Everyday Beauty

Dino & Harry

I added a Playlist of some of my favorite Christmas tunes over there in the right-hand column. {It's not set on auto-start, in case my favorite tunes are not your favorites as well. So, you have to click the play button to listen.} The lineup includes Dean Martin and Harry Connick, Jr., among others. What more does one need?! They can serenade me any day!

In my book, no one is a cool as Dino. The song Baby, It's Cold Outside is played over and over again in our house this time of year, and even Mario knows most of the words now. It's our little tradition that we play it whenever we're all in the car together. George and Mario sing the part sung by Dean Martin, and I sing the part sung by the women. We were a little rusty this year, but after a few rounds, we got our groove back.

If you have this CD, then you must have seen the picture inside the booklet where a very handsome Harry is dragging a Christmas tree through the forest. Oh my tinsel and stars!

I also added Celine Dion's version of O Holy Night, because I get teary-eyed every time I hear her belt out that final high note with such strength. It's amazing to me. And then there's always the classic and beautiful Ave Maria.

I'm always looking for more tunes to add to my holiday lineup. So please share with me, what's your favorite Christmas song?

My Christmas Colors

 

I had made a decision to decorate with only silver, gold and cream this Christmas....

And then I opened these boxes and changed my mind. I love the colors and all the chipped patina, and I simply cannot keep these beauties hidden in boxes!

 

I'm going to leave these 12 mini pink ones in the old Shiny Brite box and display it somewhere, just as it is. I think the box itself is an interesting little decoration.

 

Some other fun ornaments in pastel shades.

 

This vintage little lambie was found at the bottom of a box of junk at a flea market.

 

I don't know who I'm kidding thinking I'll only use silver, gold and cream. I'm bored now just thinking about it!

Repurposed Ruffles

 

Q: Do you know what this is?
A: A shower curtain turned tablecloth!

I had been thinking and thinking and thinking about what to use as a tablecloth for my Silver Bella vendor table. I have nothing in my tablecloth stash that includes a floor-length table skirt, so I knew I'd have to make something {somehow} to achieve the look I was going for.

It was serendipity when I stopped in to see Abby at The Blissful and remembered she carries these gorgeous white ruffled shower curtains {pictured below right}.

 

{photo from www.TheBlissful.com}

It was a light bulb moment. "This is it! I can make this into a table skirt!" After measuring, I knew I would need two of them. I made my purchase, chatted with Abby and was on my way. Once I got home, I filled the bathtub with very hot water and added 100 tea bags. {I bought the cheapest ones I could find... tagless, generic tea.} After the fabric had reached the desired shade of time-worm cream, I drained the tub, wrung out the enormous ruffles and threw them in the dryer.

Then, I began measuring and pinning and pinning and pinning. I should have take more pictures of the process, but I was on a roll and didn't want to stop! But, seriously, I think I used 200 pins.

 

I had to go buy a pack of heavy duty sewing machine needles and some extra-strong thread. This fabric is heavy, and working with it was not unlike wresting an alligator. Once I stitched all of the panels together to form the skirt, I sewed the skirt portion to the tabletop cloth {a cream tablecloth I already had}.

Several days, many pricked fingers and a few curse words later {forgive me}.....TA DA!

 

The best part is that my kitchen table is a 6 foot farm table, and the vendor tables for Silver Bella are also 6 feet long. So, I'll be able to use it at home too!  Here is it in our kitchen, just before I packed it up in a big box and shipped it off to Omaha. Whew. That's enough sewing for me for a while. But I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out!

Prom Pretty

 

I'm getting so excited about the Silver Bella Prom!  My friend Holly was sweet enough to let me borrow her fabulous flea-market-found vintage prom dress. Layers of pink poofy tulle and ruffles....what more could a girl want?

I've got a crinoline all fluffed up and ready to go, thanks to a friend of a friend who let me borrow one. I think I'm going to need an extra suitcase just for the gown and slip!

 

And I figured since this is The Prom, after all, I should go all out. I even have a sash to wear on vendor night!

 

Since the Miss America Pageant is not in my future {sadly}, this is surely the only time in my life I'll ever wear a sash. I just couldn't resist...

  

What fun we're all going to have at the prom! I can't wait to see what everyone wears and how the event unfolds. I'm sure Teresa has so many fun things in store!

Things I Accomplish When the Shop is Closed

 

This mini shop break I'm taking has been quite productive! Boy, did I ever need this time to regroup and recharge. I've been puttering around creating little vignettes in my home and studio. {something I could easily get carried away doing all day long if certain sweet little boys didn't keep me on track.}

It's been fun gathering trinkets to use in my Silver Bella workshops.

And I even baked Natalea's Chocolate Sheet Cake. {and unwisely ate 50% of the pan myself. It's so delicious, although not so good for the waistline...oh well! Yum is an understatement, girls.}

Been photographing lots of new items for One Hundred Wishes. Like this sneak peek below {which is my new favorite thing and I can't wait to show you!}:

And this:

And this:

And I've even been making jewelry. I know! It's been a while, huh?

And I crafted a couple little paper projects too.

 

There is still so much more to do this week, so I guess I'd better get busy!

