Simply Charming

Hello, my friends!

It's been a while, hasn't it?! I've been away from home for a while with my family...my poor husband has had to return home to work, but the girls and I are still having a wonderful time with family...


I just wanted to pop in and share with you a some things I made the other night--had to sneak in a LITTLE crafting while I'm here!

A few sweet little charms made with Crafty Secrets' brand new, VERY soon-to-be-available "Mini-Vintage" Creative Scraps...

...you're so going to LOVE creating with these!!!

Just a few necklaces made for sisters, Mom...and myself, of course!  Just some found charms, a bit of Platinum Stickles, a clear epoxy tile fitting perfectly on top of the whole thing...

...tie it up with a bit of luscious seam binding, and that's about it!

That's it for today...but I'll be back soon with more to share & just to say hello!  Hope you're all enjoying a wonderfully charming summer filled with fun, family & relaxation...

Julie

Vintage News...

Good morning, my friends!

Oh, my!  What a horrible blogger I've been this last week!  So sorry that I haven't been visiting in the last few days...I'll try to catch up!  I've had a big project I've been working on for Splitcoast, and when you're a procrastinator like me, well...things get a little scary as the deadline looms ahead (today!)

With that being said, today's post will be short and sweet.  I've got some errands to run and then some kind people are coming over to try and save my poor, lovely computer.  We got some kind of terrible virus last night, so I'm working now on our old, slow, tired computer...yuck.  Oh, well! 

I made a fun little card last night with a new set of Creative Scraps from Crafty Secrets:

...pulled out the sewing machine for this one...a little crocheted lace, my favorite mother-of-pearl buttons, some yummy "putty" seam binding courtesy of Miss Martha Stewart, a touch of platinum Stickles, and that's about it!

This image reminded me of one of my favorite photos of my mother, Karen, when she was a little girl...

Isn't she adorable???  Mom said this was staged...someone's glasses (can't remember who's), and they had her holding this "True Story" magazine, which, to my memory, was like the old-school version of The Enquirer (only probably much more tame!)  Love those cute, dimply little girl knees, Mom!

Well, there you have it.  That's all I have for you today...keep your fingers crossed for my beloved computer...I want it to be all better quick!

Have a lovely day, and I'll see you soon with something new...

Julie

Summer Fun and Vintage Beauties...

Good morning, everyone!

Still at my parents' house in Utah...still surrounded by oh, so many family members from around the country...still having a marvelous time!

...Still not having much time to visit you all, and I'm so sorry about that!  Will get back to normal when I get home, but I'll sure miss being here!

A few things to share with you today, then we're all off on another adventure!  I'll be more pictures than words today...but, as they say, a picture's worth a thousand words, right?!

So here we go!

First, a couple of cards I've sneakily made in a few stolen moments in my Mom's craft room...

I love this lacy card!  The sweet garden image is from Crafty Secrets' "Garden" Creative Scraps.  I used a Martha Stewart punch for the eyelet lace border, some pink buttons, pink grosgrain and black & white gingham ribbon, LOTS of platinum Stickles everywhere, and a smattering of Dazzling Diamonds on the image.

Next...

These images are also Crafty Secrets--the beautiful vintage lady is from their "Divine" image booklet, and the garden collage behind it is from their "Garden" Creative Scraps.  Some lovely chocolate satin ribbon from PTI, a luscious Prima flower, some beautiful crystal rhinestones from Moms' stash...

...Dazzling Diamonds, of course, and a bit more platinum Stickles.  Can't get enough of those little items!

And now for a bit of what I've been doing here...

First, my VERY favorite place to eat when I'm in the Salt Lake area...

The Red Iguana....ahhhh...what can I say?!  A fabulously quirky restaurant on the outside...tons of Mexican kitschiness on the inside...

Here's Mom with the menu...I always think I'm going to order something new when I return there (sadly, only once a year!)...but it ALWAYS comes down to this simply amazing dish...

Enchiladas Poblanas!  They make the most amazing sauce--I can't describe it!  I've duplicated it the best that I can, but...cheese enchiladas, the sauce, sour cream, avacados....simple and divine!

