Pinterest & Finding a treasure

 We really that we haven't been blogging alot lately. I think I am going to have to blame Pinterest. We both find ourselves pinning on almost a nightly basis. If you thought you loved facebook or reading blogs you should try Pinterest. The internet has become an amazing way to network, find and share creative ideas. When we discovered blogging we thought we had died and gone to heaven. To read some of the fantastic blogs that are out there is like sitting down with a really great new magazine every night.
Pinterest is a lot the same way for people who are very visual. We have found so many great ideas, pictures, sayings, on Pinterest that has had a really big influence on us and how we do business and what we create. CJ even uses it to create boards for her clients. So check it out and let us know when you turn into a Pinterest addict.
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One of the most common questions we get about our business is were do we find or get our "stuff". Well, this time of year we always find ourselves on overload with places to find vintage. There are fleamarkets, antique shows, garage sales, and auctions (both on line and live). If you are fortunate you will build a network of people that will find you and be willing to sell you what you are looking for at a price that allows you to make a small profit.
I have someone that calls me on almost a weekly basis with some small or large find. A couple of weeks ago he called and told me he was salvaging some things from an old farmhouse that had sat empty for 20 years.
What he had come up with was a wonderful primitive cabinet that was build out of old growth Michigan white pine. It had originally been a one piece cabinet that had been cut in two. The cabinet still has a great original wood grain finish. The style of the cabinet show alot of northern European influence. My guess is that it was made sometime between 1850 and 1870. I feel in love with it and bought it. It got a good cleaning in my shop and has been set up in a spot were I could admire it this past week.

 So This past friday I called CJ and told her that I had found a cabinet for space in our living room that she has talked about putting a cabinet in for months. I brought the cabinet home on friday noon and set it up and when CJ got home I got an excited about the cabinet and began working her magic on this little corner of our living room.

 When I got home she had the cabinet filled with ironstone and some of our collection of vintage French ticking(another thing we collect that very rarely gets resold).

We are aware that we need to make money on what we buy but occasionally we find something we love so much that we just need to keep it for a while. We consider it a benefit of our business.

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We are busy making and collecting items for our two Petoskey shows and the Country Living show. As we get closer to the shows we will give you some sneak previews. Check out our spaces at Bluedoor here in Grand Rapids and Then and Now in Petoskey. We are constantly bringing in new treasures and creations.

EMBROIDERY

I have always had a love affair with embroidery, needlework & fiber arts in general. So welcome to the 1970's when I was a teenager and embroidered these patches for my worn out jeans! Some of you who were also teenagers then you get this for the rest of you come along for the story. In the early 1970's you could not yet buy jeans for girls. We wore the boys jeans - so you see "boy friend" jeans is NOT a new term or style! So we girls altered them to fit us and as mine became worn in places I also added my own personality as I explored stitches and techniques.

This was and is a favorite book of mine, originally published in the 1950's and republished in 1971. It is stuffed full of awesomeness!
I may just have "radar" for it, but I think that I have been seeing the popularity of  embroidery again on Pinterest. Those of you who follow us on Pinterest know that I have a board for embroidery. My repins inspire me with patterns, colors, fibers, shapes and applications. Here are a few of my favs!

I have always been drawn to mixed media, the layering of images, objects etc. I use this technique in my interior spaces as well. I love viewing accessories and furniture through other pieces. I feel that it gives the space a better composition and more interest. So it is no wonder that I like the added us of buttons and beads to the embroidery designs.
So here is a little peak at what I am working on now (in 2012!).