Wellfleet Oyster Fest Emily's craft show pics

Wellfleet Oyster Fest 2009 was a freezing fun-fest. Busy, good company, great food, nice folks, great music and lots of familiar faces came by the booth. Some of my favorite artisans set up at this show and there have been quality new vendors every year I have set up there.
Samantha, my childhood friend makes beautiful jewelry and had a lovely little nook in my set-up. It was such a busy show , nearly impossible to get out and get many pictures. Samantha's jewelry can be found on Etsy at www.samanthamaeve.etsy.com

Looking forward to some upcoming shows after a real stinker last Sunday. Samantha and I will be doing an artisans home show sale at her parent's lovely marsh side house in Harwich. Local? email for details!

More soon...XOXO Emily

Emily's fall handmade shows

Wellfleet Oyster Fest October 17 & 18th, downtown Wellfleet, in the street.

Fall Festival outdoors at Quincy High School, October 24th 10 till 3 on Saturday.

November 20 & 21 Craft showcase put on by the Duxbury Art Association

Boston Bazaar Bizarre Sunday December 6th 11 to 7pm

December 6th Eastham evening show...details to come

December 12th Fairhaven Church show...details to follow

Will keep you posted on what else gets added.

XOXO...Emily

Fall shows and new handmade goodies

I am ready to settle in to fall. My favorite shows happen at this time of year. Brimfield was a pretty soggy and chilly show this September but still fun. didn't get many pics but here are a few...

Above, insert crowd here.

Below some vintage crafty stuff and the Czech glass buttons which I import

Above, my trusty rubber rain boots which kept my feet warm and dry while the rest of me froze. Below, the Maker's Mark which we all drank out of silly frilly little porcelain creamers. No one ever seems to have real cups at shows. Just part of the charm of Friday Night Dinner Club activities. I was feeling warm after a few sips of Bourbon...

I am working on a list of my October and November shows and will post it in a few days. I am still looking for some New England November and December Artisan/craft shows. Any suggestions?

XOXO...Emily

A Few Things

First off, I am very much looking forward to fall weather & cooler days. Also some of my favorite artisan fairs happen in the fall months. I am contacted by show promoters quite often who have seen my setup at other shows. This year I have been invited to participate in some very nice craft shows, artisans fairs or whatever we are calling them these days. I am about to book a show in Dedham Mass on the Endicott Estate Here is a link to the BEAUTIFUL property. Sorry, I stink at html and word links... http://www.endicottestate.com/ I was intrigued! It's located at 656 East St. Dedham, mass and the show I am booking is on Sunday, October 4th. Can't wait.

Another development that's got me giddy is a production deal I have been working on. Production, as in having findings produced overseas which are designed to work with my Czech art glass buttons. The buttons are odd sizes and it's been torture to find NICE well made earring findings with glue pads like these below...which are too small for all but the tiniest buttons 3/8 to 1/2 inch buttons and cabs.

Soon there will be a simple silver plated french hook with a glue pad that works perfectly with the 18.5mm cabs & buttons I import & sell. Sure, I can use filigree bases, and I do, but these are something NEW that didn't exist till now. They are being produced as I write and will be here in about 3 weeks. They will look just like the bezel cup french wires above but take bigger buttons including the mini Dragonfly!!

Ok, back to work for me...XO EM

Emily's Brimfield July 2009 show pics & purchases

I love Brimfield. Especially the J&J field and the folks who do such a good job running it. Great show. Good weather, good crowd and great shopping!!!

Below is my booth, van & trailer on Saturday morning. I had no neighbor beside me so, I took advantage of it as my personal parking spot.
I bought this great country cabinet for storage in my studio. It was a steal. The July Brimfield show is a great opportunity to buy big stuff at small prices.

Bella had to get inside, once I got it in the house, and check for antique smells.

Above Bella is a load of vintage printed hand towels and tablecloths in need of a good soak. They will be going back to Brimfield in September as clean crisp goods for sale.

I love freaky Halloween decorations and Bella will sit next to or on anything if she thinks she's getting a treat after. I love that dog.

Below is the other country storage piece I got for a steal. I love the creamy yellow paint. Good lookin' huh??

Here are the Halloween decorations in the light atop a mountain of vintage metal locker baskets.

Sweet vintage smock apron below in amazing novelty fruit fabric with lots o bias tape edging. If only I wasn't so long in the middle. Vintage clothing & aprons would fit me so much better.

Below is a fun mixed drinks tablecloth.

Such a funky 50's print. May have to keep this. It would make great aprons.

The locker baskets...I love them for organizing all my sewing & crafty stuff around the studio. I will show you a pic when I find the right shelf to house them. Unfortunately they are too wide to fit in either country cabinet I just bought. They fit sideways but it's a less efficient use of space.

Below are the great printed linens waiting for a little soaking & sunshine to make them feel all pretty again.

Below are some vintage valentines I got from my friend Ann Marie. She has an awesome Shabby Chic style booth in the row behind me. She and her husband A.J. take good care of me when I do Brimfield by myself.

I couldn't pass up a collection of vintage hankies. It's so fun to buy a huge pile of something vintage!

Well, that's the photo roundup from my July Brimfield show. Already have a great load for September and I am on the hunt almost daily to bring you the greatest vintage and handmade goodies at the best possible prices. I know it's tough out there, but I am thinking of you!

More Soon...XO Emily

Emily's June craft show pics...Wakefield, Eastham, Fairhaven & Plymouth

Ok, we will start with the most recent! This is Village Landing in Plymouth, on water st. It's a nice grouping of artisan's boutiques with a lovely brick courtyard. Every Thursday between 4 & 8 there is an artisan's fair there run by Mandi Fedele of Snuggle Time Embroidery. It's a new & growing market so if you are in the area come out and support all the hard working folks that have given artisans like me an opportunity to participate. Can't wait to see how it evolves! I will be set up at Artisans in the courtyard again on July 30th and on Aug 27th.My set up above, in front of the Winery.

Below Mandi's table of machine embroidered baby accessories. Sew cute!!

I loved my neighbor's all natural handmade soaps. Between all the lavender in my work and her soaps we had the courtyard smelling fantastic!

I am such a sucker for a French Bulldog. Maybe someday I will have one.

Fairhaven...

An old New England downtown setting, so pretty. I have to say I was really disappointed to see all the mass produced and imported CRAP that was in this show. Especially when the application & paperwork said that was a no-no. Emily's Vintage Cottage won't be making an appearance that show next year. The money was just not there. It was a beautiful day and the food at this show was the yummiest and most varied I have ever seen at any craft show/street festival. Fairhaven has incredible public buildings. It was worth the trip just to see the Town Hall and Church. That Raggedy Ann in the pic below was made by my neighbor. Just couldn't seem to get a picture of that table without one in it...

Busy street & pretty Town Hall

Eastham...Hands On The Arts!!!

Dirty pants and all....Before & after above, vintage fabric covered buttons belowWood cut scatter pins above, Czech glass button jewelry belowReally awesome free kid's hands-on arts & crafts tent above

Dr. Frankenswine does the best BBQ on Cape Cod. He's at The Oyster fest in October too. Can't wait for that show. It's the weekend after Columbus Day so, save the date!! Nifty BBQ meat smoker-trailer. Having a party on Cape Cod?? Frank does it right.

Wakefield Festival By The Lake

Another adorable town green setting. I usually have a nice shady spot under a tree.Met lots of nice dogs and people at this show. It's usually the first craft show of the year for me and one of my favorites.

This little guy caused quite a ruckus!

Well, That's the June craft show roundup. I am working on my July Brimfield post next.

I have a craft show on the cape this Friday & Saturday hosted by the Dennis-Harwich Lions club. It will be held on the old Melpet Farm property on Route 134 in Dennis.

More Soon...XOXO Emily

CRAFT SHOW PICS

Ok, so I have done a little website overhaul at the crazycakes.biz website. If you have come here looking for pics of my handmade goodies in relation to show apps jump over here

http://www.crazycakes.biz/id5.html

More soon...XO Emily

Clarice Cliff Harvest dishes

I bought these pretty dishes at the thrift shop the other day. I NEVER buy dishes but they were just too pretty to pass up. There are 2 nice platters I will probably put on ebay. All said I got 27 picess including dinner plates.

I am still editing my Brimfield pics so that post will be coming soon.

XO...Emily

Antique key necklaces

Whew! Putting the finishing touches on my Brimfield packing. There are already shows going on in town but J&J is a Friday, Saturday show with a Thursday night load in. I am so ready to go. Here are the necklaces.
XOXO...Emily

Emily's Spring show schedule

May 15 & 16 Brimfield Antique Show

J&J FIELD BOOTH C-12

Rt 20 Brimfield Ma

May 23 W.H.A.T. Craft show

On the grounds of the Wellfleet Harbor Actor's Theatre

Rt. 6 Wellfleet, Ma

June 13 Wakefield Festival by The Lake

Craft Show Downtown Wakefield, Ma

June 20 Hands On The Arts Craft Show

Windmill Green, Eastham, Ma

http://handsonthearts.com

June 27 Fairhaven Homecoming Craft Show

Downtown Fairhaven, Ma

July 17, 18 Brimfield Antique Show

J&J FIELD BOOTH C-12

Rt 20 Brimfield, Ma

I am still working on July & August and the Fall is pretty much set. Looking for BUSY Early December shows. Any Ideas??

XOXO...Emily

More nifty junque for Brimfield

It's raining out on The Cape today but the sun is coming out through the clouds as I type. Funky yellow oak stand,m another fantastic yard sale score! I am tempted to keep it, it was such a bargain.

Have a so-so thrifted vintage plastic suitcase kicking around?? Why not dress it up with some "old" (reprinted) travel stickers? That's what I did here. The stickers cane from a fancy paper store. It cost me dollars for 15 big stickers. I love old luggage for storage and I use it a lot in my show displays at craft shows. A great way to store your craft show stock & supplies in style.

It's a crappy rainy day here on the cape. I am going back to my studio.

XOXO...Emily

A vintage suitcase full of vintage fabric lavender sachets!!!

I literally made a suitcase full of sachets this week. I have so much vintage fabric it's getting ridiculous! This is a mix of 30's and 40's fabrics backed with Vintage white coverlet fabric. Sew sweet!! Been booking shows like crazy and producing lots of handmade goodies for those shows. Just booked a Memorial Day show in Wellfleet, Ma. Details to come!!

Brimfield is in 2 weeks or so. I promise to get my show schedule up on the crazy cakes website. There is a clickable photo link on the right side of this blog page part way down. I joined twitter recently and I am loving it. Tweet Deck is a really cool feature!

XOXO...Emily

Crazy Cakes little emery pincushions

These came out so cute! Here is a peek at my latest offering. It's an emery filled small cake pincushion. Keep all your pins sharp and add some cuteness to your sewing basket. I've found some light colored emery grit so using light colored chenille is not a problem. They are lined to keep the grit in too. Poorly made emery pincushions can make a real mess.

More soon...XO Emily

Thrift shop finds and "Burniture"

Made up a new word today, burniture. Furniture not worth selling or taking to the dump. Also furniture you take home from the dump because you like fires.

