Melony's Whimsy Daisy!

I showed restraint on Pink Saturday!

At a local antique store I discovered a homemade little chest or caddy that was supposedly made by a young son for his mother. The price was right and the story was appealing and I brought it home. Oh, how I longed to paint it pink. But, I wrestled myself and gave myself a talking to about trying to show some restraint and challenge myself to do something a little different with a touch of the pink I loved, but no so blatantly pink.

My goal is to have a cozy little guest room for a visitor. I want to offer a room that has the feel of comfort, sweetness, times-gone-by, and offers not necessarily entertainment...but hospitality. (Entertaining and offering hospitality are two totally different matters.) So, this little chest is going to be a Hospitality Chest to fill up with nice little treats and comforts for those who I might have the privilege of hostessing. It is the first step to providing a bit of a cozy retreat in a guest room. Visit The Inspired Room to read about other ways to enjoy a Beautiful Life.  

Here is what I started out with. Homely but with good bones. Even the photo is sort of sad looking.

 

I left the paint "as is". I still can't believe I was able to leave it alone. I got out my vintage cards and made some copies of my favorites. I cut out bits of the card and made little scenes that were pleasing to my eye. Using some Mod Podge I glued them to the piece.

 

 

and a little rose in the corner...

 

I added a Cath Kidston napkin to the bottom shelf and another kitty image from a vintage greeting card. I also hot glued some rick-rick for added charm, which will show up in a later photo.  

I did add a little pop of green...can you BELIEVE...green???? I really like it, especially with a Cath Kidston stationary sticker added to the center and a little pink rick-rack added through the latch. I take that back. I adde a Cath Kidston sticker to the center, but it just didn't go, so then I glued an image of a little boquet off another old card over the sticker and Mod-Podged over that.

 

I've been hoarding back some sweet perfumed drawer liner paper. I lined the inside of the piece with it, which was sort of tricky and isn't very neat. Oh well...I am not a perfectionist and I plan on filling this little chest!

  I just love this little wienie dog.He is a copy of an image on a vintage greeting card. I added some vintage buttons to the rick-rack frame. I think it's my favorite part of the little chest.

 

Using the drawer liner...I cut out hundreds of little roses and glued them to the chest. I still was fighting myself from stopping the whole process and painting the whole thing pink. Here is the finished chest empty. I plan on using it in a guest bedroom as a Hospitality Chest. The last picture will show it full of stuff that might welcome a guest and say, "I'm glad you're here. May your stay be blessed."

I threw this stuff in to give you the right idea. I think I will have to put some chocolate and other goodies in when guests come.

 

So, there it is Pink Saturday...restrained! Thanks for stopping by. Please go and pay a visit to all the other creative girls who love a splash or two of pink in their life at

Beverly's How Sweet the Sound! 

 

 

Happy Pink Saturday is running late...

I've got to go to bed girls. I want to get my Pink Saturday post up, but it is nearly one in the morning and so I'm giving up for the evening...morning...you know what I mean! I just finished putting the last little finishing touches on my project, but need to take pictures. Won't you please come back later today and see what I've done? I think it turned out pretty cute and I'm excited to show you. My project involved:

small piece of furniture

Cath Kiston paper tissue

vintage greeting cards

lots of glue

rickrack

roses

drawer liner

vintage buttons

paint

PINK!

Yawn....

A Dresser Makeover in Pink Saturday Style!

Happy Pink Saturday!  I have been busy getting my Craft Cottage together and wanted to show you a few projects I've completed. The biggest re-do was a freebie hand-me-down unattractive brown dresser. I found some paint on the Oops shelf at Ace Hardware for $6.00 and kept adding leftover white paint until it was the shade of pink I wanted.

 

I don't know what happened to my before pictures. That is is so aggravating (sigh) but you can imagine a brown and not so pretty beat up dresser. I spray painted the handles white and this is the end pink result.

 

Then, I added my pretty bits and bobs as well as stuff that I will use in art projects to come...paint brushes, buttons, pom poms and such. It is so nice to see what I have actually OUT and not stuffed in a plastic bin. Thank you to my husband for making all this happen!

 

The paint shelf I purchased at Michael's with one of their 40% coupons. It still doesn't hold all my paints, but it's a good start and I like the ribbon storage and the other little shelves for knick-knacks.

 

 Here is a garage sale icky gold frame.

 

It was sporting my kind of price tag.

  Shake, shake, shake that can of white spray paint and s-p-r-a-y! I created my inspiration board by adding some wire to the back and attaching a little of this and that with tiny clothespins. I saw something similar on a blog somewhere, but for the life of me cannot remember which one or where. Feel free to post if you know who the creative mind was behind this. I will probably add some rick-rack or something to the frame as it is not froofy- fied up as much as I would like, but that can wait.

 

I think vintage cards are precious and will probably interchange some of my collection for inspiration on my little "bulletin" board.

 

You can read about my vintage handkerchief dress form in my previous blog post. I had a lot of fun putting it together. My great grandmother's old lace and tatting are displayed and my great grandfather's old glasses rest in their original case. 

