{the sweet sound of silence}

After the hustle and bustle of the holidays it is always nice to think of the {sweet sound of silence}...

...there is no better way to relax than with a long, hot bath...maybe a few candles, some music, a book...to each of us it is something different that soothes the soul.

...a dear friend of mine shared her recipe for {lavender bath salts} this holiday...

...I tweaked the recipe by adding {rosemary} which is said to relax the nerves and ease muscle pain...

...{lavender} is also widely known for reducing muscle pain and relieving stress by calming brain waves...a gentle touch of food coloring adds the palest of colors to the mix...

amd of course, dolling up the jars is always one of my {favorite delights} when it comes to creating a hand crafted gift for someone special...

...a sweet and simple gift...

{wild berry jam}

There is nothing like the sweet taste of homemade jam...

...{wild berry jam} is a homemade favorite of mine. Every year as I gather the goods to make this treat I remember my Granny canning in her kitchen. Everything from beans to jellies, preserves to sauces. It was a year long process for her. There was always something ready to be harvested and made ready for the cellar.

It is with her in mind that I recreate those moments in the kitchen and spread the feeling of homemade cheer.

To decorate the jars this year I collected these simple items found around the house:

{kitchen twine}

{brown coffee filters}

{muslin scraps}

{brown kraft cardstock tag}

 ...measure and cut a piece of {kitchen twine} and tie around the lid of your jar...

 ...punch a hole in your {tag} and feed twine through. Tie a bow.

Add a scrap of {muslin} and tie and trim ends...

 ...cut the scalloped top off of a {coffee filter} and twist into a flower.

 Glue flower to center of tag and bow...

 ..enjoy your treat!

 

 

{treats for my sweets}

...so today I was able to do {TWO} of my favorite things...

{CREATE FOR MY SWEETS}

I love making things for my sweet, sweet pals. They have been such an inspiration to me as of late - and it gives me great pleasure to offer the smallest of gestures in return.   

{Thank you all.}

    and...

 {MAKE MAIL ART}

 ...making mail art makes me SO happy.

{ in the Christmas Spirit }

No matter how many dips and curves { LIFE } sends our way, the { JOY } of Christmas spirit has a way of making itself known.

It has been a long and bumpy road these past few months but Christmas has arrived and with it, feelings of happiness and blessings.

...take a peek at the the festive decorations that surround us and make us smile...

...a collection of ornaments, old and new, adorn the tree...

 ...a beautiful, vintage, multi-layered tulle skirt...

 ...hundreds of white lights twinkle away...

{ some fall decor and a happy harvest }

 Autumn, in all of it's {glory} is one of my favorite seasons. I love the change of colors. Even in Florida we experience a tiny bit of {fall} in the leaves and foliage around us...and on occasion, if we are lucky, in the weather.

The last few days have been {glorious} and the children and I have enjoyed sorting and placing out all of the harvest decorations.

Autumn decor is never quite as {warm} feeling in the day, so I tried to photograph our decorations in the evening...well taking photographs indoors, in the evening, even with a great camera is not an easy thing...

...this is what we were able to {harvest} out of all the images we shot...

The new {forever} jack-o-lanterns are wonderful...I love their soft glow, and endless life. A few white gourds and my favorite year round {pear lovies} and I feel as if I went to the Farmer's Market.

 Autumn colored leaves, on strands of silk garland, make all of my {white} pop this time of year. Touches of galvanized metal look beautiful with fall shades too...and while orange in not my favorite color, it works for {fall}.

 This kids always want {spooky}...I always just want {fall}. We meet in the middle. The mantel gets a lot of yummy strands of leaves and berries. For Halloween I add in strands of black silk oak leaves and a spooky, glittery crow. After the last of the {tricks and treats} have gone, I pluck out the {eery remnants} and let the rest stay in place through Thanksgiving.

 A few years ago I stumbled across a sweet Halloween Tree. This year I decided to mimic my Christmas tree's {tulle} skirt and placed a smaller version of one under the tree. I nestled some autumn goodies in the tulle and it is so sweet!

 I love the miniature orange globe lights on the {not-so-spooky} Black Tinsel Halloween Tree. Adding in a strand of silk magnolia leaves gives it some character.