Been hitting the thrift shops pretty hard lately. Always on the hunt for goodies, this is what I have found lately.

Shabby green plant stand on a super funky metal and Formica pink & black kitchen table. My favorite is the awesome pair of twin bedspreads. They have ruffles all around that go to the floor! So much great fabric!! I love the black and grey bows. They are in great shape too. More funky stuff like a child's satin bathrobe, a fisher price play stove from the 70's, a light up Jesus memorial art piece, lots of colorful thread on old wooden spools, vintage beads, little black plastic top hats, made in Japan pink oval floral planter, awesome matte glazed Asian boy lamp, glass amberina toothpick holder, sweet art deco print with poem, and set of 3 painted aluminium canisters which are just the coolest!

Almost forgot about these vintage glass Boston Terriers! I love these and I have found them in almost every color they were made in. When I find a matte black one with the rhinestone eyes still in tact I will keep it.
Brimfield is right around the corner. This is the 50th anniversary of the Brimfield antique shows. Hope you can make it this year!

More soon...XO Emily

Emily on Artfire.com & spiffing up the show goods

It was so nice out Sunday I got a lot done outside, painted a bunch of display stuff and did yard stuff. Bella was around to keep me company and sleep on the picnic table all day.

I have been spiffing up the way I display my buttons for sale. I altered the cards some cards I use for other buttons to card these vintage fabric covered buttons.

I am selling on a new website that is similar to etsy in a lot of ways. It's called Artfire.com. Something I really like about this site is the way you can link to your other sites from your listings. It shows up right on each listing that you are on etsy, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and other social sites. Very cool that buyers can find your other online shops, your blog and other stuff on each item! Another thing I like is the sidebar option to add a listing to Kaboodle, This Nest and a big list of social sites when you look at any item on the site. There is even a social networking hub where a beginner can hook themselves up with a whole bunch of social and promotional sites all in one place on artfire.com. I am very impressed with all the resources they offer their sellers. Hooray!!

Visit crazycakes's ArtFire Shop

More soon...XO Emily

I love this link!

Having a bad day?? These stories may lift your spirits....

http://www.fmylife.com/

xo...Emily

Czech glass button brooches & dog love

I just love Bella so much. She's only 6 but she looks so much older. I've had her since she was 10 weeks old and weighed 5 pounds. Here she is all snuggled in for a nap. Such a good dog. Her best friend is a Pitbull Greyhound mix who weighs about 90 pounds and lives upstairs from us. This dog and this vintage cotton coverlet are 2 of my favorite things in this world. The buttons come in a close second or third. Just got some findings that work well for these simple button brooches. I am working on items this month that will sell for 10 or 12 dollars each. I know the economy sucks so I am making some new items in a lower price point to get mixed in with Emily's greatest hits.
I have been sending out all my show applications. This year I am doing a lot more craft shows but just sticking to the 3 Brimfield shows to sell my vintage and antique goodies. It's getting harder and harder to find antiques of integrity and nifty vintage goods. I can produce so much more stuff than can be found to put my (antique) show inventory. So, doing more craft shows just seemed to make sense.
A few of these may go on etsy.

More soon...Back to work...XO Emily

They're here!!!! New Czech art glass buttons

I have been waiting for this order since before Christmas. I don't mind the wait for such lovely designs and superior quality handmade glass buttons. There is so much work that goes in to each individual button.

What do you think?Black glass below with a midnight blue finish fired on.I LOVE these below. The glass is clear with gold and silver hand painted detail with an Aurora Borealis finish on the back for extra depth and sparkle. I have been buying from a few factories for 8 years now and I have never ordered this one before nor have I seen it for sale anywhere else in this paint and finish combo.

On the left is a frosted amber glass floral in another finish that I just adore. On the right is a highly detailed button with the ab finish on the back. This finish is hard to photograph but sooooooooooooooooo lovely in person. I've begun the listing process in my etsy shop but still have about 12 or 14 more designs to list.

More soon...XO Emily

Stacked button rings

These came out so lovely. Vintage carved smoky pearl buttons with small czech glass cabochons.

Just thought you may want a peek of what I have been working on lately.

More soon...Emily

Pretty new ink

Pretty new ink by Forrest, owner of Cobra Custom in Plymouth.

Told ya I love vintage valentines!!

XOXO...Emily

Crazy Cakes, vintage valentines and old school roses for Ron

Valentine-y cupcakes! They are a little bigger than my regular cupcakes. I love the ribbed hot pink bottoms. I collect vintage valentines and have been going through my collection so they have been strewn about.

Pretty old school roses. New tattoo work on Ron by Forrest.

More soon...Emily

Hairpin turn

Just finished a batch of petite glass button hairpins. Last summer I cut off my long locks so some accessories for short hair have been on my to do list for a while. finally got around to it. Tomorrow I will finish the solids pastels and the transparent ones with ab finish. I work in limited editions a lot. There will be 100 sets total carded in matched or mixed pairs...something for everyone...and when they are gone they are gone!

More soon...XO Emily

snow and crazy cakes

January is cupcake month. I will be sewing cupcakes like a mad woman for my 2009 shows. Here are a few that i have recently listed in my etsy shop...
It's been snowy for a while on the Cape although it's pouring rain today.
That's ron and Bella tearin' it up in the backyard. Bella hates the rain but loves the snow!

I love this one!

XO...Emily

Better late than never! Boston Bazaar Bizarre pics

What a day! The crowd was huge all day. There was a loooooooooooooooooong line down the block until 5:00 pm. They gave me a great spot with GREAT neighbors. We had such a good time and all went surprisingly smooth....But very chilly.Indoor pics are tough but I did my best to take a few . The cupcakes were a big hit and so were my glass knuckles button rings.

My neighbors were from Vermont. check out www.thespunmonkey.etsy.com I loved these cute Japanese shoppers above!

Below Ron ran into another Musician and crafter he knew.

Here is a shot of Ron and an someone else from the local music scene who's name I for got...sorry!Just before Christmas I made this chenille and vintage fabric tea set and cake for one of my show customers from the 2007 Madison Bouckville show. She had been patiently waiting for my show season to end so she could place her special order.

Well, sorry it took me so long to get this post up but as I said in the title...Better late than never!

XOXO...Emily

Boston Bazaar Bizarre

All packed and ready to go! Where? The Boston Bazaar Bizarre... At the Castle! We will be at table number 34!

See you there!

XO...Emily

Button blowout and other happenings

http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/sew*yummy_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ

There is lots going on in my world these days. Above is a link to my big button blowout over on ebay. I am selling off a bunch of my backstock. Time to bring in some new stock...so I gotta make some room.

In addition for sewing for the Boston Bazaar Bizarre, I have been working on some simple sachet sets Out of the Sugar Snap line of fabrics from Melissa Averinos of www.yummygoods.com

Aren't they cute? They have pale yellow vintage chenille on the back...you can even use them in your dryer!
Bella and I are still getting settled in our new place. She gets a huge backyard away from the street to explore.

I love the fall season, a season of change. I hate wearing real shoes though. Wish I could wear flip flops all year long.

Miss Emily need exercise! it's me and the hula hoop for now. Maybe some yoga lessons this winter to keep my butt at a reasonable size. I have always wanted to try yoga, I am pretty bendy and my balance is good. Seems like me and yoga would get along just fine...Sewing all day and selling on line really doesn't burn many calories. I love to cook when it gets colder and that doesn't help either! Don't want to have to dig the fat pants out of storage...

More soon...XO EMILY

Halloween at home

Had a little fire in the back yard on Halloween. It was cozy and the flames were leapin' in the wind. My sister brought her kids by after dark and Ron was present to play a little acoustic guitar for our enjoyment.
I like to burn stuff...Emily

Wellfleet Oyster Fest 2008 Emily's show pics

I just love this show! It's always a busy one. The Cape is so pretty at this time of year and the weather was great both days. Sunday was a little cold and windy but there were still tons of people around.That's me in the black and white skirt. I bought it from Liza Jane pictured a few pics down.

Czech glass button necklaces and Glass Knuckles button rings available in my etsy shop!

http://www.crazycakes.etsy.com/

If you are on The Cape you can find Glass Knuckles at Yummy Goods, the prettiest gift shop I have ever seen! Yummy goods is is on rt. 149 in the same building as The Village store. Melissa also sells my cupcake pincushions and vintage image pocket mirrors. Drop in and say hi, it's worth the trip!

Above are some vintage chenille baby quilts and baskets of vintage button, glass button and covered button ponytail holders. Below is a shot of a vintage image covered button this woman bought to pin on her hat. We just attached it with a safety pin through the loop on the back of the button. Cute huh?


The Czech glass buttons were a big hit at this show. You can find them in for sale in small and large lots in my etsy shop. I have a huge selection this year. I save some from each order i make so my show selection just keeps growing. Ron, pictured below, was there to help all day on Saturday then came back Sunday after work to help me with the load out. It was his first craft show. It's less work than Brimfield and a totally different crowd.
Cakes above and a crowd shot below.
Kate of Leave it to Weaver was my neighbor. We have known each other for years. She sells beautifully dyed scarves and pretty small handbags out of very fancy fabrics.
My favorite finds by far were the 2 skirts I bought from Liza Jane. I ended up wearing them both on Sunday...it was so chilly!
I was even visited by the cutest face painting clown shown below...love her overalls!

Ron and Judy above from Pewter Crafter of Cape Cod and below is a booth with really neat-o stuff all made from recycled sweaters and other recycled fabrics.

Below are Emma and Brett from The Elbows rockin' it out for the little kids

The Crowds were thick everywhere all day both days!
On the main stage there were variations of all kinds and lots of local players from lots of local bands playing together in all sorts of forms all day.

All in all it was a great show...Emily

Flea market finds from last weekend

This was my favorite thing I saw at the flea market that I didn't buy. What a cool vintage kid's guitar! It was in beautiful condition.

I did a little shopping at the Wellfleet flea market which is every weekend year round at the drive in on Rt 6. There are a few hearty dealers who sell there in the winter on dry clear weekends but you will find this market is best between May and November.

I found a few nifty bargains. No real winners but a few things to put in my show stock and a few good small things to sell on Ebay this fall. I ran in to some friends and talked to some nice dealers from far away.

Have you listed a free ad for your antiques business with Joe over at www.AntiquesNut.com yet? No? me either but I'm workin' on it.

XO...Emily

He loves me, he loves me!

Yes, it's real...in so many ways! This lovely name tattoo was done by Andrew at Spilt Milk Tattoo on main street, in Hyannis. That blue stuff you see around the tattoo is just leftover transfer from the stencil. Andrew is a new at Spilt Milk and he's the MASTER of hand drawn script. I have a feeling we will be seeing Andrew again soon...

Check out the Spilt Milk website and stop in their shop next time you are on the Cape!

http://spiltmilktattoo.com/

XO...Emily

Back from Brimfield...With lots of pictures...Finally!!

