Elizabeth Holcombe ~whimsies and words~

Oh, Happy Day!

The other day a sweet blogland friend, Tina, sent me a message about seeing two of my pin "cushys" in Romantic Homes. I freaked out because I didn't have the magazine, but I HAD sent two pin cushions to RH last summer. Then Suzy got her issue on Wednesday and sent me a photo of my creations in it, and this sweetheart gave me a lovely shout out. Last night, my friend Debbie (ceo of Bayberry Cove) called me and said her RH copies had arrived. Finally, I can show you! I am one proud crafter...

I am so deeply honored to have a full page devoted to my one-of-a-kind pin cushions.

THANK YOU Romantic Homes! Luv ya bunches!

For those readers who are coming to my blog from Romantic Homes, WELCOME! So glad you stopped by!~~I have been making my pin cushions since 2005, and since that time I have made over 500 pin cushions, each and every one a one-of-a-kind creation. I re purpose vintage figurines and then I craft the pin cushion bases from vintage and new fabric, trims, buttons and other fun pieces I find at flea markets, estate sales, etc. Each figurine I use carries it's own "voice" telling me how the rest of the pin cushion will look!

As each pin cushion is created I list them in my etsy shop. If you are interested in knowing when the new pin cushions and my other creations are listed in etsy, please join my Yahoo announce group.

Have a delightful day!~~~XXOO, Beth

Paroled from the ICE House!~~~

Finally! The sun came out today and the ice began to melt. I was finally paroled from the ice house! I went to my awesome job at Bayberry Cove, then to the post office, and finally to my favorite thrift shop! I was going through thrift store withdrawals being marooned in the house. I needed my thrifty fix. Here is what I found, all for under ten dollars...

A cool kitty towel from France, a BIG spool of yarn, a soy cookbook (I may give it to my adorable hippie neighbors), an Easter egg craft book, a lovely vintage velvet heart box with wonderful millinery flowers, a postcard pack, yards and yards of patriotic ribbon, and a cool vintage lady happily ironing on patches.

And...

This groovy nursery fabric from the 60's or 70's! It reminds me of School House Rocks graphics...conjuction junction, what's your function? I love this piece!~~~So there you have it. I finally made it out of my ICE house and spent a whopping $8.47.~~~XXOO, Beth

Marooned

I don't drive in ice. I can't drive in ice. I shall never drive in ice. I am an ice whimp. I admit it. So here I sit for the second day in a row of not leaving my house. Well, I take that back. I actually did leave my house to take a few photos for you, but I didn't leave my yard. Venturing out on foot was dicey. Slick and horrible. But in a way, as with all ice storms, there is a stark beauty. Here is what I mean...

Branches always look nice in a glassy coating of ice. Until they fall on powerlines, but we are lucky that didn't happen here.

I don't think there are any flash frozen birds in here. I don't have any birdseed so I tossed out rice krispies to the birds, but the dog ate them all..the rice krispies not the birds.

OK, so there is one flash frozen bird on the deck...

 ...Or two.

My car is buried in a "layer cake" of ice and snow.

So is the road in front of our house. I guess I'm not going anywhere soon. Dang.~~~XXOO, Beth

There's A new Pixie In Our House!

Good Snowy Day, Blogland Friends!~~~~Yesterday a package arrive at our doorstep. I had recently won a piece of Holt Howard's oh-so-cute Pixieware. I already have three in my collection and as of yesterday afternoon, I now have a quartet of Pixieware!

"Olives" is my latest addition...

The other Pixies seem to welcome the new addition...

Except perhaps Mustard who is all the way in the back and looks rather grim. He'll have to get over it because I will, hopefully, add to my collection again!~~~Take care and now I must go look at the snow which keeps coming and coming and...you get the idea~~~XXOO, Beth

Cute and Easy Way To Protect Your Work Surface

I have only one work surface in my studio and it also my desk. I bought this pretty wooden desk from IKEA a few years ago and have used one of those green grid self-healing mats to protect the wood. It's a practical mat but not very pretty, so I put it aside when I don't need it. A week or so ago, I was In Target, and like so many of you, I am amazed at how wonderful the designs are on their seasonal products. I found a plastic place mat which is as pretty and whimsical in design as it is functional.

What I like about this place mat, other than the sweet design, is that it is see-through and the wood of my desk gives the background of it a faux bois sort of look to the design. The practicality of the mat is that it is opaque and not slick. It has a little "tooth" on the surface which keeps things from sliding around and especially gives me a place to leverage needles through several layers of ribbon or fabric in the many hand sewing requirements of my projects.

