Angelic Inspirations

As a little girl I loved to play with dolls, but not baby in the stroller....no they wanted to play dress up with me. Paper Dolls were sheer delight. Today I'm still playing with dolls and not ashamed to admit it. I call them my, Angelic Inspirations, that are unique individual works of art, one-of-a-kind creations. No two are ever 

alike. The dolls I prefer to use are from the 1930's to the 60's. You know the arms and legs move by rubberbands and the eyes open and close.

 

I am extremely lucky to locate these, they are becoming limited in quantity due to their fragility. I 

sometimes have do a little 'corrective surgery'  and a little 'plastic surgery' on the faces if need be. I hand apply hair to the dolls or re-do the hairdo that is there. I always try to salvage the original dress the doll came with and incorporate it into the design usually as the slip or for embellishment and then its time to create.

Vintage hankies are hand-embroidered, unless they are so fragile they begin to shred...not a good thing, but managable.... I hand-embroidered the floral pattern of this 1940's hankie. Click to enlarge for better view. 

Then the embellishments are added, such as vintage rickrack, bits of jewelry, Sworovski Crystals, etc, then the underskirt of doilies, tulle, or other textile create the slip, and wings are attached. The final step is adding the angels 'voice'. Each angel has a charm which has a word or saying that has a special meaning.

This is how an Angelic Inspiration is born................................
 One day I was in a favorite antique mall when I spied this perfectly pink hat from the 1940's

It has layers of satin petals
with velvet dangle poms...
very remeniecent of tiny pink cherries


                                  

The back had the original net and very thick velvet covered wire supports. I just knew that repurposed this hat was really a perfect pair
of Angel wings! Now, this hat, when flattened was not a petite set of wings.

I knew this angel was to be larger than I was used to. I looked for months, but none of the truely vintage dolls, the size needed was at least 18", were in the price point I needed. So, while strolling thru some dolls one day I saw this face in the crowd........................................

She is definately not old, very modern, but those big baby blues just whispered Angel and she measured 18".

Het little slip was ready for much needed embellishment and her little satin slippers were ideal. On a roll I began my next search for her dress. I already had some vintage eyelet trim for the slip and was so excited when on another foray to the antique mall saw this delightful hand-tatted doily in exact size needed...........

I think these are tulips and I just love the color detail in them. Well, Now that I have the Doll, her dress and wings, it's time to put the creation together..........................................................................

As you can see her 'halo' is made of a wreath I created from latex rose petals and silk leaves. She holds a full bloomed latex rose in the palest shade of pink accented by a satin bow and her little charm that reads, 'Faith'.

See I told you  still love to play with dolls. I can't wait to show you my other Angels again, but for now I need to head off to find other vintage goodies for some other ideas I have. Thanks for stopping by!

'Faith' is available on my website  http://www.brownginghamcreations.com/ or just leave me a comment if you would like more info on her.

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Don't forget it's Pink Saturday with Beverly over at How Sweet The Sound. You can visit all the other links thru HERE  And,  Vintage Love Saturday, over at Southern Lady's  Vintage Love thru        HERE                                    
On Tuesday visit Me and Everyone at Tam's Gypsy Corner for Three Or More Tuesday

I've got a secret...............................................

and it's time it is revealed........sigh.............you all know I love to embroider. I love to embellish. I love creating home decor, totes, and my Angelic Inspirations dolls with vintage finds you can find HERE, I love creating fashionable outfits, but it has to come off the rack............................ ........I am no seamstress.

There I've said it. I can draw up a fashion idea.....I can cut a pattern.........I can sew a straight line, but I cannot nip and tuck for a fit......I cannot do a collar or cuffs, zippers...a nightmare. Now you all know my embarassment. I do have a redeeming quality tho, as I've stated I love to embellish and embroider, sooooooooo I found this..............................

                                 A simple cotton crinckle material one pocket in a true red, the pic is fady 8/,
                                             shirt at Wal-mart. Pretty as it is perfect for jeans or dress slacks.
Then while out going thru an antique shop in northern Ohio I found this..............................................

A vintage 1940's linen hankie accented by this gorgeous hand-tatted butterfly with trim.

I knew the colors would match perfectly so I had to have it. When I got it home I found a little vintage floral transfer from my collection and stitched away. After I did a little altering on the back of the shirt........

I added it to the back seam

I added another corner of the hankie with the matching trim and more embroidery to the pocket flap.



and for a little more umph I added the same trim lerft over from the hankie on the collar.

I think this'll look nice with a white tee or tank under it with a pair of jeans. I enjoy taking plain and adding 'umph', bling, or pop. I have done a couple custom order shirts for a client, but the scatter brain I am, didn't get pics 8{
Right now I do these for myself and for friends and family in different clothing like denim shirts, jeans, skirts, jackets with various vintage textiles, but I'm thinking maybe doing some for my website to sell. Not sure how popular it'd be..maybe just doing as a custom design available option......
Well, I thought it was time to come out of the 'sewing basket' with my admission. I hope I haven't disappionted you, but we all can't be fashion designers, but I guess we can all be Fashionistas at heart.

