Happy Thursday...

Alice and Elsie (aka "me") is setting up at it's first antique (junk) show in September so I've been busy accumulating vintage goodies and making business card-handout type things for my booth.

The show is a "juried" one which means that I have to be approved before they'll let me in to sell my wares...the "jury" is still out... (ok, I'm still waiting to hear if I've been approved). As soon as I hear I'll give you more details to the show...and if I'm rejected then I'll be too humiliated to ever mention it again!

I ordered some scented geraniums and they arrived yesterday...I was instructed not to transplant them just yet, they apparently need to get over the stress of traveling. I got Chocolate Mint, Grapefruit, Lemon Meringue and Lady Mary (which is sort of a citrusy-minty scent). I'm so excited and damn they smell good!

Senior Prom!

WHEW! I finally finished Shelby's Senior Prom album. I love these Sassafrass Lass papers, the colors and patterns are so fun! I had been saving them for a special project and I think her senior prom quaifies (besides, I'm sure Matt won't be broken hearted that I'm not planning on making him a prom album let alone a girly prom album!).

I'm off to work on my next project...my niece, Jordan, left behind the CUTEST bear drawing (she makes her own softie patterns and sews the cutest little critters) so I think I'll turn it into a pattern and make him out of felt.

Paper Bag Lady

About three years ago my sister, Lisa, got me hooked on making these little paper bag scrapbook albums...I used to sell them on Ebay before I discovered Etsy. I quit making them a year or so ago but after making the five graduation albums for Shelby and her friends I'm obsessed with making them again. One of the girls asked if I could make an album for her father so here it is...

I suppose I should finish Shelby's Senior Prom album before I make anymore paper bag albums!

Garage Sale Heaven!

Today was Woodbury's annual Lions Club Garage Sale...literally hundreds of Woodbury residents set up shop in their garages and sell everything you can possibly imagine. Tom and I have made it a tradition of taking Friday off (that's the first day so you get the best selection) and we (ok "I") found lots of treasures. My favorite find was the vintage sequin and felt Santa and Snowman ornaments...I discovered these beauties in one of the community churches. Tom's loot is pictured way in the back...he found some old MN Twins Wheaties boxes for $1 each. Oh, I also found two bundles of vintage hankies, each bundle had about 20 hankies each and guess what I paid for each bundle...25 cents! I also got a bunch of really old books for FREE, vintage yard tools for 25 cents each, vintage games, puzzles, vintage jewelry, vintage linens, lots of vintage Christmas goodies, a few vintage cookbooks and a fantastic old desk that Tom managed to talk the sellers into taking a measley $25 for. I'm in garage sale heaven!

And this little find is for my sister...my photography skills are pretty sad, this picture is much prettier in person
I recently joined a swap group and this is my first completed swap project. We were to find a little something at a thrift shop and alter it. My swap partner happens to like Victorian things so I hope she likes this...and I hope she doesn't read my blog because it won't be much of a surprise if she sees it before it arrives in the mail.

I like the way it turned out so much that I may make a few to sell in my Etsy shop.

Time flies...

Seems so long ago that we were in hot, sunny Florida for spring break. The weather was perfect the entire eight days we were there, and, needless to say, we had SO. MUCH. FUN! This was the first vacation in a long time in which none of us wanted to come home.

Here are some of my favorite picturesShelby gave Mickey a little smooch on the cheek...

Matt was thrilled about this one since Goofy has always been his favorite Disney Character (with Pluto a close second)

I was thrilled Pinnochio was there! Isn't he adorable?

Love this picture of me and Tom...kind of romantic huh? This was at Clearwater Beach (Gulf of Mexico)

I just couldn't resist snapping their picture under the "We have crabs" sign...notice Matt didn't want anything to do with it. Tarpon Springs, Sponge Docks.

{BIG SIGH} I really haven't come out of vacation mode yet even though it's been a week since we got back...I'm having a really tough time getting back in the swing of things. I quit my shameful photography "picture a day" blog...I fell behind while on vacation and there's simply no way I'll be able to catch it up now (or maybe I'll feel really ambitious this weekend and just do it??) I did manage to make a few new goodies for my shop...

That's all for now!

A Hint of Spring

First of all, I have to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my big sister... Happy Birthday Lisa! Sorry I didn't get to actually talk to you today. Hope you had a fun birthday.

Spring is finally here, the backyard is almost dry so the dogs can run free without getting absolutely covered in mud...yippee! We're getting ready to leave for 8 days for spring break but instead of getting ready for the trip all I seem to want to do is create. Here are some of the things I've been working on...

A little inspiration...

This heart was inspired by Julie Collings...I got the little velvety flowers from her esty shop.

I found some great vintage candles in an antique shop and a few more boxes were purchased from a shop on Etsy (http://www.gatinhasp.etsy.com/). I'm working on making some birthday cards to put in my Etsy shop.

I love to sew on little projects while watching a little TV in the evenings but I have to drag all my sewing stuff from my "studio" to the living room...back and forth...back and forth...so I purchased this adorable vintage sewing basket from VintageGoodness (http://www.vintagegoodness.etsy.com/). It smells very badly of cigarette smoke so I'm trying to air it out before stocking it full of my favorite sewing items. I decorated it with some of my wool strawberries from my shop.
I've been thinking about dragging all the Easter decorations out of storage but haven't taken the plunge. This little primitive bunny is the closest thing to decorating...he's holding one of my favorite vintage millinery flowers. I made him last year but can't bear to put him away with the rest of the decorations so he has a permanent spot on one of my lamp tables.
I almost didn't buy this little metal box when I spotted it at Goodwill a few weeks back. After I did buy it I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it. I embellished it very simply because I just love the patina and the antique look of the metal so wanted to leave it as bear as possible but still make it pretty. I put a bunch of my vintage birthday candles and vintage millinery in it for safe keeping.

I hope everyone has a terrific week. My step-father is coming in from Texas on Thursday to stay with Bantha and Trixie and we're heading to Orlando on Friday...can't wait! I think the dogs know we're leaving them though because they're following us around and constantly under foot, I'm a little worried about them and a little sad to leave them. I wonder if rescue dogs are more fearful of being left because they were previously abandoned?