Everyday Beauty

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

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

 
 
 
 
 
 

Immaculate Heart

 
So, I had this idea back in January that I would post something heart-related every day in February, and would have a whole month of hearts here on my blog. Since today is the 10th and this is my first heart post, you can see my plan didn't quite work out! ha! Good intentions.....

But I am here today, and wanted to share with you a little project I finished not too long ago. I have long loved hearts and the symbolism behind them, and I am especially fond of Immaculate Hearts. Here are a few of the Immaculate Hearts I have that inspired this project.

 
I started with a small styrofoam heart and wrapped it in velvet ribbon, for a sort of candy cane effect.  
Then I began the process of covering it with sequins and beads. This takes so much longer than you would think! When I made my sequin-covered Christmas ornament, I actually found it to be calming and relaxing to create so repetitiously.

 
I used pink sequins, tiny aged pearls and gold pins.

 
Next I embroidered a fancy A and  M on some linen and attached it to the back of the heart. These letters are a monogram for the Virgin Mary, are always found on Immaculate Hearts, and stand for Auspice Maria, which is Latin for "under the protection of Mary".

 
You can read more about The Immaculate Heart and the symbols associated with it here if you're interested. I think symbolism is completely fascinating. This particular monogram has been used since the medieval ages, and is still commonly found today on Catholic medals and other religious items. 

 
I added 7 pins that traditionally represent the Seven Sorrows of Mary, and feathers and pieces of old jewelry to look like the flames at the top of the heart.

 
My version of The Immaculate Heart, feathers and all....lol....

 
Do you want to see what has been inspiring my sequin & pin art lately? These pretty vintage Easter eggs that I found at an antique mall in Williamsburg last summer. I l-o-v-e them! Love the colors, designs, everything about them. I've already started to make some eggs too....would love to have a basket-full by Easter!

 
Hopefully, I'll be back here at least once more before Valentine's Day to share some more heart love. See you then!

Brown-Eyed Girl

 
Ciao Bellas! It's me again. I'm 8 and a half months old already, and thought I would pop in and say a quick hello.{Please forgive my crusty little nose that mama wipes all day long.} 
Well, I must scoot along now {literally} and see what kind of a mess I can get into! Last week I chewed a book to bits before mama realized it. I think today I'll try and eat something a little more tasty.....hopefully mama will put some pears in my lunch. I'm really over the green beans, I must say!

Enjoy your day!

xoxoxo Sofia Angelina

Sweet Striped Sippy Straws

 
So, by now I'm sure you know about the retro-style striped paper straws that have swept the blogosphere and made taking a sip just a little bit cuter. They were inspired by the fun vintage paper straws, which you can find new in the box on ebay or etsy at times. That's where I found the pink and aqua ones {below} a year or so ago.

 
Two years ago when the new straws made their web debut, I bought the red & white striped ones for my boys' birthday party. {A Circus-themed party wouldn't be complete without red and white barber poles!} And the grey and white ones {above} are cool too. Grey being so trendy right now, I'm sure they are selling well. BUT....I have searched and searched for pink and white straws for months, and girls, I am happy to report that I have finally found them.

 
Thought I would share my exciting news and the link with you 'cause if you read this blog religiously, there's no doubt in my mind you like pink and white, at least a little bit.

They now sell many other colors as well. It's just fun. I've got a mason jar full of them on my kitchen table....and I've already put some aside for the Bambolina's birthday party.

Oh the simple things. Sip. Sip. Sip.....

and p.s. Thanks, girls, for the Buttercream Bracelet love. I had no idea it would cause such a flurry of questions and emails. It's such fun to share things with you....because you get it.

Buttercream Bracelet

 
I have a slight cabochon addiction. There. I said it. It's just that cabs are so simple to create with. A little jewelry glue is all you need.

 
I was playing around with some of the cabs I have in my jewelry stash, and created this sugary sweet combination.

 
Inspired by the most delicious bakery pastels: buttercream and piped icing, cakes and puddings.

 
I think these would make such fun birthday party favors. I'll file that thought away for when Sofia is a little bigger. Though her first birthday will have no shortage of frosting or roses....!

 
Is this making anyone else hungry? Or is it just me? I've been trying to be good. Salads and veggies, fish and chicken galore. So, a spatula of buttercream sounds quite nice right about now.

All of the cabochons were found on etsy, and the ready-to-embellish silver bracelet is from Hobby Lobby.

 
Sure to delight girls ages 3 to 103!

