Warm tea…

All that is needed right now, cups and cups of it! Been sick and in s-l-o-w mode, and I have lots of things to post (a whole pile, oh dear). But in the grogginess of the morning I was so excited to see my name as one of the winners on Marmee’s Valentine’s drawing!

Must be the season but I am collecting vintage tea cups, I can imagine them delicately piled on my bookshelf… this one from last week:

My friends and I have been planning an elaborate outdoor tea party with little cakes, dresses and vintage hats, so I am longing for the warm weather. Right now we are in the middle of a snowstorm and it is so cold and blustery outside!
Green is and had always been my favorite color. But I find myself being drawn to all shades of blues for the time being. Maybe becasue I keep finding pretty blue things. I would like to fill an entire shelf with all things blue. A little pile of things from last week:

and I was looking for a whole year for a very certain treasure, found inside of this bright blue plastic case:

Resisting to look on ebay, I found it in real life last week. It’s a pretty shade of blue. Can you guess what it is? (I’ll have a picture soon!)

I like things with dead insects imbeded inside. I have a few little frames with butterflies mounted, their wings tattered from age. This paper weight has a giant creepy beetle inside. The peachy petals of the flower remind me of the tulle on a 1950’s prom dress I have packed away.

Yum cross-stitched birdie and an old post card with poppies.

Wishing I could get more done. On Sunday the sunshine was pouring into my tiny painting corner, and everything looked so untouched, which makes me very sad but hopeful at the same time. I have some new paints that I can’t wait to play with as soon as I am feelign better! Nothing feels better than new paints.

Oh, and I got this pretty vintage floral jumper dress on etsy. I just love the little white buttons on the shoulders and the bold floral print against the black. It reminds me of Frida, which remindes me of a certain exhibit which we are going to see soon. I was jumping for joy when I heard about this one, and what fun to visit Philly!

I have some more little cameos and lockets to post soon, and some sketches maybe.

vintage rosebud locket with mini prints

It’s hard for me to let go of this sweet treasure (I doubt I’ll ever find another locket like this) but it holds the mini prints so well …

This one-of-a-kind locket is in my store

Oh, and the belt is from abstractpretty on etsy. I will soon own three of her belts…they are so so perfect for cinching in that too-loose vintage dress and prettying it up a bit!

A quiet week. I am looking forward to a restful weekend with lots of outdoors. Today I bought new paints and brushes, a book on terrariums and a polka dot shirt… and that was my excitement for the week. Yesterday it was 62 which left me craving spring.

busy bee weekend

Weekend sketches in my giant deckled-edge thick-textured page book…my favorite (but very heavy) one to tote around right now:

Oh what a very busy (but wonderful) weekend! Friday night we went to Tarrytown to the most quiant, magical old theater to see Neko Case and it was fabulous. We were on the balcony but the space was so cozy that it felt very close to the stage. The theater was like stepping back in time. I was mesmerized by the antique feel of the place, and in combination with Neko’s voice it was bliss! The lighting fixtures were pure magic with their graceful silhouettes and sepia-casting glow. Like like forest spirits dancing all around us. mmm…..a peek!

We got her to autograph a few albums at the end of the show. She was so nice! I tend to get very shy around celebrities but my husband made me wait in line and on the way out I was happy we did!
Saturday was spend sketching a bit, taking a long walk and lots of other chore-ish things. I have been thrifting like crazy (in person and on etsy) and I had a pile of delicate dresses and cardigans from last week to wash. Last week was the best thrifting week in a very, very long time. I got a baby blue typewriter that I am going to display on my shelf with my blue book collection, two very pretty blue vintage dresses, red gollashes, some cardigans from the early 60’s, and a billowy floral sundress for summer. Lets see…oh and on a Sunday morning flea market trip with friends I found the most wonderful little treasures! (all of it below minus the giant lockets but more about that later)

