I've been dreaming about ballet and ballerinas... it always happens around this time of year, with all the holiday ballets (Swan Lake, Nutcracker) being advertised. As a little girl, I had my own visions of dancing around in beautiful slippers and pink tulle tutu, with a tiara on my dainty head.... I begged my mother for lessons, but we could not afford them. As refugees to the USA and not speaking the language, my parents struggled for many years just to put food on the table and a roof over our heads. Little did I know that my childish request... Continue reading

Hello friends... my poor blog has been feeling a bit abandoned this summer. It has been busy. Between travel, family visits, and completing orders, I have not had a spare moment. I am not complaining - it has all been wonderful! My custom-designed wedding slippers have really taken off... and I am up to my eyeballs in orders. It is a good problem to have... and I am enjoying every minute of it. Who knew that September was such a popular month for weddings?!? Beautiful slippers for a beautiful bride. I hope your summer has been productive and enjoyable. Until... Continue reading

Beading, wires, clasps, pliers (how many different kinds are there?!?).... the whole jewelry-making experience has been one that I have been wanting to jump right into; but was afraid to. Maybe "afraid" is not the right choice of words... more like "I think I really, really suck at it, because everytime I pick up one of those plier thingies, I break out in hives." hmmmm. I have dabbled a bit. Enough to know that I don't have a "natural" aptitude for it. It will take Work - lots of it - for me to become skillful with the pliers. I... Continue reading

How is your summer going? Mine is off to a wonderfully creative start! I cleared my schedule of all swaps and art group "to do's" so I could dedicate this summer to just creating to my heart's content... seeing where it leads me. To start off with, I have so many beautiful vintage images that I had been itching to play with. I've combined them with my other passions (ribbons, lace, millinery) to create romantic, frou-frou, and feminine cards. I'm calling them my "pretty fancy tags" because they are "pretty" and "fancy" or "pretty fancy!" Some were made for friends,... Continue reading

I was first introduced to the dainty, vintage pincushion project via a swap I participated in a while back. The idea was to select a "base" for out pincushion (think tiny teacup, planter, toothpick holder, etc.), add padding to the opening to create a pincushion, then embellish to your heart's content! The results were adorable, not to mention practical. It is also one of those "instant gratification" projects that you can finish in one sitting and don't have to pre-plan. If you do any type of crafting, you will probably need a pincushion (or two) at some point! I was... Continue reading

I've been working on a couple of projects that involve vintage laces, crochet pieces, millinery, pearls... pure heaven for someone who loves vintage textiles (smile). There is something very soothing about small handsewn projects. For me, part of the fun is the almost instant gratification; how it comes together stitch by stitch. One project was this mother/child altered cabinet card. I thought this image was so sweet - perfect for Mother's Day! I added a little "tag" with the perfect message... You can see the joy in the babe's face and the mother's unconditional love and pride. Just darling -... Continue reading

There is a boxful of vintage photos in my studio... a large box. Every single photo has been purchased with the intent of using in a project of some sort. They all tell a story... whether it's a lovely lady gazing into the horizon, a new bride looking "not so in love," children with their mothers. (I am especially fond of pretty and/or interesting hairstyles, hats, outfits) I once had the idea of taking some of the photos and writing a story around them; wouldn't that be fun? I haven't pursued that idea yet, but it's on my "to do... Continue reading

Daffodils by William Wadworth I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In... Continue reading

My studio has been a flurry of Spring creativity recently... now it is just a mess. A beautiful mess. I know I have to clean it up... but I love seeing the remnants of Spring creations. It seems that just about every swap I was participating in called for a nest of some kind~~handmade nests, altered nests, store-bought nests (not my favorite). I experimented a bit, traveled outside my comfort zone, and it was quite the adventure. These are a few of my favorites: Okay, not really a nest.... more like a lace "basket" NESTING Springtime gifts. This basket was... Continue reading

It is officially Spring...the birds are chirping, the sky is blue, the hyacinths and early-blooming tulips are starting to peek through the earth... ahhh. Goodbye Winter. Wait a minute... I just looked out my window and I don't see any hyacinths or tulips. In fact, my "earth" is still white, covered with snow. The sky is blue (that's a good thing) - but it has a 21 degree temp to go with it. Hmmm. Something is wrong with this "Spring" picture. So while I wait for true Spring to arrive here in Minnesota, I have been (somewhat) content with preparing... Continue reading

