display. upcycled necklace lamp.

I've been a bit tardy in posting. Preparing for 4 shows in 4 weeks has left me little time for blogging. I do want to share a display piece with you (as you know we can not have too many pictures of those).

The necessity of showcasing more necklaces led to the invention of my "upcycled" lamp necklace display last night. I wasn't sure what I as going to do with a pedestal (shabby purple and gold, a little dirty) that I got at Plucky Maidens last week. I picked it up because it was interesting (what potential display piece isn't?) and it was $10.

The stand is a good start for a long lampshade frame (purchased from Vintage Trifles), but not tall enough. I poked around goodwill yesterday, and felt lucky to find a candlestick style lamp ($6) suitable for raising up the whole display closer to eye level. I pulled the cord out of the lamp and took off the part that holds the bulb. I used wood screws to anchor the lamp to the pedestal.

I was thrilled to receive so many compliments today (Camas Vintage Street Faire) about my display. I wasn't sure if I should paint it a distressed white color, but the comments I received today confirmed that it is as it should be. I'll post this week about how I created my printer drawer display.

my first treasury. slate

I was a little intimidated by the treasury process. I've been on etsy for a few years now, why haven't I don't this before? It was really quite easy and I think I've now found one more way to avoid the projects I should be working on (like cleaning up my workspace).

It's been hot here, I'm thinking this is my subconscious search for for some gray. My first treasury is titled Search for Slate.

If you love gray, don't miss this blog { <-- a perfect gray }.

thank you & a giveaway

I want to thank Frugalicious Me for a lovely feature! Check out Tasha's blog not only for my giveaway, but also some great ideas for dressing, decorating, designing, and dining...on a dime! Embrace creativity without breaking the bank. I like her definition of frugalicious { To live economically, yet deliciously fabulous! }

For instance, don't miss today's tutoral on pretty luminaries.

i'm feeling plucky...

Today I happened upon the Plucky Maidens show with a friend. I did not know this show existed until a few days ago - there is another one in November and I will be back! Over 50 vintage vendors! I was diligent to take pictures, only to find that I focused a bit much on displays (I must have been too busy shopping). So despite my slightly repetitive subject matter, I'm sharing a few photos I took with you. {<--You know I know you love display ideas!}

The point at which you know it is going to be good!

This needs to go in the i <3 burlap folder...

I like the way this photo was done.

Bird Trump Tower.

that would be another display.

Today's favorite finds. A French letter from 1866 and a French dictionary page <--with horses on it!

shopping. pottery barn bed & bath

My Pottery Barn (Bed & Bath) catalog came yesterday. I tend to use Pottery Barn for inspiration, rather than for purchase. Here is my someday list.


Ok. right away I have found a mistake in the catalog. How can they not make this headboard in a king size? The shutters peeking through - inspiration! I saw some blue french shutters at the Oswego Antique Fair on Sunday, I could not think of a way to incorporate them into my home, now of course, I know the perfect spot! Accents behind a headboard. Perfection. {PB}

The vintage Victorian ceiling tile mirrors - these will go over my (not iron gate) headboard. I see a few similarities to my room here - the duvet I have is very similar, so are my nightstands. I am always looking for a way to incorporate a touch of french/shabby vintage - my house is a 76 split level. Apparently at that time, there was no use for things like wide baseboards or hardwood floors, the character of the home is not always obvious...  {PB}

I <3 this room. I want chandeliers in my bedroom. And a mantel. Now I want a cottage! {PB}

These lamps aren't quite right for me, but I do like the nightstands and how they've paired the ivory quilt/shams with the printed sheets. I love stacks of books.

Not to forget the bath... I am always looking to find anything that will "help" my bathroom that houses an apple green tub. I have yet to find anything with the particular shade of green. I do think that there are some out there that could readily appreciate the "vintage-y-ness" of apple green, but I'm not feeling it. these towels with their snippet of green, do have potential. {PB}



tutorial. paper birdcages

I am hijacking a pretty picture from a recently discovered blog that I can already see I am going to enjoy (Anne Shirley and Jane Austen in the same blog, um, no-brainer). I thought this looked like a "doable" little project. Enjoy your visit to oc cottage for the how-to.

ornament? gift bag tag? I see many possibilities here.

don't miss. oswego antique fair

Over 40 booths that will be filled with vintage, antique and hand-made goodies.

