Adele and Josette at the Dress Form Ball

This little lady had been out shopping (in Paris, of course!) all day but still wanted to go to the Dress Form Ball at The Polka Dot Closet.  Adele is, oh, so tiny at only 3-1/4" tall, but, alas, was the only dress form around who was able to participate! 

She wore her finest vintage creme doily dress...the one with the rhinestone sash and bow.  She was pleased with the fleur-de-lis brooch she purchased while in Paris and put it on right away. 

Though she was already cumbered with her purse and packages, she couldn't resist purchasing a bouquet of roses from a street vendor to bring to our hostess of the second annual ball.

 
Little Josette who goes with her everywhere was wearing her typical rhinestone collar and leash. 

Many thanks to our hostess, Carol. 

Be sure to go to her blog, The Polka Dot Closet, to enjoy the ball and the many lovely guests who are also attending!

Something New

These are the result of seeing an idea in an old magazine then carrying that idea forward, putting my own ideas with it, and making something new.  I had discussed wanting to find little vintage tartlet/chocolate/butter tins with my mom, and she found some at a flea market in Florida.  So, I played and experimented, and these "tin pins" are the result.  I had originally wanted to embellish the outside bottoms of these...but, alas, that would be too hard to fix a pin to.  I had some vintage jewelry pieces--some of them very old pieces--that are beautiful but too delicate to really utilize on my other projects.  So these assemblage pins are the result.  What do you think?

This one uses a sugared flower piece. I love the glass leaf spray and the heart shape of the tin.

This one has a Bavarian theme with an aurora borealis rhinestone piece with a spray of pine cones and tassels...then I added a cuckoo clock.

There are three others that I've listed in my Etsy shop if you would like to see. 

Spring Giveaway Jubilee Giveaway

I'm connecting with Sarah at Hope in Every Season, for her Spring Giveaway Jubilee.  She and others are offering giveaways during the month of March.  How can I resist joining in on the fun?  I'm offering a vintage rose perfume label image ornament, a wee sparkly ice cream cone trinket box (the ice cream part lifts up off the cone!), and a sparkling vintage rhinestone "leaf" pin.  I'll choose a winner March 31.

Here are my rules....

1.  Open to all--even internationally.
2.  One entry...leave a comment below.
3.  One entry....follow me on Facebook...leave comment below telling me you are.
4.  One entry....follow me on Twitter...leave comment below telling me you are.
5.  One entry...blog about my giveaway....leave comment below telling me you did.

Easy peasy.  Just make sure I can get a hold of you via email if you are the winner.  Please go to Sarah's blog to check out the other giveaways and enter them as well.  The more the merrier!

Can't Resist...

...hearts and vintage bits.  So, these have been the result of my work lately.  I found these sweet brass heart lockets from a seller on Etsy as well as some of the bits and pieces I've put onto the hearts.  Especially pretty are the guilloche pieces and those chippy flowers.

They have been fun to work on.  Ironically, I found a seller on Etsy who sells the little vintage enamel flowers, requested a custom listing of them...they agreed...and despite several emails over the past several weeks haven't heard a word back.  I'm so disappointed!  I know it's a busy time of year (but it has been many weeks)...I know things come up (but I've noticed they've listed many things)...but just can't understand poor customer service--at least communicate with me please!  I'd rather have someone tell me they can't get back to me until a month has passed than just not respond.  Oh, well...a lesson learned to remind me to have good customer service when a customer writes...and I'll keep on looking for my flowers.  Anyway, hope you like these.

New Perfume Bottle

I love green and pink together.  When I found this bottle, I knew it had to be embellished with some special pieces of jewelry to enhance both the jewelry and the bottle.  This was fun to create.  I listed it this morning in my Etsy shop.  Hope you like it!

Sandal Clips Custom Order Done

It was a great opportunity to work with a lady who asked me through my Etsy shop to do a special order for her.  She had some white sandals (t-straps with a toe strap as well) that she wanted me to hand bead clip pieces for.  I'm assuming these are for a wedding, but I'm not sure--a special occasion at least.  She was just super to work with in every way.  How nice it was to work with someone not only very, very pleasant but also quite clear in what she wanted. 

I was able to buy some sweet little vintage, faceted, tangerine-colored nailhead beads and some pretty, light orange freshwater pearls (oh, and the actual clips) from fellow Etsy sellers.  I love to support other Etsy shops when the chance arises.  I already had the vintage rhinestone beads from an estate sale as well as the rhinestone and leaf vintage jewelry bits. These beads and jewelry pieces were sewn onto silvery strips--triple and quadruple stitched for security. One of the hard parts for me was not to over-embellish--you know how I like to embellish sort of "over the top".   

I then finished the underneath parts with the small clips and a piece of felt for comfort should the pieces overlap the sandals at all.  These certainly do sparkle and are trendy.  It was a fun challenge, and I'm thankful to my customer for the chance to work with her on this. 

