Hollyhocks

Fred. We Hardly Knew Ye....

 

Fred from Fredsworld, an enormously popular and funny blog, has decided not to blog anymore. He will be sorely missed by the thousands of us who appreciate his knack for finding a vintage item with good lines, painting it "duck egg blue", white or "Cath red" and wowing us all by adding it to his gorgeous and inviting home. Here was a guy who got "us". He crochets, makes quilts and LOVES to poke around boot sales and antique shops. His wife Hayley is a lucky lady.

Fred plans to blog once in a while on Hayley's pretty site Happy Loves Rosie, but it's not enough. If you know Fred, or if you can appreciate a man who knows his way around a tag sale (he cooks and bakes too), please stop by Hayley's blog and beg him to come back. I'm going to head over there as soon as I finish here. Fred was the first person to link to Hollyhocks from his blog and I had a huge increase in traffic thanks to his generosity. We need the male perspective...especially when it agrees with ours. 

This is the 30s type of fabric from Superbuzzy I was telling you about...oh, how I wish I could sit at my sewing machine....

I know that I have a vintage apron somewhere that is the spitting image of the 2 floral fabrics...

My work baby shower was Monday. My bosses decided that, even though I had only registered for one of these super amazing (picked out by the DH), high tech

"newborn soothing centers", since I am having twins, they got us 2!!!!! Along with a color video monitor. The shock and awe over these amazing gifts completely overshadowed the horror of having my boss in my house when it hadn't been properly cleaned in 12 WEEKS!!!!! We have had such fun playing with all of the features of this great  toy and we both wish they made them for adults.

My college roommate got us 2 of these. They rock and vibrate and you can feed the babies in them, and then they convert to toddler rockers. It takes a mom to know about clever things like this. I can't show you the super deluxe playpen/changer/bassinet my friend Carisa got us because we took it out to play last night and then it took Army Corps of Engineers skills to get it back in the box. Soooo, we are totally spoiled. The family shower is next week and I can't wait to see everybody. The work shower would have been just as fun just visiting and drinking punch in my hostess/friend's immaculate house. The joy people feel over these long-awaited babies is so touching. The best part of the experience is sharing it with everybody in our lives. One coworker started buying baby clothes as soon as I announced I was pregnant and filled a wicker laundry basket with clothes, board books and monogrammed blankets....

I have lots to look at on bedrest this week.....Thanks for visiting Hollyhocks!

30w,2d!!!!!!

Snips and Snails

I originally wrote this post on Thursday and scheduled it to publish today, but Typepad decided to post it under the date December 31, 1969!!!! I was tempted to leave it there. I would have been considered quite the visionary, especially because there was no internet then, but here I am, Back in 2008 and on the sofa, instead of building block cities and waiting for the ice cream man...

As I perused the fabric archives recently...I like to call it Fabric Heaven...oh, the possibilities...I realized that all of my fabric is "girl fabric". It won't do to have Baby B crawling around in Freshcut bloomers. Superbuzzy to the rescue...

...All boys love cars, don't they?

...and dinosaurs?

...and even more cars...

...and since Baby A will be named Aurora Paige I had to get some Sleeping Beauty fabric (note the adorable brown dog).  Am I the last person to know that Sleeping Beauty's "real name" is Princess Aurora? My Aurora will be named after the Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem Aurora Leigh  for lots of reasons...Ms. Browning was bedridden for years (months are tough too), she had her child when she was older (Go Liz!) and it's a lovely, long novel of a poem that really speaks to women.  I really like the name Leigh too, but Paige has been a favorite for years....and...speaking of brown dogs (were we?)...

I admired Barbara's vintage fabric find and she sent it to me. I feel really guilty about that, but once I am up from Camp Bedrest I will send her some vintage silk embroidery floss. Barbara finds the best 30s-50s things and photographs them beautifully.  Stop by her blog some time. I know you'll like it.

I just got this fabric because I like to look at it. I think it's relaxing.  I also have some retro Japanese fabric to show you. It is the spitting image of 1930s American feedsack prints. I think Japanese textile companies do an amazing job of capturing not only the print, but the "old fabric" tint and feel.  I'll post about it next week.

