Back to Work

My store is back up and running again after my Christmas break.............
I came across this HUGE spool of vintage lace, it is the old cotton kind. I think it may be cluny lace, does anybody know?...........................Yards and yards of it, I `m going to play with some and hand dye it, then of course, give it the old tea stained aging treatment................should be interesting and fun!

I transformed a set of my pink silicone light strings yesterday using a similar technique as I showed on here a few days ago...................but this time I used crepe paper that I had decorated with a French script..............I curled, twisted and pleated and came out with these gorgeous roses!.............When the lights are on they turn to a pale pink......better than I imagined!.......................For sale now in my Ebay store, only one set as it did take me quite a while to make 35 roses! Lol.

My Favorite Vintage Christmas Ornaments

I just LOVE collecting vintage pink mercury glass ornaments.............I keep them in a huge glass jar and display them year round..........way too pretty to put away!

Pretty in Pink.........Vintage Doilie Rose String Lights

The crafting bug hit me today, amongst all the Christmas preparations!......................My triple mirror in the bedroom has looked bare since I sold the aqua doilie lights that draped around it.............I decided to make another set.......this time in pretty pink!

Here is a short tutorial on how to create these cute shabby chic string lights.........

Supplies


Set of string lights ( I used silicone candy lights, available in my Ebay store)
5 inch doilies
Hole punch
Clear electrical tape

Directions


I used walnut ink stained doilies but you can use plain white or dye them the color of your choice.............
Gently fold the doilie in half but do not make a crease, using the hole punch, make a hole in the center of the doilie. Open the doilie back out.

Cut strips of the clear electrical tape about 2 inches long.

Poke the bulb of the string light through the hole in the doilie and gently scrunch the doilie up around the bulb.

Now wrap the strip of electrical tape around the base of the scrunched doilie holding it in place.....

Each `flower` will have its own unique shape

Repeat this until every bulb is covered..................then hang them in a special romantic place!

Countdown to Christmas

How time is flying........one week left and the boys are out of school for Christmas. I am usually more organized and have the gifts bought and wrapped by now....I like to get it done before school ends..........Better get a move on!
Busy with Ebay orders...........I guess it is the season for gift tags, etc.
I was trying to find a good Christmas theme download for you....hope you like this one............I have used it for my French glass prisms, sold in my store..........I think it is very cute..................You can download it for free and them print it off as much as you want. (Email for details if you don`t know how)


I am so looking forward to posting a free gift giveaway contest........I need more followers before I can do this though, so come on, please join my list..............I have some great items to give away!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.............enjoy this time with your family and friends!
 I am thankful to have such a wonderful and healthy family and to be able to stay home and `craft` all day.

Here are my boys fooling around with their Daddy`s boss, Paula Deen..................Caleb, my youngest, always shirtless! Thomas, the serious artist............They are growing up so fast!

Playing With Tulle Again

I`ve been playing with tulle again!....................I hand dyed it with a pink Rit dye, dried it on my rosemary bush ( I always do this, it gives it an incredible smell when finished.............it looks like Halloween whenever I have it draped all around the bush..............I`m sure my neighbors think I`m very strange!)...............Then I tea stained it and dried it again on the rosemary  bush..................the result is a perfect vintage pink color.

I am making a pair of chandelier lampshades right now, one finished, one to go...................Perfect for a pretty pair of wall sconces.

Keep an eye on my Ebay store, they will be showing up soon!

(Sorry about the dark photo, I`ll post a better one soon.)

Making Bathroom Curtains

Well I spent some time today making curtains for my bathroom............a project long overdue.

I had just bought some Rachel Ashwell fabric, vanilla lace, to do them in..............I love it....I have the bedskirt that matches in my bedroom............They do not show up so well on my photos but I posted them anyway! lol.............................The chandelier has hung in the bathroom since we build the house 2 years ago..........a great Ebay find!.............I have tied some ribbon around the top that I made out of pretty silk velvet....also from the Rachel Ashwell collection............it adds that little bit of shabby chic pink!

Another Freebie Download

I love this vintage ephemera image..........can be used for any occasion....Go ahead and save it to your computer and print away! ( Contact me if you do not know how to do it).
I`ve been very busy this week with orders from Ebay, I guess it`s that time of year!
I`m still trying to move some items over to Etsy to save on fees but just cannot find the time, maybe after New Years I`ll re organize, even get my own webstore maybe....................I hope my loyal customers will follow me there??