Well, it took me long enough to get this post out. Things in my life are pretty crazy right now. I'm preparing to move at the end of this month, pet sitting a lot, and sewing like mad for the Oyster Fest craft show and the Boston Bizarre Bazaar.

Brimfield was a lot of fun, as usual. I had my love on board to help me. It was his first show and he did a great job with the set up and with the buyers. I remember my first Brimfield show as a seller...completely overwhelming to say the least. We met some horses on the way. Boy did they have a big trailer!

My luv above giving me a break from driving.Above is a shot of the load in procession. Below are the guys who park the buyers down back in our field. I was up before dawn to finish up all the little details before the show opened. Below is a very early morning shot on Friday. We managed to sell every piece of furniture that was in this load. Hooray!Above is me out in my front yard early in the morning. Below is my junque.
Above are Crazy Cakes & some sachet sets. Below you will find more of my junque. That table was the last piece of painted furniture to sell. It went to a friend for a bargain price!

I love boxes and old wooden storage containers!
Below is one of me with one of my nicest customers. She makes funky & fun wire crowns for big and little girls. She made one for me and brought it all the way to Brimfield from Florida. I have the best customers!
Ann Marie is one of my neighbors in the J&J field. She and her husband are a lot of fun. Annmarie has the prettiest Shabby Chic booth in out field. Ron bought me this little silver heart & key charm over in her booth. We added it to my wings necklace. Isn't it cute?


Fabric land above and artville below.

All kinds of Handmade goodies, supplies and vintage goods.

I bought these funky vintage boxes of millinery leaves and flowers at the show.

Below are some shots of other booths in our field. It's not all about me...

Big bunches of similar items all displayed together always catch my eye. Like these old marbles below...


I loved the painted finish on the dresser above. Check out the army of glass slippers below.

Below is a picture of the field as we left in the rain!

That's me on Saturday in the mirror section...

All in all it was a good show even with the bad weather we had overnight Friday and during the load out.

My next show is the Wellfleet Oyster Fest Craft Show on October 18th and 19th

More soon...XO Emily

Going to Brimfield!

I'm ready, I'm ready!!!!

Tomorrow we set off for Brimfield for my eighth year of shows in the J&J field. I am in booth 12 in row c. That's my new little red trailer below and it's packed to the top with great vintage goods. I scored some great painted furniture last week...just in time for the show. Wish I took a picture before it all went in the trailer but it's all oak and painted perfect shabby chic green & aqua. I was tempted to keep it all for my new place. Have I told you I am moving at the end of the month?

My "rig" below

Lately my love and I have been finding a lot of 4 leaf clovers. I am becoming obsessed with them! Here we are clover hunting at Long Pasture in Yarmouthport last weekend after we attended a goat walking event, yes, goat walking. Sorry, I spaced bringing the camera to the goat walk!

Ok, I am ready to go to Brimfield NOOOOOOOOW, but I will have to wait till tomorrow.

I will take lots of pictures in Brimfield to share with you.

Oh, and I made the cut for the Boston Bazaar Bizarre. The show is Sunday Dec 7th from 11am to 7pm. Hooray!

XO...Emily

Vintage buttons on Etsy

Awesome vintage buttons in my etsy shop!

I have some incredible new buttons on the way from the Czech Republic. I haven't had any new buttons in a while. They keep getting more and more expensive plus the fact that the exchange rate kinda sucks right now. Anyhoo...check out these little pretties.

Just a little taste of things to come...

XO...Emily

Brimfield here I come & little Chatham church show pics

So much has been going on this month! The little show I did at the Methodist church in Chatham could have been better. It was a perfect beach day but I did ok for a small show on the cape. I took a few pics...

I think our little show interrupted this little church mouse's breakfast. It kept running out of it's little hole and bringing greenery back inside. Church mouse, right?? It lives at the church!

All of Emily's greatest hits were present plus my Czech glass & vintage buttons and some vintage beads and supplies for your creations

The mad rush to get ready for the September Brimfield Show has started along with a week of pet sitting and dog walking...of course. Busy, busy, busy! I just got my new little red cargo trailer registered and insured. Today my van is being re-wired so the trailer plug and van plughole match up. August has been an expensive month in my little world!

More soon...XO Emily

Who needs hair???

little kids with cancer that have none, that's who. I got my hair cut last week and donated it all to locks of love. They are an organization that makes wigs for children with cancer and other diseases. My love came with me and waited while I got my new do. I needed some moral support...it's a big and much needed change.

I has it done at Solstice in Hyannis here on the Cape. Dru cut it and she did a superb job! She razor cut most of it and it was really cool to watch it take shape. Below is a link to the salon.

http://www.solsticedayspa.com

My Chatham craft show is in a few days. As usual I am in a mad rush to get everything finished up and packed in to my van. Last minute Lewis should be my new name!

XO...Emily

Next show & new stuff!

Ok, I know I haven't been showing much new handmade stuff lately so here is my latest. They are stacked and single vintage button ponytail holders...They will be making their first craft show apperance at a little one day craft fair in downtown Chatham here on The Cape. I bought a huge lot of buttons from one of my neighbors at the July Brimfield show. I am still going through them but picked a bunch of pretty buttons from that lot and my own stash. I have literally made about 100 of these in the past few evenings.
A few of my favorites...
The show will be on Wednesday August 13th, rain date is August 14th.

The First United Methodist Church is located in downtown Chatham across from the library on Main Street.

XO...Emily

Emily's July 2008 Brimfield Antique Show Pics

Is it time to leave for Brimfield yet???There was stuff tied on the roof this time. The cab of the van was totally crammed full with just enough room for me to fit in there and drive.Ok, so I did this show all by myself with no help so I couldn't get around the field much to show a lot of other booths so most of these pics are of my junque. My friends and neighbors made sure I had what I needed to eat and drink and came to help out so I could run off and have a pee when I needed.

I love small painted furniture and storage pieces and buy all I can to have in my booth...if they don't sell who cares. I will use them myself for my overabundance of buttons and crafty supplies. Below are some Crazy Cakes, vintage aprons and clothing.

More goodies in my booth.

Above is a table full of buttons, vintage beads and other ingredients for your creations.

Below is my front yard on the second day. Thought I would switch it up a little.

Last may I sold Linda 6 yards of pink floral 40's fabric. She had it made in to the beautiful jacket she's wearing. It was so cool to actually see what became of the fabric. I never know what folks will be doing with what they buy from me. Linda is a great customer and buys a lot of Shabby Chic stuff from me.
Below are some cute little shoppers trying on vintage Whiting Davis bib necklaces. They both ended up buying some pretty vintage fabric fabric covered ponytail holders.

The art section above and Czech button mania below.

More of my booth


George's empire of filth was looking pretty good at this show!

That's his stuff above and below.

I bought a bunch of vintage slips and some vintage clothing from George at this show. Besides that and 25 pounds of buttons from another dealer I was pretty good about coming home with all the money I made.
Below are some pretty pieces from my neighbors. She's called the teapot lady and her husband is called the chair man. They are some of the nicest folks you will ever meet at a show.
That's the teapot lady with her awesome collection of printed glassware sets from the 50's.
All in all it was a good show. I earned enough money to buy a brand new shiny red cargo travel trailer and take care of the ever growing bill pile so I am happy.

Can't wait for The September show!!!

See you there...XO Emily

Emily's Vintage Cottage...Brimfield Antique Show in the J&J field booth C12

Ok, it's begun. Emily's Brimfield mania. I have been busy, and wanting to do other things that are much more fun...and putting off packing for Brimfield. Now I have 2 days to get my shit together. July Brimfield is a smaller slower show than May or September so I am not THAT stressed. I do have a lot of stuff to go through and shove in and tie on top of my van. The weather is looking good so far. No rain.

XO...Emily

Emily's handmade goodies now at Red Fish Blue Fish

Local coolness on Cape Cod...

Well, After a month of running Paws N Claws pet sitting & dog walking service with only one day off you'd think I would be taking some time off. Nope, I'm working hard to get ready for the July Brimfield show and getting my handmade goodies in some local shops. Recently I dropped off a batch of cupcake pincushions, vintage image lavender sachets and button hair ties (both Czech glass and vintage fabric covered) at Red Fish Blue Fish on Main st. in Hyannis. I have known Jane for years now. Back when I made dresses and jewelry she carried my stuff....a loooooooong time ago. The shop is looking super-full and better than ever. Featuring handmade goods from Cape Cod artisans and cool stuff from crafty folks across the U.S. Please visit the shop if you are on or coming to the cape anytime soon. Red fish Blue Fish is open year round and has a great website. Check out Jane's beautiful lampwork beads and the jewelry she makes with them too.

www.redfishbluefish.com

More soon

XO, Emily

Emily's buttons on etsy

Etsy Buy Handmade crazycakes

I have been listing lots of new buttons over the past few days. Stop by my etsy shop and check them out!

XO Emily

Emily's show pics...Wakefield Festival by the Lake

It was pretty by the lake...but way too hot. We just about melted and would have had it a lot worse if we were not under that big shade tree. We lucked out and got a great shady corner spot at this show. There were a lot of people around for a little while then I think everyone went to the beach. The crowd was thin in the afternoon. I will probably try again next year. The money was there, just not quite enough. Well, at least was an easy show and the set up looked great.

http://www.crazycakes.etsy.com/ Shown below... http://www.korinthianart111111.etsy.com/http://www.misfitshe.etsy.com/
Everything was so green!
This gal sure melted a lot of vintage records! There was a lot of beaded jewelry and weird crafts of the past at this show. There were some really creative people who made neat stuff. Wish my camera battery had not died...I would have a lot more pictures of what else was at the show.

Next show...Brimfield antique show

July 11&12 J&J field booth #c-12

XOXO...Emily

Emily's next show Wakefield Festival by the Lake

Wakefield Festival by the lake 2008 www.wcna.com
Saturday June 7th 10am
Exit 40 on rt 128 follow main st (rt. 129) toward wakefield center and look for the signs. It's about 15 miles north of Boston.
I am really looking forward to the show next weekend. It's a new one for me and my first craft show of the season. Hopefully it will be a good one so I can add it to my schedule next year too. I like a one day show every now and then for some quick cash. I am in pretty good shape for this one as far as inventory goes and most of Emily's greatest hits will be present. Did a practice set up in the backyard a few days ago and was happy with how it looked. Wish I had more time to make stuff buy there are only so many hours in a day and all work and no play makes Emily something, something.Set-up with me will be Korin of KORINTHIANART111111.ETSY.COM and VANITYPROFANITY.ETSY.COM. She mainly sells handmade fine silver jewelry and has rcently created a truly stunning line of rings which feature Modern Czech art glass buttons. Ok, I'll give you one guess where she gets all her pretty buttons...She's also made some lovely bezel set chunky linked button bracelets which I am just nuts about. It's been really fun to watch her button jewelry line come together over this past winter and spring. Korin has some great linked Czech glass button pendants in the works too. I hope they are done before the show so I can buy one!

XO Emily

Emily's been shopping!

This past weekend I went shopping at the Wellfleet Flea Market. Check out all the awesome vintage and antique goodies I bought...

