a day in the life of @ 612...

In the life of a girl with too many craft supplies,

and so many ideas,

and so many flowers sitting on the table waiting to be used...

there comes the moment when it all makes sense.

Around here it seems that moment arrives with a chid in tow...

"Mom, I need a present for ____________"

you fill in the blank.

"Do you have anything we can make"

(it's like they know I work best under pressure or something!)



Today was such a day.

Believe it or not, I didn't have to make a single flower for this bib necklace

that I put together for Danielle's friend's 21st birthday.

D-"Mom can WE make something for Carly?"

M-"What would WE make?"

D-"I don't know... she loves all of your flowers though"

~nuff said.

I like this girl already!

D- "oh and I need to leave in about an hour or so..."

D- "I love you!!!"

I'm such a sucker for a smooch and I love you and a good challenge.

by the way... you know why the WE in this drama has been highlighted right?

I did mention the sucker part, right?

 This little project has given me a whole new appreciation

for stockpiling my supplies.

(also known as making tons of flowers without a definite plan for them)

I really must go through my stash and see what else I can come up with!

I can thank the fabulous land of blog for this inspiration!

so here goes...

Thanks to all of you fabulously creative bloggers who have shown us your anthro inspired creations,

otherwise I honestly wouldn't have known the first thing about bib necklaces!

Today I am the coolest mom on the block

and it feels sooooo good!  ;O

Happy Saturday!

love,

Theresa xoxo

aka... coolest mom on the block

(for today anyway until another mom breaks out the popsicles!)

whew! new listings...

 I made it a mission of mine to get my etsy up to 75 items this weekend and by golly I did it!

Here are a few of the newest listings in

The Old White House

 first up...

an anthro inspired necklace with a piece of vintage crocheted cotton doily that I have stiffened so that it will hold its shap under the rosette and also so that it would be able to be hung from jump rings and hold a soldered pendant that will be personalized for the buyer.

 here's another version...

 some new soldered pendants...

(front)

(back)

(front)

barkcloth encased in glass...
(all of the backs are the leaf pattern)



(back)

vintage embroidered granny hanky encased in glass.

plus some vintage finds....

instant collection of wind up clocks.

the cutest little wooden folding chair ~ petite childs chair, soooo cute!

O.k. I gotta go now, my family thinks I am permanently attached to the computer now so I have to prove them wrong!  I just wanted to share what I have been up to lately!

Thanks for stopping by,

I'll be back soon with even more goodies to show you!

love,

Theresa xoxo

what else is in the treat bag for my birthday giveaway...

Thank you everyone for the sweet birthday wishes, you really know how to make a girl feel loved, I was smiling all day long!

Yesterday was such a nice day... Duane and I were able to spend most of the day together, pancakes for breakfast, YUM!  Then off to get some of the dinner groceries, which I know sounds really mundane for a birthday outing but it was actually pretty fun.  Our oldest son John surprised me and came home on Tuesday night, him and our oldest daughter, Danielle had it all planned out and she picked him up from the bus station after she got out of school.  This is an important part of the dinner story because now that I am a vegetarian I'm pretty sure Duane was kinda freaking out about making my dinner!  John has been a vegan now for about a year or more and a vegetarian for 4 years now and is a very good cook,  dinner was delicious!

See... if you have to go grocery shopping on your birthday, it should be a happy place!  This is our local fruit market, it's more of a farmers market owned by one family with beautiful flowers, gianormous wheels of cheese and special olives and a meat dept. and some really fabulous homemade pies and one of my favorite parts... the cheapest vegies and fruits in town!  But even better than that on special days (like my birthday) they have this guy...

playing the piano while you shop!  I know right? I mean they did that just for me!  How sweet was that?!!

 Duane was funny, he hadn't been there in a while and they have remodeled and added much of the specialty items since he shopped there and he was like a kid in a candy store, he actually tasted a couple of things, yeah, they were NOT having tastings... get the picture? I found him at one point in front of a huge bin of what looked like dried tobacco and he had convinced an elderly lady to taste the dried hibiscus leaves that they sold for tea!  I was cracking up!  Not only that but Duane talks to just about everyone when we are out (I have to confess, I am not far behind him in that dept.)  so yesterday, I think it was senior citizen day (NOT because it was my birthday)  I kept losing him and when I would find him he would be talking to some couple or other :) 

 I will tell you another confession... that used to drive me crazy, but yesterday, I found it endearing. sappy I know, just keeping it real:)

So we spent the day eating a yummy breakfast, talking, shopping at a healthfood store, that's a story for another day, going to the market and then home where everyone made me feel like a queen!

Duane and John made dinner, Hannah set the table, Cam washed the dishes, and Max and Danielle were the entertainment (they usually are ;)  It was  a wonderful day!  50 is really a beautiful thing!

