Everyday Beauty

More Hanging Hearts

Hello! I wanted to show you the pretty hearts I received in the exchange last week. The neutral colors couldn't have been softer or lovlier. It's always interesting how each person creates her version of the same type of thing so uniquely. This one (above) was made by Kerry Lynn Yearly , and each bugle bead was sewn on by hand. Isn't it beautiful? The one below, made by Michele Witchell, has some hand beadwork as well. Love the old pearls spelling out beloved, and that pretty cotton flower!



And this darling puffy eyelet one was completely hand stitched by Letty Worley. Though I don't know any of these women, I am happy to have one of their creations!

Spring Happiness

 
Happiness is.....

* the fact that it is officially Spring and the daffodils are on the brink of blooming

*playing in a pile of old millinery flowers

*getting organized and doing some good old Spring cleaning

*getting ready to go to a friend's house to play with a bunch of other friends

*watching my husband put a fresh coat of paint on the walls

*wearing a dress without my legs being chilly

*deciding which color to paint my toenails

* finally finishing up a handful of Easter Eggs topped with rumpled vintage flowers. {They will be for sale in the shop sometime on Monday. Maybe around noon EST. More or less.}

*Hearing the birds chirp, chirp, chirp as they build their nests

*feeling hopeful about all the good things that the warmer weather will bring

*what is YOUR Spring happiness?

Pretty Pastels

 
Pretty pastels are everywhere in the house today. It seems I have projects happening in every corner. Quite a mess, but a beautiful one I think! There are painted eggs with pearly patinas, ready to be embellished. They will be in the shop in the next few weeks. Is anyone else thrilled that Easter is late this year? It's nice to have a little more time for Springtime projects and decorating.

 
A pile of Bella Notte swatches I got from a shop that closed last year. The colors and fabrics are scrumptious....velvets and linens, laces and damasks. I can just picture a little doll sleeping on top of these, kind of like the Princess and the Pea!

 
 
I can't tell you how much inspiration I get from these vintage Chalkware children. The soft colors, the lines, the patina. Love love love. Chalkware is one of those fairly inexpensive collectibles that really adds a vintage feeling to an area or space. This piece has been all over the house, but now sits on the buffet.

 
More inspiration. An old handmade pin cushion with lovely details, embroidery and soft-as-silk ribbon laced through the edges.

 
 
This rhinestone piece came from a flea market, where the seller told me it was a component for a headpiece that was never finished. I thought that was interesting.

 
And what would a pastel post be without a rumpled gorgeous old rose?

 
Spring is upon us, and I can't wait! Are you feeling the same way?

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

 
Sending a hug to you this Valentine's Day
{and a little vintage style of course!}

 
 
 
 
 
 

Foyer Faux Fir

 
Besides decorating the main green tree in the family room, I completely love decorating smaller ivory feather trees all around the house. In the kitchen we have the Sugarpum Tree, all done up in sweets and confections. On the buffet, there is a tree decorated with pastel birds and mercury glass pinecones. There's another little tree of just vintage bells {beaded, glass and metal} in the kitchen area also. And then there's this favorite little tree in the foyer.

 

It's trimmed with little bits and pieces of vintage goodies in a palette of pink, cream, pale green & yellow. It sits on a yard-sale-find chippy old table, and I placed it in an old hatbox which was first filled with yards of lace to cover the tree base.

 

A glass strawberry, milinery fruits, velvet berries and a floppy rose. Favorite things!

 

Some vintage glass here and there amongst ornaments from dear friends.

 

Sugared bells and a mercury glass starburst.

 

My mom came here to stay for a week, and almost every night we stayed up late and worked on a craft project. This pink ornament was one of my projects. She made a pretty red and gold one for her tree.

 

Mary tucked in some vintage pink glass balls. It's fun to discover unexpected things in a Christmas tree.

 

The Mary statue below is special to me because it came from Bosnia, where George and I once lived for a year while he was working there.

 

More random decorations.

 

I'm not sure this tree really has a theme...it's just a bit of a mish mosh of things. But it's a faux fir that I enjoy trimming year after year!
 
 

Twinkling Teacups

 
Every once in a while I get the urge to clean out cupboards and eliminate things I don't love or need or use. I should do this much more often....you know how it goes. So, a month or so ago, I began pulling teacups, saucers, bowls and dishes from the buffet and cupboards. They were stacked all willy nilly in there, and I felt so unorganzied. It had been driving me crazy for too long already.

 
These are mostly pieces I use pretty regularly or have displayed around the kitchen. I washed them and organized them {hooray!}. I had them all spread across the table to take stock and {hopefully} eliminate pieces I no longer wanted/needed/loved.

 
Not sure what I was thinking with that odd angle above....it seemed like a good idea at the time.

 
Wishing they still made souvenirs like this....

 
I'm sad to report I was only able to part with one lonely demitasse cup. Sometimes I wish I wasn't such a sentimentalist. I get so attached to things, which is silly I know. But they do make the everyday tasks and rituals a little more beautiful, right? To me at least. I can't speak for my husband....he hates that none of these things can go in the dishwasher!
I found this "A Present from London" cup & saucer at an antique mall in Ohio. When I look at it, I feel like it really should be in the hands of Rachell Ashwell....LOL.. If I had her address, I would send it!

 
Oh, well now at least the cups and dishes are all twinkling clean, organzied and ready to be used and enjoyed again. Now on to the rest of the house.

