Saturday, October 13

spun cotton trick or treat kids on a fall day...

 its a perfect fall day...
the kids are out for fall break and it looks like this outside~
yes, the sky really is that blue here in Utah.





  

i'm painting these little spun cotton trick or treaters..  this is circus bear with his little wool felt ball balloon with the striped string.
oh, i had fun making her.  now i just want to make the whole circus!
 
i'm drinking this.  Ibarra Mexican hot chocolate made with steamed milk, cinnamon, and a pinch of red pepper.  makes you think of that movie Chocolat doesn't it.


 heres felix the cats, kindof wonky...

Close-up of Zombie boy and his tiny teeth!

 skeleton boy has a tiny jack o lantern i made by painting a tiny millinery pumpkin on a wire.
i really like his hand dyed fringed collar and stripey pants.

i'm reading this, brand new from the fabric store.  plus it has an article with jess brown in it.

i'm sewing these ruffles.  can't stand how cool they turned out with the vintage grey thread.  they had big diagonal stripes to begin with, but after ruffling they look like this.

i'm listening to Pandora, the Gotye Radio mix and love this song...
oh well, back to it all on monday, but today it is just the perfect day!
happy fall,
julie

Tuesday, October 9

winter white wedding wrist corsage and matching boutonniere for andrea...


 so i had a custom order this week for a wrist corsage to match the winter white and cranberry boutonniere in my shop.  how fun, i got out all my vintage ladies hats from the 1950's with winter white flowers and set up shop.  this hat had some strange ribbon leaves all around the brim.  i loved the starched cotton roses...


 since Andreas wedding is in the winter and i was also using some silver glass glittered pearl stamens i added a couple of these sparkling silver wire bouillon sprays, my absolute favorite new find for the holidays. 

these frosted cranberry stamen balls added the bit of color i needed.

  
here is the matching grooms boutonniere wrapped in silver ribbon.  the frosted tiny pinecones are so festive.
  
the back of the wrist corsage shows the pretty silver elastic band.
  
i am so pleased with how it turned out with the mix of vintage blossoms.  long after the wedding day the bride will have this pretty keepsake.  
congratulations andrea!




Monday, September 17

trick or treat veggie boy...

trick or treat veggie boy


i was having so much fun making this veggie boy this afternoon i could hardly stop to make dinner~
when i could finally hear my teenage sons stomach growling from the hall i did go up however... :)
me and tiny were in the studio for a while, she had some great suggestions for the ruffles and buttons.
the hand dyed orange ribbon was from an experiment with an ugly peach silk and rayon ribbon and some left over easter egg dye.  i nearly threw it out because it did not turn out how i had planned and now here it is looking darling.  isn't that the way it goes.

1950s vintage cake topper pumpkin pail
 i had a little vintage 1950s pumkin cake topper on my desk and she suggested i cut off the pick part and make a trick or treat pumpkin.  with the help of some wire cutters and a dremel drill it worked!




the tiny vintage buttons are sewn with black thread and then glued in place. 8 inches tall and with a sugary grin, he is already in the shop if you are shopping for halloween treats today.
happy monday,
julie

Friday, September 14

autumn forest...another big mess

autumn forest
it was another big mess yesterday...
i cleared off all the counters, mixed up 17 bottles of dye and dipped trees all afternoon and evening.  
they are all dry this morning and it looks like an autumn forest in the kitchen.  all these tiny trees are in my etsy shop this morning.  
i can't wait until later in the day when i have some good light to take a photo of them all together.



beetlejuice trees in little gift box

halloween wreaths


falling leaves
 we had to order take out because there wasn't a spot to cook :)
tonight i am making chicken and dumplings, so hopefully the family will overlook
their mom's crazy obsession....


vintage village
candy corn

orange crush
 i will be adding these trees to spooky little houses, spun cotton ornaments, paper mache figures,
little halloween treat bags, and all along the my window sill in my studio next to spooky cats and grinning pumpkins....
happy weekend,
julie

Monday, September 3

early halloween treats....

