Status Update

I am feeling pretty proud of the progress I am making on the things I wanted to accomplish this weekend. I have a great start on having the spring animals gathered, I finished a snuggler order, and I have the new charm pack planned and halfway cut.

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It turns out that the supply room organization is going to be a multi-week task, but I think deep down I already knew that. I have been procrastinating about doing it because it is such a monumental job. Basically, I have a room that is full to the brim with bags of fabric, bins of yarn, wrapping paper and ribbon, and, um, stuff. It is so full, that you can only walk into the room a few feet before you have to shift piles to get to other piles.

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I know that I should snap a *before* pic, but I have to work up my nerve. It's bad, man. But what a makeover it would make! I have a vision of what this room can become- a vision that I didn't have before now. It will take a ton of work, and time that is so precious, but the motivation is growing. Would you like me to document my progress here? I sure could use a cheering squad!

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Don't forget to come back tomorrow to see *your* makeover Monday :)

Treasure to Trash

I know, I know- it's supposed to be the other way around: trash to treasure. But in my case, things got a little turned around. I found this ridiculously rad ice bucket while thrifting the other day.

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It had (notice the use of past tense) an insulated metal lid with a big wooden ball knob. In my haste to get the lid cleansed of stickers and other guck, I decided to let it soak in soapy water for a bit while I accomplished a few other tasks.

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Fast forward an hour, I come back to the sink hoping to just quickly wipe the lid and be done. When I picked it up, however, it was oddly heavy. Like, full of water oddly heavy. Doh. Somehow water managed to seep into the space in the middle of the lid- and there was no way to get it out.

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I truly didn't love the lid anyway, but really, what is a person to do with a lidless ice bucket? I couldn't re-donate it- I love the pattern too much. Hmm. Think, think. Think more. Aha!

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I have been using an ugly old box as my desk trash can- mostly for paypal label scraps and small pieces of ribbon and fabric that I accumulate while wrapping packages. Goodbye ugly box, hello sweet new petite bucket de garbage!

Don't Let the Door Hit You in the Rear

I'm speaking to February in that title. Good riddance to you, o crappy month! With your mounds of home and car repairs and your mountains of snow. Your interminable weeks of no school and your sky high cabin fever. I am so glad to have March in sight! I can't wait to turn that calendar page and start fresh. Ahhh.

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And with my anticipation of a new month and a new season, I am all aflutter with plans for the weekend. I am going to gather a new set of fabrics for charm squares. I am going to make a good start at getting my "supply" room organized. And, I am going to get all of my sweet spring animals (like the rabbit shown here) ready for a photo shoot next week. I have some real cuties, and I'm looking forward to springifying sosovintage.

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There. I told you my plans, so now I have to accomplish them. So, what's on your to-do list for this weekend?

Thursday's Treasures

When I think "prolific textile artist and designer", the name that pops into my head most often is Vera Neumann. I've recently discovered Tammis Keefe, however, and she did for hankies what Vera did for scarves.

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Tammis Keefe was born in 1913, and began designing for Kimbal scarves in 1953. She died just seven years later, yet the sheer volume of beautiful work she did in that time is amazing. Her designs are full of nature, animals, and travel. An eBay search shows that there are currently 76 Tammis Keefe items up for sale/auction... and they range from a 6.99 starting bid to $45!

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The items shown here will arrive in sosovintage soon. The top one is a signed hanky, and the middle is a signed linen tea towel. Can you get over that vivid violet?

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This last hanky is unsigned, but I *believe* it is also by Ms. Keefe. All of these items are in excellent shape, and I'm excited to get them listed. Can anyone spare a couple more hours in the day? How about free childcare or maid service? A girl can dream, right?

O Happy Day

A big thank you to Etsy for choosing my one-egg wonder basket to include in this beautiful collection! This treasury graced the front page of Etsy at about 2 am. A big thanks also goes out to Amanda at SygnetCreations for sending me the message and screenshot!

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I'd also like to thank everyone who voted for their favorite fabric choice. It was a tight race between #1 and #4, but in the end, #4 pulled ahead by 4 votes. I'm looking forward to seeing your choice become a basket, and I can't wait to share the results with you on Monday :)

Vote For Makeover Monday

I am ready to make another ecofriendly boy heirloom Easter basket, but choosing which fabric to use is giving me fits! I've narrowed it down to these four, and could really use your help. Try to look only at the colors, not the pattern- once it is cut and crocheted the pattern you see will change altogether. Please leave a comment and vote for your favorite; the one with the most votes by tomorrow at noon will be the Makeover Monday for 3/1.

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#1 Soft periwinkle flannel with a buttery stripe

#2 Rusty orange with indigo and sky

#3 Ultra-faded paisley slate

#4 Pale blue with teal and mustard

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Thank you in advance for voting! I'm excited to see which one wins!

Makeover Monday: 2/22

I started this project off with a piece of vintage Sears & Roebuck bedsheet.

