Alexa Lett - artsy designs

4-H Ribbons win a new purpose.

Some flowers get water. Mine got ribbons. 🌸

This art quilt began with 4-H ribbons from the 1950s—once awarded for hard work, now earning a second life. They became the canvas for the art quilt. I layered hand-stitched felt flowers on top, gave them a “pot” made from a rescued needlepoint canvas, and then slow-stitched every last bit together. Every stitch is by hand.

Turns out state fair ribbons make excellent fertilizer for creativity.

Because around here, nothing retires… it just gets promoted to a different title.

4HRibbons Needlepoint RepurposedArt MixedMediaTextiles HandStitched

I have a hard time leaving well enough alone.
One flower became four.
One stitch became a thousand.
The color is superb!
No regrets.

People ask why I collect things.

The longer answer? Because someone has to rescue the weird stuff before it ends up in a landfill.

I’m convinced every collector has a superpower. We can spot the one treasure hiding in a room full of junk from twenty feet away. We call it “potential.”

I don’t have a shopping problem. I have an imagining problem. Every old quilt, rusty trinket, faded photograph, odd little bird, and forgotten textile calls my name and says, “Pick me.”

And honestly…who am I to ignore history when it’s calling my name?

My house is not full.

It’s simply…enthusiastically curated.

Every flat, empty surface is living on borrowed time.

Too much? I prefer the term enthusiastically committed. 🌸

This one wandered outside my usual size and apparently took my philosophy with it.

The foundation is a vintage tapestry that’s already telling a hundred stories—rolling hills, a cozy cottage, a river, enough visual chatter to keep your eyes busy for days. So naturally, I looked at it and thought…

“You know what this needs? More.”

More flowers. More stitches. More layers. More pink. More texture.

Because if a tapestry is already busy, why not introduce a bouquet that refuses to use its inside voice?

I’ve never believed every inch of a piece has to whisper. Sometimes art gets to laugh loudly, wear every accessory in the jewelry box, and show up fashionably overcommitted.

Turns out, “too much” is usually just enough… plus a few extra flowers…..allegedly.

SlowStitch

Vintage Time Capsule Cookbook

Some cookbooks tell you what to make. This 1947 gem tells you who made it.

Every single recipe is handwritten in the contributor’s own script, which somehow makes mashed potatoes feel wildly personal. Some ladies even added little doodles and artwork beside their recipes—because apparently even in 1947 they understood branding.

Flipping through it is like eavesdropping on a church potluck from 80 years ago. The ads in the back are just as entertaining as the recipes. (I’d absolutely buy whatever miracle kitchen gadget they were selling.)

The funniest part? Hand this cookbook to a room full of teenagers and half of them would think it’s written in ancient hieroglyphics. Cursive has officially become a vintage language.

It’s more than a cookbook—it’s a time capsule.

#1947 Cursive Ephemera VintageCollector OldBooks

Upcycled textiles showing off their best sides.

Every fabric in this piece had already been declared “done.” Worn out. Too stained. Too holey. Too shabby. Too out of style.

Perfect.

I spend an unreasonable amount of time rescuing textiles from their retirement plans and convincing them they still have one more job to do. Turns out old wool, tired quilts, and forgotten embroidery clean up pretty well.

Reduce. Reuse. Refuse to throw away good fabric.