Midcentury Swank

While my general shop aesthetic is not atomic in nature, I do have a fondness for this style. I found this wicked cool drink caddy the other day, and I believe I will be ready to part with it soon. I have a magazine rack that goes with it perfectly, and once I figure out how to photograph it, I'll have that in the shop as well! Any tips?

Makeover Monday: 6/28

In honor of our upcoming Independence Day, I chose this lovely vintage bedsheet in spectacular red, white and blues.

~*~
The texture produced by the patterns in this fabric is just phenomenal. I love that it's a unique twist with traditional colors.
~*~
Happy Monday! Do you have any exciting plans for this week? Do tell!

Pop!

I'm pretty sure this one wins the prize for "brightest bowl I've ever made". When I saw this tie-dye shirt hanging on the rack at the Salvation Army, I think I did a little dance. I couldn't wait to get it home, wash it, harvest the fabric, and crochet away. My daughter says it looks like a gumball machine. My husband.... well ... had it been his size, it would have stayed a shirt for awhile longer.

A Show of Hands

As soon as I saw this little guy, I thought he was a certain kind of animal. Now that I look at him more closely, I see that he resembles another animal, too!! Would you please cast your vote by leaving a comment... is this a squirrel or a skunk?

Thursday's Treasure: 6/24

I do love to cross big things off of my to-do list; last night I finished the heart favors for Josh and Paula's wedding! Now I just need to bundle them up and send them up to New Jersey. Keep your fingers crossed that we'll get to see photos of them AT the wedding- wouldn't that be cool?

Coasting

That's what you call the act of making coasters, right? Coasting? When I made my first set of upcycled coasters several weeks ago, I was so excited with them. Then they sat on my shop shelf, garnering a little love here and there, but sitting there nonetheless. So, I thought maybe they weren't as exciting as I had hoped.

~*~

Yesterday they got snatched up, and I sent them off to a new home today. I just love it when the right person comes along to appreciate something that I made! In celebration, I made this set last night. I heart coasting :)

Featured Seller Interview: Part 4

What are your favorite features on Etsy?

What new features would you like to see?

I love reading the featured seller interviews and the "Quit Your Day Job" series. Being able to rearrange our shops is really nifty, and there have been lots of good tweaks to the listing process in recent months.

~*~

I would really appreciate being able to search my sold items for specific things, and I'd also enjoy the ability to search sold items on Etsy in general. Having an option to "list similar" or something to make the listing process less cumbersome would be great. Organizing my favorites would really be a dream come true :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Photo of fab screenprint above is courtesy of AdamSmith.

~*~

See the other parts of this interview by clicking HERE. The topic for next week: "Tell us a bit about yourself".

Makeover Monday: 6/21

For today's makeover, I started with a classic 70's diagonal rainbow sheet. I forgot to take a picture of it "before", but I think this hem should jog your memory!

~*~

Look how fun and bright she turned out! This basket measures a generous 7.5" wide and over 4" tall. She'll be on the sosorosey shelf later today :)

~*~

Happy Monday, Friends!! What do you have going on this week? Me, I have to unpack and get the house back in order after my little mini vacation last week. I have TONS to photograph and list for sosovintage... and with the little one in summer camp this week, it may just get done!

It's In the Stars

I had a recent request for stars in multiple sizes. Why didn't this idea ever occur to me before? I worked and reworked my patterns for the medium and large to get them just right, and I love the way they came out. This will provide some fun versatility to the sets I will be offering for the holidays this year. The small one is 3.5" across, and the large is a whopping 6.5" from point to point. These were worked with a double strand of cotton to give them added substance and a more sturdy appeal. Three down, one hundred and seven more to go! I SO wish I could tell you where these stars were going, but I'll have to keep that secret for a bit longer :)

Tah*Daaaaaaaah

Here is a little snapshot of the new, exclusive local selling venue for sosorosey wares: The Muse in historic Frederick, Maryland! Despite being so nervous I thought I might pass out, my meeting with the shopowner this morning went really well. She wanted to keep all 12 items that I brought with me, and she loved my handmade shop tags too! Now that that part is over (whew!), I just have to hope that Muse customers enjoy and purchase my work. I'll keep you posted on that. And, if you are ever close to Frederick, The Muse happens to be the CUTEST boutique in town- bursting at the seams with unique, contemporary, handmade fabulousness. If you do pop in, be sure to let me know how much you love it!

