It's All Stephen King's Fault!

Well, not entirely. I can't blame Stephen King for all of my November writer's block but I think he may have started it.

Needing a short blog break, I picked up a novel by Stephen King...and couldn't put it down. Then it was back to our little town library for another, and another, and another. So I've spent my little blog vacation in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine with Stephen (I think we must be on a first name basis by now) traveling through time and fending off all sorts of shady characters. It was a great escape.

November has been a tough month. Last November, my sister Nancy lost her battle with ovarian cancer. People had warned me that the anniversary of her passing might be difficult but I had no idea just how right they were. And somehow, while I was reliving those last few weeks at Maine Medical Center, writing about my latest craft project or flea market find just didn't inspire me to write. So I gave myself permission to spend a few weeks away from the computer.

In addition to reading, I found comfort these past few weeks in just spending quiet time in my craft room, where Nancy and I had enjoyed so many hours together over the years.

One night, I decided to pull my bins of fabric out of the attic and found the stash I had put aside for quilts I intended to make "someday". And so began my other November never-quite-got-back-to-the-blog escape...sewing.

As November wore on, I sewed and hand-tied quilt after quilt, emptying two bins of fabric and batting. Never being very good at stopping at just one of something, I ended up finishing eight quilts to give as Christmas gifts. I guess I had my own little Black Friday (except it lasted for a month) ...in the warmth of my craft room with a Pumpkin Spice coffee in one hand and an embroidery needle in the other.  Sewing was almost as good an escape as chasing evil spirits in Castle Rock!

But I've missed blogging and the creativity of the holiday season is a good time to get back to it. Hoping my writer's block is finally over, I'm looking forward to reconnecting with blog friends again and saying Goodbye to Castle Rock for awhile.

Shabby Finds

In yesterday's post, I shared the vintage Easter postcards I found at a local antique sale this week but there were a few more things there that I couldn't resist for 40% off. One was this old Household Scale in a great shade of green. Not much of the green paint showed when I bought it...it was covered with rust. But some steel wool and lots of elbow grease, plus a good rub-down with cooking oil, brought it back to life.

 I love how it looks as part of my Easter display in the dining room.  The little ceramic birds were $1.99 each at our local wine shop, of all places.

And then there was this piece. It is actually the front of an old drawer but I loved the colors and carvings in the wood. Still some clean up to do on this baby but I already love it. It will be repurposed to hang on a wall, possibly with vintage photos or postcards tucked under the pulls.

With a little work, the delicate leaf design embossed on the brass beneath the pulls will be a nice contrast against the rough textures in the wood.

As a former Girl Scout and sometimes embroiderer, I couldn't leave this not-quite-finished linen piece behind. Apparently the girl scout who started it was not quite "prepared" to finish it.  I'll have fun doing that and then either frame it or make it into a throw pillow.

These little redwork napkins were $2.00 for the set of four. I can't seem to resist vintage linens...

or old books...

especially when they're signed and dated. This inscription was inside the cover of Uncle Tom's Cabin. I wonder where East Noel is?

Hope you enjoyed this rusty, scratched and frayed little post...I like things that look as if someone really used them, years before we were even born. Simple items like these have a history to them that lends a reassuring sense of continuity to everyday life. I kind of like them just the way they are!

I hope you will visit these great blogs to which today's post is linked:

Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Friday Pretties at I Love Pretty Little Things

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Junkin' Finds Friday at A La Carte

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home

Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous

Air Your Laundry Friday at Freckled Laundry

Favorite Things Friday at The Speckled Dog

Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors

A Few of My Favorite Things Saturdays at Bargain Hunting With Laurie

Show & Tell Saturdays at Be Different, Act Normal

Flea Market Finds

I had promised myself that today I would stay home and just putz around the house (I did get the living room mantle rearranged)...and, as usual, I didn't. I really like the idea of doing nothing but I guess I'm just not very good at pulling it off.  Instead, I invited my friend, Sandy, to come down and, maybe, do some crafting. And, as usual, Sandy and I never actually made anything, although, to be fair, we did spend some time in my craft room. Now those of you who don't know me may be starting to wonder if Sandy actually exists since every time I mention her coming to do crafts with me, we never quite manage make anything. So...just to reassure you that she is not an imaginary friend, I took her picture. (Anyway, imaginary friends don't teach biology and organic chemistry, right?) Sandy and I are both a little shy about having our picture taken...even fully clothed...but she did let me take a picture of her feet...so, here it is, proof that she does, in fact, exist.

Instead of jumping right into making something, I suggested that we might need a few more vintage craft supplies... just to get our creative juices flowing. (Sometimes I wonder if Sandy and I don't enjoy shopping for the craft supplies more than actually making the crafts...but that's a story for another day.) Suffice it to say that somehow we ended up in her Jeep headed for the local flea market in search of just the right inspiration for whatever it was we thought we might eventually make. So, instead of posting any finished projects tonight, I am posting photos of more flea market finds.

I couldn't resist buying this lot of old sewing items. I loved the wooden spools of embroidery thread in faded shades of white and ivory. They were perfect for this big jar that I had on hand.

With the thread were a couple of other items, including this little button which someone had careful sewn to an old church program and dated 2/9/12. On the bottom, the lady had written that the button was from "Mama's blue dress".  Also in the jar was a little pin cushion made from blue calico stuffed into a walnut shell, some tatted shade pulls, and a few creamy doilies.

I like how the jar looks on top of my old spool cabinet with some of my vintage autograph books. They are safe there...Nancy is watching over them.

I also found a set of four little hand-appliqued napkins which, of course, I had to buy. After just the right amount of dickering, I got these cuties for $3.oo for the set...no sewing required and just right for Valentine's Day.

Sandy and I both love books...both to read and to pull apart or copy from for collages and paper crafts. We did a little more dickering and ended up with seven wonderful old children's books full of great graphics. These are the four that I chose:

One was We Look and See, an original Dick and Jane book. I'm sure that many of use "of a certain age" remember Dick and Jane...and, in this story, Sally is on hand, too. As a former English teacher,  I have to admit that the plot is a little thin...but I guess in 1st grade that didn't matter to us so much.

Two of the books were a little older, published in 1934. My mother would have been in 7th or 8th grade then so they were a little before our time. These stories were about "Alice and Jerry", two popular names from that era. My Mother's name is, in fact, Alice, so I was thrilled to find these.

A couple of vintage postcards made their way into my bag as well.  This one was so cute I had to have it...

Here's the back...

I bought the second postcard for my sister, Joanne (don't tell her!). It's an old photo of the church she was married in...St. Anne's in Kennebunkport, Maine...and it's dated 1906 on the back.

And finally, I bought these...I have no idea why. I actually only wanted the one on the bottom but they were being sold as a lot, so now I have the "hand" as well. Now, if Sandy and I ever do finally get our act together and make something, we'll each have a sign to hang on our finished creations!

This post is linked to Glenda's blog, Dab of This and That.

I am also linking this post to Junkin' Finds Friday at A La Carte.