Friday's Favorite Fabric Finds

I always think of the end of August as the end of summer.  So with these fabrics, I propose a toast to the impending passing of the green!  And, can you guess which one of these vintage fabrics did NOT come from a sheet?

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PS- is this last one the cutest fabric ever or what?  I adore it!!

Thursday's Treasure

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Cutest.  Shoes.  Ever!!!

Sophie thanks you very much, Nanapa- these will keep her fashionably toasty all winter long. 

For anyone who hasn't had the pleasure of knowing Jambu shoes, you're missing something special.  They do NOT come cheap, but if you buy them at Zappos.com, at least shipping is free.  Both ways, too, if you need to return.  They make Jambu shoes for adults, too... soooooo tempting.  Click the photo for more info :)

Wednesday's Works

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I found this sweet cotton floral pillowcase the other day, and was shocked when I looked at the tag and read "Tommy Hilfiger".  I would have bet money that it was vintage.  No matter, I knew it would look smashing as an upcycled pod.  Made this last night after I collapsed on the couch. 

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My main work for the last two days has been PTA related.  Even as a teacher for many years, and as an active parent in all of Sophie's classes, I had no idea just how much the PTA does for the school.   From readying and stuffing hundreds of Back to School packets, to laminating and cutting carpool tags, to stamping/numbering/delivering new textbooks to several grade levels, to preparing a welcome back lunch for 70 teachers, the jobs are endless. 

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I'm not complaining... yet.  I like being part of the excitement of getting ready for a new school year.  I like the camaraderie with fellow parents.  I like watching it all come together.  And I will like sending Sophie off to that school next Tuesday, knowing she is in excellent, well-prepared hands :)

Makeover Monday: 8/28

 What??  It's not Monday??  Well, I'll be.  I must have lost a day somewhere.  I picked up this cotton yarn (I DO love it, by the way!) when I was in PA last week.  They have Hobby Lobby stores and we don't- and HL carries WAY more cotton yarn choices than Michael's or ACMoore around here. 

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I chose it for its soft and colorful qualities.  I found a pretty scarf pattern, and wanted to make my girl a non-scratchy scarf for the fall.  She is ultra sensitive about softness and comfort, and rainbow is still her favorite color.

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This was such a quick and satisfying project!  I love the lacy look and Sophie loves how it feels.  Win~win!  The color is carousel ombre, and the free scarf pattern is courtesy of Red Heart.  It's called a side-to-side scarf and you can find it HERE.  I'm looking forward to having the time to make one for myself!

Craft Challenge 2012

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Behold the official Pantone Fall 2012 color palette!  Click on my photo to enlarge, or click HERE to see the Pantone website.

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Now, I've never hostessed a craft challenge before, so I want this mainly to be simple and fun.  The challenge is open to anyone and any craft.  Bring your sewing skills, your mixed media collage, your stitchery, your painting or whatever other talent you possess and let's get our craft on!

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The challenge is pretty straightforward.  Simply choose two or more of the colors in the Fall 2012 lineup and make something awesome. 
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The deadline for entries is three weeks from today- September 16th. That gives you enough time to get creative, but not so much time that you'd put it off. (Not that any of you would do that). Project photos and a little written blurb about your entry (your name, project name, what your project is made of, and any other details you want to share) should be emailed to me by the deadline- the sooner the better. I will then put together a blog post showcasing all of the wonderful creations!
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This isn't a challenge that will be voted on or have a winner or anything- it's just an opportunity to be inspired with current trends, connect with fellow craftspeople, and be famous for a day when the projects are featured.  I'll do my best to get lots of traffic to our work, and your help with that will be appreciated.
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Please say you'll join me by leaving a comment on this post.  I know I have a couple of crafty readers who don't post comments.  Aunt Irene and Cher, and anyone else who falls into that category, you can still enter by just emailing me to let me know you're in!  The more people we have to participate, the more publicity our little event can create!
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If I have left out some important bit of info, or if you just have a question, please post that in the comments here as well. Chances are that if you aren't sure about something, you aren't alone. I can't wait to see what we all come up with :)

Sticker Shock

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Three dollars and seventy nine cents for a package of two standard pillowcases from JCPenney.  Were those the days or what?!