 

 The foyer gets a make-over similar to the mantel. Lots of {Autumn} color, with some black silkies added in. The dried corn husk wreathe adds simple contrast to the black front door.

 A {sweet} spindly wreathe is an old lovie.

 A simple strand of fall leaves hangs in wisps above the double doors heading to the backyard.

One of my favorite fall plants is {bittersweet}. I have several pieces tucked in here and over the mantel.

 The kids love the {not-so-spooky} tree, as Sophie has so appropriately named it.

Her personal favorite? The {not-so-spooky} ghosts and pumpkins that hang from it.

 My desk plays host to {no orange}. I have to have my little bit of just {white}. Even at the holiday. 

One small white gourd perches atop a stack of cigar boxes that I painted.

 Another whimsical Halloween Cat stands guard over a tiny vintage bowl of cherry tomatoes.

The reason for his guardianship? These are very {special} tomatoes. Miss Sophia planted a tiny seed a few months ago. She has seen that seed turn into a giant flowering plant that stands over 5 feet tall.

A sweet {tomato and mozzarella} salad to be made very soon!

 

 I love vintage, and Holiday Decorations are no exception. This sweet tin {eek} sign is one of favorite 

Halloween items. It is a perfect mate to the {vintage} collection of statues I have.

White pumpkin and berry garland keep company with the statues.

 I love all of the white and lights. They make the {orange} more bearable!

 Since Miss Sophia had to have a shot of her favorite {not-so-spooky} Halloween Tree, Ethan had to have a shot of the {very spooky} Halloween Wreathe. It hangs from the mantel and has lots of spooky moss and black roses adorning it. Fall leaves and a Haunted House Sign add some fun. 

Ethan's favorite part of the wreathe? The wobbly-bobbly skeleton!

  The huge silver star above the mantel helps reflect the light. The autumn colored lampshades cast an eery glow. It is very pretty after dark, with the high lights off. I wish the photographs would have turned out!

Spooky fun and color everywhere!

 A vintage baby bathtub from an old orphanage in South Florida is filled to overflowing with a giant corn husk garland and assorted gourds and pumpkins...oh yes, and a stem of white flower. {for me}

 {oh how lovely! the top half of the {not-so-spooky} Halloween tree decided to sputter out just in time for this evenings photo session! Yeah!}

Hoping you and yours have a very { Happy Halloween } !

newsworthy: jewelry affaire magazine

 I have always had a love of leather crafting. I love the feel of the leather and the dimension that tooling adds.

{I love a process.}

I love laying out the design. I love the patterns, unique and original hammered out each time the mallet falls. I love painting in the details, planting a beautiful garden as I go. I love the staining. Taking the vivid color down a notch, creating a timeworn look, soft and weathered.

Each time a beautiful {process}. A routine. A ritual. An assembly line...

...a calming feeling.

 ...vintage seam binding tie closure adds charm to this cuff...

 ...LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!...

 ...a teardrop cut from leather, vintage beading, and a cabachon make for a beautiful pendant...

 ...these are my lovies...I love the vintage jewels. I have been collecting vintage jewelry for a long time, and finally I have found a way to use some of my favorite pieces...

 ...I fiddled with the stain and sealer until I came up with a beautiful {glazed} look...

 ...and the colors are wonderful. There is no rule for beauty in a garden, as there is no rule here...

{sweet vintage hats}

 Just a few more delicious vintage finds for {Miss Sophia's Room}...

 ...aren't these little hats precious? They are the most beautiful shades of velvet and are covered in the loveliest findings...

 ...the berries, flowers and leaves are all a wonderful velvety {SILK} material.

 

...the colors are amazing...there is no comparison to old world findings.

The detail, and craftmanship is beyond compare.

{yummy thrifty finds}

I just love it when I find something especially {lovely}...something that is truly me. It makes me so giddy inside...like a child with a new toy!

Before I left for Idaho I found some of these very yummy, very vintage trims. They are a mix of the most beautiful shades of faded pink and old white. I can not wait to use them in a very special project...

Each one of these pieces of trim has a beautiful design and texture. The miniature flower print on this lace brought me to my knees!

...this actually looks as if it was hand knitted...

 ...and of course I have a special love of velvet...

this is representative of a shade that I love to dye with.

 

...here is another piece of amazing lace...

the color is so pale and beautiful.

