New Sparklies, and the Old - Secondhand Treasures

I love Goodwill. (And for clarification, "Goodwill" is like Splenda is like Kleenex, I use it for all secondhand/thrift stores that aren't fancy-schmancy boutiques - not that I go to those places.  But anyway.)  When I was a teenager, back before there was a real internet or such a thing as Hot Topic, we went to Goodwills and Army/Navies to find clothes and accessories.  I can't tell you how much I wish I knew how to use a sewing machine back then!

I love antique stores, too, though I find Antiquing to be more of a Blood Sport, and the stores themselves to be overwhelming.  I'm great in the first hour, bu after that I pfffft out.  (The last time I antiqued, the store already knew about the flour sack trend, so that was useless.) But I do like buying buttons and costume jewelry at these places.

One thing that I think it is pretty pointless to buy new, unless you absolutely love it, is kitchenware.  We having mixing bowls from IKEA, because I fell in love, but I would have done just as well going to Goodwill.  Glasses, serving trays, plates, teacups, mugs, silverware - no reason to pay full price.  It's already been fully established that these things don't need to match, and I've found that if you get things you love, they tend to go together, anyway.

So here are some recent aquisitions from Goodwill:

Wishbones or Antennae?

I find that I always need mid-sized glasses, as they tend to meet an early death.  I loved these because they are totally simple except the very mysterious insignia thereupon.  I really thought they were wishbones at first, which made me think why? Where did these come from?  There's no mark on the bottom of the glass, so who knows what the purpose is.  Then they kind of looked like butterfly antenna, which is even more baffling.

I'd be happy to hear any theories as to why these glasses exist, and what they mean.  I'm willing to humor any crazy theory, really.

The glasses in this photo are in front of one of my favorite things I've found at Goodwill:

I think it is actually a letter holder, but I use it as a napkin holder.  One buck for porcelain that you will never see in anyone else's house, ever.  So what if it looks, um, sideways a little.

I also have this theory that you should use your wedding or nice china if you have it.  Admit it - it's not HRH Royal China or a Presidential Dining Set, it's stuff you liked enough to beg your family and friends for, and it's probably replaceable if for some mysterious reason you DO need that 8th dessert plate.  I drink my coffee, every day, out of a cup & saucer, and even my Goodwill finds match.  Here's a cup & saucer from different sets (neither is my wedding china) living together in harmony:

The saucer is a vintage Mikasa that was part of a set that I picked up for ten bucks, but inexplicably it came with 20 saucers and no cups.  You can't even find the cups online! 

These are easily the most beautiful cups I've found at a Goodwill, so these break my I Wouldn't Cry if They Broke rule and therefore live in the Pie Safe.  I'm thinking about buying up more cups and saucers as part of my soon to start etsy venture.  More on that later!

This my final find from the last trip to Goodwill.  Lamp bases are either ugly or too expensive, andI had looked everywhere for a lamp base for the Artifact Room aka the Second Bedroom, and we found this beauty of a crystal base for a song at Goodwill!

 

 

Isn't it gorgeous?  I couldn't be happier.  The side table is one some of you may remember from several years ago from Urban Outfitters, and the cinnamon roll candle is from a local artist here in MN.

I was going to go into my favorite stuff from Valentines Day, but this entry is long enough on its own, so that and my newly completed scarf will have to wait.  I'll leave you with Scrabble enjoying her favorite home made toy!

Scabble tells the toy not to give her any of that crap

Doing That Thing You Do

by Kimberlee

One of the best things about doing a blog is that you have an excuse - even better, a reason - to surf the web for awesome stuff.  Another thing is getting to wax poetic and trust your readers to either read or scroll, whatever they want.

I've been so inspired by all the blogs and sites I have the pleasure of looking through and communicating with.  You artist-crafters from all over make such beautiful and lovely items, objects that make me believe in the essential good of human nature.  How else could there be so much beauty in the world?

As the holidays roll around, I think those of us who make things feel some added pressure to step up our craft for gifts, decorations, etc - and we really don't have to.  The basics, the things we are good at and are easy, are the best gifts to make.  Plus, everyone loves the essentials.

For those who sew

Zippered pouches make easy, useful gifts.  You also can opt for fancier fabrics, as you don't need to purchase as much. 

The Classic Tote Bag, is there anything it can't do?  You can use any fabric, alter the size, add trim, add pockets, pleats or ANYTHING with the classic patterns, and everyone needs more tote bags.

For those that cook

 Christmas Cookies are always a great bet, and I know that I always appreciate the time and effort put into making them. One of the things I like so much about getting cookies is that I get to explore other people's recipes, as I tend to make the same thing year after year. I am, however, making the above pictured Oreo Upgrade.

I am a sucker for Mason Jar Recipes.  They're easy to  make, economical, attractive and fun to get.  You can make both cookies and savory items, like cornbread.  Friends made us several cookie jars a couple of years ago, and we loved them.  I might make up some myself, this year.

