Sweet Finds

Rosette Swap Party

Hi!

So,  it's finally time to share the items I

made & received from the Gypsy Brocante Rosette Swap.

For Missy,  I made the following:

a apron using a vintage table runner

 
Love the stitching!  Wish it was my work, but it's not.

I read on Missy's blog that she is a fan of stitching...

so, I knew this vintage table runner would be perfect for her.

I used a vintage doily to create the pocket

and stuffed it with lil' things I thought Missy would like,

pink lace, buttons, millinery, & vintage pin up post card.

 
  Missy is a runner!  (something I need to become)  :)

so,  I figured she probably needed a cute little headband

to wear on the days she goes for a run...

 
So, I whipped this is up.

It's nothing fancy...  just a thin piece of fabric

 
 long enough to tie behind her neck.

I love the way the rosette came together.

It's kind of a messy, tattered look...  but I think its adorable.

And finally,   a handmade rosette "pin" that she can attach

to a headband or pin to a sweater.

Hers was similar to this one...  but pink in color.

I forgot to photograph it before

sealing up the package!   oops!  :)  

~

And I received some very nice gifts from Jennifer.

Unfortunately, a spunky little 15 year old

who looooves to "use my things" has MISPLACED

my camera.    eeek!!!!

So, I have no photos.  Double Eeek!

Can you guess which Twin I am speaking of???

Maybe Jennifer will post some pics & I can "borrow" them. :)

But I received a very nice typed letter & lots of goodies.

My package included:  a hanging metal container with a lovely

black & white silhouette of children playing.  She attached a

beautiful pink rose to the upper left hand corner &  added a

touch of ribbon & a rhinestone brooch just under the silhouette. 

It's perfect for my craft room!
  
She also included a wooden cigar box that was stuffed with lots

of treasures:  fairy silhouette notecards, 2 hankies, lace,

a stran of aqua beads, seashells, a vintage birthday postcard,

and 3 mermaid cameos.  (the box was tied with a piece of

fabric & a pretty yellow rosette that she altered.

Thanks Jennifer!!!! I adore it all.  :) 

Pretty little blooms

This is what I have been working on...

things with pretty little blooms.

 

I wish I could show you the pic in it's entirety,

but they are for a swap.

The hostess has planned a blog party for the 1st of Sept.

So, I should probably wait until then,  huh?  :)

Although, I am dying to show you!

  
I am extremely happy with the way everything

turned out.   I think in some cases,  this might be

my best work yet.  :)

Of course,  its easy to get inspired when you have

a day to yourself and gorgeous roses

like this to admire.

 
My hubby gave them to me for our

18th wedding anniversary, which was yesterday.

When ordering, he said he told the florist...

"I want something that looks antique & artsy".  

 
Antique & artsy...  two pretty good words to describe

what I like.   I guess he HAS been paying attention!  LOL

Anyhoo,  I hope you have a great day!

hugs, Joanna

Inspired

I've been inspired by this

old farm table:

 

and these cute chippy chairs!

Inspired to re-do my studio.

I'm so excited!   I think this is,  um, the 3rd or 4th time

I've "re-done" my room.   But I think this is the best yet.  :)

I spent a good chunk of my weekend

 bouncing around from my studio to the garage...

Painting, sanding, & antiquing.

I've tried painting lil' things before,  frames & such,

and I  have always hated the outcome.

But this time,  I was determined to do better.

So, I lurked Karla's blog until I found some instructions.

And I turned this unattractive set

into something I could live with.

 

It's not the best. But,  I'm happy with it.

Esp.  since its my first piece of furniture to paint.

I still have some work to do (in my room)

but I'm hoping to be done soon.

 Until then,  here's a little peek.

I hope you like it as much I as do!  :)

hugs, Joanna

R U like me?

Are you like Me?

Do you shop a lot??

Do you buy things because

they are on S-A-L-E??  : )

I've always denied it, but my hubby

swears I buy shit  crap  STUFF simply

because it's on "sale!"  (his words)   : )

...As in the case of these cups!

 

 I bought them about a year ago.

Yes, they were on sale!   Tee-hee.    50% off.

I thought they were cute

& figured I could stuff them with fun

little knick knacks & distribute them to some

of my Bella sistas.  But, as you can see, 

that never happened.  : )

So, here I am,  a year later...

recalling those darn,  cute cups.

Wait!

They're perfect for the napkin swap

I'm participating in!

swap rules:  

distribute 2 decorative napkins to each

person in the swap.   Simple, huh?

The napkins are to be used for decoupage purposes.