This place has been featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives", which tells you something!

Another favorite stop when I'm here...Gardner Village...

Gorgeous shops, gorgeous surroundings...

...a beautiful day!

And last of all....cupshakes!  Just a milkshake with a cupcake (and frosting!) added to the mix...Fantastically fantastic!!!

Here's my sister-in-law, Malinda, my college daughter, Chelsea, my sister, Becky, and my sister-in-law, Karen....I warned them I'd be posting this photo, so they thought they'd pose in  retro-ish happy housewife ways...thanks, girls!


Family time is magic time...hope you're all busy making magic memories with your families...

Well, that's it for this addition of my summer vacation...I'll be back soon with something new!

Red, White & Blue!

Good afternoon, my friends!

WOW!  I can't believe it's been over a week since I posted!  Still visiting my parents, and as I'm sure you all know, when you're surrounded by family, time is definitely not your own!  (And I wouldn't have it any other way!)

I have managed, in the last few days, to steal away a bit of time and make a few red, white & blue-themed cards which I have to share with you today...

First, for this week's Crafty Secrets' challenge over at Splitcoast....to use red, white and blue, but NOT make it Fourth of July-ish....tricky, right?!  Here's my take on it...

I love this beautiful image from Crafty Secrets' new and improved (printed on BOTH sides!) "Garden" Creative Scraps...beautiful strawberries...perfect! 

Lots of pretty creamy lace, grosgrain & slim satiny ribbon, my favorite vintage mother-of-pearl buttons (I had to bring a bagful with me from home!)...

...Platinum Stickles, lots of Dazzling Diamonds...nice and sparkly...

Next, just a fun summertime card...

One of my favorite images from Crafty Secrets' "Summertime" Images & Journal Notes booklet...If I could have a bathing suit like this, I'd be out in the water MUCH more often!

Some pretty crocheted lace, nice fat rick-rack trim, and some fabulous sea shells...

...more Dazzling Diamonds to sparkle up the water and a bit on her umbrella, and surrounded by platinum Stickles.  I just printed up the "Bathing Beauty" on the computer...

And lastly, a little something for the Fourth of July...

This fun bunch of images comes from Crafty Secret's "Seasonal" Images & Journal Notes booklet...the three vintage images are quite small, and just seemed perfect to fit inside that wonderful journalling space...

Lace, some beautiful red Martha Stewart seam binding, my vintage buttons again...

...I cut out some cardstock to mimic the shape of the journalling image, and covered it with Glossy Accents and some fabulous bright blue vintage German glitter glass I just found at a wonderful antique shop here near my parent's house....found some real treasures I'll share with you later!  Also, some silver German glass glitter from the same shop--nice and chunky! 

Surrounded it all with some silver Stickles, just to clean up the edges...some Dazzling Diamonds on the sparkly parts of the little images...and that's about it!

I'll have some family time to share with you all when I get home in a couple of weeks, when I can edit things properly (it's hard on someone else's computer!) 

We're having a marvellous time with my family...lots of cousins for the kids to play with, warm & beautiful weather in the Rocky Mountains....just perfect!

Hope you're all having a most wonderful summer day, and I'll see you soon with something new!

Sending Some Love Your Way…

Good afternoon, my friends! 

It’s pretty gloomy here in central California today…the clouds are filled with rain and just ready to burst! (I secretly love days like this!)

Well, as  my title says today, just sending some love your way today…not much to talk about, just a couple of cards and a warm hello to each and every one of you!

Here’s my first card:



This beautiful vintage image is from Crafty Secrets’ new “Calendar” Creative Scraps—there are now more gorgeous images on the back!



Isn’t it beautiful?!

I just typed up my own sentiment on the computer, added some beautiful black lace, PTI black grosgrain and satiny white ribbon..



…lots of Platinum Stickles just everywhere…Dazzling Diamonds on the image, and some gorgeous chunky clear German glass glitter on the beautiful Prima flowers.

Next, something a little different…



Isn’t this  fun?!  “Let them eat cupcakes”…love that!This is from Kristin Hubick at Retro Cafe’ Art….so many great images!