Back in Business

Finally! A new item to list in my shop. I had such fun last night rooting through my fabric stash. This tangerine, mustard, and pink stripe combo jumped right out at me. It looks like a spectacular sunrise. Or sunset. Either way, big changes are on the horizon :)

I Heart Polka Dots

You just can't go wrong crocheting with polka dotted fabric! And if it's an aqua-teal dotted fabric, so much the better!

~*~

These are the last two pieces that I made to take on my consigning adventure Thursday. I've made my price sheet/inventory list, and have started a list of questions to ask. Have you sold on consignment before? Any tips you have or info I need would be SO appreciated!

Makeover Monday: 6/14

I started with this gorgeous Amy Butler-esque sheet, and turned it into...

~*~

... a nice big bowl AND...

~*~

...a wallflower coaster!!

Yay for queen size sheets!!

~*~

Happy Monday! This week is my daughter's first week of "no school" summer. We will be heading to cartoon cuts for a hair trim, Target for shorts, and to the playground as much as possible. I have to finish an upcycled snuggler, at least 1 more bowl and flower for the boutique, and clean my house. The boutique appointment is on Thursday... if all goes well, I'll be back here to announce the local venue for sosorosey goods. What do you have on tap for this week?

Baby Bowl

Remember this "reversibowl" that I made for a photographer in Canada?

~*~

Here it is full of a beautiful baby! Thanks so much, Jackie!

~*~

To see more of Jackie's beautiful photography, check out her website HERE.

Featured Seller Interview: Part 3

Name your top five books, movies, musicians, and websites besides Etsy.

books: She's Come Undone (Wally Lamb), The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls), anything by Jonathan Kellerman, John Sandford, Ann Tyler, or Nevada Barr.
~*~

movies: True Romance, Pulp Fiction, Terms of Endearment, Groundhog Day, Love Actually

~*~

music: Melissa Etheridge, Nancy Griffith, John Mayer, Neil Young, Lucinda Williams

~*~

websites: (what??? there are other websites besides Etsy???)

my blog (and featured blog list), google, craftcult

~*~

See the other parts of this interview by clicking HERE. The question for next week: "What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see?"

Vintage Fabric Scrapbook & Journal Pages

This gorgeous (challenge winning!) scrapbook page was created by Elisa Pages. Elisa used vintage fabric from a sosovintage charm pack for the springy yellow background.

~*~

She used more fabric to decorate the pages of her ultra-cool art journal, too. Seeing such talent and fun projects makes me ever so happy to play my teeny little part. Thanks so much for sharing your inspirational work, Elisa!

And the Winner Is....

Evelyn, from ModishVintage with her guess of $27.00!!! Congratulations, Evelyn- and thank you to everyone who played!!

Price Is Right Game 5

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!

~*~
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 Thursday at 8 am 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 :)

~*~
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.

~*~
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!

~*~

McCoy pottery smiley face mug and a CUTE lovey elephant mug by Villeroy and Boch

~*~

Two anchor hocking glass cruets with pinecone design, sweet brass mouse from Taiwan, small hand chiseled rose quartz mug

~*~

Unused rooster design wooden coffee and tea canisters

~*~

metal recipe box with cards

~*~

A-MAZING enamel brooch, new old stock- with original Neiman Marcus tag and signed back (originals by robert)
~*~

vintage hallmark mouse and strawberry stationery set
~*~

two vintage pillowcases

~*~

Whew! That's a lotta goodies! Have fun- can't wait to see who the big winner is this time!

