Flora Bond

Lavender Wedding Inspiration Board

2012-01-31T10:16:00.000-08:00

So giddy about the color purple and lavender right now! What about you?

Lavender Flower Wedding Hair Flower Head Piece

Lavender Macaroons

Bridesmaid in Lavender Dress

Lovely Shot of Lavender

Nicole xo

Sitting Lovely in Vintage Tulle

2012-01-10T19:48:00.000-08:00

Our model Stephanie was so great! The Idaho countryside was freezing that day , I swear my fingers felt like they were going to fall off! lol. You can not even tell, Stephanie looks amazing!

Cascading Flowers wedding head piece in ivory

One of the new 2012 Flora Bond bridal head pieces!

Photography by Jaclyn Davis

Nicole xo

2011-11-29T18:48:00.001-08:00

Wow! it has been awhile followers, friends. So much to share with you! I would love to tell you about the first three fabulous pieces for little girls! Great for weddings, photoshoots, holiday parties, and everyday! We are having a 3 day 50% off sale on Facebook where you can pick these up for the little one in your life before they are listed at regular price in the shop !

Rustic wedding flower girl hair halo crown

Red and cream flowergirl fascinator hair piece

Fasionista pink and lavender tulle bow fascinator

Amaazing photography by Jaclyn Davis!

Nicole xo

Real Flora Bond Wedding -- Tiffany + Peter

2011-09-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

Lovely greens and ivories!

Awww, such a sweet couple! Tiffany turned her Sparkle As One
bridal headpiece so that the rosettes were on the top.

What a beautiful cake!

Photography by 2Q Studios

Flora Bond Real Wedding -- Kelly and Eddie

2011-05-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

Kelly is wearing a lovely Sparkle As One Bridal rosette Hair comb

View the rest of this stunning wedding on Style Me Pretty! -Here-

Photography by Julie Mikos

http://www.juliemikos.com/

Huge Mother's Day giveaway!

2011-05-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

There are so many lovely items in this amazing giveaway on the Joni Girvan Photography blog!

Good luck everyone!

Happy Earth Day! Love is in Bloom! First look...

2011-04-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

Here is my favorite pictures from the Sparkle and Hay shoot! So cute!

I will posting my own set of pictures soon! Thank you soooo much everyone that was involved! (I will be posting a list of all of them soon!)

Winners Announced!!

2011-03-16T23:53:00.000-07:00

Layer Cake Wedding Necklaces

Everyone was given a number and then I cut out your number for every entry. For example-- liz ( #34) had 3 entries, so I added number 34 to the bowl 3 times. Then I had a friend mix them up vigorously and choose one out of the bowl.

Aik - I bestow upon thee a Layer Cake Necklace!!

Kari and Steve - A Layer Cake Necklace is yours!!

Thank you to everyone who entered!

Nicole :)

New studio pictures, come on in!

2011-03-11T12:01:00.000-08:00

What inspires you?

View more photos of my studio on my Facebook Fan page

Nicole :)

Ladies!! Flora Bond is wanting to bestow upon two lucky winners a lovely necklace!! (P.S. It's a giveaway!)

2011-03-04T10:26:00.000-08:00

This week is filled with actually 3 giveaways, continue reading for all the frills (info)...

Layer Cake Bridal Necklace, Layer #3

Layer Cake Bridal Necklace, Layer #5

Two lucky people will get to choose their very own Layer of Cake (it's a necklace) a $125 value in the colors of your choice! Yes, even pink!

I was taught that you have to work for what you get, and you will have to work a bit harder then just a little comment on a blog to win, sorry ladies. Show me what you've got! This will be fun!

