a new frock for annika

This is my latest little creation... My best friend's daughter, my godchild, turned 4 yesterday and I thought I would make her a little dress. My best friend loves everything I design, however her daughter seems to have a more discriminating palate then she does. She is super opinionated, as I am sure so many toddlers are, about what she puts on her tiny, little body! I thought I would give it a go and see what she might enjoy. Alyssa thinks she will love it. I told her I really like it, bring it back to me if she doesn't want it! In fact, this morning as I was scrambling to get it done, two people wanted to buy it! Hee, hee. Love when that happens! I really like the color combo, especially for a toddler... you know they need to be a little more mature looking than the babies! But it still has my signature Swarovski crystals to keep it girlie! I also painted the top as well as the skirt bottom with an interference pink/red paint...you can't see it in a photo but that turned out fun.

renaissance baby

This is a little frock I made for Aspen awhile back....it had to be one of my favorite pieces. This dress combines what I did when I made all women's clothing with what I do now with my children's line. For my ladies' things I used mostly all silk tafettas with lots of ribbon flowers or vintage flowers. This fabric was from scraps of a skirt I had left over and I used old velvet dyed ribbon for the straps...and then added all the silk flowers. The back room at my boutique is stacked about 14 feet high with loads of containes full of my ribbons and flowers and fabrics! I'm sure to anyone else it looks like a huge nightmare, but for me it is like Christmas everyday digging into those containers to find the perfect piece for a project!



The trouble is right now Miss Aspen has still not mastered walking and this poor dress would never last the whole day on her without being completely covered in dirt!

My mom did a painting of this picture above and with the frame Aspen looks just like a baby out of a renaissance painting, especially with the colors in the dress!

Anywho, I make little dresses like this quite often for my boutique, but they don't ever seem to make it into my etsy shop, so I wanted you to see what my passion as a mama couturier is.

Birthday Girl!

Oh yes, you may think by these fabulous party photos that it is Aspen's birthday....these were from her first birthday party. But today is my birthday! And since I didn't have my blog started for Aspen's birthday I thought I would show you her party! It was fabulous and surely prettier than anything that will be going on for me! We had pink strawberry cupcakes and chocolate raspberry cake, made by my mom!

My momma did this painting for me for my birthday a couple years ago. It is my favorite one that I own at the moment. She did this series with her little chihuahua, Madamoiselle, in every one....Sadly, Madamoiselle was taken from us back in October by a coyote...at 6am off their back patio. You can see here there at the bottom of the candy stick! We are very thankful she had been immortalized into so many great pieces of art. This is my mom's real career. She is an oil painter you can check her work out at Sharon Bruno Dougherty. Hopefully her site is up....my brother mentioned an error the other day if you don't see it, it will be there soon!

A bevy of beauties...

I just had a new counter built for my local boutique... it is really fabulous but so not together yet! I am waiting on all the french goodness for it--I ordered cherubs and garlands of roses and the like to adorn my orchid counter. Well, they haven't arrived yet...and my glass and shelves keep coming in not quite right... so I am making the best of things and adorning the jewelry cases with my new Easter peeps and baskets. I ordered these from the fabulous Andrea over at One Hundred Wishes. These tiny baskets are so much fun to add that little touch to any special area. I just got them like 10 minutes ago and I stuffed them with angelina fiber and added my little peeps some adorned with vintage goodies and others are naked in their lovely baskets. So hop on over to see Andrea and buy some! Believe me her packaging is totally worth the order in and of itself. Just like a little Easter box for me!

I love doing displays at my shop....I am working on the windows for Spring, but everytime I start Aspen wakes up and I get zip done! So I am just working on a smaller level here with the jewelry!

hey there chickie, want to come to my nest?

So here are some more of my latest little chicks to take up residence at my shop for spring. They all have lots of vintage flower chapeaux on! My mom made up the ones in the larger basket...we definitely think alike. I didn't even tell her how my looked and ours are so similar. We have always been like that! These are also her three silk ribbon work pieces. She puts these on all sorts of things from baby sweaters to pillows and the like. We both love ribbons and making this stuff. However I have far less time on my hands to do these...mostly because all my ribbons are at my shop and my down time is at my house and I always forget to take this stuff home to create. That is the trouble with two studio work spaces, the thing you need is never where you need it...no matter how organized I am with it all!

I love the beautiful colors of these ribbon flowers...and all the vintage stamens used on them...

mom's chicks pictured above...my chicks are pictured below...here's the latest basket using an antique limoge custard cup...you know I just couldn't help myself! This little chick is a princess with her glass glitter adorned flower on her head...makes a great crown I think.

a little overview of all the little peep baskets....

Spring pipsqueak baskets have arrived!

