Crochet Big Dipper Wall Hanging with glow in the dark beads

 A little while ago I designed a crocheted navy blue wall hanging that had glow in the dark beads crocheted into it in the shape of the of the Big Dipper also known as Ursa Major. I am finally getting to posting it. The wall hanging was given to a family  friend for her Moon and Stars themed Nursery. 

I do not have a tutorial written up yet, but I figured I would just post it because it doesn't have to be a tutorial to be of interest. I think a good addition to the wall hanging would be ribbon of your choice to use as the hanging cord/rope.  The beads are visible in the dark enough to look like glowing distant stars.

A hint of how this was made was by pushing the bead in the direction on the project that I needed it to go rather than planning the row for the beads to land correctly. This way I could try to plan the bead placement to look more like how the stars in Big Dipper are spaced.

 I used graph paper to plan the bead placement. The amount of beads needed for the project are strung onto the working yarn at the beginning of the project before the crochet stitches have begun. I used single crochet stitches for the rows and used a crab stitch to line the border or outer edges of the project.

If you would like to use this tutorial for a project to teach a class or  to sell a final piece a shout out to my blog would greatly be appreciated. Also, If you would like to use this in Youtube Tutorial Video please just link my blog post to the video.

The pixel art on the graph paper below is the charting for the beads in the wall hanging. I corrected the bead placement for the bead in column 30 to make it appear more like the star placement in the constellation than it did in the worked up wall hanging example in the photo above.

Bobwhite Quail Drawing

     I recently opened an Etsy store to sell vintage clothing and jewelry. I am excited about it and decided to draw my own Etsy Icon. I am naming my shop Bob White Quail Vintage. I wanted it named after something that I care about and reflected my personality.

   Since childhood, I have been very interested in wild birds and I was a big fan of Bobwhite quail because they were the quail species found in the state of West Virginia. I was concerned about how there was a low number of this quail species. I loved hearing the song that they are named after echoing in the air. I now live in Oklahoma and wanted to represent this new state as well, so I incorporated Indian Blanket flowers which are Oklahoma's state flower. 

  The sketching of the Bobwhite quail and flowers was done by me and then I had my dad paint it with watercolor paint. I am thrilled with the design and plan to keep this as my shop icon for years to come. Not really an being a practiced artist,  drawing takes some effort on my part and I am very proud that it turned out well. I will leave the original drawing below for anyone who would like to use it as a coloring page. The fact that it turned out looking like Regency Era bird art is a wonderful thing.

Learning how to pick out vintage clothing in thrift shops has been a fun adventure. Vintage clothes and jewelry have their own story and also tell a story of how things were in other decades. I am enjoying picking out clothing that I think others will be happy to find. The great part of selling on the internet is that people can find vintage items that fit whatever category they are searching for and be selective about what items they feel fit they personality and wardrobe. My Etsy page is linked below. Please leave any comments you have about this post.

FrillyandFineVintage

Here is the watercolor version.

I submitted the picture to a coloring book page. If you didn't just come from that site the link is below.

https://coloring.rocks/bird-coloring-pages/

Sage Green Color Trend: Neutral Sage Green Dress

 This outfit is going to be in in the color sage green which is a popular neutral this year. It occurred to me that I had the perfect thrifted maxi dress to represent this color.

    The dress is a thrifted sleeveless Kathy Lee Collection floral print dress. The flower print is tones of beige/light gold so it goes great with the neutral theme. The dress has a square neckline that gives the dress just enough dimension. The material it is made from is Rayon. 

The dress also ties in the back that helps with that as well. The skirt portion is nice and flowy. 

I added a nice neutral oatmeal shade thrifted 89th and and Madison long sleeved cardigan sweater to the look to give to make it more compatible with spring. 

This thrifted vintage necklace was just the right shade and shape to blend with the flower design on the dress. 

    Sage is such a lovely color to base an outfit around. The light green and other the name of the color make me think of an herb garden. Thanks for reading!

Mixing Polka Dots with More Polka Dots

 Mixing Polka Dots with More Polka Dots- 1940's vibes

    Polka dots are great way to practice pattern mixing. I am relatively new to it because I taught myself not to pattern mix in the 90's because I felt like I would draw attention for clashing. It makes sense that pattern mixing is a real and sometimes even classy way to build an outfit. Quilt patterns after all are mostly based on pattern mixing. 

    The outfit that I put together has a 1940's vibe even though none of the pieces are from the forties.  The top/blouse is a short top from Loft that has puff sleeves and is white with an askew black polka-dot pattern. The elastic cinching on either side of the collar helps the top's shoulders appear more pronounced. The skirt is a black  A-line midi skirt from new directions with medium sized even placed white polka-dots.

    

  The blouse has no collar, but has sleeves puffy enough to look like shoulder pads. The skirt is a high waisted A-Line with small slits on the sides. The necklace is possibly too long for the decade, however because it is vintage it still doesn't do away with the forties feel. Of course, polka-dots were a big thing in the forties so that on it's own helps create the illusion.

     I thought the necklace was especially fitting for this outfit seeing as how it is essentially a black dot. It appears to be from the 1970's because it has a lobster clasp. I thrifted it form a local thrift store.  The black circle stone has engraved gold metallic triangle with chain tassels hanging from it.

Mixing patterns can be a great way to change up your wardrobe or prevent you from not wearing a piece because you can't find a solid color top to go with it that day. What would you add to this outfit?

Ode to Bright Pink

This spring season is a great excuse to over indulge in wearing bright pink clothing and accessories. If you thought something pink you own was too bright last year there is a chance you can where it this year. You can also go out find some new to you unique items in your local thrift store. The shade of pink that is being worn this spring is a color akin to a pink sunrise. It is just bright enough to be showy, but not loud enough to be called neon. I went to my thrifted clothing and accessories stash and formulated some outfits.

The Cactus Outfit:

Alternative Apparel white distressed cotton t-shirt with a painting of a Cactus Wren sitting on a Cactus.

Jane Ashley bright pink tiered cotton skirt

Pink and Green floral statement necklace

Thrifted vintage Susan Bristol navy cotton sweater with pink and white roses and a crocheted collar.

Thrifted Passport pink plaid cotton button down top.
The Pink Floral Dress:

Thrifted pink floral Ann Taylor midi dress with white flowers.

Chunky thrifted vintage black and white and gold beaded necklace.

Thrifted Cato open front off white cardigan with 3/4th length sleeves.

Thrifted purple Gap button front cardigan sweater. Made of cotton, nylon, and silk.

I hope you enjoyed these thrifted outfits I put together to showcase bright pink fashion! Please leave any impressions or questions in the comments.

Jacquard Sweaters

This is going to be my first blog post related thrifting. I am writing about something in the vintage sweater category Jacquard sweaters are a great way to stay warm and be fashionable. I was able to thrift this light blue and white plant design Jacquard sweater at a local Thrift store. I paired it with a thrifted

plum tiered midi skirt. The featured garment is a vintage 80's Blair sweater. It is made with light weight materials and is not a chunky sweater. The patterns on the Jacquard sweaters being produced this season are intentional homages to vintage sweater patterns. This makes this trend more easily thrift-able. While this may go without saying, Jacquard sweater patterns are easily spotted on the thrift shop rack. There is no need for brand checking to see if you have found it. Research before hand which patterns and colors you have a preference for and you will be able to spot them quickly.

A close up of the fabric shows the woven detail.

The sweater is a polyester, cotton and rayon blend.

I added these vintage blue marble plastic string beads to accessorize the sweater.

If if you have any comments on this blog post please leave them below! I would love to hear what you think. I hope it has inspired you in some way for your future thrifting adventures.