Thursday's Treasure

Ze heirloom toy bucket- she is finished!

Daily Dose of Cute

Everybody say it with me: "Awwwwwwwwww"!

Look at that sweet face...

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... and those legs all akimbo...

I sure hope this little deer finds a nice home for the holidays :)

Moving On Up

The heirloom toy bucket is really coming along. Here she is now at almost 7" high. Don't you worry about all of those ends you see inside the bucket- they will be woven in when I finish. Just about time to do the handles...

Makeover Monday: 9/27

I started today's project with some lime green cotton yarn,

~*~then I kicked it up a notch with some of this adorable Halloween owl bandanna.

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What a fun contrast!
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I usually weave in the ends of the fabric on these rag-topped bowls, but I couldn't bring myself to do it on this one. The little knotty ends add such a cute, whimsical touch.

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Happy Monday! After a fun-filled weekend here, it's back to our regular routine. The big items on the agenda this week are my trip to the dentist for the permanent crown fitting and Sophie's school pictures. I will be finishing the project that I blogged about yesterday, and starting a rug set for an extra special customer. How about you? Do you have a fun week ahead? I sure hope so!

A Most Special Project

I was recently contacted by a new mother hoping to have a toy basket made to match her daughter's beautiful nursery.

~*~ After poking around in my shop and seeing items like this bowl, she decided she would really like to send me some personal fabrics to work with.

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The other day I received a big box full of well loved receiving blankets and some extra special items as well- some things that belonged to baby Stella's grandmother. Including these in the basket is such a meaningful, poignant way to embody their connection; they had only one month to get to know each other here on Earth.

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The fabrics pictured are the ones I will use to supplement the basket as necessary. The customer's fabrics will be showcased in the midsection of the basket.

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The bottom photo is what I have completed so far. When finished, this bucket will be 18" wide and about 8" tall, with slot handles on each side. I look forward to working on this priceless heirloom every chance I get. I will be back with photos of the finished product in a week or so, and if we hope very hard, maybe this busy mom will even be able to share photos of the basket once it is home in the nursery, too!

Thursday's Treasure

Yes, it's true! It's an earring tree! The lovely half-matte gold metal is ultra sturdy, and don't you love the *nature-hollywood regency-retro* vibe that it has going on? I should totally keep this, since my beautiful collection of earrings is housed in a dumb little cardboard box. I think I'd need a whole earring forest, though. The ones I hung here for the photo are some of my all time faves. Get your own right HERE!! So, do tell- do you stow or display your jewelry?

Rag Ball Surprise

I like to crochet in public. There. Now my secret is out. It's great for business, and it's something constructive to do while I'm waiting for an appointment, or sitting at Tae Kwon Do lessons, or idling in line at carpool pick up.

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The other day I brought an old rag ball to play with while I was out and about. I was surprised at how sturdy the fabric was in this one, and how thick the strips were cut. I decided to use a large hook and see what happened. Well, this is the result!

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I wish I had about 50 more balls like this one to use for a rug. As it is, this is a one-of-a-kind rarity- a solid feedsack table rug/trivet/coaster that would look divine in a farmhouse kitchen.
Look for her in sosorosey soon!

Custom Nested Bowls: Check!

I recently had a special request for nesting bowls in dark brown with a gold rag trim.

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My customer opted to go with two of the 3 shades of brown that I showed her; it's subtle, but the middle bowl is a variegated dark brown.

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The original fabric that was chosen for the rag trim turned out to be a disappointment. It had a loose weave, and when cut in the thin strip necessary for crocheting within these small stitches, it didn't hold up well at all. Thankfully, my customer was very understanding about this, and I managed to find a golden plaid that worked beautifully. These autumn beauties will be heading to Toronto tomorrow :)

Makeover Monday: 9/20

Back in the day, in my junior high prepster phase, these colors were the ultimate in style and sophistication. Oh, I'd have my Izod polo shirt (collar up), and my Pappagallo button-on purse cover to match. I do wish I had a photo to share with you. Not!

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The pillowcase turned into a fun little bowl, though; these colors really pop!

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It's looking like it should be a relatively calm week around here. Hubby's birthday is next Sunday, so Sophie and I will be making mad preparations for a fun celebration. Other than that, I have a custom order to finish up and two to begin- that's always really exciting! Hope you have a super Monday, and a happy week :)

It Happened!

Kristine of CelticKnot is the best fortune teller of them all- she guessed that I would hit 1000 sales in sosovintage on September 19th. She was perfectly right, and I am so happy happy happy!

I'm Jumping...

... on the bunting bandwagon!

