Cigar Box Purse: Upcycled Art

I am looking forward to spending time making cigar box purses this week and next. I had a week of the Northwest Flower & Garden show and then a wonderful week showing my niece around Seattle and now I can think about making handbags. My delightful life has a lot of categories. When you get a chance to make, what do you reach for first?

Today I am going to upload a few new purses to the Etsy shop and start the custom fabric lining on some new boxes. I've got a spring in my step!

Do you like this photo? When I was first starting out, I sold my purses in summer art shows in Michigan. I had this image made into a 2 x 3 foot poster to hang in my tent. It was so dramatic and beautiful.

#upcycled #wearableart #etsy #finddelight #annereeves  #cigarboxpurses #springgreen

Great Junk Hunt in Monroe WA

We went to The Great Junk Hunt! It is such a great antique and vintage wares show - and the shows in November are focused on the holidays. We had a lot of fun looking at booth after booth of vintage treasures all in one spot.

You have to be ready to use your imagination. The booths vary from curated displays of housewares all in one colorway to a true mishmash of treasures (above). I didn't buy a lot at this show but I felt very inspired to get out my own collections and really go for it when I'm displaying this year.

I loved how this swag of antique jingle bells looked tied onto twine on the mantel. It was a charming touch in a very pretty color story. If you get a chance to visit one of the Great Junk Hunts on the West Coast, do it! The vendors are terrific and we had a fantastic morning together bouncing ideas of one another.

#greatjunkhunt #antiquing #upcycling #vintagechristmas #vintage #designereye
 
 

Upcycling Jars: Bonne Maman Knows Me

I think Bonne Maman makes wonderful strawberry and apricot preserves and buy jars all the time. When they are empty, I run them through the dishwasher and directly into my craft room. When my friend Kim saw that I was storing beads and baubles for my jewelry in Bonne Maman jars, she started saving the jars from her household for me. Her husband easily consumes a jar of Bonne Maman a week and it is his devotion that has allowed me to amass this great storage system. 

Sea glass, felt scraps and buttons become artistic expression in themselves when displayed this way. 

And while we are talking about upcycling Bonne Maman jars, did you know that they recently introduced lemon curd? It is delicious. Smooth, tart and worthy of replacing your homemade lemon curd in a recipe. I'm serious. They did have done a beautiful job with this recipe and it is the only jarred lemon curd that comes close to homemade. And it comes in a super cute jar (wink).

#bonnemaman #upcycling #makersgonnamake #colorsugarribbon #color #craftroom #wherewomencreate #seattleblogger #jewelrymaking #makingjewelry #designer #creativespace #creativelife  

Primavera Spring Market: A Vintage Show with Potential

It was sweet vintage show, but definitely smaller than I had hoped for. I had talked 2 new friends into a day trip to Snohomish to shop at the Primavera Spring Market and unfortunately, it felt like we were finished before we began. I am hoping that next year, many more vendors are attracted to this quirky show.

I did buy two things that I love. A small vintage green Pyrex bowl from JohnBOB's booth that I could add to my collection. It was a cheerful color and since it was March, I had no willpower again that happy shade of green.

I also bought one of the miniature egg/cup/flowering bulb arrangements (shown below). Mine had pale grape hyacinth planted in an egg resting in a small terracotta pot. There was a pussy willow arch bent to replicate a handle, as if it were an Easter basket from Uncle Wiggily. Love love love.

The booths showcased a variety of vintage and well-loved household items. Visually it was beautiful, but I didn't see a lot that I could use. I will always comb the calendar and try to find gems for you. This show has great potential.

#primaveramarket #springmarket #springprimaveramarket #snohomish #washington #antiquing #upcycling #vintage #vintagetreasures #girlstrip #weekendshopping #antiques #spring #springweekend #johnbobcooljunk 

Upcycling: Ornament Storage Solution from Costco

I've been collecting vintage ornaments for a few years now and I want to remind you of my favorite way to store them: in Costco's clear apple boxes and clear organic egg cartons.  Save your clear containers throughout the year and your precious ornaments will have a free place to stay safe and sound. This is upcycling at its best. 

#upcycling #ornaments #storagesolutions #christmasornament #costcototherescue #costco #anappleaday

Pinspiration Market aka Pinology Market in Seattle

While I love to search garage sales and flea markets for treasures, I also enjoy shopping at official shows to see how other creative people take a melange of vintage pieces and display them in their glory. These booths have a "sum is greater than its parts" feel. There is a certain je ne sais quoi about them and it is wonderful to see. 

Last Saturday, I invited my new friend Amy to spend the morning checking out the Pinspiration Market (now known as Pinology) in Seattle. I told her that I thought it would be a blend of items to create with (unusual stencils, paper clay, buttons) and objects that have already been transformed and are ready to use. She found some pillows and I bought a large metal arrow. Yep, the selection was eclectic for sure, and it was great.

