Paris Friends.

I have had this adorable photo of dancing Parisian girls for some time. I love the picture, the girls in it, the cute dancing pose and everything about it. There was one problem though. The photo was so incredibly light that there was not much I had been able to use it for. It came from my Flikr pool and I really wanted to use it as is instead of putting it into photo shop or a card program.

As I began to embellish the image I noticed that the more stuff I added, the more the image stood out. You would think just the opposite would happen right? Not in this case for some reason. With that in mind I added lace, lace and more lace! I added paper swirls, paper flowers and sequins. I added word stickers, organza and gross grain ribbons, buttons and photo corners. Then I whipped out the distress ink in antique and started tinting everything.

The final piece is very busy indeed but it accomplished what I wanted which was to have the adorable photo of the dancing gals show up as the focal point.

Beautiful Surprise.

I enjoy gardening. My husband enjoys photography. Every once in a while things truly do work out perfectly in this life. This morning I was out tending my garden by pulling weeds and training a rather unruly and rebellious rosebush. After an exchange of thorny scratches and colorful words, I caught sight of the most beautiful butterfly. Now this butterfly was no stranger to my backyard. With lots of lush greenery and a bubbling fountain, this butterfly had visited before. As a matter of fact my husband had been trying to capture it on camera for some time to no avail.

I lifted my eyes and slowly came up from my bent position and noticed that it was drinking the nectar from the milkweed vine which was now in bloom. Slowly and steadily I cupped my hands around it as gentle as I could and caught it! It squiggled and squirmed and I started to get a little scared as I wondered if it was going to bite me. I had already had harsh words with a Japanese beetle that morning after it had tried to dive bomb me as I hovered over its favorite rosebush. I tried to recall if butterflies even had the capability to bite as I "One armed" open the patio door and rushed up the stairs to show my husband. He was in the shower of all places! I closed the bathroom door behind me and told him I had a surprise for him....he gleefully whipped open the shower curtain with a devilish smile. With an equally devilish grin on my face I said "no, not that kind of surprise".

He wasn't disappointed for long when I opened my hand and the butterfly flew out and around the bathroom. "That's the one I've been trying to get" he said. So butt naked, he jumped out of the shower and ran down the hall to get his camera. He came back and closed the door behind him and began taking pictures of his prized beauty. I took a few of him holding the butterfly in his hand and it almost covered his palm, it was that big! He helped me get the butterfly back into my hand and he went back to his showering.

I took the bewildered and probably horrified butterfly back outside to the milkweed vine and placed it back on the flower where it had been drinking. As I walked away I could hear the faintest and tiniest of butterfly voices say "boy! what was in that stuff?"

Beautiful Vintage Inspired Necklace.

$19.50

So I came across this beautiful vintage inspired piece at my favorite shop and I instantly fell in love with it! It reminded me of "Old Hollywood" with all of it's glitz and glamour. You know, the red carpet deals where starlets would depart their limousines dripping with diamonds and furs. I had intended to keep this find for myself but being the plus sized gal that I am, I would have had to alter the chain extension to make it fit a bit more comfortably for me. It is so beautiful as is that I did not want to alter it in anyway and so I am offering it up to some beautiful gal who can wear it as is.

It features an 18 inch chain and blue square cut stones en wrapped in a gorgeous silver tone patina. The stones are staggered to the halfway point from the middle and the remaining links feature the glimmer of the silver tone patina...a gorgeous piece indeed. It goes to the first person paying through Paypal. Unfortunately I cannot ship outside the U.S. at this time.

My New Treasure From Treasures From The Heart.

If you were to count the numerous blogs that I follow on a regular basis you would probably run out of patience before you even got close to the end of the list! I follow tons of them through my reader as well as bookmarks. One blog I check in on daily is Treasures From The Heart. Barbara Jean writes this wonderful blog that is not only fun and informative but exciting.

I say this because Barbara also has a gift shop right on her blog that has some very lovely treasures for purchase. Recently while browsing her Gift Shop I found this beautiful faux needlepoint purse she was offering for a mere $8.00! That's right, only eight dollars. I couldn't hit that "Buy Now" Paypal button fast enough after she sent me the invoice. I received it just this week and it was carefully wrapped with a nice little note from Barb herself. Even my husband liked it!

