Orange You Glad?

That ladies used to use their "free time" to crochet these layered flowers?

I am.

I find them at the thrift shop sometimes- these intricately stitched together series of flowers meant to adorn your coffee table.

Death by overkill.

But when I pick them apart and look at them individually....

Lovely.

The same can be said about many "parts" that make up the whole of any discarded item. A belt becomes a purse strap and looks-- different! Fun. Reinvented.

A one time 4-H apron project complete with intricate cross stitching becomes a pocket.

Or two.

(bag turned inside out)

Wouldn't it be nice if we could

take ourselves apart

and remake

using

just the good?

(But its more fun...

easier.....

to pick

other

people

apart.....)

This is a medium sized shoulder bag, measuring 10.5" across and 11" up and down.It is pocketed, the strap is adjustable. It's essentially awesome, and you need it.So, leave a comment below, or just give me some love, and we'll shut down this orangey auction on thursday, December 15, at 7:00 pm.

Rolled Oats

It seems I'm on a roll.

De-cluttering one day, I sold the old brown suitcase that held all my random white-ish linens and lace bits. Sorting through it, I tossed what was never going to work, and got busy on the bits that looked promising.

In the process, all sort of linen and delicate embroidery pieces were rediscovered and reincarnated.

When I work with these items I often wonder about the women who made them; the culture they were women in; the time and pride spent on creating such beautiful pieces of work.

I like to think that I've given them some greater purpose.

A second life.

A small part of a bigger picture.

It's especially fun to pair them up with something as humble and pedestrian as an old oatmeal sack. Which you and I can see holds exquisate (if ironic) beauty. (My mother might disagree...)

I used the scallop of some heavy stiching to double as a button closure for the oatmeal pocket.

A grand juxtaposition.

Here's out sack turned all inside out. The pockets are formed out of an ancient linen baby bed sheet that I "found" during our early married years. In our second apartment, it hung as a curtain.

Now it'll hold your personals.

Interested in this lovely item?I know its a bit weird to post a bag on a Friday, but thinking about Christmas roaring up at us, I wondered if people were wanting the oppurtunity to purchase any bags in time for gift giving. With that in mind, I'm offering a "buy it now" price of $50.00 Cdn. (ooooh! how very e-bay of you!!!) But we'll start with our regular bidding process, with a start of $20- Cdn.

Bids will close on Monday, December 12, 2011 at 7:00 pm cst.

Update

As I work on the finishing touches for the next bag4darfur, I'd like to thank all you followers and supporters. None of this would make any sense (or food aid) without you.

Thank you Jennifer for purchasing "Lotta Love".
And could "mix mix" from the prior post please contact me at re-joyce@live.ca?

Happy Friday, Darfur supporters!