A Beautiful End to National Postcard Week 2012

National Postcard Week, May 6 - 12, 2012, has come to an end and it feels just like the end of any holiday; I have the it's-over-blues.  I finally made it this year!  My first NPCW and it was everything I had hoped for but now it is over. Fortunately since it is all about collecting postcards I have plenty to look at and to treasure, which will help carry me through until next years NPCW.  A beautiful end to a wonderful celebration dedicated to my hobby.

I have already many plans for next years postcards.  As I said in another posting, I have learned a lot this year.  Number 1 will be to print National Postcard Week right on the card along with any other information, this way I don't have to kill my hand writing each and everyone out.  I also will make a couple different ones for next year so that I can send a more out.  I received up to 6 from some of the good people and will love to return the favor next year (but maybe not 6 probably at least 2 or 3.)

I wasn't sure how I was going to store the cards I received because I didn't want to keep them in a box along with the thousands of other cards I have just to get put in a closet.  I wanted some way to display them, but without spending a ton of money on an album.  As I was looking through my closet I spied my favorite day planner.  It was from 2008 and absolutely too sweet to through away so I saved it hoping to give it a new life some day.  It worked perfect for this collection and it looks like I will have enough room in it for next years. 

So, in honor of the many hours that people put into creating and making the cards, organizing the swap and sending the cards out, I have taken pictures of all the cards I received.

I received (and probably will be receive several more) postcards because I am lucky enough to be a part of great postcard collecting club on yahoo.  If you are interested on becoming a member here is the link to the club http://groups.yahoo.com/group/postcard-collectors-club/ and simply apply to become a member. 

I also would like to invite you to my Etsy Team Pacific Postcards (PPT) because some of the members participated  in this year's event.  I am hoping that with a little more planning, we will have a larger group participating in the swap next year.  Thank you very much to those that participated this year, I believe it was quite fun.

If you are interested on becoming a member of the Pacific Postcards Team please go to this link http://www.etsy.com/teams/9158/pacific-postcards-team?ref=pr_teams and click "Apply."

We have just started offering 2 different memberships: one will be for general membership, for those who love postcards and collecting postcards and the other will be for shops with at least 25% of their
items listed are postcards.

The only difference in the memberships is that the latter will be included in shop

interviews, BNRs and postcard related activities. We also plan on having activities for

the general memberships. Hope to see you there soon.

Alas, National Postcard Week 2012 is over so one last time for this banner just for kicks and giggles:

Have a blessed day
Butterfly

In Flight.....Again

So I am sitting in the airport waiting for my flight again....same airport a few days later.  So heres to all in the midst of travel may we all get there safely.

The Butterfly Is Officially Moving Tomorrow

I have the truck loaded, the keys turned in and will be hitting the road tomorrow for the new chapter in my life.  I am absolutely excited about this new adventure but unfortunately I have been a little preoccupied as of late and unable to post a whole lot.  But with the change there are some good business things that have come about and I think that all of us can look forward to.

I have decided to add a little more structure to my blog and offer featured shops, a day dedicated to postcards (my love,) I will continue with Aromatherapy Thursday and offer some other fun regular posts to my readers.  So please bare with me while I get relocated and unpacked because I promise the fun has just begun.

Thanks friends...See you Soon!

Saturday Procrastination & Packing Mayhem

This wonderful vintage book can be found on ETSY shop Bountiful Books at
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BountifulBooks?ref=pr_shop

So I am up early typing instead of packing. I know its called procrastination. I look around and just want to say WTF was I thinking? Is there enough boxes in this world to help me move?

The caption of this wonderful painting is "Once Again" which is so very fitting for how I feel today.
You can find this great painting in ETSY shop Jacques Audet Painter at http://www.etsy.com/shop/audetpainter?ref=seller_info

I can't wait though, I am so extremely excited about returning to the warmth and palms of the California I love. Don't get me wrong, the mountains are BEAUTIFUL, but I am truly, beyond a doubt, a city girl. Even the site of Mayberry or Little House On The Prairie makes me cringe. I...must...have...shopping...malls!!!

