Introducing Modest Ambition Vintage and Supplies

After the Supplies Me! Art + Craft Supply Sale I was inspired to open a second Etsy shop just for supplies and vintage. I've toyed with the idea of opening a vintage shop for awhile, but just hadn't gotten around to it. Now, I've finally done it. Modest Ambition Vintage & Supplies or modestambitionvands will focus on supplies, both handmade and commercially available that I use already, and vintage, mostly paper goods. I'll be adding to the shop regularly as I build the inventory - I have plenty here, I just have to find the time to put it up.

I opened my original shop in 2007 and let me just say, Etsy has really changed since then! It is so much easier to open and run a shop now. I'm glad they are putting the work in to make it better.

By a Thread

My friend Stephanie gave me a box of thread for crochet and tatting.  I made this piece from some of the thread for her birthday. The fabric looks like needlepoint canvas but it is actually an upholstery fabric sample. I crocheted all of the components for the collage except for a small string of tatting that is folded up inside of the red pod. My grandmother made that. I had fun playing with the fibers, choosing different weights and hooks for different effects. I actually enjoyed using my tiniest steel hook to create the crenelated shape at the bottom corner, working two stitches into every stitch on every round to create a hyperbolic pseudosphere. I hope to try my hand at this sort of project again soon.

DIY Brooch Kit

I've started making brooch kits for sale at Oil & Cotton in Oak Cliff, Dallas. Here are two examples. There are 9 different crocheted parts plus one fabric yo-yo. I've made sure that there are numerous ways to put kit together so the design is really up to you. Each kit comes with two pin backs and two pony-tail holders. Why two ponytail holders on a brooch kit? Because I don't like waste! I've included enough parts for four items, but since you're only making 2 brooches, what to do with the rest of it?

The kit also comes with matching thread and two felt squares for backing the brooches. Finally, four buttons are included. Again, this is to give you lots of choices so you can make the best most awesome custom item just for you. The buttons are from my vintage stash and picked out just for the color combination included in the kit.

The packaging is completely recycled from other purchases of mine -- clean and new when I got it, lovingly repurposed for you. Baby stuff comes in lots and lots of plastic so I have a sea of it. The kit also includes step-by-step instructions for making your brooches. 

Altogether you have a kit with endless possibilities, handcrafted and selected for you. What do you want to make with it? The kit retails for $20 and is currently only available at Oil & Cotton. It makes a great gift for a crafty friend or buy it and make one for you and one to give away.