Bungalow Heaven 2010 - Pasadena California

This past weekend we attended the annual Bungalow Heaven home tour in Pasadena.  This is a wonderful neighborhood whose Craftsman style houses were built in the early 1900s.  Each year they offer a home tour of about eight houses.  It starts in McDonald park where you pick up your tickets and catalog which includes a map, plus extensive information about each house.  All the homes are within walking distance of the centralized park, and the oak lined streets make it a pleasure to walk the neighborhood.

Not all of the homes pictured here were on the tour this year, but I thought they were so charming that I included pictures of them as well.  You can pretty much tell which ones were on the tour by the people entering through the front.

        My favorite home on the tour. Too bad you can't see the inside, but we weren't allowed to take pictures inside. Most interiors have been renovated to their original Craftsman style.

 Houses in sunny locations.

There were some shady spots too.

Okay, maybe you are ready to move to Bungalow Heaven.  If so, here is one that has been restored that is for sale in the neighborhood.  The asking price has been reduced to $699,900.00.  See here.

Vintage Fabric Quilt Top

I found this double bed size old quilt top recently on an antique shop outing.  I am not a traditional quilter, and don't plan to back and quilt this.  I bought it because I think it has some great old fabric prints.  I will probably use it to make pillow covers.

I took a few photos.  One photo is of the entire quilt top, and the rest are closeups of some of the cute prints.

Rusting Fabric

I have been trying my hand at rusting fabric, and I believe I'm hooked.  If I can rust fabric in California in a day, what possibilities lie ahead in Kentucky?  Endless!

Recipe:  Mix 1/2 water and 1/2 white vinegar - add fabric and saturate.
Remove fabric and leave wet.
Place the rusted metal on top of fabric or the fabric over rusted objects or do both - I use a plastic container to hold the items.
When the fabric has rusted to your taste, place the fabric in salt water and soak for about an hour.
Remove the fabric from the salt water and let air dry.
After the fabric has dried, launder in mild detergent.
There you have it - now you too can rust away.

I Am a New Button Floozie

The Button Floozie group just opened up 10 memberships, and I was lucky enough to join their group.  I do enjoy buttons, and this looks like a fun group.  I'm looking forward to participating and getting to know the members.

 http://buttonfloozies.blogspot.com/

Pretty Flowers Fabric Art Quilt and Mixed Media Wallhanging

I scanned and printed flowers, that I found in my mother's flower press, onto white cotton.  That is the subject for this 12" x 12" wall hanging that I created from, vintage fabrics, lace, buttons and trim.  My rhyme is also printed onto white cotton and highlighted with Twinkling H2o paints.  I used letter beads to spell the title "Pretty Flowers" at the bottom of the piece.

Vintage Photo Sunday - Meyer School 1931 & 1932 - South Dakota

This was my dad's grade school in South Dakota - Meyer School.  Isn't it a cute little schoolhouse?

The children are lining up to go into the schoolhouse.  My dad is the fourth child, and his younger brother is the twelfth child who is wearing the glasses.  I count twenty children here, and this school would have been first grade through eight grade.  These are two of the photos in a photo album his teacher made for my dad in the 1931 -1932 school year.

Vintage Photo Sunday - Carroll County Iowa Fair 1918

This is the earliest dated photo that was in a photo album I bought that has pictures from the Carroll, Iowa area.  Too bad there aren't any names or other information about the photo.  I think it is fun to look back into time through the old photographs.

Vintage Photo Sunday - Office Force - Carroll, Iowa - January 1921

This old photo of a Carroll, Iowa Store & Office setting was taken in January 1921.  By zooming into the photo, I was able to see several 'clues'.  The storefront sold not only lighting, but also Hoover products, and the address on the door is 119.  There is an Iowa Heat & Power cashiers window, and the calendars on the walls, from the American Saving Bank, tell the date.  The office machines include typewriters and adding machines.  Not all of the young ladies look happy do they?

Happy Valentine's Day - Mixed Media and Fabric Collage Postcard

I made this ltttle fabric Valentine postcard for my sister.  The sheet music heart and bird are cut from paper/fabric I made, and the rest of the postcard is made from fabric and lace - including the back.  I forgot to scan the back before I wrote the personal message and address.  It is off in the mail, hopefully to arrive in one piece.  I've had pretty good luck mailing fabric postcards, but this is the first one where I've included paper/fabric.

Urban Landscape ATC Swap - Fabric Collage

I am participating in an ATC swap with my Cloth Paper Studio online group.  My take on the theme, Landscape, is Urban Landscape.  I made two just the same.  The background fabric is rusted to give them a 'gritty city' look.  I used various scraps of vintage fabrics for the buildings.