Favorite Fabric Finds

  

I've been scooping up some pretty things in the form of fabric lately, and thought I would share my finds with you. I spotted this beautiful pillow in Teresa Sheeley's shop, and couldn't click fast enough to buy it. How great are those frayed ruffles and the tea-stained fabric? And then I spied these flour sack kitchen towels in her shop as well. Click, click. click, said my mouse!

 

I just love Teresa's style and her original designs.  Not to mention that my kitchen towels had seen better days, so I needed new ones anyway. If these don't inspire me to dry the dishes, I'm afraid nothing will.

The cheery fabrics below are from Tanya Whelan's Ava Rose collection. I bought them from Ruth at Sew Love Fabrics. They look so pretty and crisp all stacked up like this, I {almost} hate to use them.

 

But I think I'll take some of these to Silver Bella to embellish one of my fabric projects.

 

And for Sam, I found these incredibly cute bibs from Pearly Grey! All of the fabrics in this collection are vintage inspired. These are great quality bibs and they're nice and big to cover the messes that one-year-olds tend to make.

He wore the yellow and red 1950's party theme bib for his birthday party last weekend.

 

Sock monkeys! Too cute!

All of these goodies are from etsy shops. {just click the green links in this post to take a peek.}

Farmer's Market Bliss

Thanks for all the well wishes for our sniffles! We're feeling a little better these days and even spent Saturday morning at the local farmer's market. This is just a snippet of everyday beauty I wanted to capture with the camera and share with you all. Nature is amazing, no? These vibrant colors and earthy scents and delicious flavors....what more could we ask for?

Fig Bounty. I wish I had bought more than one container of these!

Having fun in the backpack carrier....

More freshness...

So much better than the produce at the grocery store. And cheaper. And no pesticides. Good stuff!

I hope you're all having a happy Monday!

For All You Biker Babes...

...who have emailed me wondering where I got my bike. Click here. I was amazed at the number of emails I got and am still getting inquiring about this bike. Several of you have already purchased one for yourself! How fun!

A couple things...the bike was covered in decals that I peeled off rather easily, so don't fret when it arrives with stickers all over it. And about the basket, I found it at my local bike shop, but I'm sure there are many shapes and sizes out there. The one I found has a quick detach feature and a handle, to take it to the market. I'm sorry, I don't remember the brand name.

Happy Pedaling!

Pedal Pusher

It's true what they say. You never forget how to ride a bike.......but you do get a little rusty. I can promise you that! Mario loves riding his bike, and we decided it was time we all got bikes so we could ride together as a family. George found this one on-line for me, and I am in love (with the bike and George!) He said, "honey, I found the perfect bike for you. It's so you." He was right.

It arrived, he assembled it, and I happily yet hesitantly hopped on the bike, wondering if I would know what to do. It's been a long time. I screamed out as I coasted down the driveway {in a skirt no less}. My neighbors must think I'm a freak. I'm pretty sure.

Eventually, it all came back to me, and now I'm hooked! I love this bike and the childlike feeling you get from a good carefree bike ride. It's like you're 10 years old again. Free as a bird, wind blowing in your face, and a smile you can't wipe off. I tell you, it's just impossible to be grumpy while riding a bike!

As for the basket, it was actually purchased before the bike was purchased. {kinda like buying a great new purse and building an outfit around it.} A wicker basket is a must-have, don't you think? The bread, roses, and Italian newspaper.....well, I just figured that's what bike baskets are for! {and it made for a happy little photo.}

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go for a ride and then chew on a baguette, arrange a vase of roses, and read the newspaper....'cause, you know, that's what I do everyday. :)

Bikes are fun!!!

Little Italy, NYC

Well, my friends, it's been a while, hasn't it? We spent last weekend in a charming town in Pennsylvania for my cousin's wedding.  It was all fun and so nice to see my extended family and celebrate together. Mario danced his tush off at the reception, which cracked us all up.We also went to Sesame Place while we were there. Never underestimate the fun of having lunch with Big Bird, I tell ya! But more on that later....

This is the final post about my New York City trip. Where else in the world do they grow Basil plants in sauce cans on the curb? Only on Mulberry Street. This made me laugh. But, hey, you have to have fresh Basil, so the curb is as good a place as any to grow it!

The street is blocked off all year round for pedestrians to stroll through and stop to dine and mingle.

Look no further than Caffe Roma for traditional Italian cookies and pastries. We loaded up on boxes of these for ourselves and even managed to save some to take to our sweet men back home.

I knew George would be happy as can be with a box of these. And he was.

I decided it was best that I forget all about my {somewhat} healthy eating habits for the weekend and indulge in some gnocchi.....

....and cannoli!

Hope agreed. Thank goodness because it's so much more fun to be bad with someone else! We look guilty, don't we?

I hope you enjoyed the tour of Little Italy!

I'll be back soon with some new products for the shop. The Gift Show was actually the reason I went to New York {although you'd never know it from these pictures}. We walked the show until we couldn't walk anymore, and I found several new vendors and lots of great new treasures that I'll be bringing in over the next few months. It was hard not to buy everything I loved.

Have a wonderful day!