Everyday Beauty

4 Sweet Birds {and 1 poor fern}

Aren't they sweet? There are 4 little birdies in this nest, even though it looks like one bird and a pile of fluff. Every year I hang ferns from hooks on our front porch. And every year I see the beginnings of a nest forming in them. I just take the ferns down for a few days and place them on ground level, hoping the birds will build a nest in someone else's hanging basket! I was late this year, though, and when I went to water my ferns a few weeks ago there were 4 teeny blue eggs already in a nest. Of course, I wasn't about to disturb the precious eggs, and we've been keeping them safe ever since. (But, I gotta tell ya, it's killing me to NOT water this poor fern and see the ugly brown leaves hanging from my porch!)

We had a terrible, windy storm a week or so ago, and I knew the fern would get blown right off the hook, probably cracking all of the eggs. So, I crawled out of bed and went outside to put the plant (with nest inside) someplace safe. I hung it back up in the morning, and thankfully Mama Bird wasn't upset. She's been in there feeding the 4 little mouths and keeping them from harm's way.

Mario thinks they're his own personal pets, and asks to see them about 62 times a day. I can't get over how quickly they've grown. One of these days I'll open the front door to check on them, and they will have all flown away, leaving their little nest behind. I'll miss the little loves when they're gone.

For now, I'll keep an eye on these sweet birdies and hope they all survive.....and when they fly away, I'm heading straight to the nursery to get another fern!

Meet Stella Pearl

I have always wanted a vintage dress form. I majored in Fashion Merchandising and was surrounded by them at college, but I could never find one that I loved at the right price, so I kept searching. Well, on Mother's Day, George surprised me big time when I came downstairs to find one standing in the family room! I was shocked and so excited. He knew how long I'd been wishing for one, and had heard me talk about must-have details like the "cage" at the bottom and cast iron feet on casters. He figured I wanted a beige one (I did), but couldn't find one in excellent condition, so he bought a black one, hoping that some beige paint would fix her right up. The thought of him heading to The Old Luckett's Antique Store on his lunch hour and searching for a dress form for me is about the sweetest thing I can think of, a gift in and of itself!

I took the old girl outside and sprayed her with an entire can of primer. I followed Heather Bullard's faux painting instructions, and painted and antiqued Miss Stella until she was to my liking. I am so happy with the way she turned out!

Next, it was time for the fun part.....draping her in all manner of fun and pretty embellishments. Seriously, if I'd spend half this much time getting myself ready in the morning, I'd look like a million bucks!

First I draped my mom's old cloth tape measure around her shoulders. It was the one my mom used in her high school sewing class, and I've always thought it needed to be displayed on a dress form.

I added lots of old pearls and baubles around her neck. The star seemed appropriate since Stella means star in Italian. I continued (someone, stop me!) with some old lace and this very favorite pink -flowered Bakelite necklace that my friend Dana gave to me. (I spied it in her craft room, and went nuts over it. She, being the generous soul that she is, insisted that I take it home. Thank you Dana!)

Then, I made a velvet ribbon belt and fitted it with a vintage rhinestone buckle.

I added some vintage chandelier crystals to her "skirt". I thought she needed some pink garter clips, too.

Here's a picture of her feet.

It's hard to see the details on the iron, but they are so pretty. I've been wheeling her around trying to figure out where to put her. It looks like the nook in the foyer is the place. I'd rather have her in my studio/office/shop warehouse, but there is just no room at the moment. Time for another round of cleaning and reorganizing, I think....

Here she is before and after her makeover. Isn't it amazing what a little paint will do?

Stella Pearl Singarella in all her finery! My favorite Mother's Day gift ever.

Speaking of Millinery....

I've just stocked the shop with lots of lovely blossoms! I managed to get about half of them listed, and I will work on the rest of them later this week or next week. These flowers are made the old-fashioned way. All of the stems are wrapped, and the petals are made of velvets, cottons, and organdy. The company that makes them has been in the millinery industry for over a century, creating the same flowers for decades. I think you'll love them! There are beautiful cotton roses and carnations.....

....this pink and green velvet blossom which I love to pieces......

....these soft, colorful velvets in pretty and unusual shapes....

...and some flat medallion-shaped posies, available in 4 colors. Click here to see all of the new millinery blossoms. I've divided The Millinery section into sub-categories since it is ever-expanding. This should make it easier to navigate through the site.

There is so much newness to share with you. I will be photographing, editing and listing items throughout the next few weeks, so keep your peepers open for fun happenings at One Hundred Wishes! I'm still finishing up all of the details for the new look, and don't really have a definitive date for you. It's looking like mid-July, but who knows! I'm not stressing over it, just taking my time and making sure the details are all in place. Enjoying the process, as they say......

Wishing you all a happy day! 