I have just a made up a few baby spring baskets with some of my new designs from my shop. This is my new Royal Owl set featuring the Royal Owl gold glitter new designs...with Swarovski crystals and raw edge ruffles. This basket is chock full of modern baby goodies that you will love! There are two burpies in pink that match the onesie fabric and there are some fun little toys that are pink too. I make these up with more or less stuff too for my local boutique. But this basket can also be made up gender neutral or for little boys. I also have one made up in shades of purple for girls...Gotta love spring time!

those first two burp cloths are the ones in the basket...vans by lightning bugs and chocolate lollipop fabric. I like to add lots of ribbons and a cute taggie ribbon on the bottom of the cloth. My baby likes to play with the tags so I put them on for all the babies to love....and then here is the up close on the onesie....love, love, love the new glitter design. They wash up great too in case you were wondering!

I also made lots of new peeps wearing their vintage flowers but I forgot to take them to work today to show you all. I will remember tomorrow!

the inspiring little tea cup...

So I mentioned being at an estate sale on Valentine's Day... Well I just had to have this little antique tea cup. I have always love these shorter, fatter little ones in the pastel colors and I always scoop them up...well this one had a repair on the bottom so I couldn't actually use it, but it happens to be the perfect Easter colors. So I got to thinking it would make the cutest little Easter basket. So out to the backyard at nine o'clock at night I go to get a little piece of Virginia Creeper and some vintage flowers and glitter and there you go! How darling is this basket now! I think Angelina fiber makes perfect Easter grass, then I added the little peep. I love the old peeps and have little collections of them milling about all over. This is a newer repro of an old one. I took it out of a box of Bethany Lowe ones I sell at my boutique and it had the perfect home. Now I just have to decide if I should sell this thing. This always happens to me. I fall in love with it before it hits the shelves and I think I need it!

Then, I just had to make another...so I hunted down a different tea cup I thought I could part with and made this one last night. Very sweet too.

I put them in with the rest of the spring folk art at my shop in my old cabinet here. They don't have price tags yet though...can I part with them?

one more close up!

Okay, gotta run....Aspen just woke up from her nap and spilled dried fruit all over the floor...hhmm....

Serving Up a Little Spring!

So last night as my day was winding down, I was thinking how soon Easter is....Oh wow, I haven't even gotten all the Easter folk art out to sell yet! So due to my little one's fascination with birds and chicks I decided to put together a little bit of spring for her to wake up to...she of course said, "Oh wow!" Most of these little chickies are from Tinsel Trading Company in NYC, a favorite place to hit every time I visit the city on business! I got them two years ago, I believe so I am not sure what they have right now. These chicks have found their home just below my mantel on these beautiful old French chest, which is my favorite piece of furniture I own. My mom has the matching one which is in just a hair better condition than mine! She bought them at an estate sale several years ago and let me buy one. You can see all three of us right there in the photo on the right....a picture from September at my uncle's house in Philadelphia. It is the first picture of just the three of us together...and poor Aspen is 8 months old when that finally happened!

My house is definitely like my life...there is always a little bit of everything going...I still have a few snowmen out on the mantel above this, so I have all the holidays going per usual for me. Just like me going in 20 different directions at once and dabbling in everything... I think I am a jack of all trades master of none sort of a girl, so you will never just see my baby stuff on here...you will see all of my creations as I am never focused just on one little thing!

This is the valentine from my mama, siting there on the left in that top picture...it is so darling. She made this for Aspen as well as me, so when I opened it, we each had a pocket with our own special note...Mom likes all the same things as me, and we are both always creating a myriad of things at once so it is really inspiring. We both went to an estate sale on Valentine's day and I beat her there, surprisingly with Aspen in tow...and I got some really fun trinket and a beautiful, French cherub table for my shop. I will show you all that later with my latest spring creation as soon as I take a pic!

happy valentine's day!!!

what a great day to celebrate all the girlie things in life! Here's a little whimsy to add to your life on this special day! Find the beauty in the everyday things in life...at least if your a girlie girl like me! This jar contain the odds and ends of my ribbons from my latest baby creations. Vintage flowers are always such a favorite of mine....this one was by my desk. I used to use them on my women's clothing designs quite a bit. But this was one I really could not part with...I love it...especially because it is really good size!

xo,

Shannon

a little sneak peek!

So I have been building this baby line for a year or so now, and finally I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Today I finally got in one of my new designs from my screen printer. He is super creative too and he knows my love for glitter...and this is actually a little boy or gender neutral design if you can believe it! A little owl with a prince crown...super cute! Here is your first look before it goes in the shop! This is going to be a charcoal grey and red glitter two piece set! So, he told me there was a really cool red glitter and so was born a bevy of new ideas... I also had him print pink and gold glitter for the little girls because we all need our fair share of glitter...and princess crowns...and everything perfectly girlie!

how do you say valentine's day...

Just in case you are looking for some really darling last minute gift ideas for that cute little baby girl in your life, here is our favorite peony hat in red. This hat is awesome and gets so much attention you will hardly be able to walk down the street with your baby. And they are comfy for them! Aspen and I are working on valentines with this picture...glitter hearts and we are good to go!

Or if pink is more your speed...this pink and red combo is so darn cute! These are both available now in my etsy shop....and hopefully soon my online boutique!