Calendar Dress Up, Marie style

Starting the new year means getting a fresh calendar, new pens and accoutrements.

 

I have a thing for office products haha, moving on . . .

 

  A new calendar that is "the one" is always hard to find. I love a vintage look. (I bet you've guessed that by now).  The usual office supply stores never seem to have that perfect blend of modern function with a vintage form that I seek.

 

 

What is a girl to do?

 

I decided purchase a calendar that had the modern function I like and add a pretty frock for it.

A little costuming and refinery upcycle - even calendars can have those.

 

A simple book cover out of an oatmeal linen became my foundation.  I recommend using a fabric that is a bit sturdy and not too flimsy. I tend to toss around my calendar and other daily items a great deal so nothing too delicate. 

 

Gathering scraps of lace and doilies, I began to stitching my collage.  I am not fussy about the condition of some of the laces.  Torn, tattered and a stain here and there only added to the charm of the collage for me.  An image of Marie Antoinette printed on cotton became the centerpiece with a little scrap of cotton lace as a frame.

 

 

 

Without a doubt, I wanted to incorporate some sumptuous light blue velvet from my stash.
You gotta use it sometime right?  At least for very special projects.

It was relaxing and fun to add some decorative stitches and mother of pearl buttons to it too!

 

Being a tactile person, I have really enjoyed using this calendar everyday.

Even if you don't find a calendar to suit your style, you can make it your own.

Fabric, paint, beading, collaging - whatever speaks to you - do it!

 

 

Thank you for stopping by friends!

Have a beautiful day! ~ xo Heidi

Best in show

Many awards are given to people and animals who achieve the best in competitions.

There are some people who should be given an award for giving the best of themselves every day.

 

I was inspired to create a trophy for a dear friend of mine to remind her of the beautiful person she is for all that she does for many people. 

 

 

I used a small spool covered in paper and velvet ribbon as a stand.

 

 

 

 

It was a blast to pick out the perfect millinery blooms for this project.

Would any of you love to receive a bouquet of vintage millinery?

I would - I am weird like that, lol.

 

 

Cheers to you and all of the little things you do everyday that reflect the best of your heart. 

 

 

Thank you for visiting!

xo ~ Heidi

Sparrows and ice cream

Many humid and hazy Georgia evenings, you can witness the dance of sparrows swooping and diving to catch a quick meal before night time falls.  With stunning accuracy and acrobatic moves, they pluck mosquitos in a graceful dance.

While working on a necklace, I was inspired by the sparrows swooping in to get a quick treat.

Dangling from a layer of cafe colored pearls, a little sparrow has a white bloom with a polished czech bead.

Below the sparrow is draped another strand of AB polished glass, creamy czech crystals, freshwater pearls and a repurposed rhinestone pin. 

I love the creamy iridescent czech beads!

Digging through more pins, I found a sweet rhinestone wreath pin adorned with a simple bow.

This one reminds me of neopolitan ice cream!

Vanilla czech glass, strawberry colored glass beads, roze quartz, milk chocolate pearls, freshwater pearls and vintage beads mix for a sweet confection.

I added a smaller pin for some extra sparkle - you can never go wrong with extra sparkle, haha.

Dangling from the clasp is a vintage drop pearl.

For the cherry on top, I added a dangle to the wreath made of crystal AB bead, white glass flower and a shimmering faceted czech bead.

Hope you are having a wonderful summer!

xo ~ Heidi

A Chenille-arella story

Finding yummy vintage textiles can be alot like a Cinderella story.

If the piece has holes or stains, it might get cast aside without a second glance.

Some pieces still have so much good left in them.  The holes and stains can be snipped off with plenty of great fabric left to use.

Take a second glance and look for the good.

This is a flea market bag I recently made, mixed with a hodgepodge of vitage fabrics.

Sorry for this terrible phone pic!

This is the girl in progress - flap and straps not yet attached.

I used a super soft vintage chenille blanket, pompom trim and a cotton damask tablecloth for the ruffle.

Inside, she is lined with a vintage sheet and the tablecloth for pockets.  Again, sorry for the poor phone pic, ha.

A little bibbity, bobbity, boo

I pinned a linen rosette and doily to the front.

I am not settled yet on which combination I want to use to adorn her but this is what I am going with for now.  What can I say, I am a bit fickle about some things.

This girl has plenty of room to tote whatever may be needed on flea market days ~ and then some!

Out of a crazy mix of fabrics, she is my favorite flea market bag.

Do you have any favorite fabric rescues?

Thank you for stopping by!

xo ~ Heidi

Fine dreams

With the slow pace of summer, I have been finishing the pile of projects I have going on at any given time.  Craft ADD? . . . maybe.  Ideas and dreams start swirling in my head.  Sometimes a quick sketch is all I have time for until the idea has a chance to blossom.

This shabby french style hanger was inspired by a cache of ornaments I found while on a junk hunt.

A stack of gilded fleur de lis ornaments called my name.

They were about 11 inches tall, pretty just as is, but I had other plans for upcycling them.

First, I gessoed them so they would be "toothy" and, possibly, adhere better to paper and glue.

I started layering paint, scrapbook papers, french book pages and vintage wallpaper.

La Fin Du Reve

I believe this translates to "fine dreams".

If any of my french-speaking friends know for certain, please share! 

And, some of my favorite Tim Holtz paper tape.

Then, I started gathering ribbons, trims and vintage millinery.

I adore this sweet cameo cabochon by Jolee's French General scrapbooking line.

A sweet bouquet of flowers and trim.

For some dreamy sparkle, a little sprinkling of mica flakes.

A quick knot of ribbon on the top and the french inspired hanger was complete!

I hope your day is filled with some dreamy moments.

Thank you for stopping by!

xo ~ Heidi