New Etsy and Facebook Page Name

Hello all, I wanted to let you know that I have changed my business name to Vintage 541. For now, my blog name will stay the same. I'd love to have you visit my pages:

http://www.vintage541.etsy.com/

http://www.facebook.com/vintage541/

http://www.pinterest.com/beckyjstephens/

some roses from my garden 

in a favorite little pitcher of mine...

Have a great weekend!

Becky

Garden Collectibles

I have a small mudroom off the back porch that also serves as my photography studio.  The lighting is just perfect and it's where I take all my pictures for my Etsy shop. I've decorated it with many of my favorite garden and nature collectibles I've found over the years.

a sweet nest...

 birds and blues...

some of my flower frog collection...

vintage garden tools and such...

a sweet bee collage I made years ago...

I just love this tin. I found it recently at my friend Barb's store, Treasures From the Heart in Eugene, Oregon...

I can't say I've done much gardening this summer, unfortunately, but at least I have all these wonderful treasures to enjoy everyday. There's always next year, right?

Have a beautiful weekend!

Becky

Simple Rubber Stamp Projects

I have tons of rubber stamps but for some reason I rarely use them. I decided I either needed to start using them or pass them on to someone else. Here are two simple projects I recently used them in. They are both listed in my Etsy Shop:


I found some plain thread spools, stamped the ends and wound a creamy ivory cotton thread around them.

These were just plain old peat pots. Don't they make cute little nests? 

Locks, Clocks, and Keys Oh My!

I have a thing for old clocks. And keys. And tiny padlocks. And vintage hardware. Ok, I have a thing for tons of old stuff and I have no problem snapping up vintage items that no longer serve their original purpose because I just know I'll be able to turn them into something else.  As you can imagine, I have a house and garage full of those items just waiting for that perfect blend of my creativity and the time to actually sit down and create! 
I'm currently on a mission to get up to 100 items in my Etsy Shop, so many of these items are now listed there. I am torn between keeping them and reaching my goal, but I just know there are many creative people out there who will know just what to do with them and that makes me happy. Besides, I figure when they sell, I'll just have to go out and hunt for more stuff!!
Here are a few of them, with many more to come soon:

Have a great day, 
Becky

A Little Bit of Spring

Since spring is taking it's own sweet time coming to the Willamette Valley, I thought I would post a few old photos to remember what spring looks like!

Happy spring,
Becky

To Embellish or Not Part 2

I decided to add a little decoration to some of the crowns I talked about in another post. I found some clear vintage rhinestone buttons for a subtle touch on a few of them. They are now in my Fussy Duck space. I'm mulling around some ideas for the other ones.

Have a fabulous day!

Becky

Mother and Child

I recently found this beautiful antique watercolor painting of a mother and her baby on one of my shopping excursions. I actually noticed the wonderful oak frame first, thinking the painting was just a reproduction print. Imagine my delight when I realized it was an original painting! It appears to be from the early 1900's. I tried to find a spot in my house for it, but it just didn't quite go anywhere. It is now in my Etsy shop.

Have a wonderful day,
Becky

To Embellish or Not

I made these little crowns out of sheet music and lace trim. I can't decide whether to embellish them or leave them as they are. I kind of like the simplicity as is, but wonder if adding a little something would make them even better. Any ideas?

If you'd like to make some of your own, you will need:


lace trim 
sheet music
liquid starch (found at Walmart in the laundry soap section)
bowl for liquid starch
waxed dixie or plastic cups
scissors
glue
rags (for wiping your hands and work area, the starch can be messy)


1. Cut a strip of sheet music approx. 8in. long and 2 in. tall. Experiment with the size you want. The size I made are great for dolls or just little decorative accents. You could make them bigger for a child, but you might want to print the sheet music on cardstock to make it sturdier. They could also be made even smaller for cupcake toppers.


2. Glue the ends of the sheet music to form a ring.  Place the lace around it and cut to fit. 


3. Dip the lace trim in liquid starch and squeeze out the excess. Place wet lace around an upside down waxed dixie or plastic cup and let it dry overnight. 


4. Gently lift the dried lace off the cup and glue around the top of the sheet music ring. Embellish if you want!