pickin' and grinnin'- this week's awesome finds include longwy and blenko!

Tomorrow's weather is supposed to be rough, so I will not be headed out to any sales to find more awesome finds... not that I left anything on the table. My faves this week include...

Lovely French faience, or majolica, pitcher pretty shades of green with that characteristic slightly runny look.
This piece will be headed to Hanna Antiques on Monday.  

Fantastic little Longwy dish from the 1920's. I love this scarab-type pattern! 

I cannot resist some Blenko owls! This rich amber color looks great with old books.

Set of 7 Laurel Burch plates- I love the colors and patterns, even though I am not much for cats.

New Markdowns in my Etsy vintage shop- Big Sale!

I've just marked some fab finds down in my shop! Please click on the light grey links below each item to take your new favorite Etsy Find!

Southern Comfort double old fashion glasses, set of 6

Southern Comfort promotional glasses from the 70's in the cooler size, set of 10

Green hobnail vases with a milky top, very handsome!

Silver plate trinket box, who's lost almost all the silver, but gained in great good looks!

Marble and jasper eggs, pretty colors

Large glass pineapple box, perfect for the holiday candy jar

a week-ness of tea

custom travel tumblers from yevgenia

This week I have vowed to drink more tea. Green, white, black, if it's tea, I'm drinking it.
So, in honor of a week of tea and weakness for tea, I am sharing my fave tea accessories- some I have, some I want. All you need!

Hand painted ceramic travel mug by Yevgenia

The above mug is my mug that my thoughtful sister had custom made for me because I love lavender. She requested the custom design and Yevgenia obliged and added the design to the collection. Yevgenia doesn't currently have this in her line, but she has many lovely designs. The cup is double walled ceramics, glazed on the inside and matte on the outside. Lovely, lovely work... and keeps your tea warm. I used a desk image so you could see the back design reflected in a planter on my desk.

Tea cozy from Flock of Tea Cosy

I am more than a little obsessed with these tea cozies. I love the thick wool felt, the simple elegant design and that they look like a biretta hat.

Tea infuser from Dunkfish 

These tea infusers for loose teas are fantastic and definitely should be on your Christmas list. I love that they were design in the US and funded by crowd sourcing. Such great ideas coming out of this company, including a honey wand that would be a nice accompaniment to a Dunkfish. I love honey in tea!

When I worked in publishing, a friend brought me a shortbread cookie... an lavender shortbread cookie to be exact... from taste testing. I was fantastic, but doesn't seem to have been published. So, instead proving that recipe, I will link you to a slide show of tested recipes for shortbread cookies from my friends at Southern Progress.

lovely shortbread cookies

With or without a shortbread cookie, cheese straw, or tiny sandwich, hot tea is a treat and you should treat yourself daily!

Moss Rock Festival- preview

I am completing pieces and adding them to my displays. Such a feeling of accomplishment when you see you work done and displayed! I love this funny Christmas tree that is just bands of greenery. It is perfect for display. I cannot wait to set it up at the festival. See mt sneak preview of the first wave of completed pieces below!

Ice dying- time for a class project

Fabric dying, for me, is as magical as Raku pottery to me and I can do in at home...

I am excited to announce a new venture with Do-It-Yourself Crafts in Homewood where I will be teaching classes in dying and felting! They will be super fun, perfect for making holiday gifts, and centrally located with many options for classes and class times!

My first class will be following the hot trend of infinity scarves combined with ice dying. This fast paced class will take you from a plain rayon jersey infinity scarf to one full of your favorite color!  Take the class to try it out, them com back for an "open" session where you can do multiples.

Here's my photos of  the ice-dying project you will be making. Of course you can pick your own color palette.

once the ice melts the dying is done and the waiting begins!

what I love about the process is the unexpected nature of it. This scarf is made using purple, turquoise and lime green. Due to the variations in the dye components, other unexpected and lovely colors can erupt! The golden yellow is unexpected, but lovely, nonetheless! 

The info on signing up for one of my classes... or all of them!

The Schedule: 

Monday September 16 10 a.m. Beginning Ice Dying - Circular Scarf $45

Wednesday September 18 10 a.m. Basic Nuno Felting - long silk scarf $54

Monday September 23 6:30 p.m. Beginning Ice Dying - Circular Scarf $45

Wednesday September 25 6:30 p.m. Basic Nuno Felting - long silk scarf $54

Saturday September 28 10 a.m. Felted Soap Creations - for KIDS aged 10 and older! $12 first bar, $10 each additional bar

Monday September 30 6:30 p.m. Advanced Ice Dying - several choices of items (will be explained at beginning class)

Wednesday October 2 6:00 Free Form Felting - $72 

Wednesday October 9 4 p.m. OPEN STUDIO FELTING AND DYING Price will vary by garment, some beginning class will need to have been taken!

Friday October 11 10 a.m. Nuno Felting and Dying $70

The classes will  be held at Do-It-Yourself Craft

1909 Oxmoor Road
Homewood, Alabama 35209

Phone: 205-868-4346
Hours: Monday thru Saturday 10am-6pm

Sunday 12-5pm