Time in the Studio...

Hi Bloggie Friends,

Christmas time is almost upon us.  Yikes!  I am so incredibly behind.  One reason is I've been spending more time in my studio which is a good thing.  I made these pretty little altered boxes which hold what I am calling prayer ribbons/bookmarks.

Each one is different.  I altered the boxes which were vintage pharmacy boxes with vintage wallpaper and antique paper, lace on some, ribbons on others, a beautiful image of either Mary or Mary and Jesus, and, of course, a little glitter. Finally, a special word was added.

The medals came from France and the beads are all vintage from my stock of treasures.

The crinkle on the ribbon part is intentional.  Hope people "get" that. WINK...

These little pretties are available in my Etsy shop Elegant Farmhouse and would make a great gift for either yourself or someone else.  Hope all is merry and bright wherever you are.

Sharing with Feathered Nest Friday.

Until next time,

Happy New Year, a Book Review, and News for the New Year

Happy New Year!  This is a rather random disjointed post, but I hope you'll forgive me.  I've been super busy getting ready to open a second Etsy shop.  I'm very excited about it and I hope you will be as well.  My first shop, Elegant Farmhouse, was opened when I had a plethora of antique grain sack pillows that I made that needed an outlet for sale.  I found that some of the other things I loved, such as white ironstone and zinc items, looked nice with the pillows so a shop was born.  I still love all of those things and have fun hunting and gathering, but something has been missing.  For years, I sold on eBay under the name French Laundry, hence my blog name, and there I had the type of things that probably speak to my heart as much as anything in my many collections...beautiful, feminine boudoir and vanity antiques, fine linens and laces, and pretty china.  I haven't regularly sold on eBay in some years and I have really missed working with the pink girlie stuff.  AND did I mention that I still have a huge backlog of items which were destined for eBay but have just been in a holding pattern since I gave up being a regular seller on that venue?  SO, I hope to be up and running in a week or thereabouts.  You all will be the first to know once that happens.  The shop name is The French Laundry and the picture above and below will give you an idea of the feeling of that shop-fussier than Elegant Farmhouse, but still the same service and variety that you have come to know from me.  If you love 1920's ribbon work, flapper items, and Edwardian perfumes, this is a place you will want to visit often.  Let me clarify, I am NOT closing Elegant Farmhouse, just adding a second shop.

Okay, now that the shameless self promotion is done, I promised you a mini book review of the book "Inspired You", written by Blogland's own Marian Parsons, aka Miss Mustard Seed.  

Let me say that I am an avid reader.  Not like I ALWAYS have my nose in a book, but I do belong to a book club and really enjoy reading.  That being said, I can't remember a time that I've EVER read a design or lifestyle book cover to cover.  Maybe it's shallow, but I buy them for the pretty pictures and while I try to read the content, I generally fall short (read "I lose interest").  This one was the exception.  Perhaps because it is more than just a book about designing a warm and welcoming home.  Perhaps it is Marian's down to earth style and way of writing.  Maybe it is because she spoke to my heart on more than one occasion when she reminds us that our goal isn't to live in a magazine photo shoot but to create a comfortable home for our family and friends and to use our God given talents to make that home truly our own.  Maybe it is because she reminded me to be grateful for what I have and not JUST focus on the things I want to change.  Whatever the reason, I loved the book.  It was an uplifting, REAL book for REAL people.  It has a few easy tutorials for projects, some hints on getting low cost and high style, and lots of pretty pictures of MMS's own home.  It is available from the publisher, Thomas Nelson and can also be found on Amazon.  And did I mention, it is VERY reasonably priced?  Well, now I did, so now you know.  I recently met Marian at a workshop she did here in Colorado and she is just as nice as you might think and then some.  I love that.  I purchased some of her new milk paint in Luckett's Green.  I can't wait to try it.  Her color palate is really beautiful and if you haven't checked it, you should.  There are about 100 retailers carrying the line and, if you are fortunate like me to have an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint stockist who also carries Miss Mustard Seed's products, then you really have it made.

Well, I have only tonight and tomorrow off from work, then it is back to the grind for me.  AND there is a good probability that I will be returning to work full time very soon, so I need to get moving while I have the opportunity and finish some listings for The French Laundry and restock Elegant Farmhouse.  Whew!  This Christmas break has certainly gone by fast!  My kids have off until Monday, so they can enjoy hanging out a while longer-they love that and so do I!

