Seeking Everyday Beauty & Velvet Strawberries

Art & Soul & Friends & Fun

Goodness, I didn't mean to be away from here for an entire week! It's been a week of playing catch-up from being gone last weekend at the Art & Soul Retreat. It's amazing how only 2 days away can set me back a whole week.

The retreat was awesome and Lisa and I got in some much needed time for ourselves. Time to chat and create and relax and have fun. We decided we need to do this more often and have already started thinking about another art retreat. We took Sally Jean's class, "The Girl's Got Gothic", and here we are proudly modeling the necklaces we made. Try to ignore the bags under our eyes.....we had been in class for over 8 hours by this point and were just so darn happy to have finished the project! After this, we headed to dinner and then wound up in the lounge where we met up with Dede, had some vino and relaxed!

It was fun to piece together random elements that I love into one necklace. I've been making new jewelry from old jewelry for years, but this was different. Adding the photo charms made it very personal and meaningful. 

I used pictures of Mario and Sam and a picture of George and I on our wedding day.

This rose cabochon necklace has been in my stash for a while, and I was happy to give it a home here. Pink and green, my old faithfuls. No matter what color trends come and go, those 2 colors remain my favorites.

Some bits of jewelry, worn out pearls, a Lucite button and some old lace were put to good use.

The main Gothic-shaped piece is a collage I made using my Little Andrea picture, some wallpaper scraps and a snippet of old ledger I found that says "Mrs. S". It's hard to see, but there is a tiny flocked flower under the glass too.

Then, I used a scrap of an old cloth measuring tape and some more bits of old jewelry.

And a little velvet strawberry to finish it off.

What a fun class this was! Sally is just delightful and seems to radiate positive energy and creativity. And, man, can she solder like no one I have ever seen. She makes it all look so effortless. It got me in the mood to solder again.....you know, in my spare time.

A fun time was had by all, and I can't wait to do it again!

Happy Weekend everyone!

 

Ready to Go {well, almost}

 

I'm heading to the Art & Soul Retreat in Hampton, VA with my friend Lisa. In fact, she will be here in an hour. Yikes! I have no makeup on and am still packing up my soldering supplies and a million little objects that I may or may not add to the necklace I'll be making in class. I'm taking it all....just in case.

Goody boxes for classmates. Check.

Gift for the teacher. Check.

Overnight bag. Check.

Purse. Check.

Shoes and jewelry. Check.

Got all the essentials taken care of. Now I just need to relax and enjoy the weekend! See you all next week! 

Ribbon Candy

Can you imagine taking hundreds upon hundreds of yards of seam binding and hand-painting it? Well, that is exactly what my friend Catherine does. It was love at first site when I discovered this candy-colored ribbon. She has truly taken seam binding to the next level, and I cannot get enough of this stuff. I have it hanging from pegs in my studio, wrapped around bundles of letters and tied around a special gift for a friend's upcoming birthday surprise. I think it's my new favorite ribbon.

Catherine owns the delightful web boutique, Pink Rose Pastries, where she designs, creates and sells myriad faux pastries, cakes, and a million other sweet decorations that you can't really eat but really wish you could! The amount of detail that goes into each of her confections is unreal. I mean, I can only guess how many pink piped icing roses she has made in her lifetime. Thousands? It's gotta be.

Yummy sugarcubes and bonbons. How cute would these be on display for a tea party celebration for a little girl.......or a big girl? Oh, see, now that I've said it, I want a tea party. Add this to the list of things-I-didn't-have-when-I-was-little. Right up there with ballet lessons!

Brownie anyone? Yes, please. Yummy, yum, yum.

This is a fun lollipop box (that opens) that I recently purchased from her. Click the picture to see more detail and get a better look at the piped icing. I love the stick with the pink sugared ball on the end of it!

Well, guess what? One Hundred Wishes is the exclusive on-line retailer of this gorgeous hand-painted ribbonery confection! (besides Catherine's own shop, of course.) There are 4 candy-colored combinations at the moment, all fitting in nicely with the aesthetic of the shop. Click here to be tempted into buying some of your very own. I think the hardest part is deciding which color.

