Beauty from India

My daughter just returned from four months studying abroad in India and the things she brought back for us (and herself), well, the pictures don't do them justice.  This is a tunic/blouse she bought me -- the details speak for themselves!

These pillow covers . . . they are all made of some kind of silk and the colors are so vibrant! 

She laid out an array of silk scarves, embroidered bags, purses and these shoes which were custom made for her (did I mention that all of these things cost just dollars in American money??)

Included with my gifts were these spices:  Cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, ginger and tea.

And then, she said, "Mom, I saw these and I told my friends, I don't know what she'll do with these but I know she'll find SOME use for them!"  My daughter knows me well --

Individually, hand-painted, porcelain knobs!

Gee, do you think I CAN find some use for these???

Finally, I will share with you this short video clip taken at the airport when she arrived from the gate.  You see, we have TWO of these beautiful girls, identical twins.  These girls had not been apart for more than just a few days in their entire life so this was quite trying, especially for the twin left behind at school!  What a reunion it was!

Shabby Apple Jewelry Giveaway!

CONGRATULATIONS TO Ann at Moonbeams & Fireflies! Her name was chosen by Randomiser as the winner! Thanks to all who participated -- check back for more give aways to come!

I've already said how much I love shopping online for Christmas gifts and saving my sanity for more important things.  Shabby Apple is a great place to start your Christmas shopping! Their clothing line is like no other retailer offering unique, quality dresses, skirts, blouses and accessories to fit your style.  

Browse dozens of categories including one of my favorite collections "1943" which features dresses that are reminiscent of, you guessed it, 1943 (when I think I SHOULD have been living!) like the Casablanca . . .

And did I mention ACCESSORIES?? If you love vintage . . .  you're going to love what Shabby Apple offers in the way of jewelry, belts, bags, shoes and more.

And now to the give away:

This beautifully crafted pocket watch necklace ("The White Rabbit's Time Keeper") can be yours by entering below. (U.S. Residents only)

One Entry:  "Like" Shabby Apple on Facebook so you can get in on special promotions and discounts and leave a comment letting me know you did.

Second Entry:  Become a Follower of My Wonderfully Made and let me know you did (or already are!)

Third Entry:  Blog about or post a link to this give away on your blog and let me know you did that with an additional comment.

Give away is only open to U.S. residents and a winner will be drawn using Randomiser on Sunday, December 4, 2011.

Happy Shopping and as an added gift from the great people at Shabby Apple, shop in the next 30 days and enter the code "wonderfullymade10off" for a 10% discount on your order!  

Christmas Music Prints

These are the first of my Christmas projects using the same technique as my Easter prints.  It's really easy and this way, you don't have to have the original music and you can resize it to fit your needs.

For these I just googled the particular songs as well as "vintage Christmas" images to find ones that went together.

 After they were distressed and 'aged' to my liking, I added a bit of ultra fine glitter to some parts.  I just had to highlight the little red coat, hat and boots!

The instructions for printing the tags is also on the Easter Print post.  I like to find a particular phrase or words from the songs and put that on the tags.  I stamped/embossed this Bethlehem scene on one and pine branches highlighted with glitter on the other.

To save money, I often just replace year-round prints in my frames with these for the holidays.  The tags are adhered with 'sticky tack' so they can be taken off later and stored with the pictures until next year.

I haven't gotten around to replacing the flowers or decorating the window for Christmas but this is how they look in the grouping.

And now to switch gears again and get ready for Thanksgiving!  May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving with family and friends.  

 

Shabby Apple for the Holidays

If you're like me, you're probably doing a lot of your Christmas shopping online.  I'd say last year I did 80% of mine online (Okay, bah-humbug but I hate crowds!).  If you're looking for a great online retailer, I highly recommend Shabby Apple.  Just look at the gorgeous dresses they have -- and in lots of styles that range from "Vintage-Look" to "Sophisticated" as well as Maternity.

They even feature something called "Style Tools" that helps you determine the style of dress that will look best on you.  They not only sell fabulous dresses but also jewelry and accessories, skirts, blouses, accessories for the home and kids' wear.

