Sweet Finds

100 Aprons

100 Aprons...

that was our Silver Bella "Market" theme this year.

The postcard Theresa created said, 

"Just tie one on"

so, that's what we did!

 

Litereately,  I think everyone was sporting

an apron of some sort.

Vintage, kitchy, eye-catching, dolled up...

Being from Texas,

I thought it would be fun to wear

my Grandma's red & white gingham apron.

Nothing fancy.

I rolled my jeans up a little,

threw on a white t-shirt, grandma's apron,

and made some cute pig-tails.

Very "Texas",  I thought!   tee-hee

I loved seeing everyone dressed up...

but the fun part, for me,

(aside from shopping),

was saying...

"it was my grandma's apron!"   : )

 

 

I'm Home!

I'm Home from Silver Bella!!!

A trail of glitter and the cold weather have

definitely followed me from Omaha!

Anyhoo, It's hard to believe...

this spectacular event

has come & gone!

The weekend was long and packed

with tons activities. 

My classes were incredible... 

loved, loved, loved them.

Met up with lots of friends,

participated in some awesome swaps,

and came home very, very tired!  : ) 

Here are a couple of pics from Thursday:

Jessi's Bella Bus Tour:

 

(me & Gina Grable)

 

(Jessi-  passing out gifts)

 

(Stacy McGinnis & Natalie Hansen)

The Glitter Lounge:

 

 

 

(Jenn Hayslip & myself)

(Stacy McGinnis, Suzanne Duda & Tiffany K-Dixon)

(Robin)

 

(Natalie & myself)

Welcome Dinner:

(me, Alisa Noble, & Heather Ales)

(Cheryl Stoneham, myself, & Joy Campbell)

(me & Mendy M.)

 

(me & Maija Lepore)



...more pics to come!

going to catch up on my sleep now.  :)

xoxo, Joanna

A Vintage Texas Mum

Each year, the Texas Bellas

plan a little somethin' somethin'

for Silver Bella Welcome Night.

 

Last year,  it was PJ's & "Texas Bella" shirts!

 This year,   we decided to make

Vintage Texas Mums for each other.

My swap partner is Miss Valita!

(I don't think she reads my blog on a regular basis...

so I'm gonna share my creation!

Valita,   if you are peeking...   this is your chance to turn away!)

hint, hint!  LOL

We were each asked to fill out a short

questionnaire.  There was one comment

that Valita made that stuck out the most:

"I want the mum to look old but new".

So,  I gathered new, floral fabric

which a shabby feel & a doilie...

 and went from there.

 

I tucked little pieces of vintage ribbon 

into the mum for extra color.

For the center piece,   I decided to used this

vintage Frozen Charlotte.

I made a wee apron to tie in

with this years theme:

"100 Aprons"

Using vintage music sheet, I made a wee

crown & place 3 vintage jewels atop.

Every Bella needs a crown, right?

Anyhoo,

The 3 rhinestones represent the THREE years

Valita has attended Silver Bella.

 

I added lots of frayed farbic,

seam binding, ribbon & lace. 

The seam binding is tied in

"friendship knots".

 

I also gathered ribbon by sewing down the

center...   I thought this would add some texture.

And as a special touch:

I took several pieces of fabric,

including burlap & velvet and made

a long strip of "patch work".

Valita loves to quilt...  so, I thought

she would appreciate the added detail.

To ensure safe travels to & from Omaha,

I wanted to "box" the mum.

So, I decorated this photo storage box

 with vintage story book pages

and plan to tie it all together using some

of the floral fabric used in the mum.

 

And that's it!  :)

My Vintage Texas Mum!

I hope she likes it!

until next time,

Joanna

Paper Doll~ Lil' Miss Bella

Paper dolls...

everyone's playing with them!

 Dressing them,

sketching their own, or

participating in round robins.

Paper dolls, seem to be very popular

right now.  So, when Parasols & MaryJanes

announced they were hosting a

5 for 5 paper doll swap,

I knew I wanted to participate.

 

Originally, I wanted to create a doll

with big,brown Texas hair.  :)  

But sadly, there were some issues!

So,  when I came across this cutie:

http://www.pattyreeddesigns.com/dolls/pdf/Patty_Doll.pdf

I knew, she was the doll for me.  :)

I painted her little pink bows & buttons

white and then begin to "dress"

her using fringed trim.

Here are 4 of the 5

"Bella" dolls I made:

  

As part of the swap,

we were asked to package the dolls

in some sort of clear wrapping.

 

 Using cream cardstock, I made a color copy

of a vintage photo album page &

cut out the center.

I glued 1 piece of transparency film

behind the copy.

Then, added a piece of pink card stock

behind the transparency

and stitched the right, bottom

and left side to create a "pocket".



And this is what Lil' Miss Bella looks

like tucked into her pocket...

she's all ready to be carried away

to her new home!

xoxo, Joanna

Rusched Roses

I luv taking art classes!

The closer to my house, the better.

But I have been known to travel.  : )

So, when I discovered that Jana was hosting

a variety of classes at the Antique Mall,

I knew right away that I want to

participate in her Rusched Roses class.

I mean, just look at this beautiful

purse that Jana made.

The roses definitely make a statement!

Don't you agree?

This is the "start" of my rose.

Jana demonstrating, while Cami observes.

 

My finished rose!

I just love it!   It's hard to tell from this pic,

but there are lots of layers & I used both sides

of the velvet for added texture.
 

Cami
 

Charlene
 

And me again!

The class was alot of fun... and relaxing!

I've made a couple of roses on my own

since taking the class.

Hoping to share those with you shortly.

xoxo, Joanna

It's Over!

It's Over!

