Everyday Beauty

Fun in Leesburg

A couple weeks ago, 11 blog girls met up in Leesburg, VA for a day of antiquing and fun. I was so happy to be one of them! You may have seen this same sort of post on all of their blogs already, as I'm a little late here. But it was great fun, and I didn't want to let the memory pass by without a blog post.

Heather and Stephenie organized the whole adventure, and Lori joined them as they headed east to meet a bunch of us local Virginia and Maryland girls {Hope, Amy, Pam, Robin, Jessica and me}.  Karla and Beth joined us too, all the way from Kansas.

 

Here are some of the girls at On a Whim. {L to R: Karla, Jessica, Lori, Pam, Heather and Stephenie}

On a Whim has an entire small building dedicated to vintage prom dresses and vintage girly accessories. Tulle heaven!

 

We pretty much hit all of the good vintage shopping spots in Lucketts and Leesburg {including The Cottage, The Beekeepers Cottage and The Old Luckett's Store} and then we enjoyed a to-go snack at Lola's {below}, and dinner at Tuskie's later on.

{L to R: Jessica, Beth, Heather, Stephenie, Lori, Karla, and Amy}

Here's Amy posing with a friendly sheep. And there's me carrying one of my purchases down the stairs.

I've been wanting one of these wicker standing sewing organizers for years. I actually saw three of them while we were out that day. One was $86, one was $49 and one was $25. I bought the cheapest one of course, and it's in perfect condition. I'll let you know when I fill it with goodies. I love having a new reason to organize my supplies!

I also found this vintage barkcloth knitting bag. Funny story....Heather had an almost identical one that day that she was carrying as a purse {which I loved}. When I spied this one in one of the shops, I thought she had left hers behind by accident. It was such a coincidence that I found one that same day. I usually see these bags in darker shades with lots of red, which is pretty, but not really my style. These soft pinks and lavenders are so lovely.

And I found another old parasol to hang up or prop up...not sure which yet.

And this hat...

...which I only bought for the flowers. They opened right up after I steamed them a little bit.

I couldn't pass up this old chipped statue of Mary. {it's the small one in the picture.... the larger one was my great grandmother's}

 

It was such a fun day, and I really enjoyed seeing some old friends and meeting some new ones. And we all said ,"We have got to do this again!" Definitely.

{I swiped some of these photos of the group and the shops from Heather's, Hope's and Karla's blogs, by the way. Thanks, girls!}

Recent Treasure Hunting

Do you ever start a blog post and save the draft and then foget about it altogether? Well, I do. A lot. I never told you about when Karla was in town and we met up for the day to have lunch and find some good junque.

Here's Karla with her tea at Pinkadilly's in Old Towne Fredericksburg. {And, I get to see her again this Friday for another round of treasure hunting with some other gals as well. Fun!}

And here's what I found that day. This charming little vintage sequined crown was a great find. I probably paid too much for it, but I've never seen anything quite like it and, well, I just loved it.

 

Such soft colors. And how great would this be as a First Communion headpiece?

 

I also found this beautiful old hat with ruched layers of beige Russian veiling. There are little turquoise velvet bows tucked inside here and there.

 

It's presently on a shelf in the kitchen. I know, it's a little strange to keep old hats in the kitchen, but they're all over the house and my family thinks nothing of it anymore. Poor things, they think it's normal.

 

And then there's the amazing crepe paper roses in the very first picture. {Sigh}

I found them when we took a family trip to New Jersey last month. We were driving through some quaint old towns, near the PA border, and I was about to jump out of the window to peek inside the antique shops. One after the other. It was torture that the car kept on moving. I knew George had NO desire to stop. But he did..... and he set his stop watch. "Go look for your junk. Thirty minutes. I mean it."  {sadly, without such time restrictions, I would be gone for hours, completely forgetting I had a family waiting in the car.}

"Yay! Thank you!" {kiss kiss}

And that's when I found the crepe paper roses. They weren't even for sale, but rather they had been stuffed inside an expensive vase, just for decoration. The clerk seemed surprised and amused that I wanted to buy them. For just a few dollars, I walked away one happy girl.

 Look how the pink turns to peach almost. Something only time could produce.

 

And I also picked up this Victorian love letter keeper. Don't you love the whole idea of that? Keeping love letters in such a special place. So, I'm going to use it for it's intended purpose. {Honey, if you're reading this, you better start writing me some love letters! Or I'm gonna die an old lady with an empty love letter keeper, for cryin' out loud!}

 

And that's that. My antiquing loot. Looking for beautiful old things never gets tiring, does it?

An Antique Week

 

This week I got to do something I don't do very often anymore...go antiquing! I was actually very spoiled and went twice this week, while my dear dear dear friend took care of the boys for a few hours. Although I always miss my boys when I'm away from them, it felt good to be out and not have to worry about temper tantrums, running out of Goldfish crackers or hearing "I want to go home, Mama" five minutes after we get there.

