Pom Pom Pretties

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Sweet Stephanie from Berry Island was kind enough to send me this photo of her new sosorosey bowlee in action!  She keeps her felted pom poms in it as she works.  Pop on over to her shop if you're ready for a visual feast of colorful treats....just click on the shop name or photo to go straight there.

Gift Ready

I couldn't have gift certificates in one shop and not the other!  Perfect for the vintage lover on your list... or perhaps your own wish list... these will be offered in $25, $50 and $100 denominations.  Now that's a lot of fabric *wink*!

Makeover Monday: 11/28

A new customer from Seattle purchased this darling fairy forest house and furniture for her daughter for Christmas.  She came to sosorosey looking for a container to house the dolls and accessories.  She liked the look of this basket, but needed it to be about 8" by 8" and deep red.

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I toyed with the idea of making the basket in the shape of a mushroom, but something told me it wasn't a good idea.  I wanted a clean looking, kid-friendly basket that clearly "went with" the doll house.  I sent this little sketch to my customer to see what she thought of me doing a mushroom applique on a basic deep red basket.  She gave me the go ahead, and I was off and running with a never-been-done-before idea.

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First I rounded up enough of the right shade of red.  Then I cut and crocheted.  And cut, and crocheted.

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Finally I had a lidded vessel ready to be shroomed!

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I bought some felt in woodland colors: chocolate, heathered tan, dusky forest, and brick red.  I was pleased with the way my freehand toadstools came out.  Once the customer approved them, I was ready to sew!

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And, tah dah!  A basket for forest fairies fit for a princess! 

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Happy Monday to all, and Happy Birthday to Daddy-O!! 

Here's wishing everyone a great week :)

Friday's Favorite Fabric Finds

I don't know about where you live, but around here, people are already getting their lights up and trees decorated!  In honor of the holiday season, I thought I'd showcase some green vintage fabrics coming to the shop soon.

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This beauty is a 50/50 cotton poly blend, but I swear it feels just like 100% soft cotton!

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This one has been in the shop before, and I'm happy to have more to share.

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I've had the pink roses version of this one, and am thrilled to have found the yellow. 

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My favorite this week doesn't have too much green, but aren't those Disney creatures adorable?  I found both the flat and fitted sheets of this one, so there's plenty of Bambi and Thumper to be had!

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I'm going to try my best to get Monday's makeover here on time.  It's a custom container for fairy house furniture, and if it turns out as planned it will be sweet!

All Turkey Birds Are Different

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American readers!  And, no matter where you are from, I thought you might appreciate the turkey my daughter brought home from school this week.  I will be very sad when she stops making rainbow everything!

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And here is the little poem at the bottom of the page.  I hope teachers everywhere know how thankful parents are for the work they do and the projects they take on!

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I'll be busy being grateful with my family over the next couple of days, but I'll be back on Sunday with Friday's Favorite Fabric Finds.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Going Local

Sosorosey items have been carried in shops in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Maryland, Australia and Canada.  But never Virginia... until now!  I'm thrilled to have my large jute stars now featured in Purpose & Joy- a new, forward-thinking shop in historic Occoquan.  You can read about their mission HERE.  Fellow Northern Virginians, stop by and shop Purpose & Joy on the 2nd floor of the Riverwalk Shops. It's sure to be a new favorite place to browse for lovers of handmade, special, and unique :)

Happy Happy Day

On this day six years ago, my baby girl was born.  My Budgie, my Squishy, my Soso, my Bubby, my love. 

I xoxo heart you, you are my best!

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And, on this day four years ago, I signed up for an Etsy account and changed my life.  Dramatic but true!

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So, a big thanks to all who have helped me through my mothering adventure so far.  Thanks, too, to all who have helped make my Etsy time both enjoyable and successful.  I couldn't have done either thing without you!

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Aren't the graphics above just darling?  Click on the images to go straight to the websites where they were found.  Don't say I didn't warn you that both sites are totally adorable!

Makeover Monday: 11/21

Sophie's school colors are red, white and black.  I have been looking for a sheet in those colors for a very special project!

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On December 1st, I'll be taking part in the annual Holiday Shop and Craft Fair at Signal Hill Elementary School!  Having only done one other *in person* selling gig, I'm super excited and a little nervous.  The entrance fee goes directly to the school, though, so even if I don't sell anything I'll have donated to a great cause.  Each vendor is asked to also donate one of their items to a PTA basket which will be auctioned off later in the school year.  This bowl will be my contribution... I wanted it to be in school colors but still "neutral" enough to have widespread appeal.

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Happy almost Thanksgiving to my American friends!  We'll be celebrating with a big feast at a fancy restaurant with my folks.   There will be plenty of Scrabble playing and football watching, too!  Do you have special holiday plans this year? 