Couldn't resist the little red wagon or the doll's nurse kit. Too freakin cute!
Old pastel pottery above and vintage 60's funky plastic dishes below.

If you have ever been to see me at an antique show then you know I have a thing for old drawers. I was happy to find all these shown above from one of my favorite regular dealers.
Below is Sharon, I buy stuff from her almost every time I find her set up in Wellfleet.

I am getting ready for a craft show this week as well as starting another busy round of pet sitting. The craft show is in Wakefield, Ma. It's on Saturday June 7th. I will have details in a few days. It's a new one for me so, we will have to see how it goes. The rain date is the 14th.

XO Emily

I Love Brimfield...Emily's Show Pics

Well, this show was so many things but mostly busy, profitable and fun. It was the end of an era in many ways too. If you are in my circle of close friends you know what I mean. The rest of you can just make things up...

Above is part of the pile I loaded in to my tent on Thursday night until 2am. The trailer was so full on the way to town, nearly every crack and crevice had something to sell jammed in it. I will be moving in a few months so some cool stuff from my personal collection was sold too. I wasn't the slightest bit sad to see junque I don't want turned in to a fat pile of cash I didn't have before I went to Brimfield. When you are in this business it doesn't pay to get attached to objects, no matter how cool or neat-o they may be. It's still all just inventory or even better... money I don't have yet.

This turned out to be one of my prettiest set ups yet. I was a little surprised it came together so easily. Guess I was more organized for this one than I thought. It was actually a relaxing unstressful show. If you have ever been to a show as a dealer you know that's unusual. Especially with all the rain after lunch on Saturday. It takes more than (a lot) of rain to keep folks away from the Brimfield shows. They were shopping strong in the morning, sold all my biggest pieces by the time it started being crappy out. May Brimfield is always my busiest antique show of the year. Hooray...By the way I am writing to you from my shiny new laptop!
Junque & stuff... Sock monkeys seemed happy next to the satellite radio. I can't believe I ever got through shows without a satellite radio. So many people commented on the music. I usually play Jazz in the morning and Blues in the afternoon. Jazz horns make me want to kill after a few hours. We can't have that now, can we?
Sold tons of vintage fabric. Can't wait to hunt for more this weekend.
Crazy Cakes are still selling strong after 4 years! Go figure. Already made a couple dozen cupcakes for my next show which is The Wakefield Lake festival. Details to follow in my next post. Above is a shot of my view out the front of my tent during the rain.

Another cool thing about this show is how many other dealers are set up in other fields. Many of those dealers have been selling since early in the week so they have money to spend by the time J&J opens on Friday. I heard lots of reports of good, great and best shows from dealers in other fields. It's been hard to be optimistic about this show season because they are always crying and whining about our economy on the news. I was afraid it would be a slow show but was happy to be wrong about that one.
Some of my regular button buyers above feeling a little soggy from being poured on.

Some of my favorite buyers are the Japanese ladies who fly half way around the world to buy vintage American 1950's stuff. They bought up all my best 40's and 50's cotton fabric. There was not one piece of polka dot fabric left after these gals moved on.

The antique Scottie rug above was in my friend Homer's booth. You can find Homer at the Wellfleet Flea market most Saturdays and Sundays in the summer. He's got the most divine primitive and antique textiles you will find on at any flea market on Cape Cod. Pretty pottery & glass outside Annmarie's booth. She has the cutest, sweetest vintage goods in her tent at every show. That's her booth below too. Trucks and toys...

This stuff resides in a friend's booth where we have our Friday night dinner club. There was lots of yummy stuff on the grill. I actually ate dinner twice on saturday night.

I can't wait to go back to Brimfield...XO Emily

Awesome pre Brimfield SCORE!!!

Old people get rid of the best stuff! A good friend of mine scored 2 huge boxes of 40's and 50's vintage cottons, rayons and silk fabrics. He's got a really great eye for Emily style junque!

I freakin love all the polka dots...Some flocked some printed...All super cute. What a great pile of UNUSED YARDAGE!!!

I love the shabby chic green florals.

I've been super busy stuffing my trailer with all the goodies I bought this winter like this lovely old country store fixture. What great cast hardware pulls. This piece would make a great kitchen island. The trailer will be stuffed to the rafters for this show. I just got my paperwork from the girls who run the J&J field I got my same booth back which is booth number C12. Our show is the Friday and Saturday after the Mother's day weekend.

More soon...XO Emily

New Crazy Cakes pincushions for 2008 shows

Well, I made these adorable lavender filled Crazy Cakes pastry pin cushions today for the May Brimfield show and a craft show I am booking in June...

Then my laptop died...Ugh, fuck, damn, crapcakes, poop etc.

Boo Hoo...Emily

Funky Find...Good Eye!

A friend scored this really cute old school house desk for me the other day. Let's just say it was priced to move. I love the pink, white and yellow chippy paint...So sweet!
How sweet will this look out in front of my Brimfield booth in May? You'll just have to come see for yourself...

XO...Emily

Paws n Claws adventures in Pet sitting with Miss Emily

Isn't Mickey cute??

Whew! I have been taking care of all the pet sitting visits for Paws N Claws owned by my friend Patti. This one was a long stretch at 16 days. We had all kinds of weather but mostly windy cold and raw... Cape cod spring in other words. Went to many of my favorite houses and saw lots of my favorite fuzzy friends all over the mid Cape. I have a little time to myself now to sew quilts and make cupcakes then start another 2 week dog walking and pet sitting stretch. A special thanks to Korin and my sister Jess for helping make it all work out.

XO Busy Miss Emily

Miss Emily's Vintage Chenille Quilts

Been Cutting mounds of squares for my vintage chenille quilts. I will be making some larger ones this year. Mostly I make them in a size that works for babies and spoiled pets. I had a lot of requests for larger ones last season....so Miss Emily will give the people what they want.
Pretty quilts for wee ones. They will have some pretty vintage chenille on the back too. Sooooooo snuggly.
I will only be offering these at the May Brimfield show and the Wellfleet Oysterfest Craft Show.

Come back soon to see what is next on the menu....XOXO Emily

Fresh Crazy Cakes

A fresh batch!

I will be listing many of these in my etsy shop http://www.crazycakes.etsy.com/

Once again I am smack dab in the middle of a big stretch of pet sitting. I got to visit many of my favorite dogs and met a few new ones. Funny how when I seem to have fewer hours to spend in my sewing room I seem to be more focused and able to get more done. Go freakin' figure.

XO Miss Emily

Beautiful Czech art glass button buttons and Brimfield approaching!!

Check out the modern Czech pressed art glass buttons in fixed price and auction listings in my EBAY SHOP

The May Brimfield Antique Show is creeping up quickly! It's the weekend after mother's day this year for those of us setting up in the J&J field.

I have been pricing and packing loads of vintage and handmade goodies this week in preparation. It's still a little cold to dig in to my cargo trailer. Gotta go through the whole thing and repack....on a warmer drier day!

XO Emily

Today's Florida vacation pics

Got coffee from Saucy Sue at The Fish Camp...

Walked on the beach with Sam...Chased lizards.... Met a Strangler Fig tree in action above...

Came home and napped like diva dogs in the sun......
Caught a free boatride from Captian Billy...


I don't want to go home...

Yellow beer rocks....for now...
I love Captian Billy...Possibly the most laid back guy I have met down here in Nokomis

XO Emily

Holy crap. We made it to Florida in 2 days. I slept the whole time while Dave drove. We slept in the Carolinas somewhere. I was thrilled yo find that I can steal internet from their neighbors out on the screnned in sun-porch where I have been spending mornings with all the doggies looking at the water and huge freaky birds that come by every day.
All maymem broke lose when we showed up with Bella and the Musclekat500...Maddy and sasha have become best friends. There are also 3 cats and one old sweet pooch here too. Sasha loves anyone who shares the same affinity for rope as she does...

Now everyone is pretty chilled out. Samantha has 2 dogs and 2 cays. I am in LOVE with her boxer maddy.

this is the coolest old sign I have ever seen. I have no idea where it was, somewhere in The Carolinas or maybe Georgia.

These are growing in Sam's yard. She made me the best glass of orange juice I have ever had...and it was made with a vintage chrome and bakelite orange juicer. This place is so freskin cute I can hardly satnd it.

Here are my 2 who travel so much better thsn I thought they would. Thank god 2 days in the car ride with them could have been hell! It was a long freakin' ride. They just snuggled up in a big pile of dog blankets and so did I . Minus the 180.00 dollar speeding ticket we got on route 301 the ride was great.

And of course I can't go anywhere without a project so this is what I was working on when I was awake...some special vintage novelty fabric covered buttons. I have been hoarding these cute little bits for just such a project.

Below is sam at work at the fish camp, the cooles little shack that sells beer, burgers and bait. there are a super salty group of hilarious regulars who chill there and I love them all even the freaky spooky toothed ones. Southern folks are nothing like New Englanders...they are actually nice!

I love how chaotic and twisty the trees are around here.

xoem...mackin' it in a tank top showin' off her new ink. Will definetly go check out the fancy tattoo shops while I am here.

Emily Gets Crackin'

Been takin' it easy after the holidays...
Just starting to get back in to the swing of things again....filling in my inventory of Emily's greatest hits! Thought I would start with some pretty covered buttons. I love making these form all the little bits of vintage fabric and antique linens I have collected over the years. Cupcakes are next on the menu....I need a huge pile of them for this coming show season. Well, this weekend is a pet sitting weekend for me so I will be freezing my butt off walking dogs around The Cape in the bitter cold....XO Emily

Emily's Czech art glass button eBay listings!

Still haven't been sewing much. Been listing pretty groups of buttons over in my ebay shop though.

http://stores.ebay.com/Emily-s-Vintage-Cottage_W0QQsspagenameZMEQ3aFQ3aSTQQtZkm

Lustered black glass lot... http://cgi.ebay.com/16-MODERN-CZECH-ART-GLASS-BUTTONS-BLACK-GLASS-MIX_W0QQitemZ180206427509QQihZ008QQcategoryZ115QQcmdZViewItem

Fancy 1 inch button pairs...http://cgi.ebay.com/30-NEW-CZECH-GLASS-BUTTONS-FANCY-COLLECTOR-DESIGNER_W0QQitemZ180206365313QQihZ008QQcategoryZ115QQcmdZViewItem

I've also had some more work on my arm done. These beautiful flowers were done last wednesday. There are 3 of them and a few more vines and leaves were added too. It's still sore and itchy and peely. A few more days and it will feel like my skin again. Still a work in progress...

So lovely....XO Emily

After-holiday break for Emily

I have been taking care of the pet sitting for a friend who has a small business. Over the holidays, when she goes away, I take care of her client's dogs and cats. Below is Gracie the Great Dane, I am in love with her. She's the biggest & sweetest dog I know.

I didn't have time to make much while pet sitting and dealing with holiday family crap but....