It's March - which means, Spring may be around the corner... Maybe? I've been playing with paper and wire... and butterflies and birds! My bird wreath was made from a kit I had purchased from Karla a while back. Working on this birdie wreath was the perfect therapy to wash away the Winter blahs and put me in the Spring mood. Karla's tutorials are always detailed (but not too much) and easy to follow. She has the ability to take something simple (like wire) and create a beautiful project. The kit included everything I needed to make it~ so many... Continue reading

As February comes to an end, I am a bit sad to say goodbye. After all, February is the month of Love and it provides us with the excuse to play with lots of pink, red, glitter, ..and with hearts... (Okay, in my case, it was more purples and lavenders this year.... ) This is an altered heart tin I swapped over at An Altered Place. I wanted the overall effect to be very girly, and to resemble the top of a vintage Valentine's candy box. This is the beautiful altered tin I received from swap partner, Jill. Isn't it... Continue reading

Janury 28th marked the 101st anniversary of Pride and Prejudice's publication... one of Jane Austen's most popular novels. To commemorate, I hosted a Jane Austen group swap at the art group I moderate, An Altered Place. We had free rein to interpret the theme in any way we wanted and create a Jane Austen inspired altered piece for our partner. This was my creation for swap partner, Karla. I couldn't resist going with a romantic tussie mussie cone in tones of black and lavender... embellished with vintage millinery, lace, ribbons... I don't know why....but whenever I think of Jane Austen,... Continue reading

Love is in the air everywhere I look around Love is in the air every sight and every sound And I don't know if I'm being foolish I don't know if I'm being wise But it's something that I must believe in And it's there when I look in your eyes. Love is in the air, in the whisper of the trees, Love is in the air in the thunder of the sea, And I don't know if I'm just dreaming, I don't know if I feel safe, But it's something that I must believe in And it's there when... Continue reading

Another expected day off due to severe weather conditions today... outside: snow snow snow cold: -40 degrees wind chill inside: sunny and bright I felt lucky blessed to be warm and toasty in my home today, surrounded by the things I love. My camera captured a few pretties that make me smile. Roses never fail to warm my heart. Artifical ones are beautiful as well... but the real ones fill our homes with their fragrance. Wishing you a warm and rose-filled day... (I'm sharing with Blissful Whites Wednesdays at Timewashed...) Continue reading

Christmas is a month behind us and January is in full swing. Around my home, that means "time for love" time for the reds, pinks, and peaches associated with February and Valentine's Day. Time for hearts...and cherubs and flowers... ...and fun. I love this time of year! Surrounding myself by all the vibrant, happy shades of red really helps wash away the "blahs" of winter (of slush, of drizzling cold rain, of sleet)... What about you? Are you surrounding yourself with the colors of LoVe? Continue reading

When I updated my studio recently (putting away the Christmas and holiday decor and displays) and started working on St. Valentine's projects, I couldn't help but notice how many pretty things I have received over the years from my creative friends. I like to display these gifts according to the season. The feeling I get is similar to the one I experience when I open the Christmas ornaments boxes each year.... lots of "uhhhhs" and "aahhhs" and re-admiration of the details. I rediscover each of these little works of art. The newest additions get their spot (this tiny quilt heart... Continue reading

It's finally finished... my little blog has received a bit of a makeover! While I loved the yellow/black theme I previously had, it really was too bright for my taste. I'm more of a soft, muted, aged colors type of girl... so off I went and paid a visit to the lovely Michelle of Shabby Creations. While I still have some fine-tuning to do - I am quite happy with how it turned out. I think the softer colors will complement the photos of pretty things I so love to take and share. . . which gets me to the... Continue reading

I am completely surrounded by whites these days... the frigid Minnesota temps, 2 feet of snow accumulated on our lawns (we won't see the grass until April, if we are lucky) ...and in my studio, piles of vintage laces, doilies, old wedding dresses... all the things I love! A recent project was a "Winter Whites" tussie mussie created for a swap over at An Altered Place. It was the perfect way to use bits of gorgeous lace left over from other projects... It was filled with yummy laces, pearls and other baubles for winter white creativity! A pretty little "Snow... Continue reading

I love walking into my studio in the morning...the sun shining through windows facing North, South and West... perfect for creating and for photographing. When the temps are in the negative teens (-14 today) outside, the sunshine really warms the soul. I ended 2013 with a creativity spree and celebrated the beginning of 2014 by making some pretties... I've owned these brand new lampshades for awhile... decided it was time to pretty them up with some vintage laces and millinery. They look so sweet! I added them as candle toppers (purely decorative, of course), but they will work best on... Continue reading