Felting with my cat

Our Felted Ornaments workshop is coming up soon – this Saturday, Oct. 3 at 10 a.m. Remember these cute samples? Well nothing like a deadline to get me going to shrink a bunch of wool sweaters I had been amassing. The Goodwill Outlet is the easiest source ever - $1.39 per pound for bulk clothing. It’s getting easier for me to spot the pure wool items in the heaps of clothing in their bins. And I usually find something new for my wardrobe while I’m at it!

Anyway, here’s my heap. I try to keep similar colors together, and into the washer they go with soap and hot water. Sometimes I’ll have them agitate for an extra while. Here’s my kitty Harry’s favorite part – the drying. We did lots of drying Friday afternoon. He got so hot, he actually pulled half of himself off the dryer.

Then this morning, I found him “guarding” the new wool felt. What a good helper.

There’s still some spaces in this workshop. Give Lisa a buzz if you’d like to join in the fun! -- Beth

ecohaus

Saturday was tile shopping day. Raoul and I headed to Seattle to check out three tile places. Between stores two and three, as we were driving north on First Avenue South, I spotted ecohaus. I had been meaning to check it out, so into their parking lot we went. What an amazing resource store for sustainable home projects!

Right away we checked out their dreamy green kitchen.

A wall of stylish cork flooring samples. I had no idea there was such a wide variety available.

Another wall of true linoleum and Marmoleum samples.

A vanity sink top using Paperstone, a durable countertop material incorporating recycled paper. After watching this product be used on one do-it-yourself show after another, I was pleased to see it looked so good in person.

Is this a genius idea or what?! A small sink atop the toilet, with the waste water from the sink then filling the toilet tank.

And out in the parking lot, two spots for electric cars to charge their batteries.

Then it was back to tile shopping for us. We did find a finalist. Lunch was at this swanky taco truck on First Avenue South, just south of Rejuvenation Lighting. And oh my goodness, the food was tasty!

Our Fabric Stash ::: Purge Party Fabric Consignment Sale

A friend of ours shared this link, and if you have ever had a problem with acquiring too much fabric, you'll agree that this is a very clever idea!

When my sons were little, I had a cloth doll business, and sold my creations at the Pike Place Market in Seattle. I had a bad fabric obsession at that time. So I understand the concept of too many textiles. It's under control now (only to be replaced for my fondness for good junk)!

We wish this group great success, and if you attend, please let us know how much fun you had. We are triple-booked this weekend, or I'd be checking it out in person. -- Beth

My new torch

Here’s my favorite new tool – a propane torch! I’m going to use it to darken metal finishes. I have promised my retired firefighter husband that I promise to be extra, extra careful while using it outside. I set up a place in our backyard, with a hose nearby. Our nice neighbors on one side will be able to see what I am up to, but they are used to my crafting shenanigans. My husband had the brilliant idea to use our retired charcoal barbeque kettle as my work platform. Stay tuned for a picture of the junk lamp candelabras that will be making their debut at the Sand Point Antique Market on October 11.

Hoarders ala A&E TV

I have started watching this television show recently, after Laurie at Crazy Aunt Purl mentioned she was watching it. Since I do tend to save things that "I might need or use someday", I can relate to these people. The first time I watched it, I did the fast forward at triple speed through a lot of it - way too much crying and turn-your-head-away filth. But then I watched another episode, and could recognize traits I have - such as so many of my possessions tell a story. Lisa and I have been invited into enough homes to salvage items, that we have seen firsthand sometimes folks can part with their unwanted things if it is going to be used by someone else. I guess I am captivated by the whole process of saving - which requires organizational skills to not be smothered by your stuff, and purging - which can become an emotional process. And who hasn't experienced the feeling of being overwhelmed, and not knowing where to start?

Art Party Day

The Salvage Studio Art Party was a big heap of fun!

There were goodie bags and charm bracelet kits waiting,

banners and tissue paper flowers,

a table brimming with door prizes for everyone,

frou frou pin kits,

junque journal kits,

food and beverages,

people waiting at the door to come in,

and then focused on the workshops.

Our day together with these fun-loving and talented women was very, very special! Thanks to all who helped, and to our attendees for all the love they shared with us.

Art Party Today!

Today is the day...watch for more photos and highlights of our Salvage Studio Art Party.

And if you live in our area -- Vendor Night from 5:30pm to 7pm tonight is FREE admission to the public at ArtWorks in Edmonds.

Rachel is B-A-C-K

Hot diggity dog – I received my copy of Rachel Ashwell’s latest book – Shabby Chic Interiors; My Rooms, Treasures and Trinkets. Tiffany of Shabby Scraps received hers recently, and seems to love it as much as I do. I’ve just turned the pages quickly on my first once through. It is a gorgeous endeavor, and by the time I hit the last two chapters – Behind the Scenes and Details, I was even more enthralled. This is a book you want to own.

And more good news – I found out from reading Rachel’s latest blog posting on Shabby Chic, that she opened Shabby Chic Couture on September 12 at the original location of her very first store in Santa Monica. Her blog entries sharing the business challenges she has endured are truly poignant. I so admire her vision, perseverance and honesty.

