penny carnival

Repurposing a quilt top, this little piggy, and my sweet Bo

It has taken me 10 minutes to start typing this post because my hands are busy feeding my mouth a big hunk of bread that just came out of the oven. I would like to tell you that it's some earthy, nutty, whole wheaty bread, but it's not. It's white sandwich bread, made with overly processed flour. There's butter melting on top of it. And I'm in heaven.

First, congratulations to my friends Carolyn and Scott and their daughter Joey, who welcomed baby Julian into the world today. I always get weepy when that much-anticipated e-mail comes (or Facebook update, I should say. E-mail seems so old fashioned now, doesn't it?). Good work, Mama. Now cuddle up with your little bundle and get some rest.

I have a partial update from Saturday's trash-to-treasure presentation. As a reminder, the newspaper gave me $25 to buy some junk at the big indoor yard sale they host, and then I had 24 hours to come up with a plan to repurpose it. Then, in front of a (very small) audience, I transformed it.

One of the items I bought--for $5--was a quilt top. I don't think I'm going to win any points for creativity here, but I basically just used it like I'd use any fabric and turned it into an Emmeline apron:

This was the last project I did at the show because I knew it would take a while, so I sent the audience off to do more shopping while I sewed it up. They came back at the end (well, some of them did) to see the result.

Thanks again for everyone's encouragement before the show. It went fine. Later this week, I'll show you what I did with wooden alphabet blocks, an old picture frame, and a soda-bottle crate.

Now, shifting gears ... to poverty.

There have been a couple of pivotal moments in our 4-year-old daughter Bo's life. One was when she saw the Broadway production of "Annie" last winter. It's probably not P.C., but she still likes to don the Annie dress I made her and scrub the floors "like an orphan." Hmm ...

A second pivotal moment was when her beloved preschool teacher Miss Kathleen quit her job at the school to go back to social work, helping homeless women and children find permanent housing. Ever since then, Bo has been on the lookout for homeless people. She also sometimes asks me if Miss Kathleen has found a home for Annie yet. (After which I fruitlessly try to explain the difference between fiction and reality and then give up and assure her that Annie is with Daddy Warbucks now.)

Anyhow, on a more serious note, Bo's concerns about poverty--especially children without enough food to eat or without a place to live--has been growing. I asked her last week if she'd like to do something to help, and she said yes.

Together, we came up with a plan: she's going to make crafts that she'll sell at a local farmers' market and then donate the money to a crisis nursery here in town. So between now and Oct. 10, the date of her sale, we'll be stocking up on crafty-kid inventory.

She got started tonight with a project I've eyed for months now.

Presenting Bo's very first papier mache pig puppet:

 

(Turns out an empty thread spool makes a great snout.)

The little pig is drying now, and tomorrow he'll get a coat of paint and something to wear.

I'm sure we've all read articles about kids doing good things for charity, like donating their birthday gifts to a cause. I love seeing that, but I have to admit I've always been skeptical about how much the parents are pushing it rather than it coming from the kid. Not that it'd be a bad thing that they're pushing them to do. On the contrary. It's just the pushing I don't like--or the assumption of pushing, since it's just the cynic in me that questions the kids' motivation.

But I can tell you this crafting project of Bo's is coming straight from her heart. It's the first thing she talks about in the morning and the last thing she says at night ("are we going to help the people tomorrow?"). I'll never question those feel-good articles again.

It's enough to warm a mama's heart. 

Bread warms up other parts of me. One more slice before bedtime ...

From trash ...

... to treasure. Soon.

I'm on my way to a big indoor yard sale, where I'll be demonstrating how to turn castaway items into something better. The good folks at the local newspaper gave me $25 to spend at the sale yesterday. With Magpie at my side (and oftentimes very far away from my side--going junking with a toddler is challenging, to say the least), I spent the money on these items:

There were a lot of quilt tops to choose from, but this one for $5 caught my eye:

The cookie cookbook, well, it's full of cookie recipes. What can I say? For $3, I had to have it. The plan is to use it to decoupage, though, so I'd better pull out my favorite recipes now.