My Vintage Passion

George, the boys and I spent Sunday afternoon walking through the streets of downtown Fredericksburg. It was such a beautiful day to casually stroll through town together. I forgot my camera though. Darnit, I keep doing that! We had lunch at one of our favorite spots in town. It's locally-owned and fresh, fresh, fresh. They bake their own bread for sandwiches and squeeze fresh lemons to make lemonade. Simple things that make all the difference in the world. We asked each other the same question we always ask when we go there. "Why isn't this place more crowded? Why would people rather go to a chain restaurant or grab fast food?" A mystery, indeed.

Our downtown area is laced with antique shops and interesting little boutiques that beckon from the street. George waited so patiently (thank you, darling!) while I popped into a few of them. I found several old hats and trimmings for a song. Couldn't pass those up! I did pass up a lot of other things that I would have probably grabbed in the past. I'm trying to really be selective with my vintage purchases. Asking myself, Do I really love this? Do I have a place for it? Does it go with my aesthetic?  Does anyone else find themselves doing this lately? How much stuff do we really need? Clearing out the clutter is a wonderful feeling, but it seems there's no point in doing it if we're just going to turn around and fill the house again. When is enough enough? This is the way I've been feeling lately. Being selective. Choosing only that which I truly believe is useful or beautiful.

I'm going to bet that my husband doesn't think old hats are useful or beautiful, but I sure do! Since high school, millinery hats and trims have been one of my passions (purses and jewelry being the other two big ones). I always scoop them up when they're priced right. I can pass up a lot of cool old things, but millinery is not one of them! So, what about you? Are you feeling the need to be more selective lately? Do you tend to seek out specific vintage items when you're treasure hunting? What's your vintage passion?

Late Night Crown Crafting

I decided to stay up later than usual last night, poured myself a big glass of iced tea, and did some crafting. Remember when I showed you the new Wendy Addison collection in my shop and mentioned in this post that I wanted to embellish the star crown? Well, 2 months later, I finally did!

Here's the crown in it's pure form, before I gave it the Vegas makeover. I didn't really know what I wanted to do with it, but I decided to use only vintage materials and figure it out as I went along.

I started by wrapping the black metal form with torn strips of basic muslin fabric. (The fabric was the only non-vintage bit.) Then, around the bottom, I attached an old white floral headpiece I have had sitting around for a few years. Happy to finally give it a proper home!

Next, I fired up my trusty glue gun and began adding old pearl earrings, velvet posies and delicate lace. Nothing too time-consuming. If you can squeeze a glue gun, you can do this too.

The center star had to be different, but I was stumped. Then I spotted this old pearl thing. I say thing because I don't know what it was used for, but it's been collecting dust around here for a long time. I made a pink velvet ribbon rosette to place behind the pearl thing. Next, I added some crystals to it and glued the center part of a chipped beaded earring in the middle. I glued a rhinestone earring to the top tip of the star and added the fluffy tissue paper pom pom flower (thanks Holly!) as the final touch.

Finally, I threaded a length of old beige lace through the holes in the back. This was such a quick and easy little project. The subtle colors are comfort colors for me, and I think I'll wear this for a little pick-me-up when I'm feeling blue. How could you not smile with a pretty crown on your head?

Happy Weekend Wishes!

Advertising Debut

I have goosebumps.

This is a picture of the very first print ad for One Hundred Wishes!

It's in the Summer issue of Somerset Life, which hits newsstands around July 1. Some of you with published work may have already received your copy in the mail. I'm so pleased with the way the ad turned out! When I went to the mailbox and saw it sitting there, I raced inside to scour the pages, as excited as a child opening a birthday present.

Running national ads was a big decision for me, but I knew it was the next step in my business plan. It's thrilling to flip through the magazine and see an ad for a store that I have worked so darn hard to create and nurture. Blood, sweat and tears, Baby! Literally. (the blood was really just a few paper cuts, but still.....) It is a dream fulfilled, and is still a bit surreal.

I mentioned before that Hope and I are in the middle of creating a new look for One Hundred Wishes. It is not complete yet, but soon. I wouldn't say that it's a drastic change, but it will definitely look fresh and different. The funny part is that I had to meet a deadline to submit this ad (and another one that is upcoming), and the logo and overall design were not finished. I thought they would have been done in time, but things always take longer than I expect. So, long story short, the logo you see in this ad is not the new logo. It was one of many incarnations, but not the final one. Ah, the joy of my indecision!

Here's a copy of the cover. It's a fantastic issue, and I am seriously inspired by and loving this publication  more with each issue I read. Eye candy and creativity are pouring from the pages. Lots of blog girls in here too! Anyway.....I wanted to share my excitement with someone. George is out of town, and Mario is not exactly interested in my news! But I thought that all of you kindred spirits who have supported me and my shop and watched it grow from a seed would like to share in this next little step of my journey. Thank you all for your continued support!

xo andrea

Trinkets & Charmings & Baubles & Jewels

The Baubles & Jewels section of One Hundred Wishes has gotten some much-needed attention. I just added 3 new Found Object Charm Bracelets to the shop. I hope you like them. I wanted to make even more, but I'm happy to have at least these for now. I am also working on a collection of other jewelry designs made of old treasures. More on that fun stuff later....