 

A Place for Everything

 
I'm not typically a maker of New Year's resolutions.

I guess I figure any day is a good day to make a positive change in my life. And if I'm not ready to do it on January 1st, why try and force it just because the calendar says we should? Well, this year -for some reason- I am really feeling the "fresh start" of a new year, and the one thing I want to do is get ORGANIZED!

 
I used to be incredibly, almost obsessively organized, and I'm not sure what happened. I guess life happened, and before I knew it things were hodge podge, willy nilly, tossed here and there. Making me crazy.

 
So, that's what I've been up to lately. Taking baby steps to getting organized once again. I started in the kitchen. Cleaning out cupboards, organizing my baking supplies, getting rid of old dish towels and buying fresh clean white ones. Straightening up the pantry....such an endless task in our home.

 
Some of these chores are not too pretty, or blog-worthy, in my opinion. But I thought these shiny new glass bottles full of sprinkles were a bit of Everyday Beauty I had to share.

 
I had a case of bottles left over from when I used to sell glass glitter, and had been wanting to fill them with sprinkles for 2 years now. While organizing sprinkles is not exactly a priority, it was a quick little project that I checked off my loooooong "organization" list. Made me happy.

 
I'm off to go find something else to organize, while I've still got the urge!

 

Happy New Year!

 
2010 was a good year.
Although we sadly said goodbye to two cherished members of our family, we also welcomed our healthy baby girl into the world this year.
We thought we should celebrate with a bottle of sparkling wine to close out the year.
Coppola's Sofia Blanc de Blancs seemed appropriate.

 
Party hats, horns and confetti poppers are sitting on the counter, and little hands are eager to get a hold of them. A fun night for all, even if it will be quite low-key. It's always nice to sit around and reflect on the past year, and think how we've changed, grown, been challenged and how we're still holding on to each other, no matter what.
It's all about family and friends and love.
At the end of the day, I think that's all that really matters.

I wish you all good things in 2011! Salute!

Emerging from Pajama Land

 
Greetings dear readers! I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with your families. Ours was lovely and cozy and memorable. I like to drag it out as long as possible, but at some point I guess I do have to get out of my pajamas and do something with the old hairdo.

 
I came downstairs with curlers in my hair, and for some reason my boys thought it was the funniest thing in the world. They commenced belly laughing while taking a series of silly photos as you can see.

 
They make me laugh. The sound of their laughter is like medicine.

 
Good thing I don't take myself too seriously!

This morning I woke up and finished packing up the decorations. Farewell 'til next year, my pretties. I will not miss the glitter trail through the house, and my vacuum needs a break.

We consumed pounds of cavatelli and Arancini on Christmas Day. Sadly, the elastic waistband of my pajamas was the only thing that would fit, which is part of the reason I still have them on. I have vowed to eat nothing but lettuce leaves for a few days.....will let you know how that works out for me ;-)

Getting ready to ring in the New Year! Always so hard to believe another one has come and gone.....

Merry Christmas

 

Wishing you a very peaceful, beautiful and Merry Christmas.

Not a Creature was Stirring...

 
...except for a candy cane mouse! Mario and I made 25 of these little cuties for his classmates. I thought they turned out sweet, and those googly eyes really give them a mischievious personality.
The pastel candy canes can be found here. And that's just faux fur from the craft store that I cut into a teardrop shape. Then I cut felt ears in a dumbell shape and threaded them through 2 slots that were snipped in the teardrop. Sounds much more complicated than it is. You can find a pattern for the body & ears here, though I made my mice about twice as big as this pattern. The ears are about right though.

 

I don't know exactly why, but I am SO ridiculously excited for Christmas this year. Like I'm 5. The kids and I have been crafting and baking with no end in sight. Still have 3 kinds of cookies yet to bake today. The dough is made and chilling in the fridge. A few days ago, I made these yummy Angel Macaroons with Necco wafers stuck in the soft chewy coconut mounds.

 
This old Reindeer got a red nose with some nail polish, and voila, he is Rudolph. I swear I could quote the entire script from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at this point....and the Polar Express....

 
Speaking of reindeer, we mixed up some Reindeer Food {oats & glitter}. I hope Prancer & Donner like steel-cut oats 'cause that's all I had on hand!

 
My sweater is hanging up, ready to wear to Mass on Saturday.

And a little more sparkle with the accessories. Hey, it's Christmas! Gotta have some sparkle, right?

 
Well, readers, I'm going to go finish up the baking now.....and a few other last-minute tasks before the big day arrives!