You should be able to find these mats at Target now in this and other cute designs. I think they're only a few dollars each. Happy shopping and, as always, happy creating!~~~XXOO, Beth

Gnutty for Gnomes!

I love garden gnomes. I have several groupings of these plastic cuties in my garden (although the dog thinks they are her toys and frequently pulls them out to chew on). Right now, in winter, the gnomes are hibernating in the tool shed. But I did find some wee gnomes (thanks to Suzy!) and decided they needed to be the feature on a new pin cushion:

 

I made a fairy ring of mushrooms and flowers and set a trio of gnomes with their wee garden tools in the ring. It's a little different than my usual pin cushion fare, but I thought you all might like to see this latest creation.

I love gnomes!~~~I'll be putting this happy trio in my etsy shop on Sunday~~Got to dash! Lots to do today!~~XXOO, Beth

A Fun Valentine's Day "Dime Store Chic" Craft

Hello, My Blogland Friends!~~~

If you have a  minute, hop on over to Vintage Indie for a FUN and oh so easy Valentine's Day craft! As a Contributing Editor to Vintage Indie, I have the honor of submitting fun craft projects made from thrift store finds. This latest project is no exception. The materials are cheap and easy to find in a thrift and craft store. I present you with the Dime Store Chic Valentine's Day Tray:

Complete directions are available on Vintage Indie!~~~XXOO, Beth

Fun Storage and Such Kindness!

Hello, My Blogland Friends!~~~As I write this, I have HBO's John Adams on the TV. I have watched the DVD more times than I can count. If you haven't seen this series, please do yourself a favor and get a copy. The sacrifices made by our founding fathers, mothers, and so many come to life. Please read David McCullough's book which the series was based.

But I digress, which is a "failing" of mine, I don't want to lose...just yet :)

In my studio I have a nice little collection of sewing baskets which were easy to obtain at thrift shops. These colorful, made in Japan, vessels have such a whimsical dime-store quality about them. Each one different yet meant for the same purpose. They also stack very nicely.

Their handles vary as much as their design and shape. I particularly like the triangular handle on the white box to the left.

I have filled these sewing boxes with buttons, beads, and other assorted bits. Some have little trays which are very handy. I spent no more than three dollars for each basket. I don't really care what the inside looks like as long as the outside is pretty and the handles work. You will find so many uses for these colorful cuties.

Yesterday, mail service was a little interrupted due to the millions of visitors here for the Inauguration. We did get our mail and I received a delightful package from Breanna. Breanna was so very kind to thank me for encouraging her in her creative endeavors, and I am more than happy to do so. She went out of her way with her generosity and sent me these fabulous gifts she made. They are as practical as they are lovely:

The matroyshka fabric conceals the most fragrant "sinus pillow" with lavender! I certainly need this in these cold, dry weather months. The trio of muslin pillows are stuffed with more lavender to tumble about in my dryer and make my clothes so fragrant! Delicious! And the "I ride" journal is cleverly recycled vintage papers--I love this!

Thank you, Breanna! Love ya!~~~Have a happy week everyone!~~~XXOO, Beth

What I Love About The Inauguration and~~You Want Them~~Fun Facts!

The Inauguration is the peaceful transfer of power. I love this! This Constitutional tradition has been in place in The United States of America since John Adams took the Presidential Oath of Office in 1797. George Washington's inauguration was on the heels of the Revolutionary War, so I can't say it was exactly a peaceful transfer of power when he took the oath.

And, wow! Look at how great photography was back then! Kidding. This is from the awesome John Adams HBO mini-series. I especially love how the "dudes" behind Adams and Washington are looking like they've already been into the celebratory keg of grog, or whatever they imbibed in those days. Oh, and George Washington gave the shortest speech at only 135 words! Yay, George!

In 1917 President Woodrow Wilson was the first to include women in his inaugural parade!

Hmmm. Do you see any women in there? I see a lot snow, which we won't be getting today in any measurable amounts at least.

In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was the first to include African-Americans in his inaugural parade.

To be honest, I can't tell much from this photo, other than Lincoln who is clearly the tallest guy present. You all know that President Obama will use Lincoln's Bible today for his swearing in.

President Warren G. Harding was the first do the inauguration parade in a car. That was in 1921.

That's Harding, second from the right, and Woodrow Wilson is the first from the right. Dig the hats. I wonder if they stashed their lunch in there? They look like they're freezing!

Here is what President Obama will ride in:

Smooth. Very Smooth. You think they got a DVD player in there?