O.k. I know that's not really why you are here ;)  let's get down to the nitty gritty... you want to see what is going into the treat bag today!

so without further adieu...

I am packing one of the soldered pendants that I showed you a little while ago.  It is a piece of a vintage hanky with a chandy crystal dangling from the bottom! 

along with this...

A burlap rosette.  You know how you just start making something and then you think, hmmmmmm what else can I make this with?  Well, that's how these came about!  I was making some rosettes for something and spotted my burlap ribbon and wondered how it would look as a rosette and waalaa, I love them!  I think it would look so pretty on a mirror, a spring wreath, a package for a special friend.... you can do what you want with it!

Todays treats are the pendant and the burlap rosette :)

If you missed yesterdays post then here is what these are going into...

This drop cloth ruffled tote with a crocheted butchers string strap and bakelite buckle!

So all you have to do to enter the giveaway is

* leave a comment on this post or yesterdays post or BOTH posts to really keep me smiling :) 

*become a follower if you aren't one already...

*and stay tuned for tomorrows treat!

Thank you again for all of the birthday love!

Theresa xoxo

I'm linking up to Debra's Vintage Inspiration Friday

and Cindy's Show and Tell Friday

snow day...

        What do you do when you have a snow day?

  We snuggle in and watch a movie or two, the little ones go sledding and hang out with friends and I do this...

 I still wake up long before my family does, snow day or not!  So in the wee hours of morning when my head is not fuzzy and with my first cup of coffee, I sat down at the table and thought of spring.  I thought of the not long ago memory of only 2 DAYS AGO being able to wear only a sweater outside.  No coat, no gloves, o.k. I kept my pants on but only because there are laws you know :)  but seriously we had temps in the 40s maybe even low 50s, I'm not sure because anything above freezing is considered a heat wave in February!
so I thought of spring...

and I realized that the boiled wool sweater that I loved, looked ridiculous on me and so I needed to cut it up and quick before I was tempted to wear it again without anyone here (Danielle is my fashion police) to stop me!  I realized that the pattern I drew fit on the front side of the sweater and I could incorporate the dark green trimmed pocket into the body of the rabbit. I love it when things work out like that!  I looked around for the perfect addition to this little pocket and after much digging for treasures I came up with a vintage spring postcard.

You can see her soldered pendant that says "oh dat's pretty" and skeleton key necklace here,  I originally had a bow tie on her but decided SHE was not a he...  and after stepping away and taking a  break the more I looked at him I new he was in need of a little make-over,  "scalpel" ... just kidding no bunnies were harmed in this little sex change operation! Call me Dr. T !

edit... this just in, after posting this, I saw those above pics. and thought "hmmmmm, she is missing something...  WHISKERS!

and  a TAIL!  duh.

all better  :)
So this is what I did at the table but while we were watching movies I did this...

I love to crochet in the winter and most of the time I have no real idea what I want to make, I just sit and crochet to keep my hands busy I guess.  I don't follow patterns but only because I can't follow patterns for anything very well so this was going to be a bag but then I thought, nope...  pillow.

and I thought this black and cream toile was the perfect back for it.  I will tell you that when you don't follow patterns though it sometimes takes 2xs to get the lining and back to come out correctly.  oh well, Never, Never, Never give up!  We actually have a sign that I made with that saying on it hanging in the house, it helps when you think you want to give up.  on your math homework.  on the burnt dinner.  on cleaning.  on fixing that darn pillow,  you get the picture. :)

While we watch movies I also do this...

and this...

and this...

what can I say it keeps me from eating during the movie! 

o.k. because I find it very difficult to lie... there was popcorn, but imagine how much I would have consumed if I wasn't sewing or crocheting! 

So you can see that even though it does not look like spring outside my windows, I am feeling it in my heart.  I hope it is in yours as well.

All of the above goodies are now listed in my etsy shop... theoldwhitehouse .

I am linking up to White Wednesday, and Link Love, and Wow us Wednesdays,  Thanks girls!  

 I hope to see you there!

Thanks for stopping by... becareful on the steps.

Theresa xoxo

White Rosettes for White Wednesday...

And a sweet little silver bird to go with them...
Grain sack rosettes with a perfectly tarnished silver bird from a vintage salt and pepper set with nubby creamy wool leaves sitting on...
the mother of all pumpkins! Truly, I wanted to share something besides another pumpkin today for White Wednesday but my little world has been full of little else! (you should see the dining room table, and if you do, let me know which spot you cleared off!) this is how my brain works, I find something I love making and then I consider what other materials can be used to make more, so as not to get bored making said thing. I try to make every one of them differently by adding a little twist here and there that way I still enjoy the process.
I love that this old grain sack says Oct.1938 on it, perfect for the season don't ya think? :)
The new harvest. I'm linking this up to Kathleen's party over at Faded Charm, come on over and join in the fun, the inspiration from the attendees will blow you away! I'm also linking this up to a great party over @ Debras... The Vintage Inspiration Party! So much inspiration here in Blog Land... it's really amazing to me, the wealth of creativity is fabulous!!

