Friday, December 16, 2011

Easy Christmas Craft Banner





Here is a really simple Christmas craft for large groups or even just a few kids. Most of my group was elderly so I did all the prep myself to make it easier for them. All they really had to do was glue it all together. And to make that even easier, we used glue dots, so...NO MESS!


To make this easy banner you will need crepe paper, wired ribbon, paper doilies, pipe cleaners, some tape, magnetic strips and packaged letters in die-cut circles. I bought my letters at Hobby Lobby. They are pkgd as Initials so you can get 20 of each letter you need.




Begin by cutting crepe paper into 18"-20" strips







Fold each strip accordian style.




Then fan it out and press flat with the palm of your hand.





Secure it with scotch tape.







Do this for all the strips...





In all the colors you like!







Next you'll need your paper doilies. Mine were about 4" in diameter.










You'll just want to pinch and scrunch it up in the center to give it a little dimension. Then press it flat with the palm of your hand. Glue it to the top of your crepe paper medallion using glue or glue dots.




Next, take your letters and glue them to the center of the doily. I used the word "JOY" because is was more economical that "MERRY CHRISTMAS". (Ha!)




Next, cut your wired ribbon to accommodate the size of your greeting and glue (or "peel and stick") your magnet to the back of one end of the ribbon and cut a notch in the other. I looped the top end to give it a more "finished" look.






There are lots of pretty decorative ribbons out right now to choose from. I chose two: peppy polka dots and stripedy candy cane style. The last thing to do is to twist your pipe cleaner into a bow and glue it to the ribbon along with your finished lettered medallions. I have a metal front door so I hung it "toot-sweet" as soon as it was done!





Hope you try it!

rosie

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Serenite' Maison and all my favorites



While on a recent trip to Tennesee I happened upon a wonderful shop in the teeny town of Leiper's Fork. Serenite' Maison is run by San Francisco transplant, Alexandra Cirimelli. If you are ever driving thru Franklin or even Nashville, it is waaaay worth the side trip! She has fabulous antiques from both Europe and the U.S.


Her decorating skills are to-die-for!


I also want to take you on a tour of some of my other favorite places to shop and browse....



Urban Barn in Escondido, Ca. comes to mind first.


With their warehouse full of lovlies and their monthly on-site flea markets it is really a wonderland to walk through.





Check out this chandy hanging from the rafters.




Debi Beard owns Out of the Blue in Solana Beach where she holds The Mermaid's Mercantile flea market on the last Sunday of every month.




This is the sweetest, sunniest, most delicious outdoor market I've ever been to!





With the blue sky shining down on everything, its like taking a walk in the clouds!




Debi has an amazing talent for turning everyday items into sparkling sea gems by embellishing them with seashells.




She was so sweet and gracious to allow me to take some photos.



Next on my list is Matilda's Mouse in Valley Center, Ca. The barn is not open everyday but only about one weekend a month. But that being so, you can bet on seeing something different everytime you pop in.




Wouldn't you love to have a table like this for your Thanksgiving day meal?



There are LOTS of pretties at Matilda's Mouse!




And THIS is Matilda (a-hem, the one on the right)!




Another great place is Vignettes in Ocean Beach in San Diego. I only have pics from the outside. They don't allow photos of the inside...So I guess you'll just have to visit them to see what they've got!



Christie Repasy and Rita Reade hold a fantastic outdoor market 4x/year called The Vintage Marketplace.
It used to be held at Christie's home and studio but they have now moved to a new location.




Lots of sugary sweet feminine items!




Cottage-y bliss!





This is Debbie from Blossoms Vintage Chic. Her booth is my favorite!




What are some of YOUR favorite spots to shop????


rosie

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Awesome Velvet Headboard!


I've been able to hit a few local thrift stores on a regular basis and saw this headboard a week ago. It was blue and really needed some help so I passed it by. Well, the other night I went to bed thinking about it, (because, after all, it WAS velvet!) I called the next morning to see if it was still there. It was. I walked in, offered half of the asking price, and it was mine. I cleaned it up and it is fabulous!


It was a '70's stripedy blue and beige. I gave it a good scrubbing and sprayed a bleach solution on it. I was hoping to get a silvery shade of french blue grey and it worked perfectly. Above is a part on the back that shows a small portion of the original color. (I always forget to take before pics and I was pretty thorough with the bleach!)





I want to offer it at our next Re-InVintage sale in Sept. but I may have a hard time parting with it! It shines like a diamond!


rosie



Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Can I just say, "It's HOT?!"



I guess I should have brought in my candles from the wall sconce out back! Sheesh! It's so hot I can see the BIRDS panting!

There are some crazy people who still hold garage sales in 100+ degrees and being crazy myself, I'll stop if I'm out but I'm not going out on purpose...unless its to the air-conditioned thrift store...Here are a few recent finds:



Check out this Quinceanera crown and matching scepter! I hit this garage sale in the AM before work and drooled all over this set but didn't buy it. When I stopped again after work, it was still there and I knew it MUST be mine!



I put it on as soon as I got in the van and waved out the window like Queen Elizabeth all the way home.



I also got this tiny little crown at the same sale.



I'm using it to glitz-up my new little glass lamp from Salvation Army.



Once a year my neighbor takes me to her friends AWESOME sale that is in an old turkey barn. I got this adorable baby picture for $3.



Here are some more thrifting & G-sale finds: patina'd old clock, 2 pretty boxes and some glass knobs on clearance, 4 for $5, at Mega-Marshalls. Mega-Marshalls is like HomeGoods only HUGE.




But this was my luckiest find at Salvation Army yesterday. An old Steiff dalmation doggy! I'd love to tell you what I paid for him (CHEEP CHEEP) but I'm listing him on Ebay today and don't want to discourage any buyers.




The heat advisory that started last week is now extended through this weekend! Hope you are all finding nice ways to keep cool...like wandering around in a cool thrift store for 2 hours like I did!

rosie

Friday, July 15, 2011

The Re-InVintage Fair



Last month I was invited to be a part of the 1st ever Re-InVintage Fair in Missouri. It was soooo fun! I had been wanting an avenue in which to sell all my great re-furbished finds and this fair just landed in my lap!










My neighbor handed me a flyer and said,"This is right up your alley!" I called the number and Janice was kind enough to invite me to participate! Janice owns "Julia Price's Tea Room", a beautiful victorian home here in town. She had a great vision for an outdoor affair and it was a BIG success!


There were about 12 vendors and Janice hopes to have more as time goes on. Thoughts are that there may be another Fair in the fall when we have our annual Turkey Festival.




Here is a refurbished wicker set that sold before I even got it all out of the truck! I reupholstered it in vintage fabric and trim then added vintage pillows in ticking and velvet.





A fabulous lunch was served inside the tea house! (Sorry I forgot to take pics!) Janice prepares a wonderful fruited chicken salad on fresh croissants. MMMMM! Bon-bons and sweets round out the menu.




My daughter makes these sparkling necklaces out of vintage buttons!





A collection of Pie Birds.





Lots of shabby furniture for sale.




Some of my vintage linens for sale.




Picking out aprons...






We had a really nice weekend even though the temps were 90's!





Most of these pics were taken of only my booth so go here to see more of what some other vendors had to offer!







Can't wait til next time!

rosie