The first inaugural ball was hosted by President James Madison in 1809. You KNOW his wife, Dolley Madison "The Hostess With The Mostess" wanted to do the Martha Stewart thing, and said to him, "Honey, you're President now, and I wanna give a party!"

I think the decorations are pretty cool, and the dresses are HUGE!

And here's your last inauguration fun fact (yay!)...
In 1857, President James Buchanan's inauguration was the first to be photographed. Really. Here's proof...

A lot of people couldn't stand still for the photograph. Can you imagine the photographer with this fairly new technology, shouting, "Hey YOU! Yeah you. Guy in the lower middle with hands behind back and top hat, can you stand still for about an hour while I take this photograph?"

So, enjoy the ceremonies today. Celebrate our country's peaceful transfer of power, and I know that today will offer many firsts.  And you may not know Barack Obama will be the first President who...

..."can leap tall buildings in a single bound". But perhaps you already knew that.~~~XXOO,  Beth

A Bag o' Nuns and Other Strange Tales From My Inspiration Board

Hello, Blogland Friends!~~~This is the second of two posts I'm doing today. And, no, that's not the strange tale :)

My inspiration board hangs on the wall to my immediate left. It is a crusty layer of the minutiae of things that I have found and want to keep out in the open to glance at from time to time. Perhaps you, too, have an inspiration board. Does is resemble this glorious mess?...

Let's take a little tour, shall we? Remember there is no smoking and no flash photography on the tour...

Ahh, Manny Acta, the manager of our hapless Washington Nationals baseball team. I think Manny is quite good-looking. When I met him, with hubby standing next to me, I thought I would faint at Manny's sexy Antonio Banderas diction. But my heart lies with Desi Arnaz, my favorite Latino, who is on display here with his Lucy--and you KNOW I love Lucy! The dog photos to the left are of "Bud". Bud the dog rode with Horatio Jackson in his car. Jackson drove across America with Bud. Of course that was back in 1903 when there were hardly any roads other than dirt tracks! I love little Bud and his special riding goggles which are here in the Smithsonian American History Museum as is Jackson's car.

And continuing on...

This is a photo of my son when he was in kindergarten (he's 14 now!). The photo of hubby is one I took of his as he lounged in the movie theatre in the White House. THE White House. The corsage is the very first one I ever made, a prototype. The faux topaz brooch was owned by my dear grandmother Edna. No touching, please. Let's move on...

A real hodge-podge here. A postcard of a group of famous little people from the 1940's. A cute button card. A birdhouse--I own one made from this pattern long ago. A Domo key topper my son gave me. A "pansy" brooch made from painted shells. OK, let's continue...

I purchased this cross icon in the tiny Mexican border town of Palomas. We were in southern New Mexico, and thought, hey Mexico is only a few miles away, let's go there! We parked in the USA and walked into Mexico. We visited La Tienda Rosa, the pink house, for cool souvenirs (including lots of Mexican oil cloth for me!) and a tasty lunch! Below the cross is, as promised, the highlight of our tour: a bag o' nuns! I picked up these petite sisters at my local fave thrift shop for 25 cents. I have NO idea what to do with them. I just like them! Now, we're walking and we're walking...you in back...keep up with the tour group please!...

Here is a photo of me, my friend Barbara, and Scotland's Proclaimers. What a fun night that was! in the upper right corner is my kindergarten diploma--You know it is true that everything I need to know I learned in Kindergarten! Pressing on...

Back in 1972 when I was twelve, I bought this pack of Kochia seeds thinking that my Mom would let me plant this bush, which I thought was an orange Afro, in the yard. The pack, alas, remains unopened to this day. The baby shoes were my Dad's, and the cute papier mache doll is a birthday gift from Suzy. Let's move on...

My mother plays a monthly game of bridge with her pals, and I like to supply her with vintage tallies and vintage bridge tablecloths. These wiener dog tallies, however, remain in my house. The Lakota Native American dream pouch is one of my favorite purchases I made in 2004 when we drove cross country. I bought it in Rapid City, South Dakota at a Native American crafts co-op.

 And the final stop on our inspiration board tour, is the top of the board. From left to right: a stack of two tape measures, a "Darling Baby" postcard, a "Love" booklet from Tucks, Lost in Space Robot, goldfish bookmark from my childhood (the inscription reads: "Take a minute to enjoy the little things." How appropriate!), naked baby, wooden German kid, Spanish fan, and weird red elf.

That concludes our tour. Please gather your belongings, take small children by the hand, and exit the inspiration board in a orderly manner by way of the gift shop. If you have any questions, I will be glad to take them at this time...~~~~~XXOO, Beth