And am I the only one with a crush on these vintage metal trays? Mint and red. 'Nuff said.

Wish me luck! I'm going to be on a stage, which makes me a bit nervous. You would laugh at me if you saw how little the stage is, though. It's really no big deal. It's just that I'm used to crafting in my basement while wearing pajamas, not while wearing platform shoes with people who've actually taken sewing lessons in the audience. Eek!

I survived a make-and-take craft booth

As I just wrote on my other blog, I need a T-shirt that says that.

I'm back from 5 fun-filled hours teaching eager crafters (most of whom were darling little kids) how to make stuff out of secondhand materials at the North Idaho Fair. 

Take a look at some of their creations:

The one this kindergarten teacher made was one of my favorites:

How cute is this little monkey?

He sewed a pillow instead of a flower. And charmed my socks off in the meantime.

This is how the booth looked:

I displayed some of my crafty stuff to show folks how they could repurpose old objects.

And, yes, that's Amanda Soule's new book Handmade Home sitting in that wire basket. I bought it two days ago but haven't had a second to look inside yet.  

You can see more crafty photos from the booth here.

My only regret about the fair is that it fell on the night before the first day of preschool and I feel like I haven't properly ritualized the whole going-back-to-school thing with Bo. I think we'll have to get up extra early and go out for some pancakes to make up for it.

There's so much I could say right now about how inspired I was by the crafty kiddos at the fair, many of whom had never used a needle and thread before, and their ability to turn old sheets into beautiful objects.

Instead, though, I'm going to bed. G'night.

Vintage toys, a country wedding and more farm charm

Is this the summer of the hoedown or what? I hope you guys aren't getting sick of my photos of country chic, but I can't seem to help myself. I keep going to these vintage barn bazaars and find myself leaving totally inspired.

This weekend was the Vintage Barn antique show in Rathdrum, Idaho. 51 vendors, home-baked goodness by women from a nearby Mennonite community, and live bluegrass music. This was the scene:

I thought this would make a great lemonade stand for the girls, but for $300+ I decided we'd stick with the card table for now:

Can you imagine the hours that went into this?

More tartan! This time plates:

Bo contemplates the "naughty chair." I'm not sure today's child psychologists would recommend this.

Wee! No buckles! No straps! A handle that can become dislodged and used as a weapon. 

Pretty paper flowers made from pages of vintage books, I assume:

I loved the sea of blues and greens in this booth by Wild Whimsy (photo above, too):

Given that my blog is named Penny Carnival, I couldn't resist bringing home this toy for $5:

Can you see the grumpy look on the Ferris Wheel operator's face? I love it. It's like me at the sewing machine when I need to use the seam ripper. Grrrr ... 

The girls each chose a vintage toy, too--a dog on wheels for Bo and a helicopter on a string for Magpie. Bo named her dog "Flower" and insisted we build her a dog house this morning.

There's something about painting 3-dimensional surfaces that thrills my children to no end:

That's why I rarely recycle cardboard boxes and I keep the hot-glue gun handy at all times.

Does anyone else buy their kids secondhand toys? The girls chose these vintage ones on their own, but on birthdays and at Christmastime, I always throw some garage sale finds into the mix. Just today, I heard a funny story about an old friend whose dad always bought his kids stuff from garage sales for gifts. So they'd be putting together a puzzle and get to the end only to discover that four pieces were missing. And one Christmas two of the brothers got bicycles--one bicycle worked and one didn't. That cracked me up, but it caused one of the brothers to vow to always buy new toys for his kids. You can probably guess which brother.

In other news from the weekend, we attended our nephew's absolutely gorgeous wedding in the, you guessed it, country.

I don't know if Bo was more thrilled by the bride and groom's kiss at the altar or the horse-and-carriage rides:

This draping was inside the barn where dinner was served:

Outside the barn looking in:

Inside the barn looking out:

At the risk of sounding completely unappreciative for the lovely wedding J and I had 7 years ago ... um, can I have a do over, please?

I did do some sewing this weekend, but it just involved adding straps to an otherwise revealing strapless dress. I'd show you the before and after, but the before shots would make this an x-rated blog. Not that I actually took before shots like that.

