Day trip: International Collectibles & Antiques Show

Yay! Flea market time!

This weekend we headed down to the monthly Collectibles & Antiques Show held at the Metrolina Tradeshow Expo in Charlotte. I haven't been to a flea market in a while, and I had a few things to get on my list:

1) Floor lamp
2) Sewing supplies
3) Fabric

and anything else that may tickle our fancy.


We are FOREVER searching for the right floor lamp for our living room. Given that our furniture is more old-world charm, we refused to get one of those utilitarian ones from IKEA and the likes.

There were lamps aplenty at the expo, but none caught my eye. But i did luck out on these fabulous binding strips and decorative ribbon, and a sizeable stack of gingham fabric! I think I might make a gingham quilt with them!









And then we found some lovely whiskey glasses and beer mugs at a dollar apiece! Fun!


The next one is at the end of the month. If you're in the area, swing by the Metrolina Tradeshow Expo at:

7100 Statesville Road ~ Charlotte, North Carolina 28269

RIP Emma Yong

Emma Yong, far right. Via

Stage actress, Emma Yong, died today in Singapore after a long battle with stomach cancer.

This is really sad news because in my formative years as a theatre student, I watched, and was inspired by her. She was one of the stronger stage actresses in Singapore, equipped with a powerful and beautiful voice. I attended most of her performances, and the one that was most memorable to me was her rendition of "A Bushel and A Peck" in the musical Guys and Dolls.

The thing that scares me most, is that she was only 5 years older than I am. That's right, I am turning the big 3-0 this year, but I'm wondering if i've truly done anything that is worth remembering for posterity's sake. Emma was only diagnosed last year with the cancer, and now she's gone.

Time is precious, fellow bloggers. So get out there, celebrate life and do something you love every chance you get!

What's in a name?

Via



Via


Via

This thought came to me as I was typing out letters to doctors at work. Some of these doctors have the strangest names ever! Well, not exactly strange, but enough to make me pause and smile.

There's one that I typed out: Dr. Hunkele.

Mmmm...would you look at that Hunk-a-hunk-a-le-le.

or something more superhero for you:

By day, he is Peter Porter, but by night he is DOCTOR JUSTIS!

Just last night, the J-man jokingly told me that we should name our future son
"Ernest Tyberius Septum Russell"

Go figure...

Yoohoo! We have the ElephantisLove Giveaway Winner!

And we have a winner!!

(Nana) Glo Haynes of Glo Sews, please send me an email granolabar[AT]gmail[DOT]com with your mailing address!! Congratulations and I hope you love it!

Thank you friends for participating, and always showing your support. It means a lot to me!!!

xoxo

Crafting: Vintage Clutch Paper Patterns

So I gathered up courage to attempt a paper pattern for an envelope clutch just to see how to improve on my own take-a-wild-stab version.




I bought this pattern off Etsy and attempted this simplest version of the 4 designs.

*takes a deep breath*



Here goes nothing:




This is what I did different from my usual non-pattern attempts:

1) I added a dart to the base, which I had a feeling was to give the base a foldline so you can flatten it? Although, I'm not sure if my dart was done right.

2) I topstitched ALL the edges to give clutch a sturdier look and feel!

3) The flap was an external piece of fabric that was sewn to the body of the bag. My previous clutches were made from just one piece of fabric, folded into 3 sections (really easy!)

4) I added side panels to give depth to the clutch








As a result...




Ta-daaaa!

A free-standing sturdy looking piece of work!

If I were any awesome-r, I could have made the stripes on the fabric align. But this was a trial run, and I'm so in love with the Thai silk fabric that I'm going to have to keep it for myself!

It took me awhile to understand the instructions in the pattern and to familiarise myself with the symbols on the illustrations, but now I've gained a little more confidence to maybe attempt the other 3 designs and definitely hoard MORE patterns!

Any words of advice from seasoned pattern users?

And don't forget the ElephantisLove giveaway ends tonight 11:59PM EST! I will pick a winner via random.org

Shared on Make Something Mondays Linkup!