I hope your weekend is sunny and bright. Everything is growing like crazy here because of all of the rain.

Thank you for visiting Hollyhocks.

29w,4d

I Could While Away the Hours

 

Confferin' with the flowers... Wow. The peonies are ruffled ball gowns of pink this time of year. I think they may be my favorite flower. Sorry daisies, I had to move on.

Well, it's 11 weeks on the sofa today and I bet you think I have been crafting up a storm...Hmmm, well, I did make those stuffed birds...Mostly I just while away the hours with magazines, books, TV, phone calls, visits and watching babies kick. I have a bag of jewelry making supplies next to the sofa...where it has been for several weeks, untouched. Late one night a big fat spider walked into the bag, so it may not even be safe to make jewelry....

 

I do love the quiet. At first I missed the hustle and bustle, but now it's nice to sit quietly and peacefully and think. You do get into a routine after a while. I like to think about the babies, and Christmas with the family, and possibly having my brother and his family come to visit later this summer. I think about how lucky I am to share my days with Cadbury.

 

Their lives are way too short for the joy and comfort that they bring. When I say my prayers at night, the same prayers I have said since I was a child..it hits me how many of the people I pray for have died. I wish my childen would have more relatives on my side of the family...I'll just have to make sure they have lots of people around them who love them.

 

I wish I had cut more of the lavender. A lot of it is starting to flower now. The Dr. said that I can attend my work shower for a bit on Monday if I stay seated with feet up. It will be fun to be a pregnant lady out among people. I only get to do this once, so I have really missed the sweet comments people make to pregnant ladies.

 

A few years ago we visited a friend in Provincetown, on the Cape. It was one of those non-Disney type of vacations where the memories are more sensory than amusement related. I remember most the lavender, the wisteria and the light scent of saltspray roses wherever we walked. Last year I saw the roses at a local nursery and I planted 2 of them. Now, throughout the summer, whenever you sit outside there is a faint scent of old roses in the air. It's hard to complain about bedrest when you get 2 babies at the end and you can sit outside and sniff roses and lavender and marvel at peonies. I hope this finds all of you blooming. I also wonder if the garden shop on the Cape is still there...It was called "Consider the Lilies"...

Thank you for visiting Hollyhocks. Fabric post next time.

29w, 2d

In response to a question...edited to add- The goal is still to get as close to 36 (or more) weeks. The doc wants to very slowly increase my activity level (from nothing for 11 weeks) so that I am less deconditioned when the twins arrive. If things progress, then all bets are off and I may need additional restrictions/treatment. They really are flying by the seat of their pants on pregnancy complications like this. A lot of people are amazed that I have made it this far without a cerclage. The thing is...there is no conclusive evidence that bedrest changes anything. They just do it because there's nothing else to do. I could get on my soapbox about how if men were having babies, I am quite sure that they would not be told to lie down for 3-5 months...and they certainly wouldn't call it an "incompetent cervix". They would come up with a much better sounding name! 

Father's Day and Show and Tell

Hello and Happy Father's Day. Since my stepdad is in a long term care facility and I am on house arrest, I didn't think I'd get to speak to him today. My sweet husband told me that he was going to take the dog for a walk and about 20 minutes later my SD called on my husband's cell phone (he didn't want a phone so you have to visit if you want to see him). That was so nice...he got to see the DH and DD (dear dog) and we had a nice phone visit.

Well, if it's Sunday, it must be Show and Tell Sunday, hosted by Heidi this week. Today's topic is "your favorite find". As most of you know, 2 of my favorite finds ever are the redwork quilt top (11/4/07 post) and the Dutch Pram (10/28/07 post). They are 2 finds that made my heart race.

Of course, I do have lots of other things to show you...the sampler above is one of my favorites because, on the back, there is a little handwritten note that says "stitched by my mother at the age of 89, without glasses". I love that.

This is a collectio of hand-dyed wool that I found at an estate sale, stuffed into bags. I gathered it up, sorted it and now I have beautiful wool pieces for projects. It was used for handmade wool rugs.