We did manage to hang my hammock in the backyard after it spent, oh, 15 years in storage. Literally. I bought this hammock while studying abroad in Costa Rica in 1994, lugged it all the way home on the plane, and then never hung it. Leave it to my task-master husband to get it swinging. That guy can plow through a to-do list like nobody I know.

It's dreamy to relax in there under the cherry trees, callused feet and all (don't zoom in. you'll regret it. I've been running a lot).

Speaking of cherries, I'm overdosing. I need an intervention. I just filled a small baby bottle with pits while writing this post. 

They're. Just. So. Frickin'. Good. And. Sweet. 

I mostly just eat them as nature intended, but we had J's cousin over for dinner last night so I made this dessert:

Bo took her job of making it snow on the clafouti very seriously.

OK, so she went a little overboard. What can I say? The kid is used to living under 4 feet of the white stuff every winter.

Going bananas for book slings, and randomness

A few random thoughts on this unseasonably crisp (but beautiful and perfect) summer evening.

-I sold another book sling in my Etsy shop! Yea-hoo! The buyer told me she wanted me to use the solid colors of brown and banana (read: yellow) as the main fabrics, and then gave me the creative freedom to add a bit of flair to it. Gotta love that. So this is what I created for her son, Nolan.

It looks a little wobbly there because the books are only on one end.

I made it reversible, so she can use either the lower case or uppercase side, or she can just go with plain brown or banana by flipping the whole thing inside out.

For you newcomers, this is what a whole book sling looks like (Bo's room was a mess today, so I didn't get a good wide shot):

Someone must have a put up a new link to my Etsy shop, because I'm getting a lot of book sling inquiries lately. You never know if a conversation with a potential customer will really pan out, though, so you might see more examples here in the near future. Or you might not. 

Selling on Etsy is way less profitable than my other life as a freelance journalist, but boy is it fun when someone honors you by wanting to buy something you made. 

-For you locals, check out my post on Dwell Well about what looks like another great funky junky fair this weekend near Spokane. It's called the Vintage Barn Antique Show, and it was featured in "Country Living" mag last summer.

-Cherries for sale! Cherries for sale! Organically grown, ripe cherries for sale!

And hopefully you don't get a cup with some of Magpie's half-eaten ones inside. 

Good to see the ballet recital costume is getting good use, especially since it never made it on stage during the actual recital. A repeat of her mom's (lack of) performance back in 1977.

Bo kept telling people a cup of cherries cost $5 instead of 5 cents. 

I'd like to build the girls a sturdy wooden stand like this one.

-My friend Joe alerted me to this. (WARNING! BAD WORDS.) I told him I need something along those lines for my front door warning people not to knock when the girls are napping. It's not quite as neighborly as what I had in mind, but it sure would get the message across, don't you think?

Update: Bo is sitting with me and just shouted "Mr. Obama!" when I clicked on that link. Cute.

-I'm in love with this nursery. Do you think it would translate well into a master bedroom? Hmmm ...

-And in other bloggy good news, Sew Mama Sew featured my daily planner today! Remember it? I'm so flattered. 

If you found Penny Carnival through that post, welcome.

This year's 4th of July dress

UPDATE: I'm getting a lot of hits on this post from Google. Just wanted to let everyone know that if you're looking for a 4th of July dress FOR SALE, visit my Etsy shop. If you want to buy the one you see here or something like it, let me know by leaving a comment below and I'll list it in the shop.

The girls and I recently made a rule that I'm somewhat regretting. We decided that every time we see a U.S. flag we have to sing "She's a Grand Old Flag." Unfortunately, I'm the only one who knows the words, so it's always me doing the singing. And, well, Spokane is a pretty patriotic town. I find myself singing the song A LOT.

Anyhow, with the Fourth of July coming up, I figured it was time to sew some patriotic dresses. Here's my first crack at it, which looks remarkably similar to last year's dress. Hmmm ...

And just like last year, I made it too big. I really should have read my old post before embarking on this one. 

The tiny sheep is there just to illustrate that there are pockets.