Peeking behind it is a white spray painted old mailbox that started out like this:

 

I find it pert near impossible to pass these old treasure up at garage sales and actually like the worn look of this one. Nevertheless, I got out the spray paint and, yes, painted it white. It looks so fresh now. I added some vintage children's books with beautiful art work. I find the colors so inspirational on days that are kind of blah and I need a little sumpin' sumpin' to get the creativity going!

 

Here is a yummy pink and chocolate rose sundae made with Dollar Store craft roses. I'm sure I'll use them in a future project, but will enjoy them in "ice cream" form for now with the vintage pink and pearl pin for the cherry on top.

 

One ringy dingy! Two ringy dingies! Is this the party to whom I am speaking?

 

My kids didn't understand why I would say "dial" a phone number. This old black phone says it all, doesn't it? Would you like fries with those scissors? I liked the color of the aqua plastic basket which looked like it belonged in a fifties diner. I drink Diet Sweet Lipton Tea by the gallon, so I've saved the jars and used them for storage. A ribbon and an orphaned old clip-on earring spices it up a bit.

Hope you enjoyed another little peek into my ongoing Craft Cottage project. Happy Pink Saturday to you! Please be sure to visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to meet all the other girls who enjoy a lovely shade of pink!

Vintage Hankies and old Lace Dressform

I MUST write a love song about spray paint. In the meantime, here is my latest project. The dress form started out black and gold from T. J. Maxx. I think it was $6.99.

 

I have a little collection of vintage handkerchiefs. A couple are sentimental to me, but most just sort of struck my fancy with their rosy-ness and femininity. I've been wanting a way to display them and enjoy them.

Here is a preview and then I'll show you the details:

 

I haphazardly (that's my middle name...Melony Haphazardly) pinned them to my dressform in a pleasing-to-my-eye- fashion. I found a crocheted bit and popped it over some pom-poms to cover my pins and to make my girlie have a nice waistline.

For the collar to m'lady I scrounged through some lace bits my Me-Me gave me from her mother (my great grandmother). It appears all handstitched and is so delicate. I added another little lace embellishment to the neck opening and adorned her with a favorite necklace of mine. It isn't old or expensive, and I really love it. I just have a hard time finding an outfit in my closet that screams "Wear a cameo with me!" I will enjoy the necklace more on the dressform.

I added a crocheted buckle and some beads around the bottom. I'm not sure if this buckle is old or new, but  I liked it.

 

Every dressform needs a cup of standby vintage lace.

Or a Goodwill (29 cents) English china bowl filled with tatted lace. (My kids hooted over this...English China. Think about it! LOL!)

 

I tossed an old jaunty straw hat on top of the creation, and perched some millinery flowers on the brim, and called it finished for now. I am pleased with the results and especially like that I was able to incorporate some sentimental sweetness. Check out other interesting vignettes at The Inspired Room.

Operation Arkansas

I'm hopping down a little bunny trail from my crafty blog today, but will be back in the next little bit with some completed pictures of Craft Cottage projects.

Bob's Marine training kicked in as we prepared for our 4th of July annual pilgrimage to visit my family. Operation Arkansas went into full steam ahead as the truck was cleaned and shined, gassed and oiled, and strategically pre-packed with suitcases the night before. I received a special Husband Waiver to do a last minute loading of my makeup and hot rollers. Departure time: zero dark thirty.

We arrived at our destination successfully (and without a lot of "unnecessary" stopping) and I got to meet and kiss on one of my brand new kinfolks! Are babies just not absolutely heavenly?

I laughed as I watched my daughter, Daisy, being so dramatic with her cousin as they watched the family firework extravaganza. Where do they get their flair for the theatrical?

Tears were shed too, as my sisters and I watch my Mother struggle with Alzheimers. She didn't know me much of the time and how I miss her! What a cruel disease and what a heartbreak for those, like my Daddy, (and my two sisters who live nearby), who live with its horrible affects on a daily basis. Yet...God was good to give us happy moments amongst the sad.

There were new adventures to be lived out as my husband enjoyed "playing" with a Big Boy toy! He had so much fun digging a hole! (and to think I was always happy with a little shovel and pail!)

 

No summer vacation is complete without a little swim time! I heard on the radio today that blended families, such as mine, can take up to seven years to truly gel. This picture allows me see how far we've come in a year and a half. Bob married me, a widow, and stepped in to be the father of my two youngest children. I am so thankful families can come together and love each other even when there is not a gene shared amongst any of us...we are a family!

 

Here is a goofy picture of me. Why? So much of the time my Mother was behind the camera taking pictures of us. I wish we had more pictures of her! So, on a whim, I took this silly picture of me while the kids were swimming. I want them to someday look at this picture and laugh, and know they had a silly momma who loved them!

   Life is full of fun and fireworks, laughter and tears, fresh sweet babies to kiss, and dear old ones to hold close while you can. Cherish the moments and snap a few goofball pictures of yourself along the way. Your children will be glad you did!