Vintage Baubles are restocked with pretty flea market treasures.

The all new Trinkets & Charmings page is loaded with delightful charms, stampings, and cabochons. They're fun, inexpensive and sold by the piece. A bit like penny candy.

I wasn't able to get all of the beautiful new millinery flowers uploaded yet, and since it is Father's Day weekend, I will wait until next week. I want to spend a relaxing weekend with my husband and children, and get away from the computer. I'll be back next week with the rest of the NEW!

Happy Weekend to all!

A Blissful Visit

A trip to Ohio isn't complete anymore without a visit to The Blissful to chat with Abby and do a little shopping. I honestly have never seen a retail environment quite like The Blissful. Beautiful finds and creative displays tempt at every turn. As if that's not enough, they've got the sale of the century going on right now, which makes it even more difficult to pass up the goodies. Here are some of the things I bought.

Carved rose rings in pretty summer colors.

An "A" Charm to wear on a chain.

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Oh boy, I fell hard for this White Devil's Tote Bag with it's soft cotton ruffles. It's the perfect bag for lazy summer days. This tote is also available in their on-line boutique. Just click here. {but hurry, they already sold out once!}

Do you see that cool metal vintage-looking hanger up there? Just lookie here:

It folds in half! What a great display piece this will make. I'm lovin' it.

 

I'm lucky to have family just a few miles from Abby's shop. It's just so fun to meet other bloggers and shop owners in person. Getting to know other women with similar tastes and interests is a good thing!

I'm looking forward to meeting many of you at Silver Bella this year. Can't wait for that! I've also got a trip to NYC planned with Hope this August. Hopefully, we can meet up with Nancy, Chiara and Catherine. Then, in September, my mom and I are planning to take a mini trip to the Country Living Fair in Columbus. I know Kara and Darcy will be there peddling their beautiful wares. I'm really looking forward to meeting them and others.

Ok, I'm off to clean the house now, (exciting, I know) but will be back on Friday or Saturday with the shop update I promised. Bye for now, my friends!

Flea Market Loot

We had a fun, relaxing time in Ohio visiting family, eating great food and flea marketing! What else is there in life? Here are some of the treasures I came home with. Aren't these ribbon colors gorgeous? I could just stare at them and get inspired to make something cheerful and beautiful.

An old hat with favorite floppy roses with velvet petals.

Some lucky-to-have-found-them bits of jewelry, award pins, and charms. Interesting and old and perfectly perfect.

More old junque I love. Coveting the rhinestone star pin.

This is a picture of the boxes my mom and I sift through to find these goodies. Dirty and dusty and tangled, but fun and exciting too. This is only a fraction of the boxes that this seller has. It would really take hours to get to it all. After a while, our eyes start to cross and it all begins to look the same. I'm always looking out for orchid brooches for my mom's collection, and she's always keeping her eyes peeled for old pearls, cameos and rhinestones for me. We make a good hunting and gathering team.

I also visited Abby at The Blissful while I was in town. Love. That. Shop. I'll share those fun goodies later this week!

I Keep Meaning to Tell You...

....about the category shifting that has taken place at One Hundred Wishes. If you've shopped there lately, you have probably noticed a few tiny changes.

I've been anxious to let you in on a secret: I am in the middle of a entire site redesign! The business has evolved and it's time for a change. The whole new look (I'm so excited I can't stand it!) will be unveiled by the end of June. Hope and I have been crazy busy trying to get everything just so. We will likely end up taking the entire shop off of the server to make the changes and test everything before reopening. In the meantime, just a few quick things:

1} German Dresden are now in the "Vintage Paper Goods" section (even though they are not vintage, just vintage-inspired)

2}  Millinery flowers are now in the "Fancy Notions" section. (makes sense, right?)

3}  For those of you looking for my vintage wallpaper parcels, I will no longer be carrying them. I still have dozens of rolls of vintage wallpaper, but it takes me days to measure, cut, package and tie up all of these wallpaper parcels. That precious time just needs to be spent in other ways now. I do love old wallpaper and was happy to share my collection with so many of you who love it too.

4} I purchased the domain www.100wishes.com. So, now you can type either that URL or the original one {www.onehundredwishes.com}, and you will end up at the shop either way!

5} Umm.... I think that's it for now. Although I feel like I am forgetting something. I'm sure I'll think of it eventually.

The photo above shows some of the new Trinkets & Charmings that will be for sale NEXT Friday. Just a pretty little picture to share with you for now......

OH! And I found the missing memory card at the bottom of a box of merchandise. Happy Day!