knick knacks & ric rac

i found this really cute picture at the thrift store the other day-

there’s some writing on the back, i think it’s from poland. it’s dated 1964. it looks like a sassy not-so-little red riding hood and a strapping young woodsman. i really like folksy folks fitted in festive folkloric finery. look at me in my dirndls! here are some other pictures i have of folk folk. these ones are in the kitchen…

this one is over by the gnomes. dirndls!

these little cuties are in my workroom

and here is the sweet little box i keep my labels in…

for some reason i really like printed ticking stripes, even better than real woven-in ticking stripes. i’m not really sure why, but whenever i see fabric with printed ticking stripes i have to grab it. i picked up many yards of these three a while ago.

i’m using the orange one for my striped sunflower skirt and matching jacket. the patchwork one reminds me of the old Pewter Pot restaurants in massachusetts. they had a 70’s (1970’s and 1770’s!) colonial thing going on. does anyone else remember those? they had giant blueberry muffins that they would slice in half and grill in butter before they served to you. mmm! things taste better grilled in butter!

this one i picked up recently at a thrift store, it was a set of curtains. (will be made into skirts) so cute! especially with the printed denim. and i love all the hearts.

okay, i’m going to go grill a muffin now…

yay! it’s spring! (i know, i just can’t wait until tomorrow) look what naughty goings-on i witnessed in the back yard today…

they’re doin’ it!

last week i snagged a bunch of this really cute fabric. it looks like wallpaper! the printed flower stripes look almost like embroidery. i’m not sure how old it is, but texture of it and the super bright colors make me think 60’s. it only says “victoria-an original print” on the selvage.

not as much as i was able to get of the outwitted print, but more than enough to make a whole bunch of limited edition wallpaper print skirts for springtime. i’m keeping my eyes peeled for another cute print to pair it with. i love the little hot pink flowers! that really makes it for me.

i went mushroom crazy this weekend. nutso, cuckoo, wacky…i don’t know what came over me, maybe it was spring fever! have you seen the mushroom garden furniture at target? (it’s on sale this week)

the pieces are made out of resin with a grey faux stone finish. i picked up a set to put over by the cuckoo cabin, under the pecan tree for when i need to take a break from printing and sit in the shade sipping lemonade. at least that’s what i imagine myself doing. frivolous, i know. of course i painted them, here’s the results. i’m quite pleased!

the stools are obviously cute, even when they aren’t painted. i wasn’t as thrilled with the table originally, the shape was a little awkward and clunky. i wasn’t going to buy it, but the one they had was 1/3 off because someone had spilled tar on the top. since i was planning on painting it that didn’t matter to me. now that i’ve painted it, i’m so in love with it! the best thing about the set is that it’s adult sized. yay! they also have small, medium and large mushroom statues, which are also really cute once painted…

the tallest one is about 14″ high, and the smallest one is about 8.5″ high.

this new skirt is one i’ve been wanting to make for a long time!

inspired by folk art cut-paper (as is my wycinanki skirt). one book on the subject i really like is “the amazing paper cuttings of hans christian andersen”

(i just discovered this book is actually intended for juveniles! haha, i guess i should have figured it out from the giant, easy to read print!) until i read it i didn’t even know he was an artist as well as a writer and storyteller. apparently he would tell a story and at the same time he would be cutting a piece of paper. by the time he finished telling the story, he had created an amazing cut paper masterpiece! here a few of my favorites from the book…

(hey, there’s a used copy on amazon for only $1.99! well worth it.)

do you like etsy as much as i do? i might even consider myself addicted to etsy. so much fun stuff to look at and buy! i managed to snag myself one of those elusive etsy treasuries. take a peek at it quick, before it disappears!

the other night i walked out into the back yard and i think i interrupted two opossums doin’ it. i felt kind of bad, ruining that magical moment, but it inspired this little picture. i wanted to call it “doin’ it” but i think i’ll call it “love is in the air…”

one time i was out in the back yard and i saw two woodpeckers doin’ it. it wasn’t pretty! but they did end up building their nest in my dead tree and had a bunch of cute chirpy babies.

which reminds me…spay & neuter your pets!

it doesn’t take much figurin’ to figure out that i like toadstools, mushrooms and most cute fungi. a lot. here is a little sampling of specimens i found growing around the house.

those little wooden toadstools hold tiddly winks.

i found these in the back yard after the rain a few days ago!

i also love to eat mushrooms. a lot. i’m not much of a cook, i just sautee them in a little olive oil. one tasty dish i like to make is mac & cheese with sauteed mushrooms and garlic. mmmm. if you have any quick and easy mushroom favorites, let me know!

take a peek at the new matryoshka skirts

and outwitted skirt

i have a few more goodies in the works for (hopefully) the end of the month. stay tuned!