happy new year!

the best girly {digital} elements...

If you read my blog than you know I love Rhonna Farrer's digital brushes for scrapbooking...and for me, almost anything I do can use a little fluorish or crown attached to it! Well, Miss Rhonna has started a new blog for all her fans! And....to top it off she is doing a huge give away of 209 digital kits! So run on over and become a part of all the fun! I used several of her elements in my Christmas card on my previous post...I'm telling you, you can't go wrong!

This was the little bird creation I made to top off one of my mom's presents....of course I think this was the first thing my little Aspen tore into on Christmas morning, she is definitely just like her mama!

Merry Christmas Tutu You!

Wishing all of you a very glorious Christmas! Here is the finished card with the photos I took below!

Aspen's Christmas stocking...

Hooray! I finally finished Miss Aspen's Christmas stocking!!! I had intended to make her a beautiful stocking, but somehow time seems to always get away from me this time of year no matter how early I start things {as you can tell by the infrequency of my blog posts}. So I am walking through Target and I spotted this darling shabby chic stocking...a perfect bare bones stocking to make up for Aspen the way I was thinking I could! This is my version of crazy quilting with all the adornments I love....though truthfully I only went through one box of ribbons crazily grabbing pieces to add to this stocking to save time.

I attached a beautiful lace {everything by hand, I think it's a bit faster!} and then I just embellished on top of it with old ribbonwork as well as pieces I made. Above is a little purse made of vintage ribbon with lots of rosettes, and a vintage chiffon flower.

My mom and I have a friend who dyes old velvet ribbon these fabulous colors...this is part of my stash I only use when I am absolutely keeping the item, or giving it to someone who will really appreciate what it is, as they are so difficult to find! Then I made a basket full of ribbon flowers all out of new dyed ribbons and antique gold lace...and of course my mom wants this as her Christmas present after seeing it!

I just weave in the silk ribbons however, I sort of like that look best, more so than something very structured. I could go nuts doing this, but you know then Santa would be wondering where Aspen's stocking is because it surely would not be hanging by the chimney with care!

I love double faced silk ribbons...that's what this beautiful ribbon is...they make perfect bows! And the ribbonwork next to it is my mom's work. She made this little beauty for me a couple years ago and both Aspen and I adore it, so I figured her cherished stocking would be the perfect place for it to settle in for a long winter's nap!

decorating the house...

Gotta have pink wherever I can get it as you can see....Here is some of our recent work around the house!! Aspen is a huge fan of all the Christmas trees and almost every other decoration you can think of!

The mantle is really fun...but a lot of these snowman are up all the time because I love them so much!

More sparkle, more glitter please!

Christmas picture time!

Alright Miss Aspen, take a seat here in your tutu....now let's give you a huge candy cane!

And then let's try a Christmas tree! Here are a few of our out-takes! Now if I can just pick one picture I really like and move forward with my plan!

a little Christmas...

A few more little pictures of my boutique getting ready for the Christmas season...it is happening oh so slowly since my little helper seems to take apart displays as I create them!

How great is this wreath! My mama makes these...she made me one last year for my house, and now she is doing them for my boutique as well....they are showstoppers for sure! She keeps threatening to only put up these wreaths in her house and no Christmas trees!

This pink flocked tree reminds me of Eloise at Christmas time....perfect for all the little baby clothes! This is one of the shop windows at the moment...but I mess with them non-stop, so who knows how long things will remain like this!

Christmas is moving in!

Well, it seems I have been a terrible blogger lately! I have been madly sewing Christmas outfits and trying to get my boutique decorated for the holidays....it seems to take me longer every year!

So here are a few snipets of what is in store for you at my boutique...it is getting very festive around here....so much so that all my little one wants to do is watch Christmas movies!

Darling babes in toyland and little sugared houses....

Welcome to Booville my little witches....

Bella the good witch is tucked up in a little vintage door, welcoming everyone in to celebrate her favorite time of year....but then there is this nasty, little mean witch who just cackles at everyone...and she scares all the little kiddos away from her...she's not really mean, she just really possessive of her lollipops...she hates to share with the kids, so she cackles incessantly....

I completely understand....I love these lollis too....but the poor kiddies...just look at their faces when they don't get these treasured lollipops...

I better bring in the brigade to help out here...I mean you can't not give the kiddos these special lollis when they actually sing the whole Trick or Treat song....

Trick or treat, trick or treat.

Give me something good to eat...

Give me candy, give me cake.

Give me something sweet to take!

Ah, there we go...thanks to my little ghosties and other creatures, all the kiddies are getting their treats just in time for Halloween....now I can be on my merry way!

finding inspiration...

So here is the little live version of the Capture painting in the last post. This witch is the work of one of my mother's good friends...I have a little black one that I will share later, but she is so detailed you would not believe it! She can't seem to keep these tiny witches in stock! And this cream witch is perfect for my mom...she loves everything light and airy!

Is she any more wicked in the dark...hmm...not sure!

welcome little fall witches!