My friend Korin has been busy with a new line of fine sterling profanity jewelry. I am simply love it, all of it. I have a total potty mouth and think each is perfect. can't wait to see what kind of goodies she comes up for Valentines day....Anything you can think of she can do in your size. Also great Divorce and break up rings or every day accessories if you are an old punk rocker...

http://vanityprofanity.etsy.com/

Not for the prim, proper or faint of heart...

I was happy to be the hand model for this bracelet below


Click this link for bracelet details http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8550063

Click link for ring details http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8551456

Click link for ring detail http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8546911

I swear I will be maiking great new suff for 2008 show season soon...

XOEmily

Emily's Beautiful Leafy Madness

You may not know this about me but I like getting pretty tattoos... Fortunately, I know a couple of incredibly talented tattoo artists....


This winter I am having some new work and some old work touched up by friend and incredible artist Michael Tupper of Eternal Fountain. I am so impressed with how pretty this came out and how well the (totally hand drawn) stencil fit my arm...on the first try. In the future it will grow and new flowers will be blooming soon... till then you'll just have to stare at these pics above.

Miss Emily

Boston Bazaar Bizarre...Emily's pics

I wish I took more pictures at this show but the lighting was not the greatest in the afternoon when I went around for my second round of photos. I did get some good shots to share with you. There were a lot of vendors I recognized from Etsy. My display was one of the tallest things in the room..hooray. I had a little bit of everything on my table, Emily's greatest hits! The chenille cupcake was the best seller. I also sold a ton of Czech glass buttons and a pretty good mix of everything else. There was a line outside to get in for most of the day. I love a busy show!

There was a lot of silk screened stuff of all kinds....cards, bags, clothing etc. I really liked these cute printed bags and pouches above, especially the seahorses.

These are the oddest and cutest little ping pong ball cozies. They remind me of Pac-Man. I recognizes some other things on her table from seeing her work on Etsy. Check out http://www.tadworks.etsy.com/ for more little creatures and hand made goods.

Pretty handmade yarns in delicious colors by http://www.misshawklet.com/ they look good enough to eat!

These faux taxidermy creatures were by far my favorite things I saw all day. They are made by Jessica Tamson and can be found at http://www.fauxtaxidermy.com/

I came pretty to buying the red one on the right but this show was a money making mission and thankfully it was!That's Amanda and her mom below. Amanda and I met when she was shopping in my Brimfield booth and she came to the show to get some holiday gifts. I wish my mom would follow me around writing checks!
The girls above had some funky accessories. They were directly behind me. Next year, if I make the cut I will try to get a wall space. I was not so hip on the back to back rows with no dividers. It looked a little messy, not what I am used to at the outdoor shows but the money and the crowd was there and we had fun.

No, that's not Brett Mcnutt below. That was one of my neighbors who could be Brett's twin. I couldn't stop looking over there all day. It was totally freaking me out. He is a chilled out fella from Burlington VT and sold heavy duty messenger bags and some cool wallets made from recycled Bike tire tubes. The DJs were great and so was Johnny Spaceman above playing his Theramin. That thing makes crazy sci-fi noise and he was using it to make songs. Johnny payed a few Christmas songs but mainly did alternative & punk covers from bands like The Pixies, Ramones, Nirvana and The Clash. It was fun playing name that tune. A very unique sound from a very unique guy with a very unique vintage shirt. The show ended at 6:00 and we were on the road by 6:30. Loading out one table of goods is a piece of cake ha, ha, ha.

More soon...Emily

Emily's Bazaar Bizarre preview

The Boston Bazaar Bizarre is this SUNDAY!!! I just checked out the floor plan which I have added above. Click on it to make it larger. I will be at table 30 up by the stage! I lucked out and got a great spot. The Cyclorama is a cool round building originally built in the 1800's. I am looking forward to meeting some of the other supercrafters I have admired for a few years. Below is a little preview of some of the goodies I have been working on. There will be so much stuff on my table it will be piled to the ceiling of the Cyclorama. I made a bunch of room in my workroom so I can Bring a table in from my cargo trailer and practice my set up. These vintage glass bead necklaces are next in line for my vintage restring project I showed in the previous post. They will get mixed with some other nifty vintage beads from other broken and salvaged vintage necklaces.

Some Crazy Cakes cupcake pincushions and some cup and saucer sets in progress.
These are just the cutest prom dress lavender sachets! I have been making these a while They sell well at the Brimfield shows but they have not been on the menu in a while. They are a little more time consuming than I would like them to be.
I used some vintage barkcloth, vintage feedsack and floral tickings on the back and of course some Czech glass buttons down the front.

Just a peek at some of the vintage image sachets...I have also done a bunch with pin-up and risque vintage images ooh-la-la!

Below is a map of where the Cyclorama is in Boston...

Emily

View Larger Map

Junkie

Believe it or not a hearty group of antique and junk dealers set up at the Wellfleet Flea Market all year long. Sunday was such a lovely day to go out and see what everyone brought to sell. I bought a few things. Nothing fantastic but I will make money when it all sells. My friend Susan was with me. She had been on The Cape to work at a high end auction on Saturday afternoon. She crashed at my house to shop on Sunday. We set up at many of the same antique shows. My dogs were so happy to have a guest to snuggle up to while they slept. Susan found a bunch of interesting sterling jewelry and a funky 60's painting. Click the picture below to check out her current eBay auctions. I am sure this week's haul will be making it on to eBay over the next few days.

I like junk! And I like to buy from people nice and interesting people. Above is one of my favorite dealers who sells in Wellfleet regularly.


I bought these super cool antique chandelier parts on Sunday too. I have no idea if I will make something with them or if I will save them for shows next year. There was just no way I could leave the market without them.
On the way back to my house we stopped at a few of the group shops in Dennisport and Harwich. I found a bunch of 50's necklaces which I immediately brought home, cut and restrung them in to the bracelets you see below. I am calling it The Vintage Restring Project. They are not new for me I have just not done them in a while. I have been stock piling broken or injured necklaces for a while now. Time to get stringing!The pink set above are my favorite. Most of the beads in these bracelets are glass or or pearl and all the beads are vintage except a few high quality large faceted Quartz rounds I added to a few.

Here are a few shots that show my pretty new tattoo done about 2 weeks ago by Cape Cod tattoo artist extraordinaire Michael L. Tupper...and yes, it hurt like a mo-fo. However Michael has a very light touch and it was truly comforting to be worked on by someone I have known for 20 years.
I also got some great textiles and a yellow chenille I need for chenille patchwork quilts in the one of the antique malls. I have some bigger quilts in the works for next season. There were quite a few requests for them this past show season. They are a lot of work...Let's see how many actually come out of my studio in a completed state!

Hope everyone had a peaceful and yummy Thanksgiving...Emily

Brew ha, ha, ha, ha, ha....

My friend Kathleen makes the best tacos! Dave and I went to dinner at her house last week for some taco n beer brewin' fun. The boys bottled one batch of beer and got Guinness batch going for the next bottling. Hand made beer is a wonderful thing.

A truly yummy art. This is the bag of roasted hops after the sparging process.

Chris and Dave in the outdoor kitchen.

While the boys were brewing the beer Kathleen and I walked to the beach in with our wine. It was warm for October, warm enough for bare arms and bare feet. Such a simple pleasure to be in such a pretty place with my one of my favorite girls of all time. The Red Sox were on TV when we got back so while the guys finished up the beer we took a little 3 inning nap...Possibly due to a little too much red wine.

This is my favorite time of year, well actually September and October are the best months to be on Cape Cod. The weather is lovely, everything is still open, the kids are back in school and I actually have some free time to enjoy it.

Hooray.

Hey Kathleen, when is the party?

XO Emily

Emily's Czech art glass button eBay listings!

Ok, time to share some special buttons set aside for projects of my own. I am almost ashamed of how many buttons were piling up in my jewelry supply cabinet. This lovely group is listed over on eBay in my store at a fixed price. Click on the pictures to see them full sized.

This is a rare chance to buy a reasonably priced large lot

Such lovely detail color to the finises and in the pressed glass patterns. It's been 6 years and I am still amazed with each order they make for me. The Czech are the only people in the world producing high quality modern hand made glass buttons.
Just in case you missed the word link above in the text....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180147810876

More soon, Emily

Wellfleet Oyster fest 2007 Emily's Show Pics

The crowd was shoulder to shoulder again this year and the weather was just perfect for oyster eating, beer drinking and buying handmade goodies!

The smell of oyster stew was blowing down the street all day making me hungry. I never spend enough time eating at these shows, they are so busy most of my time is spent with buyers. I did have a lobster roll but didn't eat one single oyster. Sales were over $1,000.00 better than last year...Hooray!! I did have a lot more handmade goodiess at this show than I did last year. This is not such an easy show because the spot they gave me had to be set up and broken down each day.Same thing last year. It wasn't that it was difficult, just a pain in the ass. How much can one really stress overputting up a collapsable tent and 3 tables of handmade goodies? The money was there so I can't complain. At antique shows I use about 12 tables and pack a whole 6 by 12 foot cargo trailer in addition to my van and Dave's truck to fill my 20 by 20 foot spot.

Here are pics of my booth.

Below is a happy warm baby under one of my chenille & vintage fabric baby blankets.

Below is some of my button jewelry. check my etsy shop if you are interested in doing some holiday shopping. http://www.crazycakes.etsy.com/ I have been adding lots of new pieces to my shop for the holiday shopping season.....with more to come!

This is the happy shopper section. That's Barbara Joy in white, We had fun chatting and drinking a little wine in my booth on Sunday afternoon. She stayed 2 hours button shopping and talking about the similarities of our handmade lives. Barbara makes awesome pet beds, accessories & steps. Check out her website http://www.decadentdigs.com/ you may even be seeing some of my Czech glass buttons on her future creations. The gals below were so happy with their purchases I couldn't resist getting a picture of them too.

This gal, who's hands you see below, was really fun too. She bought my 2 biggest and funkiest button rings. Check out her big sterling silver ring with the cherub and set stones. It was Made by Uma Thurman's mom. How unique, I just love it. I have not had time to look up her website and info but what a fun & unique ring.

Sam's spot... I am happy to report she did quite well in the small space she had. It was fun to do a show with one of my childhood friends. It was good show experience for Sam and she got to promote her new etsy shop http://www.samanthamaeve.etsy.com/

Sam and Kathleen above, 2 of my best friends in one place! That rarely happens since my best friends have scattered themselves across the United states over the past few years.

Since this is the only show I do on The Cape, It was fun to see who would be showing up next that we knew! I was happy to see so many familiar faces.

Above are some yummy truffles by http://www.wellfleetcandycompany.com/ They even had chocolate oysters, no real oysters were harmed in the making of the chocolate oysters, I was assured by owner Jude Huber.

Happy vendors were easy to find on Sunday morning. Everyone I talked to had fantastic sales on Saturday. Above is Kathleen Masterson of http://www.kemdesigns.net/ She was a few booths down from me last year as well. I have run in to her set up at the Wellfleet Flea Market from time to time. Rock on Kathleen!