Look at these fantastic aprons!  Shabby Apple just introduced a line of retro aprons called Boysenberry Pie . . . oh my gosh are they ever cute!   And best of all, all domestic orders are FREE Shipping!  If you sign up for email notification, you also save 10%.


So tell me, do you shop online? How much of your total shopping will you do online and what are your favorite online shops?
Check back soon for a Shabby Apple Giveaway!  Happy 'no-crowd', 'no-hassle' shopping!

Tea Time

I love hosting Victorian Teas . . . yesterday it was my pleasure to host some friends from church for an Autumn Victorian Tea.  I always decorate the tables with fun 'tea quotes' . . . this one is one of my favorites! 

I love collecting old tea cups and plates . . . and I found these old, silver teaspoons at an antique shop in Iowa this summer -- each is unique and so pretty!

I display them in my kitchen on racks but use them frequently too -- no sense in just letting them collect dust!

I also love to decorate with vintage books, jewelry, etc.

There's so much great information out there on the internet about teas -- it truly is a great way to enjoy the company of friends and slow down the hectic pace of our lives. Whether it's a tea party or just setting aside time to visit with a friend over a cup of coffee  . . . make time this week to slow down and enjoy the company of a friend or friends.

 

Hymnal Racks Repurposed

I love old hymnal racks and was fortunate enough to find these on Ebay.  They are quite old with a great, old finish on them and they were just what I was looking for to use in my husband's church office.

 I added these metal scroll work pieces and the word blocks (Hobby Lobby) to create the grouping.  Being a vintage book collector, I was able to pull some great old Bibles and vintage Christian books from my collection to put in the racks.

I bought another hymnal rack from the same seller to use in my guest room that I'm re-decorating to hold vintage travel brochures . . . so many uses for these great pieces!

 

Vintage Travel Theme Room, The Beginning

The Guest Room/Study is taking shape . . . in my mind at least! I decided on a "Vintage Travel" theme and am having so much fun collecting things for the room like these vintage cameras.

This one came with this great case and is described as shown in the next photo as a "Folding Pocket" by Kodak from 1902.  It does collapse and fit in that case but would not be considered a pocket camera by today's standards!

I love the details on this including the inside of the back cover showing the dates it was patented ranging from the late 1800's to early 1900's.

The second camera I bought is by Argus and was called the "Brick" for the obvious reason, the shape and but I'm thinking for the weight -- this thing is HEAVY!

It too came with a great leather case that I'll display with the camera.

This is one of my first 'projects' for the room.  I almost threw this old shaker peg piece out.  Glad I kept it.  I started with a  coat of Paris Grey Chalk Paint, distressing and clear wax. I removed the center peg and added this old piece of hardware.

I googled "vintage travel tickets" and found some neat images which I applied using my graphics transfer method.

I've purchased an old pew hymnal rack, some vintage travel brochures and photos.  I'm putting off the first step though.  Painting. Stay tuned for more progress (it will probably be slow and sporadic!). 

Small Touches Add Up

We have a small half bathroom that is so tiny and was in need of some real help.  I liked the color scheme which is purple and green (sounds strange but it DOES work) so there was no need to paint.  The walls were bare and the sink is broken (and we can't afford to replace it right now) so here's what I did.  I printed a picture of lavender on some dictionary paper and framed it.

I framed some photos I'd taken at our local nature center when the wild violets were in full bloom (green and purple!).  I added a few extra frames I had laying around and painted the picture frames from the dollar store purple and green.

Since the sink is broken, my temporary solution was to wedge this basket into the sink and fill it with extra toilet paper, band aids, Tylenol, lotions, etc.  I added a bottle of hand sanitizer on the top.

 

With a few other additions, the purple and green theme was complete.  I had these two tiny frames so I inserted some decorative paper and a blossom and fern from my garden.

This "mini-makeover" cost me nothing since I gathered everything from around the house.  I wish I could make over ALL of my rooms for this much!