Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Back To The Drawing Board

It's been awhile indeed...

After concentrating so much on my studio move and then decorating it, I hadn't updated my DigiDrawn digital stamps site in months.

At long last I am back sketching and adding new images. Here are my latest two:

Baby shoes

Apples

These cards were made to demonstrate my images coloured in. I used Copic cool greys to colour in the baby shoes. For the apples, I used Copics E00, E04, E18, E19, R02, R05, Y000, YG00, YG01 and YR00.

It feels great to draw once more! If you want to purchase any of my digital stamps, head over to DigiDrawn.com!

But not to worry; more thrift shopping and antique finds are on the way ;)


Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Sweets For My Sweetie

Even though daughter is a grown woman with a place of her own, when we met this past weekend to do some antiquing together, I couldn't help but bring her a sweet treat:



Thanks to Keri at Shaken Together for the inspiration. I had already purchased a plastic tray of various Valentine candy, so all I had to do was mix it up in a large mason jar, add a bow, a few heart charms and a wooden spoon. So much nicer than plastic... and she can re-use the jar and spoon when the candy is gone!

Viola! Just a little treat to let her know Mom still loves her Sweetie.

No matter how old we both she gets.  ;)


Sunday, January 27, 2013

Vintage Valentine Vignette



This is the first year I have put together something vintage for February 14th. It all started when I found this silver heart-shaped tray at Value Village for $4. Of course I had to fill it with cinnamon hearts - my favorite, so I stock up since it's only available this time of year.


Then I popped by my local antique shop, asking if they had any vintage Valentines. What luck! The owner said he JUST found a box of them an hour or so before I came by! Awesome - I bought them all! They are just wonderful. Here's a peek at my favorites:

These two fold out for a 3D effect

Cutie pies... the little girl moves back and forth on a metal eyelet

The little boy at the table looks like he attaches to another card. His arm moves up and down.

These two goats butt heads when the tab is pulled!

This tab pull moves the lovers back and forth to meet in the middle

I just love the old graphics... put altogether in a display with the silver trays and candy, and viola! A Vintage Valentine Vignette!

Sharing with:


Friday, January 25, 2013

A Tisket A Tasket

Another sewing basket.

Actually another two baskets in fact...

Let me explain. Last week, (since this week even *I* refused to venture out to a thrift store when it's -40C) I went on my lunchhour walk to the second-hand store up the street from the hospital. They were in the process of cleaning out their basement and at the back of the store were pricing items for display. I spotted this even before it was priced:


Not bad for $10 - sure, more than at Goodwill, but this picnic basket is huge. It now serves as storage under my desk. The interesting thing was, as they were going through their stock, they would place items they didn't care to sell outside their front door for free. Yep, a whole table of stuff out on the sidewalk. So as I left the store, I thought I'd take a peek.

This is what I found stuffed into a cardboard box:


ANOTHER sewing basket. (If you missed my post about my FIRST sewing basket, you can find it HERE).

For FREE.

As soon as I opened it and saw it was filled with goodies, I plopped it into my picnic basket and brought it home. After an hour of cleaning up the tangles of thread, old zippers, receipts from 1978 and scrap fabric pieces, I found these sitting on the bottom:


Awesome. I just love the thrill of discovery. Even if it is only in a wicker basket or two.

Sharing with:


The Thrifty Groove

PS: A huge thank you to everyone visiting from Vicki's Grow Your Blog event! Your comments are too kind; I so enjoy connecting with new bloggers  -  and I have already made quite a few new bloggy friends! I myself am about halfway through the list of participants. Hopefully I can finish by Sunday!

Friday, January 18, 2013

Growing My Blog

Along with nearly 400 other blogs, I am thrilled to be participating in Vicki's (at 2 Bags Full) "Grow Your Blog" event! Welcome to all my new readers and welcome back to all my returning visitors!