So,  I thought...  it would be super cute to

make a lil'  "Napkin Kit":

Each "kit" contains:

1 water cup,

2 pretty napkins,

a sponge brush &

1 bottle of paint

I used some left over tulle to make a little

mesh bag to hold all the contents.

Cute, huh?

 

...and my hubby thinks I buy stuff  just because!

Hmmm!

Pretty Pillows

pretty.   little.   pillows.

   

O' how I love thee!

so adorable.

so cute.

and so easy!

(made from card stock, scrapbook paper,

and other bits & pieces I had in my stash)

Wanna see what's inside of them???

You do?

I thought you might.  : )

One yard of vintage trim

gently wrapped in vintage patterned paper.

I thought it would be cute to carry out a

little sewing theme:

trim, sewing pattern, needle, buttons.

Maybe I'll add a little tag that says,

"sew cute"

what do you think??

hugs,  Joanna

A Mermaid's Rose

Inspired by the deep blue sea,

warm sand, and a mermaid's tale...

I share with you my latest creation.

A beautiful statement necklace

created for the sea lover herself,

"A Mermaid's Rose"

This is one of the items I will be selling

at the Paper Cowgirl  vendor fair.

But if you are interested in purchasing

A Mermaid's Rose statement necklace

before hand, please contact me via e-mail;

[email protected]

Sincerely,
Joanna

The Glittered Shoe

A few weeks ago,  my daughter came home

from school...   she was particularly excited

about a project & book report

that was assigned in her AP English class.

Her assignment:    read Fools Gold by Melody Carlson,

write a report,  create a "shoe" that best represented

the main character in the story, and give an

oral presentation in front of the class.

Now,  I'll admit...    typically,   I don't help out much

with the kids homework.    But I got excited when

I heard "construct a shoe!"   : )

My daughter was adamant about making

a paper shoe,  so I gave her free reign of

my craft room.    I gave her a few pointers

and off she went.

Her shoe looked very similar to the paper shoes

floating around blogland...   but it was very flimsy!

So,  together,   we came up with this:

"The Glittered Shoe"

We used newspaper and masking tape to

build the mold and then added a

paper mache concoction to the outside.

Once the shoe was formed...   we let it dry

for 3 days.    On the 3rd day,  I was excited

about helping her decorate it...

but when I got home from work,

she had already painted the shoe white,

glittered it, gone through my vintage jewelry stash,

and my stash of scrapbook paper.

I suggested the pink seam binding & tulle

to which she agreed.

I must of had this look of excitement on my face

once the shoe was decorated & resting in it's

lovely pink box...   cause she looked at me & said,

"Go ahead, mom!   I know you wanna take

a picture and 'blog' about it!!"

And she was right.   I did.  : )

Tee-hee

I love that she's a little bit crafty,

just like her mama.

L.O.V.E sampler

While searching blog land,

I found some cute valentine inspiration.

One in particular,

Amy's little stitching sampler.

So,  this past Saturday, 

 

I took some time for myself...

Grabbed my breakfast

& a big cup of hot tea

and started working on my own version.

L.O.V.E

 

I have the perfect spot for my finished artwork.

On the end table,

right next to some of my cute

vintage cake toppers.

Let's see how long it takes the

hubby to realize I stitched in

our initials!  : )

J + S

My version of L.O.V.E 

xoxo, Joanna 

Quilted Journal Pages

It seems everyone has gone

gaga over journals!

...me included.

So,  I thought I'd give it a try!

(and share it with everyone participating in this).

 

(The cover)

I decided to use ring binders so that I can

add pages as needed.

 

(front)

 

(back)

 

(front)

 

(back)

(front)

 

(front)

 

(front)

 

(back)

What do you think?

 I kept the front & back pages similar

to each other...

Anyhoo,  the more I look at the pages,

the more I like them!  : ) 

I think the last 2 pages are my fav.

You can tell, I was starting to

experiment with items other than paper.

(trims & measuring tape)

 

hugs,  Joanna

*visit Romantic Homes for other decorating & artsy ideas.

Christmas Sampler

I've been working on this

"Christmas Sampler".

Little by little.  A few stitches here & there. 

You know... When I have time. When I want too.  :)

I really like the way it turned out!

I'd say, it's my first "true" sampler.

I tried a variety of "new to me"  stitches:

(the knotted stitch to the right of the tree)

The entire piece {sampler} is fairly simple.

But, I really enjoyed seeing it come to life!

 I think it's a cute keepsake...

and it sure to be a nice addition

 to my Christmas decor for next year.  : )

Happy New Year,

Joanna