Mabel Gets A New Dress and 3 HATS !

It all began in a dark little second hand store.

'CLOSING DOWN' said the sign

'For Sale, everything must go'.

Who could resist ?

There were racks of clothes, stacks of doilies, old (smelly) shoes and a tub of old vintage purses and scarves.

and when I walked into the back of the store I saw them !!!!!

A quaint old fireplace stood inside a cavity of a wall and a row of the prettiest vintage hats stood there in all of their glory looking at me !

I swear they were smiling when they saw me (yes the hats !)

It was one of those moments where lightening strikes, cymbals clang and your heart races with excitement.

They may as well have had my name flashing above them.

and of course my dearest 'Mabel' came to my mind.

(Mabel is my old rusty dress form)

I pictured her at home in my studio wearing an old shabby pink vintage tulle skirt with a little tear in it.

I knew that this these new hats would be perfect for her (even though she doesn't have a head !!!!!!  frown )

Next thing I saw an old vintage white tulle skirt on a cheap rack for a couple of dollars.

It was perfect Mabel attire on a shoestring budget.

So out I walked with 3 new hats and a new skirt for her !

When I showed Mabel, her new things she almost squealed with excitement (well she would have if she were a real vintage person !)

PINK, WHITE AND BLUE HATS for her to wear on her.............aaahhhhhhhh..........Uuuuuum   Waist ?......Collar ?

Pretend head ?

Oh well, Mabel and I will have to sort that little problem out for ourselves........

Do you like her parasol ?

It's from the 60's

It does well to protect her rusty old bones from the sun

The more I looked at her dressed up the more something appeared to be missing. She needed just a bit of ooomph !

So out came the pink feather boa

and then Mabel really kicked up her (invisible)feet.

Anyone would think that she was hitting the town she was sooo excited !

                 A pair of dainty pink gloves completed her look

                   As pretty as a picture is my sweet girl Mabel

So that is my story about Mabel and her new dress and three hats.
I hope that you liked it.
Maybe you even giggled.
Maybe you might think I am a little crazy
But I definitely keep myself entertained in my little make believe world.  

I was going to introduce you to Mabel's new friend Ettie tonight but I am honestly tired and ready for bed so she will have to wait until another day.  I can assure you that she will be just as out there and zany as Mabel though..........but one little secret about Ettie.
SHE LOOOOOVES the colour blue.
and you can imagine that I am going to make her as pretty as a picture too !

             HAVE A GLORIOUS FUN FILLED WEEKEND !

THURSDAY FLOWERS A Sweet Wrist Corsage

This week on Thursday Flowers 

I bring you a really pretty little wrist corsage.

I am loving class at the moment because we are doing lots of really pretty wedding work and I am soaking up all the information like a sponge.

I look forward to class each week but am feeling sad at the thought that in a few months I will be finished. Our beautiful teacher and my fun filled classmates make each week so fun and interesting and we all have plenty of giggles.

These last few months will be filled with funeral work and exams......frown :-(

BUT this week we continued on with more wedding work.

Unfortunately I left my camera at home so I can't show you more photo's.

1 day after making my little wrist corsage I took a few happy snaps to show you. I kept my corsage in the fridge overnight in a sealed container to keep it fresh.

Flowers and foliage of choice this week

SINGAPORE ORCHIDS

ASTERS

IVY LEAVES

ROLLED LEAVES 

 My daughter was kind enough to lend her pretty hands to model my work. Try to ignore the fact that she didn't have a pretty dress on to make it a lot nicer.

(sneek peek at Mabel below)

My dainty little corsage looks lovely on my daughters pretty hands

 Corsages need not be restricted to the wrist or shoulder. Why not dress up your evening purse with a little bag spray.
For those who have a Christening or morning wedding to attend, this would also be sweet.

 I had planned to make an all white corsage but the purple Asters caught my eye and I couldn't resist their bright little faces.

          It has been so nice to be blogging with you all tonight.
              I have a glorious blog post for you all tomorrow.
                                Do you remember Mabel ?
                          Well, MABEL GOT A NEW DRESS !
                               and she looks soooo pretty !
          and even more exciting, she has found herself a friend !

          If you don't know who Mabel is, then you can find out all              about her HERE or see one of her other pretty dresses HERE

       So be sure to pop back in tomorrow to see what all of the fuss                               is about............smile and wink :-) ;-)

Yes It's Me and I Have Something To Share With You All !

