Marie Antionette style pillow

This was such a fun pillow to make, I tried to think what colors would be in Marie,s boudoir, I thought gold, in her portraits she was often in blue, and every girlie girl loves pink, lace, feathers and flowers. So that's how it began. I had no finished vision or actual object to go by so I tried to make a woman with a beautiful multi layered gown with lost of lace, ribbon and details.

The big hat with the feathers was a must, I had to dye white feathers with stamping ink to get the blue and lavender colors. The ribbon flowers are silk hand made by me, and the pink trim is dupioni silk. I didn't give her a face and it adds a bit of mystery as to who she really is.

The bouffant gown has two layers of lace from my vintage stash, with a white petticoat underneath. The gown had to be silk, and it is silk dupioni the ruffle around the opening of the gown is cream ruffled ribbon, with tiny hand dyed lace flowers added along each side.I thought the rhinestone button at the waist would add a bit of sparkle. The pink gathering on either side of the top of the gown is pink bias dupioni silk ribbon, it was a find at a antique stall.

I will list this on my Etsy site.

Marie style mirror

I am so in love with this mirror, I can't even believe I actually made it. It is constructed on a vintage mirror and would be so lovely on a fancy vanity. The colors just came together so well, and the free hand silk ribbon embroidery turned out way better than I thought it was going to. I used things from my stash to make this charmer, using vintage where I could. One thing I learned was how to use the rufflier on my sewing machine, my sewing machine scares me because it can do so much and I am not good with computers. But I figured out the rufflier and have been ruffling every thing from cloth, ribbon, to crepe paper, it works great.

This is a closer view, I am disappointed in the picture of the vintage rhinestone button I used, it is so shinny but the flash from the camera took all the shine away. It was so much fun making this mirror, and I am always inspired by the Marie Antoinette era, such opulence and over abundance but such beauty as well.

Faded roses

Some times we think that new is the best, the most attractive, not always, I love the vintage look, faded, a bit worn, but still lovely to look at and use.These are some of the last roses of the summer, they are a bit past their prime but they are beautiful. I think they would make a pretty painting, or use them on a greeting card, how lovely that would be Below you can see how the edges are beginning to brown but even that has it beauty. This is such a gorgeous rose, I am not sure of the name, I think it is wife of bath, all my name tags faded or got lost so I am at a loss for some of the names.

Pretty, pink and now gone until spring, at lest we can admire the photos. Enjoy, even things past their prime have beauty, and that goes for us as well, that is if you are of a certain age.....

TTFN

Glamping at the beach

We have had such a good time with our little vintage Aristocrat trailer, it is a 1967, a very good year. It is the perfect size for one but works quite well for two. Our new awning adds so much pizazz it is a pretty pink with scallops. the out door rug is pink and green going with the theme of the trailer colors of pink, green and white. I like the profile of this trailer it looks good standing still and gets lots of looks as we pull it on the road.

This is how it looked in the early evening, it was great weather at the beach, not much wind and sun everyday.

Rose Water

A friend found a recipe for rose water, rose water is hard to find and expensive so I thought I would give it a go. I picked an assortment of my roses as you can see I lean heavily to the pinks. It was hard to tear the petals off of these beautiful things, but in the interest of science (smile) I did. Oh one thing I have learned since then was to cut the base off of the petals as they make the water bitter, it was a bit bitter so if I do it again I will pull off the petals and trim the base of them before using them. The instructions called for a bowl raised out of the water that the petals were in, so I put the small bowl on another one that I turned upside down. I added about 3 cups of water and all the petals, it was a close fit and I had to smoosh some of the petals into the water so they didn't cover the empty bowl.

Next you put the lid to the pot on UPSIDE down so that it forms a concave lid, this is to allow the water that has evaporated ( or distilled) to run into the bowl, that is your rose water.

Below is how it looks as it is working, you can see the big water bubbles they will drip into the bowl and when you are finished you have a small amount of rose water.

I just simmered the petals until they looked like mush, and then let it cool and extracted the bowl, the yield was small and not to fragrent, but after all it was just a home made still and an experiment. After it all cooled down I squeezed the petals and got a lot more liquid. It was a brown color but there was probably 3or 4 cups of it.

I used it for a splash on my face it had a tighting effect. I also tried it for a exfoliate for my feet and it was quite effective.