For the Knitters

I can't speak by the way of patterns, but I know that hats and scarves are easy to make - and AWESOME to get.  Don't ever think because you have given someone a scarf or a hat, you can't do it again.  The more the better!  I love love love getting both, and it's not just because I live in Minnesota where it's Winter 2/3 of the year.  If you know socks, PLUS!

Fingerless Gloves

Beautiful Cowl

Flowery Scarf

Other Easy &Lovely Things from the Web

40 Edible Gifts

Ruched Headband

Peppermint Bark Soap

                                                                               

Felt Ornaments

                                                                              

a nice gift to make with children
Tutorial HERE

                                                                             
                                                                                

*Knock it Off!* JCrew Flats

by Kimberlee

Point of Confession - I love clothing & home goods catalogs.  Love love love them.  I'm not a big home shopper, but I am a big fan of styling, and prefer to see objects and clothing in context rather than how they are presented on websites: usually in stark contrast to a white background.

And to make matters worse, I'm not a big fan of stores- well, that's not exactly true, I'm not a big fan of malls.  Living in Minnesota makes being not fond of malls hilarious, as "The Mall" is right up the road.  My wonderful husband has to drag me out of Target ("Look at how shiny it is!") and threatens suicide inside JoAnn's, but generally I spend the vast majority of my browsing time on line.


Back to context.  I love how catalogs sell the dream of the object - beautiful objects in lovely rooms, impossible outfits, etc.


So when I came across these gold ballet flats in a J Crew catalog, I fell in love!  (Here is another image in silver)  I wanted them.  I needed them.  They're $198 dollars. Jaw/keyboard.

It was then that I heard The Voice.  The Voice has influenced all my immediate family members over the years, leading to projects both foolish and awesome.  The Voice that says, "Sure, "supple leather" sounds awesome enough, but wouldn't these flats,  purchased from Target (12 dollars!) last year for our wedding, work well enough?  The Voice that says, "HEY!  Those are button holes on the side of those "cluster of jewels." The Voice that says, "It's dumb to buy those, I can make it myself!"

So I already had the shoes, and it was just a matter of finding the other materials.

Here's the stash!

Things I ended up using:
- no sew iron-on tape
- ribbon (I used acetate BUT if I had to do it again I'd use silk or something like silk)
- gold & black thread
- wide black lace
- scrap pieces of black fleece or black felt
- black rosettes
- a variety of sizes of sew-on jewels
- various types of chain
- velcro
- iron
- sewing machine

I liked this ribbon, but maybe you should use something more luxe

You could also use pre-pleated ribbon.  I found some gorgeous pre-pleated ribbon at the store, but none were in black.  I considered doing the embellishment is another color, but though black would be more forgiving. 

Jewels, rosettes and chains

Using the curve of the shoes you plan to use, make a template for your embellishment.

Using some craft paper, I made a template that looks like a Pringles!

If you have pre-pleated ribbon, you can skip ahead.  For how to pleat, here we go....

I've never pleated before, so I just figured it out as I went. Using my black lace as a base,  I laid out strips of iron on sew tape.  I cut what I figured would be a long enough piece of ribbon and ironed on the end.  Then I made a pleat with the ribbon, ironing the edge of the pleat slightly further on the ribbon.  You can use a straight edge if you need to.  I'm having trouble explaining it, so let me show you the photos:

Iron on sew tape laid out on the lace

Fold ribbon over previous pleat

eyeball how far you want your pleat to go, slightly past the last pleat

Iron, rinse and repeat to end

OUCHIE!  My first iron-related mishap!

Make a long enough piece to have space to use 2 templates.  After you have a long enough piece and have applied the First Aid, use both sides of your template to trace out 2 pleated pieces.  DO NOT CUT OUT AT THIS POINT.

Put the lace backing on the fleece and sew along the traced lines, using your gold thread.  NOW you can cut, leaving about 1/4 inch raw on the outside of your stitching.

Two pleated patches with jewels and chains laid out

Figure out the arrangement of your rosettes, jewels and chains.  You should sew the chain on first.  Measure how much you will need to run the chain slightly inside the gold stitch, and double that amount, then cut your length of chain.  Double over your chain and hand-stitch on both chains at a time:

The black threads pretty much disappear

Hand-sew on the jewels first, then stitch your chain pieces around the jewels.  Then cut out the centers of the rosettes, sew them in place, then sew the jewels in the center of the rosettes.  Shape up your edges and you are practically finished!

Ready to put on your shoes!

Sticky-backed velcro

I suggest that you test the velcro adhesive on a small part of your shoe.   I could just glue them on my shoes, but I may want to remove them, make some other shoe accessory, retry making them, or put them on other shoes or even a headband.

But for now, the FINISHED RESULT! Or, Glamor Shots with Shoes

 

SHINY!

This was fun to do, and my first Knock-off.  Also, this was my first embellishment of a shoe since my Chuck Taylors in high school.  Which reminds me, I want to buy these and embellish my current pair of Chuckies.

