The T-Cozy

Happy Leap Day!

An extra day — a welcome gift of time every four years. 

Have you ever played Leapfrog? I certainly remember playing it. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about this simple game:

Leapfrog is a children's game in which players vault over each other's stooped backs. Games of this sort have been called by this name since at least the late sixteenth century. They also played this in colonial America. The first participant rests hands on knees and bends over, which is called "giving a back". The next player places hands on the first's back and leaps over by straddling legs wide apart on each side. On landing he stoops down and a third leaps over the first and second, and the fourth over all others successively. When all the players are stooping, the last in the line begins leaping over all the others in turn. 

I like how this game is gadget free, low-tech and that each player is of equal importance. Do kids still play this today? I hope so, as it would be a good lesson in teamwork. To me, leapfrog's "giving a back" can represent the support we offer our friends, colleagues and family.

Wishing you a playful and productive leap day.

Susan

Photos by Fox Photos/Getty Images. 

What $72,000 Will Get You on eBay

Last week, I sold two vintage toy sewing machines on Etsy. These relics were manufactured after right WWII in Berlin Germany's US-Zone. The pink and blue ones went bye-bye; the red one on the right is my "keeper."

These old toys are fun to display in a craft room, studio, or little girl's room. And they are getting harder and harder to find. Luckily, I found another red one just this past weekend while browsing around an architectural salvage warehouse in Bridgeport, CT. In rough shape, it still displays nicely and will be making an appearance in my Etsy shop soon.

Just for fun, I took a quick peek on eBay to see if I could locate any more of these toys. To my surprise, I came across a most unusual listing.

The Calico Cupboard of Mountain View, Missouri is selling the world's only public toy and miniature sewing machine museum collection consisting of over 350 machines spanning 100 years.

The eBay listing states that these machines are in good to mint condition and many still have their original carrying cases or boxes. The wide variety of brands and models include Singer, Pfaff, SewHandy, Betsy Ross, Muller, Casige, Baby, Sears, JCPenny, Kraemer, New England Style, Vulcan, Signature, Sew-ette, and Crystal. There are also several imported models from Great Britain, Germany, Russia, China, Japan, and other countries.

Wow! Pretty impressive. But what I found most astonishing is the listing's price... a whopping $72,000! That comes to around $200 per machine. Isn't that crazy? Did they add an extra zero by accident? And, will anyone purchase this comprehensive array of toy sewing machines for that price? 

This most impressive collection appeals to an admirer of vintage toys like myself. However, I think $72,000 could be put to better use — such as for a college fund, or a couple of cars, or even a down payment on a house! If you had an extra $72,000 lying around, what would you use it for?

Susan

When the Food Network Stopped By

For your viewing pleasure, here is a video of when my tea room made its television debut.

 
Yikes! I cringe when I watch this. Filmed seven years ago, back then, my hair was five inches shorter and I was ten pounds heavier. Plus, they mispelled my last name and my comments in the segment were downright inane. Even so, I'll never forget how truly thrilled Cathy and I were when the Food Network called with their offer to feature T-Party on Roker on the Road. 

To prepare for our debut, we scrubbed the kitchen until it gleamed, swept away every cobweb, and dusted each nook and cranny; not an easy task as antique shops are notoriously dusty. We were ready — and also a bit nervous.

At 9 a.m. on a sunny Monday in May 2005, a Food Network producer, camera man and sound man arrived to film our segment. But — no Al Roker! We were told that he only went to about one out of every four locations filmed for each show. However, the production team was first rate, making us feel relaxed and comfortable right from the start. They were very thorough and began the day with shots of Cathy making scones and tea sandwiches. Then came interviews of both of us. At midday, we assembled tea trays to welcome a full tea room for filming. And by 3 p.m., we were on to two hours of close-ups of food and loose leaf tea. Nine hours later, we were done. The result: six hours of tape shot for a five minute segment. That was a very long day.

How nice to get a glimpse of my former tea room. It was such a fun place. And doesn't Cathy's food look amazing? It tasted even better.

Susan

Finding Your Happy Place

"Everyone should have a little space that is all their own. A quiet place to reflect on life, create, or simply take a deep cleansing breath at the end of a busy day. For me, it is a home within our home." This quote, taken from my web site's Studio Tour page, sums up why I believe it is so important to have a place in your home that is all yours.

Do you want a space of your own but don't have room for one? Don't fret. Just as I wrote about in my Studios Magazine article about turning a cabinet into a tidy 12-square-foot studio, you don't always have to devote an entire room to your creative endeavours. A corner of a bedroom, family room, or even a walk-in closet will do. Set up a simple work table or desk, place shelves filled with storage baskets on the wall, and you'll be well on your way to carving out a place that is just for you.

When it comes to shopping for studio storage, you'll never find me in the office storage aisle at Staples. What is the point of buying newly-made plastic or wire items when there are so many interesting old things out there that can be easily re-purposed? Instead, I can be found at the local thrift store or neighborhood tag sale searching for inexpensive planters to hold the mail, flower pots to corral markers, or picnic tins to store supplies. I surround myself with whimsical, wacky, wonderful things that inspire me and make me smile. These items are chock full of vintage charm and extra-good karma. 

