How to Dress a Mannequin

September 27, 2013

I know I showed you my dolled-up dress form (she's really just a bust but please don't tell anyone) in my Festival of the Vine post, but I also promised to tell you her story.

 
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Well, here it is.

I've always wanted one of those really cool vintage dress forms.  You know the kind:  the ones with French words written on them, the print nice and faded, barely visible after years of use. 

Source

Well, sorry, but that just wasn't in my budget.  Then one day at a local flea market I spied a bust being used as jewelry display.  It was for display only, but the artist who made it agreed to make one for me. It was really inexpensive, somewhere around $30.00 if I remember correctly.  I blogged about it in one of my very first blog posts way back when here.  Little did I know how show-stoppingly beautiful she could be with a little imagination.

Over the past few years I've enjoyed collecting Pinterest pins of unique jewelry display ideas and dress forms as well as dream sales booths.  One theme kept rearing it's beautiful head: the tutu.  And I really wanted one for my girl.  Then a blog friend hooked me up with another blogger who was selling her tutu, just like the one you see here, for $70 plus $10 shipping.  Hhhmmmm...I thought.  I can do better than that. Seek and you shall find!

 

When I found this one it was a no-brainer.  I ordered it right away and was so happy when it arrived! $17.99 and free shipping!  Woot, woot!

Funny thing is, I wasn't wild about the satin at the top around the waistband.  (Only because I thought it made the tutu look too new.) So I went looking for something to cover that part up.  I shopped one of my daughter's closets and came up with the amazing lace-covered belt that you see here.  Right beneath the belt I added some really wide lace-type ribbon I had on hand and it was a match made in heaven.


I can't tell you how many people at the show asked to buy the belt.  They were so disappointed to learn that it wasn't for sale!  Also funny -- most people felt the need to touch the tutu as they passed by! 
 
I placed her on a round hat box which is sitting on top of a table.  That way it allowed me to really fluff out her skirt, and gave her the illusion of being more of a "mannequin" rather than just a bust. She was the perfect display piece for my vintage pink rosary necklace which got a ton of compliments and sold really early on in the show.
 
Since I've never seen a vintage mannequin for sale anywhere for under $100 I'm pretty happy with this arrangement.  She's pretty and draws the customers in.  And she's just plain nice to look at in my studio at home, too.
 
I'm hoping that this gave you some useful information about decorating a bust/mannequin!  

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Don't miss another thrifty DIY home decor post!

xoxo




I'll be partying here:
 





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How to Make An Earring Card Holder (Halloween Earrings)

September 20, 2013

Hello, friends!  I hope you're all having a great weekend.  Here in the midwest we've been trying to adjust to shorter days and only somewhat cooler temperatures.  Truth be told it's still a bit warm for fall.  Hopefully there's an end in sight for that!

Now on to my latest project. 

For those of you who are loyal followers, you know all about my recent first-time-ever craft show, The Festival of the Vine, in historic downtown Geneva, IL.  It was a lot of hard work, but a lot of fun, too.  

And for the first time I had to create my own earring card holders.  I'm generally not big on making earrings, but for Halloween I just had to make these.


The skulls were part of a really cool keychain I picked up at a church barn sale a few years ago.  There were a ton of skulls all strung together to make up the key chain.  So of course I took them apart and used them to make Halloween earrings!

My dilemma was how to display them at the show.  I lucked out finding these blank gift tags, and went from there.


First I stamped them with a fleur-de-lis. Then I used an awl to poke teeny tiny holes into the card where I thought the ear wires should go.





Those awls are r-e-a-l-l-y sharp and pointy, so be careful!  Hhmmm.....I wonder if awling is a word?


I just estimated where I wanted the holes to go and then marked the card with two light pencil marks to guide me.


Here they are on a different-shaped card stock card that I really liked as well.  And they're hanging from my jewelry tree, a Target item I picked up at Goodwill for $2.99.  It ended up working out really well as a display for the show.

I sold a few pairs at the show, but I've still got a bunch left that would be perfect for Halloween.  My Etsy shop is on hiatus while I work to revamp my inventory (most of it is going to a local shop next week) but if you're interested, just leave a comment or email me. They're really reasonably priced and so fun!!!


As for the cards themselves, I think I got them on sale at Michael's a while back.  They were fairly inexpensive and it worked for me since I only had around 15 pairs of earrings to worry about hanging.  If you have more inventory than that and don't want to spend too much money you can always make the cards yourself from inexpensive card stock.

Another option for hanging your earrings is using vintage photographs instead of card stock. You can see how I used them here on the bottom of this display.


I'll admit I stole the idea from Anthropologie. The first time I saw it done was in one of their stores and I thought it was genius!  I mean, you see these old photos for sale by the shoebox-ful at yard sales and flea markets.....how sad that they've  become separated from the family they belong to!  So why not repurpose them into something meaningful again?  I picked mine up at an antique mall in Michigan.  But you really should look at yard sales and estate sales for the cheapest prices. 


 
 
 
They were quite the conversation piece at my show.  Many women were drawn into my booth by them, reminded of their own old family photos.  To make them, you just do the same thing as you do with the card stock cards. Figure out where you want the ear wires to go and AWL them!
 

 
So there you have it.  Two ways to create one of a kind earring card holders.
 
I hope you liked my ideas!
 
Have a great early fall weekend, friends.
 
xoxo 
 
 
I'll be partying here:
 
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How to Frog Tape and Etch a Round Mirror

September 16, 2013

painted round French mirror with etched number 3


Have you ever had a great project in mind, but it just didn't turn out to be as easy as you thought it would be? My easy mirror-to-chalkboard project took a turn for the worse when I found out the mirror was glued to the frame. I needed a new idea. If I couldn't get the mirror out what was I supposed to do? 

