Buttons and Brooches and Pins...OH MY!

Okay, I wholeheartedly subscribe to the "Guilt Free Blogging" school of thought since this is supposed to be fun and not terribly serious. However, I never meant to be away for two weeks. I've missed you all. I not only haven't posted, but I haven't been visiting my blogging friends either. I have some SERIOUS catching up to do. So, without further ado, welcome to PINK SATURDAY, hosted by Bev at How Sweet the Sound. Pop over there and check out the other 145 participants' blogs as you have the chance for some fun and not so serious posts.


I have mentioned numerous times that I have LOTS of collections. One I'd like to share with you today, at least in part, is a little collection that brings me lots of smiles. It is a collection of handpainted Victorian buttons, brooches, and pins, MOST of which feature roses, but not all. As it happens, many of them are pink, hence their relevance to Pink Saturday. I am particularly drawn to the heart shaped buttons, they are so sweet. The rectangular brooch is one of my favorites, even though it was purchased with the idea that I would sell it. I'm guessing that's not happening, at least not right now. One of the pitfalls of selling what you love...

I can't imagine having these elegant little pieces of art actually adorning your clothes, but people did that "back in the day". The detail and artistry is phenomenal, in the style of Limoges porcelain painting in France. Some are more elaborate than others, but they are all lovely in my opinion. Enjoy this little peek into one of my indulgences....

Until next time,

In Anticipation of Spring...PINK SATURDAY

Happy Pink Saturday! I'm pleased to have a guest blogger today, my friend Denise, Head Antiques Maven from Our Cottage Garden and ebay seller winter-garden. She's going to show you how to make this adorable springy valance from vintage handkerchiefs. Thank you, Denise for sharing a great fun and whimsical project to help shake off these winter blues.

Anticipating Spring

Looking for a fun and easy project to celebrate the arrival of Spring? Warmer breezes tease us to open the windows and listen for the cheerful, chirping birds. Here’s a quick and simple way to add a touch of lightness and color to any window ~ a Spring Hanky Valance ..

You will need:

• 8 – 12 vintage handkerchiefs .. colorful, floral, lacey, or simply white. If you’re a “collector” as we are, you probably have a stash of pretty ones tucked away somewhere. If not, they are plentiful, easy to find, and very affordable. You can use colors which complement each other, or the room, or just mix-and-match (which makes it more fun).
  
  

• ¾” diameter wood dowel (cut to the proper width) (you will also need brackets of course)

• Apx 2 yards of vintage ribbon to wrap the dowel. Or acrylic paint and a sponge brush.

  • 

• 8 – 12 vintage curtain clips. Spring-loaded like these are a cinch to use. Or you can stitch the hankies to a variety of other clips.

If you feel creative, you can embellish your clips with vintage millinery, porcelain roses, or other decorations. We added vintage pink velvet roses to some of ours:

This set is available for sale now on eBay:

We decorated another batch with vintage sheer wired butterflies:

This set is available for sale now on Our Cottage Garden.

When you’re ready to redecorate the window, the hankies can be stashed away again (no harm done) .. awaiting their next assignment.

It won’t take long to assemble the materials you need, and even less time to create your valance. If you’re short on time, the materials used to create this valance .. vintage German gilt brass curtain clips, an assortment of vintage hankies, and pale pink velvet ribbon .. are available for sale now on eBay:

Happy Pink Saturday and Happy Spring!

Denise

The Unintentional Collection

I have lots of collections, a fact I freely admit. Usually, I know from the moment I buy the second one of the item in question that I intend to have a collection. Not so with the cherubs. I was laying in bed the other day and looked around my bedroom...a few cherubs. I went downstairs to get my coffee and began looking around...hmmm, more cherubs. I made a comment to Mr. French Laundry that I thought I had a cherub collection. He said something to the effect of, "Duh! I knew that, didn't you? I've known that for a long time." Well, I DIDN'T know. Not sure how I missed that one, but I did. But, here for your perusal are a few of the little darlings that I found lurking around my home.


A Victorian painting...

A lamp...

A place to display some antique jewelry...

A pretty little girl who graces the top of my china cabinet...

Another lamp...


A clock...


A Victorian painted canvas wallhanging...

Candlesticks...

More candlesticks...

Our wedding cake topper (with pretty antique crown)...

A sweet little one who graces my bedroom window. I bought it years ago when shopping with my mother who is now deceased. I think of her whenever I look at it...

What collections do you have in your home that you never intended to collect but that's how it ended up? I'd love to hear your comments.

Until next time,

Some Pretty Things for Pink Saturday

Happy Pink Saturday everyone! I've been keeping my little hands busy this week making these cute microscope slide glass tags. I made them once for Christmas ornaments/decorations, but thought it would be fun to do some for spring (can you tell I'm anxious?). The top picture is of one side and the bottom picture is the reverse of the same tags. I hand made each of them, using both vintage and new paper, silver wire, and Czech glass beads. Topping them off is a little vintage rayon seam binding bow. I've used these as a very nice addition to a package, a little thing to hang in your window, tree ornaments, and put around the neck of an old bottle to add a little pizazz. And each one has some pretty PINK to whet your appetite. They are available now on my website, Our Cottage Garden. After you check them out, pop on over to Bev's place at How Sweet the Sound and visit the other participants of Pink Saturday.