This gorgeous print is from ETSY shop Quite Bright at
 http://www.etsy.com/shop/quitebright?ref=seller_info

Plus I must not have a blood preasure or something because I need a jacket even when it is 70 degrees out. So alas I will stop messing around and start putting things in my boxes. Especially since I can hear my husband waking up and if he sees me here I might be in a box!!! LOL

ETSY HAS EVERYTHING!!!! Even a girl in the box, lol.  This great piece of art was found in ETSY Shop King Happy Creation at
http://www.etsy.com/shop/KingHappyCreations?ref=seller_info

He knows I am overwhelmed but for some reason doesn't have any sympathy. He was mumbling something about "Hoarders" last night. So I will see you later.

This very fitting item can be found in ETSY shop J Randall at
http://www.etsy.com/shop/jrandall?ref=seller_info

Crazy Treasury Fun!!!

Hi I am in a lot of treasuries some curated and some are BNR/BNS.  If you haven't joined in the fun of the BNR/BNS you should try some are really fast pace and amazing.  Love them!  So here they all are...

The Curated Ones First







BNR/BNS fun

Saturday's Treasuries

Good Morning Everyone!!!  Here are a selection of treasuries that I have the honor of being featured in.  I am off to Turtle Bay Have a great day!!!


OPEN NO MINIMUM BNR MAGIC 16~



OPEN - BNR - BUY AND STAY /BNE TILL 16 SALES - BIG RAFFLE



Round 3 -OPEN NOW- All Weekend BNR/BNS ~ Friday 13th



OPEN BNR Designs Early Saturday - Sales Today ~ 5



OPEN BNS ~~Team bnr Uprising~~ Sales~7

Hand Giveaways Post and Great Treasuries

Well here we are at Sunday and many of us are winding down the weekend.  I would like to ask everyone to check out the Hand Giveaways Post and click on each item.  For every 50 clicks that people make the participants (myself included) have additional opportunity to have at winning an advertising spot.  Also if you are an Etsian yourself there is still time to add your handmade item to the group.  Lots of fun. 



Here are some of the newest treasuries that I have had the honor of being included in:
It is always fun to see what other shops are doing.  They sell just about everything on ETSY so I have been finding myself ordering more and more of my everyday needs there.  I am especially hooked on the lip balms due to the dry West Coast air.  But I must say their jewelry and bath products are also phenomenal!


This one features my Vintage Amber Goblets...



Features my beautiful Antique Easter Postcard...



These are some of the fun BNR that are currently running.  Please stop by and check them out and look for our special promotions that many of us are offering. My offer is good throughout my shop.


Featuring my sweet little vintage Correle Corningware Creamer with Buttercup pattern



Features my vintage owl honey jar...so cute!

Stitch In Time - Vintage Needlework

http://www.etsy.com/listing/69726651/vintage-needlework-bambi-fawn-thumper?ref=pr_shop

Vintage needlework is such a beautiful treasure to find.  Not only is the item a part of history but it is handmade by someone putting passions and dreams in every stitch.  When I see some of these pieces of art it makes me think of a young woman sitting in an old parlor stitching by lamplight.  She is lost in thought dreaming of what her house will look like when she is married, what clothes she will sew for her children, and how the cushion she is making will look arranged on her own davenport.  Some day she will be married and will have a home of her own; lost in a dream she continues to stitch her future.

This is just like my grandmother's box  I found it in ETSY shop I Found This For You at http://www.etsy.com/shop/Ifoundthis4u?ref=seller_info

I have so many memories that involve this beautiful hobby.  I can remember when I first seen my grandmother's sewing box.  It was so intricately designed and fascinating I wanted to immediately open it.  I was not allowed to go into her sewing box on my own but she would open it up to show me the mysterious contents.  There where so many tools, needles and gadgets that I could hardly keep my little hands out of the beautiful box. 

Vintage collection found in ETSY Shop Tattered Rebel at http://www.etsy.com/shop/TATTEREDREBEL?ref=pr_shop

She told me about what the items were for and how she used them.  I, of course, thought I could immediately start making clothing and doilies just like her.  My mind raced, but she was a good teacher and started me out with a little knitting bobbin that she knew I wouldn't be able to put my eye out with.  I was only 4 years old, at that time, so the wonderful sewing box was put out of reach for a later time in my life.

