weekly visual moodboard | be sure to click on the image to view picture sources.

Basil and Oregano plants–they’ve grown a lot in the past month!

Happy weekend, friends! I can’t believe how quickly May is flying by–and doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down any time soon ’round these parts. This week has been a lot of writing rather than doing on my part–emails always seem to pile up when I’m gone for a few days, and I’m trying to dig out from underneath that. I’m also trying to get back on a blogging schedule now that Maverick is needing less supervision and can actually be trusted on his own for periods of time (though not long–he usually finds something to get into and try to eat! You would not believe what I’ve pulled out of this animal’s mouth in the past few weeks…). So hopefully June will find me on more of an even keel with blogging and bringing you some fun things tutorial-wise!

The sad Cilantro…

It’s also been quite rainy here the past week, which has been good for the herbs I planted last month! Although the Thyme isn’t looking too well, and I think I might move it elsewhere so it doesn’t get so much rain (since I read Thyme likes it rather dry). Oh, and a question for all you green thumb types: can you tell me what might be causing these spots on my Cilantro? It’s growing quite well, but I’m not sure why it’s got these little spots. We have it in a natural potting soil mix (my dad mixes his own soil to avoid a lot of the chemical additives in commercial potting mixes, so he gave me a bunch of that!), but I suspect it might still be missing a fertilizer Cilantro (and not the other plants) need. Any help would be appreciated–I can’t seem to find much online and I’d like to start using it in my cooking!

Hope you have a lovely rest of your weekend! I’m off to spend it with SH since he had to work yesterday (boo!), and we could both use a bit of R&R.

Happy Friday, friends! I’m excited I finally have a little DIY for you (hopefully soon there will be some garment sewing DIYs coming…) Remember my pep talk post recently about decorating and getting started on covering up those ugly, beige accent pillows? I finally did just that! I’ll show you the fruit of my labors first and then there is a mini how-to further down for those who might be curious about the process. (Apologies in advance about the rumpled slip cover; it only stays un-rumpled so long with SH and the puppy!)

A nice little perk-up, no? I originally had grand plans for making plain pillow covers and stitching vintage hankies on, but SH deemed that idea a little too girly. (And since it’s his sofa too, I figure he gets say!) So I scaled it back a bit from the pinks, reds and exuberant florals I had wanted to use, and used an old tablecloth instead. Now, before my fellow vintage lovers want to bop me over the head for cutting up a vintage tablecloth: this one had some serious stains that would not come out despite my valiant efforts. So it had officially been banished to the “cutter” pile. I ended up using the four corners to avoid the worst stained portions, and like the effect of the oversized print and minimal color scheme.

The back of each pillow is a simple overlap style made out of an inexpensive canvas dropcloth from the hardware store, and embellished with a button from my stash. For days SH can’t take the vintage-pretty florals any longer, we can flip the pillows around to reveal the button placket backs. Clever, no? Now I just need to use the couple of smaller pillow forms my mom gave me during the winter and make some smaller accent pillows… It’s all about breaking up the massive size of this sofa!

If you’d like to know how I made these (they’re super easy–I made all four in about the space of an evening!), be sure to click through the post-break below.

I started by measuring the length and height of the pillows. They were all the same size: 21″x21″, but always remember: measure twice, cut once! I added 1″ to the length and width measurements for 1/2″ seam allowances. So each piece would be 22″x22″.

(Note: I found it easiest to make a paper pattern for the pillow pieces since I was making four, but you can always mark directly onto your fabric as well.) Cut out one piece for the front the dimensions of the pillow (plus that 1″ added to the l/w). For the back, divide the width of the pillow (21″) by 2 (10.5″) and add 5″ to this measurement (15.5″). Cut out two pieces the length (22″) by the width (15.5″).

Begin by hemming one long edge of each of the back pieces. You can turn under 1/2″, press, turn under 1″ and stitch the hem down. Or, if you have a serger like I do, serge one of the long edges and turn under 1″ before stitching down.

On one of the back pieces, mark the buttonhole placement on the long, hemmed edge. I placed mine 1″ from the hem fold and at the center of the length. (My buttons were 1 1/4″ wide, for reference.) Stitch by machine following your manual’s directions. I like to dab a little Fray Check on the front and back of the buttonholes to prevent any natty looking edges.

With the right side of the pillow front facing up, lay the buttonhole back piece right side down overtop on the right side. Lay the other back piece over one the left side, making sure the long hemmed edges are oriented in the same direction (center). Pin around the outer perimeter.

Stitch by machine around this outer edge with a 1/2″ seam. I reccomend finishing the edges with at least pinking or zig zag stitches (I used my serger), so if you need to launder these in the future, they aren’t a frayed mess! Turn cover right side out and press.

Open buttonhole and mark button placement on the underlap back piece. Stitch buttonhole by hand.

Insert pillow and button up the back. Done and very budget friendly! While I already had the tablecloth in my stash (it had been given to me, so free!), as well as the buttons and thread, the drop cloth was only $10. I have a lot of that leftover, so I think I can safely say for about $6 and an evening of sewing I have four new pillows! (If you’d like to find an old tablecloth to use for a similar project, I recommend searching on Etsy for “cutter tablecloth” to find ones cheaply and suitable for cutting.)