I hope you all had a nice Christmas and a good New Year and that 2013 will be happy and prosperous for all of us!

Until next time,

Treasures from the Junkin' Junket

Hello Friends,

As promised, I have some pictures of some of the pretties I found while out "junkin".  OK, I wish I could say I got these at junk prices, but truthfully, most everything is from antique malls and shows, so no real bargains to be had, but it is fun stuff anyway.

These old Victorian picture albums always intrigue me, but they are usually in rough shape.  Not this beauty though.  The cover is perfect save a little wear on the corners.  And it is such a pretty design. The fabric is velvet and the picture in the center is on celluloid.  I don't know for sure how I want to use it, but I'll let you know if and when something brilliant comes to me.

The clasps are usually broken, but this one is in perfect shape and is so pretty, don't you think?

These little bobbins just intrigued me with their color and their obvious connection to sewing.  I grew up doing needlework with my mom and she always sewed all of our clothes and hers as well.  Every seam was perfect, every pattern lined up exactly.  My mom was an amazing seamstress, so anything  sewing related always kind of draws me in.

This bottle is very cool.  It is an old toilet water bottle.  It still has it's top although I think part of it may be missing.

The best part is it is from Paris.  Very cool, oui?

The little cafe au lait bowl was an Etsy find that arrived from France this week.  It is OLD and soooooo pretty with its little purple flowers.  It looks great on the French booklet I found at an antique mall.

These nifty pieces of celluloid are headed to my art stash.  They are Japanese and I am guessing they are maybe from a factory that never finished making them into their final product?  I've only seen this type of work in vintage jewelry, like pendants and bangles.

This is a bangle that I have in my own jewelry box that is made from this type of 3 dimensional celluloid.  It is so romantic and lovely.  I only wear it now and again for fear I will break it, but I love it anyway.

I found these little tiny cups at the thrift store.  They are very old English paste porcelain.  I can't tell you how to distinguish this type of porcelain, I can only tell you that once you get a feel for how it looks and feels, you will be able to recognize it too.  A lot of the old transferware pieces that I love were made this way.

After my lace organizing task, you'd think I'd have realized I have enough old lace, but I just can't resist it when I see it for a reasonable price.  Same with vintage millinery flowers.  I don't care if they're shabby, they will look great on an art journal or on something else.  Love the little appliques, pincushion, and glass buttons, too.

OK, as popular as religious items are now, thanks to the Jeanne d'Arc French Nordic phenomenon, how cool is it that I found an original 100 year old Madonna plaque???  The plaque is made with some type of plaster and the image almost looks like it is printed on metal.  It has a date of 1902 on it.  I'm thinking of replicating this one of these days.  I'll let you know if I have some luck with it.

And while we're on the subject of the Virgin Mary, look who whispered in my ear that she would very much like to live at my home?

She is chalkware, so she's chippy and her paint colors are muted, and she basically stole my heart.  I may sell her one day, but not today.  For now, she will bring peace and tranquility to my abode.

This tiny cast iron urn turned my head.  I think it may have a future in a vignette under a cloche; what do you think?

 

So, that is the majority of my tresors acquired over the last couple of weeks.  There are a few more, but this post is long enough as it is, so maybe another time.  Hope you all are finding your own treasures and inspiration as well as enjoying the beautiful spring weather.  Do tell, what's inspiring you today?

Until next time,

Linking up with:
What's It Wednesday
Vintage Inspiration Friday
Feathered Nest Friday
French Obsession Party

A Good Day Junkin'

Still beats a good day at work.  OK, I know, the phrase is, "a bad day junkin' beats a good day at work", but I had a GOOD day junkin', so EVEN BETTER!!!  I went out to a couple of places this weekend, one which I go to once in a while, and one that I'd never been to before, and look what I came up with.

10 count em 10 uncut yards of super wide crocheted lace-it is probably almost a foot wide.  Would this be great on a bed skirt or couch skirt, or WHAT?

And then there's this stool.  Is it cute or is it cute???   Oh wait, I know the answer...loving those worm holes or whatever they are on the top.

I can't seem to pass up cute bags of crochet thread.  You'd think I crocheted or something!  I'll use the creamy ones with some others I have for display in an apothecary jar.  The pastel ones will no doubt end up in a pretty sewing box that I will put together for sale on Our Cottage Garden.  The little pink tissue napkins will probably land in some type of art project since I'm not too keen on using them as napkins.  Like the thought of the pretty vintage-ness of it, not sure about the vintage germs (I am a microbiologist, ya know).