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And I created the "one egg wonder basket"! Not only does this appeal to my love of all things little, it also has so many fantastic decorating possibilities and uses. Wouldn't a set of these with tags make an awesome Easter tablesetting? Or as spring wedding placecards/favors? How about using it in your kiddos lunchbox for a hard boiled egg treat? Oh, Martha? Rachel? Country Living? Are you listening?

What do you call...

...a whole bunch of thermoses? Thermosi? Or is it a flock or a herd or a gaggle? Maybe just a bunch. All I know is that whenever I hear or even think the word *thermos*, the thermos song from "The Jerk" immediately pops into my head. Go ahead- click the link and listen- you know you want to! Here are a few of the thermoses (giggle) that I hope to add to sosovintage soon.

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Primary snack size set


A*mazing retro olive and mustard metal
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Faux bois metal with snack tub and carrier

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Are you a thermos connoisseur? Do you have any interesting thermos facts to share? Are you humming the thermos song in your head now? Please leave a comment!

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Be sure to come back tomorrow for Makeover Monday- I have a new item to unveil!

Baby Bunnies

Meet my new brood! I've been hard at work creating these little pastel babies, and they will be hopping into my shop this weekend. They're ready to begin the celebration of spring, Easter, new life, and general cuteness. Look at those little faces- you wouldn't believe how long it took me to get their look just so. I wanted a bit of whimsy with sweet simplicity, but I had to go through grouchy, sad, boring, silly, and ugly to get there.

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They have little strings for hanging on Easter trees. They come adorably wrapped, so they are also perfect gifts for Easter baskets, mothers-to-be, or your average bunny lover. If you can *gasp* break the herd apart, they can also be slipped individually inside of a card to give the recipient a super surprise. My 4 year old daughter is in love with them, and when I asked her what she thought people would do with them, she matter of factly said, "Play family." So there's that, too.

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Can you think of anything else you might do with these cuties? I'm considering offering a brooch version...what do you think? Be honest!

Thursday's Treasures

Well, I don't have a photo of my best treasure for today. It was my daughter asking, "Hey Mom, do you wanna do "All The Single Ladies" after breakfast?" For us, *doing* "All The Single Ladies" means we put on dress up clothes, crank up the song, and dance ourselves silly. Today we just wore hats- me, baseball, Sophie, miner. I wish there WAS a photo...what a great way to start the day!

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In other news, I'm hoping this basket will be a treasure for my new customer. She loved the blue and brown one for her son, but needed one for her little girl. She wanted bright colors, with pink, orange, and yellow. I think she'll love this!

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And lastly, I found these silver plated Reed & Barton lotus (waterlily) bowls at the Salvation Army. Both still have their original stickers, and they are in fantastically excellent condition. I paid $1.99 each for them. After some research, I've found that resale prices are all over the map- from $25 to $50. In any case, they should bring 5x what I paid which is my minimum personal goal when I "flip" a vintage item.

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Do you have a treasure to share today? Please leave a comment!

A Glimpse of History

I know that there are people who like to decorate with primitive rag balls. In fact, since I have been in the market for them, I know that there are aLOT of people who like primitive rag balls! I can't imagine ever letting one of these sit around in my house untouched, though. Looking at it in ball form every day would be sheer torture for me.

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As soon as I receive one, I do the obligatory hefting and turning and appreciating of the ball itself. Then, I nestle down in my favorite crochet chair, breathlessly ready to peel back the layers of time. I'm always nervous about this at first...Will the fabric be a relatively uniform width? Will the material be sturdy after all these decades? Will the maker have stitched the pieces securely?

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I have had my share of disappointments, but I've also had the glorious pleasure of loving every single fabric contained in a ball. Of picturing the apron or feedsack or workshirt - the life - that the strips came from. Of seeing the hard work and love that went into making every single bit count for something.

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Often what is on the inside of these rag balls is far more beautiful than the outer layers. While some of these lend themselves well to star-making, there are the precious stand-outs that just need to be something else entirely. This bowl is a good example; the colors and patterns that emerged as I crocheted remind me of a well-loved patchwork quilt.

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This one-of-a-kind wonder will be available in sosorosey soon!

Makeover Monday

I began with this vivid vintage "landscape" sheet in browns and blues.

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Introducing the boy's heirloom Easter basket! Ecofriendly, one-of-a-kind, and oh so masculine! Large enough to hold more Easter candy than one child could eat; durable enough to withstand the most competitive egg hunt (and hunter). Classic styling and color to grow smoothly from baby to adult. Look for it in sosorosey soon!

Can I Get Some Love, Please?

For my new treasury, that is! Click on the photo to go directly to the Etsy page; please leave a comment and click on all of the fabulous items.

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Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

Be sure to come back tomorrow for Makeover Monday :)

It's About Time

I featured this mezzaluna rug here on my blog a looooooong time ago. I tried to consider it finished, but something just wasn't right. It wasn't as large as I wanted it to be, and it was just, well, blah.

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I searched and searched on and off for several weeks to find a coordinating fabric that would make it look more special. Then, of course, once I found it, I had to make the time to go back and revamp the original.

