DIY Fabulous Envelopes

 I saw this idea on Pinterest and loved it.  Its super easy, and the envelopes are just charming. 
1. Choose a sheet of paper.
2. Open up an envelope to use as a pattern and trace around the pattern, and cut it out.

 3. Score the fold lines with scissors and a ruler.
4. Fold along the scored fold lines.
5. Use double stick tape to seal the two sides of the envelope.  You can add more to use later when sealing the top.

These envelopes are a large card size and used a sheet of 12 by 12 scrapbook paper, these were by Mirabella.

A normal correspondence envelope uses a sheet of printer paper, making it possible to use cool stuff off the Internet for paper. The three envelopes above are made from a page of a French newspaper, a map of Paris and some handwritten script, all images I found on Graphics Fairy.

 These envelopes are made from vintage wrapping paper. 

Other materials that would make great envelopes, are old newspapers, sheet music, pages from an atlas ... the possibilities are endless.

And look how great they all look stowed in an old desk's cubby

 holes!! 

 

Uses for the fancy envelopes can include special correspondence, of course.  You can also make corresponding cards to match.  Mine will likely end up being used in smash books to hold those extra fun small details, that are so fun to handle, like tickets stubs, love notes, railroad passes, receipts and small pictures.

 

 

Incognito at Dear Lizzie

 Happily managed to tuck in a lunch date and an hour of shopping at one of my favorite stores, Dear Lizzie today, along with one of my favorite people, Stacy!

 Laura Jarman the proprietress of the store is amazingly talented.  Walking into her store always takes my breath away!

 

 Everything is delightful and ever so slightly unexpected ...

 And the attached bistro serves great soups, salads and sandwiches ... the sweet spinach salad was food for the gods!

I may not have mentioned that they also have wonderful 'ala frills' clothing ... Stacy 'models' a favorite gown above, while I find it easy to pose behind a butterfly mask.

What a great afternoon, so glad that Stacy was able to get away as well ... thanks for a wonderful afternoon Laura.





The only thing that came close to marring the day, is that Stacy had come ready to buy a sweet 'cake' pennant banner she had seen the last time she visited Dear Lizzie.  The trouble is, there were no more ... so ... sad ... so...

 I made her one at work today ... between helping our wonderful customers, that is.  I have no idea what the one she had planned to get looked like, but I know she loves pink. 

Stacy has an online shop called Stacysshabbyshoppe, and she makes the cutest faux cupcakes ... (along with other vintage lovelies) maybe she will use the banner across the cupboard where she stores them! That would be adorable!




Oh and thanks to Karen at Graphics Fairy for this great pink Victorian cake ... it is the perfect centerpiece.

Paper lace, sheet music, German glass glitter, letter cut outs, real lace, seam binding, pink string, ribbon, pink buttons, antique tensile and mercury glass Christmas ornaments compete for attention ... won't she be surprised?

Displaying Buttons

 Can I just say, I love this graphic.  I found the original, to the right, on Graphics Fairy, then did some trimming, spent some time in Paint erasing the word 'Album' and adding blue trim.  And voila, I have a simple but charming button card for the blue buttons in my collection!

 Isn't it fun how all the birds appear to be entranced looking at the button/s sewn in the middle of the card?

 

Then I spent a little time today sewing my Frenchy Blue buttons on the cards ... They make the best frames ...

Thank you, Thank you Karen from Graphics Fairy ... now I need to find more great back grounds for other  colors of buttons.

I know hard work, but someone's got to do it!

Colored Glass Mosaics

 Today was a serendipitous day in many ways ... but one of my favorites was that I got a call at the Antique Mall where I work from a lady who wanted to sell some old windows.  She lives in my little town so I made arrangements to meet her after work. 

I found out that this is what she does with old windows.  She glues colored glass fragments to them to make colored glass mosaics.

 What a talented woman Tiffany is.  The designs are all her own, though she does do some custom work that included collaborative consultation.

 Most of the glass she uses is dug and collected at old dumps.  The one to the right is her favorite.

She sells her work on etsy, definitely worth taking a peek!

 

This cat and balloon composition is a collaboration, and is probably my favorite.

 She is shown above with another work of art ... the mural to the right was done with her mother in her daughter's room.   Whoa!!

 Happy mosaic stepping stones dot her garden path ... oh and she has some serious gardening skills as well.

And just before I drove away, I had to snap one more picture.

Displaying Funky Junk for Altered Art

 

If you are a long time follower you may recall that when I drove to Southern California last year for a flea market with some friends, we accidentally discovered a cool and unusual craft supply store for Altered Artists called Zinnia.  Ever since I have toyed with the idea of having a section of my space at the antique mall that had junk and goodies for crafters.

 This is the sign that I made today to hang in my new artistic junk booth.  Of course its really just a reinvented sign, having lived a former life with the slogan 'let it snow'.

I have had some such stuff for years, like old clothes pins, cookie cutters, antique toy blocks, sheet music, old photos, zippers with metal teeth, buttons, silver plate flat ware, and glass doorknobs, etc, but they have always been scattered over the 5 booth spaces I rent at the mall.  Now they are coming together.  Its been super fun, as I always love a project.

 I was lucky enough to find four gallon jars at an estate sale last weekend, but they looked drab and utilitarian.  So even though I am just using them to display junk for sale, I thought it would be fun to keep in the spirit of reinvention and altered art.

 These cute old photos of girls in vintage costumes came from Graphics Fairy, and I have used some of them over and over.  Karen always has such great stuff!

Here they are all filled and ready for their trip to Treasure's Antique Mall in Springville!