In this post she talks about all of her recent vintage finds that begin with the letter "F".


My next fave is this sweet menu board from A Content Housewife. Lianne's blog is fresh and bright, and this craft is a great example of her look.


And my last fave from last week is this lovely Valentine's wall art from Redheads Have More Fun. Courtenay has been a regular participant in my Tell me Tuesday Party, and over and over again she has shared great crafts and ideas with us. Thanks!


Nice job everyone, and if I featured you, please grab a button! Now I'm off to shovel!




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And hey, be sure to come to the Vintage Pollyanna Facebook page and say hello!

Now on to the party!

A Few Fabulous Fabric Rosette Pins

I was busy last week knocking out a few Fabric Rosette Pins for some friends of mine. I have a little love affair with creating these pins, and it all started here.

Aren't they cute in this muffin pan?

My intention was to make some for Valentine's Day, but at the last minute I decided to make some from some new fabric I found. I knew right off the bat that this one with the little Japanese Lantern flowers was going to be my favorite.


I love these pins because they work great as accessories on sweaters, jackets, belts and purses.


Especially on purses! Especially on THIS purse!


I know exactly which friend is going to get this one.


Ahem--Leslie, be looking for this one to come your way!


Now excuse me while I head back to my machine to make one for myself!

Don't forget that tomorrow is Tell Me Tuesday here on Vintage Pollyanna, so be sure to come back and link up with whatever fun creations you worked on last week.

This post is a part of the following link parties:

Market Yourself Monday at Sumo's Sweet Suff

A Little Friday Love for My Antique Secretary Desk

Look what Dad got me for Christmas!


I don't have an office in this house, and I needed a workspace that would also prevent little hands from getting to my computer. This secretary was the perfect solution!

Across the top of it I placed a clock (not antique or vintage, but we have had it for over ten years), my pantry box, a great Victorian paper weight with a pic of my little ones and my sweet chalkware girl.


The paper weight was a gift from my Mom and Dad during the last Christmas we spent with my Mom before she passed. Dad put the photo of the kids in the paper weight--it was actually a photo from our Christmas card that year. I think about how little Ella was, and how I lost my Mom just two months later. It makes me a little sad when I look at it, but I like to be thinking of my Mom, sad or not.


I especially like the drawer pulls on this desk:


And of course all of the little compartments on the inside:


So when you think of me blogging, picture me here:


How have you incorporated your love for antiques or vintage into your daily workspace?

Tell Me Tuesday #11

Welcome to Tell Me Tuesday #11 here on Vintage Pollyanna!


As I promised, if we hit 50 I will host a giveaway to celebrate!

Now on to some of my faves from last week. Let's start with Girl in Air's Mason Pendant Light. If you've been reading me for a while, you know that one of the things I collect is vintage Mason jars.


I just love the redo on this light, and I have a similarly talented husband in the electrical area. HINT HINT. Chris, can we do this over the sink in our kitchen?

Another fave is this fabulous T-Shirt Sleeve Flower from Simply Step Back.


This is the first time I have seen a ruffle flower from a shirt like this one, and I wll be making some of my own!

And last, a super frilly Valentine Topiary from Crazy Domestic.


I would never have thought to use the elastic on the back--but I am sure it really improves the ruffle effect! I have some lovely vintage fabric that would be perfect for this idea and so yet another project to add to my to do list!

Nice job everyone, and if I featured you, please grab a button!




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And hey, be sure to come to the Vintage Pollyanna Facebook page and say hello!

Now on to the party!

Anthro-Inspired Valentine's Tea Towels

Have you seen the fabulous vintage-inspired applique tea towels in Anthropologie lately? I love them all and they remind me of the real ones that my Mom carried in her shop for so many years. I have been wanting to make some of my own, and when I recently participated in a Pay it Forward Handmade Craft Challenge on Facebook I knew just what to make.

A friend of mine had this as her status:

Pay it Forward 2011: I promise to send something handmade
to the first 5 people who leave a comment here.
They must in turn post this and send something they make
to the first 5 people who comment on their status.
*The rules are that it must be handmade by you and it
must be sent to your 5 people sometime in 2011.

I love a challenge and I was intrigued by who might sign up with me so I went for it. I already knew that I was going to be working on some of these pins, but I also wanted to do something for Valentine's Day. I thought about the Anthroplogie tea towels and remembered that I had bought some tea towels at Target.


I was surprised when I opened them up that the towels were HUGE and far too big to be comfortably used as a tea towel, so I cut them in half and planned to bind the cut side later.

Next I needed to think about fabric. I went to my stash and found these two fun Valentine's Day appropriate prints:


Next I ironed some heat and bond to a large square of each piece of fabric, and then I drew up a template and began cutting out hearts.



I ironed the hearts to the tea towels and then I zig-zag stitch appliqued them to the towels. I finished them off with a little Fray Check to be sure they would make it through the wash.


I had a happy accident while I was sewing up the open side. I remembered seeing somewhere that I could zig-zag stitch up the side and the machine would sort of gather the material into what would eventually look as though I had used a Serger. It worked!


I am so happy with them!


Cute and sweet and handmade by me.


Stay tuned for tomorrow's Tell Me Tuesday--we had 30 entries this past week and if we hit 50 I will host a giveaway.

And MANY THANKS to the ladies at Three Sisterz for guest posting for me over the weekend. I had a nasty virus on my computer and was out of commission for a bit. Thank you ladies for keeping my little place in Blogland vibrant over the weekend!

This post is a part of the following link parties:

Making the World Cuter Monday
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Mad in Crafts Mad Skills Mondays
Making Monday's Marvelous at CRAFT