Bring a Hankie to the Wedding--Or Picnic

When is a handful of handkerchiefs not just a handful of hankies? When they're a stylish runner fit for the most colorful, casual picnic or the prettiest, most elegant wedding.

Hubby and I are starting to think about retirement and whether to stay in our current home. That means I'm beginning to take stock of all the things I've collected over the years and am starting to thin things out.

I have a large stack of vintage handkerchiefs that I've always wanted to put to good use. This week, I got them all out, gave them a good washing, starched and ironed them and made a couple of runners out of the white ones. I still have dozens in other colors to use on future projects.

Making a handkerchief runner is simple. Lay out the hankies in a pattern you like, using as many as you need for your table, buffet or piano top.

Sew them together by machine or hand, iron and you're set to go!

This runner looks great layered over my grandmother's 60-year-old picnic blanket and an antique French linen table runner I made for my son's wedding. My casual vintage kitchenware is a nice contrast to the elegant simplicity of the pretty hankies.

Either of the runners I made could be used for a dinner party table or a wedding cake table. The simple shades of white and off-white and the pretty embellishments can dress up a country, rustic or cottage chic setting.

I layered this one over a crinkle fabric semi-sheer repurposed window curtain and a different runner from my son's wedding (this one made of antique Belgian linen).

If you want something a little more whimsical, you can string the runners like a banner on a length of pretty ribbon or twine using mini clothespins (available at any craft store).

If you have a nose for vintage hankies, think about these versatile accessories in a new way next time you run across a pile of pretty ones at a sale.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Saturday Sparks

Bouquet of Talent
Share It Sunday
Nifty Thrifty Sunday

Share It One More Time
Knick of Time Tuesday
Cottage Style Party
What's It Wednesday
Thursday Favorite Things

Quick, Easy Summer Banner

When I recently sorted through my extensive collection of vintage linens to de-stash and make room for all the gorgeous linens I inherited from my mom, I came across a set of eight vintage silk-screened pieces I purchased at an estate sale sale in the early '80s.

I'd always planned to use them to embellish handmade pillows or aprons or to create a table runner. Well, that was nearly 30 years ago!

The silk-screen artist featured Indian Paintbrush, Harebell, Wild Geranium and Brown-Eyed Susan on a linen-like fabric that has dainty fringed edges. One of the pieces has a tag on the back that reads:  Hand Silk Screened by Jeanne Perkins. She signed each of the prints with a "P."

I adore the fresh look a nice, handmade banner can add to living space--indoors or outdoors. These pieces seemed perfect for a pretty spring/summer banner.

Getting good photos of the banner in front of the bright window where I hung it was difficult so I took an outdoor shot to better showcase the vibrant color of the pretty flowers.

I trimmed the banner with a variety of antique and vintage lace and strung the pieces on thick hemp cord.

This simple project only took about an hour to complete.

All in all, a banner hour of my life.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Share It Sunday

Nifty Thrifty Sunday
Share It One More Time
A Bouquet of Talent Party

Make It Pretty Monday
You're Gonna Love It Tuesday
Show and Share
Knick of Time Tuesday
Cottage Style Party
What's It Wednesday

What a Sale! Everything 75¢!

Every Saturday morning I head out before 8 a.m. to run my errands:  laundry, P.O box, ATM, etc. Last week, I took a detour to follow a garage sale sign on a whim. Not that that's unusual or anything. It was just an abrupt detour (I did signal my turn, though).

When I pulled up in front, my heart started racing. I could see from the street, I was going to like this sale. Two young women were frantically staging their mostly antique and vintage wares and apologetically told me the sale didn't start for another 15 minutes and they really needed that time for set up.

One of them said, "I hope you wait, or at least come back. Everything is 75 cents today. It's our second and final day."

Wait? For 75-cent vintage goodies? Heck, yes!

I usually go for the "smalls" and this sale had some great ones. I could have loaded up my entire car with great stuff, but I'm trying to cut back with an eye toward downsizing. Sales like this one make that a challenge.

Here is some of my loot.

Teacups: 75 cents for all. They're so sweet.

Mirror tray: 75 cents, chip and all. I use vintage etched mirrors and mirror trays in my decorating year-round. But, at Christmas time, with the twinkle of lights and candles, they create a magical look around the house. I am especially drawn to mirrors with age flaws, such as this one.

Set of five dishes--Mason's Ironstone, England:  75 cents for all. Watch for this pretty vintage set to appear in an outdoor project in the next few weeks.

A lovely 22-kt. gold Royal China Co. plate also will be featured in a future garden project. A real bargain among bargains at 25 cents.

A girl can never have too many silverplate pieces. Fill them with rose petals in the summer, vintage ornaments in the winter or serve fresh berries out of them at a backyard barbecue. This one was totally black with tarnish. It cleaned up beautifully, but I'm waiting for some degree of tarnish to reappear. I like that used, mildly neglected look.

Yep. 75 cents.

And 75 cents for both decks of South African Airways playing cards. I snap up interesting decks whenever I find them to use in my handmade For Giggles and Grins ephemera journals. I'd never come across this set before.

The 75-cent orphan salt shaker is destined to become a handmade decorative tassel.

