More Sweet...

 Well everyone, it's that time of the month again! The Sweet Salvage sale is here this weekend! Because of their HUGE success they have had to move to a new location and this one is bigger and better than ever!!! It's just south of the old location on the opposite side of the street and now it has air conditioning and more parking ! Yea!!!!!!

 As always, it's a feast for the eyes...

 Worn and weathered beauty abounds!!!

 Love these corbels!!!

  There are things piled from floor to ceiling and all of it is yummy.

 Can you say romantic?????

 As always, they have an excellent supply of great vintage suitcases.

 This chair was so cute.

I think this bike would be fabulous in my garden. Can someone please call my husband and tell him to swing by and pick this up for me???? ;)

 Sigh........

 They have some of the most wonderful chairs... 

I mean really, how cute are these???

Yumm.

 For those of you who, like me, think empty picture frames are works of art... there are plenty to choose from.

Are you jealous that everyone else is able to get there hands on copies of  Jeanne d Arc Living??? Be jealous no more!!! You can now find them here.

 I think this industrial cart is so cool. I can see it in kitchen, in studio, or even outside on a porch.

They truly have an eye for all things rusty, crusty and beautiful. I can't wait to see what they do next month!!

Now I have to find a place for my new acquisitions... when I do,  I'll show them to you. :)

Another Technique for Distressing Old Books.

Last week a few of my girlfriends and I got together to play and learn a great technique for distressing old books. It's a fun variation on the cover-less books that are all over in our decor these days.

My friend Denise was kind enough to let me share it with all of you. Trust me... it's really easy!

First remove the cover of any old book you pick up at Goodwill or a garage sale. Then carefully tear the book apart into 1/4' - 1/2" sections.

Next mix up a batch of  strong instant coffee and dip the 3 unbound edges into the coffee mixture. (Sorry, I forgot to shoot a photo of this step.)

Lay all your sections outside on a towel  to dry in the sun. I tried leaving one book whole, and it didn't work as well as tearing the sections apart, so take my advise and don't do it that way.

If you want to... re-dip some of the sections to make them a little darker than the others.

Once all the sections are dry put them together and tie  twine around them like you are wrapping a  package.

You can't make a mistake with this project, but some books do wrinkle better than others. If you have a book that isnt soaking up the stain the way you want it to, you can try sanding the edges with sandpaper while it's dry, or maybe try it while its a little damp too.

I love the finished effect. I have bundles of them all over now!

See.. I told you it was easy!!! 

Lace Journal Class here at My (real) Desert Cottage

Happy Sunday my friends!!! Remember this lace journal made from a composition book that I taught at Paper Cowgirls this year?? Well, I decided to offer this class here at my house for all my Arizona friends whom couldn't make it out to Texas. I taught a class here two Christmas's ago where everyone made a paper clay snowman and we had a wonderful time!  Well I want to do it again! There are so many awesome Az gals that I have met already, and many that I have yet to meet, so hopefully now is the time!

The class will be held on May 26th at 10 am. It will probably take about 4 hours and I will serve lunch. The cost for the class will be $50.00 and I will supply everything but your basic tools.

We will be playing with lace, yummy seam binding, buttons, vintage images, and paper.

Students will need to bring:

Scissors, pencil, emery board or sanding block, glue sticks (I like Scotch wrinkle free glue sticks), 1" brush for apply glue, you can also bring additional bits of old lace, buttons, trims, and your favorite 5"x5" image if you prefer to use something in particular  on your project. 

If you would like to come and play, drop me an email and let me know. I would love to have you!!!