I hope all the mamas had nice Mother’s Day with their families!  I’m popping in to let you all know that I’ve re-opened my vintage shop.  Everything is priced for gals on a budget and each item is just really pretty.

Stop by and have a look if you get the chance!

Happy Monday.

A quick little post about a mini project I did yesterday.  (Nope, the ’20s dress hasn’t been made yet as I’m still figuring out grading the bodice.)  I recently bought a new pair of sunglasses.  Normally I wear these designer ginormous ones, not so much to make a fashion statement but to provide full coverage in terms of UV protection.  But I’ve been looking at getting another pair for a while, something light and fun for spring/summer.  Something not quite as huge.

Cute, right?  I stumbled upon these peachy keen sunglasses at Target!  I love the translucent frames and tawny lenses.  And surprisingly they don’t pinch my face or slide off my nose.  (The one drawback to having a petite [half-]Asian nose is that finding glasses to fit can be a pain.)  But, like your typical inexpensive sunglasses, these did not come with a case.  I’m not fanatical about protecting my sunglasses but I would prefer that they don’t get scratched.  (Weird, I know.)  I considered hunting down a vintage one but who knows how long that would take and most new cases are pretty boring or ugly.  So, I decided to make a case (naturally!).

From my stash: stripey denim (like the kind train engineers wear, or at least the ones in my imagination do), medium-heavy weight interfacing and a feedsack scrap.

Nothing very precise about the making process.  I wanted the case to be snug enough so that the glasses would not slip out but not so tight I couldn’t remove them easily.  (I knew in advance I wouldn’t be making a closure–that’s extra work and I wouldn’t use it anyway!)  Basically I wrapped the fabric around the glasses and kind of guessed at the measurements.  So then I cut 3 rectangles of the same size.  Took the denim and sewed up the side and bottom creating a little bag.  Basted the interfacing to the feedsack piece and sewed it up like the denim (except I made sure to leave an opening at the bottom).  Sewed the 2 pieces, right sides together, around the open end, flipped them right sides out (through the opening) and closed the opening with a slip stitch.  Originally the feedsack was going to be the lining so that’s why I put the bottom opening there.  Then I came to realize the fabric was too pretty to hide on the inside!  To finish it off I scootched out some of the denim around the opening to create a decorative “trim,” sort of like piping.  I did not use an iron, not once.  Ha!

OK peeps,  have a glorious weekend!  I’m going to be sporting my new sunglasses as it’s supposed to be quite sunny these next few days.

One more to-do checked off my list: re-vamping my ho-hum navy blue clogs with a little acrylic paint.   (OMG, was that a pun?  Vamp?)  When I first bought these clogs I was excited about them; navy shoes make me think of librarians and somehow I find that “librarian-ish” is a good characteristic when it comes to fashion.  But unadorned they were a bit too dark and Plain Jane for me (especially compared to my bright yellow patent leather ones).  I was bored of them and even thought about giving them away.

I love painted clogs, the folksy-ness of them.  So I did a quick little sketch on paper to plan and hopefully prevent any royal mess-ups but I wasn’t too particular with how the flowers would turn out; they didn’t need to be perfect.  Once I got started it went quickly.  Now my shoes are very spring-y, cheerful and ho-hum no more!

I’ve already worn them 3 times since I painted them last week; time well spent.

I had the most fabulous weekend at my friend Kara’s place, complete with chickens, a new puppy, home-cooked meals (including homemade pasta and shortbread), silly romantic comedies and lots and lots of outside time.  I returned home content but feeling rather under the weather, however.  I’m still a little foggy in the brain but it’s been a while since I posted and I want to share a couple things with you.

Kara and I went to the infamous Alameda Flea Market on Sunday.  It is HUGE.  Almost too big in my opinion as it was a bit overwhelming.  About halfway through the booths (we were bent on walking down every aisle), I looked down the center towards the remaining booths and said “Are you kidding me?”  (Actually, I also used an expletive or two.  What can I say, my feet were killing me!)  That being said, Kara totally scored some house stuff that she needed and I got a few things as well.

The Anthropologie-esque bird and dogwood plate (above) only set me back $1!  Isn’t it pretty?  I’m sure the vendor regretted quoting me the low price since my response was to gasp and then whip out my wallet.

This is not the greatest picture of an adorable granny sweater I also found there.  The color is a little more turquoise-y than in the photo.  Vintage sweaters never fit me but this one does surprisingly.   Plus I’ve been on the lookout for a wool lace cardigan so I had to get it!  I also picked up some silver-plated teaspoons (all with different patterns, naturally) since my husband and I always run out of those first, and a silver-plated cake server that I’ve been “needing” for a while.

Anyway I’m still drinking lots of tea today, trying to take it easy and enjoying the gloom while I get back into work.  I hope you all have a lovely Wednesday!