Don't forget Wednesday is Rednesday at Sue's It's a Very Cherry World. I'll be linking in and joining all the other red hot ideas and finds

click here to visit

It's Party Time!

Did you know I co-host a Blog Party over at the Etsy Cottage Style Blog? Well, a couple, but this week is the............................................................................

Aprils color is PINK Stop over and link in...Everyone is welcome....We'd be tickled pink if joined the party! Just enter thru here

Happy Easter

Happy Easter Wishes

Tea Party Chic

I was soooo excited when I found this vintage 1960 dishtowel..........................................................

                        I love the colonial motif and the colors  are so popular today....pale to medium shades  of

pinks, colonial red, soft browns........and  it lends itself so easily to become a small tablerunner.

It just cried for some hand-embroiery to make it pop!

I hand-embroidered the the leaves with a satin stitch that wove around the candle and throughout the design

I used a myriad of daisy stitches to create the flower petals by the spoon

and I outlined the Grandfather Clock

It needed a finishing touch, so I found a matching rickrack for the ends of the runner. It's the perfect colonial brown.......................................................................

This would be soooo pretty on a tea cart or table all accented with a pewter or ironstone teapot and floral teacups! A fluffy coconut  cake,  hot buttered scones, fresh baked shortbread........the menu could go on.

This TeaParty Tablerunner is available. If you're interested just leave me a comment or e-mail me at melody@brownginghamcreations.com

Don't forget to join everyone at How Sweet the Sound for

And, Southern Lady's Vintage for

Vintage Love Saturday

This Weekend and coming Monday join everyone over at Etsy Cottage Style for................

Hope to see you there!

It was meant to be...............................................

......................and that makes it a red letter day...er....delivery day!

I received a much awaited package from my friend Sue from her Very Cherry World.

When I opened the package I was surprised with this adorable tag she made for my Easter, I love the little details and she remembered my love of flowers :)

As I pulled thru the paper I found my latest vintage find............................................

This 1960 study in floral designs of the times captured on a serving tray with coasters. How am I so certain of the year? Well, on one of our vintage hunts I found 2 American Horticultural Society Day Planners. One was 1960 and it has these photos and 7 more.  This will make a great conversation set! This is why said it was meant to be for me to get.
Here are the close-ups of these Flower Power designs.........................................................

The tray shows red and white carnations (red carnations are the Ohio state flower..another reason I had ro get this) in a Hobnail Milk Glass Compote with matching plate and a Soapstone figurine

This Mum design is still very popular, but it's the wall clock that caught my eye..if you click it it's give a better view Here's a pic a posted last year..................................

See my wall clock?  It must be the same company, but they must've done different themed peices, in different years.My clock has an eagle finial, brass filigris and a picture of Montecello. The coaster's clock has a barn scene and a rooster finial. (way cool coincidence) 

Isn't this set the neatest...oh I'm jsut so excited..these were just meant for me to find...I can't wait to do up my idea for a vintage inspired table with these.

Now I know Sue asked us to show off our Easter finery, but I haven't been able to decorate this year, so I will leave you with some Easter images for you to use..............................

Thank you Sue for letting me add these special finds to my collection and if you haven't visited Sue in her It's a Very Cherry World today would be perfect cause Wednesday is Rednesday

Your visit will be the cherry on the top of your day!

Celebrate the Sundae

   

July is typically the designated National Ice Cream Month, but
April 3,1892 was the first advertized Cherry Sundae for a Cherry Sunday marketing strategy in Ithica, NY.  at the Platt and Colt Pharmacy......for more history check out Wikipedia , so amid a little controversy 119 years ago the iconic Sundae was marketed.

I realllllly do not care when the sundae was born, I am just happy someone came up with this delicious concoction.

   Now when I think of the sundae I do think of the local Soda Fountain. Here in Cincinnati there were soda fountains still in various pharmacies up until the early 70's.....

and luckily there is still one up and running in Lebanon, Ohio at the Village Ice Cream Parlor>>>>>>>>








In celebration of the 119th Anniversary of the Ice Cream Soda, I found this article in my 1954 Family Circle

With the recipes

 (LOL...sorry bout the ad appearing with the recipes. Guess the magazine ad folks thought it was a a great product space)

Thinking of ice cream and soda fountains, I remembered I had found this beautiful vintage hat a few weeks ago...............................................................

That reminds me an ice cream cake! It's waiting to become a music box. And, a while back I found this 1940's waitress apron that I embellished with a vintage hankie on the pockets and embroidered some blossoms on.....................................................................................

 

it reminds me of the lady behind the counter. It's available on my website Apronation

(Sigh) Okay now that I've posted I beleive Jim is going to have to take me down to the United Dairy Farmers

for my sundae fix..........a cup filled with chocolate ice cream topped with butterscotch sauce and hot fudge syrup, whipped cream, and a cherry........he had better not work too late tonight ;)

Oh, and I can't forget to stop by It's A Very Cherry World for Rednesday Wednesday either, and, please if you haven't read my post from March 21, go Here! I'd really like your feedback on this new party I'd like to have weekly on my blog. I'll be my first personal one so what do you think?

And  remember ................................................

Over at Brambleberry Cottage

And, Saturday at Southern Ladys Vintage Is Vintage Love Market