Back in June, Vicki wrote a wonderful post about giving back to the blogging community by hosting an event to give exposure to blogs that had less than 200 Followers. At the time I signed up to join, I had 14 dear Followers. I now have over 80 (Yay!), mostly due to the tremendous success of Karen Valentine's "Where Bloggers Create" party last July.

Therefore to celebrate this big event, I thought it would be the perfect time to update my Victorian Studio tour. Wouldn't you know it, mere weeks after Karen's party last summer, my daughter got a place of her own and I was able to move my art studio back upstairs to her old bedroom - with one caveat: I had to share the space with her two birds as she couldn't take them with her. No problem! They are a treat to keep me company... along with my three cats and one dog who all park themselves in that small room whenever I am in there.

Before I moved everything to this smaller, yet brighter space, I wanted to make it look as "Victorian" as I could. Decorating in the late 1800's was all about excess... one displayed collections and treasures to be admired. I started by hanging some beautiful wallpaper on two walls; perfect designs I found in a roll-end bin for a mere $10. I discovered an awesome chandelier at Habitat For Humanity for $45, then I added $3 lace curtains from Goodwill and began the hunt for more antiques and vintage items for storage (and some for me just to admire when I spend every waking moment in there ;) ). If you've been a reader of my blog, I am sure you'll recognize treasures I've picked up from antique shops and thrift stores over the past few months.

So it was out with the plastic and in with the wood, tarnished silver, lace and glass. Months later, it's ready for a grand reveal. I'll let the images speak for themselves. If you'd prefer to see these images full screen on Flickr with descriptions (or if you're on a non-flash device), click HERE:


I hope you enjoyed the tour!

To thank you for taking the time to visit my studio, I have some blog candy you can win! How would you like these 8 antique Easter postcards? They are from the early 1900's (one is dated 1908 and another 1914). They do have writing on the backs (which is so neat to read) and the graphics on the fronts are wonderful - perfect for a vintage Easter vignette!

If you'd like to be entered to win, simply leave me a comment so I can get a hold of you should I draw your name.


Anyone can enter, anyone can win - regardless of where you live and you do not have to have a blog or even be a Follower (although I would LOVE it if you'd become a Follower of Victorian Studio!). Deadline for the draw is midnight Central Time, Thursday, January 31st. I will announce the winner of the draw here on my blog on February 1st; so there's plenty of time for these to reach your home before Easter.

Good luck!

My sincere thanks to wonderful, talented Vicki at 2 Bags Full. You are so kind to help other bloggers get noticed. If you haven't already, I would ask that you visit Vicki and be amazed at her incredible creations and see for yourself what a giving spirit she has, obvious in all the work that she does for so many.

ETA 0730 February 1, 2013:


WE HAVE A WINNER! RANDOM.ORG SELECTED:

DAGMAR!

Dagmar, I will send you a note to let you know you have won my set of vintage Easter postcards. I hope you enjoy them!

Thank you all for visiting, commenting and Following. I have met so many new bloggy friends, and I hope you will continue to come by, as I know I have many new places to visit too! Again, my thanks also to Vicki at 2 Bags Full for all her incredibly hard work putting this Grow Your Blog party together! You are the best!

I wish I could send out a prize to each and every one... but this has been so much fun, I have ALREADY purchased my next blog candy. So stay tuned for even more giveaways in the future!


Thursday, January 10, 2013

Hidden Treasure

I know.

This is NOT Victorian. It's NOT my style at all (at least not since the 1970's...)


So why then did I drop $5 on this psychedelic sewing basket at Goodwill today?

Well, for what was INSIDE:


Yep, full of vintagy-goodies that will come in handy crafting. Buttons, wooden spools, seam binding, bias tape, zippers, snaps, elastic, thread, bold thick needles...


Just reading the price stickers was entertaining enough...

I wonder if that Woolco price tag with 9 10 77 means Sept. 10, 1977?

Yep. The 70's. When you REPAIRED the elastic on your underwear and PJs...

I wonder if I can still send "10 cts for 5 thread locks"...

Wiggle Eyes! Yes, Owls were all the rage back then

When I spotted that card of Canadian Olympic buttons from 1976, well....


