2010 Calendar

I know this post may seem to be a little late. Originally I was waiting to share because I was giving away several of these and I didn't want to ruin the surprise. Then the Little Miss got sick and everything just sort of got put on the back burner and forgotten about. I purchased this Calendar from an Etsy shop called Govango. I was looking for one in PDF form so I could print it myself as many times as I needed. I wanted to use them as small Happy New Year gifts for some important ladies in my life. I love how they turned out (but not how the pictures turned out. Sorry I'm not a professional photographer). Buying calendars like this is fairly inexpensive, and you get something pretty unique. Something for you to think about for next year. Or if you still don't have a calendar for this year they are still available.

Social Networking

There are way too many social networking sites these days. Way. Too. Many. I took down my myspace a while back. I tried twitter, but I just couldn't get into it. So that came down too. I haven't used my Flicker account in a while. I'm thinking of taking that one off too. Facebook is OK, I'm keeping that one. I do have some issues with that though. Does anyone else feel guilt if they deny someone's friend request? Or do you ever feel like it is sucking the life out of you? Like you have to know what that one girl from the seventh grade is doing right now. Right now? I do love my blogs. I'm pretty sure I will never give those up. There are just so may things out there and I always feel like I have to give them a try. Why is that?

Well the new one is Tumblr. I'm intrigued by it. So I'm giving it a shot. Don't be surprised if it doesn't stick though. I'm fickle remember. Has anyone out there tried it out? What do you think?Anyway go to my new tumblr page Mini Sweetly Nostalgic to find out the deal with this little guy. A little something that made me laugh the other day.

Not About The Hair Clips

They just happen to always take center stage though. I needed someway to present them to their new owners. They needed a little packaging I guess you could say. So I picked up a pack of these white merchandise tags from Office Depot. I was just going to put the hair clips on them plain, but when I did that it just looked too boring. So I cut pieces of vintage sheets and zigzag stitched them to the tags. Then I attached the hair clips. There you have it. A million times better don't you think? It was really easy and really fun.I love vintage sheets. I love the patterns. I love the colors. I love the feel of them. So soft and... well... worn in. You can find them at pretty much any thrift store for super cheep. However I found the coolest shop. I know what you're thinking. She is ALWAYS talking about Etsy. It's true I am. I just think it's a great resource for finding materials, and I think it is important to support artists & crafters in their handmade small businesses. Anyway about this shop. Whimsie Dots has been collecting vintage bed linens for a long time. She cuts them into quilt squares, fat quarters, and half yards. Then she matches them up by color or theme. It can take months of collecting from thrift stores to have enough patterns for a blanket. So she has done the work for you. Her prices are really fair too. And doesn't it feel good and green to re-purpose them into something new?

Right When I Get Into The Swing Of Things...

I have to take an unfortunate break. I have a lot of great things I want to share. However we had to take Miss.S to the hospital for a condition called ITP. We will be with her there while she recuperates for an unknown period of time. I will blog when I can. Please don't give up on me, and even more important please say a little prayer for our little miss.

A Steal of a Deal

A couple years ago I posted about how much I loved my reusable grocery bags on my private blog (back when it wasn't private). I do. I love them. But I have a confession to make. I forget them 75% of the time. I've tried everything to remember them, but alas they remain forgotten. They do me & the environment no good sitting at home.

I figured out that I need some bags that fold up really small so I can keep them in my purse. I've been eying these from Envirosax.However the price tag seems a little steep. One for $8.50 or a pack of five for $37.95. To some of you this may not seem like that much. But for me I just can't justify spending that much on grocery bags. Especially since the ones I have were a dollar. Well today I was picking up some supplies for a project at Office Depot and in the check out isle I spotted some very similar to these. OK the patterns weren't as cute, but they weren't bad. They are similar in shape and size. The best part was they were $2.99! Less than half the price. So I think they will be fine. I'm a firm believer in you get what you pay for. I'm sure the Envirosax are better quality, but these will last me a little while though. We'll see how I do keeping them in my purse at all times. Maybe by the time these wear out I will be more willing to spend a little more on the more expensive ones. I'll report back soon to let you know how it goes.

Vintage Embroidery Hoops

Sorry this is a day late. We had a sick house yesterday. We are all on the mend now after a day of napping though.I first saw this idea on A Little Sussy and thought what a fun easy way to add a little color to a room. So I made these for Miss. S's room a couple summers ago with the help of my Mom. About half of these hoops came from the DI in Logan Utah and the other half my Mom gave me. They were handed down to her from my Grandma B. I loved the idea of using this small family treasure in a new way for my little girl. They hang in her room above her crib. Sadly her crib bedding was washing the day I took this picture. I'll get a picture soon of the whole effect.

I'm posting this now for two reasons. #1 I think I'm going to change the fabric out of them soon (Except for the S). I'm updating a few things in her room and the fabric that is in them now probably won't go. I wanted to document what they look like now.

And #2 I think this is the perfect post to explain why I chose Sweetly Nostalgic for the official name of this blog (no more changes). I love items whether for your home, to wear, to play with, anything, that evoke a feeling of nostalgia. I have a lot of family heirlooms that have been handed down to me that I love and use in my home. I also love shopping for and using vintage items. Even new items that have a vintage feel I am drawn too. I love certain memories that mere objects can stir up in your mind. When I look at these embroidery hoops it makes me think of the women in my life my Mom, Grandmothers, sisters, and Aunts. I'm reminded that I come from a long line of ladies that were and are great at making something out of nothing. That have wonderful talents and make beautiful things.

If you want to make these it's really easy. Start collecting embroidery hoops and fabric. I would say 8-12 different sizes and patterns would be sufficient. I usually like using odd numbers but this ended up being even. It really doesn't matter. Place your fabric in the hoop and pull tight. I used a hot glue gun to secure to the hoop. Last trim the access fabric and hang. The poor little one at the bottom broke when Miss. S began standing up in her crib, and could reach it. So if you are hanging it over a crib make sure you hang it out of reach of little hands.

Fun Fact

I am super busy today so I won't be able to post what I had planned. However I did want to post something really quick and say I'll be back tomorrow. Did you know that Pantone declared turquoise the color of the year?Turquoise is one of my favorites. It is just a color that brings joy to my day. Pair it with red or yellow. It is just such a happy color. So enjoy Turquoise in 2010!