Oh So Pretty

June 28, 1997

Ten years ago...

...one sweet baby girl, one pampered poodle, one cross-country move, four homes, multiple jobs, days of pure joy and others of sadness - here we are ten years later...I am such a lucky girl.

This is my last post for a bit.  I am heading off on vacation to see my in-laws in Michigan.  I'm also thrilled that we will be spending a couple of days with my dear friend, Lori, and her lovely family - I can't wait (be sure to stop by her blog to say "Happy Birthday" and enter her wallpaper pack giveaway).  I promise when I return to have LOTS  of photos.  Prom was SO much fun but I forgot my camera so I am waiting to get the pictures from friends...

Hope that  you and your family have a wonderful and safe holiday! xo~dawn

some pretties to share...

I have a busy weekend planned - my second time setting up as a dealer at a local flea market, a BBQ with friends and Prom.  Yes, you read it right.  Eighteen years after my senior prom I get to do it all over again.  My friend is the ultimate hostess and has an evening of fun planned (including Prom Photos with your date AND a balloon arch!)  Should be lots of fun - I will be sure to share pictures. 

In the meantime, I thought that you might enjoy seeing some of the pretties that I've picked up lately...

Hope everyone has a great weekend with good sales and good times!

Quick Projects and a Big Thank You

If you have been checking in on me here for a while you may have noticed that not a whole lot of projects get completed.  I get inspired, plan with the best of intentions, accumulate lots of pretties to use, gather everything together and then never follow through.  I can remember doing the same thing as a little girl.  The fun about playing Barbies for me was getting her house decorated, going through her clothes, getting her dressed - who cared about pretending that she was out on a date with Ken?!

Well, today is a new day.  I got two projects done over the weekend lickety-split. 

Here's the first oh-so-simple one... I stopped at an estate sale around the corner from my house.  It had lots of fine antiques and two little milk glass jars that came home with me.  I washed them, added a rub-on, some vintage silk ribbon and a little sparkly and... Viola - pretties for my daughter's new shelf in her bathroom.

Then, inspired by Anna Corba, I embellished a tall candle as a gift for my auntie.  I just added some vintage sheet music, a pretty girl, seam binding, a vintage stamped ticket, glitter and a little sparkly.  The picture turned out dark, but I hope that she will like it...

Last week, I posted about buying some vintage bottles with intentions of embellishing them (another project that I CAN'T WAIT to start on).  Well, the ever so generous Beth emailed to tell me that she was in the process of cleaning out her studio and would love to send me some bottles that she had, was I interested?  Ummmm, yes!  How sweet is that?  Thanks, Beth. I promise to put them to good use.

Thanks, girls, for your inspiration, encouragement and generosity.

What a wonderful community we have created - thanks for letting me be a part of it...

What I did on my Summer Vacation...

by Ava, age 5.

My daughter attends a public Montessori school here in town. She was a PreK student this year and is thrilled that she will remain in her classroom but become a kindergartner this fall.  The students all kept journals during the school year so I decided to continue the habit over the summer.  It allows her to be creative and to practice her reading and writing skills. 

Here is the inside cover:

One of her pages:

I just love how this captures her at this age - what she likes, what she thinks is important, what she enjoys doing...I know that this will become one of my treasures...

Prizes, swaps and round robins. Oh my!

My mail carrier has been busy bringing me lots of goodies - I think that the cake/bribe must have worked!

A couple of weeks ago, I was SO lucky and won two giveaways in one day - yippee!  Heather held a giveaway to mark the launch of her new website.  Look at what I won - isn't it all yummy?!  The wallpaper, the postcard, the lace, the french buckle - oh, I love it all!  Thanks, Heather.

Then, my new friend, Donna did a giveaway of one of her fabulous hard-to-get wallpaper packs.  Love the wallpaper, the crepe paper and just look at that bingo card!  So much fun...

I was lucky enough to be Kasse's partner (the Miss Duffy!) in Brieanne's Vintage Scavenger Hunt Swap.  Look at all this loveliness! A dollie button card?! Cody Foster bottle brush tree? Millinery flowers?  A glitter nest with aqua sparklie eggs?  Seam binding?  Wallpaper?   I'm so lucky.

Here is a little glimpse of a journal that I just sent out.  I am participating in my first Round Robin - organized by the so sweet Dede.  I finally cut (and glued) some of my beloved wallpaper.  I really have a hard time using any of my vintage treasures so this is a great project for me. Here's a little glimpse...

And last but certainly not least, look at this gorgeous package from Andrea.  I don't even know where to begin.  I really adore it all.  She sent all of my favorite things.  It is sitting here next to my desk still - it makes me happy just to see the pile of pretties!

Thanks, girls.  This was so much fun.

Without further adieu...

As promised - more finds...

I found this oh-so-chippy crib at my local Salvation Army for $5.00!  I think that I will make it a little puppy bed to keep in my craft room.  I put a pillow covered with a thrifted shabby chic pillowcase inside. My poodle always lays at my side when I am here at my desk - now he'll be comfy in his cute shabby bed!

