Daily Dose of Cute

How adorable is this twin bed sheet?  It's by Burlington House, and by the looks of it, it's fresh out of the seventies.  Would you believe I found two?  I can't bear to cut them, so I'm going to sell them whole.  Look for them in sosovintage soon!  Have yourself a great weekend, and I hope to see you back here on Monday :) 

New Vintage Sheet Fabrics

Coming Soon!

Thursday's Treasure

Sophie and her cousin E from Ohio met for the first time in Massachusetts around Easter, 2006.  Sophie (on left) was about 4 months old, and E was 3 months her senior.   Since that time, E has come to VA to visit a couple of times, and we have seen her in Ohio once as well.  We all enjoyed a big family vacation on Cape Cod together, and celebrated a couple more Easters in MA, too.

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Though they live far apart, the girls have had some really fun times together.  We've had the chance to see them grow up and rediscover each other once a year or so.  It's such a treat to see how they've evolved- from spitting up in each others hair to fighting over sand toys at the beach.  From strolling in parks in their carriages to playing t-ball in the back yard.  While they have many other cousins, these two are so close in age that they have a special little sisterly bond.

Here they are this year at Easter, 2011.  Cousin E is on the left, and there's Sophie- still smiling her big smile.  It is an absolute treasure for these girls to have each other- more so because they are both only children.  I'm looking forward to their many more adventures together, and to seeing how life unfolds for them as individuals. 

Enough?

When will I have enough vintage pillowcases?

 I'm...

 pretty...

 sure...

 the answer is...

NEVER!!!!

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Need some?  None of these have been listed in my shop, but several have been spoken for.  I even have multiples of several of these.  If you see one (or more!) that you must have, send me a message and I'll be happy to make a reserved listing just for you!

Spill It Session #5

Mother's Day, 2000.  Having spent a lovely day celebrating my mom, I set out to meet a friend and her boyfriend at a neighborhood bar in Arlington, VA.  Whitlows was pretty empty that night, and the three of us chatted easily at the bar.  A guy walked by, caught my eye, and said "hi".  I said "hi", and he continued to his table.  This might seem normal enough, and maybe it is where YOU live.  Just outside of the nation's capitol, however, men don't just smile nicely and say hi.  They are too cool.  They have to play all sorts of weird games and make you wonder.  That's how it was back then, anyway- so I knew right away that either this guy was strange or not from around here.  He was awfully cute, so I hoped for the latter.

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Almost a year out of a pretty unhealthy 5 year relationship at that point, I was finally feeling very emotionally good.  Living in my very own apartment, dating occasionally, spending time with friends, and generally just relearning old pastimes and discovering new ones.  I wasn't looking for love, but it found me!

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Mike was indeed not from around the DC area, but rather from Massachusetts- just like my grandmother's family.  That first night at Whitlows he ultimately asked me to play pool with him, and the rest is history.  We married on June 8th, 2002- just over two years from the night we first met. 

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That's my story... now spill it, sista- how did you and your significant other meet?  Currently single?  No problem- feel free to share any first meeting story!  I can't wait to learn more about you all :)

A Special Kind of Makeover

Ooh, how exciting!  While I didn't personally have a makeover to share today, I was fortunate to hear from a sosovintage customer last night who has an amazing makeover to share!  She purchased this listing: http://www.etsy.com/listing/62120987/reserved-for-renerankin-vintage-fabric

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... and created this gorgeousness!!

http://laceandthimble.blogspot.com/2011/04/bettys-sheath.html

Thanks so much for sharing your talent, Rene :)

New Basket

Happy, happy Easter to all who celebrate!

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As promised, there's a new sosorosey basket coming to town.  Arriving just in time for summer, meet the upcycled gathering basket.  Perfect for display in the home, or for actual down and dirty flower or veggie gathering in the garden!

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Here she is close up...

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And here she is lugging a batch of pussy willow branches.

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This one was crocheted from two different sheets, a brushed cotton and an old flannel.  Both had sort of an English garden theme, with red roses, deep green foliage and ecru backgrounds.  Since I won't be having a makeover this week, I hope you can imagine it.  I will be back to blogging regularly within the week... see you soon!

What A Lark!

Last week, a lovely buyer purchased a pillowcase from sosovintage, and she left the neatest message!  Turns out, she works at Lark Crafts, and the pillowcase was purchased as part of a prize bundle for a new sweepstakes.  Best of all?  YOU can enter to win, and it's easy as can be.  Simply go to http://www.facebook.com/larkcraftsneedlearts?sk=app_177914495580579 and vote/leave a comment about your favorite type of thing to make from repurposed materials.  The winner will receive THREE of Lark's best Craft Challenge books, along with the sosovintage pillowcase, a scarf, and a tea towel!  The giveaway starts today and goes through April 22nd, so be sure to get over there soon.  Good luck!!

Makeover Monday: 4/18

Sometimes when I am browsing the linen aisles at the thrift store, a pattern or color combination will just jump out at me.  This pillowcase was one of those!

