Seeking Everyday Beauty & Velvet Strawberries

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.

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.

Oh, and One More Thing.....

.....I wanted to show you. I  found this pretty little thing during my craft store spree last weekend. It is a glass-front curio/shadow box case with a hinged door and glass knob. It's intended to be hung on a wall, but I knew as soon as I saw it that it would make a fabulous jewelry box! I bought two.....one sits on my dresser in the bedroom and this one is in my studio sorting out vintage jewelry that will be re-created into pieces for my Found Object jewelry and Bundles of Baubles. (goodies coming in April!)

With a glass top and divided sections, it makes perfect sense as a storage case, don't you think? You can see it all at a glance, yet it won't get dusty from being uncovered.

Here are some pieces up close. Onyx Beauties and Pearly Girls.

Sparkly Bits.

Old Buckles.

Pretty Favorites.

Shining Strands.

Functional and beautiful......I needed that.

Sorry about the glare from the glass here. I couldn't get a shot without it, but I wanted you to see the cabinet in it's entirety.

The box is at Michael's and is still 40% off girls!

Bits of Beauty

I've had a rough couple of days. Nothing major and certainly nothing that most mothers don't go through at some point. Just a major lack of sleep and not knowing if Sam is getting enough to eat and wondering why he seems to cry 24/7. I have so much to do and the days seem to slip by. Am I doing something wrong? I'm not sure. I could cry at any given moment and feel like soaking in a bubble bath for a week straight. No phones, no computer, no cooking, no obligations. Just quiet stillness.

So, to cheer myself up a bit, I walked around the house and started snapping pictures of my favorite little bits. My everyday beauty. I don't do this often enough. I love our home and all of the little things inside of it. These small things make me smile. As I sifted through the pictures I took, I found that most of them had flowers in them. My eye is just drawn in that direction I guess. I'm certainly ready for Spring flowers. This non-daylight savings crap is for the birds! I need sunshine and light and longer days.

This is an old mirror on the wall in the foyer. My mom and I never visit each other empty handed. She brought this for me when she came out in October for Sam's birth. It's one of my very favorites.

The picture above was random luck. I was rearranging things on some nearby shelves and had set everything on the buffet while I dusted the shelves off. I glanced over at the buffet and thought to myself, "this looks like a table at a flea market." I loved this vignette I had created purely by accident. I almost didn't want to put everything away!

This is my mom as a child. And some old barrettes I've gathered along the way.

Just a beautiful old corsage. The faded colors are to die for.

This old aqua hatbox was found hiding at the top of my grandma's closet when I visited her last summer. She always asks me to come over and go through her things and take whatever I'd like. There are some really cool old things hiding in that house. She also gave me most of these old beaded cocktail rings (below). They sit on this porcelain hand on my dresser.

So, there you have the nickel tour of some of my favorite things. There are lots more, maybe for another rainy day. Thanks for "listening" to my ramblings. Tomorrow is a new day and hopefully a better one. So, does anyone want to come over and cook dinner?

Pieces of My World

I thought I would share with you some of my favorite little nooks, objects, and vignettes in and around my studio space. The space is small and has been transformed from strictly being a studio into the place where I not only create, but also keep all of the inventory for One Hundred Wishes, pack up all of the orders, and do all things computer-related. It's pretty much bursting with "stuff", but it works for me....for now at least.

This is the little area on my desk where I pack up orders and write thank you notes to customers. I got the silver trophy cup (which is full of shiny paper clips) over at Heather's beautiful shop, The Present Past.

This floppy pink flower is my absolute favorite old millinery flower ever. It's cotton, which isn't as common as you'd think. I love that it's a bit tattered and even a bit dusty, if you will. It's pinned to a lampshade (which I think I've shown you before) that sits on my computer desk.

Here is a glittered star mobile from Wendy Addison's collection. It hangs above the table where I do art. It has really tarnished over time, as the stars were shiny silver when I bought this piece last year. I love all of her things, and will soon be carrying them at One Hundred Wishes! I have a just a couple items coming for the Christmas sesaon, but will be adding several more after the first of the year!

 

Some old buttons find their home in an antique sewing machine drawer. And a cute old Frozen Charlotte girl and boy stand by.

This little boy looks like someone who could easily be a member of my family. I had to have this cabinet card when I saw it in a shop a while back. It makes me sad that it ended up in a dusty box at an antique shop. I always ask myself, "Who was he/she?" when I see these old photos.

