Everyday Beauty

La Pasticceria

 

I just finished the final round in the Paper Doll round robin journal that Lori, Holly, Heather and I have been working on for almost a year. This time it was Heather's book that I worked in. I used the same paper doll in each friend's journal, so there would be a little common thread running through all of them. I just love her little hairdo.

For this one, I created a confectionary, or la pasticceria in Italian. {Such a great word, don't you think?}

 

I used vintage paper doiles that didn't even need to be dyed. They're already that perfectly aged off-white color. I added some images of cakes, pastel ribbons, old crepe paper, pom pom trim and ledger paper.....all the usual suspects.

 

This makes me want to go bake something! In the picture below, I used a pink wrapper from a Lazzaroni Amaretti di Saronno cookie. Such pretty wrappers they have...and of course they're yummy with coffee in the morning.

It's in the mail to Heather now, and I hope she likes it!

Posie Pockets & Powder Puffs

It's always nice to find something handmade and fall in love with it. And it's even better when it's made by someone you know.

 

Last fall, when Kelli opened her new shop, Posies on Parade, I was there when the virtual doors opened, and was lucky to scooped these two "Posie Pockets" up right away. Aren't they sweet little purses? I have mine hanging on decorative hooks right now, and they're the perfect "date night" size, with just enough room for necessities like lipstick, a cell phone and some minties. Kelli thinks of every little detail, and does beautiful handwork on all the pieces she creates. She also makes dolls {"Rosie Posies"} and other whimsical things her creative mind thinks up.

 

Layered, stitched, beaded and felted. Totally made straight from the heart with lots of details, details, details.

 

Then, not too long ago, I saw that Lori had made vintage-inspired powder puff wands and was selling them in her etsy shop.  Gasp! Clickety click went my mouse......

 

I had seen similar antique ones on ebay and very rarely in an antique shop, but would never spend the pretty penny they fetch in such markets. Well, Lori's are just as gorgeous as the originals, and I flipped when I saw them. I bought this one to display in the nursery {I know, just what every baby needs, a powder puff}, but it's currently on my vanity table looking very pretty there. Everything Lori does is meticulous....and just look at the gathered silk. Heaven! Can you imagine powdering your face with one? The Victorian's had a beautiful implement for every task, it seems.

 

Here's the back, where the actual puff is. Soft as a lamb.

 

Just wanted to share these pretties with you. I thought you might like them too.

I hope you're having a lovely weekend!

Springtime Sweets

This is the little table of sweets in our kitchen. I'm always changing it around and adding/removing things as each new season or holiday arrives.

 

Although I will admit, some of these things are mainstays and have been in the jars for months {like the pink balls and the meringues}, and I hope no one ever tries to eat one! My family knows better, but the occasional visitor is tempted to reach inside, and I have to warn them which ones are fresh and which are more for decoration. George thinks this whole thing is utterly ridiculous......and if I didn't love my jars of sweets, I'd probably agree with him!

 

Today I was playing around with Photoshop and thought these photos turned out really pretty and kind of whimsical.

So what's in those jars, anyway?

taffy wands, marshmallowbunnies, twisted marshmallow ropes, Jordan almonds, marshmallow strawberries, vanilla meringues, and my favorite pale pink Whoppers.

 

Yum, Yum, Yum!

A Tole Tale

Once in a while, there's a dirt-cheap flea market treausre just waiting to be discovered. Here's a short story of one of my favorite bargain finds ever.

About 5 years ago, my mom and I were digging around at our favorite flea market, and I came across a vendor with a lot of what looked mostly like trash. But you never know what you might find, so I started peeking into some of the boxes he had sitting around. His booth was a mess....filthy and just thrown in a bunch of heaps on the ground.

 

Well, my eye caught glimpse of a pink rose, way down at the bottom of a box. I dug. And dug. And gasped when I lifted this beautiful vintage Italian Toleware candelabra out of the box.

 

I walked over to the vendor and asked, "How much for this piece?"

He looked at it and thought about his answer for a minute. Then he said, "A dollar? Does that sound ok?"

Stunned, I replied, "I'm sorry, did you say a dollar?"

"Yes. What do you think?"

{I think you're nuts!}  "Sounds good. I'll take it."

 

I gave the guy my dollar and walked away feeling like I had just robbed the poor man! Can you believe that price?

Then, a couple years back I found some more Italian Toleware pieces at an antique show.

 

Not quite the same bargain price, but still very reasonable. This time it was a matching set that included a wall sconce and 2 hooks. They are hanging on the walls around my bathtub, and I just love their chippy patina.