I just KNEW I had to bring it all home.

Lots of fun going through it all. I will admit, whoever had this sewing basket kept it in great condition for 40 years.



So I'll just take everything out and give the basket back to Goodwill. I have some other bags of stuff I bought only for an item or two inside - the rest will be re-donated back.

Unless.... someone out there wants it? It's marked "Made in Japan" on the wooden bottom. I've also got 14 colourful handkerchiefs I was going to re-donate.



If there is any interest in something that screams 1970,  I'll run a free drawing for the basket and handkerchiefs later this month (I'll see if there is anything else I can throw in).

If not, then back to Goodwill it all goes.

Sharing with:

The Thrifty Groove


Saturday, January 5, 2013

Vintage Birthday Card

Back to creating in January! With both my sister and mother having birthdays this month, I've taken out my supplies and made them some cards...

Here's the one I did for my sister. It started out with a piece of Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper Stash - I thought the vintage dress pattern was perfect. Then because I have a few old tissue paper patterns, I used some to make a tissue flower, with three pearls in the center.

The sheer ribbon and cardstock are from my own stash. A Martha Stewart oak leaf punch was used and I found an old charm "sisters" to add to the ribbon.



I just printed out the sentiments. Inside it reads: "You never go out of style"

I hope she gets a kick out of it: that dress / hat combo is right out of our childhood days!

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Bridge Lamp

How the heck did two weeks whip past so fast? It seemed like only a few days ago I was heading home from the office, anticipating the holidays and looking forward to some R & R. Then Poof! It was time to head back to work yesterday.

I think the only good thing about getting back to the hospital was the opportunity to hit the local Goodwill and thrift stores at lunch. And I sure am glad I did! The small second-hand shop down the block had an item I have seen (and secretly coveted) at other antique stores before, but at least triple the price:


This Victorian floor bridge lamp was only $45 (with no tax!) Er, please ignore the wonky shade placement; obviously I didn't line it up correctly when I screwed it back on - I removed the shade and bulb for the trip home as it was terribly cold and I feared they would break against the wrought iron base. Gotta fix that...


It's been re-wired, so it's safe to use - I've already placed it beside my work desk. Not only does it provide always appreciated light, it's a real showpiece for my Victorian Studio!

I even love the detail on the base - looks like a pair of seahorses to me:


So I guess getting back to the old grindstone isn't so bad after all....

Sharing with:


The Thrifty Groove

Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special




Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Out With The New, In With The Old

Happy New Year!

Last summer I was thrilled to participate in Karen Valentine's "Where Bloggers Create" party. It was wonderful to meet so many other bloggers and receive such kind compliments about my art studio that I had set up in our basement.

Wouldn't you know it, mere weeks after posting that studio tour I moved the entire thing upstairs when daughter got a place of her own. The room is smaller, but brighter and warmer in the winter! I was determined to "do it right" this time; I started out by cleaning the entire room, taking the closet door out and installing wallpaper before moving all my crap, er stuff upstairs.

I've also incorporated a lot of the thrifty finds I've come across over the past six months and added a few new antiques to the room too.... so it's out with the new, in with the old and time for a brand-spanking new Studio Tour.

Needless to say there will be A LOT of photos, using my new (YAY!) Canon DSLR camera I gifted myself on Boxing Day.... which I am still learning to use BTW. A full reveal of my new digs will be unveiled on January 19th, as I join Vicki from 2 Bags Full and her "Grow Your Blog!!!" party:


Here's a sneak peak of my new Victorian Studio, circa 2013:

Brass deer hook (a Christmas gift from daughter) adorns a shelf over my desk

I love my $45 chandelier from the Re-Store (Habitat For Humanity)

Antique Lefton horse from hubby for Christmas (wearing a crown bracelet daughter gave me for Christmas too!)
I hope you can join me and over 150 other bloggers in this wonderful blog party! And if you have a blog and want to participate, just click on the badge above for all the details!

Now back to that camera manual...

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