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!

amazing decoupage workshop today!

What a great decoupage workshop today!  19 girls, two houseparents, 60 frames ready for decoupaging, vintage fabric and buttons, decoupage paper, reclaimed maps, magazines and books, Scrabble tiles and ribbon.  What more could you ask for on a snowy Sunday in February?

Email us to plan a private decoupage party for a baby or bridal shower, a birthday party, or just for a fun night or afternoon out!  We can decoupage anything that doesn't move...

Check out these amazing frames that the girls made today!

love the way the flower flows off the edge and also into the frame area

the goods

vintage sheet music and fabric

Scrabble tiles!

buttons!

decoupage party

Reclaimed Crafts is so excited to head to the Bement School this Sunday for a decoupage workshop; what a creative and fun way for 20 friends to spend a snowy afternoon!  We'll be decoupaging frames using vintage maps, recycled books, postcards, magazines, wallpaper, buttons and Scrabble tiles.  

This is such a creative and simple project, and with all of the materials we have collected, it's easy to personalize the frame for the people in it and whatever the picture portrays:

This is a picture of Gus driving Pop Pop's boat (don't tell the Coast Guard).  The frame is decoupaged with a nautical map that I scored at Goodwill that - wait for it - included the area where Pop Pop drives his boat.  How cool is that?

The summer theme was inspired by our recent trip to Barbados.  I actually freehand sketched the bucket and shovel (I was channeling Ed Emberly).

Here's a close-up of the location of this picture stamped onto a variety of colorful decoupage paper, and a stack of summery vintage buttons for a little 3D action!

This was a holiday present for my husband.  The frame is decoupaged with a local map that is layered with all sorts of other personal references as well as some birds, Gus' current obsession. 

I love the punch of color the birds supply, and the way the cardinal's head peeks up and over the frame and into the picture area.  I've also stamped the date of the picture onto some paper salvaged from an old calendar.

This would also be a great project for a baby shower (what new parents don't need tons of frames to show of the 10 billion pictures they've taken of their gorgeous babe?) or for a bridal shower (the frames could be used as favors or to display table numbers at the wedding).  Showers are always more fun with crafting, and the projects are such amazing memories and keepsakes of a special day.  Let us help you organize a craft day for a special occasion! 

Stay tuned for pics of all of the beautiful frames we craft on Sunday!