Pink Roses

in the zone...

I figured out what was missing...Christmas music!  How can you get in the holiday spirit without it?  Now I'm in the zone folks...Christmas music is playing, and I'm a busy bee...and as you know, I love the old flea market stuff...so here's some pictures of the "small stuff" making my day...

this Santa is from my grandmother...so is this little santa head light bulb...

I bought these metal light reflectors at a flea market last summer...all of them for 25 cents!

a little angel with a crown...

 

old chenille pipe cleaner candy canes...

 and here's my favorite gift idea for someone who has everything...I collect vintage Christmas postcards...

 and buy a ready made 8x10 frame, I like the kind w/ the stand on the back, so you can set it on a table or shelf, and not have to put a nail hole in the wall...then have a piece of mat board cut at the craft store (Michael's) in a pretty velvet or damask (costs less than $2.00) and frame it...cute, vintage, one-of-a-kind...

 I think these are so much fun...I hope someone else does too!

getting started...

This is the before picture. 

I thought I would start my Christmas decorating with a simple project-the mantel in the family room...after all, I've been lying on that sofa for days, staring at it (and the horribly messy bookcases, but that's for another day)...anyway...this afternoon I got out the box of stuff that goes on the mantel every year...I put it up and hated it.  Redid it and hated it. Why am I so cranky?  This cold has turned me into the grinch! One thing I do like are the stockings.

I made stockings when the kids were little, and all they wanted was bright red with the fake fur cuff, or a Disney princess, or Thomas...I made them stockings with vintage velvet and trims, embroidered monograms-girl stuff for her, masculine for him...they thought they were boring, but now they love them...

 

 his is hunter green velvet with thick bullion fringe and jet black glass buttons...

 now back to that mantel...

under the weather...

After my last post, you must think I've been decorating like a mad woman, that by now my house would be a Christmas wonderland...NOT! I came down with a bad cold on Sunday and have spent the past 3 days in bed (or on the couch) feeling miserable.  I am having a burst of energy right now-so I thought I'd check in and say hi, and then run to the grocery store for a few things...then it will be time for a nap!  So whatever you are doing today, just know, you are being more productive than me! Stay well...

Christmas chair

Once upon a time, when my children still believed in Santa, I painted this Christmas chair...on the top I painted a note...

 I think I bought this chair at a garage sale for a few dollars...I painted a ton of Christmas chairs that year-all different-for gifts, and to sell at shows-and I personalized them with the names of children, or families...

Ours is so beat up after all these years, but when we brought it down from the attic today, it still made my children smile...

We are starting to decorate today...it takes  a loooong time...not because we have so much, but because every time we open a box, it is filled with memories, and we ooh and ahh and reminisce...all those boxes, filled with happy memories...I'm off to open more!

color change...

This was my family room wall color-a nice green. I loved it. Then I fell in love with these cranberry velvet sofas, and bought them...and moved the rug from the dining room into the family room...

 The green walls and cranberry sofas did not play nicely together...so my friend Tom came to my rescue, and painted the walls a nice neutral linen white...

 It looks kind of boring compared to the color I had, but I think I'm going to like it. So today, on the day before Thanksgiving, when I should be cooking, I'm rearranging...and telling you about it!

When it's done I'll take a picture...until then, wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

toolbox...

I have this OLD wooden toolbox that I bought years ago at a flea market...it is worn and smooth from years of use, and it has great character.  I keep old glass knobs and chandelier crystals in one half of it...

 and in the other half I keep old tools...

 I just love old things with chippy paint...

 ...and I like the contrast of the shiny sparkly crystal and glass, with the natural worn patina of the wood.  I can also make up an excuse to collect anything...

roxanne...

Elizabeth came home from school for Thanksgiving break last Friday night, 5 days earlier than I expected...I had several projects that I had hoped to have completed before she arrived, instead she got chaos! She and I went to the Police concert last night...hearing Sting belt out "Roxanne" in person, was worth the price of admission...(the photo above is our self portrait from the concert)...my ears are still ringing today...It is so nice to have her home, and feeling well again. Now I'm off to tend to some of that chaos, only 2 days left to clean before I have to COOK for a crowd!

vendor night...

Vendor night was loads of fun.  We were encouraged to dress in our own interpretation of "junk gypsy"...lots of tulle and rhinestones, boots and cowboy hats...lots of creativity...everyone looked great! But the night was about shopping, and boy can those Bella's SHOP! There were over 40 vendors, and here are a few that I was lucky enough to buy from...

The photo above and below is a piece I bought from Amy Powers. She has an online store that I LOVE called Inspire Co. Standing in front of her booth was like looking at Candyland-so whimsical and happy...like Amy herself-she is ADORABLE!

It was tough trying to decide which of her yummy little houses to buy!

This is a piece I bought from Rebecca Sower.  I am thrilled to have something of hers...such wonderful details...

 

a little bouquet of vintage button flowers, made by Princess Lasertron, the adorable Miss Megan...the girl has style...

