Welcome to the New Brown Gingham!

I'm glad it's premeire week for my new sites!
I'm tickled pink to debut my new Blogger and Website on Pink Saturday!
Woohoo it'll be a red letter day! It's Rednesday Wednesday at Sue's It's a Very World
Holy Cow It's Thursday already! It's time to do a little traveling over at Brambleberry Cottage and to see some vintage thingys at Colorado Lady's and Friday theres more vintage things to see over at the Thrifty Groove. See the Weekly Blog Parties page at the top.  Can't wait to see you!
 Sorry I've been gone sooooo long and thanks to those who've e-mailed to make sure everything was alright. Yes everything is fine. I just decided it was time to redo Brown Gingham here in Blogland. It was creativity Under Construction., actually to combine all my sites under http://www.brownginghamcreations.com/

 I've added new music to all the pages, added new pages to the blog, and added a whole New website, but it's still filled with favorite vintage things........and I did all by myself!!! Yes, the computer disfunctional.....and believe it or not it was relatively easy...time consuming, but worth it in the end result. At least  I hope you think so too.

Here at the Brown Gingham Cabin we'll be able to really sit and visit.






There are more pages on the Blog......E-zines that will be added too frequently........Apronation, a small Etsy site tied to Brown Gingham by apron strings, that is my vintage inspired apron collection that is all one of a kind and usually come with a vintage cookbook......Brown Gingham Exclusives at Etsy is another Etsy site that I have with special price creations.........Blog Party is the page of fun. It contains links to sites that really know how to party.......Links are to sites that have great info sites........Tablescapes is a pictorial collection of all my table designs.....and I Love Cabins and Cottages is a pictorial collection of buildings and places I'd love to visit. I have some other ideas to add to my Blog in the future to keep it fresh.
Now I'm really excited to debut my Btown Gingham Creaations Shoppe.........................

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              Just click this picture and follow the path to my embroidery world.

.You can visit my 'Design Room' to see how my creations come to life. Of course there's 2 more links to Apronation and BG Exclusives at Etsy and there are many new designs I'll be adding in the coming weeks.The new Brown Gingham Shoppe is open with new creations and more to come There is Angelic Inspirations (vintage inspired angel), which includes Angelic Lights (nightlights) , and Angelic Music (music boxes). Brown Bags (totes and purses), PillowTalk (vintage inspired pillow), Table Linens, and still with creativity under construction......Flourishes and Broadstrokes (hand-painted home accents) and Home Decor (wall accents and more) and BGC Sandwich Glass (servingware with a fabric twist) There is a special Custom Order page, which I love to do...the picture I used...............

was for a lady who brought  me the vintage lirish linen handkerchief. She asked if I could embroider her new Granddaughters name on it so that it could be placed in a large shadowbox with other vintage irish items. It was so fragile I was afraid it would shred, so I created a medallian using a newer peice of Irish linen and hand-tatted rirckrack from another project I did and embroidered the name in matching green of the Shamrocks. It worked beautifully. Be sure to check my ideas on that page. Then come some fun pages. I have 2 libraries.......an Emboidery Library filled with vintage and classicv embroidery and sewing stitches and the other is a favorite, the Antique Textile Library, which contains information about everything you ever wanted to know about textiles. There is a BGC Gallery still under coming, which will showcase items previously sold such as this.................................

and this.................................

and that.

As a thank you for visiting I hope you visit the Free Embroidery and Other Sewing Patterns. It will be filled with  new and vintage patterns sure to sure to please the beginner and expert sewing enthusiast. Well,
I'll be quiet now and let you browse.
I hope you enjoy your visit to BrownGinghamCreations.com both at the Blog and the website...and be sure to let me know what you think
Oh..and don't forget to stop by Beverly at How Sweet The Sound for Pink Saturday.....her link is in the Weekly Blog Parties.!

Summer Is Bloomin !

A little update on Summer.

As you remember I saved Summer and her friends

  from the Happy Recycler. The fiend had several vintage embroidery transfer packets and magazines all bundled for the compactor when I swooped in and scooped them up.  Hey, I'm all for recycling, but be sure what little time capsules and snippets of history you're getting rid of .  Well, we all got home safe and sound.

Summer has found a wonderful new space on this vintage hand-tatted edged pink linen hankie.

Since last weeks post Summer has bloomed !

She's pretty in pink

and is no shrinking violet with her floral best.

Her skirt  is is a riot of colors and varieties......Left to Right.......yellow Daffodil, blue Delphinium, red Rose,
green and yellow Colombine, blue Bachelor Button, Orange Zinnia. Little lavender Asters, Fern Fronds, and Leaves fill out the 'Garden Party Dress' .
Here are some close-ups of my hand-embroidered  fashion statement for Summer.

