Ornament 3 - Panne Velvet Heart Ornament

Mauve Panne Velvet Silk Ribbon Heart Ornament

During the 1980s there was another crafting fad that took hold - cross stitching.  Now there was a company that brought in the most wonderful designs that were handcrafted in the Phillipines.  You could buy a finished product or you could buy just the cross stitched panel and apply it to your own design.  Well I fell in love with the finished product and I, like others, bought item to "pad out" my inventory at a craft show.  But one thing I fell in love with more than the cross stitch panels were the foam forms that were sold by Banar Designs.  You could buy hearts, ovals, rounds and for a limited time, squares.  Since I loved making fabric ornaments it was a quick way to save a few minutes of time by using pre-cut pieces rather than having to cut my own.  This is one of my designs that I came up with using the small heart shape.

Using 2 forms back to back I added panne velvet to the center sections, edged the piece in beige lace, added a bit of rat tail cording around the heart line and then embellished the top with some satin and 100% silk ribbon.  On the very top, a silk flower I made myself and a small faux (sometimes a genuine) pearl.  The finished piece was very femmy and made a nice ornament for a tree or simply to decorate a small area on a lady's dresser.  As fast as I could make these beauties, I sold.  They were easy to make, the components were not too expensive and I could make at least 3 each hour.  My only real decision was which center fabric to use!

Right now, I don't have any of the hearts listed on my website but I do believe there are a few in my ETSY shop - RobinsHolidayHome.  If you want to check them out, just take a gander over there.  Price is $6!

 Until next time....

Ornament 2 - Country Rabbit Cute as a Button

Muslin Cotton Rabbit with Wood Wings - Cute as a Button

Country was a favorite craft back in the 1980s.  I actually preferred the more romantic items with lace and frills but I did try my hand at doing country crafts, that is, if the right item came along.  Made in China, Wangs started bring in fabric dolls, rabbits and other critters that could be tea dyed and then dressed or decorated.  This little rabbit is one that worked quite well for me at shows.

Starting with the tea dyed rabbit, I added wooden wing, painted them mauve and applied the phrase CUTE AS A BUTTON.  I had the rabbit carry a small garland of plastic buttons and wood beads.  Adding a fabric bow tie and a couple of buttons all that was needed then was a black wire hanger which I attached to the back wings.  

This ornament was the prototype for my making more and now that I can no longer get the rabbits, I will offer this item for sale.  

This little fellow can be hung on the wall or hung on a Christmas tree.  He is also poseable to a certain extent - he could sit in a tree or on a chair.  

So, ornament number 2, a leftover from days past.  If anyone wants, just contact me here through the blog.  Price is $9.50.  Eventually I will get it listed over on the Troll Market - I've just got to find it (don't worry, I think I know where it is). 

Till next time.....

Ornament 1 - Country Bear - Angels Gather Here

Vintage Plush Bear Angel in Mauve - Angels Gather Here

The year was 1984 and the advent of the glue gun was causing a real resurgence in handcrafted items.  Craft Festivals such as The Harvest Festival of San Mateo, Ca, The Fullerton Park Festival and the Santa Barbara Old Mission Days Festival just couldn't keep adding crafters fast enough.  Crafts in the 80s were so different from crafts of the 2000s - they were simple and fast.  Gluing one thing to another was the norm.  While it did involve imagination it also involved buying a lot of merchandise from suppliers.  Some craft festivals wouldn't allow "glued items" - the Laguna Beach festival being the biggest show to say no.  The other drawback was that one had to be a resident of Laguna Beach to even be able to apply.

So at the beginning of my arrival in California, San Diego to be exact, the first show to accept my work was the one in Fullerton, Ca.  The show was in a large park and the variety of crafts was amazing.  The only thing I didn't like was the heat!  But with a white tarp over my head and my products shielded from the sun (and lots of ice on my neck) I managed to complete the 2 day show and ended up with a tidy sum of money for my efforts.  It was actually that show that prompted my move from San Diego to Los Angeles.

