Oldies but Goodies: Handmade Edition

For the past month I've been working on a major reorganization of my stores, my store room, and even my personal bookshelves. It's been such a huge project that I haven't been able to post about the major holidays over the past few weeks. I really hope if you haven't finished your gift purchasing (say, for Father's Day or a birthday) that you'll pay me a visit with enough time to allow for shipping!

 It has occurred to me that the "visual clutter" I have recently removed from my stores may have been keeping you from seeing some of the great things I have. I thought I'd pop in today and show you some of the things you might have forgotten about, and tell you their stories.

A few years ago, I used my printmaking knowledge to carve and hand-print two designs of bookmarks. The first one is the first part of a Victor Hugo quotation I happen to like: "To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark." It was a way of uniting my two loves--writing (and by extension, reading), and fine art. I invented my own smoke and flames inspired script for this bookmark.

My other bookmark design depicts a type of grass in an Art Nouveau style. I found a lovely tile motif in an old book on the New York Museum of Art website and decided to copy the lines of it. It was almost too delicate to cut out! These two bookmarks share the same plate, incidentally, and have to be cut apart after I ink them and apply the paper in the Japanese style.
I printed them in four color/paper combinations (three of which I still have). Unfortunately, there are few people in the world who appreciate a handmade bookmark when commercial ones are so easy to come by. If you are interested in something really special, they are all in the "Books and Bookmarks" section of my Artfire store.

Speaking of printmaking, I made this aquatic themed print in college. Yes, it does reflect my early interest in Art Nouveau and jellyfish. This was made using a technique called Monotype, which involved painting ink on smooth plates, removing layers of ink with tools, inking the plate again to layer the colors, drawing with colored pencil, etc. It can only be printed once per composition, unlike the bookmarks above, so whoever comes to own this one, called "The Reef After Dark," will have an exclusive piece of art.

Here is another early handmade item from my stores. I have a Japanese flowering plum in my front yard, and I think it's gorgeous in the spring. I decided to draw and hand-stitch a cluster of flowers on the end of a branch, using satin stitches, back stitching, French knots, and more. It took forever! If you like this one-of-a-kind piece, you can buy it here.

 I also have recently moved this little piece of rustic-style felt art to Ebay. It is all hand-stitched and dates to my junior high days. I was using a pattern, but I must say my success with it may be an origin for my pom pom animal line, which you may be very familiar with.












Yesterday, I posted on my Facebook fanpage about a decoupage project I made with friends over the weekend, just to get out of a crafting rut. I used a cardboard box I had purchased nearly a decade before to decorate, and layered on magazine clippings about Hawaii, circulated stamps from Micronesia, and a few vintage crate label prints from an old calendar. I'm not really serious about opening a decoupage line of products in my store (unless you ask, lol) but I plan to post a picture of my project over there if you'd like to stop by and leave a comment.

I am considering drawing some iron-on embroidery transfers and selling them as kits, because doing it myself would require me to charge pretty high prices for my time. Would any of my readers be interested?

What sort of things do you like to craft? Let me know in the comments.

Here's Some Tax Relief You Can Use...a Coupon!

Last week, I worked on taxes any time I had a break from my other obligations, and now, at last...

I'm finished!

I'm celebrating by offering a 20% off coupon in my Artfire and Etsy stores. Just use coupon code:

 TAX20 

It's good through the end of April, and works on anything over $7!

If you have your eye on something in my eCrater store and would like the discount, you'll have to write to me, because that store doesn't have coupon capability. I'll have to mark it down manually for you...but I'd be happy to do that!

So, after shaking off the bookkeeping brain-stupor, I have started photographing and listing things again. My plan is to try to get something new into the store on a daily basis, so stay tuned!

Here is my newest listing, from today. This scarf has a minimalist, modern art kind of print, with primary color blocks and boxes on a tan  background. Follow the link to see it flat. If you like it, it's eligible for the coupon code. Just sayin'...

I'm Writing Just to Say Hello...

Although social letter writing has declined in recent years, it is still a special thing to dig through a pile of envelopes addressed to "current resident" and find one personally written to you!  It is still a fairly inexpensive bit of fun in a world where cheap, clean fun is a rare commodity, and there is a certain rawness and genuineness to the handwritten note that you can't find in emails and texts.

If you are thinking of taking up letter writing in 2014, I have vintage stationery you can use, covering every topic from birthdays and special congratulations to thinking of you cards and get well soon notes.

Here are some cute cards, mostly birthday themed, for the girlie girls you might know. These are from the 60s or 70s.

This set has a lot more variety of messages, including "thinking of you" type cards. They aren't officially marked as such, but they definitely are inspired by the Holly Hobbie art style of the 70s and 80s. Find them here.

