Craft and Hobby Show II

Hi everyone, I have had a crazy weekend.  I attended another art class with Christie Repasy this weekend.  I'll try to get my bird art photographed to share with you this week.  Christie's classes are so much fun and I have made some great new friends in the class and have signed up for another one very soon.  In the mean time I wanted to share some more photos from the Craft and Hobby show I attended last week.

Old luggage, pulleys and vintage scales are very popular these days.  Did you notice what the Eiffel Tower above is made out of?  It's little boxes.  Isn't that cute?  Below I just love this vintage dress form covered with old mattress ticking.

Vintage sewing machines, film reels and old vintage clocks complete the vignette below.

The next photo is a little over the top for me, but if it was scaled down a tad I think I would really like it.  It's fabric roses cascading down a lampshade.  Great concept, but I think less is more might work better for me.  I can't believe I actually just wrote that!  I'm usually thinking if three is good 10 must be better.  Right?

Bird cages, old fans, vintage clocks with big faces are great in this following vignette.  I think I even see another vintage scale here.

Burlap bunnies with huge ears are great for the season.

And last but not least, here are some cute altered bottles and jars.  I finally got my new Facebook page link on my sidebar thanks to Karen Valentine.  Karen is great to work with.  You can contact her through karenvalentinedesign.com if you need a little tweaking here and there or if you want a complete redesign.  Karen also has a great blog, My Desert Cottage.

Stay tuned for more.  You will never guess what an umbrella and a chandelier have in common!  Thanks for visiting.

Rusted Metal Appliques

About a year ago I purchased a box of metal pieces at my favorite flea market.  I tossed the box underneath something in the garage and forgot about it.  Finally today I went and got it and cleaned all the pieces.  They have great detail and are perfect for embellishing caddies, signs, furniture and whatever you like.

They can be painted or left in their current rusty patina condition.  I have started listing them in my Etsy shop and my website.  They totaled 183 pieces so it will take me awhile to get them all listed but I got a great start today.  My website price includes shipping and handling.  Both links can be found on my left margin.

Thanks for stopping by.

A Perfect Day

Last Sunday a wonderful friend invited me to go to the craft and hobby show with her.  This is a trade show in Los Angeles that only takes place once a year.  Let's just say I was on sensory overload and I got so many photos it will take about four posts to share it all with you.

First of all, this is not like the gift show where photography is forbidden, hence the amount of photos I was able to take.  These designers freely share their displays and actually do mini workshops all day to share ideas for their products.  The first and second photos were taken in the Tim Holtz spaces.  These designers know how to display and make use of the real estate they are occupying.  I loved all the vintage goodies they used to inspire.  You can see below the displays their product boards.  These are for stores to purchase merchandise.  I was there to observe and ogle, not to purchase.

Their vignettes were amazing!  These hanging lights were woven through a ladder mounted on the wall sideways and strung through the rungs.  

Don't you just love the vintage goodies they used?  I was truly inspired at every turn.

This is a book with folded pages and it acted as a mini open file box to display cards and photos.  Wouldn't this be a great Christmas card display idea?  Or how about a milestone birthday party with the person's photos from previous decades?  This was an outstanding idea.

I love all the old typewriters and cameras.  It's like looking through the lens and putting words to paper.  Write your own story, and, of course, utilize their vintage inspired products to convey your message.

Here is my last photo for the day.  An old Singer decked out with glittered houses.  Oops!  One of the houses is down.  Do you notice the plain brown paper packages and the chalk board markers tied with twine?  Simple but cute as can be.  I have more photos to share so stay tuned.  It can be overwhelming!

Thanks for visiting.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style
                                           
Thursdays        The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best

Little Birdie Tablescape

It's been a while since I have done my weekly tablescape.  First it was all the holiday madness and then it was the wind and then the cold and I guess one of the main reasons was I wasn't feeling inspired by anything I had on hand.  So Saturday I ventured out to our new Home Goods which may be a curse instead of a blessing to find some new and up to date table linens.  What did I find?  Nada, zilch, nothing.
Again, I didn't have the time or the inclination to start running from store to store to find something that inspired me.  So upon browsing around, I found these fabulous bowls.  Aren't they gorgeous?  They only had two, but that's really all I needed to put this look together, and besides the bowls are the perfect size for my winter soups.