 I hit the jackpot at Tammey Gilley's booth...I bought 3 different vintage hangers with ribbon, millinery flowers and stamped tags...I think these are beyond gorgeous...

 also from Tammy...these adorable test tubes filled with hugs, and kisses, and dreams...hand done tag w/ ribbon & flowers

I also bought an amazing journal that brought me to tears when I looked through it...layers and layers of vintage goodness...

this cute ornament from  Charlotte Lyons, part of her sweet mountain holiday collection for seasons of cannon falls...she signed the back for me... 

 I also bought loads of supplies...vintage wallpaper from Heather Bullard...her booth was gorgeous, as you might expect!

and from Sara Hopp of Manto Fev...who sells tons of alternative art supplies...

 I also bought some wings and crowns...can you believe I've NEVER added wings or a crown to anything?  People write letters to the editor at Somerset Magazine, begging them to stop with the wings, and I haven't even started...oh well, if you need some, Heather Rowley at Speckled Egg has all sizes in German scrap...

 and Frost Creek Charms has gorgeous charms in lots of styles...

 I honestly could go on, and on, about my time at Silver Bella, but I won't...I'm going to spare you further details, and put it all in a scrapbook...no more until next year!

class projects...

Jennifer Paganelli ~ Sweet Schultuten

This was my first class, and what a way to start the weekend! Jennifer is SO cute and adorable-just what you would expect from someone who designs the fabulous Sis Boom fabric line! We made 2 "schultuten" which are traditional German cones given to children when they start their first day of kindergarten-how cute is that? She gave us wonderful papers and trims to work with...I still need to add a few embellishments to mine, but this is what I finished in class... (I want to make about 100 of these now!) 

Rebecca Sower ~ Life is Lovely

I was so looking forward to meeting Rebecca-I am a fan of her blog-and she was so charming (and her daughter Madeline is BEAUTIFUL)...this was a complicated project, but Rebecca was SO organized, that I actually completed everything in class! We made 12 mini collage pieces that we put under individual little beveled glass squares to form the central piece.  We used images, words, gold leaf, rubber stamps & glitter to make our collage pieces.  She gave us ribbon, chandelier crystals and vintage millinery flowers to finish off our piece. I LOVE the finished product!

 Charlotte Lyons ~ Peace on Earth 

I love Charlotte Lyons...love her work, love her blog..she is a gracious, generous, charming woman.  This collage was made on an 8x10 stretched canvas, using vintage wallpaper, fabrics, sheet music, lace, buttons and trim.  I followed Charlotte's pattern, but some girls were thinking "out of the box" and made different houses: a brownstone, a Victorian cottage, a little Swiss chalet...they were all so creative! 

 close up of details...

 me with Charlotte...

Pam Garrison ~ Bella Banner

this is Pam's class example...

Pam made her example out of all vintage papers-we used some vintage, some new-so the colors are a little different.  I thought collage like this would be so easy-but it takes time and thought to get the balance right.  Pam makes it look easy-in fact she herself is so easy going, spontaneous, and relaxed-and so encouraging...a lot of us were OBSESSING (me) about where to put every little scrap of paper...she assured us that there is no right or wrong way to collage...so I just took a deep breath, and started gluing!  I took this picture before glittering the letters, and realized that the dark green flocked wallpaper really stood out too much...so I took some white craft paint and just did a dry brush over the paper to tone things down...looks better...

before:

 after:

also, in class Pam used the large German glass glitter, and at home all I have is fine, so my letters don't stand out quite as much

 I'm hooked on imperfectly perfect collage!

last but not least...

Teresa McFayden ~Bella's bracelet 

What can I say about Teresa-she is the queen, the Prima Bella, the one who dreamed up this whole Silver Bella thing...and if it wasn't enough for her to plan and orchestrate this AMAZING event, she also taught classes, and had a booth at vendor night! Does she sleep? 

O.K., so our project was this yummy Victorian velvet bracelet...that required a little bit of sewing...now I've been sewing my whole life, but I completely botched this...again, looks easier than it is...unless your like Cindy Gilstrap who sat next to me, and was done before my needle was threaded!  Oh well, I got to sit with these amazingly talented women...

(thanks Cindy for the photo!)

 Lilli Beck (make mine blissful) , Michele Geller (hold dear), Cindy Gilstrap (junqueart), me, Kerry lynn Yeary (live.craft.learn), GiGi Kennedy (little gi)

so that's a craft wrap-up...long post I know, but so many people have asked "what did you make"...now you know! :)

things...

Second Chance Antiques.

Heaven on earth.

Awesome stuff.

GREAT prices.

I love, love, love that store!

Here's what I got...

3 new lipsticks for my collection...

a tin, lace, perfume bottle, pink pearls with a great rhinestone clasp, a pink satin coin purse, pink millinery roses...

a bunch of vintage postcards and calling cards with...hmm...pink roses!

rhinestone jewelry...some to wear, some just broken bits and single earrings to use in art projects...

assorted old baby photos...

this obnoxious hat ...

a lady head vase in perfect condition..

and this little girl...

she's the one I couldn't stop thinking of...is she the one you guessed?  Still to come...class projects, and purchases from vendor night...think: Rebecca Sower, Amy Powers, Tammy Gilley....