Vintage Japanese Chinese Lanterns

 Hi guys! I spent some time today taking pix of vintage Chinese or Japanese lanterns for my Etsy shop.

 They always remind me of one of my favorite paintings by John Singer Sargent "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose" so glowing and beautiful!

 Mine were hung on the clothesline. It was actually quite warm and gorgeous for November today!

 After I listed them with their "real" pics, I played around with them in Picasa for a bit..I like this "Polaroid" one.

 My grandson was "helping" me take pix..so was the wind! I like the movement of the tassels in this one.

Focal black and white...

Totally jazzed up..I have a hard time stopping editing! Just oooone more effect! LOL

I don't consider myself a photographer..I know zilch about camera settings and I have numerous photos of my children with somebody's head cut off (sorry Evan!) but I do love to play! I hope you enjoyed! Stop back soon! Julia

Handmade Victorian style Christmas cones

Hi guys! These are the latest addition to my handmade Etsy shop..Victorian style Christmas cones.

 I made these with all vintage and antique material..the cones are vintage cardboard thread cones..I covered this one in French dictionary pages ..the book these came from is 70+ years old. I got it at an estate sale last weekend and I foresee many projects!

 This one had antique paper from an 1890's Harper Weekly..the advertising sections..such graphic coolness! The edging is new black cardstock (the only new bit) that I stamped with my new Martha Stewart punch. I actually remembered to download a coupon before I went to Hobby Lobby!

 The centers are vintage calligraphy monograms that I snipped from a sampler sheet that I got at an estate sale last weekend. It was the estate of a calligrapher..this is just where he was practicing..I thought they were too cool to let go to the trash!

 This is some of my favorite vintage wallpaper from my stash..palest pink with darker pink rosebuds..love this! The pink tinsel garland is also vintage..from the same estate as that bowl full of yummy vintage ornaments from my last post!

 More vintage wallpaper and a sheet music punch and glitter of course..these are also lined in vintage sheet music..a Mozart opera!

 This one has a punch of vintage pink foil wrapping paper..I love metallic and pink..it reminds me of the papers from the raspberry Brachs caramel candies that we used to get in our bag of Christmas candy from Santa at church..my fav flavor..and I hoarded those wrappers even back then!

This one has a cool pic of circus acrobats!

I filled them with vintage silvery tinsel..all ready to add candy, an ornament or a special small gift! Til next time! Happy crafting! Julia

Vintage Christmas and Circus Girl paper dolls

 Hi guys! I have been so busy! I have been leaving my poor blog unattended! Thanksgiving was good. All our family lives 22 hours away in the MidWest, so it is always "just us" for Thanksgiving. This year my people had a mutiny on the turkey and demanded ham instead..fine by me! We did still have stuffing though..couldn't skip that! My daughter was home from optometry school (Indiana U) and we were glad to have a week with her and the grand dog..who I apparently spoil! Our oldest son was unable to get home from SD but I did get to talk to him. We had a couple extra boyfriends and lots of good food! Here is what else I have been up to. The pink ornaments above were sold this weekend and shipped today..along with 15 DOZEN others! I wrapped all afternoon. I "made" this with a vintage rose globe. I painted and glazed the former brass base and added some yummy vintage Shiny Brite pink ornaments. I liked this and almost kept it!

 These I found this weekend and I AM keeping them..at least for now. The bowl is an old Limoges one with tiny shamrocks. The old shabby ornaments looked so good in it, I decided to keep them!

 I have been having a glitter-pa-looza making these vintage style bottle brush trees. They are called "bottle brush" because they are made basically sharpened sisal bottle brushes that I bleached, dyed and glittered. These are pale spearmint..

 I also did cream for the "white decor" lovers and some pale pink ones that went straight to my antiques booth uptown..I've sold quite a few already!

 I made these NOEL blocks for my handmade Etsy shop. I had the very shabby blocks..most of the paint was gone. I decided to jazz them up a bit. I added vintage French text that I stamped with my antique signage stamps.

 On the other 3 sides I added squares of vintage wallpaper and a bit of scrapbook paper (the small damask print on top) I love my vintage wallpaper stash and like to use every bit I can. These were cut from the smaller bits I saved from other projects.

 You can still see the embossed designs on the tops and bottoms.

I also made some tiny bottle brush trees ..these are perfect to display under a wineglass "cloche"!

 And here come the "fancy ladies" as my 4 yr old grandson Hunter calls these circus themed paper dolls.

I make these with antique ad images, head images from antique ladies magazines, watercolor and lots of glitter! These are all my own pattern and design. They are based on "jumping jacks" as you can move the arms and legs into other positions. I pondered the costuming for a long time. I decided I liked the ad "tatoos" so much that I didn't want to cover them with actual paper clothes. I painted on sheer watercolor outfits that let the graphics show through! These are going in my handmade Etsy shop shortly.

