time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life - brian andreas




Monday, April 25, 2011

too far

For my birthday last year, my mother got me a wonderful gift:


My hope was that I would follow in her footsteps and be a natural.
I'm not.
In fact, I tried to make a skirt and it looked like a small tube top of sorts.
Last week I got an itch to sew.
So I decided to make a tube. 
That's right, a tube.  Aim high, right?
I went in search of the perfect fabric, and came home with this:


There's a story behind it.
Several months ago I visited a sweet little antique store in downtown Forest Grove.  I had been looking for a new lamp (I 'needed' one.  Last time I 'needed' a lamp, I came home with this) and stumbled upon an amber colored swag lamp.  I loved everything about it, except for the heaviness of the chain.  Which was okay, because it was priced at $48.  Too much. 
Several weeks later I learned the store was going out of business and dropped in on the closing sale.  I picked up a few things here, here, and here.
The swag lamp had a new price tag...$5.  For that price, I was willing to overlook the heavy chain.  I knew it was a must-have.
And that is when my love for retro went too far:


the 'tube'



Today a friend said it reminded him of his grandma's house.
And he didn't mean it in a 'cool vintage-y' kind of way.
I think I'll retire my sewing machine for a while.

xo,
tracy

ps: anyone in 'need' of a swag lamp?


6 comments:

  1. I love it!!! If you feel the need to make anymore let me know, I need two for each of my girls rooms :) Love the lamp!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. lol. You'll get the hang of it. It takes time. I'm still not very good especially at clothes! Try a nice flat project like a simple quilt block. It helps to build up sewing skills for later projects!

    ReplyDelete
  3. i need a lamp. i have lots of corners it could go in. xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Tracy! Thanks for you ever-so-sweet comment on my FB page! What a delight you are! I love watching your blog and seeing the changes you make in your home.......we have such similar taste :-) keep posting your progress and great finds!! It's so much FUN to see what you create!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I first have to say, I love following your creativeness and family here.

    But I also would like to know 2 things...first, how do you get a slash through words? and 2nd, how do you get a box around your pictures with the text attached? All my blog posts look the same and it irritates me.

    Once again, my actual comment is how I love keeping up with your family :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm just impressed that you know how to use a sewing machine- I can't even hem curtains. The nice thing about buying cheap things for your home is if it doesn't work, you're only out a few bucks.

    ReplyDelete