Gypsy Love Song Art quilt

What a wonderful time I had in Texas with my Beauty in Blue Artist Retreat last Spring!  One of the highlights was creating our own Art Quilts at the precious Little Blue House in Keller.

We learned the wonderful technique of transferring a photo to fabric.  

I hand stitched some velvet and lace flowers and added some pearls and bling...

I was thrilled that Tracy, from the The Little Blue House found this sheet music for me to use as my title.  It was such a perfect fit! 

 I can't wait to return in the Spring of 2015 with my next retreat group for Beauty in Blue 3, "Denim and Diamonds."  Hope you can join me!

A few spots are remaining for this lovely art retreat weekend in historic Micanopy, Florida!  

JOIN ME!

You will create your own gorgeous Flora Bella Bodice and enjoy a weekend of wonderful artful splendor!  All of the details can be viewed here in an earlier blog post.  

Just scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "older posts" and see posting done on Saturday, June 15th!

Something Old, Something New...

 I have a fondness for vintage wedding cake toppers and this is one of the most precious ones I have ever laid eyes on!  It is from the 1940's and I found it on a shopping venture in Texas at one of my favorite places ever...The Girls Gone Junkin'.  

I adore working on things that have special qualities, but just need a creative eye in order to shine all over again.

  I knew this little forgotten piece of loveliness deserved some attention, and working on it made me feel I was paying tribute to the wedding couple who owned it so many years ago...

 I wanted to leave some of the original millinery in place but it was quite faded.  A little mist of Vintage pink glimmer mist took care of that!  Painting the base of the topper really brought it back to life!

  I added some other vintage millinery, along with some new, and made the little bride a new 2 layer lace dress in place of her faded crepe paper dress.

 I added some special bling and details, and all at once, something old, is something new to be cherished by a special someone all over again!

This sweet piece along with some of my other one of a kind creations will be available for purchase at Annabelle's Vintage Land in Mount Dora Florida next week!

xoxoxo, Karen

Christmas is Coming!!!

I do believe I am GIDDY with excitement about Christmas!  I know it feels as though the holidays are months away, but they shall  arrive within the twinkle of an eye!  

I shared a fabulous creating night with friends and the project was making  ornament embellished Christmas trees. 

 I started with a 12 inch tree and some vintage ornaments, along with some other fun elements  and she ended up in a sweet vintage baby planter I had embellished a few months before.....

I used a sweet candle hugger from my collection and brought her to life with a vintage ear ring which to me, looked like a gorgeous snowflake...

JOY JOY JOY!!  I do believe I fell in love! 

 Now it's time  to create a few for customers... I have to remind my self that I can't keep everything right?  Many times I will need to adore and cherish creations for a little while, and then I can let them go for sale.

This little Christmas creation stirs my heart with excitement about my upcoming Cozy Cottage Christmas Event this November in Mount Dora, Florida.  It is going to be a few days of creative LOVE AND BLISS! 

 There are still a few openings left.. Join me and celebrate the magic! You can scroll down on my blog and read all about it.   xoxo

A Royal Baby Tribute Crown!

It all  started with a vintage tiara!  I knew I wanted to  turn this crown into something special for the royal babe but was waiting for the word...girl or boy?  

 I chose a little bisque baby from my collection..this one looked the most "boy" like to me! 

 On top of the crown, he holds the oval sapphire representing the ring worn by Diana, and passed down to Kate.  

           Welcome to the world George Alexander Louis!

Summer love....

 It has been such a fabulous Summer..I have lived in Florida for many years and although I love it,  in my heart I am a northern girl!  

Every Summer we visit my hometown in Maryland, and my husbands hometown in upstate New York.  Each and every time we leave, a piece of my heart stays behind.

There is something special about cool nights and mornings, low humidity, walking along creeks in the woods and...blueberry picking!  This particular morning was so beautiful...  I even wore a light sweater!

 It was the first day Blueberry Hill opened the farm to pickers and I loved every minute of the 6 pounds of berries we picked.  I made jam and bread and coffee cake and was even able to bring home several bags to freeze!


And then there are the treasures!!!  The prices are so reasonable at my favorite spots.  I find everything from laces to bisque dolls to sheet music.  Lots of items to use in my art work, but also lots of special pieces to bring back for resale.  One of my favorite finds was this lovely lot of cream and sugars!  They are all available in my booth at Annabelle's Vintage Land in Mount Dora.

Wishing you all love and the happy simple joys of Summer! xo