And, oh happy day, I found more unused vintage stock of paper lace. This is a narrower style than the spools I have been selling (but I still have those as well), and makes a snap out of trimming a package, creating a border, wrapping a box or edging a shelf. You get the idea.

This new paper lace is available is pretty pastels (yay!) and is sold in 6-yard bundles. Click here to see all 6 colors.

Happy Creating!

Pretty New Things

Finally! The Wendy Addison Collection has arrived! I ordered these beauties months ago, and it seems like I've been waiting for ages. The collection includes fanciful door swags, wall decorations, ornaments and a beautiful crown.....all dusted in silver German glass glitter. There's just something about Wendy's enchanting designs and the way they magically transform a space.

This heart is one of 5 ornament designs. The others include: a key (below), an anchor, a Fleur de lis and a horseshoe (also shown below). Each one has it's own little tag with a special sentiment.

I took one of these crowns out of inventory for myself right away. I think I may even add some ribbon streamers and millinery to it to really make it my own. (I have a hard time leaving well enough alone.)

Here is the key ornament (hanging on the pretty wallpaper pouch I bought from Lori).

This is the horseshoe ornament, which I am particularly fond of for some reason. I wish I could say it was because I have a horse or ride a horse, but I don't. I just like horseshoes and the good luck they symbolize.

In addition to the pieces I've shown here, there is a very large glittered skeleton key that hangs from a ribbon and also a large hanging Fleur de lis. Oh, and a "Merci" door swag! This collection is just delightful and very gift-able, if you're looking for something special. You can see it all here.

In other shop news, I am now ordering larger quantities of the Petite Paper Posies and am able to get a discount. This translates into a lower price for customers. They are now $5 a bouquet. I've added 2 new colors to the palette of posies, for a total of 10 yummy varieties.

The seam binding line-up has 6 new members. All 27 colors can be found right here.

Two beautiful new shades of German glass glitter have arrived: Copper Blush and Vintage Bronze. Found here.

The tulle family is happy to welcome Peach Powder Puff and Mint Julep. Perfect sherbet hues for spring and summer. See all 12 colors here.

Oh, and the Coccoina Colosso is in stock! The queen of all glue sticks. I took this picture to show the scale of all three sizes. As you can see, the Colosso is huge. It's the biggest glue stick I have ever seen, in fact!

hmmm....let's see.....what else......

Petite Leaf Trim is available in 4 new colors: white, bright green, gold and silver. They are here.

And just in time for Mother's Day, some sweet new Cupcake Trinkets!

There are several more items that I still have to photograph and upload. Time, my friends, is the only thing I'm lacking. I know it will all get done eventually, but I could get so much more accomplished if only I didn't require sleep! Hopefully, by next week I will have the rest of the merchandise on-line. That's the goal anyway......

I don't want to go without saying thank you for the birthday wishes! It was a lovely day. (and no, I did not polish off that cupcake myself!) {wink}

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Today is my birthday! To celebrate, I decided to bake myself a cake using the gigantic cupcake pan I bought a few months ago. This is one big cupcake, and with my husband out of town, I'd hate to think I have to eat the entire thing myself. Not to worry, Mario is a good cupcake eater too.....and some friends are stopping by so they can help me out as well.

It's 1:30 in the morning on April 22nd, officially my birthday, but also time for bed. Morning will be here too soon, but at least I'll have sweet dreams!

Happy Day!

A Hat Parade

I've been trying to carve out a path in my studio/craft room/dungeon so I can at least walk to my computer and back. It's gotten bad in there, girls. It's borderline dangerous. Things are falling from shelves and hitting me in the head. There are mountains of boxes, packing peanuts, tulle, paperwork (by the grace of God I got my taxes done this year), seam binding and far too many millinery flowers. I've got to get it cleaned and organized before George comes home from work and finds me stuck behind a fallen tower of Priority Mail boxes one of these days.

 

This weekend I took the first step. Well, the first step is admitting I have a problem. (and I do.) The second step is picking a place to start and actually starting. So, I started with the hats. I have old hats everywhere and still want to get them hung on the wall to free up precious shelf space. As I piled them all on the kitchen counter, I figured I might as well snap some photos to share with you here. They look so much prettier when they're not in amongst a disaster area! I placed each one on a cake plate since they remind me of fancy frou frou cakes.

