Must Have Shoes

According to Nina Garcia there are five must have shoes styles every woman should own. One of those is a pair of Converse sneakers. I wonder if she had green in mind like I do?

(Image from Zappos)

Flea Market Survival

I’m sad to report that Brimfield was a bust. Early in my adventure I found one decent pair of chairs. In the right place with the right paint and fabric they would have been awesome. But they were a little too feminine for what I have in mind for my space. Fast forward 3.5 hours and I found a pair of old, perfectly worn leather club chairs. I sat in them. I admired them from afar. I sat in them again. Then I asked the price and choked. $5000 for the pair! Not exactly what I’d been budgeting for chairs. Alas, the hunt continues.

Since I have nothing to show for my hours of wandering I thought I’d share my flea market survival kit instead.
(1) Cash, because it is king. For cases of emergency spending there is a check and a credit card but you’ll get the best deal with cash.
(2) A notebook and pen. When I leave home this book is filled with measurements for spaces I’m looking to fill, door jamb widths, stairway heights, and the space in the back of the car. A treasure isn’t a treasure if you can’t get it into your house.
(3) Measuring tape. See number 2.
(4) Camera. Sometimes it helps to snap a picture of something you like but aren’t too sure about yet. Also, write down the booth information in that handy notebook you brought so you know where to return to when you realize you can’t live without said item.
(5) Sunblock and sunglasses. I’m pale, really pale. The only way to survive is with sunblock and sunglasses. If it hadn’t been overcast with threats of rain you would also see my brimmed straw hat up there.
(6) Water. You can’t be dropping two dollars here and there every time you’re thirsty so I always carry water and refill at fountains as necessary. I’m stingy with the cash since that is what will make my deals even better.
(7) A big canvas tote to store everything you see up there. It’s also really convenient for those tiny treasures you find along the way.

Shop SoWa & Brunch at Gaslight

Many, many Sundays ago I found myself as a lonely only. The dudely was away and friends were vacationing or otherwise engaged. I was bored and in need of some entertainment.

I found lots to entertain me at SoWa, Boston’s handmade, antique, and farmer’s markets held outdoors every Sunday spring through fall. The handmade market was fun, especially in the creative way all those talented folks displayed their goodies.

The antiques market was a really nice surprise. Whenever I see the word antiques I start thinking pricey collectibles. What I found, though, was more like a great flea market. My favorite was the tables of vintage jewelry to sort through. I ended up bringing home a fantastic red bead necklace. The woman even gave me an unsolicited $1 off the marked price. Nice, huh?

And isn’t it convenient that just next door is Gaslight? Well, I had to have brunch. I ordered what has become my go-to dish, moules frites. I cannot get enough of this dish. I did shake it up a little though and ordered myself a cocktail to accompany it, the matin martini. It was a delicious end to a morning of shopping.

Pick Your Own

It was what can only be described as a quintessential fall day in New England. There was apple picking in the bright fall sunshine with dew still on the grass. The trees were overflowing with large, beautiful apples, Mother Nature's gift to us for bearing a cold, rainy summer. Then there was the impulsive U-turn on the way back home to make a stop at the vegetable farm that bragged of its pick your own flowers. Of course, the only proper way to end that perfect fall day was with one perfect apple pie sliding into the oven and filling the house with scents of sugary-cinnamony goodness.

Shop Brimfield

Elise and I first shopped Brimfield together five years ago. It was a Saturday in May. It was hot, with temperatures well over 90. And it was packed both with people and things.

Our experience this past May could not have been more different. The temperature was more in line with what you’d expect for May. So where were the people and where were the things? Once we got past the vendors lined up directly along the road we found that field after field was empty, of both shoppers and vendors. It was kind of sad to see it so sparse.

That doesn’t mean I didn’t manage to find a few small treasures. Check out my cool vintage tin! The bottom is stamped with Made in Holland. Its previous owner was using it to store hummingbird food, or so said the piece of paper taped to the outside. It will now either find work in my kitchen or den making boring storage more interesting.

My other little treasure is a sterling silver serving piece. In my book it’s a pie server but I don’t if that is technically correct. When I first found this beauty it was tarnished and sad, sitting in a wooden drawer of other neglected things. It cleaned up beautifully and is now ready for a summer of fruit pies.