Marie is usually kept to all the sumptuous, soft pastel colors in artwork…I felt like she needed to pop a bit more on some black—I like it!

Black and pink grosgrain ribbon, black sequins backing fabulous crystal rhinestones…



…lots of Platinum Stickles again…I’m just a little hooked on that stuff!  Dazzling Diamonds, again…pretty much everywhere…and that’s about it!

I love the way colored images—especially vintage ones—just pop off the page when backed with black.  My tastes have really been influenced  by my Mom…she’s an amazing artist and so great with color…

She would always choose things backed in black, I would usually go for the same things backed in white or cream….she eventually swayed me over to the “dark side”! (Never admitted that to her yet…ssssshhhhhhh!)

Well, that’s all for today…hope the day is beautiful for you, no matter the weather!

See you soon with something new…

Julie

Family…a Link to Our Past, a Bridge to Our Future…

"In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.”  --Alex Haley

I’ve always been drawn to my ancestors…those who came before me, those who made me who I am…

I’m fortunate to belong to a family that appreciates these things, and from the time I was a young girl, I’ve been told the stories, showed the pictures, taken to the places where the stories and pictures took place…a wonderful childhood…

“The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family.”  --Thomas Jefferson

My blog experience so far has been an extension of this great love of mine…I love to create vintage-style cards and be reminded by the images I use of my family…those here now, and those long gone.  To me, it’s another way to preserve these memories, and share them with my family…and you.

Today, I made a card with one of my favorite old family photos…

This is the Ostlund Family, taken about 1906.  My grandfather, Dow, would be born 6 years later…I love this sweet family scene.

My great-grandmother, Anna Brandley Ostlund, the mother in the photo,  is very dear to me.  I was so grateful to have been able to know her…

She was born in 1882 and had such an amazing and full life.  I love these early photos of her…

She was born to Johann Theodore and Marie Elizabeth Braendli, both Swiss immigrants, well-skilled in the  baking arts.  They ran a bakery in a small town in southern Utah when Anna was a girl.

                             {Anna & her brothers}

In her life, she would live in a chicken coop for a time due to hard family circumstances while her father was far away in Europe (her mother wouldn’t write and tell him…didn’t want to worry him!), lose her mother when she was still a young girl, leave the west for a new home in Canada when she was 16, run a frontier general store…

Marry a handsome barrister, Hjaldermar, of Swedish parentage…become a wonderfully loving mother and grandmother…and end her life in Arizona, surrounded by family who loved her.

Many more stories for other days…

“Family faces are magic mirrors.  Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present and future.”—Gail Lemet Buckley

When I look at Anna,

I see my the woman who’s eyes and nose would instantly turn red with emotion whenever we walked into her home for a visit…I see my mother who resembles her so much (my mother has her nose and eyes, which turn red the same way when she’s emotional…I love that!)…I see my youngest daughter, Anna, who is named for her.

Thank-you for letting me share my feelings and more of my family memories with you…

One more card before I go today…

“Together is a wonderful place to be”, it says…perfect, isn’t it?  This beautiful image is from Crafty Secrets’ “Family” Vintage Postcard Kit.  Instead of making a wall hanging out of it, I decided to place it on a card…maybe this will go to my Mom (so many of my cards end up with Mom!)

Some lace, grosgrain & gingham ribbon, glitter (of course!), Dazzling Diamonds, and that’s about it!

Hope you’re having a beautiful weekend, and I’ll see you back here soon with something new…

***Just wanted to add a bit about our on-going theme on modesty...you can read what other Mothers have to say by going here....

I have so many thoughts on the subject that I'll be sharing with you in weeks to come.  To go along with my earlier words on this post, when I look at the image of my great-grandmother....modesty personified. 

There is something so inwardly--and outwardly--beautiful about a modest woman.  There is a glow.  Confidence that she knows herself and what she's meant to be.  There is no need to go along with the trends of the day, to conform to what society tells her is "normal".

This is the kind of beauty I want my daughters to possess.  Classic beauty.

