Yesterday's finished creations.

Yesterday I spent the day finishing several projects, redoing one, and getting things ready to take into my booth at Merchant Square.

Here is what I accomplished:

I finished another small canvas gift bag.  It's covered with vintage laces, fabric roses, a beautiful pearl pin, and a bow made from an old mother-of-pearl belt buckle.

An old coin purse given new life with a few bits and pieces.

This gift bag I redid.  Didn't like the original artwork on it.  Everything can be fixed with just a little thought, glue and new ideas!

Finally decided to part with this fancy necklace of gold chain, pearls and crystals.  I added the fancy feather piece to an old rayon purse from the '50's.  It is a nice purse, just needed a bit of bling!

I also tied up a couple of book bundles using burlap ribbon, lace, and trims.  An old book bundle always looks better when tied up nicely.  I am giving credit to Myko Bocek, a member of the Sweet Team at Sweet Salvage for this idea!  Thanks Myko!!  Also love the watercolor of a ketch on the sea.  Nicely done by an amateur probably on summer vacation at the beach!

Etsy Cottage Style Cottage Garden Party

This week Etsy Cottage Style is inviting members to link up and join a Cottage Garden Party.  Now I live in the desert -- at least not by me.  A beautiful garden just isn't something that is easily achieved in this dry, hot climate.  But, the garden party also ". . . includes posts about your indoor garden rooms, botanical dishware.....glassware.....fabrics......art....ceramic or porcelain. Floral motif crafts you've created. If you collect vintage gardening tools, books, magazines.....it all helps inspire a 'fertile' mind."

So, I took camera in hand and started snapping photos of the pretty "garden" things I have in my bedroom.  Lots of flowers and roses.  That's where I do my "gardening."

I recently got this beautiful pitcher that once belonged to my grandmother.  I also recently found the milkglass hands and filled them with vintage corsages.

This is the most comfortable wingback chair ever!  The pillow is something I made and used a piece of old floral barkcloth.  Just enough fabric for a great pillow!

Love these paintings of roses -- naive and really pretty!  Not my artwork, because I never was good at painting roses.

Older hat boxes and an old book with roses on the cover.

I bought this unframed watercolor at an estate sale.  Luckily I had a frame in the garage just the right size.  So I put the watercolor in the frame and took it to my antique booth.  No one bought it (!!), so I brought it home and hung it in my bedroom.  The small plates also have roses and are vintage.

I love this vintage platter.  It's handpainted and the edges are fuzzy, but that makes it soft and pretty!

 

More vintage flower corsages in front of my favorite picture of my sister and I together.  She had just recently had a cancerous brain tumor removed and my husband (also suffering from cancer at the same time) and I had gone to visit her.  This was taken 7 years ago.  Both my sister and my husband have since passed.

This dress form has another beautiful pink rose corsage that she wears all the time.

This pot of artificial lavender sits on the antique washstand next to my bed.

Lastly, I actually do buy real flowers for myself every now and then.  Last week I bought these two bouquets:

Nothing like a bouquet of pink roses and sweet smelling daffodils!

As you can see, I do have an indoor "garden" of pretty flowers and displays.  Hope you enjoyed visiting my Etsy Cottage Style Cottage Garden Party.  Check out the others who have posted their favorite garden items on their blogs for this party.