black cat canfolk by Kristen Sunby


labor day means the evenings are getting cooler, the leaves are changing colors on my mountain, and halloween is coming.....  have you noticed the halloween candy is already stocked on the shelves in the market.  its too early to get started on peanut butter pumpkins so instead i unpacked a few of my favorite halloween decorations for the studio.  this black cat canfolk by Kristen Sunby has the most adorable face.  i just ordered it this weekend and it hasn't arrived yet but i know just where to put it.  

sour pumpkin bucket by cat and fiddle
 This sour pumpkin bucket is from last year and was a special order created by C.F. Copp-Waterfield of Cat & Fiddle  such wonderful, creepy halloween creations.

owls by vintage by crystal

 this spun cotton owl collection is new from VintagebyCrystal.  i bought the top left pumpkin owl for my halloween display.  what a great face don't you think.

vintage cake frills by Miss Cecilia



 I found these vintage cake frills made by in England by Deeko at Miss Cecelia's etsy shop.  they are even more gorgeous up close than in the photo.  can't wait to use them in some halloween projects.

vintage number circles
mustachio the black cat candy bucket
jet black twisted wire stamen sprays

new orange and black polka dot tulle ruffles

halloween vintage art kit
and here are a few goodies in my shop Vintage Handmade to get you thinking about halloween....today i got out my supplies to sew up a few more little black cats this week, i can't wait!
enjoy the holiday today,  julie






Friday, August 24

Back to School Decorating and the vintage crisis hotline....


so i bought an orange chair.
a vintage orange chair.
a vintage orange grandma chair.
it even has a matching ottoman.

i may have fallen in your esteem at this point. who would buy an orange chair you might have asked yourself...especially THAT orange chair?

~i have considered blaming my purchase on the recent move of my daughter to college and the shopping trips we spent buying things for her first dorm room.
~it may also have something to do with this year is the first in 15 years i am not going back to school as a teacher, not decorating my classroom, not waiting at the door on that first day to welcome all the kids to share the wonder of the world with me.
~perhaps it is just because the darn thing is so comfy and that carries some decorating weight with me...

anyway, here it is~



my husband drove me to pick it up. it must be true love because he loaded it in the truck and drove me home, and carried it downstairs for me. as it sat there down the hall from my studio and i kept glancing at it.
i admit i had a moment when i needed to call the vintage crisis hotline.  is there one? someone you can call and say, did i just make a big mistake buying that piece of junk?
maybe the volunteer that answers the phone could have said in a nice voice, lady its ok.  it was only 40 bucks right? you can always donate it back to the thrift store if you hate it.  :)

my daughters love it, tiny wants it in her room...
the boy said 'hideous' at first glance and ran up stairs for a snack.
then later in the evening i caught him sitting in it and he admitted 'its growing on me'
 



i assured them all i had a plan. i showed them this pillow from pillows4fun on etsy.
this is the color scheme i said. you'll like it.



then i showed them this photo and said, see orange chairs can be cool.
i want the family room to be a funky retro hang for the teenagers and their friends.
i hope their friends are not all scared of the orange chair~



it will go perfect with my black world globe collection. this one is at $102.50 on ebay right now. who knew..
it will go with my vintage suitcases. this photo is from beephotography



i am also going to hang both my daughters portrait oils on one wall in ornate black frames... should be wild.
i already have a turquoise Formica game table.



add our vintage Nintendo 64 game system we have been collecting off ebay and this little orange mini fridge. who could say no?



well, here's to saying yes. its never too late to start choosing things that make you happy, creating a space that feels like you, and following a little different path.
even if that path happens to lead to an orange chair.

all the best,
julie

Tuesday, August 7

summer art kits on sale today...

all pink vintage summer art kit
8 pretty summer art kits are on sale today in my shop Vintage Handmade.  the hard part will be deciding which one to buy....  or maybe waiting for your package to arrive in the mail. 
enjoy~  julie


olive and gold vintage art kit
aqua blue vintage art kit
silver and cream vintage art kit
pink lemonade summer art kit



may day art kit

summer sun dress art kit
cameo pink and platinum art kit



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