Sewing or Shopping?

     How many of you have a room devoted solely to sewing and/or crafts?  Mine is downstairs and is laden with supplies and projects that need to be finished or fixed.  You know it's bad when you have to walk sideways to get to your worktable.  No way am I showing a picture of the room in its present state.  Anyway, I've spent the last evenings trying to clean, sort, organize and yes, even throw away some things.  My eldest stepson has three little girls in his family and I'd like to make them semi-matching dresses for Christmas.  You know, make the same style dress and intermingle pockets, collars, tops, etc. for a cute but semi-matching look.
     Meanwhile, aside from my normal life trying to keep our booths well stocked in the antique shops, I've listed a few things on Etsy and Ebay.   This beautiful handcarved soapstone from the Orient just sold: 

The artist carved two areas for vases; the craftsmanship is phenomenal.

     This butcher sign showing beef cuts is still on Etsy:  

GrinninGramma Etsy

     Just click on the link below the picture if you want to take a closer look.

     And, on Ebay, we have this cool souvenir from a midwest brewery:

GrinninGramma Ebay

Funny little crow, huh?  Again, just click on the link if you want to take a look.  Christmas is less than three months away - I like to post unusual items online for those hard-to-please loved ones.

A CHEAP MAKE

      No, of course I'm not talking about myself, any of my friends from high school, or anyone else for that matter.  I'm talking about this:
                                        

It was so easy to put together and so darned inexpensive!  I made it from items I already had.

Started with this:

 You've probably seen a million of these.  Okay, maybe only half a million.  This one was a curbside find with broken wooden leaves, etc. on it.  It also had a "welcome" sign on it, which I kept for this project.

I gave it a light sanding, just enough to get some of the old glue and paint off.  Next came a light coat of Lowe's most inexpensive white paint.  Once dry, I applied an opaque acrylic stain that I found in a sale (auction) box lot.  Yes, I know - once it was cleaned up it had to be reworked to make it look a little dirty and worn again.  There is a big difference between real dirt and fake dirt.

Next came this guy.  He was a yard sale find.  His clothes are totally faded (so what? He's a scarecrow) and was kinda droopy but a little sprucing up with a glue gun was all he needed.  Oh, and his stand needed to be knocked off because it would have hung over the base of the fence.  

Finally, this vase with four fall floral stems (say that three times fast) would provide the final touches.  It was another $1 yard sale find.

I only used three of the stems; the fourth will be used for another future project and the vase already has a spot reserved in one of the shops we're in.  

So, for a little more glue gun work plus $2.00 and some change, this little guy will greet visitors coming into the Village Antiques and Home Decor mall in Bristol, Tn.