Gotta love hemming a dress with bias tape. So easy and crisp.

Bodice is lined, but skirt isn't. No zippers or buttons or anything. Just pull it on over the head. The pattern is McCalls 5370, but like always I only roughly followed it. The fabric is from a line called M'Liss at JoAnn's. I (heart) 40 percent off coupons.

Unlike last year, we won't be in Bristol, Rhode Island, next month for the oldest, biggest, best parade in the nation. I hate to miss July in R.I. Like any year when I'm not there for the Fourth, there will be times when I'll catch a whiff of something that reminds me of back east, making me regret that we didn't go. My sister and I went back there almost every summer as kids, so I think my body is trained to expect certain sensations in July, like the smell of salt water and the taste of clams. The need to tackle some house projects beat out our desire to make the trek this year, but hopefully we'll be back in 2010.

On a separate note, if you live here in Spokane, don't forget about this weekend's Two Women Barn Bazaar. I went last fall and really enjoyed it, especially the bluegrass music. Check out that link for more details or read what I wrote about it on my Spokesman-Review blog. You can also see some photos I took at last fall's show here.

Forever in peace may she wave

I only had a chance to photograph one of my Farm Chicks treasures today, so the others will have to trickle onto the blog as the week progresses. But to start things off ...

Farm Chicks Find No. 1: A 48-star American flag for $40.

The stars and stripes are sewn on, by the way, not printed. 

Pardon the exposed hardware in the middle there. For now, I just draped the flag on nails already in the wall. And if you live in either Alaska or Hawaii, sorry. Forty-eight stars just looks so much cooler than 50.

I once saw an apartment in Elle Decor or some similar magazine that was completely bedecked in vintage American flags. It was one of the most unique and striking homes I'd ever seen featured in a magazine. The article popped into my head Saturday as I dug through a couple dozen old flags for sale by a vendor at the show.

So, sure, this is supposed to be an "art" statement, I guess. Or a decor statement, anyway. But people are often surprised to find out how patriotic I am. That's right. I usually cry during the National Anthem. 

I think most folks assume all journalists are shady, cynical creatures always on the prowl to uncover some government scandal. I would never define myself as cynical, though. Skeptical, yes. Not cynical. And most journalists I know are in the field because they're dedicated to things like honesty, keeping an accurate record of history, and exposing what's wrong in the world so that ignorance is diminished and solutions might be found. No one I know has ever shouted "gotchya!" after uncovering something damaging about another human being.

I believe that journalism is one of the most patriotic professions one can enter, actually. Without the "fourth estate"--the watchdog that sometimes has to play an unpopular role to expose truths that might make us squirm--there can't be democracy.

Maybe Thomas Jefferson said it best:

"Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter."

Ironically, that quote is carved into a wall at the Seattle Post Intelligencer offices--a newspaper that ceased its print publication a few months ago due to financial problems. Journalism jobs are fading and morphing at an alarming rate. In fact, it's probably more accurate to call myself a writer these days than a reporter since most of my work isn't for the editorial pages of the paper lately.

But I love journalism and I love this country, and I don't for a second think that is a contradiction. 

OK. Pardon me as I step off my soapbox. 

In more crafty news ... I'm still on an apron kick, sewing some up for friends and preschool teachers as time allows. I also have an idea for a new apron design brewing after being inspired by something I saw at the Farm Chicks show. Stay tuned.

Otherwise, please enjoy the brilliance that abounds elsewhere on the Web:

-Amy Karol's greeting cards made from the funny things her kids say. We keep a running list of the goofy observations our girls make, too, so I can't wait to put the hilarity to use like Amy has. For example, Bo said this one day:

"When I was a little girl, my heart got broken. But it got better when sissy hugged me and we got married."

Bo, 3 1/2

-Have I mentioned this little shop yet? I think so, but it's worth repeating for your baking pleasure. Every person must have a stash of red-and-white baker's twine and some brown boxes on hand for packing up treats for friends and neighbors, don't you think?

 

-The illustrations and captions in the vintage health book that Denise Sharp bought for $1 recently. I want to embroider every page! 