This post contains affiliate links. A purchase of any of these items helps to support this blog and its creative efforts at no cost to you. To read more, please see my disclosure page.

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My Very First Craft Show Reveal!

September 11, 2013

I'm still reeling from this past weekend when I was a vendor in my first juried arts and crafts festival (Festival of the Vine) in Geneva, Il.  Right now I just want to share a few pictures with you, but I promise I'll be going into my experience in more detail in posts to come. 


Here's the tent, decorated in the front with my lovely french script fabric bunting made by my friend Kathleen Lane Balke (a.k.a. Local Love on Facebook}.
 
Yes, I see the gaping empty space across the back of the tent.  This was early morning before the show started, but we did at least try to keep that area clear of junk throughout the day.  Unfortunately, it was inevitable because I was pretty claustrophobic in the tent as it was. The thought of something across the back (like a table), or a closed back (with the tarp down), just really didn't work for me. I got many compliments on how pretty my displays were so overall I'm ok with it. 
 

This was a Goodwill find I sprayed with chalkboard paint to create my store name sign.
 

This scrolly, vine-y display easel was originally bought to display jewelry.  (Thanks Mr. CBD for spotting it at the thrift store!)  But after a few coats of white spray paint and some chalkboard paint it was transformed into a vintage wedding prop.  My favorite customers were the cute young couple that bought it.  They told me it would have "a special place" at their wedding.  I just loved that!



My favorite prop/display piece was the vintage lamp I used to hang jewelry from.  It, too, was saved by white spray paint.  Unfortunately, it was pretty windy that first morning (and the whole second day, too) and the side of the tent blew in and knocked the lamp onto the ground.  The base broke and I was crushed {figuratively}.  Jury's still out on whether or not gluing it back together is going to work.  Needless to say we had to take that side off the tent to keep it from knocking over anything else.
 

 

The hat box is vintage, from a Chicago haberdashery.  It sold.


My charm bracelets had a lot of admirers and purchasers!


My hand-stamped drop cloth ribbon, or "Royal Ribbon" as I called it, got off to a slow start but I did sell a few of them on the second day.  Some people had really good ideas as to what to use it for.  I'll be sharing that info later.
 

I call her Dolly. Don't you just love her?  Everyone who walked past her just h-a-d to touch her tutu! We thought that was pretty funny.
 
I'll be sharing her story later, too.
 

I picked up this display piece at Michigan's Longest Garage Sale, in a barn.  I believe it was some sort of grain sifter.  I added tea cup hooks and used chalkboard paint to paint the top.  It's sitting on a huge metal display stand that Mr. CBD picked up for me at a great discount.  Love it!  The display was a real show stopper for many passers-by.
 

 One view from my booth.


And another view.  It's the local county courthouse in the background.  The festival took place in historic downtown Geneva, IL.  It's a quaint, lovely town on the Fox River.  It really is an ideal place for a festival of this sort.  There was also lots of food and wine tasting involved.  Unfortunately, I didn't really see anything but my booth for the whole two days.

There are so many things I want to share with you about my experience, and I promise you that those posts are coming.  I'll just be spacing them out so as not to cause your eyes to glaze over.

 I will say this, though.  It was a ton of work, but also a ton of fun and a great learning experience.  I made invaluable contacts in that I had three people approach me with business propositions.  Two were store owners who wanted me to sell in their shops, and another was a talented acquaintance who has a regular monthly spot at a local flea market.  She proposed sharing her large space with me.  It's a well-known and respected flea market and it was a nice surprise to be invited to sell there.
 

So..........I have a lot to think about.  And a lot of sleep to catch up on.  I'm back into the home schooling groove with our son, and our two girls are starting their teen years so we really have our hands full.  And without my very helpful, supportive and loving husband I don't know how I would have done it.  Thank you, sweetie!

My thanks also go out to all my blogging friends who gave me priceless support and advice throughout my preparation process.  You all know who you are! 
 
 Be sure to stay tuned for more thoughts on the whole world of craft shows as well as some tips for those of you who are just starting out.  I'm certainly no expert, but maybe I can help.

xoxo


I'll be partying here:
 
 
 
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Royal Ribbon Feature over at What Meegan Makes

September 10, 2013




For those of you who missed it, I did a post on how I made my "Royal Ribbon," or hand-stamped drop cloth ribbon, last week.  It was featured on What Meegan Makes, along with some other really great decorating ideas and crafts from some amazing bloggers. 

So what are you waiting for?  Click on over to What Meegan Makes and check them out! 

I know you'll find Meegan's blog as inspiring as I do!

Thanks, Meegan!

xoxo


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Festival of the Vine Sneak Peek

September 7, 2013

Exhaustion has set in.  
 
Preparing for a jewelry show is just. plain. exhausting.
 
Here's a peek at some of my vintage jewelry designs that you'll find at The Festival of the Vine in Geneva, Illinois tomorrow and Sunday.  I do hope you'll stop by and say hello.








 




 

Hope to see you there.

xoxo

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Bumper Crop of Hydrangeas

September 4, 2013

Dried hydrangeas vintage milk bottles

 I was recently thrilled to find out that our hydrangea bushes are not, in fact, finished blooming for the year. Not only are they still blooming, they are also simultaneously drying. And they couldn't be more gorgeous. You can see the actual bushes in the background of this photo.There are so many hues -- greens, pinks and purples abound.
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