Little Feedsack Birdie Bookmark

If you sew, you understand scraps are everywhere!  If they're too small to really use, I throw them away, but if they're not, they go into a keep area.  That keep area is overflowing and I decided that I'd make bookmarks because everyone has a favorite little book with a favorite quote that they want easily accessible like this 1938 Household Guide book.

I took the scraps of a small feedsack print of a pillowcase and cut it down to approximately a 2 1/2" X 7" inch piece, serged the edges and then cut out a tiny little bird.  I attached the bird with machine stitching and then stitched a small swing for it to sit upon.  The swing "attaches" to the tiny bow at the top.

And because I only used 2 pieces of fabric and nothing else, the bookmark sits flat and won't add bulk to your book.

Nifty!

More bookmarks will be added to the shop over time, but for now, here's the link to this one:

Birdie Bookmark

Quaker Oats Chicago Laying Mash Pillow

As a proud Illinois-born and mostly bred (I moved away when I was 12), I just couldn't pass by this awesome vintage Quaker Oats Laying Mash sack that was found in Columbia, Missouri.  Needless to say, it sat atop my fabric stash for less than a month before being made into a pillow.

I search high and low for good, clean vintage pillow forms for my pillow covers because when you buy a pillow that you like, having to run to the fabric store to buy a pillow form is a nuisance.  I'd like for you to open your purchase and be ready to use it straight away, so all of my pillow covers come with the pillow inside.

This pillow cover is sewn with an envelope-style backing complete with a vintage silver button!  New blue and white ticking was chosen for the backing fabric since it complements the Quaker sack nicely.

As always, you can click over to my Etsy shop by the link in the right sidebar.

My Newest Feed Sack Pillow

You can find it HERE.

Decorating with Numbers

If you enjoy decorating with the latest in home decor design, then you'll probably want a few numbers to accomplish your task.  Numbers are everywhere!

Pinterest

Pinterest

Pinterest

Neat, huh?  So, when I found this vintage set of cattle branding irons from 0-8 with the number 6 able to flip into a 9, I was thrilled! 

If anyone is unsure what branding irons do, they are meant to "tattoo" livestock so if one would escape or get stolen, it would be easily traced back to the owner through the numbered or lettered system branded onto the animal.

The numbers were at one point wrapped with twine.  My husband grew up on a cattle ranch and said it was supposed to be a bit more humane rather than the metal going directly against the skin.  Branding is branding to me, though, and I'm sure it's painful no matter what.

From a Missouri farmstead, these irons have been used.  I love the rusty handles and the worn look of the numbers!  They look great together in a large vase or displayed separately.  

I have them listed on Etsy at the moment:

Numbered Cattle Branding Irons

The Cloche

Cloches, or domes, are "in."  So fashionable that you can search blogs, shops and even antique malls for varying ways to display the cloche.

An example from here:

I'm a bit more non-traditional and prefer the appearance of the cloche to be something other than what it was originally meant to be used for.

For example,

I love this idea of using old scientific flasks as found here.

So I knew that one of these days, I'd jump on the cloche bandwagon and ride it all the way home, but I was waiting for inspiration.  A week ago, my husband and I were scouring the antique malls in Lincoln,  Missouri and I came across a heavy clear glass cake stand.  Since it was chipped (yay!), it was priced at just $2.00.  I knew that would be the perfect base for my display.

My husband grew up on a Kansas ranch and he brought with him a few souvenirs of the days of yore.  One of the items was a cattle muzzle that has most recently been used to hang in the kitchen to store wooden utensils.  I was tired of the look, so I cut off the twine that I tied to it and flipped it over and wa-la:  instant vignette of the cloche variety.

It's on the table next to the fireplace and mantle which are sporting a farmhouse theme.  Underneath the "cloche", I placed a vintage stoneware pitcher.  It's all sitting on our antique scale.

The cloche means something to both my husband and I, so that makes it even more special.  So when you are out and about scouring the antique venues, why not find something to repurpose, as well.  It provides a bit of unexpected pizzaz to home decor-which is the best kind!

Happy Hunting!

Seed Sack Bird Cage Pillow

Happy New Year Dancing Bumblebee Cottageites!  2012 sounds so space-age, don't you agree?  And yet, I'm still into vintage.  I shall never be a girl of the future.

With that in mind, I just listed my newest creation over at Etsy!  The link is to your right.

I have so many vintage feed and seed sacks from attending farm auctions over the warm months that I'm always looking for projects to make things with them.  The Certified sack was perfect because the logo was still vibrantly blue and it looks just like a paper tag, which is really trendy right now.

To make the bird cage, I machine-stitched the design complete with a swing for the bird.

The sweet bird was created with a vintage cotton bed sheet.  The eye is an antique glass button.

I love how it turned out!  Look for more feed and seed sack pillows coming soon as well as additional vintage clothing patterns being listed!