However, my favorite thing about my studio can't be found at a flea market. It is the painted floor. A few years ago, when it was time to pull up the wall-to-wall carpeting, I had a dilemma. The upper portion of the room, which used to be a small den, had hardwood floors. The newer portion of the room, which is one step down, had simple plywood under the carpet. I didn't want more carpeting or the added expense of installing hardwood. I realized that this was my chance to get the checkerboard floor I had always wanted.

I got out my yardstick and measured out 16-inch diagonal squares on the bare plywood. Then I had Carlos, my talented house painter, work his magic. I selected an aqua and a warm gray paint that are similar in tone. I didn't use colors with a lot of contrast because the space is small and I wanted the pattern to be subtle. 

Most of all, my studio is my own personal think tank. I can work on projects and keep them set up for days without them getting in my family's way. To make the room even more inviting, I often have music playing, light a candle or two, and brew a cup of green tea to sip as I work. 

As you've heard me say many a time, "my studio is the one place in our home that is mine, all mine. Spending time here makes me happy each and every day." I hope my series of studio posts have inspired you to find that happy, just-for-you place in your home.

Susan

Let's Hear It for the Ladies

Without even realizing it, I have amassed a collection of "ladies" in my studio. Today, my tour continues with a peek at my gal pals.

A mini Minnie stands watch over my tea cabinet. We used to sell these figurines at my tea room. She's not vintage, but is fashioned after Disney's original Minnie Mouse. This one was our display model and she got handled by so many kids that eventually, her skirt fell off. Needless to say, she never sold, so I brought her home, sewed her skirt back on, and added the tiny red spoon in her hand.

Vintage lady-themed planters call to me, like sirens at sea. I can't help myself. My wallet flies open and they come home with me.

At the top of my shelves stocked with picnic tins is one with a nursery rhyme theme. It is very collectible and can be hard to find. The gal on its lid is Mistress Mary. It appears that I have a sub-theme in my studio of girls holding watering cans.

This flour sifter has an image of a 1950s mom baking pies with her two kids in the kitchen. Made by Androck, it's beyond kitschy and is highly collectible.

More watering cans. I have two of these charming wooden girls flanking the opening to the lower half of my studio. 

My kids think this lady mannequin head is creepy. I think she's divine, but others think she's disturbing, too. A number of years ago, when I photographed my shop for Romantic Homes magazine, she was in one of the pictures. They asked me to reshoot it without her. That really hurt her feelings.

Another lady planter. These are the perfect receptacles for my vintage button bouquets.

Two canisters, embellished with decals of a lady tending to her potted plants, sit on an antique child's dresser that stores my rubber stamp collection. I was so fortunate to be able to purchase this piece. One day, it literally walked in the door of my tea room, in the arms of the nicest woman who was downsizing. Lucky me!

My 1930s valentine of a girl with a watering can sits beside a tin toy plate of, what else — a girl with a watering can. (I'm starting to sound like a broken record.)

And lastly, next to the girls with watering cans is . . . a watering can! It has a girl on it, too. Let's hear it for the ladies!

Susan

An Oasis of Wonderful in a World of Wacky

The title of this post was coined over four years ago by Cathy Santarsiero, one of my loyal patrons. Cathy was referring to my former tea room, a happy place where you walked in the door and left the cares of the day behind. Whenever I hear from my shop's patrons, they tell me how much they miss my tea room, especially on a breezy day like to today, when there is nothing better then sitting in a cozy spot across from a good friend, sipping warm tea, and munching on tiny treats.

I, too, miss my shop. But more than that, I miss seeing my favorite customers on a daily basis. Luckily, I still hear from many of them. In fact, one of them is stopping by my studio today to pick up a large order of loose leaf tea. 

These days, my "oasis" has become my home studio. It is the one place in our home that is all mine, and I love how I can do whatever I want it with it. But when we moved into our house over 20 years ago, my studio didn't even exist. In fact, we had difficulty even finding a house to buy that had space for a home office. Back in the late 1980s, working at home was not as popular as it is today. However, I had already started a home-based freelance graphic design business so that I could be near the children we were planning to have.

In our home search, all of the houses we looked at didn't have a dedicated space for working at home. I would have had to convert an upstairs bedroom, work in a dank basement, or add a costly addition to have the space required to run my business. What I really wanted was a room on the main floor with a separate entrance to allow for the easy flow of clients and suppliers that would need to stop by. That was a tall order, and John and I searched for a house for over two years.

By the time we bought our current home in late 1990, Hannah was seven months old and we were bursting at the seams. My first house in Rowayton was a tiny 1920s cottage, too small to accommodate a new baby, a home office and a sitter who watched Hannah for a few days a week. Fortunately, our new house had over three times the square footage of our old one and it had lots of potential. But it still required some tweaking to create the studio of my dreams.

