October. It's a wrap.

Already Into November

October seems to have gone by in a blur. In the blink of an eye. Quick as a bunny. No denying it, November is here.

Before I move on to the usual November celebrations (tomorrow is my birthday and my sister's is in two weeks, and then of course, Thanksgiving), I thought I'd pull some of my favorites from October.

A big thanks to Be Our Guest posters- Kristen from By The Book Paper, Daena from Bad Rabbit Vintage, and Stacey from A Sort of Fairytale.  I appreciate the time they took to put great tutorials together.

Other October mentionables include: great vintage finds, a cozy dog, campfires out back, some newly discovered local cheese, printable organization, jewelry making, great field walks with the hound, and one crazy Halloween snowstorm.

Thanks for sharing the beginning of Fall here at the Muse. Hope you'll stick around for more.

How Are You Going to Give?

Every year, I include something handmade in my gift-giving. 

It might be stationery that I've designed, holiday felt wall hangings that I made, memory boxes, or baked goods.  The list goes on.  Any shopping that I do for the holidays is done, for the most part, in local shops. I will continue to give in this way and expand it to include some wonderful things that I've found in fellow esty shops.  There's so many possibilities it will be hard to narrow the list down.  It's about more than just supporting fellow shop owners, it's changing the way in which we give. About getting back to the simple things that mean so much. It's about what has real value, as determined by each of us.  I think things that are lovingly designed and handmade in the small studios and workshops across the world, have more value than the common mass produced things most of us can easily access.  I believe something has more value, and often has a higher price (that I'm willing to pay), because more has gone into making it. The thought and care with which something is made, is an important part of the sentiment of giving that I am trying to share with those I love. 

What will your giving be focused on this year?

Sunset Meadows

It's been awhile, with all the rain and snow we've had of late.  However, last night Mom/Marge called to say I better get the camera out. I was still at my desk. Good thing she called or I may have missed it. 

It was quite lovely.

Very wispy and feathery.

I hope your Thursday is going wonderfully. Mine is going fine and dandy. Well, sort of. You know that new printer I got? Well it arrived and it's HUGE.Which means I can't set it up yet. Gar will be busy this weekend building me a new desk configuration to house the behemoth. Isn't he lucky?  Good thing is, if I need an extra coffee table when I have company, my new printer can do double duty.

See you on the flip side.



Be Our Guest: Stacey from A Sort Of Fairytale

Be Our Guest: Vintage Playing Card Tags

Hello Mercantile Muse Readers, I'm Stacey, from A Sort Of Fairytale and Maggie Jane's Vintage, and I'm so happy to be here Guest Posting today!  

I'm a I'm a Flea Market, Estate Sale, Thrift Store, Vintage Lovin' Wife and Mom. We just bought our first house and I am busy trying to make it the vintage style home of my dreams on budget (a word I wish was not in my vocabulary).  My Etsy shop, Maggie Jane's Vintage, is where I sell vintage and handmade decor, gifts, and supplies.  I also sell at local flea markets (am a total flea market junkie) and vintage markets/events.  I host an Etsy and Online Shop Link Party on my blog, every Thursday, so if you have a shop you would like to promote, come on over and join!  My full time job is Stay-At-Home Mom and my part time jobs are blogging at and selling vintage, and I can honestly say that all three jobs and my life itself are definitely a sort of fairytale!

Today, I have a little crafty tutorial for you!  Do you have any vintage playing cards that you think are pretty, but don't know what to do with?  I just love the images and illustrations on vintage playing cards, they're like little pieces of art!  They also make really good tags for gifts and pretty much anything you want to label.  Here's how to make your own:

Vintage Playing Card Tags

 Supplies:

Vintage playing cards - available on Etsy and in Thrift Shops

Scissors

Hole Punch

Ribbons, Lace - new or vintage

Scrapbook Paper

Paper Punch

Adhesive

Punch out paper shapes with your paper punch, I chose a 2.25" scallop

punch by EK Success.  These shapes will be the labels you attach to the cards.

(Note from Pam.......don't let not having a paper punch stop you, you can cut out whatever shape you like with scissors and use that!)

Use adhesive on the back of your paper punches to secure the punch to the playing cards.  I chose a tape runner adhesive, but you can use any type of adhesive you like (i.e. double sided tape, rubber cement, elmer's glue, hot glue gun, etc).

Affix the paper punch to the center back side of the playing cards.

Using your hole punch, punch a hole at the top center of the card,

I just eyeballed it, but you can measure if you like.  

Cut various styles of laces and ribbons into blank 13 inch lengths, or 

to another length you would like it to be.