These funky folky paintings were in the booth next to my old friend Ron Kusins, owner of http://www.pewtercraftercapecod.com/ Ron was the first person I ever rented a room from, my first room mate ever when I was 18 years old. I was so happy to see him cashing on the oyster fest fun! That's Ron below, and his ocean temed pewter work in the picture below that.

Above is the Bluegrass band that played on Sunday morning. I wish I could have heard the better but there was definetly more action out in the street where we were set up.

What's next for Emily's Handmade Goodies you might ask?

The Boston Bizarre On december 9th at the CYCLORAMA on Tremont street!!!

Click the link below for the 2007 vendor list & more show info.

http://www.bazaarbizarre.org/boston_stuff/vendorlist.html

Emily

Wellfleet Oyster fest 2007 Getting Ready

Been spending most of my time getting for my next show which is The Wellfleet Oysterfest on October 13th and 14th it's a fun and super well attended street festival. Click on the title of this post to visit their website. Last year over the 2 days over 20,000 people came to party in the street, eat Oysters on the half shell and buy handmade goodies from a few hundred vendors.

Pretty simple sachets... One is vintage barkcloth, 2 are vintage feedsack fabric, one set is done from a beautiful earl9 1900's wholecloth quilt. I have been looking to fill certian price points and these are my new $20.00 item. They come tied in a stack of 3 with a pretty Czech art glass button on top. I've done a big batch of these for the Oysterfest but have a feeling they will become a regular part of my inventory.

I just found out I will be one of the 95 vendors in this year's Boston Bazzar Bizarre!! you can check out their website here http://www.bazaarbizarre.org/boston

Getting all my displays together is always a fun challenge. It's all about cramming as much stuff in that space as I can. At the antique shows spaces are much bigger and the shows are run much differently to say the least.

Recently I found these vintage metal flower pots and painted them pink to display my vintage fabric covered buttons. I usually show them in a flat case but that takes up way more space.

Below are a big batch of Czech glass buttons. I have been using flea market finds for displays for years now....

A few months ago I picked up this stacking metal container at the flea market. This month in Country Home magazine they are showing the same piece as a countertop catch all to hide and organize counter clutter.

Below are my latest vintage finds. I went off cape last saturday to do a little treasure hunting in some of my favorite spots. I especially love the funky fabrics and the painted bunny bookends.

This little antique black glass boston terrier below was only 2 bucks! So cute, it looks like my fat little dog Bella

This bracelet is simply amazing. What a big chunk of sterling! It weighs over 4 ounces. Not quite sure how old it is because it's marked 925 instead of sterling. Pieces marked streling are generally older. Either way what a great & showy artisan made cuff. Not for the faint of heart!

Emily

Camp Life... Antique Photos Of A Simpler Time

Beautiful photos of a time gone by. Click on them to see a larger view. I wish I was there in the woods relaxing with them eating donuts, yes donuts and drinking wine in the snow. My kind of party...I am actually more of a cake girl than a donut girl. I wonder what's in the hanging pot?

I recently purchased these photos for my own growing collection of antique photos. I have always been fascinated with the past and how people lived when life was a lot more simple. Lately I would like my own life to be a lot more simple & unencumbered. But for now I will escape in to these fantastic photos.

Emily

Emily's Brimfield September 2007 photos

It was a hot one that's for sure. I didn't do a lot of picture taking at this show, just too hot to do a lot of walking. It was in the high 80's both days. The show was a bit slow compared to last September but the buyers were $till $pending. Most of my friends in J&J still did as well as they have done at past September shows that weren't as hot. It was actually hotter and more humid at this show than it was in July. Fortunately there was a really nice breeze on Saturday and we got out of town before the thunder and lightning came through. That's always a little scary in Brimfield when you are standing in a show tent made from metal poles in a big open field.Above is a case of smalls in Joann's tent a few down the row from me. Those are her cute little vintage plastic toys below as well. I just love her vintage fabric stockings below the toys too. They really came out great. The holidays are closer than I want to believe!!!
I am sure we will be seeing more in Joann's Etsy shop for the holiday shopping and decorating season below is a link to her online shop

www.josewsvintagebags.etsy.com

Such a pretty European linens booth in the Brook row. Couldn't resist snapping a picture. Below is one of my favorite booths down in the back of the J&J where I bought the most stuff at this show. when I unpack I will share my Brimfield finds. Bought a few things for my house and a few goodies I will resale. I am keeping this folky wire heart antique doormat for my house. Here it is in my cargo trailer where I live when I am in Brimfield.
Don't feel too sorry for me. Dave, my honey, has a half hybrid truck so we have electricity to plug in to and we sleep on a fluffy futon under fluffy vintage chenille spreads. It's actually really fun. We even has a fan in the trailer since it was so hot. Got to love my man and his man-gadgets. I bought a Sirius satellite radio before we went to the Madison-Bouckville show so we had music in the tent which really makes a nice & relaxing shopping and selling environment.

These porch rockers were put to good use after the show on Friday. We had a little gathering involving a super spread of BBQ and picnic food goodness for dinner followed by a bunch of cocktails and show stories while relaxing in a big circle of Bruce's rockers. I had the lime green one in the back row.

The pictures below are all from my booth.

I met so many friendly new faces and saw many of my favorite repeat customers. One lady came to the show all the way to Florida to see me. Her husband spilled the beans on that one, said they couldn't come to town until the J&J field opened at the end of the week. She bought a big pile of Crazy Cakes to give as birthday gifts throughout the year. It was a good show overall even with the bad neighbor drama.

Cakes available at www.crazycakes.etsy.com
Loved that Yellow table! Bought it first thing in the morning on my way to the booth at 4am. It didn't stay past 7 before it was off down the lane with it's new owner off to a fancy shop for resale.

Handmade goodies above...Hair ties priced by the piece and also by the dozen for wholesale buyers. Vintage fabric yardage and some vintage clothing below.

My next show is The Oysterfest craft show on October 13 & 14 on main street in downtown Wellfleet, Ma. It has a lot going on like a live band, oyster shucking contests and has HUGE attendance. until last year I had no idea that 20,000 people gathered at one time for one event anywhere on Cape Cod. I love a good street festival and this is a GREAT one. My best childhood friend Samantha is coming up from Florida to do this one with me. I am going to do a feature on her pretty jewelry here on my blog soon. We just set up an etsy shop for her so if you want a preview of her work check out http://www.samanthamaeve.etsy.com/

Until next time...Emily

Emily's button bracelets for September Brimfield

I am calling this one Wintergreen Thought you might like a preview of some button bracelets I just finished. Just 2 big shows left... unless I can get in to the Bizarre Bazaar in Boston in December. That would be a good one to add right before Christmas. I made all of these yesterday and today as well as getting another dozen Chenille cupcakes made. Whew, am I done yet?!?

These came out so lovely. I have been hoarding up vintage glass buttons for quite some time so I would have a lot to pick from. Last year I had a chance to buy a bunch of carded old German glass buttons from the Schwanda company. I used a lot of those in the bracelets below mixed with some of my pretty modern Czech art glass buttons.

I have so much to do and finish making in the next few days before I leave. I still have a bunch of things to shuffle around in my trailer. I haven't done much to it since the Madison-Bouckville show.

I will be set up in the J&J field in booth C12 at the Brimfield Antique show Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th. This is my July spot as well. Next May I will be in the C row too. I like it up there, it's grassy and flat and on high ground... all good things in Brimfield!

Emily

Cracking the whip on Miss Emily

I've really been cracking the whip so to speak. Utter focus on filling in my stock for the September Brimfield show. That's where I am at this week. I have not left my house since I returned from Kathleen and Chris's wedding on Sunday night. Tomorrow I am doing my banking and shipping....I swear!!

I bought a bag of quilting scraps from the 30's and 40's at The Madison Bouckville show and made these pretty covered buttons. Did them up in the truck on the way to the wedding last weekend. They have been a big hit this summer and even made the blog over at Country Home magazine website. The girls who write the blog photographed them in my booth at the July Brimfield show.

These cakes above are part of what I made this week. Told you I have been cracking the whip! I sold tons of cupcakes at the last show and they have been going well on Etsy as well. I did a big batch this week. Just got done dying some white chenille brown to do cupcakes with chocolate bottoms too.

Yummy best sellers #1 on Emily's list of greatest hits...
Delish!

Above is Bella getting comfy in the work zone, well the dining room work zone. as opposed to my studio workroon or the living room. If you have been to my house you know what I mean!

I will post some pictures from Kathleen's wedding soon.

XO Emily

Madison-Bouckville Antique Show pictures

Thought I would share a few of my show pictures from the Madison-Bouckville Antique show where I was set up last weekend.

This is such a busy time of year for me. One of my best friends is getting married this weekend in Philly and another of my best friends is here visiting this week. I've only got a few days to make a ring pillow for Kathleen's wedding and a few weeks to make A LOT of cakes and chenille baby quilts for the September Brimfield show.

I bought a pile of about 100 vintage aprons from the 40's and 50's from another dealer on the field! I can't wait to go through them and make some lots to sell on eBay.

Pretty farmy and hilly scenery.

Crazy Cakes in the sun above and some long and lovely vintage barkcloth panels below

Stacks of vintage fabrics below and a few vintage fabric and chenille baby quilts below

When I returned I was happy to see a copy of the quilting magazine that Crazy Cakes pincushion are featured in waiting in my mail pile. It's Quiltmaker Magazine and it's on stands now.

Hooray!!!

Emily

Madison-Bouckville Antique Show...Here I come!

Hitting the road...Will let you know how it turns out!

It's going to be beautiful this weekend and I am so excited to go.

Wish me luck...Emily

More chenille...

I took a little walk through one of our local flea markets Sunday morning. I met a lady named Honey a few weeks ago who also sews with chenille. She does some quilts in mixed fabrics and uses the parts of the chenille that usually end up in my scrap bags. I hooked her up with a whole trash bag full of chenille bits & pieces. She was thrilled. I can't throw away fabric, even fabric I have no use for. The picture above is some of what I bought. I love the green frame. If there is time before my next show I will get a mirror cut for it. Chippy, flaky, lumpy and real old crackle paint finishes are my favorite kinds of finishes to have on my junk. Who needs new & shiny, that's just boring.

I need 4 more vintage chenille bedspreads like I need a hole in the head but this pile was priced to sell.

More soon...Emily

Bruce M White

I recently learned of the untimely passing of fellow antique dealer, Brimfield neighbor and friend Bruce White from Maine. He was a lot of fun and brought great antiques to town. My house and booth both have lots of goodies purchased from Bruce and his son Richard. If you are a J&J regular in Brimfield you have probably bought something from Bruce yourself.

The last supper


Goodbye Bruce, we will miss you at dinner...

Emily

Too hot!

Bella, like everything else, is wilting in this heat.

It has been incredibly hot and humid for the past few days. The dogs have been all stretched out in front of the fans. I have not been getting much done lately. Just taking some time to relax, clean up my house and pack a few things for some upcoming shows. My house gets really hot in the afternoon so I have been working out in my backyard under a canopy tent. This is my little oasis below.