They are part circus girl, part paper doll, part jumping jack..I just have to decide if I am finished with them! I have more to show but I need to take some pics first! Until next time! Julia

Vintage Christmas Ornaments

 Hi guys! This is what I have been up to this week! I have been up to my ears in ornaments! I have been glamour shooting them for my Etsy shop. Some of these have already sold! I scour estate sales all year for vintage ornaments and then group them by color and style.

 I looove vintage Christmas ornaments..shabby is better than perfect as far as I am concerned!

 Magenta pink is my favorite. Even a few are great to display on a antique bottle neck or like here, like a mini gazing ball on the top of an old glass light shade.

 I only had one "white" group and they are already gone!

 I figured they wouldn't last long. This silverplate urn is mine and I will not part with it. It holds Christmas ornaments now and other things through the year..I like it filled with vintage baseballs and softballs too!

 Most of these are Shiny Brite (the ribbed caps) or Coby (the plain scalloped caps). The indented ones are European..usually Poland, Czechoslovakia, or West Germany.

 This vintage cutie is on his way to Australia with 3 more "Elvises". He was so photogenic..what a ham!

 I like the lime and gold ones too..they look like lemons and limes. Really there is not a color I don't like!

 Yummy aqua, silver and electric peacock blue. I am not a blue "ornament on the tree" lover, but I love them like this!

 These had emerald and teal in the mix...

 These are some yummy West German ones..sold.

 Striped Shiny Brites and more. The clear striped ones are WW2 . During the war years all metal went to the "war effort" even the silvering inside of new ornaments! These came with cardboard hangers also as that metal was also unavailable.I think these are sold too.

 Love....Why do I sell all these? Because I have a vintage silver tinsel tree that I cannot squeeze one more ornament onto! The branches are literally covered from one end to the other! Mine are mostly pink and aqua.

 More Shiny Brites. I was doubtful about that long one as the cap is small. but these have  Shiny Brite box with it on the cover!

 The fruit basket shaped one is an oldie. I really like this pink indent too. I think these sold today.

I think my fav this year is this gold one with the pink center. I used to not care for the gold ones as much but this year I am really loving gold with bright pink and gold with aqua. This one reminds me of ones that were on our tree when I was little..that could have something to do with it too! Here's wishing you a very merry vintage Christmas! Stop again! Julia

Country Living Atlanta show Finale

 Hi! Okay..this is the end!!I liked everthing about this pic..shabby aqua metal garden chair, map print pillow, cool signage and even cooler upcycled metal crown made from an old propane tank!Hmmm..What sort of havoc would I wreak with a plasma cutter?

 They had Glampers! They were sooo cute! Note the wagon wheels are not attached, just propped for "show".

 These had quite an interested crowd. I was chatting with a couple who said they were fixing up one of their own and had already spent more on upgrades than they did on the camper!

 Sooo cute.

 Totally true to theme.

 My husband an I have been talking about getting one of these for us.

 Inside of the gypsy one..it would be so fun! Great guest room too!

 Handmade soap in a fab vintage baby bathtub display..

 Magnolia Pearl knickers..she wasn't there herself but this booth had a bunch of her clothes..I think it may have been several Texas people's things in one booth.

 Love..

 One of my favorite furniture pieces..aqua of course!

 Yummy prom dress/bridesmaid's dress..

 Very photogenic!

 Another floaty dress...

 Upcycled stockings........

 I love these type of purses and have several. It is hard to find them cheap. They are from the 40's.

 Loved this lucite one too..my husband had to hold it for me! But $225 was too much for me!

 A more matronly manni..

 Ladies were all over these dresses..

 It was hard to get a picture!

 Lovely vintage bling...

 An interesting old cabinet card upcycle..

 This one had me at heart shaped and was only $95 which to even cheap old me was a good price..but I have no place to put it!

 Upcycled architectural salvage..cool headboard in the foreground.

 Slightly better pic...

 Cool lamp/old post marriage..

 So many pretty things!

 This was a neat display idea. I currently have  about 200-300 of these in my livingroom that I am sorting into "lots" to sell..I should have had them listed a month ago!

 Cool upcycled art........

 Never enough faucet handles!

 This was a cute earring display idea..vintage playing cards!

 Another fav cabinet..

 Feedsack! Love this..

 So cheerful.

 Lovely chandelier..

 This s one of the cooler 50's dinettes I have seen..love those chairs!

 I love the colorful midcentury kitchen ware..pyrex..glassware..utensils..

 More pyrex..my mom had that stacking yellow green red blue set ..

 Vintage tumblers are so cheery!

 These were some pretty tent "slipcovers"..really girled it up!

 They are vintage priscilla curtains sewn together and embellished..too cute!

Okay..last pic..finally! I hope you guys had fun seeing my pics! If you are close enough, I hope you get to check out one of the Country Living shows! Til next time! Julia