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I cut this one pretty thin- about three quarters of an inch wide- and used a smaller hook than I have been using for these.  It is amazingly sturdy- your average person would probably have a hard time believing that this is *just* crocheted fabric.  As always with sosorosey baskets: no stiffener, no inner stabilizer.  I love the uber round shape- it is just so CUTE.

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Happy Monday, my friends!  It is spring break week here, and we're looking forward to spending time with our Massachusetts family over Easter.  I have a fun announcement coming up tomorrow, and a new sosorosey item that I'll be unveiling soon as well.  I also thought of a fun "Spill-It" topic, so look for that later in the week.  I hope you'll join me in the gossip fest, lol.  Have a super duper week!! 

Verrrrrrrry Interesting!

So, for three days now my husband has been complaining about a bitter taste in his mouth after eating. Nothing tastes good.  His mouth tastes like metal.  He didn't enjoy his favorite lunch at work. 

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The first day, I wrote is off as a weird passing thing- maybe some kind of dental issue.  The second day, I started to become a bit concerned.  And finally, last night, after dinner was mechanically choked down with a few grimaces, I did what any caring wife would do.  I turned to google.

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After typing in "bitter metallic taste after eating", I was able to diagnose my hubs right away.  But, it is the STRANGEST thing... he apparently has a case of "pine mouth" brought on by ingesting pine nuts!  We got most of our info from this blog post made by a fellow sufferer.  We were blown away by the fact that this one blog post got 1,500 comments- so many that the blogger had to finally shut down the comment functionality on that post.

~*~

It remains somewhat of a medical mystery, and there are different theories about whether it is an allergic reaction to a particular nut, or a reaction to an oxidized nut.  He has eaten many pine nuts in his life and NEVER experienced this phenomenon.  I even ate some of the nuts from this same bag and did not experience any symptoms, though I definitely didn't eat as many as he did.

~*~

In any case, it's a relatively harmless condition that goes away in time- it's just really bothersome in the meantime.  At least it isn't frightening now that we know what it is.  He reports that it's a bit better today, and he thinks that having a spicy dinner tonight will be the best course of action.  A reminder for all of us~ don't take those tastebuds for granted!

Coming Attractions

Here are a few of the treats that will soon hit the shelves in sosovintage!

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 Groovy mod hand towel by Lady Galt

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 A girly girl vintage 6 pack of 12"x12" squares

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 La Mode orange sherbet sphere buttons

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Ultra-colorful standard pillowcase by Fieldcrest

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And,

 the next *big* thing...

do you know what it is?

Thursday's Treasure

Found: a primo piece of Dansk Kobenstyle cookware!

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Oh, that pouty lip and intricate handle... so modernist, so clean.  I've see these pots in other vintage shops on Etsy, but have never happened on one in person.  I learned a bunch by reading Apartment Therapy's info roundup on Vintage Gear: Dansk Kobenstyle.

~*~

Picked: $3.99

Valued: $30+

Yay me!

Odds and Ends

You're right, Donna- here's the green!  I am saving my pretty green sheets for a rug, but I had some nice cotton yarn begging to be crocheted.

~*~

And, after lots of procrastinating, I've finally begun to list my vintage buttons.  Taking photos of carded buttons is tricky for me, so I will be slowly getting my skills up to par and getting these in the shop.  If you are looking for a certain size, color, or design- shoot me a message- I may just have what you're looking for!

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In other news, I have been slacking on my "big item" listing.  And all of you were so sweet not to call me on it!  I'll be going on vacation for Easter, so I plan to get one big thing in the shop before I go.  Stay tuned!

Vinspiration Part 2

This vintage washcloth by Pequot was such a lucky find last week.  I found its mate as well!  The blues are so scrumptious together that I had a new burst of vinspiration.

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I rounded up two blue cottons- a blue-violet and a robin's egg and crocheted one of my fancified double thick coaster/trivets.  These are 8.5" in diameter and protect surfaces beautifully.  The Muse customers seem to like these, so I'll add a few more color options in sosorosey to see if Etsy people will like them too!

Makeover Monday: 4/11

Well, I was being a little tricky about the "color" missing in my shop... I was thinking white- sort of a non-color, but missing just the same.  Pardon the terrible *before* photo- that really is a very stark white cotton sheet!

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I haven't added any large upcycled containers lately, so I made this bucket as large as the sheet would allow.  This baby is over 9" wide and almost 5" tall.

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And, since I had two people kind enough to look in my shop and report back about the lack of yellow (high five Donna and Kristine!), I went ahead and took their advice using a bit of this lovely vintage fabric.

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This is more like sweet petite size- 4.5" across by 2.5" high.  I've tweaked my bowl recipe... now the sides flare out gently creating more of a bucket shape.  I'm such a Gemini- can't stand to do the same thing for too long!

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Guess what HUGE thing I'll be doing this week?  Registering my baby for Kindergarten at her new school for next year.  *sob*  Where has the time gone?  How will I possibly be able to put her on a bus?  Wish me luck with this first step on Thursday. 