I also found this great book and yards of cream colored wool at the same sale.

...and the estate sale of a former seamstress was filled wih yards and yards of Italian wool and Ultrasuede.

This child's sewing machine was a pretty great find. It was marked $75, then half price, and then because the sale was ending, I got it for $10.

...and, of course I love all of the vintage baby finds that will soon be displayed in the nursery...

I'll leave you with a photo of Cadbury, the only dog in the world who runs to the door to watch a thunderstorm. We just adore our quirky furry son.

Thanks for visiting Hollyhocks!

28w, 5d

Am I In Provence?

Nope. Just my own domestic powder room. I scurried out to the front yard and cut this lavender in about 30 seconds lest I be caught by the bedrest police, or my own neurotic worries that even though I can go to the Dr. every week for 2 hours (albeit in a wheelchair), even one minute standing otherwise will cause me to go into labor immediately... Since my current mobility options are limited, the only dark, dry place I could think of that was immediately at hand was the guest bath. There will be tons more to dry soon. Meanwhile, the room smells heavenly.

I'd like the babies to smell like lavender, chamomile and lemon balm....mmmmm. Remind me to post about the recipe for natural laundry cleaner that I found in my internet travels this morning. Then, remind me that I will soon be the full-time working mother of infant twins and may not have too much time to be concocting herbal alternatives to grocery store items...

I wanted to show you the tapestry and linen tea towels my boss sent a few weeks ago. I still find it hard to fathom the fact that someday my own children will be seesawing away...minus the knickers, ruffled shirt and pet goose, unless of course, my son has a penchant for period dress...

...and now for some blogger goodness...

I entered a giveaway at Wanda's blog and lost. This is what she sent the over 35 people who didn't win, a tag kit, filled with all kinds of sparkly ephemera...I am so glad that I lost! Although the winner got a pretty sweet package of vintage kitchen stuff...

Erna, whose work and sense of color I admire, sent this pick-me-up package from The Netherlands...

  

...A piece of Dutch fabric and 2 adorable little hedgehogs. I'm sure the mailman must think I have quite the cosmopolitan lifestyle, unless he has noticed that I always seem to be home when the mail comes....

Thank you for visiting Hollyhocks.

28w, 2d

Dolly Dingle Ya Find Some Good Stuff In the Trash...

Today's topic, compliments of Cerri, is trash to treasure. Many of my fellow treasure hunters know that paper items can be found for pennies at estate sales because they are often stuffed into a box in the basement, That was true of these Dolly Dingle scraps and paper dolls. I couldn't resist the sweet faces. I have a bunch more. I'll come back to paper, but first I have some true trash to treasure items to show you...

I had 3 of these when I saw this chair out for the garbage 3 doors down from my house. I waited for dusk and once I had it, I prayed that none of my neighbors saw me as I ran back to the house. I just had to have it though. It matches the others and my enamel table...

This chair was out by the side of the road with a pile of other furniture and a big "FREE" sign. I got the chair, a footstool and a great old breakfast tray with spindle legs. I just covered the seat in toile to match the other fabric in the room (at that time)

The chenille rugs were filthy and wet, on the basement floor at an estate sale, with no prices. I thought they would clean up pretty nicely so I stuffed them into a bag and paid $1 for both. I have them in my sewing room and I love them....

This adorable little appliance was still in its original box, in a basement, under the stairs with the original packing material still inside. It's a tabletop washer! Someday I may try it but I hate to mar its vintage beauty. I guess I will leave the German scrap for another post. Maybe someday I'll do an all chenille post too.....hmmm...

Thanks for visiting Hollyhocks! Good luck treasure hunting!

27w, 5d

Hangin' With Shinzi Katoh Today

Sometimes I like to pick up a piece of fabric on my way to the sofa and admire it throughout the day....Doesn't everybody? I may be the last blogger on Earth to discover Shinzi Katoh...but now that I have, I could just look at this piece of fabric forever. It's so simple and restful. The cotton lace is from Near Sea Naturals,  a great place to get cotton stuffing for your....well...stuffed stuff.