I am going to wear all of it! Little nature-y pins and things, handpainted wooden pointy shoes (to wear pinned to a cardigan) a pocketwatch, skeleton key pin, cameo, and a lucky horseshoe! There were tables and tables of these little treasures and it was so fun to root through it all. The pocket watch is acting stange…it was broken when I bought it but the minute I brought it into my studio room it started to tick-tock and hasn’t stopped since. The best part of the flea market was a stall with a woman selling piles of vintage clothes from her old shop. I bought a sweet gingham dress with a matching cardigan and a sweater that looks like a garden is growing all over it! Also, this bag, which is also a minature embroidered garden…

The bag didnt fit into my scanner but it is so pretty and now I am stocked for the spring and summer…if they would just get here already! I am dreaming of wearing a garden with animals and birds wanding amongst it’s strange made-up flowers…

And I haven’t taken this off since I got it’s parcel in the mail last week:

A sweet dictionary-page glass necklace from found and made on etsy. I’ll have to take a picture of it on because the glass orb pendant is very bit and its just so cute! Also swiped up this shirt on etsy for spring:

Its so soft in person and since most vintage things usually aren’t I was so happy! I am super excited becasue I have been busy making necklaces with assorted giant-sized vintage lockets and old ribbon tied in bows, which I will offer in my shop very soon. They are going to all be one-of-a-kind with mini prints of my paintings inside. Oh, the lockets I found are just so darling! Please come back to visit very soon!
xoxox

A little bit of sewing projects

I spent a wonderous afternoon working on some paintings and sifting through little lacy bits and fragments of fabrics. Which reminded me…
I have this pile of vintage dresses, skirts and long wooley sweater coats hanging from my easel in the corner of my studio that must be tended to very soon. It consists of all my goodies from Etsy and Salvation waiting for more desirable hemlines, interesting buttons and sewn lacy brooches.

I bought the prettiest mocha caved floral buttons from The Hemline and they arrived the other day. They will be the perfect addition to a blah winter coat.

I started to bundle up my fabrics, tieing them with strands of lace and ribbon. I found these little dutch ceramic shoes somewhere in the mix, I think they would look so splendid patchworked with fabrics just like my teapot from a past giveaway

And finally, something that looks as though it needs to be sewn but no, it’s staying this way. A assymetrical, frayed chocolatey jacket on my manequin for inspiration with other goodies.

Merriness and other little bits of joy

The last few days in pictures…
My feet in the rainy, mossy snow:

Leftovers:

Newest find, closeup:

The sweet, sweet pair:

Sketchbook inside cover, shards of old plates and teacups found during scavenger hunt and the most whimsical little bear bottle top bought the other night at anthropologie. They had a bin of these little creatures.

I hope everyone had a merry, merry holiday.
Now its raining and I am sitting here dreaming up new ideas. Very, very excited about the coming year.
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last day of fall, bittersweet

Taking it all in…the last day of autumn. I spent the night in my studio working on a new painting. Here is a little teaser:

Cold, cold hands. Winter came early this year. My hands are cold but my fingers are very very happy thanks to a beautiful ring by jade scott jewelry

The ring is sterling silver with a bit of red lace captured in resin. Its just big enough to be noticed without being too big. Please do check out her store…she is a girl on a quest to make pretty things!

I think that bittersweet berries are so pretty. These lost their little golden pods but are as bright as ever despite the snow and cold. I picked a few vines to make a wreath.

On a walk today, melting ice and the greenest moss…

I got home early from work, bought a gingerbread latte to sip and keep my hands warm and went for a walk. This time I walked along a little stream and it just so happened that my walk turned into a treasure hunt! Along the bank of the stream in the cold water were shards of old tea cups, plates and other victorian goodies long broken and forgotten (some might be even older too!). The colors, floral motifs and crackles on the shards are so, so inspiring. I even found a little glass doll (head broken off though). Oh, I need to take a picture of all my goodies! I’m going back tomorrow when more of the snow and ice melts to scavenger hunt some more. Tomorrow measures the start of winter!

sepia rose sketches and other Tuesday things…

Yesterday I sketched this two page spread in my moleskine. If you look carefully on the left side there is a garden behind the woman. In the garden are three sleeping foxes amongst paper ephemera sepia colored roses. They blend in all too well!