Here are some of the goodies I found. Such great old roses on this tulle hat.

 

Some big chunky rhinestone pieces.

 

 

I couldn't believe I found 2 old satin sewing roses. Serendipity!

 

 

Sherbet-y trims.

 

An old Beverly Cleary book. The title and colors drew me in.

 

Trim that was meant to be attached to a nightgown, but never was. It's really beautiful crochet work. Teeny tiny.

 

This old Sen-Sen Chewing Gum display box might be my favorite thing I bought. It was a splurge, but I fell in LOVE with the graphics, colors and just everything about it.

 

Isn't it cool?

Here's the inside of the lid.

 

And here's the parasol I mentioned before. It's such a nice faded shade that only time could produce.

 

I had to hold it up with one hand and snap a picture with the other! I really like the pointy top, the scalloped edges and the candy cane celluloid handle, which I just realized is not in the picture.

See how the top is pink and it fades to a blush color? I think it's actually an umbrella, not a parasol, but parasol is a better word, so I'll go with it.....lol

It's always fun to put everything together and see the theme emerge. We each have our own unique style and are drawn to different colors, textures, shapes, and the feelings they evoke. Old stuff is just plain good. Good, good, good!

 

Broken, Tarnished, Rusted, Frayed, Corroded, Dingy and Lovely

 

I know you guys share my love of old things, right? There's a just a certain something about them that draws us in. These are some bits and pieces of less-than-perfect details around my house. Corrosion produces the best shade of aqua!

 

A favorite old Venetian box from a flea market trip a few years ago. The chipped paint makes it all the better.

 

Frayed, pleated flowers on a hat.

Pretty chipped pearls.

A dingy old cube of pins. I like that some are missing.

I have no problem loving old rusted bits or jewelry with stones missing. I don't generally incorporate them in to the pieces I sell, but once in a while I do. I like the look.

Love this antique pendant with the Opal heart stone, even though it's lost most of it's other stones.

 

This is a new {but made to look old} sconce I have on the wall in the hallway. Pretty rusty flowers!

 

A good dingy shade of pink velvet, with a ripped veil.

 

We can never have enough old laces and trims. The more dingy the better. If it's too white for me, into my leftover cup of coffee or tea it goes! George always asks, "should I dump the rest of this coffee or do you want to dye something?"  ha ha...

 

Old doll shoes to be used in an upcoming project with some friends. I love the frayed edges!

 

A 1940's wedding cake topper with discolored flowers.

Well, I can hear that Sam's just woken up from his morning nap, so I'll sign off now. Time to go be Mama! :)

My Sewing Basket

 

I apologize, I couldn't think of a more original title than that, but I really couldn't. And I should be in bed right now, but I wanted to share these pictures with you. Days seem to pass and I have a hard time finding even a half hour to write a blog post!

 

There is something inherently beautiful and mundane about sewing baskets, don't you think?

Maybe it's just that they contain such simple elements {needles, thread, buttons} that can create incredibly beautiful garments, art and other elaborate {or simple} sewn projects. And they've been a part of womens' lives for centuries.

 

Here is my basket. It's an old one, and needs to be handled gingerly. But I'd rather have it that way. Makes you slow down, ya know?

 

Pink tufted satin, you are a lovely thing! Here I added some old details to the inside of the lid, like the ivory rings and the vintage button cards. The scissors are ancient but still work great.

 

The inside is fun and colorful with all of the threads and embroidery floss piled in there.

 

I will say, it's bit of a mess, but it works out ok. I have a method to my madness, I guess.

This old satin pouch is filled with emery, to sharpen needles and pins.

 

Pins, pin, pins.

 

More inside stuff.

   

And this is a rather odd angle, but have you ever tried to photograph an open sewing basket? So awkward!

 

Well, I think it's time to head up to bed. I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes open. I've spent all night {the past 5 hours} reorganizing my craft room. It's looking much better than it has the past year or so. I'm getting there, slowly but surely....

Bookmark Bijoux

I'm always playing around and thinking of new uses for my old jewelry. Here's an easy little project that uses nothing more than velvet ribbons, vintage jewelry bits and some findings. I love the easy ones....instant gratification!

 

It occurred to me that I needed some pretty bookmarks one evening when I reached for a used dryer sheet in the nearby laundry basket to stick between the pages of my book. How sad is that? Usually I stick an old receipt or some other ugly scrap of paper in my books when I need a bookmark. No more!

In a matter of minutes (if that) you can make these pretty bejeweled bookmarks. The ribbon clamps can be purchased here, and are available in several different widths.

Simply cut the ribbon to the desired length and squeeze a clamp onto each end using jewelry pliers. Then attach a jump ring and your chosen bauble to the loop on each clamp. That's it.