Julie

Sweet Dreams and a Sweetie Pie…

Good afternoon, everyone!
Another weekend here already…time’s zooming past…summer will be here before we know it!
Just a couple of things to share with you today…This week in Splitcoast’s Crafty Secrets’ Forum, Pammyjo has challenged us to use zig zags or rick rack on our cards…easy peasy for this vintage girl!
Here’s my first:

Such an adorable vintage fantasy image…everything that’s going on around this little girl while she’s napping…

This image is from Crafty Secrets’ “Childhood” Images & Journal Notes booklet…I just typed up the “sweet dreams” sentiment on the computer using one of my favorite fonts—“Monterey BT”—love it!
Lots of Dazzling Diamonds on the dream creatures, silver Stickles around the image, card and on the buttons, lace, yummy silky ribbon, and rick-rack trim.
Since the rick-rack trim didn’t really stand out on this card, I made another…

Another sweet little image from Crafty Secrets’ “Domestic Goddess” Creative Scraps…

LOTS of rick-rack on this one—wanted to make sure the Splitcoast ladies could see it!  A paper doily, vintage buttons, PTI black grosgrain (love it!), a touch of Dazzling Diamonds, and silver Stickles….that’s about it!
Well, that’s all for me today…it’s going to be a busy weekend for us…lots going on…but that’s what weekends are all about, isn’t it?
Have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you very soon with something new…
Julie

A Bit of Vintage Stitching...

Good afternoon, everyone!

How's the weekend going so far?  We've been having fun here...very crazy, and there's been very little sleep involved....zzzzzzzzz...{{I wish!}}

Just a couple of things to share with you today...I've been having some fun with Crafty Secrets' new "Sew Nice" Creative Scraps...so many beautiful images!

Here's my first card...

Isn't this a sweet image?  I love the illustration, of course, and the fun colors, which I tried to echo in the cardstock, ribbon, etc. of the card...

This image was all about hand embroidery, so I tried a blanket stitch on a cardstock "flower"...definitely something I haven't tried before!   

These new Creative Scraps had me thinking about a collection of reproduction vintage books that I love...The Mary Frances collection...ever heard of them?

Written by Jane Eayre Fryer around 1913, these adorable books are filled with the sweetest hand-drawn illustrations and simple instructions for young stitchers to begin learning sewing skills.  There's also a book on Cooking, Knitting & Crochet, Gardening, etc...each is charming!  My mother purchased them for us about 10 years ago, and we really love them.

I realized as I found the book on our little shelf, that it's cover and the image I'd just used for my card were one and the same!  Coincidence, yes...but I'm sure it triggered my memory of the books in the first place!

Next, something with a bit of machine stitching...definitely a novice here!

Another sweet image from the same collection...I used the feather stitch on this...one of my favorites. 

The spools of thread and the saying are from Crafty Secrets' "Sew Special" stamp set...

I added some random polkadots of Dazzling Diamonds over the image for just a bit of sparkle...ribbon, gingham, Platinum Stickles and vintage buttons finish the job.

Before I go, I want to share with you the most lovely package I received yesterday from Elizabeth of Creative Breathing...this was for no reason at all, mind you...just the kindness of her heart, and her knowing how much I love her vintage creations!

(I'm using the photos from her post because it's very gloomy here today, and I couldn't get a decent photo of them all!)

She knows how much I love vintage-inspired items with personality--fun faces, feet & hands--I LOVE this sweet pink birthday cake...complete with vintage candles!

This adorable chenille '50's girl fresh from the Sock Hop, complete with her '45 and poodle skirt--and just look at those saddle shoes!

An adorable tag inspired by Twyla and Lindsey...

And this adorable little button holder, made from pieces from a vintage music box...

All this in one package along with some beautiful vintage greeting cards....Oh, Elizabeth...what joy!  Thank-you from the bottom of my heart, dear friend!

Also a thank-you to my friends at Splitcoast for giving me the opportunity to be included in the Dirty Dozen for the next six months--so exciting!  Looking forward to working with all those amazing women!

That's all for me today...I hope your weekend is wonderful in every way!

***I just found the loveliest blog with a very vintage giveaway...please go and say hello to Stephanie at Angelic Accents!