Playing Catch Up

I feel like I am playing catch up these last few days. I have had a terrible cold the last week and it still doesn't feel like it is showing any signs of improvement. The weather has been pretty crummy outside and has made it feel pretty gloomy inside. Today was the first day without rain in almost a week so I decided to take the little one and go to some antique stores.



And what luck I had! I found some gorgeous millinery hats. I started ripping off flowers and then I realized that I hadn't taken pictures so some of these blooms have already been pulled off. And to my luck and found black millinery flowers and velvet leaves. I have been looking for some for a while now for some Halloween projects and today and got my wish.



Look at these violets! I pulled these off a hat and realized that these are handmade . I can imagine some lovely woman taking time to put these flowers together petal by petal and the pride she must have had wearing her finished hat!



And then pink! I love pink millinery and I am always snatching pink hats up - these also happen to be my most popular color of flowers that I sell on my store. I will list these and within hours they are gone. I have some very loyal customers who seem to snatch these up rather quickly. Thanks girls! Now if I could only find some aqua flowers. I can find minty green and dark blue, but have had no luck with aqua millinery. Aqua is my favorite color these days and I have so many great ideas but no flowers.



I grabbed these two cute vintage duck planters. These are too cute for words. I plan on making pin cushions with these and I know they will look simply adorable.



Vintage faux pearls are another thing I can never pass up. I found two vintage collars, one being all pearls and the other hand crocheted with pearls and black velvet trim. And of course I couldn't resist the vintage lace I found, one in pink and the other in aqua of course!



This little girl is my favorite find of the day! Yes she is a little dingy and yes her legs have broken off and been glued back together, but I love the vibrant colors and her lovely pink socks. I am going to dress her up and add some of my millinery flowers for extra pizazz. She will look even better once I am through with her.



This gorgeous metal candy box is just stunning. The detailed picture continues on all four sides and then when I opened it I found.......



buttons!!! I haven't sorted them yet, but just looking inside I could see some treasures. The pink rose button is glass and there are quite of few aqua and mother of pearl buttons as well.

I recently signed up for a couple of swaps and yesterday my goodies arrived! The first swap I participated in was a fairy wand sway. Michelle at http://ginghamworld.blogspot.com was my partner and she sent me this beautiful pink wand.



I really love this wand and being that this was my first swap, I am very pleased with the results. She included a sweet note telling me that the fabric and trim belonged to her grandmother and that makes all the more endearing.



Michelle also sent me this cute little fairy pin, that she also sells in her Etsy shop. Right now both my wand and my pin are on my inspiration board where I will see them everyday. Thank you so much Michelle for a lovely wand!



I also participated in Marvelous Mouse Designs Fall Fabric Swap and Karen and http://www.randomthoughtskaren.blogspot.com was my partner. She sent me the most gorgeous pink shear fabric with flower appliques, some white eyelet fabric, trim and a cute cell phone charm.



Here is a close up of this pink applique fabric. Isn't it adorable?



And look at that bead on the cell phone charm - it is so shabby chic! Thanks Karen!



And for some exciting news, I am opening up a booth at a local antique/home decor store. I am very excited about this and have decided to stick with a shabby chic theme. I am going to include vintage finds, my jewelry and handmade items and try confine it within the shades of white, pink and aqua. I have been busy making some really sweet home decor items and have also decided for Halloween to offer some black and white Halloween decor as well. It has been going well and at the end of the week and will begin moving in to my little spot and when I say little I mean it is a 3x4 foot spot. So yes it is a tiny area, but it is also a start and if I do well I can always move to a bigger space. Besides the owner told me if I went a little beyond that measurement (six inches or so) it would be fine, so you better believe I will utilize all the space that I can.

Cheers! - Sarah