Wow, since taking Summer out of her paper wrappings.......she has really blossomed..... into a pretty little thing.
Ahhh, but wait,,,,,,,, Summer still has some surprises to show you.
Remember, Summer is the first in my newest 4 Season Pillow Creations. She will be available for sale on my website and blog. Custom orders are always welcome too.

Don't forget to stop by these fun Blog Parties...............................
Pink Saturday
Southern Lady Vintage Love Market
Rednesday Wednesday
Vintage Thingy Thursday
Thrifty Things Friday

Think I'll Put................................

....................................a little 'light' on the subject, that I love to talk about.........................................
Reusing, Redoing, Recreating vintage textiles and finds into special keepsakes for my Brown Gingham Creations. I have a whole line I've created called Angelic Lights. I find vintage dolls from the 1930's to the 50's, usually, that need some tlc and recreate them into charming nightlights.

 This is Rosa She was a 1960's spun acrylic dresser lamp. Her skirt was created from a 1940's hand-tatted doily, as well as the hat and parasol embellishments, and a 1940's hankie I hand-embroidered. She found a home right away. Her two sisters................................................................................

Sunny and

Daisy, both created in vintage embellished textiles, Sunny's wings are created with vintage lace ribbon, while Daisy's a vintage quilted coaster. Both are ready to go to their new home. They are available at $49.99

This next Angelic Light is a votive...............................

Lovey is originally from the 1940's and she sports her original hand-crocheted slip that I used as pinafore over top of a 1930's hankie I hand-embroidered and embellished with brown Sworovski Crystals. The crystals also created her choker and she holds a copper charm that reads 'LOVE'.  Her wings were created by repurposing a vintage net and velvet flower hat. She sits atop a vintage Amber glass lamp shade which covers a battery powered candlelite votive. She too has found a loving home.

My favorite  Angelic Light is ..................................

'Lacey Rose' as I've named her. I found her and her Sisters (1952 little ladies) in a cold glass display care without a stitch on and bald! I knew immediately I had to bring them home and help them. Now Lacey  was given flowing long black tresses. Her dress (the lampshade) was created using tulle, black lace edging, hand-painted pink rose and tulle rick-rack, a 1940's hankie I hand-embroidered, and a hand-tatted vintage doily.

The wings are a Battenberg lace heart. Her crown and garland she holds is the same rick-rack. I placed a candle lamp into a vase as the 'votive' holder, which is surrounded by an Ivy wreath I accented with matching paper and porelain roses.Sh is actually 3 peices. Lacey Rose is also available for $69.99

I so enjoy creating these 'flights of fancy',  each has her own personality when finished. And I do love the fun of finding all the vintage components that create my Angelic Lights.

Don't forget to join me on a visit to Beverly's Pink Saturday

Souther. Lady's Vintage  Vintage Love Saturday

                                And Etsy Cottage Style Blogspot on Monday for Market Monday

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

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!

Brown Gingham Vintage Inspired Sandwich Glass

Vintage textiles always lend flair to tabletops and decor accents. When I find a new vintage peice sometimes it just...tells me what it wants to be......I am not crazy..... Haven't you ever heard someone say that a painting 'Speaks to them'... or a sculptor say that a slab of marble told him what was inside? Well, old bits of thread or fabric tell me what they wish they were.  Cake. Alright, alright, stop laughing.

                                This 1940's hand-tatted doily
said it looked like sugar roses and minted sugar leaves.

So, I took a pedestal cakeplate and painted it the palest of green found in the leaves and afixed the doily to it.                                            

I placed a clear glass serving plate on top so it wouldn't get soiled. Here's another view..............................

I love the way it looks like a lattice on top. Now, see, doesn't it look like icing on a cake? I call her,   Rosy

The next doily.........................     

thought it was ribbon candy and  needed to be .....

a cakeplate too. So, I painted a glass pedestal cakeplate a fresh white, afixed the doily, and covered with a clear glass serving plate. This is, Confection.

Now both of these vintage inspired cakestands are available on my website here They are $34.94

My newest serving piece was inspired by a 1940-50 barkcloth curtain panel.........................

I used a flower and geometric patter as an applique, affixed it to the glass plate that was painted a rich chocolate color, and placed a clear glass plate on top...........................

This is the finished platter. I call it Retro Botanical. It is available for $24.95 and you can contact me at......
melody@brownginghamcreations.com if you would like to purchase it.
You may be wondering why I call it Brown Gingham 'Sandwich' Glass.....the textile is sandwiched between the pieces of glass. They are actually two separate glass plates. The clear plate holds your baked goods or hors d'vours and keeps the decorative plate below clean.

Please visit my website for more creations 

and don't forget to visit

Southern Lady's Vintage for

 Vintage Love Market Saturday

Beverly over at How Sweet The Sound for

And, on Monday for Etsy Cottage Style......

Just click these buttons to visit.