My Somewhat Vintage Birthday

My birthday or even birthtime is very close to Valentine's Day.  (February 13 in the mid evening is when I was born) I always had a heart shaped cake growing up, that my dear mother would decorate with beautfiful roses.  I still have the heart shaped cake pans that she used.  So because of this, Valentine's day has been very special to me.  Last night I went to bed very late after my husband already was in bed, I found a sweet, beautiful love letter and dark chocolate by my bed on the nightstand.  So before I even awoke to this Valentine's day,  it was a good good day!  I wanted to share some of my birthday presents.

I was so excited when I opened this beautiful ring.  Not vintage but love it just the same.  This was sent to me from my  wonderful in-laws.  I love the ring's contemporary yet little bit traditional style.  They truly have an appreciation for fine jewelry.  Thanks to Ron and Leslie!

Then a friend came over to give me a gift.  She knows how I love anything vintage.  First there was this never before used vintage birthday card.

the wonderful old movie "Sabrina with Audrey Hepburn"   It was one of my favorites from when I was young.  

this adorable vintage birthday doll for February.  When I was a little girl, I had some friends that would get these for their birthdays and I always wanted one with my birthstone in it.  It is a Josef original.  Isn't she sweet?

And this wonderful room Blackberry & Vanilla room fragrance.  Thankyou Camille for all the lovely gifts.  Love them all.

For the Dress Form Ball

My dress form is small, and is really just to hold jewelry, but I love it just the same.  It is perfect for my studio. Bought at a yard sale for $1.00.  I just finished decorating it, after I decoupaged it earlier, with vintage crochet lace and rhinestones.   It is just right for displaying one of my favorite costume jewelry pendants.  The Polka Dot Closet's fun Dress form ball is going on now.  I knew I had to get in on it.

I added rhinestones to the base.

I love the detail of these two laces.

And then I just had to add this little dress form that I made last summer for a dear friend after she had been in a terrible car accident.  She needed some cheering up so I made this. .

I printed some vintage French Fashion advertisements to put in the card holders.  My friend Tracy was very badly injured, and still in a hospital bed 5 weeks later, she loved this little gift and I was amazed at the good spirit she radiated in spite of all that she had been through!

Someday I hope to have a full size dress form particularly a vintage one.  But until then I will enjoy my little ones.  

and the WINNER is. . . . . .

Congratulations go out to Brenda Brown of Bumblebees and Butterflies, You are my WINNER.   Check out her lovely blog and her darling shabby bottle redo!  

Everyone who entered was assigned a number.  And her number was drawn.  I have contacted her blog to let her know.  I will be sending her all this!

 Happy Valentine's day to all of you and thankyou for participating!  I am so appreciative of all my followers and people who visit my blog and comment.  Whenever I get a new comment it makes me smile big.  Thankyou Thankyou!              Hugs from Michele

Can't get enough!

I am loving the Valentine's day swaps of this year and last.  I can't stop putting up Valentine's.  Here are the ornaments from the Valentine's Day Ornament swap I participated in hosted by Laurie at Indulge Your shelf.    Yesterday, I got a package in the mail.  We were suppose to make 4 Valentine ornaments.  Here are the ones I received yesterday.

I am not sure who did this one.  But it is made of layered wood and is just as pretty on the back side too.

This one is stunning, with the nest and the sweet glittered bird.  Someone spent lots of time on all the ribbon glued on a vintage spool.  

Here is a sweet little petite felt and lace heart lovingly stitched by someone

Another felt heart stitched by Wendy at stitchduchessscrazysanequiltingworld.blogspot.com

Laurie also had us make a Valentine card to send along with the ornaments.   I was also sent this beautiful card!  I love it!

And the back of the beautiful card.

All my blogging friends must know how much I like to hang up tag banners, or other paper banners that I put together.  I change these out according to the season or holiday.  

Most of these tags came from a swap of last February.  There were so many wonderful tags for Valentine's Day.  They are too wonderful to not be hung up and shown.  

Love this pop-out

In the middle I hung up the nest with the glittered bird that I just received.  

The other ornaments will go somewhere else.  

Mini valentine matchbox swap

I just have to post this.  I don't think my partner has hers yet, although it is in the mail.  I just think it was so fun to do this tiny project, and fun to receive one, that I just can't wait!  Above is the one that my partner and host of this swap who is the wonderful Joanne at Vintage Dragonfly, sent to me.