~*~

Do you have any big or exciting plans for the week?  Or perhaps you have an idea for the next spill it session?  I'm all ears!!!  Happy Monday- thanks so much for stopping by my little nook of cyberspace :)

Pop!

In honor of the bright, sunshiney day we had today, I'm about to list this 6 pack of 12 x 12 inch vintage fabric squares.  Get it while you can! 

Shabby Baby Blue

I realized I didn't have very much baby blue happening in sosorosey, so I had to fix that STAT!  This little bucket is 7" wide by 3.5" high.  She sports a little removable matching side bow for a burst of charm.  Besides this blue, I discovered another color that I am missing in the shop- care to guess what it is?  Look for it on Makeover Monday 4/11.  Until then- have a super fantastic weekend :)

Thursday's Treasure

You KNOW I've had a lovely day when I have treasures like these to share!  I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw these adorable playing cards on the Salvation Army shelf.

These make a beautiful addition to my collection, and since I only keep one of every deck I find, the rest will get to be shared with some lucky sosovintage customers!

I just can't choose a favorite... can you?

Baby Quilt

Just LOOK at the baby quilt made by the supremely talented Annette from My Rose Valley.  She used new fabrics mixed with some squares from sosovintage fabrics, and the result is one-of-a-kind breathtaking.  Lucky baby and lucky mommy!!  Thanks so much for sharing, Annette- looking forward to seeing the flower power quilt, too. 

Wedding Bales

Did you know that the latest rage in outdoor weddings is hay bale seating? I sure didn't, until a wonderful bride-to-be came searching in sosovintage for custom hay bale covers! She shared several photos of different hay bale *looks* such as the ones shown HERE and HERE.

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We discussed all of the different looks and tried to determine the style she wanted for her wedding. No matter how simple the idea of hay bales is, or even how casual they may look, a LOT of thought goes into planning the details of their use.

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Though my bride is getting married on a farm, her dress is very fancy and the atmosphere will be one of rustic elegance. Think VERY Martha Stewart. After looking at all of the photos, and contemplating the details of this particular wedding, I came up with a new way to dress up the bales - one that we hadn't seen in any of the photos and that we decided would work perfectly for this ceremony.

~*~

Each bale will be covered with a neutral fabric overlay that fits the width of the bale exactly and hangs down in the front and back about a foot. The overlay will then be wrapped in a wide sash of vintage fabric, with a simple bow at the back. Besides looking gorgeous and tying the colors of the ceremony together (no pun intended), the sash will also serve to keep the overlay firmly in place. GENIUS! (pat, pat)

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A wedding with 120 guests equals 60 hay bales. So, for about a month now, I've been gathering blue vintage sheets and neutral linens for this occasion. I've done MANY loads of laundry, and completely worn out my electric scissors, too. Each of the bale covers is almost a yard of fabric (36" by 42"), and each bale sash consists of TWO 6 foot by 6 inch lengths of fabric.

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I've been so fortunate to work with a dream customer on this big project, and she has promised to share wedding photos, too! I know I'll be thinking about her in June, and wishing I could be there personally to set up the bales. As these photos show, I'm ready to ship this big bundle up to Massachusetts. Can you guess how much the box weighs? Hint: dimensions are 22" by 19" by 9". I'll share the actual weight later tonight- let's see who gets the closest!!

Makeover Monday: 4/4

I have been so busy cutting fabric for a big sosovintage job, that it seems like it's been forever since I have cut fabric for a crochet project! I have had this gorgeous orchid colored cotton sheet in my laundry room for a couple of weeks now- wrinkles aside, it is just such an inspiring color and design. Finally, last night, I was able to get my hands on it and have some fun!

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Since the two egg cozy pairs that I had in sosorosey have now been sent to other homes for Easter, I knew what I had to make. And, if these don't sell, I'll just *have* to keep them :)

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Happy Monday! It is a glorious sunny day here in Virginia! It's a teacher workday, so the original plan was to take Sophie to visit an old friend and go to her neighborhood playground. It seems she has some sort of eye infection though, so a trip to the doctor is in store for this morning. It may be just allergies, but we want to be safe. Other than that, it looks like a fairly straightforward week for us. Just what I love! Hope you have a great day!!

Completed Makeover

Here is the finished custom Easter basket that I talked about on Monday's post. The 2nd fabric is from a lattice covered vintage sheet- showcased with the other fabric on the double bow I attached as a finishing touch. This is on its way to Tennessee for the spring holiday!

Extra! Extra!

I was contacted recently by Bethany, a contributing editor of the blog "a little etsy love"- she wanted to do a feature on sosorosey! Imagine my excitement! Of course I said yes, and guess what? There's a giveaway included for $20 in sosobucks. I'm in the spotlight there today- no foolin'! So, come on over to discover this super blog and leave a comment, too. I'd love for one of my blog readers to be the winner!!