My Love of All Things Aged

I remember being a little girl watching shows on television about the sinking of the Lusitania or Egyptian pharaohs, stories of the Great Depression and the Holocaust. I've always loved history and things with a little dust on them. No wonder I grew up and went to college to study history and archaeology. Too bad my bum back kept me from digging holes in the dirt my whole life (or is it?). My studies and digs allowed me to read and research many different time periods and areas, so I often feel like I know a little bit about a whole lot of nothing. =^) Back to my point...

While I'm no longer professionally affiliated with history, personally, I'm in love with it! So in love, that in 2009 I bought a little stone cottage built in 1937

despite the fact that (as it happens) it is in the turdiest neighborhood east of I-65 in Nashville. Alas, I love my old lady. She is glorious with her hardwood floors and quaint fixtures. I'll be sad to leave her when the time comes. And come it must, 'cause momma's gotta get up out of the 'hood eventually. But she was a good first home and I had fun decorating her according to my love of dusty, aged things and pieces that might not have been too far gone from when she was built so long ago.

But my first "real" blog entry can't just be all about my silly old house and my granny knick-knacks! OH NO! It is also about my love for Cosmo Cricket's Circa 1934 fabric line from Moda. I first discovered it actually as a scrapbook bundle and just thought of it as lovely paper that I could use to accentuate the house and maybe use in a photo album for her one day.  But then, trolling through the pages of Etsy one day, HARK! I find a coordinating fabric to match these lovely papers I've found. This called to my inner craft hoarder like only few of you will understand. Fabric and paper with the same print?!?!?! Be still my heart! So I bought some scrap bags from the lovely ladies over at Southern Fabric. 

Today, 2 whole years later, I decided to do something with those scraps: quick and easy pillow covers for my living room. I've already used some of the scrapbook paper to make an art piece for the wall, so it was about time that I tie the room together and "Make it work!" as the fearless Tim Gun always says. I'm not one to fuss over the details, which has caused me a great deal of time and frustration when it comes to more complicated sewing tasks, but pillows are simple.

I use the pillows themselves as measurements (because rulers are boring, right? jk) and pair up the fabric scraps that I wanted to use for each case. Since I wanted them to be removable

because of a tiny terror that lives in my home (see photo of end project) I folded and sewed the backs envelope style so that they'd slip in easily without fuss and I wouldn't need to go buy zippers.

Three pillow cases didn't take me long and the boyfriend was super impressed with how quickly I worked. And now we have matching pillows and no more green velvet left over from when my mom made the pillows for me originally in a past life.

I must mention and show off my art on the wall that I used the Cosmo Cricket paper on. I had so much fun making this because it was a collage of sorts. I bought the Norman Rockwell prints at a local antique shop in Nolensville, TN that is sadly closed. I fell in love with the style and aged patina and thought they would look perfect in my house. The same shopping weekend, I stopped in at one of my absolute favorite antique stores in Nashville, Music Valley Antiques. I love this place and Lisa and Dean are so sweet. Their vendors always keep such interesting booths and my living room is filled with little touches from their shop. When I stopped in to see them, I found a set of windows with beautiful hardware still intact and for a price I couldn't pass up. So I came home and assembled a window/Norman Rockwell/Cosmo Cricket art piece.

I love it to pieces and managed to not break any of the window panes, yay me!  If you live in Nashville, or close enough, go see the good folks over at  MVA.  I bought an antique quilt there last week that I live to curl up in--seriously good stuff! 

I have more projects that I'm working on (always and forever).  And I promise they're more complicated than pillow cases.  Thanks for reading.  Pass along if I made you laugh or smile. 

xoxo
Mels