Love the vintage tobacco tin and the old bottle.  The bottle will be dolled up, the tin I bought to alter, but I'm sort of liking it as is, so I may just leave it and put it on Etsy.

Then, as if I weren't having a good enough time, what did my little eye spy? 

A LARGE cement Madonna (the mother of Jesus, not the pop star).  Her chippy multi layered paint called me over and beckoned me to take a closer look.  I have to admit, I started looking around as though everyone must surely be laying in wait for me to make my move and then walk on so they could swoop in.  But perhaps that was just the Jeanne d'Arc Living lover in me making me paranoid. (Speaking of that, have you seen the new issue???  SHREAK!  I think it may just be my favorite one yet.  But I digress.)  I still did the cool, disinterested mosey-over just in case.  You know the one I'm talking about-if you're a junker, you've done it.  Yep, cool as a cucumber, that was me.  Look at something close to the piece for a little bit, then casually let your eye wander down to the item you're really interested in.  Then, without looking TOO interested, check it out.  Look like maybe, if you want, I could take it off your hands...pull off price tag, just in case someone else might be lurking.  Try not to skip on the way to cashier.  

 

She's not in a proper place yet, but I had to share a little peek with you because you guys "get it".  Mr. FL, not so much, but I'm used to it (and so is he).  Anyway, when she is situated, I'll take some more pics and share them with you.  I told Mr. FL I intended to sell her and honestly, I planned on it, but she's like a hundred pounds and I'm not sure I want to take that on, and well...she is so pretty.  And chippy.  And perfect.  And...well, you know.  

And on that note, I think I've babbled on enough for one post.  Do you have a favorite junking story?  Like a purchase for sale that, well, never made it to the shop?  Come on, we're friends, you can tell me!

Until next time,

Linking up with Kathleen's White Wednesday. Come on over and join the fun.

Romantic Whites Around My Home

I almost didn't do a post this beautiful White Wednesday.  Felt a little Blog Block or something.  Then, I caught a glimpse of the Victoria magazine cover with its pretty mother of pearl buttons and whatnot on the cover and I started looking around my house for inspiration.  One thing led to another and I had enough white fodder to make a couple of pretty mosaics.  I love making photo mosaics, particularly when there is a theme like the color white involved.  There are a number of ways for you to make these, but my favorite is Big Huge Labs.  It's FREE and you have a nice selection of orientations for your mosaics and it's very easy to use.  They have other applications, but to be honest, I've never tried anything but their mosaic maker.  Perhaps one of these days, I'll fiddle around with some of the other programs they have.  

I'm linking up this post to Kathleen's White Wednesday.  Pop on over and check out all of the beautiful, dreamy, vintage, and serene whites that other bloggers have for you to look at.  If you need to stay warm this beautiful January day, this ought to help you.

Until next time,

Back in the saddle again...

Well, after a much needed break from my Ebay auctions, I FINALLY got all of this week's offerings put on. It seems that I'm always in a crunch to get the photos taken, pictures cropped, descriptions written. I know I should be more organized, but the fact of the matter is, I'm just not. I'd like to think that in 2009, the Organization Fairy will suddenly descend upon my life and fix everything that is, shall we say, not working to its optimal capacity. Sigh...a girl can HOPE can't she? One year, I discovered the Fly Lady, http://www.flylady.net/. It was a true revelation. I did, indeed gain a great bit of organization that year, but then the next "thing" came along that derailed me (I don't even remember what) and I scrapped her bits of sage wisdom and fell back into my old bad habits. Do you all have these problems with being overbooked and underdisciplined and overwhelmed with life? I will qualify this question by saying that I am living the life I love for the most part, its just the details that sometimes make me crazy. Please send me a comment and let me know that I'm not alone out here in Disorganizationville! In the meantime, here's a mosaic of this weeks' offerings. There's an antique French net lace collar, a lovely Victorian painting featuring pretty little violets, a neat silk embroidery embellished vintage sewing kit filled with notions, a really cool shell that is decorated with shell roses, a handpainted serving dish featuring beautiful pink roses and dated 1915, and a handpainted brooch featuring gorgeous pink roses and blue forget me nots, circa 1900. You can reach my auctions by clicking the button on the left sidebar of my blog, should you be moved to do so. Otherwise, just enjoy the photos and have a great day! Click anywhere on the mosaic to see a larger version of the pictures.

Until next time,