I also made some clips while I was at it. I had gotten the clips a few years ago at a scrapbook store, but I'm sure they're still available. Just a dab of hot glue {I should have a holster for my glue gun since I use it so much} or E6000 and you've got a pretty little clip.

Just thought I'd share with you, in case your books have dryer sheets stuck in them too. :)

Strawberry Surprises

   

Some very sweet and thoughtful friends and blog readers sent these treasures to me this Christmas. With the shop being closed, I haven't been checking my P.O. Box too often. So, you can imagine my surprise when I had a stack of boxes waiting for me! Yay! Fun mail! Of course, who doesn't love getting surprises in the mail? Thank you Holly, Jane and Rachel for these beautiful vintage strawberry ornaments. I love them. And thank you to everyone who was so thoughtful and generous. I enjoyed opening all of the Christmas cards and unwrapping the special gifts you took the time to make and select and lovingly wrap up to send my way. You guys made me feel so special! Thank you.

Trinket Treasures

 

Hello Jewelry Junkies! As you can see from this picture of my desk, I've been busy assembling more Vintage Trinket Jewelry and should have it listed in the shop sometime on Monday. I wish I had time to make one for each person who has emailed or called with a bracelet request, but unfortunately I just don't. Hopefully, some of the pieces I've been working on will tickle your fancy.

 

Have a lovely weekend!

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!

Sam's Place

My sweet baby boy is already 10 months old, and I never did show you his nursery. Where does the time go? He's crawling everywhere now and walking while holding onto furniture. He laughs like crazy when Mario makes funny faces. He smiles all the time. Smiling Sam. That's his nickname.

I have his room decorated in a pale green/cream/light blue color scheme with a classic vintage baby theme. That's my dad (also a Sam) in the picture below.

See that afghan up there on the chair? My Great-Grandmother crocheted it when I was born, and it's still in perfect condition for Sam to use. {On a side note, why it is blue and not pink, I have no idea! Maybe that was the only color yarn she had left. Although, now that I think about it, my room as a baby was light blue. My mom said the carpet in the room was blue, and they couldn't afford to replace it, so I got a blue room. Clearly, I was pink-deprived as a little girl, so I'm making up for it now!}

Anyway......here are some sweet little details from his nursery. I tend to use a lot of baskets, dishes, trays all around the house to hold or store things. This is one of 5 diaper baskets.....one in almost every room!

Sam is using the same bedding that Mario used as a baby. I couldn't really find what I wanted so I had it made. The fabric is called Circus Toile and has little scenes of animals at the circus. I like that it is fun and childlike yet classic.

Knowing I would never find coordinating valances, I sewed the window treatments, a simple tab-top, lined valance. Took me forever. You would've thought I was sewing a fully lined 3-piece suit.

Little bits of vintage here and there. I got the "Goodnite Sam" wooden block idea from the book, Flea Market Baby. Do you know that book? Oh, I love it! It's full of inspiration if you like a vintage-y look for a nursery.

Some cherished baby books made by my friends Pam and Dana.

On the walls, I mainly hung pictures of family members as babies. Among them are baby pictures of my mom, my dad, my grandfather, George, his mom, and also a picture of me. I scanned them all and converted them to sepia to unify the collection of portraits. Here is a picture of George's sweet mother, Angelina, taken in Italy back in the 1940's. Doesn't she look like porcelain doll?

The baby picture below is my Grandfather, Eugene. I recently had Sam's portraits taken in this same pose and placed both pictures on a shelf in his hutch.

My friend Lisa sent Sam the wooden blocks when he was born. The sides of the blocks are inscribed with his birth date, newborn statistics, and a welcome message. I LOVE this gift! You can get them here.

Here's a shot of the side of one of the blocks.

This special painting hangs above Sam's crib. It was painted by my dear friend Holly, and I absolutely adore it. I cannot get over how talented she is. I wish I could paint like this. I told her she needs to sell her paintings, like she used to. {but I know it's a LOT of work}. She may still do custom orders, but I'm not sure. If you're interested you could email her to find out.

Maybe my Sam will have a son named Sam someday and he can hang the painting in his nursery. I like to think about stuff like that.

Here's a detail shot of the froggie and the branch. Isn't is adorable?

I stitched this fabric bunting about 4 years ago, when I was preparing for Mario's arrival. I made it several yards long and have some hanging in the play room also.

A different angle:

And here is the changing table/dresser/hutch full of vintage baby pottery, books, animals and other baby things. {I'm looking forward to using this piece in my little studio space one day when I'm all done having babies.}

That's about it for Sam's Place. I do hope you enjoyed the tour!

Lots of NEW shop goodies coming soon. {Sweets, Halloween and Autumn items, all new ribbons, and more.}

Have a wonderful Monday!