Friday's Favorite Fabric Finds

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It seems like every time I visit my folks, there is a new thrift store to explore.  Lucky me!  This time we found a hospital charity thrift right on the main Gettysburg town square.  While they had more clothes than anything else, I was pleasantly surprised to find this beautiful sheet.  I was even more excited to find 2 other vintage sheets and a pair of pillowcases still in their original packages!

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The pair of pillowcases still have their price sticker, too.  It blew my mind!  I blacked it out so you could try your hand at dating/pricing these cases.  Leave a comment with your thoughts, and I'll post the answer tomorrow :)

Thursday's Treasure

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Sophie looks beautiful in most shades of red, and I really like to send out her school photos at holiday time, too.  I found this *like new* Gymboree dress in her size at the thrift... for $3.90.  Three dollars and ninety cents when the original store price was over $30.

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You can't really tell from this photo, but the theme of the dress is panda bears- our school mascot.  I know, perfect, right?  Barring any crazy growth spurt in the next month or so, I have nailed down the perfect fall school pictures outfit.  Go meee, go meee!

Wednesday's Works

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Not too terribly much going on around here this week.  I did find this pretty twilight colored sparkly yarn, though.  It's perfect for a new set of sosorosey Christmas ornaments!

And The Winner Is...

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$9.98

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Sandy!!  You won The Price is Right with your guess of $8.05!!  Congratulations, and thanks to all who played.  My apologies for not showing the actual receipt this time.  I'm on vacation and forgot to take a photo for this post before I left.  Thank goodness this is a small-time production over here.  ;)

Makeover Monday: 8/20

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That ball of dark teal batik fabric?

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Became a dark teal batik basket!  I'll have to add this type of fabric to my bolo list- I love that it crochets up to have such a similar look to the original pattern. 

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Happy Monday, Friends!  Don't forget to get your guess in on the Price is Right post below :)

Price is Right: Game 13

Come join the fun! The more, the merrier!

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The Game: I show you my thrift haul from one recent outing. You leave a comment with your best guess as to how much I paid. This does include VA 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- read the comments prior to leaving your guess. Game runs through Tuesday the 21st, 5pm EST and is open to US and international players. The receipt and winner will be posted here: please be sure I know how to get in touch with you either through blog, website or email. Play nice and have fun!!

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

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The Stuff: This time the loot comes from a hospital charity thrift shop, non-sale day. Prices here are kind of all over the place- many things are ridiculously cheap, and others are what you might expect.  Here's what I walked out with this week:

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Two porcelain tiger cat figurines

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Two circus themed children's hangers

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Waechtersbach W. Germany mug

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Kitschy faux wooden coaster

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Sweet little green spotted kitty

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Unopened pack of 10 wine and cheese invites

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Swingline Cub in gorgeous blue

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Game on, everyone!  Can't wait to see who guesses what!

Friday's Favorite Fabric Finds

Happy Friday!  The goods this week all come from vintage sheets except for one.  Can you guess which one was not a sheet?

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Looking forward to seeing your answers!  I'll be back later this evening to leave a comment with the correct answer.  Be sure to stay tuned in the coming days, too... I plan to issue a craft challenge to all of you arty party people, and a new Price is Right game is in the works as well :)

Thursday's Treasure

 Hospital charity thrift stores- run entirely by volunteers- are some of my favorites.  The two that I frequent the most have such nice people working there, and the prices are always amazing.  Imagine my delight when I spied this Singer Home Dec hardcover book on their craft shelf today!

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It's a first edition- copyright 1961.  If you click on the photos they will enlarge and you can read the dedication.  Don't you love that bit about "whipping up gay cafes"? 

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LOVE the photos of the rooms and furniture from that era.

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The book has complete, illustrated instructions for making all sorts of wonderful things!  How awesome is the fabric they chose for the padded headboard?