Oh and by the way, my husband I have been invited to a Mardi Gras costume party tonight. What does one wear? Ideas (quickly, please) would be much appreciated. I know you wonderfully clever bloggers out there are going to have some super thoughts on this.
Until next time,

My own version of Almost Wordless Wednesday

I am a bit overwhelmed right now with the building of my art and antiques studio as well as life in general, so today's post is just a couple of pretty pictures I took, no more, no less. I've really gotten into the old rayon seam binding thing and went on a little binge lately. Even thrown in a bowl, they are sure pretty. Hope to be back soon with a little more substance. Just wanted you to know I was thinking of you out there in Bloggerland.

Until next time,

Happy Valentine's Day & Welcome to the Party...

Happy Valentine's Day from French Laundry (that's me) to you! I had this phenomenal ALMOST vision of this post in my head ever since Lesley over at Flatwoods Folk Art said she was hostessing this fun party. "In my head" and "almost" being the key words. Now it is time to post, and, like so many of you out there, I'm coming down with some sort of crud; sore throat, cough, you know the drill. So, this will be my attempt, after which I will grab my pillow and blankie and assume the position.

What does one think of on Valentine's Day? Romance, beauty, and love all come to mind. I think of my Mr French Laundry who's a pretty darn special guy. I think of my sweet boys who are definitely the apple of my eye, even when they're a wee bit naughty. And then I think of nostalgic Valentine's, roses (of course), and pretty vignettes. France comes to mind because it is home to Paris, one of the world's most romantic cities. Sweet cherubs and a general softening of your usual look...I present to you a few of my personal favorite things. What are your favorite Valentine things/traditions/memories? I'd love to read your comments...Creamy white roses- my all time favorites and certainly an elegant and romantic look for Valentine's Day or any day.

A vintage inspired Valentine I made for a Valentine's swap. The ruffle is a piece of brown tissue paper that I gathered up since I was sans crepe paper. I think it turned out nice and it was sure fun to do (especially the glitter!).

An antique Raphael Tuck Valentine sold recently on Ebay by my friend Denise.

The prettiest antique Valentine EVER, also recently sold by Denise, Ebay seller winter-garden. I tried unsuccessfully to score this one, so I guess pictures will have to do.

This is one of the places I'd like to have my "you are here" mark on.


Ahhhh, Paris...


An adorable little birdie that was made in kit form by Junque Art. SO cute!


A stunningly beautiful vintage iridescent perfume bottle with Aurora Borealis rhinestone top, available from me , seller name french*laundry.

The list could go on and on of my favorite things, but I want to leave you time to go by and visit the other participants in the Valentine's shindig, so I'll stop now. Besides that, I'm pooped. I hope you get to spend Valentine's Day with those who matter most to you.


Until next time,

Time for a new collection spotlight...1920's Wedding Toppers

Its been a little while since the rhinestone clock collection post, so I thought today would be a nice time to share one of my sweeter collections with you. I started out just collecting any vintage wedding cake toppers that struck my fancy, however, with Ebay and all of the other online shopping possibilities out there, I could see that this could quickly become an overwhelmingly large collection. Not a problem if you only collect a couple of things...ahem, that would NOT be me though, so I had to reign myself in a bit. I decided that since my most favorite toppers seemed to be of the 1920-1930's era, I would limit myself to just those. I proceeded to sell the ones that didn't meet the criteria and then spread out my remaining little pretties so I could appreciate them fully. Then I put a couple of them under glass cloches which is a way I love to display all sorts of things. Not only does it put them in the spotlight, but it also keeps them from needing to be dusted!

I love the ones that still have their bases and flower arches, but I'm also partial to the little bisque "Kewpie" looking ones. Wedding toppers have become increasingly popular in the collecting circles and the prices have definitely gone up, up, up. Once in a while though, you can still find them at thrift stores or estate sales for a reasonable price. ($10 or less). One of the most striking toppers I've ever seen was offered on Ebay this last September. It featured a very well dressed 1920's couple and the bride's dress went up in the front as was the style back in the day. Even though many flapper brides wore that style of dress, the toppers depicting the dresses that way are very rare and this little treasure brought over $200, if memory serves. OUCH! Needless to say, that one is NOT in my collection, but boy I wish it were. Most of the more "normal" ones can be had well within the $20-50 range. Now these prices I'm spouting off are for the older, say pre-1940 toppers. If you like the toppers from the 1950's on forward, you can probably cut the above prices in half unless there is something particularly rare/unusual about it. I don't personally own any reference books on the subject, but I've just ordered a Schiffer collector book titled, "Vintage Wedding Cake Toppers" by Penny Henderson, so it should be interesting to see if she agrees with me! If you like reference books on collectibles, Schiffer has books on almost any item you can imagine. They are usually fairly well done and have lots of pictures on the subject of interest.

This little couple might just be my favorite. Look how cute they are hugging each other, cheek to cheek! The little girl reminds me of one of the little girls in my baby son's Kindergarten class. I hope you enjoyed this brief little visit into the sentimental and sweet.

Until next time,