China

Like most resellers, I'm sure, the first thing I do when I pick an item up is turn it over to read the base.  If I see "China" and it isn't preceded by "fine" or "bone", I promptly set it back down on the shelf.  Not that I have anything against China- just that if it is made in China it usually isn't vintage.

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So, when I turned this 1956 School of Foreign Service stein over the other day, the first word that jumped out at me was "China".  Fortunately my subconscious registered other words, too- making me pick it back up after I had set it down. 

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Nassau China Company was founded in 1941, and specialized in applying transfer decoration to Services and University commemorative pieces.  Huh.  I learn something new every time I thrift!

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Look for this lovely bit of "vintage breweriana" in sosovintage soon :)

Friday's Favorite Fabric Finds

It's been kind of a "blue" week for me, so I thought I'd share some *new* blue fabrics to go along with the theme!

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Daisies with aqua accents.  I have this same fabric in the yellow and the pink versions!

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Blue and yellow is a popular color combo for baby boy quilts.  This one is a beauty!

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And the best of the week is this fabulously busy checkerboard medallion floral in turquoise and violet.  I found both the flat and fitted sheets for this one- wahoo!!

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Have a wonderful weekend!!  I'll be partying down at Sophie's 6th Birthday Party at the local Bowl America tomorrow night.  With a giant SpongeBob cake, too.  Yeehaw!!

Thursday's Treasure

I'd recognize that Gloria Vanderbilt signature anywhere, but I sure didn't expect to see it on a piece of vintage Christmas gift wrap!  What a cool surprise.  Now, what will I do with my 2 sheets of designer paper?

Personal Shopper

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I've had the recent unique pleasure of becoming a personal shopper for one of Etsy's great talents, Emily over at EKRA.  As I well know, crocheting rag rugs takes a LOT of fabric, and the time spent finding the right colors is always longer than anyone would imagine.  Emily makes a LOT of rugs, but she happens to live in a small, somewhat thrift-store-challenged town.  From reading my blog, Emily knows my passion for thrifting and came up with a win-win idea for both of us.  I've really enjoyed thrifting with a special purpose when she "needs me", and I love to see the fabrics I send get made up into one-of-a-kind EKRA treasures.  And, as an added bonus, Emily is a super friendly and fun person to chat with, too!  Here's the latest batch of aquas and seafoams heading to Illinois.

Makeover Monday: 11/14

A good while back, my sweet friend Donna kindly asked if I would be making a new ornament design for Christmas 2011.  I took her words to heart, and have been playing around with different ideas in my spare time.  Finally, after much trial and error- and some pretty funny looking prototypes - I hit on exactly what I wanted.  Made from jute twine, black embroidery thread, and bright red cotton hemp....

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... he has arrived.  Rudolph at Rest.  He's worked hard helping Santa deliver all of those gifts, and he's ready to take a nice long nap on your tree branch.  A big thank you to my hand model for all of her help with the photos :)

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Ooh, it's going to be a busy, busy week over here!  I have my exciting mammogram scheduled for today, and a day at my collaborating *job* scheduled on Thursday.  Friday is going to be insane with picture retakes for Sophie, volunteering at the school, the Thanksgiving Feast, and making final preparations for the bowling birthday on Saturday.  Whew~  I think I'll go take a nap with Rudolph right now!!

A Little Sarcasm Goes A Long Way

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This mug just cracks me up.  I found it at the thrift last week, but I'm having trouble bringing myself to part with it.  It represents so many things that I've been grappling with lately- my shop policies, the USPS, and PayPal.  The expectations, rights, and responsibilities of all three.  The holiday shopping season has gotten off to a rocky start in my opinion, and I am very ready for smooth sailing to prevail!

Friday's Favorite Fabric Finds

Happy Veteran's Day, Americans!  A big thank you to all who have served, or still serve, in our armed forces. 

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I've been especially lucky in the fabric arena lately.  Here are just a few of my recent picks:

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This yellow and pink number reminds me of feedsack cotton.  It's from a handmade duvet cover, so I have double the typical amount of fabric that comes from a sheet!

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I just recently mailed out my last fat quarter of the purple/blue/green version of this one.  Loving the brightness of the bouquet- especially the poppy - and the cute dots, of course.

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It's so fun to find vintage designer sheets!  This more masculine paisley medallion is an Oscar de la Renta original from Cannon.

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My favorite find this week has the most beautiful color combination, doesn't it?  A pop of red with a dusky lavender and jadite green.  Yum!

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Have a super weekend :)

Thursday's Treasure

It's always kind of a shock for me to see someone's collection being sold at a thrift store.  In the case of these angels, I even know who collected them!  Not personally, mind you.  But the collector carefully labelled each of these beauties with her own name and the year they were acquired.  I hope that wherever she is, Ms. Harman knows that these sweet girls are being lovingly cared for.  And that they will one day find new homes where they will be cherished.

