let's Twist again!

We were very sad to not be able to be at Twist next month, as Laurie (literally) has her hands full with newborn twins Amelia and Elliott, and Jen has her annual Pride brunch to attend to.  

Then...we were so excited to be invited to put a Reclaimed Crafts treat in the famous Twist goodie bag!  Last Twist, we did clothespin magnets:

Still love.  But we needed something new, and something that also showed off our amazing stash of reclaimed, recycled and salvaged goodies.  The idea of bookmarks started to take shape...

We love the bookmarks because they are useful (the first requirement of a Reclaimed Crafts project), and they are made almost entirely from reclaimed items:  mat board from the free box at Eastmont Custom Framing (thanks!); reclaimed gas station maps; layers of garage sale buttons; and all of our fabulous old books.  Finish it off with simple twine and a rubber-stamped message, and you have yourself a Reclaimed Crafts bookmark.

In addition to a useful bookmark, you will also be treated to advice from the Power of Personality Manual, circa 1920 ("Be enthusiastic, interested, vivacious.  Personality literally bubbles over in the atmosphere surrounding the man who is bent upon making himself liked."); recipes from La Belle Chocolatiere and Favorite Recipes of New England; and grammar advice from Building Good Sentences, a War Department Education Manual, circa 1944.

Check them out, then make sure you get to Twist early enough to grab one of those goodie bags!

if Reese Witherspoon lived in Northampton, we would so be friends with her

Imagine my glee when I read in People Magazine (the go to source for reliable celebrity news, thankyouverymuch) that Reese Witherspoon is a huge fan of Reclaimed Crafts.  She must be.  She had a "rustic farm-style wedding" complete with a wood plank dance floor, reclaimed wood chandeliers, mismatched antique chairs, mason jars filled with flowers, and burlap bags filled with locally-made honey as favors.  How awesome is that?  If only she had found us, we could have helped her and her celebri-buddies create these stunning candlestick holders crafted from salvaged balusters and reclaimed barn posts:

these little guys are new - aren't they adorable?  

love the white wax that Liz from sticks & bricks suggested using

best baby shower crafting project ever

Seriously.  This is the coolest, most do-able baby shower craft project ever.  Imagine going to a baby shower, and instead of watching an exhausted pregger woman open 10 billion baby presents (say it, all together, "Oh, how cute, how tiny!"), actually being creative and producing fabulous, useful presents for the bambinos-to-be. 

Laurie, who is now the mom of two amazingly beautiful babies, Amelia and Elliott, received 12 onesies, in ascending size, with the numbers 1-12 sewn on them.  What a useful, fantastic way to take those monthly pictures so you can remember what babe looked like each of those amazing first 12 months (let's face it, you aren't going to remember if you don't take pictures, you can't even remember what you ate for breakfast 3 hours ago once you have kids).

Check the onesies out in "action":

hello, Amelia!

hello, Elliott!

Check out all 12 at this great blog.

We'd love to help you put this great project together at the next baby shower you organize.  We have the most amazing stash of vintage fabrics from the 50's, 60's and 70's for a retro babe, or pick your own fabrics!