Flea Market Find

A new little flea market opened up near me.  In the same location that the local flea and antique mart was located, until it closed its doors about six months ago.  They’ve set up the inside a little differently, but I think some of the vendors are the same. I went in last week {it was Grand Opening week} to look around and I found this metal globe.

I decided to get it because it was different than most globes you see.  Also, I liked the size and I have been on the look-out for globes to collect for the home office.  Right now I have two.  The little green one that I can’t remember for the life of me where I found it started me off.  It looks like something that may have originally come from Home Goods, but that’s not where I got it.

There is plenty of room here!  So there is a start to my collection {although I think you have to have three of something to call it a “collection”}.  I think it is something that will be fun to search out.  I also like the idea of this type of collection for a home office.

Any new collections going on at your house?

 

The Artist Behind The Etsy ~ The Ruffled Daisy

Being a part of the Etsy community, not only as a seller but as a customer, I have come across many talented individuals.  With this series, I hope to introduce you to some of these creative people, finding out where they find their inspiration, and a little bit more about them.

This week I’d like to introduce you to Amber from The Ruffled Daisy.  If you love burlap, this is the shop for you!  Amber works with burlap in a lot of her creations and has created some beautiful items from bags to runners.  I also feel like I have much in common with Amber!

Thank you so much, Kathy, for inviting me to be a part of your beautiful blog!

Hi everyone! My name is Amber and my Etsy shop is The Ruffled Daisy.

I have been married 31 years and am the mother of 2 grown daughters. For as long as I can remember, I've had a passion for sewing and creating, from little bags and pillows as a child to quilts and home decor as an adult. Throughout the years, I was always looking for that next project. If I wasn't making something I was constantly reading about how to make something or flipping through decorating books and magazines.

When my youngest left for college, I found myself with more free time than I wanted, so I dug out the sewing machine and, on a whim, made a purse from burlap. I've always loved burlap! A friend saw the purse and encouraged me to make more to show them at a local craft fair. They were well received and a second craft fair followed. It was at that point that I decided to open my shop. I was a little intimidated by all the fantastic shops on Etsy and thought, "How can I even begin to compare?" But I decided to give it a go!

My shop began to steadily build and by the time the holiday season came around, I had to teach my husband how to cut burlap. He now works with me full-time as well as one of my daughters part-time.

I wanted to make with burlap what one could make with any fabric. With its gorgeous color and texture, burlap goes anywhere and can be used year-round. I love decorating styles from farmhouse to modern country with some seaside chic thrown in there as well.

On Etsy, I've had the pleasure of working with many brides as well as customers decorating their homes. It thrills me to no end to make their visions become a reality. Having an Etsy shop is a dream for me. After 3 years, I still have to pinch myself to see if it is even real! I am so grateful for and appreciative to all of my Etsy customers and excited to see what the future holds!

Thank you again, Kathy, for having me be a part of your wonderful series, "The Artist Behind The Etsy".

Best wishes to all!

Amber

www.theruffleddaisy.etsy.com

I am so glad you were able to join in here today, Amber!  It has been a pleasure getting to know you a bit and I wish you continued success with your shop.  You can visit Amber’s Etsy shop here.

Grandma’s Garden & Mid-Summer Gardening

It has been so beautiful here this week.  The humidity left us Sunday night and Monday morning started us off with temps in the 70’s and wonderful breezes.  So Tuesday I went with my daughter and granddaughter to a wonderful nursery here called Grandma’s Garden.  There is so much inspiration and beauty here,  I just like walking around even if I don’t buy anything!

They’ve used some of my favorite summer sun-loving plants in their displays:  coleus and sweet potato vine. 

I took these pictures for inspiration for when I am doing my urns next year, but I will show you how well my urns are doing below.

How about these shutter window boxes?  My daughter and I just love these!

And check out this hanging basket of petunias!  My granddaughter is a good gauge for the size of this thing.  She will be four next week.

They also have a fantastic selection of fairy garden supplies from plants to houses to fairies to just about every fairy garden accoutrement you could want! 

This really makes me want to do some fairy gardens, plus fix up the little one I do have.

I bought a couple of annuals just to fill in some spots; Lantana for the front bed and two purple ones {didn’t get the name off the tag} for my front door urn.

The hydrangea I planted here didn’t flower again when the two blooms it had were spent, but it does have some fresh greenery sprouting up.  The sweet potato vine looks out of proportion to everything else, so I don’t know if I would do this combo here again.

My garage door urn is doing magnificently!  Here is a “first planted” picture and a current picture.

