Antique Find and a Mystery for all you Crochet Friends

I just made the most wonderful antique find that had my name written all over it... literally! My husband and I were looking through an antique shop and I saw one of those sewing boxes on a stand. Being nosy, I opened it up and it was as if I had opened a time capsule! The entire box (which miraculously still had one tray left) was full of antique and vintage crochet hooks, knitting needles, threads, and embroidery floss. I fell in love of course and took it home. (Did I mention it was only $39 on sale??)

Then I saw the labels on the cotton threads... it was meant to be found by me!
I even found two 3 foot sections of homemade lace, a wonderfully worn embroidery hoop, and more vintage Coates & Clark thread. What a precious gift from the woman whose hands created beauty with some thread and simple tools...
I've spent hours researching all my finds and found a wonderful site all about crochet hooks by the Hook Lady. There are bone knitting needles, lots of Boye and Susan Bates hooks, 2 "Non-Inflammable" plastic hooks from the 60's and a few unmarked and unsized hooks that I'd love to know more about. There are even 2 black Boye hooks that may be a rare kind made briefly during WWII? Any experts out there? :) Here is the mystery, friends; can you help me identify these?

1. The middle object below has a hollow tip and looks like it may be used for punch needle?
2. The other pieces are _____? They are marked GMA USA
3. One more hook that I missed taking a picture of... I have a hook marked VICTORIA which has an oval hole right through the throat where you rest your thumb. It looks as though it might give you a blister after a while! What is that about??

Thank you for any clues you may have to help me! I love a good mystery but solving them is even better! :)

A Little Pocketbook and Crochet Basket

Another crochet project... this time a little pocketbook for my neice. The yarn is a crinkly, stretchy yarn that is so fun to touch. It was one of those balls of yarn that was so precious that I just couldn't walk by. Look at those colors and the texture! It was perfect for this project for a special little girl. And lest you think I'm quitting minis, I used the same tube/crochet in the round to make the mini basket below using thread.

Does a Baby Blanket Count as Mini?

I thought I should show you the mini-distraction that's been taking me away from my dollhouses: crochet! My mom is a gifted artist in crochet and knitting and I'm doing my best to learn it too. It'll be a long while before my work is close to where I'd like it to be but here it is anyway :) This is a baby blanket gift for a dear friend. If only you could touch it through the computer screen!! It is a Chenille yarn by Bernat called Baby Blanket that is as thick as pipe cleaners and about the softest thing you've ever touched. My friend is decorating in blue but found out she's having a girl. That of course was the perfect excuse to make it feminine with crochet flowers of the same yarn in pink. The leaf and yellow center are made from a fuzzy yarn called "Moon and Stars" by Red Heart.

I had some pom-pom style yarn that I've been dying to use so when crocheting certain sections I used 2 strands at the same time; the pom-pom and chenille or a multicolor and the chenille. Here's a close up:
The pocket in the corner is the perfect spot to tuck a favorite stuffed animal. Good night and sweet dreams for the little one!

What do You Do When you're Done with a House?

Well, what I seem to do is 1. put is away, 2. admire it for a while, then 3. take it apart for the joy of creating something new with it! For me it seems, it's the process, not the end product that is therapeutic so I just can't leave well enough alone for long. I've been enjoying making lots of little things lately that really don't fit in any one house so what should I do with the shabby chic, country style and child accessories? I'll put them in a flea market style shop with booth areas of various styles, a wonderful hodge-podge of things that I like that don't have to match each other one little bit. The Orange Blossom is no more! As you can see, the owners are still moving in and getting their things out of storage...

Antiquing Covers a Multitude of (Paint) Sins!

It's been too long since I last posted! I'll apologize with an antiquing tip! :) Remember the Colonial Blue Cabinet? It needed some antique redware plates to match!

These plates used to be the blue splatterware metal plates that are sold so cheaply at places like miniatures.com. I gessoed them to prime it and then used toothpicks to paint a PA dutch style design. Every paint mark was either a dot or a dragged dot to make leaf or teardrop shapes. Obviously painting is not my gift! Time to cover it up by antiquing it!I use Folk Art Antiquing Polish which does a wonderful job on wood too!

They don't look so pretty close up but with a little more buffing, wiping and placement in a cabinet, I've got antiques!

A little more character for my cabinet!

Colonial Blue Corner Cabinet

Still scratch building! This corner cabinet is was made from popscicle sticks and a door from a Michael's hutch. I love those things but they seem to be getting harder to find. I used Folk Art's Cayman Blue paint with a lot of weathering techniques, sanding and a layer of Soy Fruitwood stain over the top. The top and inner shelves (that you can't see) are Yellow Ochre. I may just have to give away one of my blotchy paint secrets soon if you're interested. :)
This trunk below is one more item made from the bottom of the o-so-versatile Michael's hutch with a little faux techniques on the lid and crackled and dirty French blue to finish it. The teddy on top was actually labeled as a "cat toy" at our local discount store and was dressed in Santa gear. What?? I think any normal cat would inhale and choke on it's little 1 inch height. So strange but I'm glad I found 2 for $2!

On a Roll with Scratch Building

Hello all! After a very busy few weeks, I finally decided to sit down and relax with minis! It was one of those days where one item after another comes together. I made this hall bench below that will have hooks for coats and maybe a pair of boots below. It's just popsicle sticks and a couple "slices" of chunky molding for the shaped brackets below. The real finish will come later...This little three legged table just flew together although still unfinished too. It is a round piece of wood, veneer that I cut with scrapbooking scissors and the ends of three bamboo chopsticks.

This little girl's trunk is far from finished but I'm having fun with the girly details. I may make a tutorial on the easiest way to make a decorative paper box like in the bottom right of this trunk, if anyone's interested.
The shelf laying on its side was fun too! I used easy to cut balsa for the curvy top and the bottom is made of part of a Michael's hutch. Now back to my corner hutch building...