We had our Dr. appointment today and....we're holding steady so I am back to the sofa. I have a bunch of things to tell you today, so bear with me...We returned from the Dr. to find the latest care package from work and it's a barn burner...a stack of magazines, a sushi set (love sushi), an advance copy of our school's yearbook (sniffle, they grow up so fast)...and 2 bags full of these...

...Frozen breakfast entrees made by the students in one of our vocational training classes at school and their amazing teacher. There are about 20 of the entrees...and I have heard that they are working on dinners. I have to admit, these are some of my favorite people. I see many of them for OT and, whenever i have a free block, I sneak down to see what they're working on. It was a pretty touching gesture...as are all of the gestures I have received since I arrived at Camp Bedrest.

Now, I have been remiss in responding to the tag from Nicky at Poppedijne, so here goes...

1.  What were you doing ten years ago: Same house, same husband (he was a boyfriend then), no dog (imagine), working as an OT in a rehab facility, mostly with the elderly (I loved that population, smart, strong, resilient people) I always asked for neuro cases (mostly people who'd had a stroke). It is unbelievably gratifying to see people improve and adapt.

2.  5 things on my to do list:  Read stack of magazines, write thank yous, dream about what the twins will be like, make jewelry, answer email (I bet that list changes a bit in a couple of months!!!)

3.  3 snacks I enjoy:  Fried plantains and salsa;  Pate, crostini, cheese and crackers and guacamole and tortilla chips.

4.  4 things I'd do if I was a millionaire: Start a free range dog rescue, start a free cafe for older folks (decorated with vintage linens of course), travel to Japan and buy a planeful of fabric, buy both neighbors' houses and knock them down to make a huge garden (with a gardener so I don't kill the roses)

5.  4 Places I've lived: Near Buffalo, NY; Fredonia, NY; Miami Beach, Fl and Baltimore, MD (don't even get me started about Louie's The Bookstore Cafe..now gone..one of my favorite places ever. The polenta was to die for!)

Thanks Nicky, that was fun!

Now, before I forget, one of my favorite bloggers, Hayley (hi Fred) gave me an award last week and, for the life of me I could not get it to show up on my blog...so you'll just have to trust me that she likes me, she really likes me!!!!! Someday I will improve my computer skills...

Thanks for visiting Hollyhocks! You are largely responsible for my good spirits.

27 weeks...9 weeks on the sofa.

You Should See The Garage

Cerri, at Little Pink Studio, hosts Show and Tell Sundays. Today she has asked us to show how we store the things we acquire. So, with the DH and the DD (dear dog) out fetching a yummy fried bologna (with peppers, onions and cheese) sandwich and sweet potato fries, drizzled with butter and honey for my lunch....I thought I'd share some "storage solutions" I use here at Hollyhocks.

I should also mention that with the future arrival of 2 tiny family members, my wretched excess must somehow come out of the future nursery and find a home in the sewing room...I KNOW!!! Nice trick if I can do it. Well here goes...The above photo may be the last of Mr. Stove. My sewing room is a former 2nd kitchen (my house is a former 2 family abode which we converted) Mr. Stove will be moving to the garage to make room for my vintage ironer..aka "mangle". For now, I store some fabric in pots and wool in the oven.

I use old jam jars to store a fraction of the button collection.

A kitchen cupboard for some fabric...

Shelves for more...

Blue glass canning jars with zinc lids for lots of stuff...

Kitchen drawers for vintage trim...

An enamel pot for vintage silk embroidery floss...

Red enamel pot from Fred for my birthday holds spotty ribbon...

Big, giant glass jars with tiny wooden people...and..

The rest will have to go into a separate post. I just love to walk through and look at everything, but...as soon as I am off of bedrest...I need to list some stuff on Ebay and Etsy to make room for babies and baby gear. That doesn't mean that I won't be out haunting estate sales as soon as I am able, just that I won't be able to keep as much stuff. It's a pretty good trade though.

I hope this finds all of you enjoying a day of rest. I am pretty darn sick of this sofa, in case you were wondering! Grow babies grow!!!! Hanging in there though...Fried bologna helps!!!!

Thank you for visiting Hollyhocks.

26w, 5d