Vintage Flair

Recycled Journal

 
Having three little girls around the house you can imagine how many cute clothes I always seem to have lying around the house.  When the girls have finally out grown them, the really special ones I pack away because I just can't seem to get rid of them...I must be too attached to them.  The ones that are cute but I can part with, instead of selling them for a $1.00 at a garage sale, I started to use them in my kids journals.  If you think about it, there are so many cute parts of a dress or a shirt vs. the entire dress being really cute and wanting to save.  Also, I was cleaning my craft closet and I gathered some items to incorporate into the journal for instance, greeting cards, paper dolls from a swap I participated in, fabric scraps and other bits and bobs.  I made the covers out of some cardboard that was in the garage.  The red polka dot pocket on the journal was ripped right off a dress that Lucy just out grew.

Miss Olivia dreams of going to Paris and I had this old greeting card that I was saving and I thought it was perfect to use since Olivia was already wearing a beret.  Doesn't it look like she is posing in front of the Eiffel Tower? 
 
This spread of Lily-grace is in the center of the journal and the background is from another one of Lucy's dresses she sadly just out grew.  I love the graphics of the girl in the hot air balloon.  Isn't she sweet?  I cut out that rose that Lily-Grace is holding from a subscription card in Romantic Homes that I have been holding on to.  That red and white striped fabric is from the leg on one of Lucy's diaper covers and that crochet trim is from one of my kitchen towels that was unraveling.  I thought it needed to be rescued before it totally unraveled.

 
My sweet little Lucy needed to be turned into a little flower from some old scraps of fabric.

 
All of my girls together...so sweet!

 
Lily-Grace looks so innocent here but she is my little fire cracker.

Here is the cover of the journal with some other pages as well as the inside cover.

 
I love to create journals especially of my little girls....I wish I just had more time to create them!

Latest creation

I made this collage the other night while the house was quiet.   I poured a glass of wine and listened to some music.  Very relaxing.....just the way I like it!

 

Undercover

I bought this sweet shabby blue wicker cabinet for Lucy's room and look what is inside.....

Diapers....now they are are hidden and that makes me happy! Every time I went in her room, it made me crazy to see those diapers just sitting there. It looks so much better and isn't it funny how something so small can make a big difference?  

 
 

Quick hello

Just a quick hello....I am off today and I have a ton of things to do around the house today.  I wish I could create all day but I have some Mommy duties today that I have to tend to.  My kids are wanting to go to the pool this afternoon so I need to get cracking.  I am sure you all understand.  This is a necklace that I created a couple weeks ago and I wanted a necklace I could wear everyday....so this is what I came up with.  Have a great Friday.
 

Do I scare you?

I bought this vintage mannequin head the other day and to my surprise, my girls were freaked out with my purchase.  They were horrified that I wanted to purchase it....They looked at me like I was buying the gaudiest thing in the entire store.  Just look at her eyes and her sweet lips, how can you not love her?  She will be perfect to display my large collection of vintage hats.  This is one of my favorite hats, it has two of the largest black millinery flowers I have ever seen and I think it looks perfect on her.  I originally had a pink fufu hat on her but I thought she looked to silly, my girl needs to look chic.  I never see these for sale at an antique store, they are usually NFS (I hate to see those letters together) but this time I did see one and guess what?   She was only $40.00, not to bad.  If you are wondering why she is jammed in my craft closet, nobody will let me display her in the house.  Oh well!

P.S.  You don't think I am crazy........ right?
 

Back from NY

 
I am back from my business trip in NY and I have to say, I really don't mind traveling to NY.  The company I work for, their showroom is located on Madison Ave., right around the corner from Tinsel Trading.  Pretty good uh?  I would walk to my appointments and I would pass the lovely store every morning and it was such a pleasure to finally go there.  I didn't buy any vintage flowers but I was able to purchase some metallic trims and some Wendy Addison letters.  It was a fun store to visit and I had a ball rummaging through all of the wonderful trims.  I also was able to go to Soho and get in some comp shopping (at my work I need to stay abreast of the latest fashion trends and retail outlets so, I get paid to go shopping and tour stores....ya, I know I am a lucky girl...however, I was with four others and it is not always as fun as it should be).  I had the best dinner at Angelo's in Little Italy....yum-mm.  I was in the heart of the fashion district and I also went to some millinery stores and bead stores, I was a bit overwhelmed and I didn't buy anything in those stores.  It was SO HOT and I was carrying my brief case and wearing my heels and there was no air conditioning in many of the stores.  I got tired of sweating so I will visit those stores when I go back to NY.  I sound like a diva, but the air was so think I felt like I could cut it with a knife.  NY is definitely fun to visit but I have to tell you, I am a suburb girl.  I love the buzz of the city but it is nice to be back in Arkansas where the pace is much much slower!

Have a great Sunday....now that I am done traveling for a while, I am hoping to get back to creating. 

 

Calligraphy

 
A while ago I purchased a wonderful manual from the late 1800's on the proper techniques on how to write in calligraphy. If you are like me, I love to collect penmanship....especially beautifully written calligraphy.  When I spotted this book, I knew I had to had it! The book is old and it is falling apart in some places, but that just makes me love it more.   Below are some photos from the book and this is just a small portion of the book.  It is jammed packed with beautiful illustrations and samples of stunning penmanship.

 

Hmmm.....I think I may purchase a calligraphy pen and ink from Hobby Lobby and give it a try.