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So boxy and midcentury stylish!

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I positively covet this lawn chair!!

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Does anyone use a dressing table anymore?  Maybe we should bring these back!

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These ladies waving to you are from a 50s crochet book that I found on the same shelf!  The caption calls this "street wear".  The crochet books were 10 cents each.  The Singer was $1.  Couch coinage!  Who says money can't buy happiness?

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An aside- I've been searching my old books and magazines for fab retro haircuts.  On Saturday I'm going to get a new do to go with the new bod.  I'm not going for any of these Barbie cuts, though- don't worry!  Still looking...

Wednesday's Works

I've done a slight wording change on my Wednesday title.  The perfectionist in me feels that it is more proper this way, since I plan to show you the works I've worked on AND the works I'm working on.  Now that I have you sufficiently convinced that my neurotic side is still present and accounted for, let's get down to business!

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You may recognize this gray and yellow fabric from a coaster I made not too long ago.  That went off to live in a new home, and I hope this one will soon follow suit.  These colors together are ultra modern, and the basket is a good size at 8" across and 3.5" high.

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I finished my makeover project from Monday, too!  Donna, we were on the same wavelength with the shape- thank you for weighing in with your opinion.  This basket is the largest I've made in a long time- 15" across and 4" tall.  Perfect on a coffee table holding magazines and remotes.  Or on the floor with a precious pup or kitty curled up all cozy!

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Now I'm working on destickerizing (yes, I did make that word up) and cleaning my recent thrift finds...

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...folding some special bridal shower favor boxes from vintage gift wrap...

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... and preparing to crochet this dark teal fabric into something special for a certain Pez collector I know!

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How about you?  What have you finished lately, and what are you working on now?

Ooh Baby Baby, Ooh Baby Baby

Anyone who remembers the song I referenced in the title should now have that jingly tune in your head for at least the rest of the day.  If you don't recognize it, consider yourself lucky!

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I have some cute cute cute baby things piling up around here, though, so I decided that a "dedicated baby stuff" post was in order.  If you're in the market for vintage infant goodies- look no further.  Here are just a few of the items soon to hit the sosovintage shelves.

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 Adorable faux quilt crib or stroller blanket... $20

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Gender neutral cotton flannel receiving blanket by Dundee- so soft!... $6

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Sweetest ever boys shirt and shorts- made in Phillipines.  100% polyester

Rickrack and elephant applique and aqua blue! ...$15

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Precious smocked dress- hand embroidered- made in Phillipines...$10

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Plenty more where this came from, so if you are looking for something special, don't hesitate to ask!

Makeover Monday: 8/13

 I thrifted this lovely cotton duvet cover a few months ago, and it has been staring at me ever since.  I didn't want to get out the scissors until I knew what I was going to make, and I had trouble deciding what I wanted her to become.

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She is still a work in progress, but I do know she will be some sort of basket.  I'm still debating on the exact shape.  Medium with tall straight sides?  Large with shorter, more flared sides?  Suggestions are welcome, but they need to get here before tonight or it might be too late :)

Daily Dose of Cute

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Super sweet instant collection of vintage squeak toys!  I'm tempted to keep that giraffe in the back on the right... love his faded red necktie.  Then I'd have to keep the bear, too.  And the hippo.  Oh, THIS is how the storage problems begin...

They Like Me

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They really like me!  Those of you with facebook fans in the hundreds and twitter followers in the thousands are sure to giggle at this post. That's OK.  When I started my sosovintage facebook page, I really wasn't sure I'd ever get 10 people to give me the thumbs up.  When I checked in recently and saw "67" I thought, "I need to do something special at 70 to show my excitement and appreciation".  So, today is the day!  There's a 24 hour facebook special posted for all sosovintage fans... if you aren't one yet, just like the site and shop.  Easy peasy!  Find me on facebook HERE.  Happy shopping!

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In other wonderful news, the best mother in the world is having a birthday today!  I can't wait to celebrate with her in person next weekend!

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Off to the PWC fair today... fingers crossed for no rain!