Barbara also makes the most adorable little bird nests' out of a variety of materials that can be used in so many unique ways. Take some time to stop by and visit her blog and gift shop the next time you go blog hopping...I promise it will make your day!

Petite Pincushions.

Here I go again with the hatpins! I just can't seem to get enough of them. I've made new ones as well as repeat versions of some of my favorites. Either way I am running out of places to store them. I have been seeing these cute little teacup pincushions for a while on Etsy and thought I'd try my hand at making some.

I found this cute pink depression glass cup and saucer at a thrift store not long ago and because I wanted a pincushion with a wide surface, it made the perfect choice. I first took and old piece of cotton fabric and formed it into a ball and then stuffed it tightly with fiber fill. I tied off the end and wrapped the whole thing in another pretty fabric, added the lace applique and taped it into the teacup. Eventually I will go back and hot glue it into the cup but I got lazy.

The first one was so quick and easy to make that I found myself digging around in my china cabinet for some odds and ends or stray cups that had no mates. I found this sweet little espresso cup and saucer that I had forgotten I even had. It is really tiny and since I don't drink espresso I decided to use it for another hatpin holder. For this one I used the same process except I used and upholstery fabric that matched on the outside. It made the hatpins a bit challenging to get through the fabric without bending but with some careful pushing they went through fine.

Now I can't wait to make more from cups and saucers I find at thrift stores to give as gifts to friends and family. They certainly make for a very special and unique gift don't ya think?

Vintage Inspired Accessories.

As it turns out, the documents file on my computer is just about to explode due to the seemingly millions of photos I have stored there. Like so many of us, I tend to save a copy of just about every picture I take. As I was cleaning out my documents file and deleting items, I came across these photos of some of my vintage inspired jewelry creations. I know that I posted them on some of the other art sites that I belong to but I realized that I never posted them here as a main photo. I did add them to the sidebar but that cannot be enlarged so I am posting them here.

These are some of the various hatpins, brooches, and hair accessories that I have made over the past few months. Some I have listed in my Etsy shop and some I have given away as gifts. I must say that the hatpins have been my favorite by far. As a matter of fact I have decided to call my blogshop that is soon to open "The Vintage Hatpin". I can't wait to share my treasures-some new, some old but all vintage and beautiful-with you.

Crass But Cute.

So This weekend I have been babysitting my sister's Yorkshire Terrier while she and my brother-in-law are out of town. Fergie is the sweetest, mildest, most loving Yorkie that I have ever seen. She will lovingly lay in my lap for hours and just loves to cuddle and have her belly rubbed.

She visits our house quite a bit, oftentimes just to have a play date with our pug Daisy and our cat Spanky. She really loves our cat Spanky. They chase each other throughout the house and when they get tired they cuddle up for a nap together. Fergie is just a delight to have around.

Last night as my hubby and I sat watching television, Fergie grabbed her stuffed Mickey Mouse glove and proceeded to show it some love...And I mean REALLY show it some love! It is the strangest thing because she is a female. I guess in her little mind it made sense. The video is a bit crass but well worth the chuckle.

*As always, be sure to pause the Vintage Vignette Radio button below before starting video.

Another Great Beeswax Tutorial.

Today I came across this really neat video by the awesome artist, "Wyanne" showing how she incorporates beeswax into some of her projects. She covers a lot of the do's and dont's of using beeswax that a beginner might find interesting to know about before attempting to use beeswax.
She uses a different method to heat her wax than I do but it seems just as effective. It does, however, require a bit more caution so as to avoid overheating the wax. The video is a little grainy but I encourage you to watch it all the way through if you wish to learn more about this versatile and impressive medium.

*As always, don't forget to pause the Vintage Vignette Radio button below before watching the video.

It Just Occured To Me Today...

It just occurred to me today that as I approach nearly 70 blog posts that I have never put up a photo of myself. Now I am not one of those people that stresses over pictures of myself...well maybe just a bit....but not enough to avoid the camera by any means! Pictures are the way we document our lives, ourselves, our fleeting youth and our anticipated maturity. They are nothing to be dreaded or feel even the slightest bit pensive about.