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If I had known how awesome the result would be, I'd have completed this a long time ago! The raspberry color in the second fabric is such a perfect match. I am thrilled to say that this neutral beauty has finally claimed her rightful place on the *shelf* in sosorosey; she's ready to be chosen for a special new home!

Boys and Men

Officially the most difficult people for whom to buy gifts! Here are a few masculine goodies coming soon to sosovintage...

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"Paw" coffee mug

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vintage tie bar by Pioneer
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vintage Hallmark - how long ago was it that invitations were

49 cents for a pack of 8?
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wall decor Sailing ship by Homco

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Whatever you managed to find for your man's Valentine's gift, I am sure he will love it. I hope he got you something just as wonderful!!

Thursday's Treasure

There is something special about vintage vinyl wallpaper. The soft feel, the lovely texture, the weighty drape of it. I found these two beautiful rolls at two different thrift stores a few weeks ago, but haven't been sure how to list them. I finally did some research this morning, and was surprised at the going rate for a foot of vintage wallpaper!

The pink roses with avocado dots and coordinating stripe is a brand new roll. It is a very generous 27 inches long, but unfortunately, I have no idea exactly how many feet come on a roll. My best guess is 40 feet.

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This slate blue flowers and vines roll has a really cool raised stripe texture. It is a partial roll that measures 21" long. Again, without unrolling, I am not sure how many feet are here. My estimate: 20 feet.

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So, here's the fun part!

I paid $2.99 for the pink and .90 for the blue.

I've seen vintage wallpaper on Etsy for $6.50+ a foot.

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Supposing I only charged $5 a foot, that's $300 worth of wallpaper for $3.89. Not bad, right?

Charm Packs

Since I have some time on my hands during these snowy days (eyeroll), I've decided to sort my vintage sheets. The sheer abundance of beautiful fabric is both exhilarating and embarrassing. I have no business keeping all of this fabulousness for myself!

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Charm packs of 12 6x6 inch squares (2 each of 6 different yet complementary fabrics) will soon be offered in sosovintage. I'm hoping that they will be a hit with quilters and other sewing people who love to create with a variety of vintage patterns.

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Do you have any suggestions for how to get people to share photos of their finished projects made with sosovintage supplies? I'm considering offering some sort of discount on a future purchase, but I want it to be an easily redeemable thing... Any advice is appreciated!

Something New, Something Blue

I had a special request from a new customer recently- to make a baby blanket for her son. He has literally loved his original one to pieces, and is in desperate need of a replacement.

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The first stop after the snowstorm: the yarn store! I found this gorgeous soft baby blue that is perfect for the job (lapis by Bernat Satin).

~*~ My customer is leaving the design up to me, but she shared that she likes the puff or popcorn stitch. I dug out my stitch books, and came up with this as the design.

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I'm about a third of the way finished with this blanket, and I'm loving the change of pace. It's a new yarn to work with, new stitches, a new project- just the cure for cabin fever. Well, OK. Maybe not a cure, but a decent Rx. With 10-20 more inches of snow predicted for the next 24 hours, I'll take any comfort I can get!

Makeover Monday: 2/8

Five gorgeous cotton fabrics equal ...


... four phenomenal shabby chic chair pads!

Dreaming of Spring

Our backyard is sparkling- yes, that's blue sky up there!

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Our mailbox and driveway have been dug out thanks to lots of hard work by hubby (and a little extra help from the neighbor's snowblower).

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We enjoyed some family fun and games outdoors this morning as we walked the neighborhood streets to survey the situation.

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We're feeling very lucky right about now. Our main neighborhood road is passable. We have side streets, though, that haven't been touched by plows. This one is blocked by downed trees.

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In full on "dreaming of spring" mode, I set about designing something new last night. Introducing the bunny buns napkin cuff- how cute is that pearl button "cottontail"? Cool feature: the bunny is removable, leaving just a basic ecru napkin cuff with classy button closure!

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Hop this way, spring!

Snow, Snow and More Snow

It's a blizzard out there! We're smack dab in the middle of the DC snowstorm of 2010. We lost power last night at 11 pm- right at the height of the storm. With no furnace running to cover the noise, we could hear the wind howling and branches snapping outside our window.

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With every gust, there were gigantic thuds on the roof- like a giant rumbling raccoon. We finally figured out it was the packed snow falling from our 100 foot tall trees onto the roof.

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I fell asleep last night to worries over how we would cope with the freezing cold and drifts of snow without power. Fortunately, I awoke this morning to the sound of the heat blowing through our home once again.

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There's over 2 feet of snow on the ground, and more falling from the sky. We've lost a large pine tree in the back yard, and more are not looking good at all.

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The cars are buried, and my husband is working hard to shovel us out. The sheer volume of snow is just incredible!

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The cat is NOT pleased. He usually likes to go outside to do his business, but that's not gonna happen anytime soon. He was "forced" to use his litterbox this morning, poor guy. I personally love the snow, but only from the warmth of my home. Sophie is having a ball out there, though. Every once in awhile I hear her yelling "Help, help, I'm stuuuuuuck!" No doubt, she really is. My fingers are crossed that we keep our power, and that the snow stops soon. We have way more than our share!