Sunday, January 9, 2011

"A Crafty Mess is Better Than Tidy Idleness!"


I had a lot of fun crafting a baby shower gift this week for a dear friend!  She has two boys close in age to my own and is going to be blessed with a baby girl (Melody) later this month!  Yes, there is hope for us daughter-craving but still very happy mothers of little boys! Remember this darling print that I stuck in a new frame months ago?  It's going in Melody's nursery!  I thought I would make something in the same style as the print...victorian/shabby chic.  I started poking around my supplies for some inspiration and found a tiny ceramic tea set!  I had been holding onto it for a special project...it was meant to be!  No question about it!   My friend loves tea parties as much as I do and I have no doubt that little Melody will share the same passion!  I put the tea set in this vintage jar along with strips of sheet music, taped it carefully so that it could one day be opened for play when Melody was old enough, then decorated the jar with vintage lace, pearls, dried roses and a pretty crystal.  

I included a Tea party sign to hang on her bedroom door when she's 2 years old and dragging her big brothers in for tea and a hair pretty hand made with vintage satin and pearls.  



I had such a lovely time with many very dear friends at the baby shower and am sure looking forward to meeting that precious baby girl in a couple of weeks!

When I came home from the shower, the kitchen island was still cluttered with bits of lace, papers, glitter, beads and crafting tools.  Rather than clean it up, I kept going!  Do you do that?  Why waste precious crafting momentum, right?  And why clean up one crafting mess just to make another?  So I started on a project for the shop! (and there's still a crafty mess on the kitchen island because I have more projects in progress!)  I love that saying..."A creative mess is better than tidy idleness."  I think it will be my new motto!  It makes me feel better about my home's current state of disarray.

I started out playing around on the computer with this lovely image of Marie Antoinette from The Graphics Fairy.  I cut it to fit inside of a wood shadow box that I'd recently painted, added a decorative cut of sheet music, vintage lace and baubles, an antique fork, and a darling little faux cupcake.  The cupcake was made by my crafty friend Nicki.  I am sure I've mentioned the cupcakes before!  They are all over my house and we sell them at the shop!  This is my completed shadow box collage:


Let Them Eat Cake!


I was so anxious for feedback on this project that I practically ran to the family room to show my husband.  His response:  "It's going to the shop, right?"  In other words..."please don't put Marie Antoinette and a pink cupcake on the wall next to my flat screen where I watch Myth Busters, IRT and other manly shows!  I put up with enough!"  Hoping for a more positive response, I went to the boys from which I got a "yea, it's nice mom." and a "no like this!"  Hmmmm...okay, maybe my sweet blog friends will have some more thoughtful insight for me!  I don't know whether or not this is something that will sell, but I think it will be fun to hang on a lace covered wall in my little room at the shop, above a display of pretty rose covered dishes and teacups.  What do you think?  I would really love some honest feedback here!  Thank you!




The little boys are in bed, a pile of laundry sits waiting to be folded, hubby is watching some manly war movie (with a fluffy white kitten and an adorable pup asleep on his chest I might add), and I am going to return to the kitchen island and see if I can whip up some more crafty messes tonight!

I will be linking up with the following fun crafting parties this week!
Get Your Craft on Tuesday at Today's Creative Blog
White Wednesday at Faded Charm
We did it Wednesday at Sew Much Ado 
The Wednesday Link Party at Tea Rose Home and
Saturday Night Special at Funky Junk Interiors

Thank you so much for your visit!  Best Wishes and Many Blessings to you!  -Amanda