Now don't get me wrong, I'll be the first one to point out every one of my dimples and jiggly areas of question less than a nanosecond after my eyes process the image into my brain...but hey! This is what makes Cindy Shea,Cindy Shea and I for one have learned to love it. Now I don't always LIKE it but I certainly have learned to love it. So without further ado...here I am in all my goofy and frou frou, artsy fartsy, mood swinging, happy dancin, and craftastic glory! So glad to finally meet you face to face. :)

And The Winners Are....

Congratulations to Rosie and Another participant who wishes to remain anonymous for winning the essay challenge! They both submitted some great essays on what the word "Vintage" meant to them. Both essays were very detailed and featured some "old timey" favorites that truly inspired a nostalgic wander down memory lane. So grab a cup of tea and set down with them to explore what the word Vintage means to these two awesome winners!

.Rosie's Essay.

When I think of the word vintage I envision Victorian houses, old costume jewlery, my gram's original Burger King "king" doll, Rosie the Riveter. I think of flapper girls and little diners from the 1920's and 30's like in the movie Forever Young. That is one of my favorite movies of all time. I think of the movie "The Notebook" as well. I think of grape Bonkers candy, and my mom's 1968 Mustange that got totalled when I was around 11 years old. I think of pin-up girls and old postage stamps.

I love vintage photographs. My father's mother has so many old photos from when she was young, and I don't even know anyone in the pictures except her. She was born and raised in France. She only moved here when she met my grandfather during World War 2, while he was in France driving ambulances for the army. She used to let my siblings and I look through her photo albums and she would tell us who the people in the old black and white pictures were and stories to go along with them. I do hope I can get some of those pictures when she passes away so I can scrapbook them. I am so very curious and intrigued by my French ancestry.

I get chills up my spine and goose bumps on my arm when I get my hands on real true vintage things. I think about the history behind it all and if I don't know the original owners, I imagine who they were, what they were like, how they lived. I love knowing the history behind antiques, vintage clothes, old photographs. Stepping into an antique store or museum full of vintage and antique goodies is like going back in time. Just pick up a piece of jewelry or a skeleton key or an polished silver tea pot and images of the past immediately flow into my mind like they are my own memories.

I love vintage style for scrapbooking and art projects because it gives character and life to all my photos and crafts. I use all the old costume jewelry I inherited from my gram on my layouts and keepsakes. It makes me feel close to my gram even though she is no longer with us. I can proudly display my works of art and tell everyone that a part of my gram has gone into each thing with a piece of her jewelry adorning it, kind of honoring her life.

Vintage just absolutely fascinates me! I want a Victorian house, filled with antique furniture. How awesome would it be to own a houseful of history, so each day you wake up and are surrounded by it? If I could only have one style, make things one style, live one style, vintage would be it. The Victorian era to be exact. But I am not saying I wouldn't be happy with another era!

I think of my childhood. I think of our old farm house and the skeleton key we used to lock our doors with. Some of my best memories are from when we lived in that house. Climbing out my bedroom window onto the sun porch roof at night and looking at the thousands of starts in the sky. It's funny, I even liked the old, crumbling, peeling wall paper that was up before my parents painted over it.

A feeling of nostalgia comes over me when I scrapbook my childhood pictures or pick up an earring from my gram to put on one of my many projects, and it's a good feeling. It brings good memories of good times. I love vintage, I love the history behind it. I even love the odd creeped out feeling I get from antiques!
Vintage is a very good thing, the styles are endless, the stories, the feelings, there's nothing else like it!

.
Anonymous Entry.

What does word ‘vintage’ mean to you? It means ME and just about anyone over 40!!!! I must admit that every time I look in the mirror and see another wrinkle – I think vintage. Every time I see another age spot (I tell my husband I am taking on sepia tones) I think vintage! And every time I say “I remember when or when I was younger” I definitely KNOW I am vintage!
I do believe that ‘vintage’ by itself is actually more of a concept and I was surprised some time ago when I went looking for a definition that there really isn’t one. Vintage as a word always seems to be attached to something such as vintage wine, vintage era, vintage times, a good vintage, a fine vintage. All of these of coarse give the impression of age and I think that is probably what most people think of when they think vintage. The word ‘antique’ also tends to fall in this category and yet antique seems to relate to more physical objects like furniture where as vintage is more about the concept of age or the era.