How to enter:

-Follow my blog (yes you have to be a follower :) xo )

-Comment on this blog about the items in my shop = 1 entry
-Tweet it = 1 entry
-Facebook it = 1 entry
-Follow me on Facebook = 1 entry
Follow me on Twitter = 1 entry
-Blog about it = 2 entries
-Tell a friend on Facebook by posting on their wall about the giveaway = 2 entries
-Tell a friend on twitter by starting with @soandso there is a giveaway at... = 2 entries
-Grab my button and place it on your blog for at least one month = 2 entries

All entries will be placed in a vintage hat and one winner will be picked out of the hat.
Whoever has the most entries will win the second necklace. If there is more then on person with same amount of entries, they will be placed in a hat and one will be chosen from the lot.

Rules:

-Only one winner per necklace. ONE WINNER IS CHOSEN BY RANDOM AND WHO HAS THE MOST ENTRIES WINS THE OTHER NECKLACE!
-Every time you add an enrty you must come back and post on this blog about it and post a link to your blog, twitter, etc.

-You are welcome to send some of the entries to my email if you do not want to share all of them to the world:
florabond@live.com

-There is no cash value, you win a necklace. Not cash.

-Winner will be chosen on March 15th at midnight

- Your necklace will arrive in 3-4 weeks

P.S. There is a giveaway for a Romantic Silver Screen Star on the Budget Savvy Bride also this week!

Nicole :)

Photo Booth Project with Sparkle and Hay...

2011-02-23T15:53:00.000-08:00

Here are some sweet shots of the vintage items that will be transformed into-- maybe a sign, or a flower? You will soon find out, will keep ya all posted!

Nicole :)

Color Inspiration---- Playing around with Platinum, Silver, and Copper...

2011-01-26T16:28:00.000-08:00

Not only do I love color, soft lovely colors, but more than anything it's all about texture! Don't you love the texture of vintage keys, oh, and that copper ring from Anthropologie with it's crevices and sparkle!

Find these oh so luscious supplies, clothing and jewelry for your DIY wedding at:

Anthropologie

Papier Valise

Ice Cream-----LOVE

2011-01-25T21:38:00.000-08:00

What did you say? Whatever it was, it will have to wait-- we are eating ice cream!

Chocolate Chip Mint is the best! yes, it is!

Wow! This must be the best ice cream on Earth!

I love it when you get shots like this one. My boys are so cute!

Nicole :)

Vintage collars become wedding signs...and they are so sweet!

2011-01-25T17:48:00.000-08:00

Wee brown mushrooms, velvet flowers, moss, and a touch of embroidery (for a bit of romance) make up these fun wedding signs.

This little threesome is hanging in my studio at the moment, but their dream is to be invited to lovely vintage wedding. There are only two more of these collars left, and I think it would be cute to put bird nests in them. What else would be fun to add with the birds' nests?

Nicole :)

Studio Storage-- Vintage style

2011-01-14T13:30:00.000-08:00

An organized studio is a must! I am totally lusting after the

VinTage ApoThecarY PoSt OfFice CupbOard

the

Vintage Spool Cabinet

and

Early 1900s Hardware Store Wooden Cabinet

Sometimes you can get lucky and find a cool vintage cabinet.

I came across one a few months ago and purchased it for only $7!

It needs a bit of paint, and then I will show it to you.

My little drawer :) full of vintage fun!

These Vintage Wood and Metal Drawers are great for storing and they look fab too!

My sweet jello tins, aren't they great for holding supplies?

They fit perfectly in my cabinet drawers.

You can pick up some jello tins right on Etsy--

Vintage Jello Tin Molds

Find more sizes in hurstdesigns shop.

The Pin Wheel tins are in this CUTE shop called becaruns

Nicole :)

New designs are here.... So excited to show you!

2011-01-07T14:11:00.000-08:00

Embrace in Large, wrapped silk bridal headpiece, rhinestones, choose your vintage piece

Wrapped Petals Bridal Necklace, rhinestones, ruffles, glass pearls

Tears of Happiness, bridal hair flower facinator, platinum pink, with birdcage veil,
also comes in white, ivory, and cream

Gold and Glass, wedding statement necklace, sculpted silk fabric

Enfolded Lovely, a bridal crown headband, white, beige, and ivory

Embrace, wrapped silk bridal headpiece, rhinestones, lace

It has been so fun designing the new bridal line! There are still a few pieces that need to be listed, so check back during the next week to see the rest of the pretties!

