antiques roadshow here i come.

i have a site on etsy now with my friend nicole (and hopefully other duval crafters in the future!). she does amazing creature paintings and is selling them on etsy. i have some of my collage pieces and am also adding some super cool vintage finds that i have been collecting.

in my adventures on sunday i came across this gorgeous piece! don't hold your breath, this one isn't getting listed on etsy... i can't part with it! this vintage french floral gravy boat caught my eye not because of the stamp on the bottom (i didn't notice that till later...) but for the exquisite blue rose print on the ceramic, the way the handle curves so delicately and the soft ruffled edge around the base, among other things. it was so perfect and totally love at first sight. i knew if i didn't get it, i would be thinking about how i lost it for the rest of my life. i hate living a life filled with what-if's, so i knew it was going home with me long before i knew it's worth!

i also fell in love with a vintage perfume bottle and a turn of the century silk pillow with vintage brass safety pins but didn't want to spend $30 and $50 (respectively) on those. at least i have good taste... ha ha. i am still lusting after that bottle though. it was only a couple inches tall but the label and the detail on the bottle were perfection.

after a little research on the gravy boat i did purchase, it turns out it's a

WH Grindley & Co. circa 1891-1914

i couldn't figure out what pattern it was, but i found some patterns from the 1940's that were worth $125 and up! i have no idea what this one could be worth. if anyone knows about vintage china, i would love some input on this. i will research the stamp more when i can. for now i will just use this piece for it's perfect french turn of the century perfection. for now, i'm going to use it as a planter. baby succulents that need to be replanted.

i'll keep you posted on the perfume bottle. maybe we will cross paths again. all you have to do is believe in a little kismet.

hands off my wine (cozy)!

Toss out those old wine charms (or better yet recycle them into a new craft!) and dress up your wine glasses with pretty cozies! We will be crafting these cozies out of recycled sweaters, so if you have a specific color you'd like to use, bring your own! As always, we will have all the supplies you need to make your project! And, if you aren't a wine drinker you will have the option to make a cute coffee cozy (a craft from a previous week).

Hope to see you tomorrow night, 6:30-8:30 @ anomaly!

Please note: The above picture is a trial run cozy I made from felt. Since felt doesn't stretch, this wasn't a good material to use!

xoxo.

emily

etch your heart out.

it has been quite a mission this evening getting my computer up and running and downloading the pictures. something is wrong with the internal part of my charger AND it's running insanely slowly. there must be some serious viruses on here. urgh. so frustrating. more than anything, i hate low productivity. i don't have time to waste sitting here waiting for my computer to load for ALMOST AN HOUR!!! (no, seriously.)

now that i've gotten that out of my system, let me introduce you to this weeks project. i've been saving glass jars for a little while and i've gathered quite a collection of different shapes and sizes. we will be using etching cream to frost the glass and spray paint to paint the lid. (mine was green!) not only is this is a super easy project but it turns out looking store bought. it's simple and modern.

i decided to adorn an old salsa jar with "treat" because it's the perfect size to stash some candy to satisfy my nightly sweet tooth. mmm... smarties... start brainstorming about something you need a container for. buttons? needles? sharks teeth? wishes?

looking forward to tomorrow night! please contact me at the shop (354.7002) if you have any questions about craftacular tuesdays.

WHAT TO BRING?

• glass jar if you have a specific one you'd like to use. otherwise, i should have enough.
• beverages of choice
• a friend or two
• 5 bucks

see you at 6:30, tuesday evening.

xo. emily

a perfect springtime planter!

if you missed last night, you missed a really great project! it was a perfect night for crafting outside and all the cans turned out great!

it's spring (though some may argue that it was the middle of summer with the heat on monday!) and everything is turning nice and green again. i've really been taking interest in plants more and more lately. i've always loved flowers but this is the first time i've actually taken the time to garden!

i got some incredible tomato plants at RAM this past weekend, so monday i fit a little gardening in. (if you take a closer look at the background of the picture, you an see a green tomato already hanging on the plant!) on the front porch of my house there are a few really deep planters on one side that i planted some tomato plants in. i decided to plant the tomatoes in there because that spot gets great sun and anything planted there always seems to flourish. i've also got a bunch of "baby" succulents that i'm sprouting. i've got quite a little nursery planted on my porch. it's so much fun to watch the progression of succulents as they grow too. this planter is just the perfect size to put small plant in! i've asked raglands, the restaurant next door to my shop, if they could save their XL cans that will be great for bigger plants. i think i may just have to make some of these for my RAM booth! :)

have a wonderful week! i'd love to hear any projects that you would be interested in doing in the next few weeks!

until then...

xoxo,
emily

Recycled cans make perfect spring planters!

this week for crafty tuesdays we're making a super cute mosaic planter (or canister for whatever) from cans and vintage plates. i'm really looking forward to this project. it turned out really well, though it's hard to tell how fabulous this is from the picture above. (i took really pretty pictures this afternoon in hopes that the USB cord would turn up, but no luck... so had to turn to the trusty camera phone. boohoo.)

WHAT TO BRING:

- a can leftover from a canned good of some sort... (i will have about 10 on hand, so hopefully that will be enough... but you never know how many people may show up...)
-broken/old dishes if you'd like (i also purchased a lot of cool vintage ceramics to break up, so we should have enough... but if you have something you'd like to use, please bring)
-a hammer, if you have (i'll have a few on hand. everyone is good at sharing!)
-plus don't forget your beers, friends and $5! :)

we will be doing this project outside (the grout is super messy!), so you may want to dress accordingly. it could still be pretty hot at 6:30ish.

looking forward to this project! see you all tomorrow!

xoxo,
emily

this wednesday at the old library basement...

make sure to put this on your artwalk stop this wednesday night! anomaly (along with jaxbeard, hiphophell and shantytown) is sponsoring shaun thurston and friends from ATL for one night only! woohoo! we'll have some anomaly girls walking around in our newest clothing and delivering a special anomaly drink just for you! see you there!

xxoo. e

pretty spring napkin rings!

i found a super cool craft book from the 70's a few weeks ago and there are some great ideas in it. one is for napkin rings make with plaster bandages. unfortunately i have been hitting up the health and beauty section of numerous box stores and have yet to find it. i needed a substitute. i had some drywall tape (i think that's what it's called) in my stockpile of stuff and tried it out. voila!

what a perfect gift to make for mom! go the extra mile and tell your mother you appreciate her with a handmade gift straight from the heart! pair the napkin rings with a new set of napkins (or stitch up a set yourself) and you've got quite a gift!

ALSO... since craftacular tuesday happens to fall on the 5th of may this year, i'm making this pinata! (see the how to from threadbanger below.) i'm filling it with goodies for some cinco de mayo fun. woohoo!

see you tuesday, same time, same place.

until then...
xxoo. emily