Right now I am jumping for joy! I have been eyeing these vintage lace up boots for weeks now. I could not get them out of my mind (yes, they are the reason my favorites were set to private!) I like to try on so I scoured the stores to find new ones like these but no luck anywhere. They are from one of my favorite vintage stores on etsy, Salvage Life. The store is blooming with subdued colors, my favorite. These boots are just what I need to wear with all my winter skirts, and I just love lace ups!

Etsy is just blooming with the best vintage things! Two other vintage items on Etsy, still for sale at JohnDoeDress. Lovely, lovely colors and shapes, lots of pretty things in the store too.

warm pumpkin and golden tones like those above have been inspiring me as of late. I guess its warmth that I seek. It is COLD here! Everything is covered in a thick layer of shiny ice. I am looking forward to the holidays when I can hibernate! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~

forest walk

The weekends are spent meandering around and exploring in nature. Now that the days are short, dark and chilly I have to squeeze in my long walks on saturday and sunday. I think in the wintertime I need to look harder for inspiration, but when I find it I am so happy! The sky is gray but the crabapples are plentiful…their ruby red fruit is a visual feast! Yesterday when I was walking I stumbled upon this tree…just look at the fruit!

The trail in the woods where I walk…

It was so snowy and magical the other morning!

A new favorite wool sweater to keep me warm. Not vintage but vintage-inspired and perfectly faded and soft. The colors capture my favorite tones as of recent. Reds, grays, brownish-greens.

When I walked by the crabapple tree on the way home there was a flock of blue jays and other little brownish birds perching in its branches. I stood quietly trying to get one to come close so I could snap a picture. This little gal was perched above me and againt branches and sky she was so pretty!

I’ve been collecting little nature things along the trail for inspiration. Usually when there’s snow my treasure hunt is useless, but yesterday I filled my pockets with these seed pods. They are so delicate! I put them on my book shelf

On a side note, my vintage dress came in the mail! It is so pretty and feather light, a billowy shimmer of gray with burgandy accents and cute little buttons. I am going to make a deep red sash for it. Its from the Etsy store of Stephanie Bracciano (and thats her in the photo below, modeling my new lovely dress!) She was such a doll and included two pretty little prints in the package as well.

And here we are…Monday. I have to admit that not all days are full of walks and seedpods. Some (or should I say most?) are full of to-do lists and trying very hard to squeeze even a sketch in. And here they are, scanned, to-do lists and sketches, worn and crumbled from my pockets:

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A catch-all of sorts…

I keep a spiral bound book to record my ideas as they are unearthed…mostly ones with snippets of fabric and papers and such (these are too bulky for my hardcover sketchbook…it would never be able to close!) . Yesterday I bought some yummy golden printed fabric snippets and glued them on the page (along with a piece of favorite paper) and sketched a girl with a fox-like mask. These little experiments help so much with my painted images. And its fun to rummage through treasures in dusty corners for inspiration!

And here’s a glimpse of fabric from a vintage dress I got in the mail…the twig-like cotton fabric is divine.

Oh, it is snowing and icy outside (again!) Very happy indeed, an excuse to stay in!

~*~*~*

the magical stuffed book

A little peek at the faded storybook I have been cutting up all these years. I stuff the book with snippets of pretty handmade papers from India to keep my place. Some pages of this book were even sttiched into the dress of a lady in a quilty wallhanging I created two summers ago. Sewn on cotton canvas with vintage papers, victorian lace, silky threads and paint. Oh, that was quite fun!

And I found the most amusing little mouse bookmark in an old jewelty box at an antique shop. He sits on my book too.

Its so windy here tonight! Sunday morning I woke up to snowfalkes and ice. It is the perfect weather to curl up with a book.