75-cent Haeger pink dish has a detachable flower frog and built-in candleholder. It's in mint condition. But, I'm not a fan of pink and will probably list this one at some point.

Pretty vintage linen tea towel will look nice in someone's kitchen.

Love this kitschy metal rooster tray from the '50s or '60s. It's in very good vintage condition and was 75 cents, of course.

Wonderful Treasure Island book, copyright 1947, has a colorful illustration on the inside cover and fly sheet and illustrations throughout. This treasure needs a good rubbing alcohol bath and it will be fit for the rental book inventory. 75 cents.

Grand total:  $7.25.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Show and Share

Knick of Time Tuesday

The Scoop
Cottage Style Party
Thursday Favorite Things
Time Travel Thursday
Fridays Unfolded

What a Perfect Week!

Vintage linens are so irresistible! When I find something good, I can't pass it up--even if I don't need it.

Just how many sets of daily tea towels does one gal need? I'm pretty sure the answer is, "At least one more."

That's what I told myself when I found this wonderful set at an estate sale.

I love the heavy-duty linen fabric with its bands of bright color. Many of these sets are created on plain white flour sacks. This set is extra charming with its bold stripes, don't you think?

The embroidery is impeccable and matches the stripes nearly perfectly.

And so, the week is done.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:
The Scoop
Creative Mondays

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
What's It Wednesday

Adventures in French Bookland

At an estate sale, I came across a box of linen-covered books.

On closer examination, I found they were all French. Such a lovely collection!

Among the authors were Hugo, Balzac, Montaigne, Montesquieu.

All are covered in exquisite, French book linen.

In contrast to the linen luxuriousness are the quaint and simplistic titles typewritten on deep-hued,  elegant paper and glued to the spine.

Several of the books contain page signatures that have not been cut, making it impossible to turn the pages.

The linen is ideal for incorporating into decorating. A rich oatmeal color with an inviting texture you don't find on most book covers. I've used books as decorating elements for decades and am excited to have a new and very different type of collection to incorporate in my vignettes.

In all the years Hubby and I have collected old books, we'd never come across any quite like these. My curiosity about the handmade labels, the uncut signatures and the title pages pasted into some of them got the best of me. So, I took them to a local dealer who specializes in rare and antique books to see what I could learn about them.

The books are handmade--a technique that wasn't real common, but not totally unusual, either.  The dealer didn't know why many of the signatures were left uncut. If he were to offer them for sale in his shop, he'd ask $10-$15 each. I paid $2.50 each.

I appreciate that, being handmade, each book is one of a kind.  The collection is a wonderful and versatile addition to my eclectic decorating repertoire.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Whatever You Want Wednesday
What's It Wednesday
Primp Your Stuff
Share Your Cup Thursday
Time Travel Thursday

A Hare Past a Shackle

Since around Halloween, I've been shackled by a block. Not a creative block exactly because I've had plenty of ideas. And intentions. Just not the motivation to do anything with the ideas or make good on the intentions.

Don't get me wrong. I haven't been a complete slug. I've created a number of ephemera journals in the past few weeks--all in response to special requests. But I haven't done any crafting just for the fun of it. Now, our inevitable winter weather seems to be just what I needed to light the crafting fire. Being snowed in gave me the perfect excuse to hole up in the craft room for an afternoon.

Some time ago, I came across this wonderful vintage image of a hare at The Graphics Fairy. I really wanted to create something with it, but had been avoiding it. You see, in days gone by, I collected rabbits. Not the real ones. Cute, whimsical, elegant and rustic bunnies to accent my bookshelves, tabletops and mantels. Some were antique, like the glass candy holder rabbit and the chalk bunny. Others were new. Some were handmade.

Then, when the live rabbits moved in and claimed our suburban acreage for their breeding ground, playpen and smorgasbord, the critters quickly fell out of favor with me. Pesky rabbits! After stepping in numerous bunny burrows, coming home from work to find hostas sheered off at ground level and witnessing the continual taunting of our dear, sweet Barney, I channeled Mr. McGregor and declared war.

At the same time, I stopped collecting rabbits. I was so disgusted with the real thing, I just couldn't do it anymore. What you see here are most of the remnants of my original collection.

I gave some of my bunnies to the kids, sold some at my garage sales and donated some. The items I have kept generally have sentimental value. And I do have a nice collection of Teena Flanner rabbits I display for Easter.

So, it's been a while since I've opened my heart or home to a rabbit--or hare, to be specific.

I transferred this grand hare onto the linen of a rescued vintage placemat using Rosemary's Splendid Blender method. Then, I embellished the finished pillow cover with a handmade flower sporting a reclaimed faux wood button.

So, did I waver on bringing a new rabbit into the fold? Well, maybe a hare.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Sister Sunday at Sisters of the Wild West
Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop at Homemaker on a Dime
Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy
Made With Love at Sew Chatty
Tuesday's Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Share the Love Wednesday at Very Merry Vintage Style
Potpourri Party at 2805
Simply Klassic Sunday at Simply Klassic Home
Threading Your Way Link Party at Threading My Way
Cowgirl Up at The Farmhouse Porch
Pillowpalooza