Vintage Pink Felt and Tulle Tablecloth with Bluebirds!

So, I hit the jackpot at an estate sale yesterday.  Found lots of vintage goodies for my shop and Kari's shop.  But my favorite find -- by far -- was this amazing vintage tablecloth!  It is HUGE, and I have never seen anything like it.  It is pink tulle, with a pink felt edge, and it is covered with the most incredibly detailed decorations.  On the long sides is a scene of blue birds at a bird bath, along with long branches of flowers.  The flowers have jeweled centers and stamens!

And as if that weren't enough, on the short sides of the tablecloth are scenes of the birds with their nest -- complete with blue jewels for eggs!

Maybe it's just me, but I was so excited about this tablecloth that my hands were literally shaking when I was checking out at the sale.  I was afraid someone was going to snatch it away or say "Wait! That's not really for sale!"

Anyway, here is my question for you: is there any way to safely clean this tablecloth?  As awesome as it is, is does have a lot of stains and discoloration.  I have some similar tulle/felt Christmas tablecloths, but they are in great shape and I've never had to clean them.  I'm sure this felt is wool felt (given its age and that it's been nibbled in places).

I'd love to hear from you if you have any ideas about cleaning these types of tablecloths!  Thanks in advance!

Altered Egg Carton Swap

I was so excited to participate in a vintage Easter themed egg carton swap, hosted by Cassandra.  I finished my egg cartons and they are going out in the mail today, so I thought I would share a few pics.

I started by painting my half-dozen size egg cartons a cream color (they started out gray).  I just used a cream spray paint -- it took a lot of coats to cover!  After that, I added some lace, pretty paper, a small tatted doily, other trims, and some pink flowers to decorate the top:

For the surprises on the inside, I added a chenille bunny pick, a rhinestone button, Paris-themed tickets and a clothespin, ledger paper punches, stamped fabric, a strand of vintage faux pearls, and of course, lots and lots of vintage laces, along with a few other things, like a vintage Easter postcard tucked into the top.

These are on their way to my two talented swap partners, Julie and Marti.  Thanks, ladies, for such a fun swap!  I hope everyone has a joyous Easter!

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!