It was a fun thing to do on a lazy afternoon. I hope you try it. TTFN

Dry run for the Glamper

Here we are it is our first time out in the Glamper. We couldn't get into the camp ground we wanted and so we had to drive 30 more miles and we were glad to find this spot as all the camp grounds were full. You can see the cute candelabra it came in the mail minutes before we left, so we threw the box in and took off and unpacked it when we got set up. Our awning didn't make it in the mail so we have no awning, but when we got home it was by the front door so next time out we will get to use it.
Above is a picture of the dinning room, ready for tea, I didn't bring any fancy linens this time as I wasn't sure what I would want. Now that I am an experienced Glamper I know more of what I need and what to leave at home. The flowers are from my back yard, and they stayed pretty for the whole week-end.

This is the boudoir, it was such fun sleeping on this bed, comfortable too. I have 12 pillows on the bed it was so cute, I had to borrow a cork screw from a neighboring camp and the guy came over and took a look inside and then went and told his wife he wanted one. Well who wouldn't......

More of the boudoir. I found the fancy pink pillow at Monticello, I love that place. I don't know how much detail you can see on the 2 pillows to the right of the fancy pink one but I embroidered them from vintage embroidery transfers.

You can see here the shelf above the bed, I have cute boxes full of goodies. The pink one with the roses is from my swap with Celeste, it is full of tea things, and a couple small champagne splits. The one on the far right is full of my unmentionables. I also have books up there and a box full of crafting supplies.

Well that is a quick look at our first Glamp. It isn't finished yet more to do inside and out, but it was fun and we are looking forward to the next one. Care to join us?

Summer Rose Swap 2010

You all saw what Celeste sent me it was and is beautiful, Now you can see what I sent her. Her studio is so pretty and it is black and pink and shiny, so I tried my best to make my swap so it would complement her studio. The black and glitter album on the left is for photos or notes she can add pages to it if she wants. The box by it is Oregon Chi my favorite drink hot or cold, She sent me tea bags, I sent her tea. Below is a closer look, you can see the velvet strawberry, it was placed in the pink satin box right behind it the tiny box has ribbon roses on it. To the right of the tea box is a sweet little pillow, she said she was going to add it to the ones in her guest room.

In this pic below is a close up of the powder puff, it is quite large and meant for decoration more than actual use. It is covered with black and pink ribbon roses and other ribbon flowers. In the mini box by the powder puff is a candle wrapped in pink ribbon and has a rose tag on it.

Above you can see a close up of Marie Antoinette's shoe, I think this is such a fun piece and you can put it anywhere, all paper, glitter, lace,and of course pink.

Above the earrings I made with Swarovski crystals, they are a sweet dainty blue, on silver.

This gives you a good look at the velvet strawberry. It is hand dyed velvet with ribbon ruffles, and the seeds are Swarovski crystal in a soft green.

Well that is it, there were a few more things but this is the best. It was my best swap ever and Celeste said the same about hers. It was so lovely to meet such a beautiful and talented woman and exchange our areas of art and crafting with each other. TTFN

Summer Rose Swap 2010

Gorgeous, Right?? This beautiful box covered in hand painted roses is the beginning of the swap I entered with a lovely lady from Texas, we both belong to the same ning and that is how we became swap partners. The box is so beautiful but as you will see it was full of wonderful things. Where do you start, all the pink and roses and tea cups, and tiny treasures like the lavender sachet in the left tea cup. My initial with the lovely hand painted roses and trimmed with lace and the darling bird at the bottom.

Below is a close up of the W and the birdie, and the cutest basket ever, it is full of wonderful tea bags. I love a touch of blue and the tiny tray with the roses is just the right touch. If you look close you can see a painted spoon in front of the basket, it is adorable.

The book is just too much, it is full of tea lore, and the 2 tea cups, one for me and one for a friend, I wish Celeste could share it with me.

Just couldn't resist a close up of the tiny basket. I know it is just tooooo cute.

I must say this is the best swap of all and I have been in a few, Celeste is a talented painter and very generous, I am going to enjoy these lovely items for a long time. Thank you Celeste, it was a lovely experience and getting acquainted was such a pleasure. TTFN

My new toy

Isn't this the cutest thing ever??? We bought it over the week-end. What fun we are going to have with this tiny trailer. We were so happy to get one in such good shape. It is only about 12' but it is packed full of vintage goodies, look at that stove and ice box, yes I said ice box, very vintage, the avocado green certainly marks the 60's. It is in wonderful shape for it's age.

We are so excited to fix it up and make it our own. I am thinking pink and white with the green, add a bit of the romantic shabby look that will bring it up to date but still have that vintage look.

Below is the dinning area, the cushions will need a redo, maybe just slip covers as that is the original fabric and for resale it is a big draw, if we ever decided to sell.