-All the great kid-crafty ideas on this Web site I stumbled upon recently, including making ginormous pencils. A lot of the activities will have to wait until they get older, but the girls would get a kick out of making mondo pencils. We did something similar in art class when I was in middle school, but you could pick the object you enlarged. I chose a record album. The Queen is Dead by The Smiths. I was sooo tragic.

-The Parents Journal podcast by Bobbi Conner. You have to get past the cheesy theme music, but the messages are usually very interesting and practical. One topic she likes to address is the benefits of no or very little TV. It's always good to play her program when I'm tempted to drag out the Dora DVDs.

-Photojojo's links to photos you can use for free, as well as ideas on what to do with them.

This image reminds me of my original idea for a theme for Bo's nursery before she was born: "vintage swim."

I'd still love to do that one day, but I doubt the girls would be on board with it yet. And soon enough they'll have their own ideas, anyway. How cool would it be to paint the walls aqua, frame some vintage swimsuits in shadow boxes, and display funky old swim caps, though?

-The Crafty Crow's roundup of ideas for making seed markers with kids, found via Kids Craft Weekly. Monkey Lobster's project is my favorite:

 

-And this poster about how to build community, brought to my attention by my friend Nis.

As I said on my other blog:

I’m pretty good at a lot of those tips, but there are many ideas there that I should be using as guide to life. Some of my favorite suggestions from the list are “fix it even if you didn’t break it,” “bake extra and share,” “sit on your stoop” (my family has been doing this a lot more lately), “know your neighbors,” and “start a tradition.” “Turn off your TV” is easy for me, but if I buy the poster I might have to scratch out the word “TV” and replace it with “Internet” just to really challenge myself.

You can learn where to buy your own copy of the poster here.

Farm Chicks 2009

Too tired to say much right now, but I wanted to share some photos from today's treasure hunting at the Farm Chicks Antique Show here in Spokane.

I'm having a great time with my girlfriends, who drove up from Portland. We all found a few must-have items--I'll show you those later this week, once I have a chance to display them. The day ended with dinner here and then good conversation back home on the couch.

Here's a peek at what some of the vendors had to offer today. 

Vintage phonetic cards from Bella Shabby:

An amazing setup by the guys from the Barn House in SW Washington:

One of the Barn House boys in his burlap apron (love it!!):

I don't think it's actually burlap, because it's softer than you would think. I'll have to go back tomorrow and ask him what the material is.

The Top Stitch fabric and sewing store in Spokane and, an update based on Michelle's comment below, sewn goods by her mom, Elaine, at Fit to be Tied:

Another over-the-top display. I think this is the booth run by All That Glitters, but I'll double check tomorrow.

I was mad for cubbies all day. Cubbies. Lockers. Rows of post-office boxes. Anything with storage potential.

A "piano bar" from Retreat:

Get it?

Lovely tiaras, also from Retreat:

Butterfly mobile by the amazing Queen of Tarte:

The butterflies are made from the pages of vintage books.

More from Tarte:

And more (really, I just wanted to pull up a cot and move into her booth):

From Seabold Vintage Market (next two):

I really wanted this phone:

Yes, that's a hoop skirt playing the part of chandelier (from Luluz):

Adorable party hats from Luluz:

More cubbies:

Mmm ... top this baby with a slab of marble and you have yourself a dandy of a kitchen island:

This was this year's "one that got away":

It was sold (by Chaps) within the first few minutes of the show. Had I been quick enough, it would have been PERFECT in my kitchen.

Vintage child's Fourth of July dress. I want to re-create this, but I know whatever I make would look too new and crisp compared with this timeworn beauty.

Gas-station attendant badges, sold by The Farm Chicks themselves:

My mind is exploding with creative inspiration and good cheer.

Here, chicky chicky

I'm not one to read horoscopes, but anytime I do, the description of a Gemini (which is what I am) fits me to a T.

Flighty. Creative. Information collector. Starts projects but doesn't finish them. Outgoing. Wishy washy.

And Geminis, apparently, have two sides to them (they're the twins. Duh). One day they like pancakes. Can't get enough of them. The next day they forgot they ever liked pancakes at all and cringe at the thought of eating them.

