All Things Pretty...

Grab bag goodies...

It's Monday and I'm delighted to be joining Smiling Sally's blue party... her party is one of those blog events that have endured and that bloggers continue to support; simple and straightforward rules, with no barbed comments about deleting posts or people who don't follow rules.... you know what I mean?   As much as I like blog parties and swaps, I am sometimes turned off by the dictatorial, rigid tone of the sponsor.   After all, isn't this all supposed to be fun??  "Lighten up!" I want to say.  Don't get me wrong, I do understand the need for rules...   but as the olde saying goes "it's not WHAT you say, but HOW you say it."  Let's all be nice to each other.   OK, I'm done with my soapbox for today.

So my BLUE inspiration are these fabulous bits of vintage jewelry.  This earring was in a grab bag from the local thrift shoppe; the bag was packed with beads, necklaces, pairs and solo earrings, pins... they are so fun to open at home and explore the contents... it's like Chrismas.  You never know what you're gonna get.

 
 ...this earring's pair is missing the cross... I already have plans for this one.  My nephew/godchild is having his first communion in May and I thought I could use the blue rhinestones and cross to customize a gift for him...

This medallion was a nice surprise... it's made out of very inexpensive material, almost the quality of something you got out of the bubblegum machine (remember those?)...  but I love it's charm.

 

..and this lovely flower brooch... this grab bag was getting better 'n better! 

 

...one more piece of lovely blue.... this delicate pin...

 

 Happy Blue Monday!  Enjoy your first week of Spring!

My first tiara

Sunday was a fun day for me... filled with a few stops at favorite monthly sales... and one estate sale.  Unfortunately, it was the very last few hours of the estate sale and I missed out on a PILE of vintage hats that sold just half-an-hour before I got there!!!! Urgh!!!   As you know by now, I'm always on the hunt for hats and millinery... aren't we all?  (most of us, anyway!).

I did manage to find a couple of pretty ones at one of the local sales. fell in love with the creams, blues, grays... soft, muted colors -- a big change from the pinks/corals I usually buy. 

..they are so dainty and sweet that I (almost) hate the idea of taking them apart...  as I eventually will.  Sacrifice the hat for it's millinery.  I get great joy from re-using the pieces in different ways; but each hat stays intact until the perfect project comes along.

 

... velvetty ribbons and bows, feathers, plumes, netting... **sigh**! 

 

... a tiara pin tucked amongst the plumes.... 

 one little rhinestone missing, but still very lovely. My very first tiara (pin or otherwise!). 

 

Happy, happy Monday!  May your week be filled with fun and creativity!

I plan on spending some "quality" time in The Sunshine Room; some organizing, some creating.

Vintage White Bling

Don't you just love vintage jewelry?  I do! 

I've been collecting for a few years now, but I'm one of those "on, off" collectors...  I'll go thru a period of absolute obsession where I buy, buy, buy (as long as the price is right!).  And then months will go by and I don't even LOOK at a piece of jewelry when I'm out.  That may be a blessing in disguise, because othewise, I would run out of cash AND room to store it all!

Some of my most favorite pieces are floral pins...

... pearl wreaths are ever so classy...

...ahhh, then we have the pearls... lots of pearls... I have one drawer in my jewelry dresser exclusively dedicated to my stash of these lovelies.

This bracelet is a recent purchase...  I just fell in love with the ivory white domes... 

 

..... single, mis-matched earrings can usually be found for a bargain, and I like to buy them to have on hand for embellishing projects... my latest use for them are for rosettes.

 

 I'm linking up to the White Wednesday party at 

Faded Charm.... always inspirational.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

 
 
 

   

  
   

It's a white Wednesday...

I can't believe it's already Wednesday!  The day has finally arrived...the "eve" to The Creative Connection event here in Minneapolis starts tomorrow...yippee!  It's their inaugural event, so not really sure what to expect, other than to take some classes, connect with some of my favorite bloggers and artists, and have fun! 

I'm celebrating White Wednesday with the folks over at Faded Charm; thought I'd share a few knick-knacks I've picked up recently... 

... I love this shabby cup!  I'm thinking I might want to fill it with sprigs of greenery for the holidays and display it on my kitchen window sill...   or I could use it to display vintage 'lil spoons and forks....

When I found these sweet figurines they almost jumped into my purse!   They will work great with my decorated keepsake boxes...  isn't the Scottie dog adorable?  He's a bit faded and crazed, but that just makes him dearer.