As in, the Fall Trade Days Flea Market

at Jana's, Collected Treasures!

jana's booth:

 

Things couldn't have been any better.

It's started off a chilly morning at 49 degrees,

but warmed up & turned into a perfect day.

We had a steady stream of customers,

and the company was outstanding.

Definitely a perfect day all in all!

It went by so fast,

I didn't even have a chance to get out my

"busy work".   (my stitching bag/supplies).

I'm a little tired (and sore) now,

but for my 1st Flea,

I think I did OK! :)

Anyhoo, here are a couple of pics!

Enjoy!

MY booth:

 

(my bargain boxes...  50 cent items!)

I used paper from a vintage story book to

cover the unappealing cardboard boxes... 

a quick & cheap way to achieve a "new look"!

 

 

Me & my "booth" partner, Angela of Filigree Moon.

Angela's goods:

 

 

Cami, Creating Myself, stopped by to visit... and shop!  :)

 

Vendor & blog friend, Charlene of My Heart's Ease.

 

Texas Bella & vendor,  Marie Jenkins

 

Vendor & blog friend,  Lisa of Tarnished & Tattered.

Lisa's booth:

 

 

And at the tail end of the show,  Jana

surprised me by purchasing this

vintage trike for her new grand baby:

 

I hated to see it go...

but I love knowing that it went to a great home!

 

(me & Jana)

Well,  that's it folks!

Hope you enjoyed the pics.

I know I sure enjoyed my day!

hugs, Joanna

Running Out of Time!

Eeek!

I'm running out of time! LOL

I am a vendor at the Main Street "Flea Market"

that is taking place tomorrow.  (Sat., Oct. 24th)

Today, we are allowed to start setting up!  

My car is completely packed...

with the 1st load.  Unfortuantely,  I think

I still have at least 2 more loads of "stuff".

My check-list of "things to do"

seems never ending...

Grab this,  Pack that.

Run by the bank,

price last minute items.

Anyhoo, even with all the running around,

I'm really very E-X-C-I-T-E-D!

 And I can't wait to share my photos with you.

big hugs,  Joanna

PS.   Wish me luck!   tee-hee

My Saturday~

Saturday:

I spent the entire day with Angela, Filigree Moon.

I had a great time...  but few pics to prove it.  LOL

(Despite the fact that we both brought our cameras).

Our first stop was the Cattle Barn in Ft. Worth.

Then lunch at El Chico's.

After stuffing our bellies,  we drove to

Cottage Panache Antiques to see Maureen's new place.

 

 

 

Maureen has a cute shop.

And the work she has put into it is evident.

I tried to get a couple of pics of Angela & I...

but she was a little camera shy.  :)

 

We hit 2 estate sales... and then made it

to Jana's (Collected Treasures) just before closing.

 

It was Angela's first time to visit the shop.

But I wanted to talk to Jana about the

Fall Trade Days.

Angela & I will be setting up a booth at the

Main Street Antique Fall Trade Days

this coming Saturday, Oct. 24th!

Come see me!   Booth #7

406 W. Main St.
Arlington, TX 76010
8:00-  4:00 pm

xoxo, Joanna

Eeek!

Eeek!!!

I was prepared to sit down & tell you...

I'm a slump!

Have been for a week or two.

But that's not the case anymore!  :)

Thanks to my good friend, Alisa.

We met today for lunch.

And like the sun,  she lifted my spirits.

We ate,  shared our plans for SB, talked about

crafts & roommate gifts.

It was just what I needed!

 

She's probably gonna kill me for posting this pic.

We both agreed it wasn't the best!

But hey,  they can't ALL be good!  LOL

-

So,  slump or not,  Silver Bella is just

around the corner...

which means,  swaps are due!

I am currently working on 3 swaps:

Un Enchantillonnage de broderie,

Paper Doll swap, &

Jessi's Silver Bella Scrapbook pages. 

Here is what I am submitting for

Chantal's de broderie swap.

(or should I say challenge?)

 

I haven't been stitching long.

So, I thought it would be neat to

stitch something a little more challenging.

What do you think?

Facial features are always a challenge.

Personally, I think it came out well.

I love her little, pink lips!

And the brown curls in her hair.

 

Anyhoo,  they're in the mail.

 And I'm happy to cross one more

swap off my to-do list.  ; )

hugs, Joanna

Paper Cowgirl: Camp Whimsy

This past Saturday,

I had the privilege of spending the day

with several creative & like-minded souls.

Yep,  another retreat!

Camp Whimsy aka Paper Cowgirl.

However,  instead of attending,

I was asked to teach a crown class!  : )

It's different being on the other side.  LOL

But, I had a great time

and I enjoyed myself tremendously!

We (the instructors & Cindy)

gathered at the Crafty Scrapper,

bright & early to set up our whimsical retreat...

 

Complete with goodies for the students,

food, and a small vendor fair.

 

 

Sandra's cupcake class was up first...

and it was simply delicious!

 

I have to say...  I was very jealous!  : )

I mean, look at everyone's artwork...

Absolutely s-c-r-u-m-p-t-i-o-u-s!!!

 After a wonderful lunch,

my class was next:

Une Couronne en fil metallique (crown of wire).

Everyone seemed eager to create a crown

that fit there personal style...

a crown fit for a queen!

Well, in this case,  Queen times Nine!    : )

After a delicious afternoon treat

everyone was ready to create a beautiful

fabric cuff  with Chantal!

 By this time,  it was well into the evening.

As as much as we hated to say good-bye,

it was time to depart.

Personally, I would like to thank each of the

wonderful ladies that attended the retreat.

It's always nice to see friends & meet new...

I had a wonderful time and look forward

to teaching again in the future.

xoxo, Joanna