 

Velvet berries are always a good thing (and I've actually got some berries to list in the shop soon).

 

Bought this one for $5.

 

Velvet strawberries. A favorite, of course. $10...no kidding! And I would've paid $80!

 

These enormous blooms are just begging to be taken off and used in art or shared with friends.

 

More scrumptious velvet berries.

 

I don't usually do too much blue, but I liked this one a lot. Nice floppy roses.

 

Pretty in white.

Tons of roses with velvet petals here.

Delicate strawberries. Lovely.

It's hard to resist pink velvet ribbon this wide!

Fun, flirty carnations.

Soft pretty whites.

More velvet berries.....this time in blue.

A very sweet hat that probably belonged to a young girl. My mom said older women wouldn't have usually worn a hat like this. I can't believe she didn't keep any of her flowered hats from the 60s!

Tattered and lovely.

Velvet pansies. This was one of the first hats I ever bought. I got it at the big flea market on 27th Street in NYC when I was in college. Sadly, I heard that flea is no longer there. It was fabulous.

This is loaded with miniature flowers studded with faux rhinestones.

The floppiest and most ready-to-fall-apart hat in the collection. One of my very favorites.

This elegant cloche hat was my Grandma's. I found it at the top of her closet when I was over there visiting last year. (note to my Grandma, who really does read my blog: Hi Grandma! Thank you again for the lovely hat. I will cherish it because I know you once wore it. Got anymore hiding in that house? Love to you and Grandpa. See you soon! ~ Andrea)

And finally, white flowers and puff balls. I keep this one in the foyer up on a bookshelf with some other white ones.

That concludes the hat parade! Hope you enjoyed the show. Sadly, they are all still sitting on my kitchen counter. I'm trying to figure out a proper way to display such lovely relics. Any suggestions?

On a different note, thank you for all the love on my previous post. You guys know how to cheer a girl right up. Thank you for your support. I am feeling much better and now I don't have to make a voodoo doll of the evil commenter and stick it with corsage pins. It's all good.

Making Pink Lemonade

Thank you to everyone who left a comment of support or said a prayer during this sad time. Your words and kindness were felt and so very much appreciated. I felt the compassion and sincerity in every comment and email I received. It was an awesome feeling to know so many people care. My friends are doing ok, just taking each day as it comes. The sun rises every day, and life continues. Sadly, it's not the same as before, but it continues nonetheless. Sometimes it would be nice if time could just stop (or even reverse) for a while, let us regroup, take a deep breath, figure some things out, and try and make sense of it all. But, it just doesn't work that way. And there is no sense to be made of this. No rationalization at all. But, I do know that the power of love is amazing, and the kindness of humanity is reassuring.

If anything positive can come out of a tragic circumstance like this one, I think it is the reminder that life is fragile and that people need people. At the funeral service, the pastor spoke about refocusing our lives. Focusing on the important things and showing kindness and compassion to others. It's true that something so small can make such a big difference in someone's day. Try to find something GOOD in everyone and in every situation, as difficult as that may be sometimes.

In this same vein, last week I encountered something negative, and I struggled to see the positive side of it. Someone left me an anonymous comment (which wasn't so anonymous) on a recent post saying hurtful, untrue things about me. I know there are always going to be people who feel the need to hide and shout nasty things from the sidelines, while covering their faces. It hurt my feelings, of course, but I knew it wasn't true. I know what I am, and I certainly know what I am not. I am honest. I try to do the right thing. I am not deceptive. I am not spiteful. I try to treat other people as I would like to be treated. I have been put in awkward situations, and I try to handle them with grace. Once in a while, something happens that shakes my faith in people. And then I realize it's just that one person or that one event, or whatever. Let it go, Andrea. Just let it be. There is nothing you can do about it. It's just a bad apple.

I guess that's the positive aspect right there: one bad apple makes all the other apples look so much shinier and better. It made me realize (even more than I already did) how many wonderful people are woven into the fabric that is my life. I am blessed and lucky and happy and loved. The one or two rotten apples are irrelevant in the scheme of things, ya know?

This blog is a place to share beauty, build friendships, and be happy! I could sit here and write about people who have done me wrong, deceived me, flat out lied to me....blah, blah, blah..... but this is not the place for any of that, and I won't let it become that place. I am focusing on good things, the positive things. The good stuff far outweighs the bad!