What a fun time of year it is! Alas, there is no chill in the air here, but there are many fun fall treats out there to welcome fall! This sweet painting was just done by my mother. She has done a series of Halloween painting to celebrate the season and I can't even pick which witch is the best! This one is called Capture, as the witch is being held in a bird cage! Ha!

pretty french treats and trims

Don't you just love all the antique trims and laces....I always want to put these things on my daughter's clothes...but I just know if i do they will just fall apart when I wash everything...so I just have all these little piles of goodies...just like my mom! Just going through them all is so inspiring to make new creations....

These are all bits and pieces from trips my mom and I have taken to Europe...scouring markets for little odd bits to bring home.

lots of ruffles...and a name too!

Here's a little dress I made Aspen a couple months back...it is just ruffled madness...super cute and super puffy I have to say...so now, do you want to know the little chihuahua's name....it is Chanel! A simple guess if you know my mother! My father keeps screwing her name up thought and calling her Shan-neil...obviously he didn't do the naming!

the newest member of the family...

My mom and dad just got this little one yesterday morning! She is so darling...and can I even tell you more perfectly behaved than my dogs are now! She is the sweetest little long hair chihuahua...black and white and tan....a perfect fit for our chihoohoo family! I'm not going to tell you her name just yet....if you can guess it, I will send you a little something, something! All our doggies are very girlie so that is the only hint I will give you!
Aspen loves every moment with this puppy...she was talking about the puppy all last night and this morning...and she treats her amazingly well considering what she does to my dogs!

it's finally back from a makeover vacation!

Oh, I am so thrilled to finally have this baby back in my shop...I can't even tell you how fabulous my chair is now...well worth the wait I would have to say! It matches up to my front counter that is orchid/ gold and a bunch of the antique furniture I have also redone in those colors. Now...how do I tell everyone...stay off this baby! I don't want coffee spilled all over it! It is just like a piece of beautiful art to stare at!

It's actually kind of funny, the first woman I had look at to recover it said to me, "that will never look good like that." Well then, too bad for you, I won't let you recover it! Now I just feel like I need this chair in my house not my shop because I love it so much! Way better than the gold color it used to be when I bought it!

my plate is full...

So sorry I haven't been around lately! Over the weekend I had a whirlwind trip to LA to go to market for my boutique and now I am in pricing madness...it takes forever to get all the jewelry priced, and then I am getting boxes and boxes of fall merchandise in to stock the shop with as well...there will be some fun coming soon I promise!

my vintage baby.

The tiniest things fascinate and inspire the heck out of me. My mom bought this tiny silk ribbon girl when I was about 18 I think. I just loved her, and I wanted her so badly...but my mom couldn't part with her so I decided to make them. Well I made about fifty of these little babies back in the day...and I named every one of them and I sold them in her antique shop in sets of three, in varying sizes...the biggest was about an inch and a half and the smallest was like a half inch. They were so sweet...and I keep thinking I should do some version of this on a child's dress, especially since Aspen finds as much fascination with tiny things as me! She wouldn't know what to do with herself finding little dollies attached right to her dress!

A bit of this and that...

I have been swamped with special orders at the shop and I have all this fun new inventory to get together, so I decided to take a break and work on one of the new onesies! I love this bright pink/ light pink combo! The bee is a light pink glitter...so sassy I tell you! I wish Aspen could fit her little body into this but no luck!

And since I can't seem to stop buying fabric I thought I would put some of the new stuff to good use, lime green ruffles! Totally hip if you ask me!

Last night we went to an artshow, where my mom got an award, so Aspen had to break out the tutu for her grandmother's special celebration! The more she sees these tutus the more she thinks she should always wear one....too bad it is so hard to get her into the carseat in this baby! Otherwise, I would have her wear one all the time.

This restaurant we were in had an old wood floor and I so wanted to photograph her on it...but you know Aspen was playing with her buddies and kept turning around on me every time I snapped the camera button!

my couture worker bee!

Can you even stand this? I was trying to sew a bit while Aspen was playing and so she decided to get into all my ribbons and she just accessorized herself here...and of course little miss had to add the perfect hat into the mix!

Like mother, like daughter what can I say?

when the dahlias are blooming....

I start to think of fall, just as all the dahlias are popping open in my yard....I think it is because I am such a retail girl, you know....I mean Halloween does come into stock in August! It is still hot as all get out, but you know I am steaming winter coats in my boutique and starting my holiday baby collections...so there you go...

Ruffle it up baby!

I just finished making Aspen these ruffled shorts late last night...they are so stinking cute I can't stand it...but they take forever finishing all those ruffles they way I want...so I haven't decided if I should sell them or not...but they are a take off on this little pant I started selling...I just love fabric and the more different colors I can pair together the more I love it!

This is the new combo I did...Aspen has a similar pair but in green with more flowers on it...very fun and when she is wearing them I get orders for them like crazy!

Such a cute thing to pair up with these crown and cherub tanks I love...and here is miss Aspen's new love...her new Bical shoes...

Kind of reminds me of the Wizard of Oz...