For the more grownup recipients, here are some backyard bird cards you might enjoy.

 The bird portrayed on this set of block print cards is a North American Loon, and these cards are blank inside, so you can figure out what you want to say with them. These are hand-printed cards by famous artist Gwen Frostic. They are still wrapped up in their original packaging, with matching envelopes.

Write home to wish Mama a happy birthday with this set of 5 floral birthday cards from the 50s, 60s, and early 70s. They would also make a pretty cool shadow box display.

Finally, if you're really interested in letter writing the old-fashioned way, I have a cool set of 50s/60s era bamboo dip pens you can use. Just buy an inexpensive pot of ink at your local craft store and dip away. It's fun!



I have quite a few sets of vintage stationery not represented here, but you can find them by following the links throughout this post!

Bonus:  

Here is an interesting link from the Smithsonian National Postal Museum about the history of letter writing in the United States.

Vintage Haul at the End of October

I recently thumbed through my unlisted vintage merchandise, and realized that I needed a little variety for the next few months...so I went vintage shopping!

Here is a preview of my "haul." I don't usually post things like this. Between working 3 jobs and finding boxes to ship things in, I can sometimes seem tediously slow about getting things listed and available to customers (sorry). However, if you see something in this post that you really, really want for Christmas, go ahead and lay on the pressure. The squeakiest wheel gets the grease around here.

I decided to break from my pattern and share with you today, because I think I found some pretty awesome things. I hope you'll agree!

Here's pretty much the whole "take" for the past two weeks. There were a couple of other things I had to leave out because they wouldn't fit in the photo or they had already been listed, but I'll share them at the end of the post.

The eras range pretty wildly here, from the turn of the century to the 80s, but I tend to gravitate toward things that predate the 80s.

The most intriguing thing is the little dry sink on the left side of the picture. Early research indicates that it is a salesman's sample or child-sized piece of furniture. It has a working drawer and a large compartment in the bottom behind the two doors, with a swivel latch to keep it closed. The knobs are made of milk glass. I think it may be the oldest thing I brought home. Specimens like it seem to date to the turn of the century or maybe the 20s. I think I've seen something like this on Antiques Roadshow before.

The other piece of furniture you see is a small house-shaped curio shelf. I have sold two other curio shelves over the years, including one really large house-shaped shelf. They are popular for the miniature collectors especially, since the slots could almost serve as "rooms" to display tiny furniture and dolls. Of course, you don't have to limit yourself to that if you have another collection you'd like to display.  I think this is probably from the 80s. I filled it with the jewelry I picked up recently.

There were two "looper looms" from the 60s or 70s that I bought just for the nostalgia of the things. Everything from the packaging to the instructions is super retro and might bring back some childhood memories. I owned a later version of these when I was young, but mine was all plastic and the hook broke (these have metal parts).

Last weekend, I picked up a couple of beautiful teacups from a lady whose mother had collected them for years. I haven't done enough research yet to be able to estimate age yet. They have labels, though, and that will help me learn more about them. I should be able to list them soon.

The plate next to them is a souvenir plate from Germany, showing a map of the Rhineland. I don't know much about that one either, but it seems to be Bavarian, based on the china markings on the back.

I'm sure you've noticed the large numbers of unused vintage cards on the table. These all came from one old stationery box I picked up. It was like opening a time capsule; the cards on the top came from the 70s, and as I removed the layers, I got down to several that look like they came from the 40s and 50s. Some had not even been folded in half yet, like the 50s-era Christmas cards in this photo.

I also found a clear plastic sewing box (shown in the back), several small pieces of 70s-80s jewelry, and two men's skinny ties from the 50s. One of the ties is embroidered with pine trees and parachutes. There must be a story there! The other tie is a sharp looking red and black geometric number. There was also a 70s-era Berrie figurine and a large Christmas metal platter with a 60s/early 70s Santa and Mrs. Claus that I just had to bring it home! Sorry, I forgot to get closeups of some of these.

Finally, I found three intriguing works of art I thought my customers might like (or at least I found them interesting). One is a galleried print of a pink flower, with a limited edition number and the artist's signature on the front and on the back. It looks a bit like a linocut to me, but it would have to be made from four different blocks that had been inked separately and fitted together like puzzle pieces. I though the colors and textures were simple but striking, so I picked it up. It may or may not be vintage (it depends on what I'm able to find out about it).

The other two are a really rocker-looking heart shaped set of prints, which seem to almost move as you look at them, due to some funny tricks with the color registration (how the colors line up). They are both four-color prints, and they have completely illegible artist signatures. They seem to be inspired by the work of Andy Warhol, but I don't think he made them (the signature does not match what I was able to find online). I have not removed them from the frames to figure out what kind of prints they are. If you recognize these artists, I'd love to hear from you!