And lastly, a box of Dresdens all lined up (part of the shop's inventory).

Well, I'm off to get some dinner. George has a late night at work, so I'm thinking Chinese take-out sounds good! Bye for now, friends!

Garland of Goodies and a Winner!

Well, that was quite a party yesterday! It was fun to see what everyone posted about, all the different tutorials and giveaways that were going on in Blogland.

I'm glad so many of you seemed to like the Garland of Goodies. I received several emails requesting  instructions.  (If you're just tuning in I'm referring to yesterday's post, so you'll need to scroll down for photos.) It's really simple. Here's what you do:

Start with your desired length of large pom pom trim. I got mine in the home dec. dept. of JoAnn's and cut it to a yard and a half. Then, gather all your goodies together. Like anything, it looks more pulled together if you stick with a theme or color palette. In this case, it was vintage and pinks, blues, and creams. You can use old cabinet cards, jewelry, millnery flowers, initials, ornaments, birds, and whatever else you dream up.

All you have left to do is hang your goodies on the garland. I used several mini metal drapery clips. I was lucky to find a bunch of pink ones a year or two ago. I've never seen them again. You can find off-white, black, brass and silver at Bed, Bath & Beyond or Linens N Things. Use the smallest size you can find. One end is a clip and the other end is a hook with a ring. Remove thre ring and simply hook the hardware through the loop on the pom pom trim and clip your treasure to the other end. You could also use a ribbon to tie an object on or perhaps an old clip-on earring! There are no rules really. The little metal hangers you see in the picture below were purchased at Character Constructrions. They're the sweetest little things and make a photo look so special! Hope these instructions are clear. Let me know if you have questions. I actually considered selling these in my shop, but they would be pretty pricey once you add up the cost of all of the trinkets. We'll see....maybe some special holiday garlands would be fun.

And now for the winner of yesterday's drawing..........................a Big Congratulations goes out to

Jessi, I'll send you an email today and get the Garland of Goodies in the mail asap! Congrats!

Ok, I'm signing off for today. Tomorrow, I'll post a shop update with restocked items! Finally!

 

Pink-Ness

I finally finished a custom order I've been working on and thought I'd share a few peeks. The customer wanted a round hanging piece with her adorable daughter's photo. It's very similar to the one I made of George and I on our wedding day.

She also ordered some cakes and hats and a basket full of other goodies. She asked me to create several items but with very few guidelines. She said she loves pink and her daughter is a dancer so that was easy!

These babies are shipping out today, and then I'll take a break from custom orders and swaps and all that good stuff until I get the website finished. I'm still hopeful for the beginning of July, but I'll let you know here first!

I'll leave you with these thoughts.....

Well, friends, we're leaving in the morning to go camping. In the mountains. In a tent. With a 2 year old. And a pregnant mama. Ah, yes, the things I do for my husband. He is so unbelievably excited about this trip. I didn't have the heart to tell him no. So, forward march. I'll be sure and take lots of pictures and share the stories on Monday when we return.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share some visual inspiration with you. This is my new inspiration board that hangs above the computer desk I'm sitting at right now. Got my Chick-Fil-A iced tea and a Snicker's bar here too. It's been one of those days......went to Old Navy to get some play clothes for the trip and somehow Mario managed to fill his diaper and then some. And I had just changed him before we left the house. He leaked all over the cart, his pants were soaked, I was even wet. It was dripping onto the floor. Lovely indeed. Ran out to the car to change him only to realize I had just used the last of the baby wipes cleaning up his mess from lunch. Ran back into Old Navy, asked for some paper towels, had to buy a pair of shorts for him since his were drenched.....meanwhile he's cranky the entire time.....you get the picture. He's sleeping now. All's well that ends well I guess. Anyway..................

I got way off track there. This  inspiration board was a Mother's Day gift. Been wanting one for a long time. Years actually. I never had the wall space in the tiny room I used to call my studio. Now that I've moved my menagerie downstairs into the old office, I've got a big wall that was crying out for this piece!

Notice the gorgeous fabric cone I just bought from Ruth Rae. It is exceptional. And full of lavender wands. The pictures don't do it justice. I can't even believe how much work went in to creating this piece.