Support

 
Women are amazing. Really, we are. Born nurturers, we have the power to lift each other up and support one another through challenging, sad, and trying times. These past few weeks, my faith in the power of friendship was renewed once again. Not that I ever doubted my friendships, but I have been feeling a bit "off" lately, and it was the other women in my life who helped lift me up so I could see with a clear, fresh perspective. 

 
The support came in many forms....your lovely comments here on this blog, private emails from friends and blog readers, phone calls from old friends and new... and even a few cheerful surprises in the mailbox. Just good old-fashioned acts of kindness. How can I even say thank you? Words don't seem like quite enough.

 
On the other hand, I also tried my best to help some of my friends who are going through tough times themselves lately. We all go through ups and downs, triumphs and challenges, happy and sad days. It's nice to know we're not alone on this path through life. It's comforting to be able to relate.

Even a smile from a stranger can change someone's day. It's that powerful.

Today I wish for each of you....a smile, a hug, a bit of good news, a laugh, a phone call from a dear friend, and a kiss from someone you love.

{No, I don't wear these vintage bras, but I thought they would make the point of support in a pretty way! Aren't they beautiful?}

Italian Florentine {for one of you!}

 
When I was a little girl, my grandmother had a set of Italian Florentine nesting tables, and I loved everything about them. I think every Italian Nonna had these tables, or at least something Florentine, back then. To this day, my grandma still has one of the tables set up next to a chair in her living room.

Years later, when I went away to college and would have my own apartment, she asked me if I wanted one of them. I did of course, and thus began my love affair with these hand-painted, gilded treasures.

 
These days, I especially love finding and using old Florentine trays, which I've had luck finding at flea markets, antique shops and even on etsy. They have a thin layer of lacquer over them, so you can actually serve drinks from the trays and not worry about spills. Such pretty patterns and detail.

 
I've found that these smaller ones are handy for keeping beads and findings from rolling off of the work surface when I'm designing jewelry. You probably know by now that I love form as much or more than function.

 
Jewelry boxes are another item commonly painted in Florentine style. This little one was a flea find from many years ago. I keep little prayers cards inside.

 
Teeny carved scallops on the sides.

 
But lately, it's not just the Nonnas who are loving Florentine pieces. It seems to be a trend right now, and lots of home decor boutiques are selling new reproduction pieces as well as the old ones. It can be hard to tell them apart, but the authentic ones are still carved, hand-painted and gilded in Italy.

I have a few of these pretty trays and would like to give one to one of you.

You girls are a such an important part of my creative world. 

And I love to give gifts. Just love to.

Simply leave your name and email addy, and I'll pick a random winner this weekend. Sound good?

This round one with a scalloped edge and an aqua and cream motif is the one I'll be gifting away.

 
And I'll also send along a bunch of my favorite Italian Amaretti cookies. The wrappers alone are irresistible, and the pillow-soft Amaretti are divine. The whole package will be wrapped up like a present and tie with ribbons {but of course!} and sent off to the winner sometime next week.

 
**On a side note, thanks so much for all of your votes for Mario. He didn't win, but he was close, and I know so many of you cast your votes for him more than once! You're awfully sweet for taking the time to do that for my little guy. It was a fun photo shoot and contest to be a part of.

Well, I'm going to go get Sleeping Beauty from her nap now, and think of something to make for lunch for me and Sammy. Have a lovely day, Lovelies!

EDIT: Comments have now closed for the drawing. Thanks!

Flea Market Marathon

 
The Big Flea was in town a couple weekends ago. I always look so forward to it and try to go when I can. I wasn't planning to go this time around though because it seemed too chaotic with Sofia eating every 3 hours and all.

 
But George insisted that I go {he knows there's honestly no place on Earth I'd rather shop than a good flea market} and just see what I could see in the time I had between feedings. So, I went. Rushed through there like it was a marathon, and found some pretty little things afterall. Hooray for simple pleasures and small pieces of alone time here and there!

 
There were tons of laces & trims to be had, and not overpriced I thought.

And there are always jewelry vendors galore. Loving this shade of green.

 
Couldn't resist this pin, thinking it would be fun on a denim jacket.

I ended up finding several old rhinestone pieces to use in my jewelry designs.  

 
Oh, but the best find of the day was a nightstand for Sofia's nursery. It is so sweet I can't stand it. Once I get her room all tidied up I'll take pictures and show ya. 

Be back soon.....I feel like I have so many little mini blog posts to share with you. Nothing too major, just prettiness and fluff, as usual.......{laughing}.....

Seaside Souvenirs

 
So, the heat index here was 112 degrees yesterday. I don't need to tell you {but I will} that it was incredibly HOT!

 
I stayed inside and tinkered around & organized a little bit in my craft room, in between Sofia's feedings. I've been doing some summertime crafting, and this box of vintage seashell jewelry always makes me smile.

 
I think I showed you some of these pieces a couple years ago, but a few more baubles were found while flea marketing last weekend, so I took some pictures. Not to mention the colors are just perfection!

 
Just imagine, these are the types of things tourists would buy in those wonderful little beach shops back in the day.

 
I would love to take a trip back in time to a quaint bustling seashore town in 1950. Wouldn't that be fabulous?  Lay on the beach, eat salt water taffy and shop for pastel shells..........The souvenirs were so much better back then {and so were the bathing suits!}

It looks like some of these pieces were handmade by crafty beach goers. How fun.

 
Love the little pink rosettes above.

 
I'll be back next week {I hope}with some pictures of my own little shell crafts. Happy Weekend!