Sand-tastic Give aways !

I am joining with the always amusing

and fun crafty girl from the

{oc cottage}

AKA the author of the soon to be published

( PLEASE GOD )

Lazy Girl's Guide To...

Crafting From Your Couch...

with summer fun and lots of goodies

to divert your attention from the heat.

From Summerland Cottage's cluttered studio

I have gathered these items for the give away,

a fabulous straw purse to hold all your beachy necessities...like say...

oh, I don't know...an amazing best-seller aka The Help!

Some of my own studio creations...a charming little birdie stopper,

assorted shells in a rainbow of pretty colors...

a sweet little shell bowl to hold your keys

or this summer's collections of beach glass...

a heart-shaped frame to hold a picture of whoever holds your heart...

and so much more...everything you see pictured!

and if you pop over to {oc cottage} you will see

she is giving away the coolest stuff !

I really LoVe this number below !

click over to {oc cottage} and get your smile on

leave a comment to be entered in both give aways !

All you need to do is leave a comment on this post before midnight {pacific}

saturday, august 27th

winner announced sunday, august 28th.

anyone, anywhere welcome to enter...if you don't have a blog

A N D THE W I N N E R S...

French Laundry ! & Petite Michelle Louise

Congratulations !

Simple Summer Slipcover

I needed to cover the classic white sofa in the sitting room,

the solution...

created with the purchase of 2 matelasse king size quilts

( I chose the matelasse because it was so thick and durable )

brought it home and laundered in very hot water

and then dried it on high for major shrinkage,

and sent it out to the upholsterer to create this slip cover.

He did a great job on fit,

and the best thing is

it washes and dries beautifully

and no ironing is needed

and it slips right back on !

Perfect for summer entertaining!

New floral dish designs created

.

with inspiration coming from the floral bursts of color

popping up in my cottage garden

I am truly blessed to have the gift of being able to create my own dishes!

A day in the garden...

The JOY is in sharing

How blessed am I !

One of my all time favorite ceramic experiments

( partially because it didn't go amok )

and because it was exactly what I had hoped for and

envisioned when it came out of firing

and is like nothing I have ever seen

has been published in the latest issue of...

I LoVe creating and designing.

I LoVe that "I" become lost while in the process.

I enjoy and appreciate the outcome.

But for me the real JOY comes in sharing it with others.

Thank you Beth, and Stampington

for giving all of us the opportunity

to inspire, delight, teach, encourage and be a blessing !!!

Crochet and clay

.

Vintage crochet top beginning to unravel...

is dipped into wet clay

and successfully transformed

into a treasured new ceramic vase !

For this project I had been experimenting with cotton string

dipped in liquid clay and attached as a design element to a piece,

it was quite fun and successful.

So when a favorite vintage crochet top was beginning to unravel

and I didn't have the matching yarn to repair it

I chose to repurpose it.

I began by cutting off a bell shaped scalloped edge sleeve

that I could shape into a design over a tall vase form,

and having covered it in slip I then carefully pulled it up over the wet clay form.

Next I gathered the raw edges of the top of the sleeve

and created a base to tuck them inside of and give it a finished look.

The inside and base were glazed after the first firing to make it water tight

but I chose not to add glaze on top of the crochet section on this one.

I wanted it to still have the look and texture of

the original cotton top.

Some may say this is an example of repurposing at its best,

I am thrilled with the end result !

and grateful to share the joy!

.

Silk Ruffles & Rosettes

... just sharing my latest fabric creation.

A sweet silk scarf with a wide gathered ruffle on one end

and multiple layered rosettes embellishing the other,

and too many tiny ruffles to count in between!

I found the weightless silk top fluttering in the breeze,

another alley find on my walk home from the beach.

The neighbor had been editing her closet

and there were numerous items left out for others to

discover, take home and treasure or share.

I loved the beautiful fabric this top had been made with,

and having nothing to risk I tossed it in the laundry.

Grateful it laundered beautifully,

but since it wasn't my size or style,

I chose to re purpose the top into this ultra feminine ruffled scarf.

Unfortunately I did not take a before photo,

but this snapshot will show you what was left

after this sewing project was completed.

Thrilled to have it shared in Stampington's publication!

.

A Lovely Surprise

What a lovely surprise to come home to !

I had a long distance call from a girlfriend,

while I was in Hawaii,

who left a message that

I should pop in to the closest newsstand

and pick up the latest copy of

Romantic Homes Magazine !

Telling me that my blog had been featured in it !

I am honored to be included with so much other talent,

since I believe with all my heart,

that real joy comes in sharing with others.

Kauai

Kauai is known as “The Garden Isle”

for its tropical rain forests,

fertile valleys and lush abundance of flora.

The island seems to be teeming

with numerous varieties of exotic flowers and plants

the showy red ginger, the magnificent torch ginger,

sensational birds of paradise, sweet smelling plumeria

and hundreds of species of orchids,

and an endless supply of vibrantly colored hibiscus varieties.

Kauai is like a gigantic tropical botanical garden

with inspiration everywhere you look !

Take time to play with your friends, nurture your heart and feed your soul.

Happy Summer !

A little back story.

A dear friend and fellow flower enthusiast that I have known since I was 17

lost her sweet husband suddenly 3 months ago.

In one of our late night conversations

she mentioned that she always wanted to go to Hawaii.

I googled, I researched and within 2 weeks we were " living the dream ".

We spent one sweet week together in gratitude and friendship.

Straw bags and summer fun

.

On a recent trip to Kauai

I snapped these photos of a few of the lovely embellished straw bags

showcased in the charming shops.

.

My luggage already being at its weight limit

and having several straw bags at home

I resisted the temptation.

I promise myself I will embellish my own,

with all the bits of fabrics, trims and buttons spread through out the studio,

hopefully before summer is over !

Shelves and collections

Friends were having conversations

with each other about collections

which is what sparked my imagination for this post.

Where do you keep your treasured personal photos ?

and the hat box overflowing with love poems ?

possibly in a bookshelf behind beautiful glass cabinet doors,

under lock and key?

Shelves are perfect for showing off our collections

or adding an extra dimension to a wall.

This shelf was added as a structural element in the sitting room

to store a few antique leather bound beauties away from the sunlight.

Here the top shelves of the welsh cabinet

in the breakfast room are used

for displaying a few favorite antique tea cups and saucers.

And these shelves in the powder room are perfect

for showing off a collection of vintage perfume bottles.

Colored glass vases are always happy in a window !

The Italian ceramic collection is in easy reach

displayed on the top shelf of the 40's O'Keefe and Merritt Stove.

Here vintage sewing paraphernalia and baskets reside on this narrow storage shelf.

Then there is the crammed shelves in my art studio

wall to wall glass shelves

overflowing with my own ceramic creations.

Childhood mementos are stored above the loft window.

Vintage bird cages and baskets are throughout the cottage,

but these call your attention perched on top the living room bookshelf.

Another shelf is created on a pony wall by adding

crown moldings on both sides with a flat board topping them.

You probably shouldn't get me started on boxes or books...

or this post may never end.