Lucky Streak

A couple weeks ago I entered a lovely giveaway on Rebecca Ersfeld's A Repurposed Life blog to win this gorgeous handmade collage pocket. Truly, the photos don't do it justice because it is much more beautiful in person.

 There are so many exquisite details. . . .

 Like this tattered bird tag and the polka-dotted sheer ribbon tied on the wire hanger. 

However, as if the lacy pocket wasn't enough . . . 

 Rebecca tucked lots of vintage goodies inside the pocket.

 Just look at all of this . . . 

 I was like a kid opening my stocking on Christmas morning!

I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am to Rebecca, for offering such a generous prize. 

Thank you SO much from the bottom of my heart! 

From My Heart

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. . . ."

". . . .they must be felt with the heart." ~ Helen Keller

Vintage Journal

I've been taking Jeanne Oliver's Creatively Made class. She is such an inspirational artist. I love her sweet, gentle, encouraging spirit. She's teaching us so many wonderful techniques and it's been a lot of fun to create some artwork using them.

This is the vintage journal I made from one of her week one lessons.

I really like the juxtaposition between the frilly lace and rhinestones and the leather

"be strong" piece which I made from the belt of someone very special to me. I know he would want me to be strong.

Dress Tag

~ Photo courtesy of Cindy Gilstrap ~

Isn't this the cutest thing? My friend Cindy made this darling tag and she shows us how she did it right here.

More Stitching

I'm continuing on with my spring sampler and it's coming along nicely. I hand-dyed some laces to incorporate in yummy colors of peaches and pinks.
They all were in the dye bath for the same amount of time and it's fun to see how differently they all turned out.

Practicing my split stitches, satin stitch, lazy daisies and French knots.

Stitch, stitch, stitch. . . . .

A cute little birdie - I think he needs some legs - or maybe a nest! I like this kind of freestyle embroidery {as Teresa calls it} because it is so organic and just kind of evolves as you go along. It's perfect for me because that's how I work on all of my art anyway.

The sun is out this morning, which is a welcome sight after yet another unexpected snowfall we had last night! Sheesh! Enough already!!!

Longing for Spring

It's still January and I am already longing for springtime. I think January is the l-o-n-g-e-s-t month of the year! The weather here is cold and gloomy and gray. YUK! That's pretty typical for winter in the midwest, but please Mr. Sunshine ~ could you show your face every once in a while?
In an attempt to keep myself from completely going bonkers with cabin fever, I signed up for Teresa McFayden's Paper Romance E-Zine. Here is one of my completed projects ~ a shabby-glam notepad. Now I can't help but smile whenever I make out my grocery and To-Do lists. And the best part about this project is I didn't have to buy a thing to make it. I only used supplies I had on hand.

Let Them Eat Cake

Do you remember this post? A swap group that I belong to exchanged our versions of Lace Cakes in a Marie Antoinette theme. {These cakes are truly fit for a queen!} These are 6x6 pages that will eventually be bound into a book, but before I bind it I thought I would show you the beautiful pages I received.

Terri Gordon

Rhonda Thomas

Terri Hadji-Gauthier

Rebecca Allison

Debra Abel

Thrifting Finds

I've found some wonderful vintage goodies recently and I finally got the camera out to photograph some of them. Love this pink wicker purse and pearl trimmed pink gloves.

Some pretty millinery flowers and hankie laying on top of a beautiful textured pink tea cozy.

More millinery flowers, vintage pink seam binding and a McCall's apron pattern. I love the pink and orange combination. . . . .do I see some inspiration bubbling up here???

Sweet cards from a children's game. I love the old maid cards.....brings back fond memories of playing that game with my family when I was little.

A beautiful lace collar in perfect condition and a couple of white plates that are just like the one's my mom used to have.

A combination sugar and salt container???  Well, it's going to hold glass glitter in my 

craft room.

I couldn't resist the pale pink color of this adorable vase. 

Finally! A blue velvet lined jewelry box. . . . . .I've been searching for one of these for ages!

And a girl can never have too many rhinestone shoe clips, right?