Seeking Everyday Beauty & Velvet Strawberries

Gifted & Grateful

Occasionally, a sweet customer or blog reader will send an email asking for my address, saying they have a little something they would like to send my way. Of course, I am happy to oblige....who doesn't love to receive fun, unexpected gifts in the mail?! These girls were so thoughtful and kind to think of me, and I wanted to share some of the wonderful surprises that have landed on my doorstep recently.

This incredible necklace is a gift from a sweet new friend, Muguette. She creates gorgeous beaded gemstone jewelry and sells her pieces (and more) in her etsy shop, aptly named Muguette Renee. The beads on this necklace are Chalcedony and Petal Pearls. So delicate and stunning. I just love it and have worn it several times already. She also decorated a large matchbox and stuffed it full of trinkets, charms and beads found on her travels around the world. A girl after my own heart! Thank you so much, Muguette!

Sweet Tiffany from Shabby Scraps Boutique, sent this jumbo-size wool strawberry pin cushion in the prettiest pink and green sherbet colors I could ever dream up. How cute is this? I was practically squealing when I opened the box! I photographed it next to some berries I took off of a purse so you could see the difference in scale. It's huge. Pink, pale green, strawberry, seed pearls, what's not to love? It's hanging on my inspiration board in my studio/office, and it makes me smile every time I see it. Thank you Tiffany!

One of my dear customers, Kathryn, emailed me and said," I have something I need to send you. It was meant for you". She found this purple velvet strawberry-covered sewing basket at a yard sale! Can you imagine? The top is covered in berries and there are some more on the front. Love that green velvet ribbon trim too. She filled it with matching purple and green vintage trims, seam binding, rick rack, an olive green cloth tape measure (love!) and a hot pink leather journal.

Here's the front. It's meant to be a sewing basket, but could definitely be carried as a purse.  Thank you Kathryn! You know I love this!

A big thank you hug to each of you for thinking of me and sending such thoughtful mailbox surprises. I'm so grateful and will truly cherish these pretty gifts!

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.

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?

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!

Necessary Strawberries

For some reason, I feel it is my duty to let you know when a new velvet strawberry-related treasure makes its way into my world. I mean, after all, as the name of this blog suggests, I am seeking them. So it's only right that I share what I have sought (and found or otherwise received) with you, my dear readers.

This glorious purse was a gift, actually, from someone very special.  I was pleased as punch, as you can well imagine! I needed a black one. Really, I did. As much as I adore pastels and muted colors in general, I do wear an awful lot of black. It just looks better on me with my dark hair and olive skin. So, this was a necessary addition to the collection. (note to husband: Really, George, it was necessary.)

Oh, you don't know how badly I want to snip all of these berries off and use them in some other way, somewhere around the house or in an artful creation of some sort. I would never do it though. And how about the fabulous pea pods? Come on. I'd like to meet the very patient person that made this purse and hand sewed every last seed pearl onto these berries. I would hire her (or him) to make some just for me. Hundreds of them. I would pay darn good money! I just reread this paragraph. Gosh, I sound like a lunatic, but I do love this purse.

{missing memory card status: still missing.  I have begun re-shooting pictures of the sweets and hope to have them on-line by Monday at the latest.

It's Little. It's Lovely. It Lights!

Hello?

Yes, this is Andrea.

What? My voice sounds different? Well, I am talking on my swell new Princess Phone! It was a birthday gift from my friend Nicole.

You'd like one too? Well, just click here and get one of your very own! Talk to you soon.....

Apparently, I like Princess Phones more than I realized......I've been picking up these little ditties at flea markets for a quite a while now. They were promotional key chains that were given out in the early 1960's when every teenage girl had a Princess Phone. My mom had a pink one! Can you believe she didn't keep it??!!

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! 

32

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.

Simply Soldered

Surprises are always nice. Someone apparently entered my name in a secret drawing on Terri's website, and I won!  This beautiful necklace is my prize. It's a soldered charm incorporating a vintage glass letter from 1930's era Germany on an antique paper background. You know I've got a thing for "A" charms and have a collection of them on a charm bracelet. I think I might keep this one on the fabulous chain though. It's a unique ball chain, don't you think? Thank you to whoever entered me in the contest! If you're interested, you can get a necklace with the initial of your choice right here.

And speaking of soldering, I'm getting excited for an upcoming retreat. My friend Lisa and I are heading to Art and Soul in Hampton, VA to take a class with Sally Jean in May. I took one of Sally's classes a couple of years ago and learned how to make her amazing Vintage Vessels. I've made a few more since then. This is one of my favorites.

Lisa and I can't wait for this getaway. We both have a toddler and a baby and wonderful husbands who can handle the kids for the weekend (we hope). We're heading south and, Honey, we may just keep on driving! It wouldn't be the first time. Years ago we (mostly she) drove from Ohio to southern Florida (no short jaunt) to see some guy named George.......who turned out to be my husband! Oh, the things we do for love!

Lisa was the person who taught me how to solder. The girl can solder anything to anything. If you sit still long enough, she may just solder you to your chair. She's got a new etsy shop filled with all of her whimsical glass creations. There are mermaids and party hats and wands, all with an incredible amount of detail. I cannot even begin to imagine how to solder all of these mermaid components together!

Here's one of her fancy party hats. Isn't it sweet? This one already sold, but there are several more to choose from. Wouldn't this be cute for a little girl's birthday gift? These hats are 2 dimensional, meant to be hung on the wall, not worn, of course.

She makes it all look so effortless, but trust me, it's not! I still fumble with trying to solder jump rings onto charms every single time I do it. I finally ordered one of these "extra hands". It should make it a bit easier. Extra hands. Now wouldn't that be something.

Well, I'm off to pack up some more orders and clean up the studio. Tomorrow my friend Hope is coming over to play! Yippee! And speaking of Hope......check back this week for a new surprise at One Hundred Wishes.