P.S. I caught my 3 yr old daughter in bed with a strip of fabric and she was rolling it up into a swirl - flower shape, then taking it out and doing it over and over again. She was also singing to herself at the same time. LOL!

New Bridal Hairpiece Sneak Peek.....

2010-11-29T16:15:00.000-08:00

We are so excited about the new bridal line! New necklaces, hairpieces, earrings, and more will be released at the end of December. This is just a peek at one of the new hairpieces!

Vintage birdcages hover over a lovely bride and groom...

2010-11-27T13:42:00.000-08:00

I love the idea of incorporating vintage birdcages in a wedding! Hang them, put them on tables and have guests place a special note inside for the bride and groom, to read later for a good laugh!

You can find these birdcages HERE, HERE......these are lovely also: HERE and HERE

Nicole and Jared are renewing their Wedding vows!

2010-11-24T09:52:00.000-08:00

This is so Exciting! I have already started planning this event---Jared and I are renewing our vows on March 17th 2011, our 10th Anniversary! Yes, this is me on our wedding day (hubby is in the background) wearing my great aunts vintage blue rhinestone necklace. I still love this dress, it was custom made in white silk with tiny cap sleeves, a low back, vintage lace around the waist and a huge full skirt with two tulle slips underneath. Watch out, the bride is coming! But alas, it does not fit me anymore, not too small, but too big.

Flora Bond Real Weddings... Melanie & Andy

2010-09-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

Necklace: Blooming Lemon Meringue

Creme Brulee.....a wedding statement necklace....

2010-09-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

I have been experimenting with fabric, turning, twisting, and stitching. Looking at this necklace I think of cream and sugar, the creamiest, dreamiest, sweetest, you have ever tasted.

Fond of Flora...

2010-08-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

Nicole :)

Sit still and smile....oh well!

2010-07-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

I love random family photos! My kids were having a hard time sitting still, can you tell?

We were at it for about 30 minutes and I just gave up and just laughed at my kids.

The Lucky 3...

2010-06-30T14:33:00.000-07:00

Winners of the "Bestow Thee a Flora Bond Brooch" must be drawn from a vintage hat, it is just not right done any other way.

And the lucky 3 are......

Peace, Popcorn, and a Playsuit......

2010-06-11T11:54:00.000-07:00

It was summer 1983 at my neighbors house, I was being babysat by three teenagers. I remember this day vividly due to the events that took place-- at some point the teenagers decided to make popcorn in a pot style popcorn maker. While the popcorn was popping, they thought it was funny to lift the lid off and let the popping popcorn fly out all over the kitchen. I am standing about 8-10 feet away wearing my pink cotton playsuit (of course I remember what I was wearing!) and laughing at the flying popcorn. All of a sudden a popcorn kernel flies toward me and lands right between my pointer finger and my middle finger and burns my skin. I remember just staring at the kernel while it was burning me not know what to do. Eventually I get a band aid and some ice on it, but could not close my my fingers together. I had to keep my fingers spread holding a perpetual peace sign for a week! (I still have the scars too!) LOL

This playsuit is too cute! Find it in the Etsy shop MariesVintage

Nicole :)

Ashley and Steven - Flora Bond Real Weddings

2010-06-02T13:47:00.000-07:00

Ashley and Steven get engaged!

Love the Bridesmaid dresses, a soft light blue with rosettes off to the side!

Nicole :)

Bestow thee a Flora Bond Brooch .......................................................................((giveaway))

2010-05-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

OK, so I am a little sick of hearing the word "giveaway", not having one, or entering one, I just hear the word soooo much. It needs a new name. LOL

I am going to call this one, "Bestow Thee a Flora Bond Brooch" to three Lucky winners.