I loved the entire booth by Sparrow and Bloom. She had such cute things for sale, especially these PNW camping mugs. Love!

We ordered 2 oh-so-delicious chicken pot pies from the food truck 314 Pie and we ate them tailgate-style out of the back of my car. I call this little moment, pastries in the sun. Quality shredded chicken, lovely creamy sauce, fresh vegetables, tender crust. Homemade goodness that I'd order all over again.

Thank you, Pinology for hosting a fun Saturday morning activity. I feel inspired.

Finding Delight: Highlighting Unusual Vases

Not everyone chooses their favorite fruit company because of the packaging, but I do! I simply can't resist Oregon Specialty Fruit and their black cans.

Yes, their produce is lovely but look how fantastic their cans look as vases! Upcycling extraordinaire. I have slipped a small container for water inside the can to stabilize the flowers. 

I have this bouquet by my kitchen sink and it makes me very happy. This is delight!

#oregon #findingdelight #upcycling 

Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Upcycling A Collection

Hello! It's December 1st and time to decorate for the holidays! Last year, I was smart enough to pack my tin, paper and felt ornaments (ones wouldn't break) and mailed them out to our apartment in Seattle. In the coming days, I will show you how I have decorated our little nest this year. 

I love this photo I took (above) of my rummage sale score. I bought an entire gallon Ziploc bag of these sweet wooden ornaments for $2. It wasn't long before I got my glue gun out and created this tree by gluing them to a foam cone and then gluing the foam cone to a simple white gift box. I wish I could let the person that donated this collection know that it went to a good home. This is holiday upcycling and I love it. 

I also miss it.  It's "in a box" with the rest of my life. Next Christmas we will be in our new house and I am going to create all new vignettes with my treasures. 

Remember when you are out scouring tag sales, a melange of small holiday items can be re imagined into something wonderful. Keep your eye out!

Juice Can Bouquets: Upcycling is Beautiful

I love this bouquet every time I walk through the family room.  My master plan is all coming together in the form of beautiful flower arrangements.

Remember when I visited Uwajimaya in Seattle and shopped for interesting Japanese juice cans? This can is a yellow and purple Sugar Cane drink marked Puli Specialty product of Taiwan. I absolutely love it and the flowers I found in bloom were just what I had in mind for it. Success!

Instead of a traditional glass vase, I love having texture, pattern and color as the foundation for my small flower arrangements.  If I had my own flower shop, I know that these would fly off the shelves.

I am home and able to pull from my own garden to make juice can bouquets. This arrangement has Honey Dijon roses, purple verbena and a sprig of mint.

If I do one thing this summer, it should be to convince you to put flowers in soda or juice cans.  Will you?

Pretty Upcycled Vases: Keep Your Eye Out for Trims

Yes, the flowers are fabulous (Paul McCartney Rose, lilac-colored stock, yellow lantana and a pale pink gerbera daisy - all from the garden and pots on my patio) but it is the easy vase that I think makes a bouquet like this happen.  Flower arranging for the home shouldn't be stuffy or formal.  All you need is a few pretty blooms (notice how none of these flowers "match" or echo each other in color or shape, yet they still look beautiful together) and an appropriately size vase to display them in.

This little beauty is a Smuckers jam jar trimmed with a piece of Martha Stewart cardstock "border sticker."  The craft and scrapbook stores are loaded with long strips of paper that are often scalloped, gilded or embossed.  Why not choose one and wrap it around a jam jar (fasten with tape) for your own little touch?

I keep my sanity all Winter long by keeping my eye out for pretty touches to add to a jam jar vases - paper trim, ribbon, gems. The flowers I love so much will be blooming again before I know it.

If you have a collection of "ready-to-give" vases on hand, the more likely you will be to cut a little bouquet and bring it to a friend.  And you know they'll reuse the vase again and again.  Win-win!

Bonne Maman makes Beautiful Jam Jars turned Bead Organizers

Lucky for me, my best friend's husband devours a jar of Bonne Maman preserves every week! She knows that I like to paint jam jars, so she asked if I wanted her empty jars before they hit the recycling bin.  Do I?!

I asked her to save the lids for me too, as I knew they would make beautiful storage containers. These beautiful glass jars would be perfect as bead storage for my jewelry making!  

It feels so good to walk into my craft room and see the abundance of components neatly organized (and dust free) on my shelf.  Doesn't it look pretty?  Thank you, Kim, for helping me to up-cycle!

Gem Counter

I'm attaching gems to jam jars to make vases that are fit for a Queen!  This was my kitchen counter this morning!  It looked so pretty, I had to show you.  I worked my way through this swirl of inexpensive flat-backed gems and I've arranged them into patterns that I will afix to empty jam jars with Gem Tac.  This is my new favorite way to display flowers! What do you think?