 

I think every flea market junkie has a story that only other vintage-loving girls could appreciate. I thought you'd appreciate this one!

A Compromise

 

{scroll down for info on where to purchase.}*

The old light fixture in our master bedroom was....well....not good. I had been wanting to replace it since the day we moved into this house. That was 6 years ago. Finally, one night as I lay in bed staring up at the ceiling I said,

"Honey, I can't take this light anymore. It's time to get a new one. Don't ya think?"

He said, "I think it's fine {of course}, but I know you hate it. Pick out what you want. All I ask is that it's a ceiling fan."

"Huh? What?!?! But I had my heart set on a chandelier." {Sigh}

And the conversation continued as a stalemate. And then the stars aligned and we found this:

 

I gave in to the idea of ceiling fan, and he accepeted my statement that there is no such thing as too many chandeliers in a house. {Or so he says....}

See, men and women can live in harmony under the same roof!

*I found this at www.lampsplus.com. You have to buy the fan and the chandelier light kit separately. Just do a search on their site for "antique white" and you will see lots of pretty things! They also have another beautiful chandelier/fan combo that requires higher ceilings. I'm hoping that one will work in our family room. The ceilings upstairs aren't high enough to accomodate it. Feel free to email me if you need additional help finding it.

Easter Finery

 
Ah, it's always nice to decorate for Easter, isn't it? Spring is in the air and the soft breeze makes me want to fling all the windows open and take a deep breath. Plus, the lovely colors...... the pastel palette just works in my house, and I even invite a little lavender and aqua inside. They get along well with the pinks,  creams and greens that are my mainstays.

There are a few little vignettes sitting around as reminders of Spring and Easter...not too far off. This is an old piece from an antique shop I like to visit in Ohio. A sweet cherub holding a bowl. I like changing its contents with the seasons.

 

In the kitchen it's all about chocolate eggs and bunnies.

 
Candy-like eggs in a nest. I love the chcocolate drizzles. {fake of course!}

 
And gigantic ones hanging from the chandelier.

 

They needed a little something, so I added the lace and tissue fringe around the top.

 

And just the opposite....a tiny-as-can-be decorated quail egg.

 

It opens like a little treasure box.

 

I gave this big sugared egg a minor face lift this year. It had tiny plastic-stemmed flowers, so I took them off and glued these vintage velvet ones on instead. 

 

A basket full of Fancy Ostrich Eggs.

 

And Mr. Bunny peeking out at all the fluff and finery. 

 

Well, I hear Sam waking from his nap, which means it's time to go.

Happy Spring everyone!

Handmade on Hold

 
Hello Friends!

I wanted to pop in with a little "handmade" update. Two month agos, the home page of my shop said "New Vintage Trinket Jewelry coming in February". Then I had to change it to "coming in March". And I'm afraid it may now be April. Geez, Andrea, get it together!

I apologize for the delay. My intention was to have loads of new jewelry designs as well as a good dozen or so of my Fancy Ostrich Eggs listed in my shop when the Where Women Create article hit newsstands last month. As you can see, that didn't happen. I'm a little behind on some things, and have lots of creative irons in the fire at the moment. Probably too many!

 

I did make some Fancy Ostrich Eggs, but have decided not to sell them this year. Similar eggs have been hatching in various other shops on-line, and you know I'm kinda funny about that sort of thing. I loved those eggs because they were unique, and I do try hard to make and sell things that are special. Maybe next year though. Who knows. Thank you to those of you who emailed asking about them. You guys are sweet to remember them from previous years.

 

As for jewelry, I have a half dozen or so pieces made {shown in these pictures}, but I had an opportunity to send some of the pieces to be photographed for possible inclusion in an upcoming project. It's not my project, and I'm not at liberty to give details just yet, but I'll let you know if  it pans out. When the pieces are returned to me, I'll list them in the shop right away. I'm hoping that will be sometime in April.

 
Baby Girl is "due" to arrive May 25 {which means nothing, as many of you mamas know!}, and I've finally kicked into "nursery mode". So much to do and make. It's a teeny tiny little bedroom, but I'm enjoying the process of selecting special things for her. And the shower gifts I received will be the icing on the cake!

Oh, and I finally got my new computer set up. Thank goodness. Fast as lightning! I tend to keep things like cell phones and computers 'til they are dead as doornails. I had forgotten how fast a computer could be!

See you soon!

xo a

A Surprise Indeed!