Just enter your email address and follow my blog. ( If you do not want leave your email address, just leave a comment and I will post the winners on June 29th, so check back to see if you have won.) Yep, that is all!

One entry per person.

Ends on June 29th

Good Luck, xoxoxo

Nicole :)

My Friday night date -- Tulle! oh, yes!

2010-05-21T21:24:00.000-07:00

I could sit and stare for hours at these dresses, only if I could also caress the lovely fabrics and tulle's.

This is a post card called-- Pretty Dresses by DarlingSavage on Etsy

( New design sneak peek, 1/2 finished)

Tulle, oh tulle, how I adore thee!

You will find this "wow" vintage black prom dress : The Peek-A-Boo Black Prom Dress -- zwzzy

Yes, tulle is in my closet....one of my favorites is this bubblegum pink tulle prom dress with a large tulle bow wrap! oh, my tulleness!

Of course I had to include this fluffy number by Bonzie : Tea Length Tiered Tulle Skirt

Tulle is: Fluffy, Puffy, Voluminous, soft, stiff, boisterous, and vintage, girl, very vintage!

Soft pink, pretty lady, prom dress: Vintage Pale Pink Gunne Sax Bustier Dress -- marionkc

Tulle dates back to the early 18th century, like I said, tulle is very vintage. Wear it proudly ladies!

The "get noticed" vintage black tulle hat: Vintage hat - 1970's Studio 54, -- PranceAndSwagger

shop.

Bombshell pink lace and tulle prom dress: Vintage 1950's Young Love Dress, -- deargolden

(small photo) -- my favorite vintage wedding dress of all! I enjoy visiting this lovely dress in my closet, and playing dress up in her layers and layers of bouncy tulle.

The The Pied Piper Marionettes & Flora Bond..(sneak peek)

2010-05-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

Here is just a a small taste of the Pied Piper Marionettes featuring a few of my pieces (and many other designers as well) designed just for this photo shoot. I can barely contain myself! Can you? All the pieces designed for this shoot turned out Fab! I love the big blue puff with yellow feathers on the model in the back!

(The black and purple flower hair piece in front is one of the Flora Bond designs)

Eyelet......

2010-05-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

The sweet little white ruffled eyelet top you will find (( Here ))

Oh! and the cute cream and butter top is on sale (( Here ))

This lovely little number above is handmade by Alexandra Grecco on Etsy,

take a peek at her shop (( Here ))

Lovin this vintage summer top in white eyelet, to die for!!
Buy it (( Here )) before I, or someone else does! oops, too late!

Want to add some vintage flair to your spring and summer wardrobe? Wear some eyelet....

Introducing….my Lazy Susan…

2010-05-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

Here she is, my special helper, Lazy Susan. Not only does she turn around and hold my ingredients, she has style! With her ceramic blue and cream dishes, made to fit perfectly together, and nice swirly shape, I cannot live without her! When I need a pin to hold my fabric together, just a turn and there they are!

My feet love me when......

2010-04-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

My feet love me when -- I wear these vintage black beauties with black suede bows and gold accents. I Put these shiny babies on and my feet look dainty and elegant.

YES! Its tulle! for the feet!!

My feet love me when -- I slip into these new old stock 50's pale blue slippers with their rising tulle and millinery flowers pointing to heaven. When I am feeling like I need a girly pick me up, I just slip these on with my pink 50's night gown and house coat. But, remember to wear your lipstick when you have something like this on....a true lady does not have a pale lip when wearing tulle slippers. LOL

My feet love me when -- I rock these babies! Frye boots and shoes have been around for ages! I love the new sandals they have come out within the last few years. I know, these were a pretty penny for sure. Spent my birthday money on these last year, sooo worth it. ( "You got what!?, for how much!?")

My feet love me when -- I run after the kids in these 70's sweets instead of my tall Frye sandals. LOL!

Check out these fun vintage shops on Etsy to find something your feet will love!

Spring flowers are in my closet.....

