Melony's Whimsy Daisy!

Personal Pink Saturday this n' that

Doesn't life just get BUSY sometimes? No craft projects to share today, so I'll share a little of my life that has kept me hopping.

Here is my Once-a Marine -always-a Marine husband showing his more tender side...wearing the pink shirt his wife picked out for him, and sorting out donated shoes for orphans. I love the pink shoes he has in his hands too. Shoes for Orphan Souls is a wonderful charity and shoes are distributed locally as well as internationally to children in great need.

James 1:27 says: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  I fall so short in living out this principle, but continue pray for eyes to truly see the needs around me and then to DO WHAT I CAN!

School activities keep us busy around here, and so just watch me work this into my Pink Saturday post. Do you see the pink in my jacket? I actually found that jacket at an antique store. I am assuming it was vintage 70's, and I really enjoy wearing it. My family can spot me from a mile away. Here I am with my wonderful daughter, Daisy...the picture says it all. I'm a proud Mama. (I have told Daisy if they had an honor roll for creative students...I think I could have made that list!)

Happy Pink Saturday to everyone. Please visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound. You might also like to check out this pink participant: The Charmed Life   

Scotty Dog Collage on Pink Saturday!

I am running late today on my Pink Saturday post. My husband and I went to Canton, Texas' First Monday Flea Market...walked our legs off...filled our bellies up...emptied our wallets out...and I came home and slept so long and hard I now have permanent creases in my face. Wow were we tired!

Here is a little something pink I made for my  friend, Susan's grandbaby, on an art canvas covered in that perfect shade of pink.  

The baby's name is Elizabeth. Thus the big ol' E!

Her grandma and grandaddy have little dogs, so I added those in, vintage wallpaper images, and buttons and such...you know the routine. I hope she will like it. Elizabeth won't be that impressed at her age, but I hope her sweet grandma knows how proud I am she is a grandma! 

  

Be sure to have some fun and visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound. You will find many other pink-lovin' ladies with great posts...all in shades of pink.  

 

Pass the eyebrow dye, honey.

Happy Pink Saturday to you! I found a unique little shop on one of my ETSY online shopping "trips". (Don't you love shopping online?) I had to share my discovery with you. I think I laughed out loud the very second the image below popped up on my screen. I asked the creative proprietor of Patsydoll if I might please share her creation with you. She definitely has a love of dolls and it shows in her shop. I hope you enjoy a peek into the pink and downright fabulous "Steel Magnolias" salon.

Can't you just hear Truvy say, "I don't like her. I don't trust anyone who does their own hair. I don't think it's natural."

For all of you who would like to say "pink is your signature color" visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.  Lots of ladies who love pink, like Claudia, of Mockingbird Hill Cottage, and so many others who post about pink treasures in their homes or little objects of interest they have discovered along the way that are the wonderful color PINK!   

Vintage Look Bridal Shower Banner

Since my last post I've become addicted to the cake circles. You can see my post below about what I did with the bigger ones. I had to give the little ones a try. I have a Bridal Shower Brunch to go to in a few hours, and I wanted something personal and a little different to give the bride to be...other than a gift card.

This gift is different all right and the poor little bride-to-be will either love it or be wishing I'd been a normal person and given her a gift card. I'm going to suggest she write down a special memory or attach an anniversary picture for each year on the back of each disc. Anyhooooo....Happy Pink Saturday! There is enough pink in this project to make me feel very content about the whole thing.

This is what I watched tonight while I crafted. The Long Long Trailer, from 1954, with Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. Lots of wonderful colorful trailer decor, vintage fashion, and kitschy goodness. I highly recommend it and it is about newlyweds. I didn't plan to have a movie with the same theme as my craft project, but it worked out well!

I spelled out the couple's name...one cake circle at a time. I used fabric, vintage greeting cards, vintage buttons, ribbon, and other little bits and bobs I had. So, get out your pom-poms and give me and L!

How about an A? I still need to do something with the hole in the heart. Doggone it , I forgot all about that...run a ribbon through it or something?  

