All Things Pretty...

I'm having a white and cream Christmas...

Prior to the Thanksgiving weekend, I received several more packages in the mail from swap partners.  

I was (once again) amazed by the creativity and sheer talent of my blog friends!  

We participated in Cassandra's*(see note below) Handmade Christmas Ornament Swap; which partnered us into groups of four.   The requirement was that we make a total of nine (9) Christmas ornaments; three (3) for each partner.  In turn, we each receive nine ornaments...   how fun is that?!?

The first package to arrive was from Erica; and just look at what she made for me!

(I'm loving the wee tag!)

(this "birdcage" ornament is so lovely!  See the teeny tiny tree?)

(the snowflake has a pretty lady as its main attraction)

 

 A couple of days later.... JoAnne's package arrived.  

I was lucky enough to be partnered with JoAnne for not one, but two swaps:  

 

Cassandra's

  

and the Bloggerette Sorority's 

 For the Bloggerette swap, we were to gift our partner with two ornaments; one handmade and the other store-bought (making both ornaments was optional).  Which means that I received a total of five ornaments from JoAnne!

 (I promise, this is not a Math quiz!)  

Lucky me!

Here is what I received from JoAnne:

(this image of the Victorian girls is so sweet... and the frame sets it off perfectly)

(I had been window shopping on Etsy for these... was debating whether I had time to make them, or just cave and purchase one...  JoAnne must have read my mind!)

(JoAnne's version of the snowflake; with another sweet image, surrounded by pearls)

(this bird looks ready to take flight...)

My jaw dropped a bit when I opened this one; I was in love.  Instantly.

The colors, textures, millinery...  everything about it captured my heart.

... I have a weakness for rosettes, and tulle...

 

...and my very own invitation to the Midnight Christmas Fairie Ball!

THANK YOU, ERICA AND JOANNE...  your gifts have warmed my heart and will soon grace my Christmas tree.  I will enjoy and treasure them for many years to come.

***********

My third partner's package got here today and is sitting (unopened) on my dining room table... I will be unveiling it tonight and will post pics in the next couple of days, along with the ornaments I made for my partners.

 ***********

  *By the way, have you seen this lady's blog and her creations?  All I can say is... wow!   Sheer beauty.  Her blog banner alone is enough to make me drool.  Cassandra recently had a giveway and guess who was the lucky winner?   Moi!  I was delighted to receive this pretty in the mail...

Thank you, Cassandra!

 I'm joining Faded Charm's White Wednesday party; please stop by for gorgeous white inspiration.

Here's to a wonderful first week of December...

What happens after the turkey?...

The cooking, feasting and clean-up is done.

We are all sitting around with stuffed bellies, content... enjoying each other's company.  

A bit sad because my baby girl is in Spain this year and for the first time since she was born 22 years ago, I am celebrating Thanksgiving without her.

Another sad thought creeps into our minds (although it is ever-present in our hearts)... we miss our dear Bebe and Swinton (my husband's parents).  Just two short years ago, Bebe was with us; and four years ago, they were both with us.  

But nonetheless, we are thankful.  There are so many things in our lives that have meaning and that we don't always take time to appreciate.  

To me, Thanksgiving is a reminder to not take anything in this life for granted.

  

Enjoy the todays; enjoy each other.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend.

They've started to arrive...

... my Christmas swap gifts!  

This is my very first Christmas swap package to arrive.  It arrived at my doorstep after making the trek from Colorado; although the sender is unknown.

We are participants in JoAnne's  Secret Santa Swap.  

Not one, but TWO altered/embellished matchboxes!

 

My Secret Santa knows me well... lots of pink and whites; luscious laces and embellishments, bling, frilly, girly...

 

Inside each box are "25" little gifts...  

starting December 1st, one to be opened each day! 

 

happy happy joy joy

 

Linking up to Beverly's Pink Saturday party; always fun, fabulous and inspiring.

Christmas sneak peak...

I've been working as hard as a little elf this past week... putting together several holiday swap projects. After signing up for three different Christmas ornament swaps, I realized that I'd better get started asap! Knowing how I work.... experimenting as I go along (why don't I ever create something that I've made a million times before and can finish with my eyes closed?)...

I like the challenge and thrill of creating something fresh spanking new.

The problem with that is, it usually takes me several attempts at a given project before I am pleased with the outcome. So you see, it may take me hours and hours to put together ONE tiny ornament. However, once I am satisfied with my creation, things run a bit smoother.

This is one of the reasons why it would be very challenging for me to create 15-20 of any one item to sell. I would probably starve to death if my livelihood depended on my crafting/creating!

So here's a little sneak peak at what's on my work desk right now...

...angora, tulle, yummy vintage laces...

 

And this is a corner peek of my Christmas swaps stash...

items I will be using in my projects and gifts for swap partners.

... as you can see, lots of bling.

I've fallen in love with the cranberry pink color and will be combining it with silvers and/or golds this season for many of my projects.

 

My dominoes patiently waiting in a corner for their turn to receive their holiday makeover...

 

I am feeling very much inspired by this sweet vintage holiday ornament I found during one of my thrift shoppe trips this summer.

What have you been up to?

Are you feeling it yet - the holiday spirit drifting into the November air?