2010-04-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

Just a few images of the fun clothing from my closet with wonderful textures, trimming, hand stitching, flowers, tulle, and retro patterns. The bottom left is a skirt handmade by Just Be... and the top right is a dress purchased from jessjamesjake on Etsy.

Thanks for stopping by..... :)

Betsy has a new home.....

2010-04-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

Went to thrift store today and found a box full of paper dolls! I have a lot paper dolls, some from the 1920's, 50's and now from the 70's.

Betsy was among 3 others in a box, Raggedy Ann and Andy were also inside.

Betsy really needed to vent.

And the winners are....

2010-03-30T17:34:00.000-07:00

Everyone who entered the giveaway here: http://florabond.blogspot.com/2010/01/free-flora-bond-rosette-pdf-tutorial.html - wins! This ended on March 29th.

The PDF is written up, just have to go over it one more time and I will send it out!!

Has this happened to you?

2010-03-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

OK, went to the thrift store today, about 11:00, walked around and could not find a thing but was very determined. I heard the cart from the back rolling out with new items to put out, so I rushed around the corner and saw it: a mirror that sparkled all over. Ooooooo sparkly is good! I was about 15 feet away, so I sped up, running down the aisle (and not caring that I looked silly), but oh no, an old man who I always see at the thriftstore, who hangs out there all day sitting on the sofas and chatting like the place is a coffee shop, spots the mirror too and jumps up and grabs it just as I arrive. And I now see that the mirror is quite large and has vintage jewelry ALL over it: cluster earrings, clear rhinstone pieces, victorian buttons, tons of frippery goodness. (The mirror I've pictured here (60" by 80") is similar, but the one I found had a lot more rhinestone pieces on it.) I was freaking out, and I am normally a very calm person. So I approached this old man with the sparkling mirror and said, "Oh my goodness. That is stunning, what are you going to do with it? " He said ," I'm going to hang it on my wall, it is so pretty." As I said earlier, I was very determined, so I kept talking to him, being nice so he'd like me and so that I could ask him kindly to give me the mirror, which I did. But he just laughed at me. In the end I could only say to him, " I am so sad, this is sad, I need to go home and tweet this (my iphone was at home charging!), but he just walked away with the mirror, still laughing. I'm hoping that perhaps he was only having a bad day, possibly because his wife passed away recently, and the mirror cheered him up. Thinking this way helps. ;)

Most recent bib necklace order...

2010-02-26T11:12:00.000-08:00

I really love how this one turned out! Wanted to share it with you. The first Dark Lovely was a special order. She requested the colors black, green, brown, and purple. Sometimes I need some color inspiration. What other colors can I use to make a pretty Silver Screen Star bib necklace?

Pied Piper Photograghy....

2010-02-23T19:46:00.000-08:00

Lindsay of Pied Piper Photography is so talented at designing fun photo shoots, this is one of my favorites, "Little Miss Muffet" also found here on her blog. I remember my Kindergarten teacher reading this to the class and I would imagine Little Miss Muffet sitting on a Billowy, ruffled, pretty pillow. Isn't that what a tuffet is? LOL.

Lindsay was so kind to ask me to help with her next set of photo shoots. It is so fun to create new designs around a theme, this is so exciting!

A must have for all seasons! KnockKnocking...

2010-02-18T14:10:00.000-08:00

Agnes creates these wonderful and whimsical wreaths made from yarns, felt,
vintage figurines, cute little birds, and much more. I own a lovely KnockKnocking yarn wreath with a vintage bobble head fox in middle chilling next to a mushroom, it makes me smile whenever he bobbles his head.

Painted Pretty!

2010-02-18T13:48:00.000-08:00

I would like to share with you my oh so special blue/teal cupboard painted by me. (This was very hard at the time since I was 8 months prego, but I was very determined to get it done!) this cupboard is very special because I grew up with it, opening the door as a child and looking at all my dads nick knacks, (my dad is a collector of vintage Ephemera and books) and putting things back very carefully so he could not tell they had been touched.

