I came across this lovely lady's blog
via Instagram, I think, while searching tags. Nancy at
Domesticraft had these wonderful pictures- lovely, complete vignettes, a perfect set-up of vintage-ish items, supplies, and crafted items, with this burst of red detail that drew my attention every time.
She achieves this perfect balance and has a knack for adding graphics.
And then I scroll around, visit her blog, and find out she has a gorgeous studio filled with supplies and not only offering table time for crafters of all kinds, she also teaches classes! Her blog is just filled with great photos and huge energy. You can't read it and not love her. Seriously. And she was relatively LOCAL to me. Not half across the world. AND better yet, her classes were more than reasonably priced. I thought -wow, maybe I can make this happen!
I was hoping to take a class in September -
But change happens. And dear Nancy and her husband decided to downsize and move to a tiny Portland apartment. Which meant her Huge Studio at
Domesticraft had to be downsized.
Which meant I had to see this dream space before it was dismantled, and maybe buy a couple of things for my own dream space.
So-Road Trip!
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| It was a 90 degree day and my car air-conditioning wasn't working so I had to stop... |
Now you have to understand. I love vintage-ish, kitsch, and antiques. I love the inexpensive stuff, the forgotten bobbles, the papers, the buttons, the things that someone, somewhere loved. I adore anything that looks like it is holding a story. I try not to buy a lot of it, because, frankly, I have enough that was passed down to me by my grandparents, but I still love it. I've had many, many dreams where I get to shop through estate sales at old Victorian homes where the 93 year old owner, who has saved everything from her parents and from her life, has passed quietly in her sleep and now everything there is so reasonably priced I can buy whatever I want.
Beautifully, wonderfully arranged
Domesticraft is even much better than a dream. Nancy told me she spent 9 weeks setting it up, and you can feel the love, the burst of creativity as you walk in the door. Every detail was put together as a little photo. And there were lots of details everywhere. Vintage suitcases, vintage jewelry boxes, vintage buttons in old greenish mason jars with weathered lids, bottles of flowers, stacks of papers, fabric stacks, racks of lace, vintage typewriters and sewing machines, scrapbook tools, and thread spools, odds, ends, ephemera, and elements, just a crafter's dream.
She gave me paper shopping bags and said go for it. And wow. I said I was overwhelmed, because it was truly like one of my dreams. What did she mean go for it? Really, I could just pick something?
Her studio is located in the basement of a ranch style home. It looks like a typical 60's ranch style home, but then you see this huge space! Nancy told me it used to be a bowling alley. There is a nice little pool in the back of the house, but a bowling alley! Who does that? The space has since been remolded (obviously) and filled with crafty goodness you can not tell at all what it once once, except by how long it is!
I filled my paper bags plus I got two tables and a desk. I really wasn't sure what I could get in the van...but people. Nancy is very good at playing Tetris.
ZIP, ZAP, ZOOP, she made it fit.
I made the kids help me unload the car- those kids move fast, I only got a shot of two of them.
I'm not nearly as handy at arranging as Nancy- and this photo was taken one morning while I was lying in bed and thinking about what next to do - but you can see the tall work table that I now have thanks to Nancy! ( I thought she gave me more than a good deal, I rather think she was a good deal generous.)
I got so much I had to make two trips!
My second trip was even better. I spent more time getting to know Nancy and my reward was a little sewing lesson. I can't sew (yet) I have an old machine but it keeps breaking needles and I don't know what to do with it! But Nancy sat me down and just showed me what to do. I can tell she has a "Quit talking and start doing," attitude that has gotten her far in life. She makes these little Project life pockets with sewing and details that are so cute. She really has an eye for cute.
She says, "Cute doesn't need a reason."
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Just cute! One of her arrangements.
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| One thing I didn't do was get a picture of her smile. How could I have missed that? |
It took her about ten fifteen minutes to make this...maybe longer but I don't think so. First she sewed the crape paper and let me practice, then the bottom layers of the card, then added the Fresh Good's. We thought it needed something so we added the flower.
She is a natural teacher. See how she sewed around the flower. "It doesn't have to be perfect!" She said, and I agree. I think it is so adorable. Really. It's paper and sewing, and look at those tiny stitches. I have to admit to squealing a bit at the sweetness of it all. Poor Nancy, she's not use to how "boisterous" I can be.
Nancy wants to get this move done with so that she can get back to crafting.
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| Some of her stuff, envelopes, papers, tickets. I don't need any of it, but I really want all of it, plus the shelf too. And I quite like how it is all arranged. |
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| Another vingette. These little collections were everywhere and each has a story to tell. |
Her daughter is selling a ton of stuff too, clothing, books, a lot of games, tables of games actually, and one that Nancy thought I might want.
Oh yes. You know I brought it home with me.
I may have been blogging for years, but this incredible lady has so much to teach me and we are going to have some lovely fun times ahead.
Have you ever made a friend over a garage or estate sale? Are you still friends? Let me know in the comments. I would love to hear your stories.
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