Everyone was suppose to decorate the tiny matchbox and make 3 tiny ATC's to put inside.  Look at these precious little ATC cards.  So sweet.  Thanks so much.  She included a pretty tag too.
Below is the one I sent to her. . . . . .

I added a little loop at the top so that it could also be an ornament!

I also made this thank you/Valentine card for all she does for us in hosting her matchbox swaps in our Flickr group.  

Notice, I used the same heart chipboard cutouts.  (from my Cricut) on many Valentine's that I have made recently.  I used vintage lace and velvet ribbon, which are two of my favorites.  

Handmade and Vintage Valentines Around my house!

This was last years Valentine decoration.  I pulled it out again.

It was a great paper craft!

One of two cards I made with this lovely image, from the graphics fairy.  This one was sent to Indulge yourself's blog for a Valentine's Day swap.  And the other is to be given away in my fab giveaway for Valentine's day.  Be sure to check it out in the post below and get entered in for the drawing!

inside this card.

a vintage card tucked into the teacups.

another vintage card tucked into my shelf of teacups

One of my excellent signs made by Kristin from signssalvage.blogspot.com  We even share the same birthday!

This is the front of four Valentine ornaments I made for the swap also.

The back side of the same ornament

Another one of Kristin's wonderful signs sent to me for last year's birthday.  I just love her vintage signs on recycled boards.

Another quite old Valentine card which I framed.

Just had to throw this in there.  It is a sweet music box from Switzerland which plays Lara's theme.  (I love song from Dr. Zhivago)

and one more. . . . .

My first two grandbabies captured in this adorably sweet double heart frame.  They are both 9 years old now!

Valentine/Birthday GIVEAWAY!

ANNOUNCING a giveaway in celebration of my birthday month and Valentine's Day.  I made this necklace a while back and it has been in my Etsy shop.  I really love it myself, but since it has not sold I will give it away.  It is wonderfully colorful and shabby!  Also the Vintage look Valentine card and the Vintage Doily are included.  Maybe a little bit of chocolate might be included too.

This card is one of two that I made from this using this image I got from the Graphics fairy.  I just love this image of this brunette beauty, and it was an actually Valentine image.

The drawing will be on February 8, 2012.  This way by Valentine's Day the winner will have the prize.  My birthday is on the 13th, so this will be a perfect day to end this drawing.  To be entered into this drawing, just comment on this post, become a follower if you are not already.  Let me know that you are a follower and for an extra chance to win, please put this picture on you sidebar linking it back to this post.    Thanks so much and have a wonderful Valentine Season!

Decoupaging and Painting up a Storm for a very special reason!

Here are all 18 of our grandchildren.  They have become so special in our lives.  I think we will be staring at this wall lots during each day.  How can we help it!
And this morning as I was finishing up this wall,  my husband and I could not stop looking at  all these wonderful faces, and reminiscing about each one of their wonderful little personalities.  These pictures are some of our favorites of them!  Besides the gallery wall check out the other projects I have been working on or should I say decoupaging or painting.

With the neutral changes that have been taking place at my house, and wanting to get new pictures up of my family members.  I have been decoupaging everything that goes in the living room or dining room that had a surface which could be decoupaged! Or I have painted it white!  In the last 4 days I have been working on this grand kid photo gallery wall, and because I needed a little bit of variety even with the neutral look, I have decoupaged frames, a clock, and oh one of my favorites for my studio, the little mannequin dress form I scored at a garage sale for $1.00.
There are lots of pictures in this post, and I have to say that my photo gallery at the end of our grandchildren turned out much better than anticipated!

 First I took these old books, (German hymnbook, and an old dictionary etc.) and rip the pages from them.  (I check out and see if they are worth anything first)  If not I go to work on them. 

I decoupaged some frames.  

This one below was decoupaged with the old dictionary.

I decoupaged this one but left the pretty edge on it!

This clock then became this (below). . . . 

I left part of it green, because it matches my wall in the living room.  

And this little dress form became this after I sprayed the gold part black. . . .

And this became this. . . .

This word just has to be present in my home, because my home reflects so much joy with husband and family.  It is not just for Christmas at our house!  

This was burgundy and gold, but now it is white.   

a look into the dining room where the gallery wall is!

I am not finished with my living room, but the dining room is just how I want it now.