[ mostly organized! ]
Organizing my sewing supplies has been on my to-do list for quite some time, but one of those things that has been hard to do. First, from lack of space when I was living with my parents (everything was divided between my bedroom and the basement!). Currently it was because most of the fabric, notions and such were still in the big, plastic bins I moved with, and in our already overcrowded second bedroom closet (aka the “storage unit”). Which meant every time I wanted something I had to dig. This in turn resulted in my being monumentally lazy about having to dig to put stuff back, so by the end of my most recent sewing binge, the room was pretty much ready to be declared an Official Sewing Disaster Area (OSDA).
[ stacked fabrics and shoe boxes of notions and trims. ]
[ vintage machine attachments and favorite magazines. ]
[ inspiration line above the shelving. I change this from time-to-time. ]
Finally frustrated with the chaos and inability to easily access my supplies (which would make my sewing time more efficient–at least in theory), I decided to buy a couple of inexpensive shelving units from Ikea and get to work streamlining things. Most of the patterns, fabric and notions are now easily accessible across the room–I no longer have to go digging so much! (Although, to be honest, there still is a few boxes in the closet: scraps, heavy fabrics, modern patterns, etc.) It’s still not perfect: I need a few more boxes for some of the smaller notions/trims and a new organizer for my buttons; but it’s pretty darn close to perfect for me!
[ paper and fabric flowers I made for decorating the walls. ]
It’s nice to look at too–just seeing the fabric out inspires me to get started on some new projects! Plus, every time I walk in the room I get a smile on my face… Thanks to Sailor Husband’s ever amusing sense of humor. Notice the GI Joe doll on the top shelf? After I put my 50th Anniversary Barbie up there (along with the creepy foam head I use to hold and display hats), he thought it would be hilarious to put Joe up there too. lol. That guy cracks me up!
I’ll eventually do a post to show you where my sewing machine and serger reside, but that area is still getting the kinks worked out as far as neatness and organization go…
April 29, 2010 ·
22 lovely thoughts
posted in around the house,casey's musings
· tags: happy things, playing house
[ new pretty dresses in the shop! ]
I finally got around to updating the Elegant Musings shop with half a dozen pretty vintage dresses for some springtime fun. Be sure to check out these sweet little numbers–all are quite the thing for the warming temperatures!
p.s. Don’t forget that you can follow your favorite Etsy shops with the RSS feed (located near the bottom right column on the shop homepage) with your favorite feed reader!
April 28, 2010 ·
13 lovely thoughts
posted in casey's musings,shop
· tags: shop
[ the book, my knitting, and my oh-so classy yarn holder; née oatmeal box. ]
I recently was able to get my hands on a copy of A Stitch in Time: Knitting and Crochet Patterns of the 20s, 30s, and 40s by Jane Waller. While this book has been reprinted, the version I got to look at is the original 70s edition, which is basically reprints of vintage needlework publications. Let me just say that I think my heartbeat quickened quite a bit when I paged through this book! I am absolutely in love with just about all the designs that have been reprinted–I think if I were an octopus I’d try knitting them all right now! lol.
[ peek inside the book. ]
As it is, I can’t knit more than a couple projects at a time (and certainly not at the same time). I decided to frog a sweater I had started several months ago (and completely lost interest in), and use the yarn to start a new project. I had been looking for a new use for this yarn long before I checked this book out, since the sweater I had been knitting just wasn’t coming together. Now I’ve got something new on my needles!
[ the design that is currently on my needles. so fun to knit up! ]
Perhaps it’s because so many of the books I read as a child were published in the 70s (we spent a lot of time at the library growing up–it was a weekly event!), but these older “vintage style and craft” books always make me feel nostalgic. Partially because I wish I could time travel back to the early 70s when vintage was only just starting to gain interest and things were still widely available, and also because it reminds me of the books that got me interested in handcrafts and vintage clothing as a child. There is something rather wistful in returning to one’s roots nearly 20 years later… it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and just a bit sad that time has passed so quickly! (Although I think part of this is due to my birthday coming up in two weeks–I’m turning The Big 25! I always get silly and nostalgic like this around the end of April…)
[ another sneaky peek inside... more pictures here. ]
April 27, 2010 ·
19 lovely thoughts
posted in casey's musings,knitting
· tags: knitting, vintage inspiration
[ bounty at the farmer's market. ]
Happy Monday, friends! I feel like I’ve been gone from the blogging world for ages, but it’s only been a few short days. lol. Even though we didn’t go anywhere terribly “vacation-like” last week while Sailor Husband was on leave, we had a great time: a couple trips to the beach (including hunting for shark teeth at one!), spontaneous outings around town, and late evening runs for ice cream.
Thursday, for Earth Day, Anthropologie was offering a free container gardening event. Now, I am by far not the most adept gardener–despite being fascinated by the idea of growing flowers and vegetables from an early age (and having many mishaps with trying to grow things!). But, I figured perhaps I could pick up some tips and such. The event didn’t end up quite like I thought it would–it was more of the sort of thing were you got to claim your own seedling and try some yummy vegan food. Which was fun anyway. I brought home a darling little chamomile seedling I picked out, as well as some of the neat seed bombs that Anthropologie is selling right now. I just need to find some big containers and try planting a couple on our porch…
[ organic carrots. ]
[ beets! yum... ]
The plant fascination continued over the weekend with our trip to the local farmer’s market. I’d only been once–before the weather warmed up–and was delighted by the amount of goodies on display (both food and otherwise). We got some organic vegetables (including a bunch of organic carrots–dubbed “Peter Rabbit carrots” by Sailor Husband because of their squat appearance), had some fantastic organic coffee, I drooled over fair trade bracelets that came in a rainbow of colors, and generally took in the atmosphere. I think this might become a regular weekend jaunt for us this summer–although I need to make a mental note to bring my parasol next time–the Florida sunshine just isn’t kind to my skin!
[ Sailor Husband's iced green tea smoothie--very sweet! ]
I was wondering… do any of you garden? I’m really hoping to perhaps cultivate my gardening skills (or lack thereof) a bit more this year and plant a few things in small containers for our porch. We really have quite limited space, but I know that hasn’t stopped a whole movement for container gardening in tiny spaces from springing up! If you have any green thumb resources (books or websites) that you could recommend, I’d love to hear about them!
Have a lovely Monday!
April 26, 2010 ·
35 lovely thoughts
posted in casey's musings,green lifestyle,life
· tags: happy things, life
