a stitch in time

tomorrow make mine pink is having another pink friday shopping event. the theme for this week is needle arts: embroidery, needlepoint, knitting, and crochet...

and we will be featuring some wonderful vintage hand work.

we also will be adding some things to our shop: some things newly added for this week's event, as well as some vintage costume jewelry .

we recently found an 1947 edition of 'little women' with color illustrations that is thoroughly charming.

it makes me want to curl up with a cup of tea and visit those four winsome girls again.

it will be added to our site , perhaps for tomorrow. look for it in our 'latest finds'.

please stop by, won't you?

168 days...

warning: the following images may cause alarm.

you are not suffering from heat stroke...

no...

it's christmas in july!!!
yeah, i know.

my sister and i love christmas (and vintage christmas decortions) and the season of snow and sparkle, but even i have trouble drumming up much enthusiasm for christmas when it is scorching outside.
on the other hand, it is sort of nice to dream of cold weather and being snug and cozy inside, curled up with a mug of something warm ( not to mention being dry inside your clothing.)

so, here is a little something to get us in the mood...(come on, just pretend for a bit...!)
the reason for all this?

starting monday, july 20th, make mine pink is having christmas in july...it's a fun shopping event and contest for you, where you can shop now for christmas gifts to tuck away to keep secret for a loved one, and for christmas decorations that will be so much fun to take out of the tissue as the weather chills and the days grow short.

and you know it's true: that time will be upon us all before we know it.

(168 days...i counted!)

and, when you play, you can win prizes!!!

so come on by...

go to make mine pink and get the scoop and sign up to play.

it's free, and it's fun!

and, if you really really REALLY love christmas, visit our shop and see what we have stored away for christmas decorating, vintage style.

stop on by polka dot rose to get a taste of what is coming later this year, and is available now, just for this week only!

~karla

*pink* rose pattern china

my favorite flower is the rose, and specifically, roses in pink. so i collect all manner of vintage things bearing the likeness of this most graceful of flowers. fabric. paintings. victorian postcards and yard-long framed prints.

and the item i find most and so most often collect is china.

this is a small but growing collection of pieces i have acquired from various places over the last few years.

and while they certainly don't 'match', they are remarkably similar.

i inherited this plate from my mother. it is almost too pretty to cover up with cookies or sweets, but it is a perfect serving piece for tea.
this cup and saucer was a gift from kristi years ago. i spotted it in shop window when we had our shop downtown.

i would see it every day as i walked to work, and fell in love.

and then one day~ oh no!~ it was gone.

it magically appeared in my bounty of christmas gifts a few months later. (my sister always knows what i wish for!)

it is very special to me.

this little cream pitcher was found at an estate sale a few weeks ago. i got there late, and was surprised to find this still there, sitting among the 'dusty and rusty' stuff that was remaining. it was meant to be mine.
all the pieces have a lustre-type finish, pink roses, and lavender highlights.
the lavender is not as pronounced on the cup and saucer, but it still works well with the other pieces.
now i am hunting for a sugar bowl, another teacup and saucer...and a teapot!!!

isn't is fun to have special things to hunt for? it is what gets us out there, come rain or shine, and in dark of night, armed with our flashlights and 'wish list'.

~karla

*happy*

i have four of these pots of snaps and alyssum on my side sun-porch, and this one gets the least amount of sunlight and seems the most content.
it makes me happy to see it happy. summer has been busy; we have had a lot of interest in our house, which has been on the market for forever...and there is always watering to do, and cleaning and working and shopping / hunting for vintage treasure...
so much for my resolve to post daily.
but the days are long and warm (today, hot, actually) and life is good!
hope your summer is going well and that you are enjoying some 'porch time'.

vintage favorites, 4

i know of people who have boxes and boxes of old hats and millinery flowers.

i share their love of all things vintage and floral...

but when you are in the business of selling vintage, one of the drawbacks is that most of what is found is passed on to others and sold.

here is a bit of what i have been given, bought or kept back for myself...

i love all the colors and textures... dreamy, creamy velvet

silk handmade flowers, tattered and worn (and some of them, unfinished)

tiny forget-me-nots

all in the scrumtious colors of a summer cottage garden.

vintage favorites, day 3

i have a very small collection of vintage rhinestone jewelry, but i love what i have and wear each piece often.

i currently am on the hunt for a *pink* rhinestone pin~

vintage favorites, day 2

i love vintage beaded items, from baskets to belts, hats to handbags, and buy them whenever i find them at a price i can afford.

here is the vintage beaded cigarette case we bought from judy's yard sale on a background of one of my vintage handbags.

happy july!

i realized this morning that we are today at the half way mark of this year...

often during the long hot months of summer i find myself looking ahead instead of just enjoying the many pleasures that the season brings.

i also find myself in a lull...can't get inspired, can't get motivated to post anything to these pages.

suzanne at pink roses has a fabulous idea that i think i might borrow.

for the month of july, suzanne will post a photo a day...sometimes it will be something tiny around her house, sometimes a photo of her garden, others will feature a vignette of one of her wonderful collections. she is a very gifted photographer, and a wonderful writer as well. if you have never read her blog, don't miss it. i know it will soon be one of your favorites, as it is mine.

while i am in no ways in suzanne's league, i do enjoy wandering my home and looking through the camera's eye at small things.

this is my selection for today: a few of my remaining vintage buttons.

last year, as a promotion

for our online shop at silver bella, we made up 10 goodie bags and loaded them with some of our favorite vintage trims, lace and buttons.

not much remains, so it is time to replenish my stash.

i rather miss some of the ones i parted with, but i will find more and after all, the quest is half the fun.

hope your month is off to a great start~

~karla