What did I pay for these finds, you’re asking? A grand total of $7. They were originally marked at a total of $9, but I drove a hard bargain.

Fab Freebie Downloads

The internet/blog world is such a lovely little place to be. Check out the fabulous free cards that the wildly talented bloggers of the world are making available...for free!

Cards designed by Creature Comforts (snail) and mmmcrafts (owls & apple)

Cards designed by Creature Comforts (flower) and Little Brown Pen/Creature Comforts (Procrastinate Now)

There is no way my geriatric printer, that barely prints in black ink, could do these great designs justice. Instead I loaded them on a memory stick and stopped by the local Staples to let the professionals handle it. I chose white 110lb cardstock for the printing and it cost just $1.09 per sheet! Some of the cards are two per sheet meaning they cost less than 55 cents each. What a bargain.

Looking at the great pdf freebies on the web has inspired me to create my own. Remember last summer when I took the computer design course? Well, I think it's time to brush the dust off those skills and see what I can create. So I'm saying it publicly, you can expect a free card download from Funky & Delightful in the future.

Oops, I did it again!

I don't know how this happens. It all begins so innocently. I need one fabric to finish off a project. Then I start rationalizing. Well, I'm already paying for shipping so I might as well pick up a few pieces I've had my eyes on. That makes sense, right? I'm saving on future shipping charges by buying more now. Is this an economist's dream or nightmare? Please, tell me I'm not alone.

Happy Birthday!

Today is my brother's birthday, number 36 if I remember correctly. He is tall, funny and really good at making things. All sorts of things, but especially out of wood. A few weeks ago my husband spotted this vintage book in a local antiques shop and we bought it as a birthday gift. Hopefully the USPS and Canada Post got it to him on time.

I love the illustrations and tables of still-relevant data, I wonder if Dick Proenneke took a copy with him to Alaska? There's probably a logging app for the iPhone these days, but coverage is still pretty spotty out the woods.

Who knew that early 20th century lumberjacks enjoyed reading a few lines of poetry during their lunch breaks? I guess I figured they would be too busy singing.

Hope you have a great birthday little brother!

Spring ensemble

I did it! I found the perfect spring coat to go with my perfect vintage pin. Could I be content with that? No. I had to make the perfect patchwork scarf. It’s a good thing Heather Bailey looked in her crystal ball a few years ago, saw my future coat, and kindly included the perfect colorway in her Freshcut line. Yep, perfect.

don't know what you've got till it's gone*

A while back, I found this vintage Horner's toffee tin in a local consignment shop and knew I had to have it. I love old confectionary tins in general, but to find one that features photos from Niagara Falls, my birthplace, seemed particularly serendipitous. So home it came where it has since been filled with vintage buttons from a couple of other recent antique store outings.

A few years ago I tried to find the house we lived in when I was born. I had the address, a map and this photo from the family album plus my mom's recollection that there was a cemetery a block or two away. After driving up and down the road several times, and watching the street numbers disappear where the house was supposed to be, I had to admit defeat. It appeared that the house with the beautiful rose bushes in the back yard that my mom loved had been torn down and replaced by a Quickie Mart.

Even though I have no actual memories of this house, the fact that it had been bulldozed to make way for a strip mall disturbed me a little. Since then I've kept my eyes open for vintage memorabilia from Niagara Falls. In addition to the tin I have a few travel brochures from the 70's that are pretty neat - I love the old illustrations.

*lyrics by Joni Mitchell 

etsy Shopping Spree

I had a little etsy shopping spree two weeks ago. My focus was accessories with a thought towards spring. I’ve been eyeing these sellers for a while and finally splurged on their beautiful wares.

From monicajtwo I got this great copper and turquoise bracelet. I almost missed out on this. I had browsed rather frequently at this piece and when, at last, I made up my mind it was gone! Thank God for etsy conversations. I crossed my fingers as I typed a message asking if she’d consider making another like it. The reply back was perfect! She’d love to make one for me and she would make it that very day. That is some amazing service to go along with an amazing bracelet.

Not to leave my ears out I picked up two pairs of earrings from MDsparks. The prices on her pieces are absolutely unbelievable. I’m not sure how she does it. What I do know is she does it simply, beautifully, and very well.

This year I am bound and determined to find a new spring coat. On that coat’s lapel I’ve imagined a fantastic vintage pin. I had been thinking a bright enamel pin but then I saw this funky rhinestone pin at VermontJewelry and knew it would be perfect for whatever coat I end up with.