Migrating North

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All of these goodies will soon be heading off to the great white north of Toronto, Canada!  There they will have the pleasure of being displayed at the exclusive Pimlico Gallery.  I'm so pleased to have had my work chosen for this honor- thank you so much, Tanya, for the opportunity.  Safe travels, my dears- may you bring joy to your new homes :)

They Have Arrived!!!!

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I have wanted to offer gift certificates in sosorosey for YEARS.  I was stymied, though, by the logistics.  What denominations do I use?  How do people get the certificate?  What if, what if, what if?  Each question I came up with drove me further from following through.

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Last week my desire finally overrode my fears, and I contacted Lynda from Exquisite Expressions- the same wonderful lady who created my Etsy banner.  I could not be more thrilled with my experience or the result!

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Having no idea what I would need or how I would accomplish this task, I was not the easiest customer to work with.  Oh no.  I required lots of patience.  Lots of explanation and hand holding.  Multiple drafts and countless emails.

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I could not have asked for a more professional, courteous, and talented designer.  Lynda is truly one of Etsy's finest.  Pop on over to Exquisite Expressions to see what she can do for you today!

Makeover Monday: 11/7

A new customer sent me this piece of thin cotton fabric that belonged to her grandmother.  Though the piece was only about 2 feet square, she was hoping I could make something from it to serve as a keepsake.

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I had to cut the material relatively thin in order to have enough to "go around".  Hehe.  But, the fabric was very brittle from age, and I had a few scary moments when I'd pull my hook through and hear a faint "rip" sound.  I think it turned out beautifully, though, and I hope Pam thinks so, too.

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Happy Monday!  I have an unusual week this week, as Sophie has off Monday, Tuesday and Friday.  Today and tomorrow are teacher workdays, and Friday is the Veteran's Day holiday.  Lucky for her, she is off being spoiled rotten by my parents in PA.  I have her first quarter conference tomorrow, and I'm all aflutter about it.  My first one!  Other than that, I have a big bunch of stars and bowls to make- more on the details of those orders later in the week.  I hope you have a super day!

Pucker Up

Here's how the Martha sour cherry cotton hemp works up in star form.  These are sure to brighten up any Christmas tree or package!

New and Improved

They're baaaack! 

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These little wreath ornaments or package toppers were a good seller last Christmas.  Every time I sold a set, though, I would do a little groan inside.  Not because they were hard or unpleasant to make.  Rather because the original yarn I used was impossible to find in stores, forcing me to make do with yarns that weren't *quite* what I wanted.

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Apparently, the yarn I loved 2 years ago has been discontinued.  That would explain the difficulty in finding it, eh?  But, I'm thrilled that this year my good friend Martha Stewart has come out with a cotton/hemp blend that is PERFECT!  Thanks so much, Martha- I knew I could count on you ;)

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You can drool over the Martha colors HERE.  I am amassing quite a collection, and I can't wait to play!  Let the wreath orders come rolling in!

Friday's Favorite Fabric Finds

TGIF!!  It's been a geometric sort of week around here... take a peek at the latest sheet finds for sosovintage:

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Classic stripe in lime, white and avocado.

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Bright red polka dots on white.  Wouldn't this make a sweet holiday project with the fabric above it?

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I KNOW!  I couldn't believe it either!  Two polka dot fabrics in one week.  I love the dual sizes and shades on this one.

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If you like a little more swagger in your line-iness, this Yves St. Laurent pink and rust mix is sure to please.

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And my favorite of the week- mod teardrops in violet, aqua, grass green and more!  Ooh la la.

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Sending lots of hugs and well wishes to my special friend and her daughter who are off to London today for a very big week.  And to all of you who are kind enough to stop by and give your attention to my little snippet of cyberspace - thank you, I appreciate you, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!



Thursday's Treasure

These pretty hand painted faux birdhouse boxes are on just about every street corner in my neighborhood.  Different designs on each.  The top lifts up, and you'll find a supply of plastic bags inside.  See, we have a very "pet loving" community, as well as a state (and common courtesy) law that says you must pick up after your pooch.

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I think it's so nice that our neighborhood garden club made these boxes and signs!  They are aesthetically pleasing, and serve as both reminder and assistant to help dog walkers "doo" the right thing.  Sorry, couldn't resist!

Face Value

I found a bag full of vintage doll faces the other day.  There's the bunny...

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... the dog...

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... the girl ...

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... the clown ...

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and the...????  What the ?????  Is it a seal?  A bear?  A chipmunk?

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So yeah.  Lots of vintage doll faces.  I'm so curious to see if this is a supply that is in demand.  What will my creative Etsy brothers and sisters make with these?  It's worth 90 cents to me to find out ;)