The house had a small den that was attached to a screened-in back porch, so our idea was to combine part of the porch with the den. A friend/architect drew up the plans and once they were complete, we hired a contractor. Very soon after, he gave us the bad news that the existing screen porch was not stable. So what we thought was a simple project, turned into building an addition after all. The porch came down, and in its place we constructed an airy space with a vaulted ceiling off the existing den, along with a small screened porch off the kitchen. 

I was so excited about getting a custom built office for my growing design business. I remember standing in the space when it was nothing but rough framing and thinking about how I would decorate this special place. 

Over the years, my studio's decor has changed. At first, it had a round conference table, a huge photocopier, and two wooden flat files to store large mechanical boards for my clients. Before long, everything I designed was done on my Mac, so the flat files were no longer needed. Then, with the advent of email, I rarely needed to see my suppliers and clients face to face, so the conference table was out the door. And finally, two years after I opened my shop and tea room, I decided to leave my 24-year graphic design career behind for something new. For a while, my studio sat idle. But now it has come back to life.

I am back spending every day in this space and I truly love it. Filled with all of my favorite things, everywhere I look, I find inspiration. As I share more of my "oasis of wonderful" with you over the next week, I hope you will find some inspiration, too.

Susan

My Sweet Studio

Earlier this week, I finally updated the Studio Tour on my website!

Here's what the page looks like now. However, to see the full effect, you'll need to click HERE to be redirected to the actual page. Be sure to give it a moment to load so that you can view the photos that are in a slide show format.

With my wonderful new camera, I took over 200 pictures of every nook and cranny of my studio. Then I had the difficult task of sorting through them all to pare them down to just 23 photos; 14 large ones that cycle through at the top, and 9 detail shots below that remain stationary. I selected my favorite ones, especially those that give a sense of the entire space.

What will I do with all of the photos that can't fit on that page? I'll share them with you and perhaps provide a bit of decorating and collecting inspiration. So the tour will continue! Please stay tuned for more posts about my sweet studio.

Susan

Happy Valentine's Day!

I love this 1930s Valentine of a demure girl tending to a garden where red hearts grow instead of flowers. It has a tiny metal rivet allowing her little sprinkling can to move up and down. This card is so sweet that I keep it propped up on my windowsill all year long. 

I'm looking forward to dinner out with John tonight. Are you doing anything special for Valentine's Day?

Enjoy! 

Susan

Studio Tour Revamp

With brilliant sunshine and great light today, I am devoting myself to a task that is long overdue: photographing my studio in order to update that page on my website.

My studio is always changing and it has been a couple of years since I've photographed the entire space. So if all goes well, I plan to have new photos up on my Studio Tour page by early next week. I hope you'll stop by and have a look.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Susan

Time Travel

I have all sorts of new vintage discoveries that will be making their debut in my Etsy shop this month. Here is a peek at three with a travel theme.

This past weekend, we drove Jacob back to school. I discovered this fabulous Tartan plaid train case in a shop near his college. When I opened the case, I found this badge pinned to the inside.

Before emoticons were all the rage, in the early 1970s, folks wore these smiley face buttons. This iconic graphic also appeared on coffee mugs, bumper stickers and t-shirts, with the accompanying mantra . . .

Have a nice day!  ;)

Susan

Literary Origami: The Folded Book

Time for a super easy project!

While browsing around Etsy, I've discovered many creative sellers who alter and recycle books. Some use their covers and repurpose them into spiral bound journals. Others transform the interior pages and fold them into cutting-edge art. I decided to give the latter a try.

I started with a small vintage book that had seen better days. On a flat surface, I opened it to its first spread and folded each of the four corners diagonally in toward the center (above left). Next, I took the following three pages and folded them in half, all together, toward the center (above right).

Alternating between these two steps, I kept going until I had folded all of the pages in the book.

All done! Doesn't it look like a paper lantern? Pretty cool! This altered book can lay flat, stand upright on its own, or be hung on the wall using a metal plate hanger. 

Here's a variation on a theme. I opened up to the first spread with the folded corners, and unfolded the upper right and lower left folds so that they would stick out. 

I did this to every diagonally folded spread, leaving the three-page sections alone.

When complete, this version's pages have a sculptural twist.

So simple! And there are so many folding possibilities. To see inspiring examples from Etsy sellers that are much more complex than my first attempt, click here.

How fun to take a book that was ready for the discard pile and transform it into literary origami. Give it a try!

Susan

Morning Sky

On Monday, I shared a few lovely sunrises from my morning walk. But the very next day after writing that post, I witnessed one that topped them all. Mother Nature reached into her bag of tricks and came up with this . . . 

Breathtaking! The sky was covered with rows of rippled clouds creating a most spectacular effect. Isn't it amazing?

It's 6:30 a.m. and I'm heading out the door to walk once again. We'll see what the morning sky has in store for me today.

Susan

Really Rosy

It's February, and before you know it, Valentine's Day will be here. A dozen roses are often the gift of choice on that holiday. But who says they have to be in the form of flowers? Here are a dozen rosy items, both past and present, from my Etsy shop.  

Unlike expensive bouquets, these rose embellished relics won't wilt. And they're much more afforable, too!

Susan