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It seems that almost every time I see the front page of Etsy these days, there is a garland/banner/bunting of some sort. They never fail to make me smile, either; there's just something so "party" about them.

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My take on the theme is the *bitty baker's twine bulletin board bunting*... try to say that 3 times fast! Seriously, though- can't you totally imagine this perking up a person's cubicle or popping on an inspiration board?

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I love the idea of being able to bring a big bundle of cheer to a small space. Hey, even a dollhouse wall. What a sweet gift for a co-worker, too! Can you tell I'm excited about my new creation?

Shabby Blue and Cream Rug: Check!

Ms. Blueberries and Cream is finished and ready to head on over to West Virginia!
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She and her matching bowl look so sweet together!

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Care to guess how much the rug and bowl weigh together? Leave a comment with your best estimate! Clicking on either photo will bring you to the listing page if you'd like more details about sizes before making your guess. I'll be back later to give the correct answer... right now I'm off to find a BIG box.

Thursday's Treasure

Today's treasures may not be ultra exciting to you. Finding these sure took me on a lovely walk down memory lane, though!

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I am 99.9% sure that we had these sheets when I was a little girl. I remember liking the turquoise and orange combination and the delicate vines. Still do!

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Do you remember this thick yarn? Apparently it was marketed for "smart gift tying", but my mom took it a step further. She used to tie this in bows on my curly pigtails- a la Nellie Olson from Little House on the Prairie. Mind you, we didn't have this swanky orange and black. I seem to recall a pretty blue, though, that I wore for school pictures in 1st or 2nd grade.

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Both of these items will be in sosovintage one day soon. Would you believe I found 2 dozen of these orange and black yarn cards the other day? They are just begging to be used on someone's Halloween craft project! If you have a special need for them, don't hesitate to send me a message about a reserved listing.

Don't Whine....Twine!

I've been in full-on *feel sorry for myself* mode the last two days. My dental visit on Tuesday has resulted in two more future visits, the prospect of a great deal of pain and suffering, and many hundreds of dollars out the window.
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In order to keep my mind off of the tooth nightmare at hand, I've been happily playing with my new bold, eco-friendly baker's twine purchased from The Twinery. Clicking on the logo above will bring you straight to their website...but be careful- this twine is GORGEOUS! They shipped very quickly, the twine is just as beautiful in person, and they ship internationally, too.

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I purchased the Caribbean, Peapod, Pink Sorbet, and Maraschino. These gift tags will be part of the holiday goodies for sale in sosorosey. I'm thinking of offering them as a set of 4, but I also wonder about the idea of having a listing for individual tags as well. Do you think someone might want to purchase just one special tag? Your feedback is very appreciated!

Winner Revealed

Thanks so much to all who participated in the Price Is Right game on Sunday! Whoa, but it was a close one this time. As you know, the winner is the person who comes closest without going over... can you believe Sandy missed it by just 8 cents? So, that means our winner for this time is Angela from Ginger's Girl with her guess of $7.89. Congratulations, Angela!!!

Makeover Monday: 9/13

Christmas items and colors have been the focus lately, so I went rooting through my fabric stash with an eye toward autumn.

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A large, vibrant table coaster is born- ready to set the stage for a fall centerpiece display!

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Happy beginning of the week! This will be Sophie's first full week of school. While she is busy learning and playing and growing, I will be busy working on my shops and craft clutter. I have the blue custom rug to finish, and a new rug order to gather fabrics for. Tuesday will be taken up (read: ruined) with a visit to the dentist and I need to make my mammogram appointment soon, too. Ah, the joys of getting older! What's on your to-do list for the week?

Price is Right: Game 6

Welcome! Come join the fun- the more, the merrier!

The Game: I show you my thrift shop haul from one recent outing. You leave a comment with your best estimate of the total amount that I paid. For you sticklers out there, this does include sales tax. The person who comes closest without going over wins!

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The Rules: One clear and definitive guess per person- no amending your answer. Please do not choose the same answer as a person who came before you- check the comments before leaving your guess. Game goes through Tuesday at noon, EST. I'll post the receipt and winner here. Please be sure I know how to get in touch with you- either through email or Etsy shop name. Play nice and have fun :)

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The Prize: The satisfaction of winning, AND $5 in "soso bucks"- can be applied to any purchase in either of my shops. Can be saved and spent at a later time, up to one year. Can also be combined with future "soso bucks" wins! Not redeemable for cash. Non-transferable.

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The Stuff: This week the loot is from the Salvation Army, non-sale day. Prices here have been going up and up, but there are still lots of bargains to be had!