Below is the sleeping area, it is larger than it looks in the photo, I picture duvets and tons of fabulous pillows. We are even contemplating wall paper in this area to make it look like a tiny separate room.

The floor is in such great shape it needs a good scrub and some wax and it will sparkle, yes it will sparkle as it has mica chips in it.

Well that is the tour, it is going to be fun fixing it up and fun using it, we already have plans for a trip to one of our beautiful lakes with some friends.

Stay tuned for all the updates in the decorating department

We have found out that vintage trailers are very popular and that there are groups such as "Sisters on the Fly" with over a 1500 members, and other groups that have trailer rallies and take over parks, and have open houses. So I think we are in for some adventures.

flowers at my door.

Tuesday I heard a knock on my door, when I answered a man was standing there with this beautiful bouquet. I thanked him and took them inside, all the while wondering who could they be from. I read the card and burst into tears. My beautiful daughter had sent them she said" to make you smile, and know that I love with with my whole heart". More tears. In fact they are flowing as I type.

I love this child more thank any thing on this earth, she knows that.......

Beautiful flowers from a beautiful person I love her, I wish she could move home. Flowers fade love lasts.

door hanger do not disturb

My daughter has one of these on her door knob at her office, and people steal it to hang on theirs. I originally designed this to give as part of a wedding gift. As you can see I put a lot of detail on them I use a patch work of satins, taffeta and such materials for the back ground and embellish with embroidery, vintage lace, beads, vintage buttons, and ribbon. Gotta have that ribbon, it is one of my favorite textiles.

I think this would make a darling gift, or hang it on your own door knob. I have one that says Room service on my door knob.

You can see the vintage buttons at the top by the ribbon hanger, the vintage lace is at the bottom of the do not disturb writing, notice the tiny rose buds that are going across the center, they are done with ribbon embroidery. A lot of work goes into making these little bundles but they are so pretty when finished.

I enjoy the process of assembling these and I have other styles with other sayings. You can find them for sale on my ETSY and my Bonanzel, and my other blog Vintage Romance.

Whats new

I have always been a fan of vintage satin boxes, I think this one was for Hankies, I added the embellishments on top. Many years ago I found a small publication about ribbon work and fell in love with ribbon flowers. I have made many and these are a few of my latest. Below is a close up of the central rose, this was a new idea I had and it worked out beautifully I think. I added the organdy ribbon and it makes it sparkle. I am not a huge fan of grosgrain ribbon but it does give a lot of variety and texture to leaves and such.

The back ground doily is vintage, I collect them as often as I find them at garage sales and estate sales, flea markets and other venues.

I covered the box with these Delicious ribbon flowers and leaves, I think it is quite stunning, I have a vintage satin glove box on my vanity that I did in a similar way. This hankie box will be offered for sale on my Vintage Romance blog and my Etsy, and my bonanzel sites, you can accesses them from my side bars on this blog.

I hope you enjoy the beauty of the flowers as much as I enjoyed making them. TTFN

velvet strawberry and felted wool heart

My latest creations, a ruffled felted heart with ribbon embroidery and regular embroidery, trimmed in vintage lace. These are hanging from a shelf with a hook in my new master bath ( pictures on previous posts) It was so much fun doing the embroidery, and it always looks so beautiful the silk ribbon makes it so. I did pink silk ribbon roses and used french knots for the forget-me-not flowers. And the vine and rose buds were also done in silk ribbon.

I love the vintage lace it came from and old nightie that was in tatters but the lace was still good.
The heart was felted from a recycled wool sweater, I am a big fan of the recycle movement.

The velvet strawberry is hand dyed and hand beaded. I make the ruffle calyx from the ever popular seam binding. I call it the tutu on top of the berry. I so enjoy making home decorating items, they are original and fun to make and use.

I also sell them on my ETSY, and my other blog,Vintage romance, you can get to them from the side bars on my blog if you are interested. TTFN

Anniversary # 36

For our 36th anniversary our daughter did everything at her little apartment. It was perfect! We had dinner for 3 by the fireplace a wonderful dinner all prepared by her. It was our favorite turkey dinner with all the trimmings. I really liked the black and white with the pinks and greens thrown in for color splashes.

These were our gifts to each other, we don't celebrate the holidays but we by no means miss out on having party's, and loads of gifts. We spend a great deal of time and thought on our gifts.

This is such and amazing picture it looks a bit mysterious, yet quite lovely. And it was lovely, our celebration of 36 years together with 27 of them spent with our beautiful daughter.

And by the way I was the one who got the number of years wrong, hubby was right on, I thought it wa # 37 wrong he was right with 36.
TTFN