 

I'm linking up to these fun s parties:

Show and Tell Friday @ Romantic Home

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Groundir?

 

Playing with paper...

My inner self was craving pink, sequins, glitter, pretty girls, angels, fairies...  

after all the Fall oranges and blacks, it was like a coming home.  

So I spent some time making pretty little things that brought a smile to my heart.

... like these "fairy dresses"

They were created to showcase the stick pins I made for my partner, Victoria, for the stick pin swap hosted by Tee at The Altered Paper.

The set included five pretty paper dresses, each with two coordinating pins.

... each was embellished to my heart's content!  

...these two were not pink, but equally lovely in shades of green and lavender.

Thank you,Tee, for hosting such a fun swap!

 

I also worked on a few new ATC's, again succumbing to my inner need to use lots of pretties.

"Dreaming of Childhood"

I tried something a bit different with this ATC; using textiles for my background and lots of three-dimensional touches.

 

"The Queen"

She has a rather austere look, so I thought it would be fun to soften her a bit with some femme touches.  I'm loving the use of ribbon on the ATCs!

 

"My Mother is a Lady"

* * *

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

I'm joining Beverly's Pink Saturday party and sharing my paper pinks.

 

Tattered, frayed, chippy...

Earlier this week I shared with you my recent multi-estate sale adventure...  

I'm still cleaning, examining, photographing my finds - and trying to decide on a case-by-case basis whether it's a "keeper" or a "seller". 

None are perfect or pristine.

 

 

Age has taken its toll...

 

..but how could I turn away from such loveliness?

I have never been able to resist vintage shoes in cream or ivory,  so imagine my joy when I found these beauties...

 

 

...oh, the places they've been!...

...the stories they could tell!...

I would love to restore them.  They are made out of the softest calfskin... which has a bit of damage here/there, and the heels are crusted with years of dirt.  

Does anyone have suggestions on the best way to go about cleaning them?

*   *  *

 

And here we have my little bisque angel... in soft faded shades of yellow and pink.   A tiny pink rose in each hand. ((sigh))

 

 

(as of this posting, not much in the "selling" bin....  quite a lot in the "keeping")

 

Hope you are having a wonderful week!

 

I'm linking up to these fun, fabulous parties and sharing my estate sale finds:

White Wednesday at Faded Charm Cottage

Show and Tell Friday @ Romantic Home

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground

Senorita bonita...

Last weekend, while feeling exhausted from the Halloween rush (and the actual day wasn't until Monday!) and missing my old haunts for antiquing and junking, I looked online to see if there was anything interesting going on in town.

I found an ad for a multi-estate sale being held at a warehouse downtown. The ad talked about 5 diverse estates, with lots of sporting goods, outdoor gear, vintage art, couture fashions, and miscellaneous collections. Although the only thing that appealed to me was the "miscellaneous", off I went. I had never attended a multi-estate event like this, so I figured it would be a bit of an adventure.

And indeed.... an adventure it was!

I walked into literally thousands of items for sale! I have to admit it was a bit overwhelming; but once I got the lay of the land, I zeroed in on the area that contained my miscellaneous "stuff." I received a wonderful surprise when i found out that all items were 50% off! yay!

So I went a tad bit crazy.... not tooooo much.... just a bit. I kept telling myself that all (well, maybe most) would be resold through my Etsy shoppe. I wasn't going to keep much (really). My justification knew no limits.

I loaded up the trunk of my Saab with several boxes, smiling the entire time. I drove all the way home (26 miles), still smiling. I got home and inspected my loot ((more smiles)). Then I decided I would start sorting items between "Keeping" and "Selling." WAIT!!! Keeping?!? Wasn't I supposed to be SELLING?

One of my favorite finds was a box full of vintage dolls, in various stages of disarray and disrepair. But oh, they looked so beautiful to me! I knew in my heart that there are many doll collectors out there (I'm not one of them) who would give them a new home.

Like these senoritas with their mantillas, frilly laces, abanicos (fans), and painted faces....

 

 

... this is Carmencita... she is wearing her Sunday best and has just come home from church...

 

... and her cousin Lucrezia... who is considered by many to be the pueblo's most beautiful widow.

Carmencita has the beautiful olive complexion from her Moros ancestry (papa's side) ... while Lucrezia has the porcelain white skin from mama's side.

The lovely cousins are a sight to behold!

 

* * *

And look at this little mid-century lovely... she is so cute!

Her dress is ivory silk and has such beautiful details.

 

 

This redhead is just darling! Of all the dolls I purchased, she is in the best shape overall; just a bit of dirt here and there. Maybe a little hair comb/brush... But just look at that gingham dress!

 

And let me not forget my little senorita... not quite as detailed in the face as the cousins, but still a little beauty in the making.

* * *

So you see why it's hard to "SELL" all?

 

I'm sharing my pink Senorita with Beverly at her Pink Saturday party... always a fun time! Stop on by if you are a lover of all things pink.

 

Short and sweet...

I'm trying something new with this post...

few words....

and just one photo.

 

"Meghan Anne"

Embellished original (vintage) photo...

it is so hard to part with her.

However, she is going to a dear and deserving friend.

 

Happy Wednesday!

I'm linking up to the White Wednesday blog party at the Faded Charm Cottage.