Of course, after I bought one doll bed, I found another.  But at $3.99, how could I not get it?  I stacked some of the linens that I bought recently.  When my daughter saw this she asked why I was taking a picture of the Princess and the Pea bed.  She would not let me take the "mattresses" out.  I'm pretty sure that she has Ariel, the Little Mermaid, playing the part of the princess now!

I found this little sewing box at the same store.  It was $2 and still had some bits and bobs inside... It is sitting on top of a train case found at the Salvation Army for $1.99.

Last week I worked a volunteer shift over at our Junior League thrift store.  Of course, I found some pretties to come home with me...

I am in love with this OLD gold birdcage.  It was $5 and will soon be filled with vintage birds and millinery flowers - love it!

 

I stopped over at my local used bookstore and found these lovelies in the FREE stacks.  The only problem is that some of the workers make black Xs on the covers of the books so that they can't be re-sold.  I almost cried when I saw the damage to the two on each end...

The platter was $1.  The little bowls were $1 each and were made in Germany.  The salt and pepper shakers were 50 each and will make their way into an assemblage soon. I found these gorgeous dessert plates for 69 cents each.  They remind me of some that I coveted from Anthropologie but never bought... I have been using them for all of my snacks - they're so pretty, don't you think?

I've hit the jackpot with frames lately too.  The gold ones were $2 each, the white was $1.99 and the huge one with the Renoir reproduction was $4.99!  Love these!

I'm thrilled with this wallpaper-covered box and this oh-so-pretty hatbox.  The sweet feather veil just made me smile - it had to come home with me!

One last thing.  I got these 4 yards of fabric for $3.40.  I don't sew (yet) but it just reminded me so much of Jennifer's fabrics that I couldn't past it up! Isn't it fun?

Hope that you are finding pretties too!  Enjoy your day!

One last hurrah...

My little girl's last day of school was last Friday so on Thursday Mama took one last ride down to Collector's Antique Mall in Asheboro.   I found SO much. I still have not found my camera.  I'm hoping that it will turn up - keeping my fingers crossed.  Anyway, I borrowed my neighbor's camera so that I could show you some of my recent pretties. Please forgive me for the blurriness - I couldn't wait to post any longer!

It's been a couple of weeks since I shared finds with you. So, are you ready for loads of photos?  OK, here we go...

This is a pretty hat lying on one of my favorites finds of the day - a 1926 French Dictionary ($6.50)...

Some pretties - chocolate tin ($6), chocolate box ($3.75), pearls (99 cents each), rhinestone sparklies (79 cents each) and a perfume atomizer ($4)...

I found 3 daybooks ($14 - I think that I overpaid for those), a crumbling album ($4), a vintage girl's dress pattern (29 cents), and a box of index dividers ($2)...

Here are some pretty postcards (love the roses with the glass glitter!) - they were $1 each.  The reciept from 1889 was $2 - the old photo was $1.

Inspired by Brenda's post, I was on a mission to find some old bottles.  I wish that they had lids or corks but at 2 for a dollar the price couln't be beat!  I can't wait to embelish these!

I found lots of old ornaments -big ones, medium-sized ones, little ones, little tiny ones...  Of course, all primary-colored bulbs have been removed to protect the asthetic.  Does anyone else do that?  I have boxes of vintage biulbs in primary colors that I bought in mixed lots and don't use but can't bear to toss.  At the holidays, I will pull them out and do a givaway for some of you girls that love the brights, ok?

This is my favorite find of the day.  This beautiful bride will be one of my daughter's Christmas presents.  Luckily my girl likes pretties almost as much as her mama!  Isn't she divine?

Hope that you liked all of the pictures.  These were just from last Thurday - I still have lots more to show you - come back tomorrow to see!

I'm still here!

Sorry, girls!  I have been searching high and low for my camera and cannot locate it. If you could only see my craft/computer room right now you would understand why it is nowhere to be seen.  Hmmm, now that I think about it, I haven't seen my puppy this morning either...he may be lost in the mess too!

Anyway... I have lots to share with you so check back later, ok? 

hello

Hello dearies!  So sorry that I've not posted - just realized that it has been a whole week - you know how sometimes life just gets in the way...  I've had lots of family/school/volunteer/social obligations and haven't had much time to sit down, get my thoughts together, take photos or post.  I'm sure that you all understand.

I did want to let you know about two amazing books that I just got from Amazon.  The first isn't new - it's Cath Kidstons' In Print which has been on my Wishlist for ages.  But, get this, right now is only $6.99!  It's SO lovely - pretty, pretty fabrics and project instructions for all of you sewers out there.  Also, I just couldn't stop myself, I HAD to order Sandra Evertson's new book, Fanciful Paper Flowers.  Again, pretty, pretty book with lots of doable paper projects and yummy ephemera to copy.  I can't wait to get started on some projects - both are filled with eye candy and inspiration!

I've also been SO lucky this week and won, not one, but two giveaways from the lovely and generous Heather (who has as beautiful new website) and Donna (who has the most amazing, new-to-me, blog).  Yippee - lucky me!  I will post photos when I receive my prizes - can't wait.  I've got lots of new pretties to share with you but haven't had time to take photos yet - I will try to take those later today.

Enjoy your afternoon, girls!