 

 

 

The only thing is you can’t see the cordyline I planted in the back.  I thought that would grow taller as well, but the coleus has outgrown it. 

And now maybe you can help me out with a problem I have this year {that just seemed to happen over the past couple of weeks} with one of my hydrangeas.  I planted these three hydrangea bushes shortly after we moved in and this is their third summer now. 

They were doing beautifully and the past two summers were very humid.  I watered them every day, sometimes twice a day and they pulled through.  The past two summers seemed so dry, but I think we’ve had a “normal” amount of rain this year, and the humidity hasn’t been as bad {so far}, yet this one looks like it is at death’s door.  

I don’t understand what is wrong with it, especially since the other two are just fine.  It does have some blooms coming out, as well as some fresh green shoots near the base of the plant.  Anybody know what the deal is with this?  And, if so, what can I do?

I have had hydrangeas for years ~ between here and our old house ~ and have never seen this before.  Thanks in advance for any advice and suggestions!

 

Fabric Scrap Lampshade ~ A Project Fail

I have a second lamp in my craft/sewing room that has been waiting for a makeover for some time now.  I finally got to it just in time for this year’s Where Bloggers Create linky party.  Here is a picture of the before.

I took the shade off the base and spray painted the base and finial with Heirloom White spray paint.  I used my iron to soften the adhesive to remove the eyelash trim from the shade.  I will keep this as it may come in handy for another project at some point.  Then I removed the fabric from the shade.

I did a quick measurement to see just how long a strip of fabric should be to be able to go from top to bottom and be comfortably tied off at the bottom.  My measurement was 25 inches, so I cut and ripped the fabric I was going to use for this shade.  I used a bit of script fabric I had left over, a white flour sack towel, and some Osnaberg fabric. 

Once I thought I had enough, I got started tying them onto the shade, alternating fabrics to get a good mix of the fabrics.  This shade threw me off because it has a wider base than the top, so while the top filled in well with the strips, the bottom portion had gaps.

When I tied on as many as I thought would fit, I glued on a fabric flower with some lace attached to it that I had salvaged from something else. 

And ~ I don’t like it.  Bummer, because I do like the way they look when I’ve seen others done.  So this shade will be getting another redo at some point, once I figure out what.  For now, it is back in my craft room while I think it over.

The Artist Behind The Etsy ~ Harp and Squirrel

Being a part of the Etsy community, not only as a seller but as a customer, I have come across many talented individuals.  With this series, I hope to introduce you to some of these creative people, finding out where they find their inspiration, and a little bit more about them.

I came upon Michelle’s Etsy shop, Harp and Squirrel, just randomly viewing items on Etsy one day and just knew I had to feature her here!  Such cute, cute things perfect as gifts or for your own little ones.  Michelle and her husband, Martin, have also started another business, also geared toward children, that sounds like it will be a great success.

My name is Michelle Bruckner, I am a wife and mother of a soon-to-be three year old. I am completely giddy that Kathy has asked me to take part in her “The Artist Behind the Etsy” series – I feel like I am a legit crafter now! My husband and I both work as designers for kid’s clothes for a company called Wes and Willy. While I get to use a lot of creativity at work, most of the design elements are computer based, so I wasn’t quite getting my sewing fix.

I actually started my Etsy journey after a night of what we called “mean mom” crafting. I had bought a sheet of brown foam and cut a mustache out and glued it onto one of my daughter, Harper’s, pacifiers. We laughed and laughed over how adorable it was to have a baby with a mustache. After about two weeks of strangers commenting and gushing over her new accoutrement, I thought, “I bet I can sell these!”

My daughter continued to inspire me when I tried to search out cute burp cloths and came up with boring, bland and blah. I have a small addiction to buying fabrics. Etsy is such a win, win for me because I can buy all kinds of fabrics and trims and justify it by selling the end result. I love trying to coordinate different fabrics and find cute embroidery patterns to compliment the prints.

One of the other first listings in my Etsy store was for custom ordered artwork, created by my talented husband Martin. He had taken drawings done by his young nephew and used his wild and amazing graphic design talents to breathe life into the artwork. This has taken off into its own website, www.Creatureland.com. Nothing is more fun than watching children getting their drawings back after they’ve been “creature-fied”!

We have a lot fun with our side projects and love to create together. We hope it someday rubs off on the little one.

Thanks so much for sharing your Etsy story, Michelle!  I love that you were inspired by your little one and your new venture sounds like a lot of fun.  I also love that both of your businesses are geared toward children.