Fold ribbon or lace in half and feed through the hole punch and bring

the ends back through the loop, then gently pull tight,

so it looks like this...

Back view of finished tag.

That's it, you're done!

I was also thinking you could add buttons, cabochons, etc. to embellish 

the tags and make them extra fancy.

This is a super easy craft that is full of vintage cuteness, and is a nice way to recycle/upcycle vintage items.  With the holidays coming up, this would be a fun way to embellish all of your packages!

Thank you, Pam, for letting me guest post on your lovely blog today!

Pam: No, thank you Stacey............Love that tutorial and certainly something anyone could tackle. Thanks so much for the time you took in preparing and sharing your vintage playing card tutorial on Mercantile Muse!  I am definitely pinning this great tutorial on pinterest!  (Remember,if you are a pinterest finatic, you can easily pin anything on the Muse via the pinterest link at the bottom of any post).

I encourage you all to stop by Stacey's wonderful shop to see all the goodies she's got in store!

2nd 'Gotta Have It Link' Party & Prints Coming Soon

First, I'd like to say that I was overwhelmed with the response to our link party.  Since so many shop owners stopped by and linked up, I want to give you all a heads up that tomorrow is the start of our second  'Gotta Have It' Shop Link Up Party. Be sure to stop by and add your shop to the party and spread the word!  If you don't have an online shop, no worries. Stop by anyway and do a little window shopping. Browse through the shops that have linked up. I promise, you won't be disappointed-- there is sure to be a wonderful variety of things.  It's just plain fun to look around.

On another note, we are currently waiting on a new printer that will allow us to offer museum/gallery quality archival prints of my illustrations at Bates Mercantile Co. I'm very excited about the new printer given previous feedback from many of you, and our customers, about wanting prints as an option. The printables that we offer just aren't for everyone as they can be a little intimidating for those who are a little less tech-savvy.  We are REALLY excited to be able to offer high-quality, archival glicee prints........just as soon as the new Epson R3000 printer arrives.  Anyone have any paper suggestions? Input always welcome.

Wishing you all a super Tuesday. I've got a long list to take care of including the dreaded bookwork (is there anyone out there who likes it?), as well as putting new items in the shop and printing off and preparing new note card sets to go into the shop. Add that to my 3D business list and my head is spinning!  Feel free to stop by Bates Mercantile Co. later in the day to see what I've accomplished.  What's on your list?

It's a little brisk here today. If you were worried about the dog being cold, don't be. He's staying all warm and cozy, curled up on the couch with his blankie.  It is a dog's life afterall.

Be Our Guest: Transfer to Vintage Tray

Be Our Guest

Hi everyone. I'm really excited because this is the second of our Be Our Guest tutorial posts. I'd like to thank Daena from Bad Rabbit Vintage for putting together this week's tutorial, which I know you're going to love. This technique is too cool! I'm so excited to learn it, now I just have to find the right 'project' to try it on.

First, a little about Daena.  Daena is a fellow etsy shop owner living in Southern Oregon. She is also a graphic designer and artist who has fallen in love with painting furniture. The great thing about Daena's passion for painting furniture is that she has used it as therapy and it has helped her fight a rare and aggressive cancer, and she hopes that she can inspire others as she continues on her journey.

Daena lives a happy, creative life on a small farm with her awesome hubby, a dog, a cat, 3 mini horses and a burro (a burro........can you stand it? too cute! as if the mini horses hadn't already upped the cute factor), plus whatever deer, turkeys, bears or coyotes that wander by.

  

Daena also blogs about all of this furniture painting-as-art-therapy, living with cancer, and shopping. Nix that. And 'junking'.

And now, Daena and her transfer/vintage tray tutorial. This is a must try!

I am so excited to be invited to Mercantile Muse to share a tutorial. This is my first tutorial feature, as well as the first tutorial I've ever done, so bare with me if the photos are a little "beginnerish". 

When I first read about ink jet transfers I was way too excited. I wanted to put a transfer on everything. It's an easy way to get a vintage look on wood, fabric and (so they say) glass. The ink jet-to-glass thing hasn't been a success for me, but I keep trying. For now, let's stick to wood.

PART ONE.  What you'll need: REVERSED print-out from an ink jet printer on transfer film, (laser prints won't work), gel medium, brush (I use sponge brushes), burnishing tool, paint and a surface to transfer onto. I chose a small wooden tray and an old advertising graphic. 

First, I painted the tray to compliment the graphic and let it dry thoroughly.