 ...with age, these trims have become somewhat faded in places,

giving them even more character and old world charm.

 ...I could not honestly say which is my favorite.

I just keep picking them up and walking around with them. { i love them! }

 

...so when you stumble upon something so {lovely},

so {vintage}, so {full of charm}...

 ..you smile!

Enjoy the photos! Will share whatever lovely

project is born from these beautiful trims!

in my house: vintage bedroom

 ...ruffles, book paper and gesso...these are a few of my favorite things.

When an older sister made the move upstairs, a shared room becomes {Sophie's Room}. It is
 sweet and white and so, so Sophie. A strict budget meant a careful planning, and lots of creative decorating.

The new {OLD} chippy iron bed instantly became the focal point of the room. Adorned with recycled bedding from Camille's room, a few new vintage pillow cases and an old grain sack, it is absolutely charming.

I was able to find interesting and unique art through the less obvious...a castoff frame that had lost its' luster makes a simple and unobtrusive center piece....paired with a milk glass lamp and a simple lampshade frame it is the perfect duo....the old primitive angel dolls keep watch over Sophie, day and night.

 Remember I mentioned I was working on a french market sign...

well it is complete and I love it.

An old canvas gets a new facelift with vintage book paper and

some beautiful hand made silky rosettes.

An old woven green footstool gets a coat of soft white

paint and hand painted wording...a bit of muslin adds a touch of textile.

A tiny chair, a treasured and timeworn piece that belonged to my Angel son,

gets a facelift with new fabric.

An old ladder gets some white paint and a good sanding...

I love the {galvanized rungs}.
Nice of the lightbulb to burn out just in time for photographing this room...

which I must add at this point...indoor lighting stinks!

I DO have a big flash and tripod, but I was lazy and in a hurry,

so I did not take it out...the lighting is really much more

beautiful than these photos depict.

Old yellow dressers are repainted...I love the way the detailed grooving on the fronts have a silver patina...

A few simple props add to the old world charm of the room...

a vintage bassinet, an old picnic basket and a white enamel bucket,

a shabby linen apron, are all sweet and simple pieces....

...a set of simple tulle curtains will complete this picture. {Sweet and Simple}.

{This is Sophie}.

{day 4 . a gauzy ruffled wool pouch}

Here I am with another project using this beautiful {inky vintage gauze trim}...

... and as adorable as I think it is, I must preclude this post with a confession. I love this little pouch because it's style closely resembles the beautiful little bags made by my friend, Roben-Marie over at Every Life Has A Story. She always creates the most beautiful bags and journals. I love everything she does...

...so while I did not start out this little bag thinking that it would look like one of hers, it just took a turn somewhere along the way because that is my favorite style.

 I was actually practicing a little sewing and one thing led to the next...

 ...I even remembered to line the bag - well half of the bag. Yes, you heard me right. I only made enough liner for one half of the bag...don't ask, because I just don't know!

 ...hence, the practice pouch.

 I used some hand dyed wool I had leftover from a recent pillow project, and added three yummy rows of that sweet and simple {vintage hand dyed trim} that I have been featuring in my etsy shoppe, all week long.

 I layered on a ruffled silk flower I made with a center that I created using leftover dyed muslin.

 I did a little free form stitching {love it} on the front panel of the wool...

 added some leaves, a vintage button, and some french knots tied with some vintage baker's twine I had in my stash...I used another piece of the {peony vintage dyed gauze trim}to create a tie. I use this to wrap around the button for a casual closure to the pouch.

 More {vintage gauze} in that delicious {peony color} was used as a lip on the pouch, for the finishing trim. While digging in my treasure trove of old thread, I found some pink silk that was actually in great condition...Love it!

 Lovely photograph showing the top panel of this little pouch lined...bottom panel NOT lined...

You can also see that my stitching is not perfect, but it is okay. I like the "timeworn" look.

{that is what I like to call it when I can't sew so great - "timeworn!"}

 

A hand dyed piece of muslin, in pale mustard adorns the bottom back panel. I hand stamped it with a stamp that I actually carved at a recent retreat with friends. I LOVE IT!

 

...so it is not a perfect pouch, but a practice pouch...and I think it is super sweet!

The look of it is just what I wanted...my daughter is already asking for it for her birthday!

That made me feel pretty good...half liner and all!