I had a different post planned for today, until I realized that I left my tripod at my parent’s house! This is what happens when you’re traveling with a 4 1/2 month old puppy: you get distracted and forget things (I also forgot my computer’s charger cable…). hehe! So until I get the tripod back (or figure out some way to prop up my camera that doesn’t give me a panic attack because it’s not stable), outfit posts may be a bit scarce. Unless, of course, I can sweet talk SH into helping me. I do have a little decorating DIY post planned for Friday, so if you’re tired of these sorts of posts, there is a light at the end of the tunnel…

This is one of those thrifting stories that legends are made of. The sort of finds that I always heard of others making, but never thought I’d run across it myself. I live in a highly populated area with people who generally know the value of vintage things. (Cue sad trombone.) Thrift stores typically price anything “old” accordingly. But somehow, by Providence or fate, I had one of those once in a lifetime thrift store finds recently! Here’s my tale…

Bolstered by a few little vintage treasures I found at an estate sale recently (warning: it’s a video), I decided one Saturday morning to stop at a new-to-me thrift shop while I was out grocery shopping. (It helps to have an incentive to brave the grocery store Saturday morning! lol.) I only had a few moments to do a quick run through the shop and was mainly looking for a frame for my “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster. But somehow I was magnetically drawn to a little corner in the back that had a pile of crafting and sewing supplies mashed together. At first I nearly turned away, until I realized that the rather large box tottering on the top of the pile marked “Patterns: $0.05 each or $2 for all” was stuffed with vintage patterns. Yes, I mean stuffed. Mostly full of mid 50s through late 60s patterns (with one random 40s bedjacket pattern and some rather fugly 70s designs thrown in for good measure), it was full of iconic silhouettes and designs from that era. I held my breath as I grabbed the box and walked as calmly as I could to the register to hand over two rumply dollar bills to the cashier. (Who thankfully was too busy on her cell phone crabbing about her job at the thrift store to notice the treasures I had in the box!)

I kid you not: I got back to my car, safely stashed the box in my back seat and did a little dance and whoop in the parking lot! lol. I dare say any passersby thought I was a bit of a nut clutching a tattered carboard box and grinning from ear to ear. But, dear friends, you surely understand my elation, don’t you?

When I got home I finally took a closer look at what I had: 75-90 patterns (I never did a definitive count–I was too excited!). Smaller in size than I normally wear, but a lot of beautiful styles (and grading patterns up isn’t that hard–just time consuming). So a bunch went towards my personal stash, I passed a couple on to some sewing buddies and saved a few to share with you! Next week I’ll be hosting a little vintage pattern giveaway here on the blog, so stay tuned for that!

I still can’t believe this find. I doubt I’ll ever have another quite like it, since finding vintage pieces is getting harder and harder as more people realize the value of certain things. But like the estate sale I lucked out on 18 months ago, this one will go down as one of my best thrift finds ever (and certainly the highlight of my 2012 thrifting!).

I just had to share that with you! As one of my friends said: there is still hope for good finds! I think it’s just a combination of being at the right place, at the right time and consistency in hunting. So don’t give up hope if you feel like you never find affordable vintage; it’s out there–just hiding a bit! Of course, you can also enter the giveaway next week too for a bit of free vintage!

Thank you for listening to my little tale of mythical finds! (More pictures beneath the cut below…)

Have you had any great thrifting or vintage finds lately??? Let’s spread the good luck tales!

Some vintage fashion inspiration for your Monday morning! This time from early spring 1947 with lots of spring and summer pieces. I just ordered some fabric for my summer sewing projects, and some of these looks are really appealing to me! We’ll see if any translate into my wardrobe this year…

Have a lovely Monday, friends!

weekly visual moodboard | be sure to click on the image to view picture sources.

Hello! (Happy Mother’s Day to all my mommy-readers!) What a whirlwind week we had… A trip up north to visit my sister for some pre-graduation celebration and then attend her graduation on Saturday (she graduated with a BA in History–hooray!). What made it more exciting was that Maverick came along to visit his “cousins”–my parent’s cats. Let’s just say that while it wasn’t complete chaos, there were a few instances of hissing and barking, cats being chased at high speeds around the house, and one of the cats spending most of his time hiding. Exciting. lol. I’m just glad that for a nearly 40-pound, 4 month old puppy, he’s relatively gentle (just excited to meet and play with other animals).

My sister’s pre-graduation party was a lot of fun to document! She’s hosted for nearly every semester the past four years a “monster party”. The basic premise is that she offers anyone who wants to stop by a custom-drawn monster of their choosing. It’s a great way for she and her friends to relax a bit after finals and introduce a little free art into the mix (it’s a wonderful mood lifter!). While she’s a history major and spends a lot of time writing, she also enjoys drawing and is quite an accomplished cartoonist. I love watching her work and was delighted when we concocted a plan to document her final Monster Party through photographs (and a couple films which I have yet to even look at and see if they turned out!).

Isn’t she talented? She has a blog, and I’m hoping now that college is over, she’ll start posting more of her artwork regularly!

That’s it for me today; I have lots of laundry to do and the pantry is sorely lacking in essentials right now. Have a lovely rest-of-the-weekend!