New Old Stock Flowers, Leaves and Glue

April showers certainly brought May flowers!

We've just added a ton of old stock millinery flowers, vintage pearlized leaves and even a selection of specialty glue to the website.  From vibrant clematis blossoms to dainty silk hyacinths to long stem cosmos, everything is old stock from Germany, Czechoslovakia and Japan.  

We're very excited to be stocking Coccoina glues from Italy.  Available in both liquid and paste form, Coccoina is non-toxic, solvent-free and has the most delicious marzipan almond scent. 

Click HERE for a closer look!

Meet Chantal of Dragonfly Expression

We love the gorgeous blossoms made by Chantal of Dragonfly Expression.  From brights to pastels, whites to beautiful ombre mixes, she creates realistic paper flowers with a mix of carefree refinement.

Be sure to also stop by her blog for updates on new creations and other adventures in paper.

New Lawn!

Last Friday just after dawn, a sod truck rumbled up the street and delivered two pallets of Marathon I.  For the next several hours we carried, laid, watered and placed 1,000 square feet of freshly harvested grass.  Here's how it looked when we first started:

And a little further along, maybe 2/3rds done:

Now, a week later, it's grown noticeably and is just about ready for its first cut.  After prepping the area for many months and basically living next to a dirt patch, it's amazing how dust-free the house and porch stay.  Next up? Flowers, flowers, flowers!

New Items Just in Time for Mother's Day

 

Just in time for Mother's day, we added several new items to our website and etsy shop.  We're now stocking a vintage style frame mats in two sizes: 8x10 and 5x7.  These are beautiful as is but can also be embellished with subtle glitter accents and Dresden trims.

 We've also added different assortments of self adhesive stickers featuring beautiful vintage and Victorian images from advertising and more.

Last but not least, we're very excited about scraps from England featuring Beatrix Potters' much-beloved characters .  It's a toss up; I can't decide if Squirrel Nutkin, Peter Rabbit or Jeremy Fisher is my favorite.

A Feature on Martha Stewart's Show!

We're very excited to have some of our supplies featured on The Martha Stewart Show! Watch Hosanna Hauser, Kristin St. Clair and Martha craft gorgeous window-eggs with our supplies by clicking HERE.

Here are quick links to the mushrooms and other millinery supplies they used:

mushrooms -- HERE and HERE

millinery -- HERE and HERE

Inspired by panoramic sugar eggs, their long lasting eggs turned out absolutely beautiful and are sure to become favorite decorations used year after year.  We are excited to try our hand at making a set and are amazed by how thick and sturdy the ostrich egg is!

Back in the Yard

 It's been quite a while since I've shown more of our yard progress.  And, although we slowed down a little at the end of last fall, we did accomplish several large tasks over the last few months -- boardwalk, beach rock borders, painting...  Here's a little peek at what's moved ahead:

 The wall is officially blue! On sunny days the palms cast great shadows on the wall and orange and white flowers really pop against its brightness.

Above is a newly formed flower bed bordered by a band of beach cobbles, each handpicked  and brought home by yours truly and my faithful elf.

Here's another view of the rock border and, in the very background, the boardwalk.  The rocks continue all the way along and also serve as a place for sprinklers.  

Next up? A few sprinkler adjustments, grass, flowers, transplanting... slowly but surely it's all coming together!

A Rose by Any Other Name

 I'm obsessed with trims right now and am very excited to keep adding more and more to the shop.  These are old store stock rose trims in a few different variegated colorways.  It's hard to pick a favorite -- I love them all!

The one above is such a pretty mix of bold.

And this one is moody and elegant.

Can't refuse the sweet one above either.  Do you have a favorite?

New Colors of Forget Me Not Flowers

We can't get enough of these flocked paper forget me not flowers and are very excited to have just received several new colors.

These are the sweetest little flowers and have so many uses - doll making, parties, ornaments and decorating, scrapbooking, millinery, handmade cards, napkin rings - they're adorable!

We now carry 29 different bunches:

You can find them listed HERE in our Etsy shop.  How do you like to use them?

Things I Love: Myrtle's Studio

Miniature Hat Box

To say I'm completely taken with Myrtle's Studio would be an understatement.  If you're like me and love unique combinations of color and texture, you're in for a treat.  Trained in Fine Arts at Parsons in Paris and New York, Leslie brings an artist's eye and the skills of a fine craftswoman to everything she creates.  Take some time to savor her works of art.  From delicately crafted and embellished cornucopias to elegant ribbon wreaths, from exquisite gift boxes to fanciful stationery, Leslie's work is the ultimate mix of magic and whimsy.

First Class Mail

Blue Butterfly Cone

Mille Feuille Wreath

In Search of the Golden Butterfly

Spring Has Sprung!

New Etsy Shop Additions

We've just added 16 new styles of buttons to our Etsy shop.  I am completely smitten with the little bear head, and the little kitty head is beyond adorable.  These are from various places all over the world...  England, Italy, Czech Republic, the Philippines... and have such beautiful attention to detail.  When I was a little girl I actually had a set of the bear buttons on a pair of overalls.  As I grew, my mom would take them off and sew them on something else so I was never without my bears!

Meet Nina!

One of our favorite things about Etsy is making awesome, talented and kind friends who continually knock our socks off with their creativity.  Case in point, Nina! Jewelry designer and mixed media artist extraordinaire, Nina creates gorgeous dreamy pieces that take your breath away.

The above two shots are of a shadowbox Nina created.  And below is one of eight owl ornaments she gifted to her mom, made with metallic thread, Dresden owls, Czech beads, felt and a washer.

 Be sure to check out Nina's Etsy store HERE and her blog HERE. We can't wait to see what she creates next!

A Merry Christmas to Everyone!

 

Wishing you all a blessed and joyous Christmas!

Afternoon Relaxing

Oh to have time for an afternoon nap in the sun! Thomas found a sunny spot on the patio yesterday and hunkered down to take advantage.

I've been a bad blogger lately, so just in case I have to ignore the blog for a little while, I thought you might like to see this guy.  Now, if only we could teach him to help pack orders...

Personalized Letters From Santa, Elaborate Cards & More!

We've just added several new paper goods to the website... kangaroos that double as treat containers and ornaments; pretty 3-D Christmas cards with richly embossed vintage images; old fashioned tags... very sweet things to send or display.

It's always hard to choose a favorite, but the kangaroos are pretty darn cool! I totally see them as favors at a kid's birthday party or hung on the Christmas tree with a pouch full of little peppermints.

My mom has always been a huge fan of Santa letters, so I'm guessing her top pick would be our personalized letters from Santa... darling poems, a vintage graphic of Santa and Rudolph, a reindeer stamp.

If you click the image above you can see all of our new paper pieces together.