Everything else is just "stuff" I love for one reason or another. It's so nice to glance up and see this collection of some of my favorite things. I'm sure this will be ever-changing.  I'll probably add or remove things every other day, knowing me. Constantly changing things around.

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend. Let us not forget the true meaning of the holiday. In this house, we never forget. My husband is a former U.S. Marine and one of the most patriotic people I've ever met. He always reminds me that freedom is not free, and thousands of men and women have died fighting for it. I bought a red poppy pin from the little old man outside the grocery store today. A WWII veteran. So sweet and so proud of his service to our country. This weekend, take just a second to remember......

Happy Memorial Day!

Studio Not-So-Close-Up

Many of you have written to me asking to see pictures of my studio that are not so close-up. For some reason, I tend to take close pictures rather than pictures of the overall room. Not sure why. Anyway, I walked in here today and took these pictures. I didn't change a thing. My desk is covered in supplies, glitter and scraps. The room is a mess, but that's pretty much the daily reality of it all!

Here is my desk. I got it from Target.com and just love it. It's functional and quite long. I manage to find a way to cover nearly every square inch with "stuff", and end up with hardly any work space. But, anyway.... it's a great desk. Affordable too. The chair came from a garage sale. It was already pink, I just recoverd the seat.

I have a shelf with pegs which I use to hang various ribbons. I also have my little collection of sentiment china cups up there. One says "A present". One says "Forget Me Not". The third one says "Love the Giver". I never pass one up when I see them at a flea market or antique shop (unless it's priced outrageously). The lamp there is ugly as heck, but priceless in that it gives off true light, not the golden glow you get from standard light bulbs.

See my paper trimmer down there on the left? Love it. I used the little grey Fiskars one for years and it finally just had to go. It was no longer capable of cutting a straight line. This one is from Tonic Studios. Got it at my local scrapbook store. Guillotine cutting blade. It's the way to go.

These shelves are from IKEA. They were made for 12x12 paper racks. We were shopping there a few years ago and my husband was the one who spotted them and thought they would work well. Up until that point I had stacks of paper on the floor!

More IKEA shelving. I used tension rods to hold spools of ribbon. It works well and there is still room for baskets of ribbon underneath the rods. My name is Andrea Singarella and I am a ribbon addict.

And this is just a favorite little wall area. I bought the art from Sally Jean at the Art and Soul Retreat. Then I just framed it. The credit for the banner goes completely to Pam Garrison. I made it, but she certainly inspired it. I bought her banner kit at Christmas time, and made one that says Buon Natale (Merry Christmas in Italian) which I tucked into the top of my tree. I wanted to make more, so I gathered what I could find and improvised on the rest to create this one. My friends Dana and Pam made similar ones too. We had a girls luncheon here at my house and crafted  these afterwards. I was sweeping up glass glitter for weeks. Definitely fun though!

Well, that's it for now. Not the best pictures, but you get the idea. I'll post more some other time. I still have more shelves and my sewing table and other things on the walls to share with you. There are more pictures (really good ones) of my studio being featured in an upcoming issue of an art zine. I'll post details here when I know more specifics.

I love peeking into other peoples' creative space. Many of you probably have this book, but if not....you're gonna want it. It features pages and pages of inspiring craft rooms. Carolyn Westbrook's is my favorite. Hers happens to be on the cover of the book.  Just beautiful.

Pansies and the Studio!

I love pansies. Essential spring flowers for me. They're sitting atop the table out on the deck. I think we'll eat out there tonight and enjoy this beautiful weather.

Ok, so the studio is slowly but surely coming together. Here are a few little snapshots.

Some wallpaper rolls on top of shelves of scrapbook paper. Gotta love IKEA.

Old velvety flowered hats. I've been collecting old hats since I was in high school. They seemed a lot easier to come by back then. And cheaper too!

This is an old bowl that has become a catch-all for scraps, ribbon, flowers, etc. The pink box was actually the favor at our wedding. It's filled with ivory Jordan almonds (an Italian tradition to symbolize the bitter and the sweet in life). My mom and I assembled over 200 of these tiny treats!

You never know when you might need a leaf....

I have no idea what this is supposed to be used for. It works out well for hanging different little things. Here is a  hanging cone favor I made along with some ribbons, a rosary I got in Vatican City and a great old sequin butterfly.

Ok, I better go make dinner. The dreaded question....what to make?

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!