Well, I've spent enough time bragging about my "haul," so I'm going to sign off and go find some boxes. :)

What piqued your interest the most? What would you like to see listed first?  Of course, what can you tell me about the things I have here?  I'd love to hear from you!

More Pom Pom Animals for the Christmas Tree

It's been way too long since I've updated here about my pom pom menagerie, but I have been very busy. I've been making a whole lot of pom pom critters for everyone and thought it might be a good time to share. My best-sellers so far this season have been black poodle ornaments!

In fact, I have six half-finished poodles on my craft table right now, as of writing this, and they are headed out of the US when I get them done! 

I have also rolled out one new pom pom creature, a blue bear wearing a winter scarf. I have made it possible to order a polar bear in white as well (of course, with a red scarf like this). I don't have a picture up yet, but it will look just like this in pure white.

Making this new pom pom creature ornament taught me a few new design tricks, which I intend to put to good use in a few other designs that have stumped me for years.

What you may not know is that I tend to have a collection of alien-looking "failed creatures" on my table all the time. My biggest "fail" of late is a crouching silver fox. Well, it should have looked like a silver fox, but just looks like "some kind of animal." Sorry, I don't have any pictures.

I also have a kitty that has some issues with its hind legs. You may have seen this photo on my Facebook page and wondered where it went. I feel uncomfortable about offering it for sale under the current design, because it acts like it might fall apart at any moment. That is just against my personal crafting code of ethics! I think I may have figured out a way to fix it, though. I really hope so. It is time for kitty lovers to get some attention, too.

First, I've got to finish some poodles and such.

Have you cracked out the Christmas music yet? It's time to get in the spirit. I stopped by my local craft store to stock up a couple of weeks ago, and they were already playing "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" on the intercom. I wasn't sure whether I should feel excited or a little stressed. Christmas is my favorite holiday, but there is a lot of preparation still needing to be done! I guess I hadn't realized it was this close already.

Have a good week, everyone!

Another Look at Miniaturization

I've always been a little obsessed with miniaturization, ever since I found a drawer for a doll bureau in my garage when I was small. Apparently, it had been left behind by the previous occupants of the house. However, I liked to imagine that it belonged to a mouse, or perhaps the Borrowers (if you're familiar with that book).

A couple of days ago, I explored the miniatures selection on Artfire and found some impressive things. There is literally everything from miniature food, to dolls for your dolls, to a working light fixture!  I made a collection, which I'm sharing here.

Everything Your Little Doll Needs!

Curated By: CandyAppleCra...

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

If you want to try your hand at making doll house miniatures, I have two kits that will get you started.  One is a bureau with a working drawer, and the other makes a pair of chairs. They both have finely detailed instructions, and just require a time commitment. I also have two classic books that detail how to go about making your own miniatures.  I've linked them here.

• The Doll's House Do-It-Yourself-Book
• The Complete Book of Making Miniatures 

A Little Off-Color Humor Here...Don't Mind Me

As we get older, we may not be able to keep our looks or our health, but we can at least keep our sense of humor, right? On that note, welcome to Extreme Vintage Hunting--Potty Humor Edition!

I have had this little ceramic cup with one handle on it, sitting on my bookshelf for a couple of years, now. I had hesitated to make it available for sale, because something about it told me that it was a joke, and possibly a crude one.  I just didn't know what the story was.

Well, it turns out that I was right!

This happens to be a Victorian miniature chamber pot.  Yes, you read that right. It's a bit of subversive potty humor, probably meant for a baby doll.  The outside reads "Morning Exercise" (are we talking about "eat more fiber" or the exercise servants got when carrying it out of the room?). The inside of the chamber pot has a little off-center stamped emblem that depicts a "Goo-goo" eye. I think it's a target to hit.

So...yeah.  Who said Victorians were all the prudish type?  That person was obviously very, very wrong.

My research has uncovered that these were made in Germany in the late 1800s.  The date really does make sense, since the chamber pot was eventually forgotten with the advent of the indoor water closet.  Little girls like to have a miniature version of their house, so I'm sure as the chamber pot was left behind (oops, I made a pun!), so was the market for these doll potties in turn-of-the-century Germany.

However, if you want a genuine collectible for your Victorian doll collection (or just like a nice, subversive dose of potty humor every now and then to keep life interesting), here you go!  It's actually in pretty nice shape, considering the age.  I guess it wasn't used much. Okay, I think I hope it wasn't used at all!  As one of my friends put it (he just couldn't resist), you never know what fun little "nuggets" you'll find when you buy vintage.