The Junk Curse

These diamonds in the rough were 75% off at St. Vinnie’s – a mere $2.25 each. Is it a gift or a curse that I can see bunches of potential in these? -- Beth

Note from Lisa: Both!

Perfect Mail Day

Don’t you love it when your friends have really nice friends, and then they become your friends as well? I’ve known bj for a while now, and therefore I have known Tasha for almost as long. The only trouble is Tasha lives in Georgia, so I don’t get to visit with her very often. She was in Seattle visiting bj during that hot week of ours, and they ventured north to have lunch with show and tell at my house. We had a lively visit, and before you know it, Tasha found out how much I adore vintage rosaries.

Well lucky, lucky me! This is what I received today – 12 rosaries and their memorable story. Tasha’s father-in-law practiced dentistry for nearly 50 years, and always took care of the nuns from the local parochial schools without charging a fee. In return, he received lots of free passes to Sunday pancake breakfasts, afghans the sisters knitted and rosaries.

The story is sweet, and this gift is so appreciated.

Altered Christmas Cards Workshop

Here's another sneak peek at an upcoming workshop scheduled for October 24 - Altered Christmas Cards. I'm sharing my stash of vintage holiday cards.

The hardest part will be selecting the three cards for your stamping, gluing and glittering! We'll have pom pom fringe, sequins, German glass glitter, Dresden gold snippets and way more for you to embellish each card. Attach hangers of pipe cleaners, ribbon or bendy metallic stuff, and you'll be leaving with three special decorations or gifts for giving. This workshop will be held at Bountiful Home in Edmonds. To register, please call Lisa at 425-330-5425.

Felted Ornament Workshop

I was crabby the day I shrunk my favorite turquoise sweater. Too bad I didn't know then, that it gave its' life to become a felted ornament sample for an upcoming workshop on October 3. We'll be hosting this workshop at Bountiful Home in Edmonds. All sorts of goodies will be waiting for you to use to make three ornaments that morning.

I LOVE the little house I made.

Lisa LOVES the bird she made.

And we hope you will have as good a time as we did making these samples!

Visit our website for registration information.

Introducing our Vendor Night Vendors

We are buzzing around preparing for our all-day Art Party event on September 19. There are goodie bags to pack, decorations to make, kits to compile.

But we aren't the only ones getting ready: we have a fun list of artists participating in Vendor Night. Here is who we have so far and website information for them so you can get a glimpse of some of the treasures they will be bringing for you.

Lyneen Jesse

http://dreamingofcastles.blogspot.com

Ephemera: paper, postcards, small items to use in altered projects plus cards.

Cindi Powell

Lovely jewelry using vintage components.

Cathy Mitchell

http://mudbaymusings.blogspot.com

Caroline Chastain

Jewelry and good stuff!

Joanne Cooney

Snow people and other fun items.

Sherri Robbins

www.ArtHouseMosaicStudio.com

Mosaics, garden totems, mirrors

Candy Pasion

Fun colors make up her art; from paper to charms.

Andrea Savar

www.french-flea-market.com; www.andreasavar.com

Found objects, French ephemera, old charms, beads, button from France, maybe even some of her jewelry.

Beth & Lisa

www.thesalvagestudio.com

We will have our usual fine collection of vintage ephemera along with some of our own jewelry made from vintage components.

Cindy Pestka

http://artgirl-island.blogspot.com/

Fun and fabulous, Cindy has it going on. She will have packs of ‘stuff’ and some of her own creations.

We still have openings for the Art Party. Click here for more information and registration forms. And you don't have to attend the Art Party to attend Vendor Night...Vendor Night is free and runs from 5:30 - 7pm on Saturday, September 19 at ArtWorks, 201 2nd Ave, Edmonds WA. And if you are interested in being a vendor, cost is $25 for non-attendees. Just give us a hollar.

Cousin Joe's Furniture

Last Sunday, was road trip day. Our youngest son Morgan, was spending a long weekend with us. We headed to Cashmere, over Steven's Pass, to visit Aunt Jean, soon to be 90 years old. The scenery was spectacular, and we found Aunt Jean in fine form! She lives with my cousin Joe and his family.

Joe has always been artist, and his current passion is creating furniture.

I loved how the glass follows the shape of the wood.

We had a tasty lunch at this table. It is a magnificent set! They loaded us up with a box of bounty from their garden, freshly canned pickles, and my favorite - a big jar of Joe's salsa. We all agreed, it was the perfect day.

Charm Swap -- a la Black and White

Last Saturday, Lisa and I hosted two groups of charm swappers at my home. IT WAS A BLAST! First of all – it was tons of fun to hang out with our customer friends, and second – I received this heap of fabulous charms! The way it works is you bring 25 handmade charms, and trade with everyone in the group. Each swapper has a chance to share the story behind their creation, and then we can ask them questions like “how the heck did you get this to stick to that?”

Here’s some action shots of the charm happiness.