Knitting Spool (we called it a bobbin) found in ETSY Shop Vintage Polka Dot.Com at http://www.etsy.com/shop/VintagePolkaDotcom?ref=seller_info

My grandmother came from the depression era so she understood the value of saving; reusing and never letting things go to waste.  I was lucky that she had that mindset not only because most of her sewing tools were antiques (which I love) but it also taught me how to be resourceful.  She was an expert seamstress, she crocheted the most beautiful things, and she was always trying the latest needlework techniques.  She didn't need to have the latest gadgets because she was so knowledgeable and could use the things that she had already.  But once in a great while something new would come in the mail and that was quite an event for me.

One of the gadgets my grandmother had that I sooooo wanted to use  Found in ETSY Shop Yonks at http://www.etsy.com/shop/Yonks?ref=seller_info

She taught me how to crochet and showed me all of her lovely pattern books.  She showed me how to needlepoint and use the patterns on her shelf.  And as the years went by when I visited her that sewing box became a bigger part of my life.  When she passed away I was still very young.  I worked so hard to keep learning how to crochet and sew and stitch.  I used her books and patterns until they were missing their covers and tattered.  With every stitch I made and every loop I crocheted it would remind me of her.  All the hours she spent showing me patiently as I became frustrated with my lack of skill would eventually pay off because I never gave up even after she died. 

Found in ETSY shop Once Upon A Gem at
 http://www.etsy.com/people/OnceUponAGem?ref=ls_profile

Because of my memories it makes me wonder about the needlework I acquire.  What thoughts and dreams the crafter had when they were creating the piece.  I don't know of any artist or crafter that isn't a dreamer so when we buy someone’s piece, new or vintage, we are buying a little bit of their dreams with it.

Even while putting these treasuries together I was reminded of my grandmother.  That is why I ended up making one about the tools and patterns.  I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

Please don't for get to vote for me tomorrow on
My Lavender Oatmeal Bath Sachets are featured under Butterfly In The Attic. Your vote will help me win free advertising and you don't have to sign up to vote. Thank you

Childhood Memories

Often as a child I was told not to put too much value on material things.  Although I agree it is not good to put an emphasis on material things over people, what I found was that it wasn't the item so much as the memories attached to the item.  It could have been the plainest thing you ever saw but if it came from my Grandpa, Grandma or my Uncle it was a cherished treasure.  They were special people in my life so even if it was a card, a flower, or the gift wrap I wanted to save it.  I am sure that I am not the only person that feels that way because I found things that my children have saved that surprises me but to them it is a treasure.  So I went on a search for images of items from many generations all the way up to my children's childhood that were a meaningful part of our lives and maybe yours too.  

I am so excited I found this item from Shane's Treasure Chest.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ShanesTreasureChest?ref=seller_info
Now here is a funny image for you: this is exactly like the one I had growing up and I would ride it while I watched Star Trek (the original with William Shatner, who I had a crush on, FYI)  I would ride it as fast as I could trying to get to warp speed.  I'm blushing as I write this but I would do it again if I could!

Found in ETSY Shop Fresh Retro Gallery at  http://www.etsy.com/shop/FreshRetroGallery?ref=seller_info
These are from my childhood too.  They were the real Pix-up Stix not those phony blunted plastic ones.  I never poked my eye out because people made sure I didn't run around with them.  I miss the wood ones.

Found on ETSY Shop Abe's Basement at
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AbesBasement?ref=seller_info
One from my husband's favorites.  He loves the Green Hornet (the original with Jackie Chan.)

Found at ETSY Shop Retro Reaction  
http://www.etsy.com/shop/RetroReaction?ref=seller_info
I had this exact game.  I remember being really unsure about the images on one hand they were intriguing on the other hand the heads bothered me.  My daughter loved to play Old Maid too.  But she always wanted to be the Old Maid and would cheat to get it; giggling the entire time she was doing it.  She wasn't very good at being sneaky.

Found on ETSY Shop Old School Productions at http://www.etsy.com/shop/OldSkoolProductions?ref=pr_shop_more
Wow!!! Another great find.  I so wanted this set growing up...I loved Star Wars.

