The Queen's Badge

Caught up in all this hoopla over the Queen's jubilee, today I worked on a regal project.  Although I wasn't thinking of Britain's Queen as I crafted - rather, my own little Queen. 
Our daughter is affectionately called 'Queen #1' in our extended family, as my dear mother-in-law likes to pronounce each of her grandchildren Kings and Queens as they are born.  Our little girl is the first grand-daughter for her, hence dubbed 'Queen #1'. 

I was inspired by a recent Somerset Life article with artwork by my talented friend Michelle, from the PetiteMichelleLouise blog.  She used tart tins to make unique badges, embellishing them with vintage elements and flowing ribbons. 

Here's Michelle's inspirational article in the Winter 2012 Somerset Life issue:

For my Queen's badge, I started with a simple Pottery Barn Xmas ornament with the letter 'A' for her name.  It was fastened to several layers underneath - a white paper doily, vintage sheet music, and white pleated crepe paper.  A light blue stamped crown was embellished with some German glass glitter and I used glitter letter stickers for the 'QUEEN' title: 

The badge was then enhanced with some ribbon, a crown tag and flowing crepe paper below:

I'm always gleaning inspiration from so many crafty bloggers like YOU out there to make personal projects for our home.  Thank you all for sharing your talents!

I'll be sharing with these great parties:
White Wednesday
Vintage Inspiration Friday
Feathered Nest Friday
Show and Tell Friday

Crochet Edging Around the Home

I've always admired the delicacy of white crochet edging.  With its' airy dips and peaks, it never fails to elicit a smile.  After I purchased this unique pot at a local garden store, I noticed how its' lacy-look border appears like crochet edging. 

I haven't quite found the right plant to put inside, but in the meantime it stands well on its' own.

Recently I found two vintage pillowcases with a pretty edging, and whitened them up.  Here they lie atop this basket of crochet-edged & ruffled-edge linens.  Lovely to look at even when not in use:

The runner on the bottom of the pile is one of my favorites:

Here again is the doll I made for our daughter, guided by a Tilda's World pattern.  The crochet-edged trim used on her dress was a thrift store find.

It was handmade by some talented person (wish I could say it was me):

The doll is enjoying being 'framed' on the shelf, overseeing all the goings-on:

I'll be sharing this crochet-edge loveliness with Kathleen's White Wednesday.
Also sharing with these parties:
Vintage Inspiration Friday
Feathered Nest Friday
Show and Tell Friday

My Fair Ladies

For White Wednesday this week, I thought I'd share some new Etsy listings from my store.  These two fashionable ladies would feel right at home in a Parisian-inspired boudoir.  I've embellished some craft store paper mache dress forms, then attached each to a white painted wood base.

They're adorned with vintage lace trim, a tea-stained fabric sash (on white form), and German glass glitter on the necklines.   Vintage-inspired enamel tags around the base claim each as unique.

The gray lady...

Miss 'PARIS' in white...

They were inspired by this blue & lace dress form I made for my craft area many months ago...

(that's Abby's fairy queen in upper left - so pretty!)

Now I just need to make a base for my own dress form...

I'm off to see all the inspiration over at Kathleen's White Wednesday....see you there!

Small pleasures

The pretty pink tulips from my children for Mother's Day have brightened up our living and dining rooms these past few days.  I couldn't help but take a snapshot of this cheerful view from our couch on a sunny day. 

Until our hydrangea bushes are in full bloom, I'm using last year's dried flowers to fill this white basket.  I got it at last year's White Event, and now it sits happily on the stool from this year's White Event. 

Last week's purple lilacs have also been replaced with dried hydrangeas in the dining room.

Although the weather was beautiful and I enjoyed strolling the local flea market with my Mom this past Sunday, I didn't have much luck finding treasures.  This old dictionary was the one thing that came home with me. 

I removed its' shredding cover and wrapped this gray seam binding around it. 
A simple look, but it brings a smile when I walk by:

Happy White Wednesday!

More 'Garden Party' Listings

Hello friends!  I do hope you all enjoyed a lovely Mother's Day weekend.  I was blessed with handmade cards, pink tulips and lots of hugs & smiles.  An extra special treat was time with my Mom at the local flea market.  Splendid!
Well, the season is upon us for garden tea parties, graduations, weddings, concerts, etc.  I've created more listings in my Etsy store to go along with all that fun.

I couldn't help but stage the items outside in our garden...

 

This cute pink floral ruffled table runner is perfect for an impromptu tea party:

A coordinating pillow and pretty little purse rest nearby...

The pink floral fabric is from the Shabby Chic Treasures collection. 
Here is a slightly larger blue floral purse, also made from the same fabric collection:

A closer look at the items indoors...

The new items have just been listed today!

I'm also linking this post to Jennifer Rizzo's Show your Shoppe link party - head over to see some great stores!

Fleurs

Spring showers bring May flowers, and aren't they pretty?  We're enjoying the last of our purple lilacs this week.  A small change was made to a dining room corner to showcase their lovely color. 

I sewed a small ruffled tablecloth for this white table, and propped some lilacs on top.  They blend well with the colors in this 'Present Pillow' from my Etsy store, as well as the ribbons on the vintage papers:

One of our rhododendron bushes is in bloom, too.  Pretty in pink...

May wouldn't be the same without our little Lily of the Valley flowers peeking up:

I enjoyed sharing blooms from our garden with you, and seeing many of yours.  Happy spring!

Sharing with the lovely whites at White Wednesday, and pinks at Pink Saturday.

Twice as Nice for Spring

It is a rainy spring day here, but I am admiring all the green outside my window.  It's gratifying to see the buds blossoming and the lush carpet of green in the grass and trees.  I wanted to carry that cheerful spring feeling into the house using some vintage floral wallpaper and fresh lilacs.

This fabulous cabinet door from Sandi's space at the At Home with White event offered a nice way to showcase the wallpaper.  Here is the front of the door displayed on my desk, featuring the pretty applique Sandi added:

Fresh lilacs from one of our bushes added fragrance to the room...

I knew this terrific vintage wallpaper I got from Judy at French Laundry would look romantic on the back of the cabinet door.  I got the idea after seeing a fabulous wallpapered piece over at Rachel's blog.

For a temporary change, I simply taped the wallpaper to the back of the cabinet door and turned it around:

Changing out the accessories a bit gave the desk a whole new look:

I love how the bottom of the door curves:

Some fresh white lilacs were added to the mantel...

...and to the bedside table, luring me to sleep:

Small details such as these help to add cheer and embrace spring. 

Sharing with Kathleen's cheerful White Wednesday!