Petty nonsense does not live here.

Happy lives here.

Friends are always welcome here.

Beauty lives here.

If you read all the way to the end of this post......(thank you)...... I hope you will share my focus and spread a little kindness and try to see the good and the positive side of things. Be nice and think twice before uttering negative words. Take lemons and make lemonade....and better yet, make it PINK!

Life is too short. I know we all know this, but sometimes it takes a sad circumstance to put things back in focus.

I hope you have a happy weekend and get a chance to share a little joy with someone else! I'll be back very soon with lots of shop updates and pretty things to share with you!

Taking a Break

Hello Friends~

I wanted to let you know that I'll be taking a little break from blogging, at least for the coming week.

Dear friends of ours lost their son yesterday. He was just 17 years old and took his own life. It's beyond horrible and still a shock. Ryan was such a sweet kid with a big heart. Having no family here in Virginia, they have become our family. We all get together to celebrate birthdays, holidays and just to have fun for no reason at all. My Mario adored Ryan, and Ryan loved to play with him and make him laugh. I am dreading the next time Mario asks me, "Mama, where's Ryan?"

As a mother, my heart aches for my dear friend Deirdre. I cannot begin to imagine the depth of her pain. He was her only child and her whole world. I am planning to be with her as much as possible to offer support and just to be there. What greater loss could there ever be than the loss of your child?

If you pray, would you mind saying a prayer for them? They need all the help they can get to begin the very slow and painful process of healing and finding peace. Thank you.

Hugs,
Andrea

This Italian Girl.....

....loves this Italian glue!

That's why I have expanded the Coccoina assortment at One Hundred Wishes! I'm so excited about this because, as you know, my Italian heritage is a very meaningful part of my life. I think it's fitting that I can offer you more of this wonderful product line from Italy. I love the way the almond scented glue sticks smell, the way all of these glues work and the fact that they are non-toxic and solvent free. Several people have asked me how to pronounce the name of the company. It's coco-ee'-na (said in your best Italian accent of course.....)

This is the new Liquid Glue Tube with a soft-tip applicator. It's perfect for gluing Dresden and other small or delicate papers into place.

The Liquid Glue is also available in this larger size. You can't really tell from the photo below, but this tube is the size of a large toothpaste tube. It's got a big spongy applicator top that makes it suitable for gluing larger surfaces like wallpaper, sheet music, etc.

And.....how cute is this?
The new Coccoina Bambina!  (a catchy little name I gave it that I think is pretty swell.) It's a miniature version of the original glue stick and is the size of a lipstick. It's just so darn cute.

   

In fact, I love this little size so much I've decided to include a free Coccoina Bambina Glue Stick in every order placed during the month of April! How's that for love? And, never fear, if you placed an order yesterday or the day before, or any day in April, I've got ya covered. It's in the box already. A treat you didn't even know you were getting. That's the best kind!

There is also a larger size coming soon. It's a big fat jumbo glue stick. Same delicious scent. It should be arriving any day now.

This glue stick promotion will run all month long at One Hundred Wishes. If you're itching to try this product, now's your chance to get a free one with your order! Click here to view the entire Coccoina collection.

Ciao Bella! 

Paper Relics at One Hundred Wishes

I'm happy to announce that One Hundred Wishes is now stocking the delightful vintage-inspired greeting card collection by Paper Relics! Many of you are familiar with Hope Wallace and her unique designs. She draws inspiration from antique images and old typography, but the real magic happens when her creative imagination soars and the beautiful designs come to life.

In the shop, you will find 15 greeting cards to choose from as well as 2 styles of flat note card sets. The Thank You Very Much card (shown below left) is brand new and currently available exclusively at One Hundred Wishes (through mid-April).

Collage Sheets are also available in 4 different designs. The one below is my personal favorite. I love those ruffles and all the frilly fashion details!

This wonderful collection is such a welcome addition to my shop's assortment. It fits the bill perfectly, and is what One Hundred Wishes is all about: vintage style, fancy goods, high quality and an eye for detail.

{Stop back Friday for even more exciting news! New products are arriving daily, and the shelves in the studio are bursting. Curious? See you Friday......}