Been working on a big batch of button pendants shown below, well that's a shot of the backs. I will show them when they are done. they have been coming out really pretty. A bunch sold in Brimfield so I am beefing up my inventory

I did get out to my favorite mid week market last week and here are a few of the things I bought. The bench is made by the Heywood Wakefield company and it's going to stay in my house. Have a perfect spot for it and my weird dog Bella seems to like it. I don't know many dogs that like to sit on wooden chairs but she's not like other dogs, Bella is more than a little strange.

That mirror is way too heavy but it was a fairly good deal and it's super pretty. I am hoping the shopping will be better this week.

More soon, Emily

July Brimfield 2007... motherload of photos

Here I am on Saturday afternoon in braids wearing some of my covered button ponytail holders at the ends. I sold all day on

Friday with no sleep! It can be really tough to sleep at shows. I usually sleep in my cargo trailer on a big comfy futon or in my big white van.

I have said it before but there's just no place else on earth like Brimfield! If only photos could convey the energy buzzing around the field, the excitement of the shoppers & anticipation of the dealers who have worked nearly all night to be ready for the show to open at 6am. I am happy with my set up even though a whole 40 pound bin of fabrics never made it out of the trailer! Whoops! More to put out at the next show.

This is the back wall of my booth above and below. We had nice really weather the whole show... just a passing shower while we slept. I have gone from bringing & putting up my own 20 by 20 tent to renting a heavy duty 20 by 20 tent. It has mad my shows so much easier and I am able to put more time in to my displays when the tent is already there waiting for me to fill up! There is no going back now.... I am hooked on the convenience factor and it's a small price to pay in retrospect! The heat was not too bad on Friday or Saturday. Much better than last July when we were sweating it out in 95 degree humid weather. One of my EBAY button buyers came up to shop the show for a few days and spent the whole afternoon with me on Friday. We spent shopping and talking buttons and gossiping about eBay. She also got to see me in action selling....Thanks again Lianne! It was fun meeting you in person.

On my back wall in the middle are some chenille & vintage fabric baby blankets. I have not done a batch of simple blankets that are not made from hand cut chenille quilt squares in a while. My neighbor Annmarie bought one for her pampered kitty and a few others went to lucky babies. If it ever stops raining here on Cape Cod I will photograph a few and get them listed in my etsy shop.

My honey Dave on the left with our friend John sitting in the bored husband chairs. I have so many frilly girlie things for ladies in my booth. Not many manly antiques in this load. I actually found myself saying to a few men "don't let all the fluff & frills scare you we have antiques too!!" I love small antiques of all kinds I used to have cases and cases of them. Although they are getting harder and harder to find I still hunt.

I on that note I did find some lovely things at my favorite mid week flea market yesterday morning held at sandwich high school. Yesterday, I not only started my day there but also ended it there by seeing the AMAZING and lovely Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Holy crap, that girl and her band freakin rock. She plays a Hammond B3 for that super 60's blues sound, another vintage keyboard, acoustic guitar and a flying V!!! The ultimate 1980's electric guitar!! Overall they have a toothy bluesy rock n roll sound. From what I had heard on the radio, which was only one song, I thought it would be more mellow. Her lyrics are wise and soulful ans she's so young. I am impressed and that is not easy when it comes to music. I have always had a lot of friends who are super talented musicians and music moves me like nothing else on earth. How surreal to see them in a little high school auditorium with only about 150 other people. I went with my aunt Joann and it was a blast. We are both homebodies and don't go out much at night. Most people who meet us together think she is either my mom or my date. Funny huh? The show was supposed to be outdoors on the grounds of a lovely and historic museum in Sandwich but it was moved to the school due to rain. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals will be big, that's my prediction. Keep your eye out for them on Good Morning America soon.

Ok... Back to the Brimfield post....

Above is my little front yard set up.

The Crazy Cakes table

Here is Dave again below, He is a really good helper and did such a great job selling while I was off visiting and shopping. Dave has been to lots of shows with me over the past 8 years and knows all about the cakes and buttons too. You should see him selling a Crazy Cake! Compared to his day job at a tree worker & plant health care specialist doing a Brimfield show is like a vacation for him!

Below is our Friday night dinner club. I think Igot everyone with a mouthful in this one. We had a meat medley for dinner! I brought pork loins John and Steph brought marinated chicken and Steve brought some lovely Venison. Yes, I ate Bambi and it was so yummy that I asked my Dave if he would shoot me one. I am not sure he's too hip on the idea though. We also had a bunch of fruit, 2 pasta salads and whoopie pies I bought at the bakery before we left The Cape. I have never understood why everyone makes a mad rush in to Sturbridge to eat. We eat so well at shows. It's so fun getting together to tell all our stories from the day, laugh, have a cocktail...or 3!

All was swell by the well....

These fellow Cape Cod dealers specialize in antique glass bottles, old crocks and interesting small antiques

I think these bottle pics are some of my favorites I have ever taken at a show.

...and across the street I got to spend some time with Audrey and Charlie from the Boston area. If you go through the big tent with Ben & Jerry's in front of the Mahogany Ridge field and keep going across the aisle you will end up in their booth. Their set up was so shabby-licious. Audrey gave me a good deal on some pretty 40's fabric.

In the same booth You will find Louise of MES IDEES from Vermont. I looked at lots of pretty bags, Jackets, hats and other handmade accessories. Louise uses my Czech glass buttons on some of her coats. She will be opening an Etsy shop soon so you Etsy fans keep your eye on the Time Machine2 for her creations. I will warn you that Etsy's Time Machine is a totally addictive feature! Very cool though.

Louise! & her handmade goodies

Pretty pouches in the sun.

Back over in J&J my friend Susan had all these pretty Danish Modern pieces.

This is Steve and his son Nick from New Hampshire. They are in our Friday night dinner club and set up near me in May & September which are both bigger shows than the July show.

Aunt Joann sets up down the lane from me in July and right next to me in may and September. You can find her pretty handmade vintage fabric bags in her etsy shop. She's adding new designs all the time.

Now, anyone who has been to my booth lately knows I love thread chests. That little one is a little more rare, it's a needle chest. So lovely...and expensive! I didn't buy it and I don't regret that passed on it.

Annmarie's booth was really pretty too. She was in the next row over from me and my first sale of the day. Her booth was ultra-shabby chic and one of the pretties booths I saw in J&J.

The littlest shopper...

It was a lot of work crammed in to two selling days. I don't know how other Brimfield dealers do the 5 day shows. I did one long ago but the 2 day rush of J&J is much more fun for me.

Emily

Emily + chenille & buttons = Brimfield J&J field booth C12

I am ready to go...The Crazy Cakes have been made.

Just for Brimfield...fat jelly & chocolate creme roll ups filled with lavender

Have a great mix of handmade chenille & button goodies...

The new buttons made it here before the show. Here is a small sample of what's new in my button case. Don't they look like yummy candies? You should see them sparkling in the Brimfield sun.
Did all the shopping I could in all the markets I could get to. Probably would have bought that pink chenille too if the dealer was in their booth. Have lots of fabric and decorative goods from the 18oo's to the 1950's.

Leaving Thursday, Selling Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th Cocktail hour in my booth starts at 3pm each day...lol!

Emily

Yummy Covered Buttons

Above is a 1.5 inch vintage hanky covered button worn by my best friend Kathleen, she's truly the best, best, bestest friend I have ever had. She's getting married in August to a good man... yes, ladies there are still a few out there if you can find them. I just can't wait to go and see how pretty everything will be including the bride.

Some of the fabrics on the 7/8 inch covered button sets below actually came from my granny. She gave me a box of old fabric a few years ago and there were some nice old unused vintage squares cut for a quilt in there too

Delicious covered buttons made recently from vintage feedsack and other fabrics of the 30's 40's and 50's. Getting my junk & goodies ready for the July Brimfield has been sort of fun this time. July is not such a crazy and busy show as the Brimfield shows in May and September. my trailer will not be packed so tight and Dave will be staying with me at this show. Have some truly yummy vintage fabrics and cases and cases of vintage, Czech glass and covered buttons in this load.

I hope to meet a few more of my eBay & Etsy buyers at this show. It seems like I get to meet one or 2 at each show. Many of my buyers have shared photos of what they do with the Czech glass and covered buttons I sell and will be sharing those photos as soon as I get all the proper credits and links figured out. I am so impressed with what others have done with the Czech glass buttons in particular.

More soon, Emily

Nice Work

How amazing is this??An antique cut work & embroidery tablecloth in really great condition. I took these photos while it was drying it in the sun today. It was one of my flea market treasures from Dick & Ellie's on Sunday.

You can click on any picture to see them bigger

Look at all those stitches. I am so happy to find something so pretty to hang in my Brimfield booth on July 13 & 14. I am getting excited and just started the process of re-arranging and re-packing my trailer. The July Brimfield is less busy so it's a little more relaxing and I get to do more visiting and shopping.
This is what the back of the blue polka dot border looks like. I think it's Italian or Portuguese. Either way, it's stunning and I am tempted to keep it. I just don't have a fancy tablecloth kind of house or space to properly display it.

Patti's oldest dog Guinness stopping to smell the flowers. I love this picture.

I've been pet sitting & dog walking for my friend's company while she has been in Italy on her honeymoon for a few weeks. I've been staying at her house and doing her dog walking route. It's been interesting to have a totally different life and job for a few weeks and work full time outside my home. Boy, I don't miss it at all. I have a couple of days left and there aren't many visits. So many folks are around for the 4th. The Cape is crammed with tourists!

In an effort to burn more calories I have been hula hooping. It's really fun. I like to bird watch and actually found 2 four leaf clovers when I was hooping a few days ago. Sewing is just not burning many calories and I loathe exercise of any kind...except hula hooping I guess.

Above are Czech art glass button hair ties Recently made for some upcoming shows. They really sparkle in the sunshine!

I made the baby blankets below with cotton fabrics from the 20's to the 50's and backed them with vintage chenille.

A few more Crazy Cakes for Brimfield. Can you tell I can't wait to go??

Emily

Vintage Finds

A happy, happy day!!!

My favorite mid week flea market was open today for the first time this season. I have not been so happy to be up at 5am in quite some time. Not only did I see some of my favorite vendors but also saw many of my good friends & favorite folks who are also in the antiques business. I must have made 3 or 4 rounds today and still came home with some money. It's hard to have any restraint when I spot something I want or can re-sell. This is part of my haul.... 2 vintage suitcases, 3...yes three 1930's wholecloth quilts, a vintage cupboard with glass doors to store my fabrics, a lovely matte glazed vintage vase, deco floral tin, a lovely faded blue chippy paint bench and a pink Morgan Jones button hole chenille. I also bought some antique French cut steel encrusted shoe buckles and a few other chenilles for sewing Crazy Cakes. Have not decided if I will be keeping the pink chenille yet. It's in great shape with a couple of spots I think will come out with the help of my old friends powedered BIZ detergent & warm water. It would be sweet for baby quilt backs but if spreads are too nice I have a hard time taking my scissors to them. We shall see.

Just when I thought my day couldn't get any better a box of buttons showed up from the makers in the Czech Republic!! Guess I know what I will be doing for the rest of the afternoon...unpacking & photographing buttons in preparation for eBay listings.

