Valerean

Last week my guy and I went to walk Snooky Park in Lady Lake, and then just went wandering. He's got a bad case of cabin fever and is really happy to be out and about. We stopped at one thrift store and two antique stores, and I was able to acquire some fabric pumpkins for my fall decor, a small handmade journal, a mystery bag of jewelry and a picnic basket and a holiday tin bucket for a project on the crochet blog. The little journal is awesome -- small enough to tuck in my purse. The mystery bag had a glitzy black, gold and rhinestone set with earrings, necklace and bracelet. These will be fun to wear on Halloween. Lovely day. :)

My guy and I spent the day out walking and antiquing in Oviedo, and had a lot of fun. While at the Coop Antiques I found a few things that I couldn't resist, so they came home with me. Restoring this vintage mini wicker hamper into a storage container/holder for things I use for my morning and evening meditation is a new summer project. This handmade bracelet is even prettier in person. I'll use this patriotic basket for our Independence Day celebration. This mason jar of vintage scraps came from the same seller who has such fantastic feedsack pieces in their booth. Speaking of feedsack, I found an old sack that will serve as the foundation fabric for the July tote for my calendar project. I also brought home some plain feedsack, which is so hard to find these days it's practically non-existant. Now that I've indulged in retail therapy, it's time to finish all of June's outstanding projects before July arrives. Stay tuned to t...

While at the antique mall where my donated throws were being sold I saw this pretty portait of a frog made out of beads, brooches, necklaces and other bling, and had to take a photo of it. This artist is so clever with how they recycle vintage jewelry and findings into new art. That day this little guy came home with me. He was cheap, made from a very old crazy quilt, very shabby, and has a serene quality that primitives sometimes possess. He'll be hanging out with me in the sewing room. Was it necessary to buy this? Nope. Do I regret the purchase? Nope. I also bought this apothecary jar filled with buttons, threads and other wonders. If you want to sort through it with me, check out more pics here .

A couple of months ago I donated a bunch of the throws and blankets I've made to our local church thrift. I really can't keep everything I make, and I like the thought of the profits from selling my work going to help people in the community (among other things this thrift store provides free food for the needy.) Among the throws I donated that day were the Iris throw and the star blanket I made for a friend's challenge -- second and third from the left. Fast forward to June. My guy and I like to walk antique malls because there is always something fun to look at. I do pay attention to the crochet being sold, as I love the old doilies and threadwork, and I'm always interested to see what old throws and blankets are made of, and what they sell for. We went to one about an hour away from our house, and as I was browsing I spotted a throw that looked awfully familiar in one of the booth cubbies. It was made in the Ocean Tranquility pattern, and had a border of d...

The Coop Antiques in Oviedo is one of my favorite antique malls in central Florida, but from the outside it doesn't look like much. Inside the store offers over 11,000 square feet of antiques from 60 different dealers. This store has more smalls that any shop I've seen, but there are also plenty of primitive and vintage home decor pieces, many of which you can't find at other malls. I love the unusual variety of offerings, too -- on this trip I spotted a cranberry bog scoop in another section. I've only read about them in books. There's a booth devoted to military collectibles, including old uniforms and accessories. My favorite booth at The Coop is this one; the dealer offers pieces of real feedsack along with bags of vintage scraps. Since I'm letting myself (cautiously) shop again I bought three pieces of feedsack and three bags of scraps. If you're ever in the area, and you like antiques, I highly recommend The Coop.

Last weekend my guy and I stumbled across a lovely antique mall in downtown Oviedo called The Coop Antiques , which has more smalls than I've ever seen anywhere. The regular-size stuff is also very cool; I scored this glass pumpkin treat jar for just $5. One booth had genuine feedsack for sale in yardage, which is almost impossible to find. It's not cheap (my yard here was $13.00) but I'm thrilled to have a big print piece in a pretty green print. A gallon size ziplock bag of vintage scraps wrapped up my purchases for $10.00. These were either harvested from vintage quilt tops or were waiting fifty years to be made into some. If you're ever in Oviedo, check out The Coop Antiques -- you'll love it. :)