I'd like an N! (The N is my least favorite. I give it a Negative 5)

May I buy a vowel, please, Pat? How about an i? (Ignore those hot  glue stringies, please Pat.)

Give me an E, for we are almost to the End!

Give me an R to finish up this banner!

What does that spell?

This, of course, would NOT be the place to hang it, but I did it to show you the whole enchilada-so-you'd-get-the-idea-of-it-sort-of.  Hopefully, the couple-to-be will place it somewhere more appropriate and enjoy it for a time.

Happy Pink Saturday to all of you! Please go visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to get your pink fix from lots of girls who find pink quite the "it" color!  As Beverly has asked us to do, I also wanted to introduce you to a blog I just recently visited for the first time that is super cute and worth a look: Mis Mollye. Just  the banner alone on her blog is sweetness deluxe. How does one get that cute of a blog with ribbons and such? It's adorable and she is a great writer too.    

The Ugly Duckling Desk Makeover

Happy Pink Saturday, friends! Please visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to enjoy all the other pink participants. 

A while back I blogged  about a heavy metal desk I got for free. I love free.

 

It needed a makeover and I sort of overdid it with the make-up, and it was left looking a little clownish. So, above is the BEFORE picture, but I couldn't bring myself to show the AFTER picture. The desk has set in its garish glory being ignored.

Below: that's the makeup

Yes, I do believe I used every color except the red. I was like a fifth grader turned loose with blue eye shadow! I couldn't stop myself from shaking and spraying. Shaking and spraying. Shaking and spraying...... 

 

 I wasn't about to re-paint the OVERpainted desk-of-many-colors, so I've decided to tone it down. I began the twelve step program with an artist canvas.

 

Then, I selected some of my favorite fabric. This is by Michael Miller, who is just about my favorite fabric designer of all time. 

***By the way, you can click on any of these pictures to make them bigger and see the dust on my floor.***

Do you hear the ladies below chatting?

"Yes, Mary Fran, I simply adore the way my new hair pomade holds my bob in place."

 

It was hard to cut into the fabric. Always a problem for me. I began to ponder:

I could make a cute skirt out of this fabric...if I were forty pounds thinner, I could actually wear the cute skirt after I made it.

I could make a tablecloth out of this fabric...if nobody would spill on it. Forget that.

Then, I asked myself these two questions.

1. Melony, are you the boss of this fabric? 2. Or is the fabric the boss of you?

I got out my scissors.

 

I cut out a rectangle of the newly submissive fabric a bit bigger than the canvas and began to staple it to the frame. As luck would have it, I ran out of staples immediately after I took this picture.

 

I love my glue gun. It is faithful and true. Sometimes love hurts. But, it eventually dries and I just pull it off along with some skin, which, so far, has always grown back.

This is just Step One in the Ugly Duckling Free Desk Makeover-Gone-Bad-Tone-Down Process. It's going to take some time to turn this puppy around. I'd be grateful if you'd ignore I cut all the poor ladies' heads off the top. Let's pretend none of us see that. Yes, I know I should have centered the fabric...thought it out more carefully...perhaps, yes, even measured. sigh.

  

Do you know about those nifty thingies you use to attach artist canvas to metal desks?

Neither did I.

Did I mention how much I love my glue gun? Squirt and press, press, press. We'll see if the ladies' are still standing in the morning.

So, overall, not bad if we ignore the decapitation. If I can't live with the headless heroines, I'll cut again and redo it...but, knowing me...I can probably live with it. sigh...being the perfectionist I am.

Happy Pink Saturday! Stay tuned for Step Two.

Oh, and if you please...do be so kind to check out my post below. It's pink too, and I would love you to meet my youngest daughter and a cause close to my heart.  

Orphans, Adoption, and a Cotton Candy Dress

There is probably no way to smoothly combine my two subjects today, but I'm just going to jump in and do the best I can.

