A Start and A Finish...

 I rode my first two (grueling) miles on my new bicycle yesterday.

It felt good and I'm not hurting, so that's a good thing.

When I got back into the studio, I managed to make 

a special order for an Etsy client, too!

 She contacted me about creating a Kindle case for her

using a Palmer bird and vintage laces.

 I put some of the same crocheted lace on the back, too.

I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

At the end of the day, I felt really accomplished.

A "start" and a "finish"!

Now, to just keep my momentum...

Studio Goodness...

Well, girlfriends. It's Friday already and nearly the end of July, to boot. I don't know where the time is going, but I do believe that the older I get the faster it passes.

I've been diligently working on my projects, but I don't have a "finish" to share with you yet. Instead, I'm going to share some "studio goodness" with you.

You've seen my Strawberry Roses before, but one can never have enough roses or strawberries, right?

Then there's my serious stash of fabulous, vintage laces. Look at those crocheted roses. How am I ever going to use those on a project? I love looking at them!

I think you already know what a fan I am of those twill tapes from Lillalotta. She even did custom tapes for me with my single acorn and just the word "Brynwood" - both from my logo. I also save the tapes used to tie the different jelly rolls I purchase. I'm saving them to use in a special project that I hope to share soon.

Finally, I'll close out today with a parting shot of some of the wonderful gifts I've received from other bloggers. These beautiful treasures reside on the wall organizer I made a couple of years ago. They remind me every day of the friendships I've forged over the three years that I've been blogging...and their incredible generosity.

I hope you enjoyed the mini tour, and that my studio goodness brought a little smile to your face today. Happy Friday!

Vintage Lace and Another Lovely...

Recently, my dear friend, Marydon asked me to create a little pillow to fit inside a vintage, lace pillow cover she owns. I told her I'd be thrilled to make one for her.

When she sent it to me, she had tucked a little "thank you" into the package. A sweet, china teacup and saucer!

I love chickadees! This one is nestled among holly leaves and berries and is so pretty! What a nice gesture, but so unnecessary as I was happy to create the cover for my friend without compensation.

I pulled some beautiful, champagne-colored silk and then stuffed the pillow form with organic wool. I purposely made the pillow with enough room to avoid putting pressure on the precious lace.

I carefully slipped the lace cover onto the form and buttoned it closed. Then, I snapped a photograph with the teacup and saucer to share with you before I sent the pillow back to Marydon. I hope she likes it, but I also promised her a pink cushion if she'd rather have her favorite color under the lace.

Thank you, Marydon for letting me hold that gorgeous lace in my hands! I think I'll sit down with a cuppa tea in my new set now to celebrate this finished project for a friend.

Ain't That A Shame...

Recently, one of my friends from our Paneras knitting group gave me this dress. There were actually four dresses in the assortment she wanted to share with me, but this was the only one that I could even photograph.

All the dresses had been stored in an attic with no protection from heat or cold. Gorgeous vintage pieces that actually were falling apart in my hands when I held them. Crumbling to dust after years of neglect.

This dress is transparent (by design) with old lace and an embellished "apron" on the front. The fabric shimmers in the light, and I can only imagine how glorious this dress must have been when new.

I could have cried looking at it. You can't tell from the photos, but there was so much disintegration that there was scarcely enough fabric across the shoulders to hang it on this padded hanger to show you.

The lace along the neckline is so beautiful, and there is beadwork along the neckline and on the apron hemline.

I don't know what I'd ever do with it, and it's so fragile I don't know how much time it has left. It's just a crying shame that it wasn't better cared for.

If anyone reading my blog post today would like this piece, I'll be happy to send it to you for the cost of priority postage (medium flat rate box). Perhaps someone else can think of a way to salvage some of this fabric for a project (gluing it to vintage bottles, or soldered between pieces of glass to create a necklace). I have the ideas, but would rather share the dress with someone who does these things as a matter of course.

Just email me if you want it, and I'll PayPal you an invoice for the postage. The first person to make the request and pay the invoice will be the new owner. I'll do an update if I'm contacted to let everyone know that it's gone to a new home.

UPDATE: The gown has been claimed and is on its way to its new home with Karen. Thank you!

Timeworn And Loved...

Old lace, vintage buttons, my mother-in-law's favorite embroidery
hoop, and one of my own Hearts Desire Forget-me-not hearts.

When I was in Sarasota this week, a friend gave me a scrumptious
assortment of handmade laces - all crocheted or knitted by her!

These are breathtakingly beautiful in shades of white,
cream and all the other colors of "vintage"...
timeworn, special and loved. I'm sure you can imagine
how excited I was when I realized the gift I was given.

Now, they're mine...all mine...
with promises of more to add to the collection.
All are pieces I will use, enjoy, share and treasure as she did.

From a friend with a great many talents
to
this very grateful protege'.

Please visit Button Floozies on Saturday, too. I've gone through my button boxes and found some real beauties to share. Here's the link: Button Floozies