Yep, a little retail therapy goes a long way to improving winter moods.

(photos by shop owners)

Geekfest 2009

We had a mini craft fair on Saturday at a ham radio club flea market (the president is a friend). "Ham radios?" you may be asking yourselves, "how do Tory and Elise expect Funky & Delightful to go over in this world? These girls are wack!" Well, dear readers, we have a confession to make. Not to reveal too much about our real life identities, but Tory and I are pretty comfortable in the world of precision instrumentation; one might say we speak near fluent geek ourselves. So, when offered an exclusive gig selling our handmade wares at an event where 200+ men would be in desperate need of last-minute gifts in attendance on Valentine's Day we couldn't resist.

Given our last experience with local craft fairs, we had pretty low expectations for this one so we decided not to go to town putting together an entirely new collection. We managed to cobble together quite a few odds and ends left over from past events: bibs, onsies, wallets etc. Of course, we did add a few new items: Tory whipped up a few charming handbags and some coffee cup cozies and I put together a handful of patchwork scarves and some fabric flower pins. There were a few late nights and weekends spent in our respective sewing rooms, but overall it was a pretty low-key effort.

Saturday morning found us in a middle school cafeteria surrounded by vendors and collectors offering a huge array of vacuum tubes, resistors, radios and computer parts. It was really fun, we had lots of people stopping by to chat with us and just about everyone was friendly and interesting. I'd like to think that our amazing table drew people over, but I'm sure it helped that we were the only two women under 50. Someone, assuming that we were students at the school, asked us where the bathrooms were; it was pretty funny. As for sales, we exceeded our goal and are pretty sure we saved a few husbands from the dog house by making sure they didn't go home empty-handed. We even sold the one remaining apron from our very first craft fair which was a bit of a relief. As an added bonus, I managed to score a few cool items for myself. On a table of mostly technical manuals, I found a 1969 Sears Roebuck catalogue in mint condition plus a handful of vintage travel brochures. All-in-all, Geekfest 2009 was a roaring success.

In closing, here are a few photos from the day:

A whole lot of pink

Another pair of the Stay-on Baby Booties from Knitting for Baby, again made using the Filatura Di Crosa Italian cotton. They are for my hair stylist, who is having a little girl in a few short weeks. Aren't they yummy? Every time I make a pair of these I bemoan the fact they they don't come in my size. But this time I actually did something about it.

Behold, my new MP superwash wool tights from Cambridge Clogs in Porter Square (formerly Vintage, etc.) I've been wanting some warm tights for winter skirt wearing but have never been able to wear wool next to my skin for more than, oh, ten minutes or so without serious consequences. These MP tights are lined with cotton and are not itchy at all (they even come in organic cotton for those of you who are so inclined). I might have to go back for the blue pair, one can never have too many pairs of striped tights, right?

Solid!

Finding a good selection of quilting weight solids is hard. It's about to get more difficult as my local source, Fabric Place, prepares to close its doors after more than 60 years in business. (This is particularly sad for Funky & Delightful since it was here that we got our first stash of fabric three years ago.)

Because the local Joann store is less than reliable when it comes to selection I knew I had to find another source for Kona cotton solids. A Google search revealed lots of on-line retailers who sell Kona solids but as I looked from site to site the same color looked vastly different. Hmm, no good when you're looking to make a match to, say, one of the dozens of prints already in your stash.

I started Googling Kona swatches and came up empty; this is one of the rare times Google let me down. I shot off an email to Fabric Shack, one of the on-line retailers with the greatest selection, describing the paint chip like swatch card I was looking for. Amanda responded quickly knowing exactly what I meant.

For only $5 + $1 shipping one was on its way to me. And its even better than a paint chip. Each little swatch is an actual piece of fabric. I think it's safe now to place an order; I'd better get shopping.

Back to School

I have always loved back to school time. Every year I'd plot the perfect school supplies. Should I use notebooks and folders? Or maybe binders with loose leaf paper and tabbed dividers? Pencils or pens or both? Backpack or tote or the underarm carry? Oh, yes, it was a joyful time for this organizational geek.

Here's how I'd go back to school now, handmade etsy style.