That's me. I'm like Donny and Marie Osmond all rolled into one: a little bit country and a little bit rock 'n' roll.

This is especially true when you look at my house (or the way my mind imagines how my house will one day be fully decorated). I call my style "folk modern" because I like clean lines--with an antique quilt thrown in for warmth and history.

Every June (and sometimes May) for the last few years I've been able to indulge my more folksy side at The Farm Chicks Antique Show. It's a giant gathering of vendors with a keen eye for cool antiques and crafters who do amazing things with paper, fabric and other materials. Not only do these vendors know what to collect and sell, they have an amazing way of displaying their goods.

The original Farm Chicks, Serena and Teri, are two of the kindest ladies you'll ever come across and they work tirelessly to make sure the event runs smoothly. They also put a great deal of effort into the aesthetics of the weekend. I visit their blog often for clever ideas. 

Two friends are driving up from Portland for the show, which happens this weekend, and I'm doing my best to get all Chicky before they arrive. I'm following at least one idea in the Farm Chicks' book, which I'll show y'all later (once it's done!!) and hopefully more. 

Words really can't describe what a great event this is, so here are some photos from past years to hopefully give you a little taste. It's not too late to book a flight to Spokane. The fun starts Saturday. 

I still can't believe I let this one get away:

Floral apron over camo capris. Love it:

I remember saying that I wanted a kitschy cake topper for my wedding cake and everyone thought I was nuts. 

Am I the only one who loves anything that combines plaid with tin?

Part of one vendor's display last year:

Something like this would make a great Advent calendar:

For shopping at the farmers' market ... or containing an unruly toddler:

Keys off of vintage typewriters:

For kitchen storage, bathroom storage, craft room storage, whatever:

I love a parade

When I started this blog, for various reasons, I decided I wasn't going to include photos of my kids' faces. I didn't want this to be a family scrapbook. I wanted it to be about our adventures in creativity, not so much about us.

But I also wanted to commit to updating it often, so since we've been far from a sewing machine or a bottle of glue the last few days, family scrapbook is what I've got today. Plus, you never know where folks will find inspiration.

We took part in the country's longest running Fourth of July parade yesterday. 223 years total. 34 of which I've tried to be there as often as possible.

My dear Aunt Peggy was asked to march--a recognition of her service to education (she retired as principal of the high school here last year). I'm not someone who is big on pomp and circumstance--and believe me, neither is she--but it was emotional for me to march behind her and see all her former students and colleagues yelling her name and running up to her for a hug. And look at the second photo--even the unofficial parade judges gave her a 10!

This town is so patriotic it replaces its yellow center stripe down the middle of the road with a red, white and blue stripe. I took a photo of Bo on the stripe last year, and of both girls this year, and I hope to do it every year from now on (even when they're 13 and they roll their eyes at me and say, "Mother!!!").

The third photo of the Boston Red Sox float was taken because J was yelling at me--"take a picture! take a picture!" He's not particularly a big Red Sox fan or even a big baseball fan, so I figured the guy on the float was a big deal. I learned later that it was the shiny trophies in the background I was supposed to be aiming at. Something about winning the World Series a couple of times. I don't know. (Remind me to tell the story about the time my beloved professor Bob Zelnick at Boston University questioned whether women deserved the right to vote after I demonstrated my lack of baseball knowledge in class one day. It was funnier than it sounds.)

I had to take photos of the women from the parade's Korea display. Are those kimonos they're wearing? There's probably a Korea-specific word to describe them, but I thought they were gorgeous and might inspire something in the craft room down the road.

Finally, the stripe photos of the girls and a shot of Bo marching briefly with her nana. (I have some nice pictures of the cousins, too, D and B, but I didn't want to post them without your OK.) Note Bo's wardrobe change from the beginning of the parade to the end. Apparently parades are so much fun, it's easier just to go tinkle in your clothes than ask Mommy to take you to the bathroom. She learned her lesson, though. Later in the day, when she had to pee again, she just lifted her skirt and tinkled in the grass right in front of everyone. No warning. What can I say? The girl loves a parade.