We have the first frost of the year this morning.........the whole yard is a glistening white...so pretty. I`ve been waiting for this to light our first fire this evening....I love it! So cozy, my boys love it too. Christmas is coming............speaking of which, there is a huge Christmas sale at the local thrift store today at 9am, wonder if I`ll find any goodies? I`ll let you know.

The Prettiest Vintage Lamp Shade Ever!

I just LOVE this pretty little lamp shade!......................Fit for a princess.







I`m totally addicted to tulle right now..................I created this from a vintage wired lamp shade frame using aged tulle. I tea stained some of my organza roses trim to run along the bottom....just perfect.

I added a cute rhinestone belt buckle, a petite pink velvet flower and some old beaded wire for petals............

I have just listed this gorgeous girlie shade in my Etsy store................www.linenchic.etsy.com

Tulle Wreath Project

Well here it is............the end result. I just love tulle, especially when I have aged it with a tea staining. The ribbon was made from a new Rachel Ashwell fabric I just received.........gorgeous vintage dusty pink colored silk velvet, I can`t begin to tell you how soft it is! ..........I have embossed it with French crowns for a totally unique look...............I see more of this in my future!

My Next Project

Some of my favorite things......................Tulle, aged doilies, glass glitter covered crown and fine silver tinsel.................gathered together today ready for a new project tomorrow.......................check back to see the end result...................hopefully something BEAUTIFUL!

A Glimpse of My Home

People are often saying how they would love to see pictures of my home..................Well, last week I had the store closed for a couple of days to catch up.............I finally cleared my dining room table of tags, ribbons and glitter...to mention but a few things.................I felt so refreshed I actually decorated it for Fall and moved onto porch decorating after that...........It`s amazing how good it can make you feel............a little tidying and some decorating............voila!

Anyhow, here are some pictures of my dining room.....clean and tidy. The chandelier is antique Italian, one of my favorite things.............this is now the third house that we have hung it in, I would never leave this behind!

Hand Embossed Velvet Ribbon

I have taken a fancy to embossing velvet ribbon................so pretty! You can use so many different patterns, this one is a damask design.....................You can also use letters to make a monogrammed ribbon.......perfect for wedding albums and special pieces.
Simply take a rubber stamp with a design of your choice and a good quality velvet ribbon ( I happen to sell them in my store, fancy that! ) Heat an iron to the hot setting, place the ribbon right side down over the rubber stamp and press with the iron for about 20-30 seconds. You can also spray the velvet with a water mist, it gives a slightly deeper embossing.

Send me a picture of some you have made, I`d love to see them!

New Trims!

I`ll be listing these adorable tulle pleated trims in my ebay store next week......................gorgeous! I have all colors except the red. Sold by the yard. 

Another Freebie!

Cute vintage beach postcard for you to download, save and print. Just like before, click on the image, right click and save.............voila!......... If your having any problems send me a message and I`ll try to help with the download.

Treasure Chest of Vintage Costume Jewelry

Don`t you just LOVE old rhinestone jewelry?

This is a treasure chest just waiting to have a new lease of life...................I have so many new ideas for projects using these little beauties...........Stay posted!

Vintage Costume Jewelry Bookmarks

I`ve been playing around with some of my velvet ribbon and hunting for vintage costume jewelry and came up with these cute bookmarks.......................Some of the charms are new and can be found at your local scrapbooking store. The crystals are from old chandeliers............................I plan to keep working on this idea to come up with more unique one of a kind bookmarks.................what a great stocking stuffer!

Free Download

Thought I would share this great vintage ephemera image with you...............Just click on it to enlarge, then right click and save..........Now it`s yours to print, decorate or share!
Keep checking back, there will be more freebies to come. Please follow along with my blog, add your name on the right side of the page.

Vintage Seam Bindings

Just got a new shipment of vintage seam bindings yesterday..................Love the colors!....................Now to get busy scrunching and listing, they should be in my store by Monday.

Pretty Trims

Just listed some gorgeous trims from Maya Road.................so vintage looking! I love them!

I made some gorgeous curtain tie backs out of it...........so easy you don`t even need a sewing machine. I also have some pretty napkin rings listed that I made with it..........................Any ideas for a project with it?

Linen-chic Blog

Well here we go..............joining the blogging world again.......
 Linen-chic blog is intended to become a center for all of my customers, new and old, to come together and share ideas, crafts and deals.........along with some neat little contests to win some of my unique hand crafted items.
We`ll also share some` how to` projects and tips on where to get the best deals on supplies.
So follow along and lets have some fun!
I also have a Facebook page named linen-chic if you`d like to check me out there.