Vintage Swap package safely in Ohio

Kristi received her Vintage Swaps package, so now it's safe to show what I sent her. She told me she loves buttons, vintage pillowcases, housewares (anything vintage for the kitchen), sewing trim, ribbon, bias tape; and lime green, purples, oranges, blues, and yellows. I had a lot of fun shopping for her, and better luck this time around. Here's what I put in her package:

(I have that same blue creamer, and love it so much!)
A vintage sheet in blues, greens, and purples:

A small tablecloth that I covet for myself:

A sack of vintage trims (and I forgot to photograph the box of vintage buttons I included):

(Isn't that floral trim great? I got one for myself, too.)

It sounds like Kristi liked it. Hooray! It's very fun to choose things for someone else, but also a little nerve-wracking! Heather, thanks so much for organizing the swap. I love doing it, and look forward to the next one!

Summer Vintage Swap Recieved

Last week, I received my Vintage Swaps package from Kristi. It was one of those weeks, so though it gave me a thrill to receive a package, and I took a quick peek inside when it arrived, I had to wait a few days before I actually had time to go through and take a good look and photograph what she sent. What a lot of things there were to discover! Here are some of my favorites:

This fabric and trim are destined to become something cute for Lucy. She claimed them as soon as she saw them. "Mine? On!"

This lemony linen napkin is on its way to becoming something else.
Not sure what yet, but I love the fabric...

This embroidered trim has blueberries! (One of my most favorite things.)
Hmmm...a blueberry-picking dress?

And these cute little vintage cards tickled me.
Perfect for a swap that celebrates the joy of snail mail!


Thanks, Kristi, for a great swap package! (Kristi's is on its way to her. I'll blog what I sent once I know she's received it.)

Vintage Swap goodies sent off to Pennsylvania

My partner, Lorena, has received her (super-late) Vintage Swap package, so now I can show you what I sent.

The swap started with a questionnaire, which I found so helpful. When I read Lorena's answers, I got an immediate picture in my head of just what sorts of things I would get for her. I printed it out and kept it in my purse, and had so much fun going to all my favorite thrift shops over and over on the hunt. But it turned out to be much harder than I expected to find what I wanted! (I'm sure I'll find tons of stuff now that it's over...). Each time I entered a store, my mind would recite the litany of hoped-for things: "green, brown, orange, paper ephemera, tins, pyrex, fabric, crochet..." Slowly, a package started to come together. I was delayed by sickness and over-busyness, which gave me a bit longer to find things to include. So, in the end, I sent:

--A vintage sheet (because she said she liked vintage fabric, but found it hard to cut into. Sheets are easy, because they're so plentiful!) The funny thing is, I have the same sheet. I've made an Itty Bitty Baby Dress, some bloomers, a 4-year-old's dress, and a skirt and headband for myself from this sheet, and still have some left over!

--Some rick rack and trim from my stash, tucked into a little appliqued fabric pouch.

--A vintage postcard of the courthouse in our town.

--A brown and yellow scarf.

--Two volumes of Stitch by Stitch. These are from the late 80s, which just doesn't feel "vintage" to me, since I was in high school! But I've read about them on blogs described that way, with good reviews. If you can look past the horrible 80s fashion and styling, there's some really good info in there about crochet, knitting, sewing... I had a hard time passing them on!

And my favorites...

--A pyrex mixing bowl with those lovely handle/spouts I find so handy when baking:


And these fabulous vintage knitting booklets:




I was so nervous putting this package in the mail! I sent it the day I received my package, and I so hoped she be as pleased as I was. It sounds like she was, thank goodness!

Joy in the mail

This week, after weeks of baby sickness and sleeplessness, I've been inching my way back to normal. The gorgeous spring weather has helped immensely: the kids and I have spent many hours outside each day. Cleaning up the yard and gardens has helped; it does my soul good to see beauty and order emerge from the drab mess.

And this

helped oh, so much! It's my Vintage Swap package! Yay! My partner, Lorena, really pinned down my taste.

I knew I was going to like it when I peeked inside and saw that dishcloth used as wrapping paper. And it just got better as I pulled more out of the box:

wrapped:


unwrapped:


Lucy decided this little jar was hers:

I had a hard time getting it back from her! It's full of lovely old buttons, which are sure to find their way into something for her, anyway! Even the jar is super cool--it's from ink (I had to look up the Skrip name on the lid right away, I was so curious about the unique shape), and has a little glass pocket inside it so you can have ink right up near the top to dip your pen into.

I am in love with this apron, and put it on right away. The colors are perfect for spring. No super baby in this one yet; I'm busy wearing it!


And there was Pyrex (in a pattern I've got some of already!), and a super soft, totally adorable dish cloth,


and cool old cookbooks,


and the cutest vintage children's book:


What a thrill. Thank you so much, Lorena. I love it all. And thank you, Heather, for organizing these swaps. I can't wait for the next round!

Lorena's package is on its way (we were a wee bit delayed; oops!). I'll show you what I sent when I know she's gotten it.

Unexpected treasures

Andi came home from work the other day with a big bag full of...what's that? Lovely wool and cotton yarn and tons of crochet hooks? What a wonderful unexpected surprise! A gift from a friend, who knits and knows I've begun to crochet. Thanks, Melissa! My crochet class was canceled last week due to (ridiculously-over prepared for) snow and this week to school vacation, so I'm itching to get back and find out what I might be able to do with this new treasure. I'm so excited to have a "stash" of yarn and hooks! (If you knit, you'll definitely want to check out Melissa's blog. She's made gorgeous things for Lucy, and she's got a book coming out soon!)



Another surprise came at the thrift shop, where I'd gone to look for potential treasure for the upcoming Vintage Swap. Naturally, as soon as I promise to swap some great stuff, I find nothing; I've been to several thrift shops in the past few weeks and walked away empty-handed--unheard of! (Sorry, Lorena! But don't worry, I'm still looking...) But I did spot this, which somehow found its way into my cart:



It's not well-made, or even old, but I like it all the same. I've got this vision of someday having a collection of old and new globes in all different sizes and colors (now we have 3). Already, I've overheard one precious after-nap conversation (the new globe is in the library, where the children nap), including this 4-year-old analysis: "The real earth is much bigger than that. It is bigger than a tree. It is bigger than a house. Way back when dinosaurs lived, it had to be bigger than they were!"