Gorgeous, minty Pyrex mixing bowl in Spring Blossom Green

~*~ pair of peach luster leaf dishes
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A large bundle of vintage cotton fabric

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brass photo display stand

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Can't wait to see who the big winner will be this time!!

Greet The Coolness

No, I haven't gone all Jersey Shore on you and changed my name to "The Coolness". This amazing board is what I'd like you to greet. Created by sosovintage customer and crafty diva extraordinaire, Lisa H. in Ohio, these boards are large, heavy, and oh so useful.

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Lisa has worked as a custom picture framer, and she enjoys working with frames again on these projects. She paints and distresses the frames, then adds stunning fabric and chicken wire. They are used for hanging jewelry, hair bows and headbands, or even as memo boards using little clothespins.

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I'm hoping she'll sell these on Etsy in some form or another, but for now they'll be debuting at an Ohio craft show on October 23rd. Thanks so much for sharing your work with us, Lisa!!

The March to 1000

A year ago I never dreamed that I'd be this close to 1000 sales in my *new* shop, sosovintage. But here I am! Since I am driving myself crazy wondering "WHEN" this will occur, I thought you might want to join me in my neuroses. Let's see who comes closest to the date on which I will miraculously hit 1000 sales, OK? Just leave a comment with your prediction, and when it does happen (and it will, right?) we'll all get to see who the fortune teller around here really is!

Thursday's Treasure

Every custom order is a treasure; a unique opportunity to create just exactly what someone wants or needs.

~*~These business card caddies were created for a very special repeat customer who will be taking them on a wonderful journey. She won a Fulbright award and will be traveling to Germany next month!

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These will be the gifts given to her female German colleagues. I am so honored to have my work serve this purpose. They will be wrapped with love and sent on their way tomorrow... Bon voyage, my pretties!

New Additions

I recently found some *new* decks of old cards to add to my growing collection.

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Quail? Pheasants? I don't know, but I love the colors.

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The ever popular squirrels

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I love the harlequin look of these cards, and the pups are so cute and serious.
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These are from an old deck of nature match cards, so I have 2 of each!

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Here's the back of the nature cards- what a happy raccoon!!
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I may start offering sets of these cards in sosovintage. I can't be the only one enamored with these little works of art, can I? And, with the growing popularity of aceos, card sized frames are readily available in most craft stores now. I need a bunch, that's for sure!

Makeover Part 2

Oval bowl: check! Making the bowl before the rug helped me firm up my plans for optimum fabric sequence. I also have a better grip on the best strip width for each of these materials. I'll be back with rug progress in a week or so!

Makeover Monday: 9/6

I am hard at work on a custom bowl and rug set for a new sosorosey customer. These are the fabrics she has chosen to match her shabby chic style, blue and cream colored kitchen.

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I know. I know. This isn't the most stunning makeover you've ever seen. Cutting the fabric is one of the inglorious tasks associated with fabric crochet, and one that is often forgotten- by all but the crocheter. I thought it was appropriate to feature this step for a Labor Day makeover. With a little time and luck, these fabric balls will turn into an oval bowl overnight! I hope to be back tomorrow with part two of the makeover. Hope you're having a happy holiday weekend!

Charm Pack Pillows

I am always blown away by the talent and creativity to be found on Etsy!

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These adorable pillows are just a couple of the sets for sale at bigcountry handmade. This talented seamstress has combined squares from a sosovintage brights charm pack with natural linen for patchwork with a supercool pop. Please do stop by this new shop and show it some love!

Thursday's Treasure

I've become a really big fan of ice cream this summer. And this one? Oh. My. Gosh. Run, don't walk, to your nearest grocery store. Make sure no one is around when you sit down to pop this baby open. You will NOT want to share!

A Special Song

I'm not sure why this song has been on my mind the last couple of days. Maybe it is the Back-to-School feelings coming on. This was the father~daughter dance song at my wedding. Not a dry eye in the house, I tell ya. Hope it moves you the way it does me.

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The wing and the wheel... they carry things away

Whether it's me that does the leavin' or the love that flies away.

The moon outside my window looks so lonely tonight

Oh, there's a chunk out of it's middle... big enough for an old fool to hide

Where are all the dreamers... that I used know?

We used to linger beneath street lamps in the halos and the smoke

The wing and the wheel... came to carry them away

Now they all live out in the suburbs

where their dreams are in their children at play

There's a pale sky in the east... all the stars are in the west

Oh, here's to all the dreamers... may our open hearts find rest

The wing and the wheel are gonna carry us along

And we'll have memories for company... long after the songs are gone