Tomorrow is an exciting day for me because I've been invited to a meeting at  my church  focusing on ways to encourage adoption and foster care in our church and community. It sends chills of excitement up my spine. I was a foster mom for sixteen years, and I've been blessed to adopt two children...one from the foster care system in the USA, and one from an orphanage in China. I've given birth three times too! My cup runneth over, and I thank God for entrusting me with the lives of all my children and for helping me and forgiving me my mistakes along the way. (there have been many)

This is my daughter, Daisy, who has been a delight in my life. She was gracious to  model a vintage fifties dress that is precious. So much sweeter than some of the current styles where little girls look like grown women (dressed innapropriately at that.) The brand name for this dress is A La Mode and it is currently in my Whimsy Daisy Etsy Shop!  I am selling it for a worthwhile cause, so please continue to read.

  I love the detail of the crochet over the cotton fabric and the sweet bow.

Now, I want to segway into my very favorite charity, Love Without Boundaries.  I cannot say enough good things about it as nearly every single cent goes straight to orphans and it is run only by volunteers...most of them...adoptive moms and dads. If anybody purchases the dress Daisy is modeling, I would love to donate the money to Love Without Boundaries.

My dear friend, Amy Eldridge, is the founder of this charity. We traveled to China together in 2000 to bring our daughters home, and then God has used Amy's life in a wonderful way to touch the lives of thousands of children. You can click on the link above to read about this unique charity and the award she won from Cookie Magazine  along with Uma Thurman, Salma Hayek, and Debra Messing. Amy has won all kinds of awards, but personally dislikes publicity and only tolerates it in hopes that other orphans might find loving homes or be healed. Cookie Magazine did a wonderful write up on my friend and took this awesome picture.

 

Love Without Boundaries has a beautiful book for sale on their website with stories of inspiration and encouragement for anybody who might even be slightly interested in adoption or know someone who would. I would like to have a copy to give someone at church as we begin our program, and wanted to post about it here. All the proceeds go to orphans. 

 

Click RIGHT HERE to go to my Etsy Shop. All the money on the dress Daisy is modeling will go to Love Without Boundaries. I would be so pleased to be able to know it was going to feed a child, or pay for medicine, or a warm blanket.

  

On and Off-the-Wall at the Craft Cottage

Happy Pink Saturday to all of you patrons of pink. I have a touch of pink here and there I would like to show you on one of the walls in my Craft Cottage.

I was tickled to discover an old chipped yellow feed store seed packet holder at an antique store. I spray painted it a perfect pink and have added some of my old patterns. No! Sigh. I have not sewed one of these patterns...not even one... but I think of it as art on the wall. I just enjoy the look of these wonderful ladies posing.

 

This holder is made where it can sit on a cabinet, but that kind of space is not to be had at the moment, so it was better to hang it. I'm not so sure what these two girlies think of it. One looks pretty miffed, but the other chicky is just concerned about her hair. Oh well...

 

I have had the little dress below for a long time. I cannot remember where I found it, but it really represents everything wonderful about vintage in one teeny tiny little dress. It combines sweet, the perfect shades of pink and aqua rick-rack, a frilly petticoat underneath, and an adorable old-fashioned brand name...Lucy Jane. What's not to love?

***Okay, right now, I'm daydreaming if I had a baby it could be a girl, and I would name her Lucy Jane and she would wear this dress.***  (By the way, that was the off-the-wall portion of my post today.)

 Ironing is not such a chore when I have this cute ironing board cover...or so I have tricked myself into thinking. I am one of those strange people who actually enjoys ironing, but I must admit it is more fun with these enthusiastic ladies.

 

and my old Goodwill iron with aqua accents and cord...

 

Also on this same wall stands my dress form wearing the vintage apron that was the color inspiration for my entire Craft Cottage. Look at detail in this apron and I think the combination of these colors are so cheerful.

 

Somebody had such patience with all these beautiful stitches. I like the little touch of pink.

 

On and off-the-wall adds up to this in my Craft Cottage. It could all change tomorrow!

 Please take the time to click in my sidebar and visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound and all the other Pink Saturday participants...like pinkbuttercreme's blog. 

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!