Makeover Monday 6/7

I started this project with a jersey knit cotton sheet in a bright, bold geometric print.

~*~

The fabric kept wanting to turn inside out on me, so the bowl ended up more muted than I had planned. I still like the way it turned out, though, with the pops of indigo and red.

~*~

Don't worry if you haven't seen too many new pieces in sosorosey lately- I'm still crocheting away! I have an exciting appointment with the *cutest* handmade boutique later this month, and I'm stocking up on items that they may want to carry. Keep your fingers crossed for me, please!

~*~

Have yourself a fantastic Monday! Look for a new edition of The Price is Right tomorrow!

Super Swanky Pincushions

Remember how a couple of weeks ago I was wondering what people would make from a 6" by 6" square of vintage fabric? Well, check out the marvelous handiwork of Jen from minusOne!!

~*~

These colorful pincushions were made from the fabric included in the sosovintage "brights" charm pack. Jen even gave my shop a shout out in the listings for these- wasn't that awesome?

~*~

Stop on by minusOne and give this woman some well-deserved love! She's a super talented and friendly person who makes all kinds of wonderful goodies. Thank you, Jen, for sharing your photos with us!!

Featured Friday Interview: Part 2

What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?

Decide the best and most effective way to package and ship your work... streamlining the presentation and shipping process is key to maintaining sanity and conserving precious time. Make friends! Etsy is so huge that it can be lonely- sometimes it's a real challenge to be noticed or feel that you fit in. Find the special place within Etsy where you belong. Whether you spend time in the forums or join a team, it's priceless to be able to rely on a specific group of friends and supporters. Trading advice and morale boosting, and promoting as a group makes everything more enjoyable and effective!

~*~

How cute is that little friend photo up there? It comes from uber adorable Etsy shop Variation.

~*~

For more info about this "featured Friday" thing, and to see part 1 of this series click HERE! I believe next week I will do "Name your top five books, movies, musicians, and websites besides Etsy". It's not to late to join me in this process- just leave a comment!

Thursday's Treasure

Behold my favorite baking dish, given to me by mom many Valentine's Days ago. Sadly it sat idle for years, but it has recently begun working hard at least once a week with this super treasure of a frittata recipe.

~*~

I am typically a fairly timid cook; I follow recipes to the letter and get stuck in weekly meal ruts. This recipe, though, brings out my inner chef! I use it to remind myself how many eggs to use and the temp for the oven, but other than that, I have been creating my own fabulous blends.

~*~

The first time I tried it, I made it with spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, basil, and an Italian cheese blend. It was OK, but I hadn't put enough "stuff" in. The second time, I went for a Mediterranean flair, combining kalamata olives, asparagus, tomatoes, walnuts, and feta cheese. Extremely tasty! I should have used pine nuts, but you gotta go with what you have on hand, right?

~*~

Last night's dish was my favorite yet- Mexican! I used black olives, green chiles, tomatoes, and red peppers with a Mexican cheese blend. Topped it with jalapenos for the last 10 minutes of bake time and served it with corn. Wish we had had salsa, but it was totally yummy anyway.

~*~

So there you have it- frittata, it's what's for dinner. Try it- you'll like it! What stunning combinations can you think of?

Yay- Project Photos

Hip hip hooray for my sweet customer, Meg! She purchased this yellow pillowcase from sosovintage, and was kind enough to share photos of her finished project. Isn't this the sweetest dress -on the cutest little model?

~*~

Meg is a woman after my own heart- no scraps left around her house, no sir... she crafted a little bonnet for baby Byrd from the leftover fabric! All together now- awwwwwwww :)

~*~

~*~

Love these creations? Be sure to check out Meg's up and coming Etsy shop milkweedlove for more of her fun and fabulous creations. Thanks so much for sharing your project photos, Meg!