P.S. While we're on the subject of old potty humor, I thought I'd mention my vintage cedar outhouse salt and pepper shakers. You can find them here, although eventually I may move them over to Etsy to keep the chamber pot company.

In Honor of the Olympics

I've never been a very sports-minded person, but the Olympics have always held a special place in my heart. When I was small, I dreamed of being a gymnast, and my heroine was definitely Shannon Miller (I'm from Oklahoma, after all).

I decided to put together an Olympics themed collection on Artfire to commemorate the 2012 summer games in London. Hope you like it! :)

Olympic Spirit!

Curated By: CandyAppleCra...

ArtFire.com

Fine Art Photography

The collection is actually significantly larger than this, but there was a bit of trouble getting the larger version to show up correctly. If you want to see all the other fabulous Olympic-themed items, you'll have to click through to the web page where it is displayed over on Artfire. Thanks for visiting!

A One-Eyed, One-Horned, Flying Purple People Eater

I've been trying to step up my game when it comes to pom pom creatures and the like.  A couple of days ago, Mom started humming the Sheb Wooley tune about a Purple People Eater, and she suggested I make the creature.  I polled my facebook audience, who gave me the green light, and this is what I came up with!

 Here he is, in progress. You can see some washers on my worktable. I had to glue some inside the feet to keep him from falling over.  The holes in his clarinet like horn are drawn with paint, and I decided to put them on both sides of the horn, so you can see them from the back as well. After all, it's an alien!

You can also see uncut felt which I used in the project, a failed purple horn (the white shows up much better in my opinion), and just over my hand there is a messed-up poodle on the table, which I keep there to cheer me on, I suppose. :)

Don't worry. According to this song, the purple people eater is just here to play music on tv.  He only eats purple people, anyway, so I'm pretty sure you are safe!

I only made the one purple people eater (or at least my best representation of the song lyrics), and I put him here, in my Etsy shop.  You can go there to see more pictures of him, if you'd like!

 Meanwhile, here's the original artist, singing the song to a puppet (I can't see the puppet very well, though), way back in 1958.

Enjoy the 50s nostalgia!

Pinterest and Procrastination

Well, I've been busy around here and thought I'd drop in for an update. I just mailed my first vintage scarf to France, and I'm thinking about opening up a few more things for France, such as my poodles.

I made a prototype the other day. It looked kinda like a snake that had swallowed a bunch of softballs. It was supposed to be a bookworm, lol. I gave up on it and haven't made myself get back in the saddle this week. I'm tagging this post "philosophy of crafting" because I think that is my philosophy in practice: Try really hard, give up for awhile, and try really hard again.

The shops don't always show a lot of new activity where the public can see it, but I do check them constantly and do a lot of tweaking behind the scenes. For instance, you might not have noticed yet, but I've been brightening a lot of old pictures and adding watermarks to try to increase my advertising through Google images. It appears that image searches are driving a lot of traffic to my Artfire shop right now. For instance, I fixed up this picture of "Leaf o'Gold" dishes from Taylor Smith and Taylor (they're from the 50s).

I also spend my days writing a novel; blogging (unfortunately not enough on this blog); visiting with others, including my dog; enjoying the pretty flowers in my yard; and cooking.  Yup, it's boring stuff for a blog post, but that's my life.

Oh, and I'm also wasting plenty of time on Pinterest now. Are you? If you are, just look up my store name to find my Pinterest boards. I've been posting a lot of vintage inspiration there, such as travel posters and nostalgia from the 30s, 40s, and 50s.  You might like it!

Well, that's enough for now. I'm off to check the photos I took earlier so I can get five new vintage scarves ready for listing. Hope you love them!

Long Overdue Update, with Travel Pics

Hello everyone! I got back from Colorado earlier this month, and totally forgot to update the blog since then. Oops! Guess my brain is still in vacation mode.

 I had a wonderful time and took a lot of pictures. I don't think I could turn around without seeing something I wanted to capture in a photo. I'll only share a couple of pictures here. 


Call it "Colorado Spring" inspiration, but these views make me want to create something, like a painting or print, maybe.  I don't know, yet.  I think it should be more pom-pom creatures, since you may be anxiously awaiting them!

Unfortunately for all of you, I've only been making progress on my writing projects since I got back.  I plan to list something else in the coming week.

In fact, two days ago, I bought some brown felt on sale at Wally-world. Unfortunately, I forgot and left it the cash register!  I guess I made a donation to the store. :P

Seriously, though, I'm trying to figure out which animal I'm trying next. I wrote down all the ideas suggested during the contest, and I'll try those, first.

Off to look into it! I'm sorting through my vintage stash, too, for a few cool things to share with you later.