Hello Peachy Pink friends :-)

I have something very special to share with you all.

It was my birthday last week 

and I was spoiled rotten by my friends and family.

There was love, cake, laughter, a yummy lunch and beautiful heartfelt gifts.

THIS, is one of the very special gifts that I received from an old friend of mine Miss M.

You see, I had found this beautiful Victorian collar box on line and I fell in love with it.  It was completely ancient, age to perfection and served a purpose. I just wish that it was still full of the beautiful lace collars that once upon a time would have graced it.

 Oh can you imagine how much I would be squealing if they were still there......sigh

Well.....

A friend of mine took it upon herself to surprise me with it and managed to keep it a big secret !

and when the secret was revealed there was no wiping the smile from my face.

ISN'T IT GORGEOUS !

It has 2 compartments to keep lace collars.

One at the top and the other at the bottom.

Below, Top

Below, Bottom

and I plan to store my beautiful lace cuffs and bows in there.

Aren't these girls pretty ?

I LOVE their pretty posies of flowers.

The box is in great condition for it's age (Approx 1880) 

The velvet fabric on the middle section has worn over the years but the celluloid on the base and lid is absolutely perfect.

My French lace cuffs pictured below will now live in the bottom section of my box.

I am thinking that the little brass plate on the inside lid of the box may be for some type of bow tie .

Any thoughts ?

 Thankyou so much Miss M for such a beautiful thoughtful gift.
                                         I ADORE IT !

            I had a very happy birthday and I felt very loved.

 

A Little Flower Fairy Comes To Tea

On a rainy, cold Winters day a little flower fairy came over to play.

She arrived all dressed in pink, flower in her pretty hair and a big smile on her face. Her proud Mummy looking on with love.

The little flower fairy's name is Laura

and her dream is to be a florist !

So the table was set, flowers were prepared and my little friend Laura began to live her dream.

Flower Fairy Laura smiled the whole afternoon long, snipping and poking her pile of fresh roses into a teacup full of securing foam. I gave her basic instructions on how to create the round shape design and then let her explore all on her own.

My honest thoughts.....she is a natural !

The love and excitement on her little face was glorious and I hoped that this day would be etched into her mind for the whole of her life.

When we are children we should be encouraged to live out our dreams at an early age to encourage us to move forward towards happiness in our desire to succeed. Not success monetary wise but success in being happy and completely in love in our chosen career.

Money is irrelevant compared to desire, happiness and fulfilment

It is highly possible that Miss Laura may change her mind about her future and that is ok.

She will grow and pave her happy little way through her journey of life her own way. Time and wisdom will guide her.

BUT one day I hope that a little spark will trigger in her mind reminding her of the wonderful afternoon she had creating something with her mind and her hands that she was so completely proud of.

and I hope that her passion of flowers will always remain.

She reminded me so much of myself at her age, making little fairy beds in the garden in old matchboxes or terracotta pots.  

Miss Laura the flower flower does exactly the same thing ! 

Her gentle soul and her wonderful love for flowers left a lasting impression on me. 

Children are so incredibly precious that's for certain.

To see her create with passion opened a tiny door to her soul that I could see that her Mummy adored. 

Her Mummy Karen and myself were old school friends.  

Karen sat off to the side and watch her little fairy create. I had to giggle when Karen tried to show Laura where to put a particular flower only Laura telling her that she knew already ! 

(Another snippet of myself ! lol)

Miss Laura the flower fairy has passion in her heart and with that quality she will truly be happy.

Who could resist that sweet little smile....

 

 

             and 'all by herself' she created a little teacup full of love !
She even dared to add a Brussel Sprout to her design.

She did an amazing job !

             and when we had finished it was time for tea and cookies.

 and all by herself she poured herself tea, scooped some little sugar hearts into her cup, added a tad of milk, munched on a cookie and then admired her work !

and then as her Mummy and I were chatting, a sweet little arm reached out to me and handed me a little tin of pretty note cards.

Smile :-)

Thankyou for such a sweet gift little flower fairy xo

Mummy and daughter moment.

They really are 2 little peas in a pod

 Thankyou Miss Laura for being my very delightful guest for the afternoon. May your dream of being a florist continue to inspire you to do something that truly makes your little heart sing.
I look forward to another flower date with you sometime in the future xo