Everything else I already had, but these bowls really were the inspiration I needed.  Now I told you I was looking for table linens and I found none, and you may think my idea is cheesy, but once again I was smitten with yet another role of wrapping paper to use as a table runner.  Isn't this also gorgeous?  No different than using paper place mats; right?  It makes a stunning backdrop to my table setting, it's economical, and, better yet, no washing or ironing needed.

I only wish I had photographed the sides of the bowls for you.  You can catch a little glimpse of them in my next photo.  Now, as we junk'n girls go, you'll notice I had to substitute my pretty silver flea market spoons for a black spoon.  Reason being, I only shop at fine establishments like the local yard sales and the fleas, and these cute black utensils were missing the spoons.  What's a girl to do besides improvise?

Sometimes we need to think outside the box to find our inspiration and that's what this table setting is about.  Thanks for stopping by. 

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style
                                           
Thursdays        The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best

Pretty Rose Hangers

I love pretty vintage dresses especially prom dresses like the one below and I like to display them on pretty hangers.  I have always used the vintage satin hangers before, but I thought I would try something different.  It's easier to display folded tableclothes and linens over a pant style hanger so I picked up a few of these plain wooden hangers at a sale I went to.  I found these roses at The Bella Cottage for a pretty reasonable price so I affixed them to the hangers with E6000 glue.

I painted the hangers with antique white acrylic paint.  They were a little too new looking for me so I sprinkled instant coffee on them and then smeared them with hot water, and then I wiped the coffee of with newspaper.  It gave enough age to them to make them look vintage and I'm pretty happy with the results.  I took them to the shop already and hung them on some sweet little racks I found.

By the way, Carol at the Polka Dot Closet has a complete tutorial on making rose appliques like the ones I used here.  If I could not have found them at a reasonable price locally, I would have used her method.  Carol has a great blog so be sure to visit her.

Thanks for stopping by.  I always love your visits.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style
                                           
Thursdays        The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best

Little Black Bench

I found this little bench last week at the flea market and this is probably the third of these benches I have found over the years.  I suspect they were Bombay Company pieces originally.

I used this grain sack image from the Graphics Fairy.  I have used this several times before on small pieces of furniture.  I used TAP transfer paper to transfer the image.  I like this paper a little better than the Avery paper.  You can find it on Amazon.

Here is the lovely piece as I found it.  Pretty sad, isn't it?  My husband re-glued all the joints and removed the old upholstery fabric.  Then he painted the whole thing black.

I used 1-inch foam that I purchased at Joann's with a half price coupon.  We attached it to the boards with Tacky Glue and it worked great.

Then my husband stapled the foam to the boards so it was on there nice and tight.  Over that we took some freshly washed drop cloth fabric with the image already transferred onto it and stapled that over the foam, turning the hem under so we had a clean edge.

Then I found some black grosgrain ribbon with some white stitching that I used for the welting to cover the edge of the drop cloth.  I made three beads of Tacky Glue on the back side of the ribbon and placed it around the outer edges of the drop cloth, being careful to mitre the edges for a nice clean look.

My husband took a small black finishing tack and placed one tack where we mitred the corners of the ribbon so it would not lift.  It still had a nice tailored look.  Now the bench has a much more updated look.

Thanks for stopping in.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style
                                           
Thursdays        The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best

Flea Market Finds

I didn't finish the project I was working on today so I thought I would share one of my most beautiful tole trays and my latest flea market find.
I found this at the Rose Bowl flea market a few years ago.  It is exquisitely hand painted with fruits and flowers.

I was trying to get a photo of my most recent treasure, this adorable little sock monkey.  I found him last week.  He wears a little heart patch on his chest, just in time for Valentine's Day.

Isn't this tray magnificent?

The colors are soft and vibrant at the same time.

I love the black background.  It makes the artwork stand out.

Thanks for stopping by.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style
                                           
Thursdays        The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best