I love my jobs.

Emily

4 down 7 or 8 to go

OK, my honey Dave has a lot of cousins, most of them girls. Since we have been together for the past 9 years we have been to 4 cousin's weddings. Each has been unique pretty and totally fun!! Here are my pictures from the latest. There were some really neat things about this wedding that I would totally want at mine. I loved that there was a cake as the centerpiece for every table, no big surprise there huh?
Above is Amy Beth with most of her bridesmaids and 2 of the groomsmen

I love this picture below Of Amy Beth dancing with her dad (uncle Kook to the rest of us)

Amy's dress was modern, simple, shorter in the front & the details were stunning. The perfect dress to dance the night away in!

That's my Dave with a beer in the photo above.

Everything was so crisp, white and pretty. Simple elegance! The reception venue was lovely and took place in the farmy hilly part of Central Mass. These were some of the first photos I had taken with the new digital camera. Above is the bride & groom's cake, such a neat idea. I am torn between this and having cupcakes on my big day....whenever that may be. I've been engaged for 3 or 4 years now but we are in no big rush. Some ladies related the groom made a traditional Caribbean rum cake that was out of this world. I have been told it's an acquired taste but wow, it was amazing. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of that.

The girls all looked so pretty. The weather was rainy on and off all morning. It was raining when we went in to the church but when we came out there was bright sunshine! I was so happy they got some nice sunny weather for their pictures. Everything looked extra lush.
This one is so small because I was sneaking a photos from far away during their wedding pictures. I couldn't resist!

Congrats to Dion & Amy!

Emily

New Czech art glass button styles on the way!!!!

Recently one of the button makers I buy from in the Czech Republic sent me some pretty pictures of new button designs. They are all so pretty, I can't wait until my order shows up. It will be a while, hopefully by the July Brimfield show. I Made a huge order! They don't make them until they are ordered and they are all hand pressed and hand finished. All those things take time. I am able to mix and match any finish on any button with any color glass and paint. It's so fun putting the orders together. I never remember what I ordered and it's like Christmas when I unwrap them getting ready to take my pictures for eBay.

I ordered a bunch of these pictured below but can't remember which ones. I know I got the dark blue iridescent and the pinkish ones near that one. They are smallish buttons only available in one size that measures about 11/16, the same size as the new mini dragonflies that have been so popular.

The picture above and below are close ups. Aren't they gorgeous? The buttons pictured below are about the size of a quarter in lacy and iridescent finishes.

Below are 2 factory cards of new offerings. Unfortunately you can't upload very big pictures to this blog but if you click on the pictures they will show actual size.

I can't wait to see them in person....

...and order more mmwahahahah!!!

Emily

The End is Near

The end of the petsitting weekend that is...

When you live in a seasonal area holiday weekends can be a drag...Not this one though. Instead of hiding out from all the tourists and traffic I've been petsitting and dogwalking for my friend Patti. She owns Paws*n*Claws petsitting service here on The Cape. While she is away, I run her business. It's turned in to a nice little random part time job for me. She's got me booked for a weekend here and a week here and there so she can actually have a life as well as a booming business, not easy to do when you are a one woman show. It's a nice break for me to get out of my sewing room, get some exercise and to not think about what I should be making or cleaning.

Since Thursday I have been doing overnights for an ancient dog named Barnaby who's nearly deaf and nearly blind yet still mackin' it in the lap of luxury! That's fuzzy ol' Barnaby at the top. It's been nice to be paid to sleep at Barnaby's house but I have not had any internet access in the evenings. How addicted I have become to the internet, if not addicted at least dependent! It's been nice having a break though. Barnaby's house looks over the salt marsh and flats that lead down to Cape Cod Bay in Yarmouthport. The sunrises and sunsets have been AMAZING! Barnaby is too old to go very long without having a pee so I have been able to catch a few sunrises this weekend.

This is a picture of my favorite dog clan on Patti's customer list. This crew lives in a multi-million dollar home overlooking long pond on the Brewster side. I visited them a few days ago. The Great Dane is Gracie, I just love her!! She's my favorite dog out of all Patti's clients. Gracie lives with Jackson the fat yellow lab and Mickey the little wiener dog who has the sweetest light blue eyes. Can you see him down by Gracie's feet? Gracie's head alone is bigger than my Boston Terrier Sasha!

More soon...Emily

I love Brimfield!

A few shots of my booth at 5 am before the show.

Pretty antique hardware below my neighbor from Maine had in his booth.

This post turned out totally backward because of the way the pics upload to this blog so bear with me. My brain still feels a little fried from talking to so many people and working so hard in such a short amount of time. I have thought of going back to doing a longer show in Brimfield since there are so many to pick from. But...I have such good neighbors and J&J is a very busy field.

I think my camera is tired too since it died when I got home. Thankfully I was able to get my show pictures out first. I Just bought a Sony Powershot SD750 Digital Elph and I really love it. It's not a cheap camera but I am taking photos for my ebay and etsy listings on a daily basis so it's worth it.

I was way too tired to go back to Brimfield and shop on Sunday so I hit a few of my favorite spots on the way home instead. I bought these goodies at another one of my favorite dumpy little flea markets.
This was blooming upon my return. It's called a Flowering Almond My friend Lucas came over today and we divided a bunch of this for him. He rolled out of here with about 40 iris plants too, we are over run! The Almond is my favorite and only has flowers for about a week. I just love the color.

Bella was just checking out my recently purchased vintage sock monkeys. For some reason sock monkeys always make my dogs go a little nuts. I love sock monkeys, the uglier the better! They are sitting on an awesome spool chest I bought on Sunday. I will keep it a while and store all the Czech glass buttons I sell on eBay in there. it's in amazing condition. What a find! The glass knobs are all original too. I have a soft spot for spool chests. They make such good storage for beads buttons and all the stuff I use to make jewelry. I am up to 3 or 4 now and can't seem to part with any because they are all full now.

It was great to see my dealer friends that I only get to see at the Brimfield shows. I was happy to see so many familiar buyers as well. A good number of people let me know they found me online or in one of the Brimfield dealer guides so I guess all the shameless promotion is paying off!

It did rain on us a bit on Saturday, we has a few super busy selling hours then the skies just opened up. It didn't slow down business much. Brimfield shoppers are fanatics and won't let a little down-pour keep them from treasure hunting in the J&J field. Besides all the shoppers we get all the dealers that have been in town making money all week. There are 8,000 to 10,000 dealers in about 20 fields that cover a mile of rt 20. You really need to see it in person to believe it. Only on eBay could you see more antiques in a day than you can see at the Brimfield shows.

We knew it would rain at some point so I did my big vintage fabric display in the back of the tent so things wouldn't get too soggy. I has so much fabric in this load and I sold a lot of it. I was so happy to see all the cute Japanese girls that buy 50's fabric and vintage clothing from me. Could you imagine traveling half way around the world once a year to come buy antiques in Brimfield? I guess I am pretty lucky to only live a few hours away.

This antique buggy was in the booth next to mine. You never know what people will bring. The only thing missing is the horse.Below is some of the vintage fabric in my booth and a crazy Lucite spaghetti lamp globe. This was taken after the opening rush and I had already sold a bunch of stuff from this area.

This is my friend Aaron. He is a young dealer from The cape, not a shriner. I bought a big bag of 1920's valentines from him. He's the youngest antique dealer I have met so far. Aaron has a great eye and had some really nice antique glass in the booth.

Above is a lovely English beaded needlepoint piece.

Below is the gal everyone was looking for before the show opened...She sells coffee drinks and snacks out of this cart. She probably has that cage to protect her from hungry dealers who have not had any coffee yet.

Pretty painstakingly hand made sailors valentines and paintings below by Nancy walker of Little Compton, Rhode Island. What incredible work. She's also an accomplished painter.

This is Nancy's daughter and my friend Susan, she sells lots of amazing vintage and antique jewelry and Danish modern stuff too. Those are some more of Nancy's paintings in the background.

Above is my view from inside my tent. Check out those giant antique doors across the way. It dried up pretty quickly and Saturday was absolutely gorgeous.

These pretty bags are made by my neighbor, you can look her up on Etsy at http://www.josewsvintagebags.etsy.com/

Her name is Joann Whittemore aka the bag lady of J&J

I wish this picture was more in focus but this is some of the Friday night dinner club. My diagonal neighbors are a great group of guys that all rent a huge tent together. I usually do a lot of shopping in their booth.

This is Jim, a fellow dealer who sets up in another field. That's a depression glass candy dish he's drinking a rum and coke from! Only in Brimfield.

These are shots of my booth

This cute shopper chose to wear the vintage apron she bought from me.

I sell a to a lot of creative people. This lady bought the blue chenille from me and Made patchwork burp cloths for her baby.


Can't wait for the July Show! See you there.

Emily

Brimfield Scramble

This week I am doing the Brimfield scramble to get ready for the show. There is lots of packing and cooking to do still. The trailer is already full up to the top and the van is getting there too. There are shows that run all week but I just do a weekend show in the J&J field which is open on Friday and Saturday. I am so excited to get out and sell. The dogs are getting antsy because of all the packing. They know I am going somewhere! I have a great load of antiques and vintage linens in addition to my handmade goodies and new Czech art glass buttons. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather. So far it is looking good with just a chance of a passing shower on friday. You really never know in Brimfield since it's in a valley things can change so quickly!! I can't wait to see my Brimfield friends and favorite buyers. I hope to meet a few of my ebay button buyers as well. Ok...i am still whipping up a few more crazy cakes pieces too. I just can't stop!!

Come find me in booth #A62 in the J&J field. Coming up Rt. 20 look for the big red barn on the left.

I will post lots of yummy show photos when I get back.

More soon... Emily

B-day goofing off

It never ceases to amaze me that there seems to be a dog hair in almost every good picture I get! This basket brooch was among the goodies I got at the flea market this past weekend. So many bargains! I can't get over the detail, every mark on this pin was struck by hand. The basket is hollow soldered 3-d construction, so cool. The way it's put together is incredibly detailed and the pearls have subtle pretty color, each unique. Each is half drilled and set individually. I took a silver-smithing class a long time ago. Maybe that's why I appreciate this kind of work so much. I found working with sterling stressful!! So easy to make a mistake while soldering and ruin the whole thing. such unique construction.
Today is my birthday. A number of great things happened to me today. Even though I had to renew my driver's license today I only waited 5 minutes for my number to be called. The picture is terrible but aren't they all? My dad brought me a hilarious card that plays accordion music that made the dogs go insane; which was also hilarious. Dave took me to lunch and I won 10 dollars of our bill by picking a number out of a hat. At the little thrift shop near the registry I found this incredible 1950's pink and brown vintage Brother sewing machine. It works really well, they made great sewing machines in the 50's...So much better than the plastic crap they are putting out today. This baby weighs about 40 pounds! Dave also bought me a super fancy pink and brown chocolate cake for after lunch.
I also heard from many of my favorite folks with happy birthday wishes and messages.