Altered Journal Swap Reveal

My journals are on the way to my swap partners, so I think it's time for the full reveal.  I made little dresses for both journals out of lace, and adhered them to a chipboard dress form.  I considered stitching dresses like I've done in the past, but I was afraid that I would run out of time.  The colors for the journals were very different; I'm not sure which one I like better!

My swap partner Marian likes pinks and aquas, so here's the journal I made for her:

Here's the inside cover:

After covering the page with paper and a lace border, I made a pocket out of a linen piece and a corner of a vintage hankie.  I added a few antique papers as a surprise.

The inside back cover and the back cover were pretty simple -- just pretty papers:

All wrapped up and ready to go:

with a few extra trims just for fun!

My other swap partner, Jill, likes neutrals, so here's the journal I made for her:

Here's the inside front cover, along with a few antique surprises in the pocket:

Again, I left the back inside cover and the back cover pretty simple:

Wrapped and ready:

Extra trims for Jill:

This was a fun swap -- I love making journals!  I'll post pics soon of the journals that I received from my swap partners.  Have a great week!  :)

Feeling Pink?

Just in to the shop are all sorts of wonderful pastel organza laces!  Even though it's only February, these dreamy pastels have me thinking of spring projects.

There are more fun trims to come -- this was just the beginning of the pastel goodness!

In other news, I'm mailing my altered journals to my swap partners today, so I'll have the full reveal very soon.  :)

Altered Journal Swap Sneak Peeks

I'm hard at work on the journals for my altered journal swap, so I thought I'd share a few sneak peeks.  If you are my swap partners -- no peeking!  Avert your eyes!

This swap has been really fun.  I will be sure to share full photos after I get these journals in the mail.  I had the same basic idea for both journals, but my swap partners wanted different colors: one is into neutrals, and the other is more of a pink and aqua gal.  So, I got to create two very different looks.

Back soon with the full reveal!  Hope you're having a great week!

Cupcake Liner Cuteness!

A little shopping alert for you -- I just got these cupcake liners at Michael's on the dollar aisle!  I couldn't believe it, as the strawberry pattern looks just like one of my favorite Cath Kidston designs, and the blue floral looks a lot like some Greengate cupcake liners that I've been wanting to order but I haven't because they have to ship from Europe.  There are 75 liners in a package for $1.50.  Woohoo!

Aside from making cupcakes with these, I think I need to come up with some other uses for them (given the rather large amount that ended up in my basket).  Any ideas for cupcake liner crafts?

There were other fun items, too, like this nail file:

So fun!  Happy shopping!

Shop Update

I hope that you had a delightful holiday!  We had a wonderful time with friends and family -- such a blessing to visit with loved ones and share such fun times over the holiday season.  We are still enjoying the last few days off from school before our hectic schedules start up again.

I'm just popping in with a quick shop update.  I'm seriously overstocked -- seriously! -- and so I will be listing items like mad over the next few weeks.  I've also put together some new lace goodie bags, pictured above and below -- each has 12 yards of lace!  I've got a bag of pinks and creams, one that has lavender and yellow, and one with creams, blues and silver.  Lots of fun lace for crafting!

As the year winds down, I've been thinking a lot about the new year, and my resolutions, both personal and business-related.  I've got an idea for a new direction for my long-ignored Dishy Vintage Weddings shop.  I'll have more news on that soon, but here's a hint of what I've got in mind:

What does the new year have in store for you?  I hope it is full of joy and good health!

Happy Creating!

American Girl Tea Party

My youngest baby recently had her 8th birthday (sheesh -- how is it possible that time moves so quickly?).  To celebrate, she wanted an American Girl-themed tea and crafts party.  Since this is probably the 10th tea and crafts (of some description) type party that I've had for my girls, I feel like we've got the basic idea pretty well down.

For this party, we decorated the dining room with bright pink and lime green, to coordinate with the American Girl paper goods and cupcake stand.  I used lime green tulle to put bows on each chair and dress up the chandelier.  We had a small group, so I kept the food pretty simple.  We had cupcakes (girl-sized and doll-sized) for the girls to decorate, as well as gingerbread cookies.  We made tea sandwiches (pb&j and cheese) and cut them into hearts and flower shapes with cookie cutters.  We served juice for most of the girls, but a few brave little souls tried hot tea (with lots of sugar!).

Before we ate, the girls used an American Girl craft kit to make and decorate a crown for their dolls.

After crafts and tea, the girls played a few games and then opened presents.  Each girl took home a goodie bag of American Girl craft goodies and candy.  A fun time was had by all, but mostly by the birthday girl, who was thrilled!

Now that the party is done, it's full speed ahead on Christmas!  My goal is to be finished decorating by Dec. 1 -- hopefully I'll meet that goal and have a few pics to share soon.

Hope you are having a wonderful start to the holiday season!