Happy Hanukkah!

Chinese Leftovers - Tutorial Part 3

It was clear that the structure of the box would derive from the two "wings" that fold in being able to connect to the body of the box in a stable way.



Buttonholes and a button seemed like an obvious choice. But in order to make it reversible, I couldn't do a single buttonhole on each side, through both layers of each folded "wing" - that would only allow the box to assemble in one direction. Eureka! Make a pair of buttonholes in each wing, lined up to fall on top of each other perfectly so that the box could be buttoned up through all the layers!

I started out by marking the buttonhole positions based on the pinned-together box...but only on ONE side of each wing.


I then stitched and cut open those buttonholes, folded each wing into its finished position, and pinned through the finished buttonhole into the layer below, giving me a precise position that would line up with the first buttonhole. (Apologies for the blurry shot!)





With all the buttonholes completed and cut, the wings can be folded back into place, and a pin through all the openings will give you your final button position.


Making it reversible means you will have to sew two buttons at this position - one on either side of the fabric. I recommend using a button with a long shank - they are easier to work with back-to-back than a flat disc button, and the long shank is also friendlier when it comes to buttoning through four layers of fabric. I happened to have four old wood buttons with the look of bamboo - perfect for the theme!


So, we know it works...but, is it reversible?


Worked like a charm! Though a quick pressing is probably advisable before reversing, just for tidiness.

A traditional frog closure will be a perfect finish for the red-and-black side.


I'm not sure yet how I'll finish off the blue floral side. Maybe a fancy button with a thread chain closure in some silk buttonhole twist. And, for a strap? Simple - make one out of each fabric (+ interfacing for stability) in the desired length, just as you would a tie belt or a dress strap, topstitch the edges, add a buttonhole on each end, and button the strap right to the box! Alternatively, you could use a length of jewelry chain - something about the weight you'd use for a charm bracelet - add a lobster-claw clasp to each end, and clip it right to the button shank.

Now all you need are some fabric fortune cookies to fill it with, and you're good to go!

Auction Goodies On Offer

I'm cross-posting this from Facebook and also from the site on which Kimberlee and I first "met" before we had the pleasure of meeting in person: the Fox News watchdog site News Hounds and its companion Forum. Earlier in the decade we routinely conducted informal holiday auctions of regular readers' and contributors' arts and crafts to raise money to support the volunteer-run site. After a couple of years off, the custom has returned!

Magpie Shinies visitors are all cordially invited to visit the public Facebook album hosting our auction here. The auction has just begun, but we already have a couple of beaded items from me and also some beautiful prints of original paintings by another of our regulars. I daresay we will see, if not specific items from Kim, perhaps the opportunity to commission something from her? New items will be posted as they come in, so check back often. If you see anything that you would like to place a bid on, just read the instructions in the caption to the first image in the album - the "title card" - for the details.

I realize our process is a little more informal and clunky than, say, Etsy or eBay. News Hounds really does run on a shoestring, though, and we wanted to try for an approach that depends on no more investment than the creativity of the donors and the human energy required to administer the project.

Finally, here's one of my first items on offer, to whet your appetite! I have plenty of furnace glass in my bead stash, thanks to last year's Tucson show, so maybe I'll make another one and turn it into a tutorial!



Hope to see you at the auction.

More Shiny Than Sew-y

I guess I lied. I did intend to post on my next sewing project. Then I got busy shingling the dollhouse roof, and turned back to an ongoing bead project while the glue was drying (has to cure overnight before I can do anything more with it, anyway). So, tonight, my head's full of the sparkly and the shiny and the pretty little wonders that are beads.

This is the project I've been working on tonight - a reversible cat-face amulet bag in peyote stitch. I stopped just at the point of dividing for the ears. (This is an earlier shot - I'll post the finished weave when it's done.) It's just such a joyous process, row by row seeing the design emerge. I loved the moment when those beautiful blue and green eyes, respectively, were complete and gazing at me.


I can't remember a time when I haven't been messing about with beads - from the "Indian Bead Loom" I made friendship bracelets on as a kid, or learning from my mom how to use wire and bugle beads to make rings, right on to using them as costume embellishment.

But it was bead-weaving that really first spoke to me, as an adult. Like pointillist painting, but in a shinier medium, you might say. I started with Sigrid Wynne-Evans' brick stitch earrings, and then became fascinated by peyote stitch and Amy Loh-Kupser's designs, like this polar bear amulet.



From there it was on to dimensional pieces...


And, more recently, tiny beaded books that actually open, based on Maxine Peretz Prange's instructions but my own charted designs (using a terrific shareware program called BeadTool).





I guess part of the appeal is that it's almost like having the chance to weave your own fabric (though, oddly, my interest in weaving never went further than those loop-based potholder looms...).

No, who am I kidding? It's all about the glitz and the "ooh-ahh" moments when you confidently say to someone. "This? Oh, I made it..."

Sewing next time. I promise!