Found on ETSY Shop Bargain Mom Of 3 at
 http://www.etsy.com/shop/bargainmomof3?ref=seller_info
My daughter loved Strawberry Shortcake but she fell right in between the time when they first came out and when they started making the reproductions.  So I would search every garage sale I could for these sweet smelling little babies.  They really made them well because they usually still smelled like strawberry.

Found on ETSY Store Happy 2 See U at
http://www.etsy.com/shop/happy2seeu?ref=seller_info
OK one more from my childhood.  When I found this I had to add it.  I was older when the new technology of Scratch n' Sniff stickers came out but wow did I love them.  They were so cool and "so out of this world!"

From ETSY Shop Sew Busy B at http://www.etsy.com/shop/sewbuzyb?ref=seller_info
My son was torn between the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Biker Mice From Mars.  Eventually the Mutants won.

Once again there were too many wonderful items to include in this post so I created a couple treasuries with more.  I found so many things that I can remember one of us playing with or talking about. 

If I were a kid again...


Childhood Memories...From a Mother's View


Please don't forget to vote for me on I am #19 with the sweet Lavender Bath Salts.  Thanks

Tooting My Own Horn This Friday

Good Friday Morning.  In honor of surviving a really long week I decided to be a little self centered and show off some of my favorite postcards from my store Postcards In The Attic.  I created a treasury featuring all of the illuminated night scene postcards that I have.  They vary quite a bit from age some from the early 1900's and one as young as the 70's or 80's.  They also vary in what kind they are some are Litho, some are Linen, and the youngest of the group is the traditional kind that we see today.  I do think they are lovely and they really make me feel like traveling even at this age.  I hope you enjoy.  Happy Friday Everyone!!!

I...L O V E...Love BUTTONS

I have always loved buttons.  When I talk about the wonderful time I had as a child looking through my Grandmother's can of buttons, some else will share their fond memories of buttons too.  It is funny how something that small can be so precious to so many different people.  I believe that these loved-ones giving this simple gift of time and sharing has sparked many enthusiasts to create or collect buttons. 

You can find hundreds of wonderful buttons throughout the internet.  One of my favorite sites is: http://www.vintagebuttons.net/ccsbtns.html   Not only does she have a large selection of vintage buttons to choose from she is a wealth of information for the novice button collector.

I have found several magnificent artists on ETSY that will fashion buttons from unusual materials or create beautiful shapes and designs.  I have featured several of them in my treasuries below but there are far too many to include everyone.  There are also several shops that feature vintage buttons including my own The Butterfly's Buttons at http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheButterflysButtons?ref=pr_shop   I love collecting buttons and becoming a source for others has been great fun and a good learning experience for me.

Many crafters have found unique and beautiful ways of utilizing vintage buttons by creating jewelry, collars, decorations and much more.  I am so impressed with their creativeness and I would like to share some of my favorite pieces.   But before I do I must share a really neat idea that my husband found in a magazine (I don't know which one it came from, sorry.)  Someone has used buttons to keep from losing their stud earrings.  The simply find a button the right size about 1/2 inch and they thread each earring through the holes putting the backs on to secure them.  They place them in the same jewelry box but this way they can easily see and find the matching set.  I love this idea it is so functional yet so creative.


How Cute is this?





Found at ETSY shop Alterity http://www.etsy.com/shop/Alterity?ref=seller_info



Found at ETSY Shop Leslie Janson at http://www.etsy.com/shop/lesliejanson?ref=seller_info



Found at ETSY Shop J B Ebert at http://www.etsy.com/shop/jbEbert?ref=seller_info



Found at ETSY Shop Motley Couture at http://www.etsy.com/shop/Motleycouture?ref=seller_info
They are having a sale today!



Found at ETSY Shop Altered Ephemera at http://www.etsy.com/shop/TracyReehal?ref=seller_info

 Sunday's Treasuries




Buttons From Heaven



Oh How Shapely You Are...



A Little Bit of This



Beautiful Beautiful Buttons



And last but not least please don't forget to vote for my lovely purple lavender sachets. I am #5 under Butterfly In The Attic. To vote go to:
http://byhandgiveaways.blogspot.com/search/label/saturday
 I appreciate your support