 
I found this tiny cup a few weeks ago when I visited one of my favorite shops in Hopkins....  I almost passed it over, it was so small!  But out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed the red, white & blue flag.... could it be?   Was it?  I stepped over to examine it more closely and YES!   it was!  the Cuban flag... and the "escudo" in the center (the seal/emblem).   I have Never, Ever found any pottery or china with the Cuban flag before!!!   It appears to be about the size of a Japanese tea cup, but made from fine porcelain (stamped Finland, go figure!).   So you know this baby had to come home with me!  The trick is to keep it away from my son, Jordan, who already has his eye on it (he is a huge Cuba collector).

The shabby pitcher is not old, but it called to me.  I'm always looking for pretty, inexpensive (this one was $1.29)  pitchers to add to my collection.  I enjoy filling them with cut flowers from my garden during the summer months; and then with dried hydranges for late Summer and Fall. ( I was out in my garden cutting bunches and bunches of semi-dried hydrangeas to send to Sarah, the

Gypsy Mermaid... and I picked a few for myself.) 

Enjoy the rest of your week!  
 

My very first Alice

I was visiting "the cottage" in Excelsior's monthly sale today and came home with lots of goodies!  Some I'll share here, others I'll hoard for later....   but by far my most precious find was my very first "Alice in Wonderland" book!  We've all seen  the beautiful altered art, scrapbooking, paper art, etc., that's being created lately with the Alice theme....I've been dying to try my hand at it, but was reluctant to purchase premade/mass produced graphics or papers.  

 As you know by now, I treasure beautifully illustrated children's books.  So I was holding out for "the one" -- it didn't have to be old, just beautiful. Today was my lucky day.   I had pretty much finished my shopping at "the cottage" and was getting ready to leave, when I realized I had not checked out their garage... I walked outside in the 98 degree scorching heat to take a quick look (I usually don't find anything I like in the garage)... and my eyes were drawn to a pinkish cover resting on an old wooden stool.  I couldn't believe it!   Alice in Wonderland....the cover illustration looked nice... how about inside....  oh my!! 

 

 

inside front cover

...I even love the lettering...

 

It's printed in 1949 (so not too new)... and the cover is a little beat up.  When I glimpsed under the cover to see what condition the spine was in.... surprise!  

 

 
 

... and the

best part (almost!).... only $2!!  Happy day.

"Sissy..and..Tommy"

And look at this cute little couple!

I fell in love with them;  named them Sissy and Tommy.  Not sure what I'll do with them yet...

 

Happy Birthday to me.....

Yesterday I celebrated by 49th b-day...... I woke up feeling nostalgic -- where the heck did the years go?   I look at my grown up, adult children and just want to cry sometimes.   Life is so fast!   I sometimes feel like I need to press the "STOP" button, and then the "REWIND" button.... my husband says it's because I want our children to be little again.  He might have a point!   I miss having the noise, the chaos of having children in the home--I'd even settle for the teenage years!!   The stillness and tranquility of the "empty nest" is a bit too much for me.

People say "keep busy" "get a new hobby" "reconnect with your husband"  check. check. check.  Now what?

So....  I did spend some time working on my newest passion: my WANDS.   I now have a few of them listed on Etsy; not sure if anyone will like them as much as me, haha!

I spent last weekend running around the neighboring towns visiting the once-per-month sales at the local antiques shops and found some goodies.  My heart almost stopped beating when I walked into one of my favorite shops and right in front of my eyes, in the very first booth, was this vintage blue, white & pink crepe paper birthday hat!   For $4 !   I grabbed it so fast that my head got dizzy!   Then, when I visited the shop across the street, I found these 7 vintage birthday candles/holders, marked "made in West Germany."   Once again, I grabbed as quickly as I could.  I also found some amazing pieces of vintage lace and wonderful old photos.

Glass boxes waiting for their 5 minutes of fame.

Earlier this summer, I fell in love (for about three weeks) with vintage glass boxes of various shapes and sizes.  I hit all my favorite antiques stores and junk shops, hoping to find a bargain.  My adventures netted me about 8 boxes over the course of a weekend; so far, I've only finished one!  The rest are patiently waiting for their turn to get revamped.

 

Vintage Hats for $1...

Yesterday I received several back issues of Stampington & Company publications...  I could not wait to tear open the package and start browsing!  The March/April 2008 issue of "Belle Armoire" did not disappoint; I immediately fell in love with Annie Lockhart's wristlets -- with her mix of vintage and new items, she created one-of-a-kind cuff bracelets that I had to try making...  So today, I ran out to rummage through Hunt and Gather in Minneapolis and found these fabulous vintage hats for $1 apiece.  They are not in wearable shape; but I can use the fabrics, trims and notions to create my wristlets.  I'll let you know how they turn out...