Hosted by Sixpence Antiques & Gifts

WHEN Sunday, August 14, 9 am-3 pm
WHERE 519 3rd Street, Lake Oswego (between B and C Avenues)

Partial list of vendors (there are so many more, but this post would be too long!):

* The Withies
* Roost REimagined
* Me!
* Vintage Station
* K Marie Designs
* Noelle Penn
* Les Trois Amies
* Fleurs
* Beaucoup
* more...

softly and tenderly. bye grandma

Jesus called my grandma home on July 26. I was in charge of her memorial slideshow. It was fun to see my own children, nieces and nephews reflected in these snippets of history. I have a few favorites I would like to share.

as a young girl.

first child's first haircut.

birthday party.

grandma had 4 boys in a span of 5 years!

her own football team.

grandma leaves behind 4 sons, 11 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.

my favorite picture.

this is how I remember her.

roost sale. friday & saturday

Here is a pic down the path to my booth - this is just a quickie tease post. For more, you have to come see for yourself!

yes. that is a bed.

I'm a sucker for anything that includes a horse.

I brought the muscle with me today.

Details
Friday, 5 to 8 pm, $5 early buy
Saturday, 10 to 3, Free

Roost Barn
6067 78th Ave SE Salem, OR 97317

i {heart} burlap

Poking through Ballard Designs catalog the other day, I saw this ottoman. I am loving the current trend of using burlap as an accent.

I've recently discovered Pinterest <--- you really need to check this out. What a great tool for organizing photos that inspire! For instance, group photos of recipes you want to try (put them all in one folder, the photo stays linked to the recipe), or clothes, or decorating inspiration... Today I added a few "pins" to my i {heart} burlap folder:

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Christine on Pinterest

Source: jennifereileen.com via Christine on Pinterest

Source: nadafarmlife.blogspot.com via Christine on Pinterest

Source: ruffledblog.com via Christine on Pinterest

Source: livecreatingyourself.com via Christine on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Christine on Pinterest

Source: a-ladys-findings.tumblr.com via Christine on Pinterest

coffee stains

This is what half of my kitchen looked like a few days ago – my coffee-staining paper experiment (my husband noted that he gets in trouble for staining things with coffee). I’m working on a new look for my business, and I was going for the tea-stained paper effect for my earring hangtags (as inspired by things I’ve seen on pinterest and etsy).

Armed with Adrenaline Explosion coffee (for the fullest effect), I started to experiment. I do think I could be successful after further trials. However, I did not have craft paper, but classic crest, which really doesn’t absorb coffee with much effect. I did end up with slightly darker, warped paper and coffee on my griddle (which was serving a as a paper drying rack).

Hmmm... I have my doubts about this going through the printer.

Being the graphic designer that I am, I set about to create the look electronically (some day I will catch up to the collage paper artists I so admire – really sincerely, I am just not that talented when it comes to that kind of thing).

To the computer…
They now have stock photography for everything (really truly), I searched for tea-stained paper and landed on bigstockphoto.com. Refining my search for vintage paper, I settled on an image and paid my $4.99. I am pretty happy with what I came up with – I think it does make my jewelry look more expensive (yes?).



Oh – the nice edge – that is crayola pip-squeaks “small potatoes” brown. Courtesy of yours truly – there is at least one thing I can do by hand!

But as to the nitty-gritty, any of you with photoshop, here’s what I did.

1. make the background a layer by double clicking on it in the layers palette and naming it.
2. back off the opacity to 50% (my image was too dark). Having cropped it to the desired size,
3. create a layer effect of a light inner shadow, by using Inner Glow. Adding noise to your shadow keeps the grainy effect.

Settings for inner glow in photoshop.

If a paper effect is what you are looking for, but you don’t enjoy the nitty gritty, then here is a business card sized background (it is just a little bigger so that it bleeds off the edge) - enjoy!

Click first to open full size and then right click to download. This is printer resolution.