For me personally, I think the word vintage represents a different time, a time that seemed so much gentile and romantic, the Victorian era of beautiful dresses and hats, afternoon tea parties, large estates, carriage rides. Of course I doubt if you were one of the maids or butlers providing all of these things it didn’t seem such a wonderful time - just a lot of hard work!
I think that is also one of the odd nuisances of the concept of vintage as, in general most people tend the remember the beauty of a certain time and tend to dismiss what life was really like for the average person. But vintage has also progressed, through the flappers and gangsters’ era, prohibition, wars, and the retro era and even into the hippie generation. I always think it funny to see ‘vintage stores’ selling tie dyed clothes from the 1970’s as vintage – especially when I can remember wearing some of those things!!!

One thing I am constantly amazed at when I look at old photos from the 1900’s through to the 1950’s is how beautiful and vibrant the women were and it wasn’t just about the growing use of makeup or the fact that they had the freedom to do away with long hot dresses and stuffy old corsets…. it was the bone structures of their face, the petiteness of size and I think that is something we rarely see anymore – that classical beauty that so many refer too. Vintage is therefore what ever you choose to be, taking the best or certain eras and enjoying a momentary memory of what life “use to be like.” So am I vintage – you bet! And just like any fine vintage wine, I just keep getting better with age!

Thanks to both ladies for great essays! Your prizes will be shipping out in the

next week!

In Such A Funky Mood...And Not In A Good Way :(

Yes, I am in a real funky mood today. My husband is sitting here asking me what is wrong and I have nothing in particular to tell him. I just get in these moods from time to time due to my bipolar type II disorder. Now this doesn't mean I will be holding up banks in a Jimmy Durante mask or threatening to jump from the rooftop of my local Wal-mart or anything like that. But what it does mean is that my energy, motivation and outlook will be affected for a few days at the most. My creative muse has also fallen victim to the bipolar thug that is mercilessly holding her hostage. Alas, this is life and I am sure it will pass as it always does. Thanks to the modern advances of medicine, girlfriends and retail therapy...this too shall pass. Until then enjoy this little freebie and go create something nice for yourself or someone you love.

Where Has Everybody Gone?

Boo! Blogging is no fun for me these days. Where is everyone? Where has everybody gone? The blogosphere is so quiet I think I can even hear crickets. Maybe it is just that summertime is here and people are out and about doing fantabulously fun things with friends and family. I can't stand the heat so I wait until the evenings to venture out for a little fun.

This phenomenon is not just happening to my blog. I have noticed that most of the blogs that I follow have been unusually quiet as well. Posts' are staying up for more than a few days at a time..something I am guilty of a bit myself. Even my regular gals have gone MIA. Gaylemarie, Bree, Ally, and many others have all disappeared! Now don't take me too seriously because I am only joking about most of this anyway. Here's hoping everyone is having a great summer even if it makes the blogosphere a little less active. :)

Great For The Enviornment And Great For The Gift Giver!

The next time you reach for the trash can lid, think of all the cool things that container could become! I'll be making my large Yuban Coffee can into a really cool strawberry pot this week and it has inspired me to look at all my containers in a new light. Hope you enjoy this cool video that I found while browsing ideas to turn my coffee can into.

*Remember to pause The Vintage Vignette Radio before starting the video.

Three Sisters, Gift Tags Set.

This is a set of three gift tags that I plan to offer in "The Shop" that will be ready soon. The set is called "Three Sisters" and they are an interesting set of antiqued gift tags. Gift tags are an interesting way to add a finishing touch to gifts, scrapbooking layouts, cards etc.

The fronts of the tags feature stamped images of women from various time periods. Each tag is antiqued using Distress Ink and a stamped image. Each tag is trimmed out in decorative card stock and adorned with coordinating lace, organza ribbon and a decorative rhinestone milliner's piece. The back of each tag features a lighter background for sentiments or journaling. I think they would add a unique and antique feeling to any number of projects. The set will retail for a low $7.00 including shipping and handling. I can't wait to share with you some of the creative inspiration kits that will also be available for purchase very soon so please stay tuned!