Clockwise from top left: Market tote by fangobbles, Sakura-small change purse by takae, recycle-reduce-reuse lunch tote by justotes, silver mod squares notebook by boundto

Insane, on many levels

I was light on the posting last week. That does not mean I was sitting idly on my hands though. My fingers were getting quite an internet shopping workout. Did you know that clicking “add to cart” counts as weight bearing exercise? If you want to add a little cardio don’t memorize your credit card number and leave your purse across the room.

The insane amount of internet shopping was the fault of one Heather Bailey. Soon after she unveiled her Pop Garden and Bijoux fabric lines I had envisioned two major projects. These projects required nine prints at a total of 17 yards plus 5 yards of white to break it all up. The best part? The new fabrics didn’t begin showing up in stores until the end of July and I have a self-imposed deadline of Labor Day weekend.

8 of the 9 prints + white

Unfortunately, my former favorite on-line retailer for one stop faric shopping made the decision not to carry Westminster or Free Spirit fabrics any longer. That means no Amy, no Heathers, no Joel, and no Anna Maria. Crazy! It was a very sad day indeed when I received that e-mail. That meant I had to find a new retailer.

Browsing all over the internet I couldn’t find a single retailer who had the entire collection. What I did find were three fantastic sellers who really came through for me in crunch time: fabricsupplies, sewlovefabrics, and Quilt Home. They couldn’t have been nicer to work with in setting up custom orders, their prices were good, and their shipping was incredibly fast. Just what I needed with September looming. Definitely give them a look the next time you’re shopping for fabric.

a baker's dozen of the 17

Now here’s where you will think I’ve really lost it. I didn’t stop at the nine fabrics I needed. I ordered an additional 17 fabrics just because I loved them and they seemed to be hard to get. And I might as well only pay for shipping once or thrice, right? Please, tell me you’re just as crazy about fabric as I am.

Infamy

OMG, I am so in love with these embroidered year book photos from Wonderthunder. My 20th high school reunion would have been this summer, had any of my lame classmates managed to organize something. We could have worn name tags with these little badges on them as we gathered around the bonfire in the gravel pit, passing around a forty pounder and listening to Motley Crue. Good times.

Shoe sale!

Am I the last person to discover Puddle Jumper Shoes? Adorable, made of leather and many styles are currently on sale for $14-20 per pair. How can an auntie resist? I ordered these two for a certain almost two years-old someone:

Yellow & Gray

Since I finished my birdie sling I'm seeing yellow and gray everywhere. Here are some of my favorites from etsy.

Clockwise from top left: grey flower pendant by Outlined, Noki pocket jotter by dozi, stitched mod yellow cards by polkadotshop, jacinda earrings by ristowkl

Clockwise from top left: butter yellow napkins by MichelleBrusegaard, mod stripey porcelain vase by shoshonasnow, twirlies wall wear 2 by neawear, Beth print by EggCupArt

Stacked up

Just washed fabrics from the Urban Chiks Swell collection. I can't wait to cut into the seersucker; it's so soft and light, I think it will be perfect for children's clothes.

Works in progress, including two for a certain niece's upcoming second birthday.
My new ceramic measuring cups from Anthropologie that finally went on sale (sale price not listed online).

Books left on my summer reading list: The Perfect Summer, Mountains Beyond Mountains, The Birth House, The White Tiger and Bill's Food.

Books on my recently read list:

When You Are Engulfed in Flames - kind of depressing, I had to read it in short bursts rather than devouring it like I usually do with something David Sedaris writes. Mid-life crisis is just not that funny.

I Capture the Castle - a smart, funny book with a strong female teenage protagonist. A good summer read and a book I wish I'd read when I was 17.

Lullabies for Little Criminals - hard to read at times, but oh so good. It really captures the confusion of being a preteen/teenage girl trying to navigate adult issues.

Unaccustomed Earth - stunning, I couldn't put it down. I've been a huge fan of Jhumpa Lahiri's writing since The Interpreter of Maladies and she doesn't disappoint with this book.

Can You Hear the Nightbird Call? - an historical novel set during the time since Partition through the Air India disaster. I wish I'd been aware of the politics and issues leading to Sikh extremism when it was actually happening. I grew up in the middle of it and was completely oblivious.

Only seven summer weekends left, how will I manage to finish and get in my required hours of hammock lounging and gin & tonic sipping?