breading's boutique.

i am lucky to work in a place where i consider not only my co-workers my friends but also many of the customers. "regulars" have a way of brightening my day by saying hi and knowing bits and pieces about my life, always asking how things are going. i definitely look forward to seeing them on a daily basis.

jim is one of those "regulars" who comes in every day and is super friendly! he works across the street at cripe photography (where i got this senior picture taken over 8 years ago) :

(class ring. beaded necklace. corduroys. kate hudson hair. long live 2002.)

a while ago jim asked me to make some special pieces for his daughters, and they ended up being some of my favorite little girl headbands! the other day he told me about his sister's store, breading's boutique.

she has a brick-and-mortar shop in warsaw, IN, and a few things listed online, as well. from what i can tell, there are some really cute dresses and tops! the store also carries merle norman cosmetics and other gifts. jim gave his sister some information about hair treasures, and now there is a link to the hair treasures etsy store on the breadings boutique page. sweet! 

maybe someday i'll have some treasures for sale in her store or through her online shop. i love being a part of small businesses and definitely appreciate small business owners. (speaking of --  hair treasures have been selling really well at ceramic dreams in broad ripple, IN! i need to get over there to restock soon!) 

*     *     *

tonight i finished a special project for my aunt donna that i will post about while i'm in florida. i'm leaving saturday for five glorious days with my family. 

sun. pool. beach. rest. sigh. 

some home decor projects.

i've been going back and forth from hair treasures special orders and home decor projects for my own personal enjoyment. i'm getting more and more excited about moving to bloomington for grad school, and i am doing as much as i can now to make my new place as homey as possible.

to add some color, i decided to cover some canvases and old (ugly-ish) picture frames with different fabrics. it's a really easy, cheap way to brighten up an entire wall in your living room or bedroom:

(i'm planning on a few more in green and pink [ugh] to tie in more of the colors in my rug.)

the red peonies -- be still my beating heart. the leaves have the appearance of brown tweed. sigh.

once i have all of the frames and canvases completed, i'll arrange them on my living room wall in some sort of collage. (no photos in the frames, by the way.)

pillow time! after searching for pillows at various stores, i decided that i'd just make my own and save a few pennies. i love these calicos:

corner close-up:

here's the back. it's sort of hard to see with this print, but there is an opening to make the case removable.

(here's a little tip for all you future pillow case makers: it's way easier to make a removable case than sewing it "onto" the pillow, permanently sealing it in. give it a try!)

here's a little shabby chic pink & green pillow with rounded edges. (i'm not a fan of pink, but i think this print is cute.)

corner close-up:

this case is removable, too. it was really misshapen in the beginning (unsolved mystery), but sewing the line to create a half-inch trim made it look much better.

after realizing that i am a failure at choosing and arranging decent silk flowers, i decided to make some of my own fabric flowers. here's a little arrangement:

just sew a couple of yo-yos made from your favorite fabric, top it with a yellow button, give it a felt backing and a pipe cleaner stem. and voila! an adorable fabric flower boquet!

that's all i have for now. it's fun for me to go back and forth between different projects. variety is the spice of life, right? i think i'd like to start an etsy home decor shop for little goodies like these. maybe not in the near future, but it would be fun someday. 

i have about a week to finish a very special hair treasures project for my aunt donna, which i will share in the next few days. i even get to hand-deliver them to her in florida! vacation! 

i wish you a happy house and a happy heart. 

ps. i recently udpated my etsy shop and re-listed some fun treasures. take a look!

piper's wedding collection.

ah! i'm so excited about this post. i have finally finished piper's wedding collection, and i am handing it off to her tomorrow.

this collection has been fun for me from start to finish. i started out with her bridesmaids at a party where they designed their own pieces. then piper sent me a picture of what she wanted, so i had a very specific assignment. now all she needs is a wedding!

the entire bridal party collection (9 bridesmaids and 3 flower girls) : 

6 bridesmaids wanted alligator clips. all of their dresses are different colors, and each girl "designed" her own piece.

a back view of the alligator clips:

two girls chose bobby pins. simple and sweet!

one bridesmaid chose a headband that was already made. yellow was a popular color amongst the girls:

the three flower girls' headbands (tulle rosettes with feather "leaves") :

piper's bridal piece:

(a deconstructed -- and reconstructed -- purple silk flower with a border of polka dot feathers, topped with a piece of vintage embroidered lace, pearls, and a chute of purple feathers. the reverse birdcage veil is special-order russian netting.)

the back: 

(backed with felt and an extra large alligator clip for added security during the big day)

and just to compare, this is the original photo piper gave me. i was on a mission from the start!

here is my lovely sister sporting piper's bridal piece. i think it's pretty close to the original!

a view of the reverse birdcage veil from the back. it will look great in piper's dark hair!

a couple more close-ups of piper's bridal piece:

piper's wedding is in august, and i am really happy for her! she can finally give these gifts to her bridal party and get to the rest of the finishing touches before the big day. i hope to receive some professional photos after the wedding, and i'll definitely post them here! 

thanks for taking a look at this most recent collection, and -- as always -- let me know if you or anyone you know is in the market for some handmade wedding treasures. these are my favorites to do! 

miscellaneous, etc.

this is my friend andy. my friend (his wife) beth ordered some treasures during the super duper ultra mega sale, and i think andy got a little jealous, so he turned to thievery. (let it be known that i am not opposed to starting a line for men.) 

this is a little guy i made for my friend mindy. one of her friends recently had a baby, and mindy sent her the cutest baby-sized kimono and this baby treasure. precious.

i made this frame for my friend morgan and her new husband andrew. they just got married at the end of may, and i couldn't be happier for them. unfortunately, i wasn't able to make it to their wedding, so they received this gift via mail.

i ordered some fabrics from a few different suppliers on etsy, and this owl print is one of them. i found this square frame at my new favorite antique / consignment shop, Favorite Finds.