CAREER COLLECTOR

Stephanie Sliwinski had a growing mix of wooden sewing spools in her office. “There are a handful of things I always keep my eyes open for when I’m at an antique store,” she says. Spools are among them. “I love the colors of the leftover thread combined with the vintage branding labels on the ends of the spools. I always think I’ll find a use for them.”

She found a stellar use for them when she created these sweet message spools for her three young boys to give to their grandmother, Nana.

Stephanie, who designs jewelry, tea towels and other artwork through her Fancy That Design House & Co., has been crafting and creating “for as long as I can remember,” she says. She loves work that takes her to antique and thrift stores. “I’m always finding inspiration at flea markets and looking at old advertising.”