Box of Rhinestones

Mom and I have our favorite local places we like to go to find vintage treasures. We make our circuit once a week or so depending on what is going on and, yes, how much money we have to spend. Sometimes these places have things...and sometimes not, but we enjoy looking just to see if something pretty is sitting there just waiting for us...the "thrill of the hunt", you know. Well, yesterday we went to one of these places, and the lady had just been there and had put out for sale many new things. We were so excited! We had a wonderful time looking through her newest offerings and came away with quite a stash. One such thing was this box of rhinestones--most of them vintage--for only $8! How could I resist? We had a great time pouring over all of the pretty sparkles--many in very good shape. There were different kinds, shapes, and colors--but all are pretty and will be quite useful.

Mother's Day Vintage Brooch Swap from Me

As a continuation of the post above....here is what I sent across the pond to Jan. My box doesn't look nearly as pretty as hers....but I had a great amount of fun decorating and embellishing it. I found some rich-looking paper that coordinated with the colors of the brooch and covered the top of the box and lined the inside.

I embellished the top with vintage butterfly papers and vintage jewelry pieces. The butterfly trails were in pink glitter. Oh, and don't forget the little bumble bee sticker I found.

I put coordinating purple shreds inside and nestled the brooch in it.

I really liked this old brooch with its blue-hued rhinestone aurora borealis flowers and gold tone leaves.

I'm thankful it arrived in England safe and sound and that Jan was pleased.

Mother's Day Vintage Brooch Swap from Jan

Linda at A Swap for All Seasons hosted a wonderful swap, the Mother's Day Vintage Brooch Swap. We were to swap a vintage brooch wrapped in a beautiful package. My partner was Jan of Jan's Arty Journey. Jan certainly renewed my faith in swappers! Not only did she hold up her end of the swap but did so amazingly and beautifully. She is kind and wonderful in every way...and very talented. She wrapped everything in pretty paper tied with lovely ribbon and included a pretty card.
The brooch she chose is absolutely perfect. It is exactly as I would choose and like--you know how I like flowers and rhinestones. I shall wear it an enjoy it.She put the brooch in this amazingly beautiful book box that she embellished with all sorts of pretties--inside and out! I love the Parisian theme.
Many thanks to Jan for this wonderful brooch and box and to Linda for hosting such a fabulous swap.

Some of my Favorite Brooches

I failed to show you what some of my favorite brooches are. As part of Linda's (A Swap for all Seasons) Mother's Day Brooch Swap, we were suggested to post our favorite brooches on Flickr. I did that but didn't post on here. So, here are some of mine. Many beautiful brooches have passed through my hands and into my shop and on to a good home. I wish I could keep them all (some were hard to sell)...but a person can only have so many brooches. Those in this picture are old, and I haven't yet been able to give them up. The little circle one is actually a picture frame. The long, narrow white one is enamel. I love the crown one with its purple and clear rhinestones. The little blue bird one is sweet and such a vivid shade of blue. The large flower one is from Portugal, and my grandfather brought it back to my grandmother when he came home from WWII. Of course, the sterling silver teapot pin is a favorite. Enjoy!

New Bottles

I'm having such a grand time working on perfume bottles. One of my favorites has sold (see the apple blossom one a few posts down)...but two more have been listed, and I'm working on others (I'll have to make sure to do a post on the purple and lavender one!). Here are the two most recent additions.

This one reminds me of spring with its white flowers and butterfly. Of course the pastel-colored rhinestones are always a favorite.

This one features two crowns and is fit for anyone who likes royal pretties. I like the deep, rich ruby colors, the pearls, and those rhinestones!

Oh, don't forget to enter my vintage Valentine giveaway. See the link at the sidebar. I'll choose the winner this week.

Just Can't Give it Up!

This past Saturday Mom and I got up very early for the first time since her accident in August to go to a large church tag sale, two thrift stores, and an antique mall. She got right up and was eager to go which is amazingly GREAT progress for her. We went slowly with breaks, and she was tired in the afternoon. However, we had a super fun time and got some nice goodies. It was such fun to get up and go with her again. We have BOTH missed estate sales and shopping early. Anyway, I bought this little crown brooch for a song...I love crown brooches. You know, I went to list it in my shop and just couldn't! There have been several pieces that have been hard to part with--gorgeous vintage pieces--but this one I just couldn't break with. It is gold tone metal with both deep purple and clear rhinestones. It was a fun day with even a rare treat for myself!

Perfume Bottles

These two perfume bottles were found at a flea market last summer. One still had stickers on it. The other didn't. However, I believe they both are Italian glass. They are very heavy and are of great quality. They simply had to be decorated with fabulous jewelry pieces, and it took me awhile to figure out what to put on them. I felt the green one needed lots of clear rhinestones--so I put all clear, dazzling rhinestones on it. The pink and green one (reminds me of watermelon tourmaline) has pretty green leaf jewelry, clay roses, and aurora borealis rhinestones. I enjoyed making these and seeing them go together.