The picture above is my small booth at Fullerton that year.  Sorry the image isn't that great - all I had at the time to shoot photos was a small camera that I really couldn't focus too well.  But you get the idea as to where I was in what I was creating at the time.

Everything was lace.  Lace, lace and more lace.  And Satin.  And Bears.  And Baskets.  The two put together always elicited gasps of ah and almost always ensured a sale.  Times were simple then.

So back to my country bear.  Wangs International was one of the biggest craft suppliers of the day and if you were lucky to score a wholesale account with them you were able to purchase all manner of items to decorate.  This is one of their bears.  The wood pieces were from a small supplier located somewhere in California (I can't remember where) but they were a staple at Beckman's Wholesale show during gift week in Los Angeles.  I scored a wholesale account with them so was able to buy wood decorations in bulk.  A little paint, a little bought fabric, some black wire and voila! an Angels Gather Here Bear.

It's an ornament I still have around and if anyone is interested, price is $9.50.  Once I find it again (don't worry, I have an idea as to where it is) I will list in Robins Troll Market. 

Till next time....

Taking a Breather....

I started designing some new ornaments last night and failed to download some pictures so I'm just going to talk a little about what inspires me in my work.

Actually anything can inspire me but I love anything from the Victorian era.  The time that was taken to create something out of love has always amazed me.  I mean it was de rigeur that a young lady in those days have a thorough knowledge and aptitude for sewing, embroidery, musicianship, writing, drawing/painting and more.  A girl was not considered accomplished until she mastered the feminine arts.  It didn't matter if she didn't know how to cook or clean a house or take care of baby - there were servants for that.  Yes, arts and crafts in the old days were a hobby of the rich but a means of employment for the poor.

What I love about items that have survived from the Victorian era is their "look".  They can be perfectly preserved or in an aged condition but all have an appeal that cannot be denied.  Maybe it did take Rachel Ashwell to promote the fact that old and fragile equated to Shabby Chic but in my minds eye it's been the faded, slightly darkened by age patina that has always caught my attention.  It is, simply put, beautiful!

Since my accident in 2022, I haven't touched any of my crafts.  It took almost a year for me to recover and to be honest, right now I have taxes to complete (yes, I am always late in doing them) so will wait a little longer to clear my work table and start crafting all over again.  One thing is for certain, every day I say a little prayer about how thankful I am for the Internet and all the wonderful craftspeople that sell on it - their work continues to influence me every time I turn the computer on.  I can't stay away from Pinterest and I can't stay away from links.  While one thing might work for me in one way, maybe something else won't.  Or maybe a combination of the items will prompt something new from my hands.  I never know.  

 

 

Till next time.....

Let's Do an About Face

I've touched a little on doing business on the Internet but in the days that I was sitting on a cruise ship I decided that to have a really successful Blog you have to have a passion about what you are writing about.  Well, I've decided to do an about face!  

While Antiques are my passion during the day, crafting is my passion during the night and since I've been crafting longer than selling on the Internet with antiques, that is what I am going to concentrate on.  The history of crafts, what I do, how I came to do it, projects and more.  I will take you through the crafts of the sixties right up to today.  I will raid PINTEREST for photos and display ideas from other people.  I will raid my closet for old stock that I have kept for many a year and I will create new items/projects every single day.  

There are ladies I admire in the crafting world - Wendy Addison is one, a fellow Californian.  Another is Stacey French.  I could rattle off names right now but I will save them for future blogs - these ladies (and gents) inspire me enormously!  At the same time I write on my blog, I will be listing the items on either ETSY (RobinsNestMidwest) or my new site, Michael's Maker Place - that is, if I get all my listings approved!

Crafts have changed during the years and while there are people who have written histories on one particular craft, no one really talks about everything and that is what I will try to do.  So if you didn't think I was writing before just watch me write (and craft) now!

And please, if you are reading this, please drop me a note so that I know that SOMEONE out there is reading my musings.  

Till next time......