Guess what... today is my one year blogiversary! I cannot believe it! I was really intimidated by the whole idea at first, and now one year later I am so glad I jumped in. I have 'met' some amazing people here and you have all enriched my life beyond measure. I wish I could thank you all personally, but until someone around here wins the lottery and/or becomes a pilot I will just have to send you all hugs from cyberspace! I want to do a little giveaway but I want it to be special and not forced. (which given the whole pumpkin thing it would be... seriously these people here @ 612 have me tied to a chair at the table with a can of wool and stuffing near by, only letting me up to make them food) (send help) :O So I will put my little thinking cap on and come up with something and surprise you all! Mostly I am only telling you about the date because I wanted to tell you all how special you are to me and how happy I am to have you here.

Thanks for stopping by! Theresa xoxo

p.s. I promise the next post will not have a pumpkin amywhere in sight! xoxo

White Wednesday, with new creations here at 612!

I cannot believe I finally made it back to the White Wednesday party!! WOOO HOOO! I think this weekend finally got me out of my funk, I stayed in my jammies all day on Sat. and created like a crazy person. I actually started during the week with some altered art creations. It was good to get out the glue and papers and photos, what fun that was, very therapeutic as well!
Well, one creation leads to another and there you have it, next out comes the fabric and trims and there has to be a rosette or two in the picture... and waalaa a bag and some cuffs are born! The tote was too easy and one of those things that just came together as I was playing.
I have been wanting to make one of these for awhile now, I love all of the ruffled goodness I see here in blogland and some time ago someone, I'm sorry I can't remember who (note to self take your Vitamin D) showed the totes you can buy for a song at Hobby Lobby, they come in sets of 3. They are very well constructed and the ideas are just endless with ways to decorate them. This one ended up with 3 ruffles in all and a removable pin made with vintage doilies and felted wool and an altered domino. My mind is just reeling with ideas for the other two from the pack!
Here's a close-up of the pin, made in the style of a vintage prize ribbon. I thought this pic was the more detailed photo to show you that this dapper young man's hat says sunshine on it, but I guess I picked the wrong one. sorry, but trust me it says sunshine!
Friday is when I started on the fabric cuffs. my new addiction. really.
They are so relaxing to make, twisting scraps of fabric into rosettes as I watched a movie with the family. Are you like that, if your sitting (unless exhaustion has hit you) then your fingers have to be busy making something? I digress... the flowers are fun to make and a great way to use up fabric scraps of all kinds. I was twisting bark cloth, drop cloth, wool, homespun, there were pieces of fabric surrounding me in piles all over the loveseat!
Then after the twisting was finished I got out the jewels and ring backs and decided to make a couple of rings to go along with the cuffs. I really love how they both turned out, and can't wait to make more!
This one is not a twisted rosette but more a fall mum-like flower made from felted bits of wool from a vintage blazer. (another note to self... Danielle should be doing more dishes, my hands don't even come close to looking so good!)
This one is my favorite, made with bark cloth from an old curtain that was beyond repair, I have been saving it for some time now, always afraid to cut into it. I get like that, when something is too utterly fabulous I get cold feet when I want to make something out of it. Glad I put some socks on and got busy! Oh my gosh, I am so corny ;)
Now for the altered art part of this post... it's Halloween time and well what better way to decorate than with an aging warlock! I love taking old pictures and adding hats and jewels and other goodies to them. This one will add some humor to the otherwise spooky fest!
This is a beautiful woman who I think exudes strength and gentleness at the same time. I got her from one of the generous sites on here that share their photo treasures with all of us. I cannot remember who shared her right now but if it comes to me I will be sure and let you know... seriously needing the vitamin D! I just found the site where I got her picture from... Papieren Avonturen so glad I found it so any of you who are looking for more great photos can see what she has to offer. :)
Here she is in her shabby frame and surrounded by layers of tissue pattern paper. I took a stem of small silk roses and wrapped them in a floral cuff complete with a little bling. The quote on the bottom is from Eleanor Roosevelt... "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams " well said. Thank you Mrs. Roosevelt.
So there you have it... I'm back! I thought I was back before but well, I think this time I'm really, truly back! Making new creations really does wonderful things for me!
I'm linking this up to Kathleen's White Wednesday party over at Faded Charm that is always full of inspiration and some fabulous attendees so stop on by and see for yourself!
This just in... I'm also linking up to Tea Rose Home link party #25 for more inspiration come check out the party!
Thanks for stopping by, see you soon! Theresa xoxo