 

I think it's pretty tough to surprise me....it really is. I tend to catch on to the little nuances in someone's voice, and somehow or another the cat gets let out of the bag. Well, not this time! On Wednesday I was lured to luncheon only to discover that a group of 14 girls from Blogland had secretly thrown me a surprise baby shower! I couldn't believe my eyes when I walked in the room and saw the table loaded with pink gifts and ribbons, bows, tulle and balloons. My sweet friends from all over the country {and even Australia!} had each sent a gift for the baby, and Hope was in charge of collecting them all and bringing them to the luncheon to surprise me. And surprised I was!

These pretty pictures are just the wrappings, ribbons and cards from the gifts...so you can only imagine how pretty the presents themselves are. I was blown away by the sweetness of it all, and I still am.

 

My little girl will have a nursery full of handmade treasures, and I'll look forward to someday telling her about the very special women who made these gifts for her. I feel so lucky to know these girls, and to have such thoughtful and generous friends. And I cannot believe they have been sneaking around planning this for weeks. Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky!

I was going to take lots of pictures of the beautiful mountain of gifts that is sitting here in my family room at the moment.....but I'm afraid my computer has finally bit the dust, and I'm in limbo here without a computer or photo editing software. {Right now, I'm using my husband's laptop from work.} And the more I thought about it, I realized each of the girls has already posted such wonderful pictures on her own blog. If you haven't seen them yet, you really won't believe your eyes! I would love for you to take a peek. Just click the names below and you'll be directed to their blogs.

Amy, Analise, Gabrielle, Heather, Holly, Hope, Jenn, Kari, Karla, Lori, Natasha, Rosalyn-Sue, Sherry & Tiffany

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you girls for coordinating this wonderful surprise! I am so lucky to have you as friends, and I will always treasure these gifts you have lovingly created for my daughter!

Treasure Hunting

 

I haven't felt too much like waddling through antique shops lately, but I did pick up a few things that I love the past couple of months. Thought I'd share...

This vintage tiara is a favorite, and it was a bargain compared to what they go for on ebay. I think it will look precious on a shelf in the baby's room.

Found lots of linens and laces and collars at one particular booth. All half price!

I couldn't leave these old iron towel bars behind. Again, I'm thinking these will be perfect in the baby's room with little dresses and tutus hanging from the bar.

 

Look at the pretty rosette detail. Heaven!

Another old wedding cake topper for the collection. This one is so perfectly dingy and discolored.

A great old straw hat loaded with flowers. The mannequin was a Christmas gift from my mom and dad. George is scared to death of it, so I told him it's going on his nightstand. :)

 

This little plastic frame was a dollar...I'll figure out something to do with it.  

 

We have a long wooden farm table in out kitchen, and this linen runner fits it well. 

 

This velvet one is much smaller, more like a little dresser scarf. Such pretty colors.

 

Well, that's the scoop for today, girls. Just thought I'd share some pictures of pretty old things. 

The Week of Pillows, Books & Tissues

 
So, I was laughing when I got a comment yesterday from Andrea that said, "You didn't eat yourself into a coma, did you?" Ha! No, no, no....I've just been nursing my sick self and 2 sick boys back to health. This morning seems like a turning point, thank goodness. Everyone is doing a little better today.

I spent the week propped on pillows, blowing my nose and reading books while holding the boys. We all have the same head cold thing going on, so we might as well snuggle together.

My nightstand. See that botttle? If you have heartburn {like I do now that I've hit my 3rd trimester}, Papaya Enzymes are a miracle in a bottle. You can find them at any healthfood store. I spent too many nights sleeping upright to avoid heartburn until I discovered these tablets.

 

I pulled out a random stack of books from the shelf and flipped through them 'til I had the pictures practically memorized.....and George brewed probably 50 cups of herbal tea for me this week.

 

Meanwhile, the house got somewhat trashed as you can see by this picture of our bedroom floor. I know what I'll be doing today. It's like an obstacle course in there and I can't take it for one more day. When I'm sick, it doesn't bother me much, but the minute I feel better, I'm a woman on a cleaning mission!

 

And, for all of  you fellow Foodies who requested the Mac 'n' Cheese recipe, I didn't use a recipe, but there are lots of good recipes out there that will give you basically the same results. Martha's Mac and Cheese recipe is supossedly her most requested recipe. Personally, I think it needs a lot more cheese, so I'd almost double it. And just make sure you use good cheeses, as it will make a big difference.

See you soon! Enjoy the weekend.