Rhinestone Brooch Bridal Bouquets

Since I tend to gravitate to sparkly rhinestones...and especially to brooches...when I go to antique shops and estate sales, I guess it was a natural thing for me to notice the trend of rhinestone bridal bouquets. Now, I was very pleased with my bouquet when I got married 20 years ago. It had dried roses that my husband had given me (that I saved) and other dried flowers to fill it out. My mom did an excellent job on it, and it was gorgeous--very romantic and it held a lot of meaning. I liked the idea that I could save it (I was on the edge of the new idea of preserving floral bouquets) for always, and I still have it today stored away. Also, there was a Victoria magazine article--one of the first issues of the "new" Victoria, as I remember, though I can't remember the issue--that had bride's maid dresses with sashes. On the backs of the sashes the bride had purchased beautiful vintage rhinestone brooches for her attendants to wear. They added beautiful sparkle to the dresses for the wedding and were her gift to her ladies for being her attendants.
With those thoughts in mind, I have greatly enjoyed seeing the progression of the bridal rhinestone brooch bouquet. I like the idea of putting the rhinestones into, say, an organza or silk flower to add sparkle to the centers, or to simply make the whole bouquet one beautiful sparkling wonder. I love the fact that these bouquets are one-of-a-kind and keepable. Below are three of my favorite creators. Each has a different style and look...but I love them all.
One is Hair Bows Wonderworld on Etsy. Her creations are beautiful and very elegant. Here are a few of her stunning bouquets.
Another favorite Etsy creator (and fellow Wisconsinite, by the way) is Very Tres Chic by Paula Stanton. Her brooch bouquet has a definite "wow" factor to it and has lots of gorgeous, sparkling color. For anyone planning a vintage wedding, her shop is a must visit. Here is one of her creations.
The last Etsy shop is Croska which offers bridal bouquets with sparkles nestled within the bouquet for a unique look.
Whether you are looking forward to the big day yourself soon or know someone who is...or, if you are like me, and can't help just looking at beautiful, sparkly pieces created by very talented people, I'd like to suggest these three shops and the consideration of their handiwork. I can imagine a bride placing a favorite lady relative's brooch (perhaps the relative has passed away) inside her bouquet as a remembrance of her on the wedding day. Perhaps the groom gives his bride a special brooch that is then incorporated into the bouquet. The romantic and nostalgic side of me just bursts with thoughts of what could be done with these beautiful bouquets.

Vintage Jewelry on Perfume Bottles--Repurposed and Glitzy

Remember the estate sale I blogged about a few weeks past with the box of rhinestones and broken vintage jewelry bits that I bought? I'll show you the picture again to remind you.
I have been busy since--and making a huge mess in the process--organizing that box. Pieces of jewelry and rhinestones have literally covered one whole counter top in our kitchen while I've been working on it in my spare time. (Thank you, Honey, for being so patient!) I've been sorting rhinestones, seeing what vintage pieces may be salvaged, organizing orphan earrings, and seeing what needs some repair and/or reworking to use in something pretty. Many rhinestones and faux pearls were gone in many pieces to begin with or were removed by the previous owner of this box. Well, I'm actually making progress. I had purchased a little blue perfume bottle at a thrift store for my grandmother (had previously posted about that too), and decided to make my first try at decorating something with that. Here is the result...
I was pleased and so was Gram. The vintage bits really perked up the bottle and made it prettier. I had purchased some quality little crystal perfume bottles a while back, and thought last week that they would be great things to put some broken jewelry pieces on--and the bottle at the very top and the one below are the result. I like perfume bottles anyway, as you know, so these were perfect for this project. Without a question these are one of a kind items!
The rhinestones may not all match, there may be a chip or scratch on a piece...but I think that adds to the charm of these repurposed vintage jewelry bits. These glitzy little pieces of jewelry certainly shouldn't be thrown out just because they are showing signs of their age!
I'll be adding the crystal perfume bottles to my Lollishops/Etsy shops soon, and I'm working on a few more. This has been such fun, and I've enjoyed this greatly

Another Fun Estate Sale

I have certainly been neglecting this blog a bit...you know how life gets. We've added another homeschool activity to our week which has been just great--but takes up time. I have been working on the Lollishops February challenge which is due soon. I'll blog more about that on another post when they are ready.
I did manage to go to another estate sale this past weekend. It wasn't as much fun without my mom along who was out of town, but it was fun none the less. There were some interesting things, and I saw this (see above) box on the counter by the lady who was helping with the sale and asked if it were for sale. She said that she needed to ask her husband because they were thinking of saving it for a relative who was a teacher. So, I gave her my name and number saying if the teacher DIDN'T want it I definitely DID. So, I meandered around the house...yes, praying that if the Lord thought I should have it that He would change their minds and allow me to buy it now. I was ready to leave and thanked the lady for taking my name and number. "You're leaving now? Let me ask my husband about that box again." Well, the husband said I could just have it...for $10. Yippee! An answer to prayer! I could hardly contain myself. It is full of rhinestones and beads and antique buttons and beautiful old broken jewelry bits. The person who owned this has been collecting sparkles for a very, very long time, and I'm thankful to have it. My mind is swirling with ideas! Now, if I can just find the time....