Don't forget to print your image reversed! For this first example I used transfer film.

Trim your print-out for easier handling.

Spread the medium onto your surface with a light, even touch, as you would spread mayonnaise on bread. Make sure to cover evenly. (Below I'll show you what happens when you have uneven coverage.)

Carefully place your print onto your surface, then burnish firmly with a steady hand, not allowing the image to slide. If you don't have a burnishing tool, the back of a large spoon works, too.

When your image has been burnished onto your surface, carefully peel back a corner of film. If the image is not transferring lay the corner back down and burnish some more. As you can see, not all of my image transferred over. In those spots the medium was either too thick or too thin (this highlights the importance of even application). This is not exact science, this is art. The nature of an ink jet transfer is to look rustic and worn. That is part of the appeal and little hiccups on the transfer are to be expected.

I had a large and very distracting missing area in my transfer. I felt it detracted from, rather than complimented, the design. I decided to paint the missing area back in. I left the smaller spots to add character. It is a vintage ad, after all, but I cleaned up the Louis Vuitton logo since it explains the image.

I added some crackle glaze in the corners and distressed the tray with a bit of sanding.

I used a spray sealer for added protection and the tray was finished! It looks old, weathered and torn. Just as I wanted.

PART TWO: A paper transfer

I forgot to take pictures until I had the image pressed onto my tray. Oops. But the instructions are the same as above, EXCEPT, when you burnish your (reversed) image on to your surface, you leave it to dry overnight. When it is dry you will be able to see a ghost of the image.

Carefully dampen the paper with a sponge, paper towel or your fingers. Then rub carefully in circles until you see balls of wet paper come off and your image gets more clear.

Continue to carefully rub the paper off the transferred ink. Dampen the paper as needed. As the paper dries it will turn white where you haven't removed enough paper. Don't worry about rubbing off part of the image. It's a rustic look we're after.

When you have rubbed off as much paper as you want you can further "distress" your project by adding paint to the image. I used light tan and ivory acrylic paint to create an aged poster look.

When you are satisfied with the image, let it dry overnight. When your project is completely dry I suggest applying at least 3 coats of water-based polyurethane to protect the surface.

When the finish is dry you can sit back and admire your work! Have fun!

Wow! I just think that entire process is so neat. I'm linking this cute video I found on YouTube by chance that shows the second part of Daena's tutorial. This video actually uses a picture printed on laser pictures, so I guess this is a try and see what you get kind of project! It's quick and fun and you can see Daena's tutorial put into action.

Have a super Tuesday. Take time to breathe and be grateful for all the good stuff in your life. I'm thankful for you being here today. 

Be sure to stop by tomorrow, it's the start of our next giveaway! Wahooli! Someone's gonna be a lucky winner.

Peace out

It's an Innaugural Event! Be Our Guest *Garland Tutorial*

Innaugural Be Our Guest Post On The Muse: Meet Kristen

So, you said you wanted to learn something new today? Something you could actually do without feeling like a bumbling idiot with three thumbs? Well, lo and behold, Kristen of By The Book Paper is going to teach you how to make a paper heart garland.  First though, a little bit about our guest poster:

MMuse: What’s the first thing you ever made? And how old where you?

Kristen: I have been making things for as long as I can remember.  I have made my way through all kinds of mediums- crayons, markers, paint, clay, yarn, beads.  You name it, I tried it.  My favorite has been cross stitch, of which I have completed many large patterns.  I haven’t had a lot of time to do any lately, but I’d love to just sit back and relax and sew for awhile.

MMuse: What are you creating now?

Kristen: I currently make all kinds of paper goods for my shop- magnetic and classic bookmarks, note cards, garlands and ornaments, bookplates, and so on-, and I just started to add some fabric items as well to help with a slight fabric addiction that I’m developing.  I’ve got some burp cloths and diaper straps in the shop, and I’ve got a few scarves and other things in the works.

MMuse:What’s the most important thing about ‘creating’ to you?

Kristen: That the end product looks like how I envisioned it and that I’m pleased with how it turned out.  If I’m not pleased with the results, I’m likely to edit, tweak, and sometimes scrap it until I’m happy!

MMuse: What are your favorite materials to work with?

Kristen: Lots of pretty, lovely paper and all the goodies that come with it (punches, stamps, etc.), and fabric. I’ve always been into fabric, but I’ve never really taken the time to learn how to deal with it properly, so I’m trying to work on that now.

MMuse: Where do you live? How long have you lived there? Why do you live there? What’s the best thing about where you live?

