Jester

Jester, mixed media assemblage

He's king of the court folks! I know, I know....yet another clown-y piece right on the heels of that paintbrush fellow. I seriously cannot help myself 'cuz it's certainly a circus 'round here some days.

Pop Tart

Pop Tart, mixed media assemblage

Do you remember those popping toys on wheels from your childhood? Well, that's what this little fellow brought to mind. An old pastry roller plus a handful of hole punches and voilà...Pop Tart came to life!

Muse

Muse, mixed media assemblage

What can I say? She looks like a muse to me. That wooden flourish-y object has been hanging on my inspiration board for over 5 years and it was time to say good bye.

Spring Dreams

Vintage Metal Cage at Maison Paulette

Spring dreams are the loveliest of all! A Spring-inspired treasury I put together this afternoon. Enjoy!

French Paper Doll Plaques

I've been holding onto (hoarding?) some exquisite French paper doll plates. They are from the world renowned Imagerie d'Epinal, Imagerie Pellerin studios of France which date back to 1796. From what I can gather, this series of paper dolls, Poupées à Habiller, was created as a series of four plates published in the late 1800's. Since I recently discovered they were just the right size for my little plaques, I decided to stop hoarding and share a few of them via Prickly Plaques.

Happy Spring!

Even though we've been experiencing record warm temperatures for several weeks I'm still quite excited that today is officially Spring!! Our plans today include creating a Spring-time bucket list, a bit of crafty time in the studio and if it stops drizzling outside, a walk on our favorite trail. What are your Spring-y plans?

Paintbrush Clown

Paintbrush Clown, mixed media assemblage

Didn't I mention I was on a clown kick? What else do you do with a grungy orange paintbrush?! The obvious solution was to make a Paintbrush Clown.

Lucky Greens

Enjoy this collection of lucky green ephemera I put together just for you. Looks like we'll be attending the local parade decked out in our green garb (someone in this house already has her nails painted green in anticipation). Have a happy Saint Patrick's Day y'all!

Patchwork Bunting

What to do with a beautiful but terribly tattered 'n threadbare quilt top? Make patchwork bunting of course! Snipping, starching, punching and stringing these 'lil bunting flags together was a nice break from other household duties over the weekend. Of course I've put aside some prime pieces to stitch up into pillow shams at a later date. For now, I'm offering these patchwork-y bunting strands in the vintage shop. These look pretty sweet hanging 'round the house if I do say so myself!

Clown Tiddly Winks

Tiddly Winks, Whitman Publishing Company, 1958

A while back I blogged about The Bargain Barrel, a favorite local thrifting spot. I had mentioned I kinda wanted to head back over there to retrieve this game of Tiddly Winks. Lucky for me, it was patiently waiting in the case when we stopped in last week. So...it looks like I'm heading into a serious clown phase...what with the clown finds last week and now this. I've even got a clown-y piece coming together in the studio. Talk about inspiration!

German Color Cubes

Another set of antique color cubes for the shop. This set was manufactured in Germany by SFF (at least I believe the initials indicate the company) unlike this previous set from the Embossing Company of Albany, New York. The cubes are a bit smaller in size, 7/8 inch cubes as opposed to 1 inch cubes. I'm wondering if these pre-date the Embossing Company color cube sets from the 1920's? I couldn't find any information by they do appear older than any other set I come across previously. And...I must give Lizzie credit for arranging the pinwheel design above.

More Spring Blocks

More collage blocks with a springtime vibe are being posted in the shop tonight and throughout the day tomorrow. Let me know if you see one you want!

Found Clowns

While we were out 'n about this weekend I found a few clowns. My favorite is this roly poly fellow. I was inspired by the old clown troupe image to create a little video to show off his delightful roly poly action. Not sure if the little wooden characters are clowns but they could be and they fit into the theme quite nicely. As for the ring toss--Lizzie has claimed it and has become quite adept at helping the clown catch his toy. It looks like we're in for a F-U-N-filled week!

Spirograph Pendants

According to my blog stats there's a whole lotta you Spirograph lovers out there. My post on Spirograph patterns over a year ago remains my most popular post to date! Anyhow, I finally snipped up the spiro-goodness and created these lovely spiro-graphic pendants. They will be trickling into the shop throughout the day today. You can view the entire selection right here. Happy March!