It's Calendar Time!

Yes, my friends, if you haven't started already, it is time to start thinking about holiday gifts and the new year! And that means tea towel calendars are all the rage on Spoonflower. The tea towel calendar design contest is my favorite of the year, mostly because I get to return to my graphic design roots. Here is my entry this year, inspired by board games. Start at January, advance through each month, and the first one to make it through December wins! You can vote for all your favorite designs here.

2nd Annual Bizarre Bazaar: Holiday Craft Ideas That Are(n't) So Retro

It's Christmas Craft Roundup time again! All year long I gather old Christmas editions of magazines in order to showcase them around the holidays. It never ceases to amaze me how everything old is new again. This year, instead of featuring the ridiculous crafts that usually come to mind when one thinks of 1970s church bazaars (of which there were plenty in the pages of these annuals), the focus is on those ideas that actually look current. And there are many! What's your favorite?

Good Housekeeping Needlecraft (Fall-Winter 1972-73)

While I'm not a fan of the crocheted sweater, the pattern and color combos of appliquéd flowers on these "Nosegay Sweaters" is nice.

The Hamburger Hassock uses 'suede-look' vinyl for the buns, corduroy for the meat patty, and shiny vinyl for the lettuce, tomato, and ketchup.

Fun patchwork totebag. Love the criss-cross quilting.

Alphabet Comforter and Alphabet Pillows. Nuff said.

Family Circle Christmas Helps (1975)

Cheery felt Fruit & Doves Wreath designed by Jane Slovachek.

Stuffed calico letters to hang on your door for a festive greeting, designed by Joyce Denebrink.

Bold, graphic gift wrap made with sticky vinyl shelf paper! Designed by Sarina Mascheroni and Pat Weissman.

Pins and needles put the finishing touch on this cactus pincushion (left); and some fun stationery designed using pencil erasers as rubber stamps.

McCall's Christmas Crafts in Felt Book V (1977)

Mouse House--love the trim detail and the chimney bricks. Designed by Dorothy Brush.

Larger-than-life boot for decorating, or fill to overflowing with small gifts.

Small amounts of felt, fabric, and trims combine for a colorful, happy scene.

Patchwork designs are made with felt to adorn greeting cards. Designed by Constance Spates.

These charming felt cards are pretty enough to frame! All designed by Crystal Collins.

Felt and embroidery cover simple cardboard boxes.

Beautiful felt ornaments to use on the tree, or in a mobile.

Family Circle Christmas Helps (1977)

The shapes in these salt dough angel and mushroom wreaths make interesting patterns. Designed by Nancy Steiner.

An assortment of vibrant ribbons lends texture and color to this woven stocking. Designed by Constance Spates.

Colorful felt designs transform plain cardboard boxes (top); and sunny orange felt trivets protect tables and countertops.

Lady's Circle 1,001 Christmas Ideas (1977)

Not sure if there are really 1001 ideas in here, but they're definitely "down-home", as advertised.

This DIY (that's "DOUGH-it-yourself") salt dough Santa might be a bit on the creepy side, but is also rustic.

McCall's Needlework & Crafts (Winter 1977)

Nativity figures sculpted from fabric and embellished with paint and stitching.

Yes, this gorgeous table runner and matching placemats were cross-stitched. (!) Designed by Marilla Arguelles and embroidered by Michelle Cohen.

McCall's Needlework & Crafts (Winter 1979)

42 ornaments made with five different techniques. My favorite are the geometric felt shapes and the Mexican yarn craft fish, bird, Santa, bell, star, and tree.

Crocheted novelty stockings--look at those cleats and hi-tops!

Beautifully shiny ornaments are designed with embroidery floss and metallic thread.

Spooky Vintage Halloween Polaroids

This tiny Polaroid Land Camera album has been tucked in a cabinet for a long, long time. Finding it again was like finding money in an old jacket pocket! These pictures may have been taken in 1962, a guess on my part, based on its design, and because the number '62' is written on the cover. They are shown below at actual size, and in the order in which they appear in the album. Enjoy, and have a Happy Halloween!

The 2015 Tea Towel Calendar Contest Is Here!

Last weekend I was sifting through some old envelopes to find one I could reuse and I came upon a small, white Tyvek one with a piece of paper inside. That piece of paper was a receipt from my very first Spoonflower order, dated November 11, 2010.

Included in the order was a swatch of the first tea towel calendar I ever designed, which was also my first entry into a Spoonflower Fabric-of-the-Week contest (and it ultimately placed second, which became fuel for the fire…). Finding this little bit of nostalgia was quite timely, since this week kicks off the voting for the 2015 Tea Towel Calendar design contest! And here is my entry this year:

This time around I decided to dig into my collection of vintage ephemera: playing cards, labels, seals, stars, milk caps, stamps, envelopes, seed packets, flash cards, dictionary clippings, playing pieces, price tags, receipts, and more! I combined them with some retro Dymo labels and homemade washi tape to create 12 monthly collages. They hang across a chalkboard with hand-drawn chalk illustrations, each tag attached by a clothespin to vintage string from an old toy wooden bead set. Put it all together and you have one scrappy new year!

Below are closeups of each month. I'd really appreciate your vote in this year's competition, and all of the entries can be viewed here. You can vote for as many designs as you like, and you don't even have to be registered on the Spoonflower site to do so! Thank you so much!

TBT: '80s Pillow to Your Heart

These fancy little pillows are courtesy of a 1984 issue of the German magazine Brigitte. Many are made with satin, and most are very '80s, but the one in the top row covered in color-collaged buttons is amazing! Translated, the intro text reads:

A small soft feather pillows heart's there to buy, the right heart to envelope you handle work itself: an endearing, perhaps eloquent gift or even a piece of jewelry for your home. Where are the pillows and how to sew the sleeves, standing on the side 278.

Click on the image for a larger picture.

Translated captions under each heart, top to bottom, left to right: Goodnight Heart, Heart Full of Buttons, Heart for Green; Heart with Handkerchief, Heart of Glass, Kind Regards, Heart Wishes, Right in the Heart; Heart for Animals, Fragrant Heart, Braided Heart, Heart of the Funfair, and Heart Lady.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Collectable Christmas Pins

Because I don't shop at the mall very often, I wasn't aware of this last year until it was too late. JCPenney gave away little 1" Christmas pinback buttons as promotional items. Each button had a code on the back to use for future purchases. My mom, being the collector she is, picked up a few every time she went to Penneys, and she was nice enough to give them to me (shown below). Apparently there are 50 in the complete set, which I only know because I checked to see if people are selling them on eBay (and they are, of course!). I don't know if they're actually worth anything...I just thought they were cute. Too bad they didn't continue the promotion this year, or I might have wandered into the store!

TBT: 50 Quick & Easy Bazaar Best Sellers!

Included in the September, 1980, issue of Better Homes and Gardens was a section featuring 50 craft items you could make to give as gifts or sell at craft bazaars. Remember when they were called "Bazaars"?! I thought it would be fun to reminisce about what our moms were all making over 30 years ago: Bandanna Babies, Veneer Tree Dazzlers, "Hand" Bags, Country-Style Key Rack... Some might even be popular today, like the Loveable Fabric Doll, Crayon Caddy Apron, Needlepoint Door Signs, and the Piece of Cake Pincushions (awesome!)... I'll let you be the judge! Do you think all of these items we're making for Etsy today will look this groovy 30+ years from now?