Kristen: I live in Connecticut and have lived here all my life in various towns.  We live here because I haven’t lived anywhere else and had a panic attack when my husband (a Texas native) suggested we move to Houston. Right now his job is here, so we’re here for awhile, but I’m becoming more open to the idea of moving out of state if we need to!  The best thing about living here is that we truly have four seasons and they are long enough to enjoy each one of them.  I really love the change of weather and the activities each one brings.  That and I have a lot of family here, so it’s nice to get to see them pretty regularly.

Now, without further ado..............

Be Our Guest: Kristen's Paper Heart Garland Tutorial

Hi everyone (that's Kristen, waving madly to you all)!  Today I'm going to show you how to construct this heart garland, which can be made for any season.  Each garland has five hearts, but you can certainly do more or less depending on the space you have.

Cute, right? (that's me saying that, Kristen isn't that boastful)

For this project you will need:

• Two 1.5 x 12-inch strips, two 1.5 x 8-inch strips, and one 1.5 x 6-inch strip of coordinating quality cardstock or double-sided scrapbook paper*, per heart

• Ribbon at least 1/2-inch wide and 48 inches long

*Double-sided scrapbook paper works best, since both sides of the paper show.  If you use single sided paper, you will need to glue two strips of paper together so each side has a pattern showing (if you use a patterned paper).

• Hole punch, preferably 1/8 inch
• Stapler
• Ruler or measuring tape

To construct hearts:

Starting with the shortest strip, take the two long strips and sandwich the short strip between them with the pattern you want showing facing in and upside-down. If this sounds confusing, bend the top of the long strip down to the bottom of the strip and see what side is showing out.  The pattern you want should be showing and when bent should be right side up.  If it is not, turn the strip so it will look the way you would like.  Do the same with the medium strips, one on either side, so that in your hand you have a stack that goes: medium, long, short, long, medium.

Bend one of the medium strips down so the top of it aligns with the bottom.  Do the same with the long strip next to it.  That should construct one side of the heart. 

Holding those, do the same on the other side, bending both strips so the tops meet the bottom. 

Make sure all of the edges are lined up flush at the bottom and staple about 1/4- inch from the bottom. 

Punch a hole at the top of the short strip about 1/4-inch from the top.

 

Set aside.  Repeat this process for any other hearts you're making.

To assemble the garland:

Decide in what order you want your hearts to hang on the ribbon.  Measure about 6-8 inches from the end of the ribbon.  Tie a knot in the ribbon at that mark.  This knot will hold your first heart in place.  Rolling up the ribbon to fit it through the hole in the heart, slide one heart onto the ribbon and push it all the way to the knot. 

(see the knots on either side of each hole? that's what you're doing so the hearts stay in place once strung as garland)

Tie another knot on the other side of the paper strip as close as you can to the paper strip to secure the heart in place.  This will keep it from sliding around.

Measure 6 inches from the second knot you made in the ribbon.  Tie a third knot at that point.  This knot will hold your second heart in place.  Like the first, slide the heart onto the ribbon and tie a fourth knot to secure the heart in place.  Repeat these steps for each heart, measuring 6 inches between each heart.

Trim the ends of the ribbon so they are equal lengths from the end knots.  This will ensure that the garland hangs more evenly.

(Look how cute this is when using patterned paper....or even coordinating colors for specific holidays or occasions. Again, that's me commenting here, not Kristen)

There you have it!  This is a fun family project that can be completed in a short amount of time.  Have fun playing with different color schemes in different seasons! 

Of course, if you'd rather not have to go out searching for coordinating paper, please come visit my shop: I have a kit all ready to send to you! Click here.

And if you don't even have time to make it, I have one already assembled and ready to mail. Just click here. I'd love to have you stop in and visit.

Kristen

And, I (yup, it's me again..........Pam) would love it if you checked out Kristen's links below, just to say thanks to her for taking the time to share her 'how to make a paper heart garland' tutorial with Mercantile Muse followers.  You guys are the best! Of course, Kristen is pretty high up on my list too.  Thanks Kristen!

Check out Kristen's links:

Kristen's Etsy shop: by the book  

Kristen's blog: life by the book

Kristen on Twitter

Kristen on Pinterest

You'll also find me on Pinterest now too.  If you're looking for me there, this is where you'll find me. 

Mark your calendars. Same time, same place, next week. Daena from BadRabbitVintage will Be Our Guest and will be giving a tutorial on creating a vintage style tray with transfers. Not to be missed!

Now, one more thing. This is when you leave a comment for Kristen (and me) - we both love feedback! Post away.

As always, thanks for being here-