My mother was going to get rid of it and I said "hell NO!", then I took it home and painted it up pretty. I do need help with decorating it better, any ideas? It did have avery nice handmade teal and blue plate on a stand on the top, but I bumped it ...... :(

You may notice the nice bird flower pot, and owl picture purchased on Etsy on the top, among the many vintage things inside I also purchased on Etsy.

Get in the Bath!

2010-02-15T10:39:00.000-08:00

What kid or adult would not love these soaps! I have a hard time getting my 4 year old boy to take a bath, he loves to play in the dirt and put dirt in his hair not soap, maybe if he could wash himself with an ice cream cone? Or maybe he would like the snails, LOL. I am redoing my kids bathroom in an retro ice cream theme, well really just the colors of ice cream. light brown, pink and cream. To find more of these cute, well made soaps and body butters, check out LoveLeeSoaps on Etsy.

Where did the name Flora Bond come from?

2010-02-12T16:48:00.000-08:00

I get asked where I came up with the name Flora Bond all the time, so here is the story.

Picked up a vintage 1920 yearbook at the thrift store a few years ago. I love looking at the vintage photos and reading the messages. Came across a very small signature in the front, signed simply "Flora Bond" as seen in the photo above. I did not find a photo of her in it though.

What do you think she looked like?

Where are you Spring!

2010-01-26T16:05:00.000-08:00

Just a little hello,

waiting for the flowers to start blooming. Here I am in my vintage orange sherbet 50's shirt dress, looking very ready for the daffodils. :)

Free Flora Bond rosette pdf tutorial - pattern giveaway!

2010-01-19T15:15:00.000-08:00

PDF Giveaway is closed! Thank you to all who entered!

-Honestly there is really no big secret to my rosettes, just a few helpful tips. Everyone makes them different even if using the same method. (hard work, and practice :) I have shown my mother, my sister, and a few friends and they do not turn out like mine.

- Enter your email address and tell me what you would like to make with your rosettes. If you want to keep that a secret, just tell me your favorite Flora Bond design.

- You get the pattern for the Flora Bond Too necklace pictured, that includes instructions for rosette designs #1 and #2 (out of my 5 rosette designs)

- I will not be offering any other necklace patterns or rosette tutorials

- No cash value

-I cannot promise a perfect rosette.

-Pattern cannot be shared with anyone unless I give permission. This pattern is proctected by copyright laws, You understand, :)

- Ends March 29Th

-I was going to sell this pattern, thought it would be more fun to give it away.

- There will be many winners (3-5) depending on how many enter and what you say in your entry.

Amanda Archer Collection.......

2010-01-19T09:07:00.000-08:00

Tea Party in twirling flowers

Stunning sky blue, (also comes in an amazing green!)

Lemon Meringue ( even better as the pie)

I am inspired by these wonderful designed dresses by Amanda Archer. Lovely details of soft textured fabrics, laces, and of course rosettes. Visit here Etsy shop to get the full experience.

Frayed Flowers for 2010...

2010-01-15T12:09:00.000-08:00

Frayed flowers have been on my mind all winter, You will see more cut fabric flowers with rosettes, of vintage fabrics ( of course ) and amazing fripperies!

More designs to come for spring/summer 2010! Will be listing new items each week. This year there will be more limited numbers, due to the most amazing vintage elements Incorporated into each design. Some of my favorites I have somewhat reluctantly given up and used them, they want to be seen! Right! Not just saved for eternity!

Where did the pretty tree go?

2010-01-08T16:10:00.000-08:00

My little 2 year old Kimi wanted to know where the pretty tree went last night. Hearing her sweet little voice made me want to put the Christmas decorations right back up.

HELLO! the Flora Bond giveaway winner is......

2009-12-09T10:21:00.000-08:00

Thank you everyone for entering the giveaway for my last brooch! I put all your names in a hat and had my hubby draw the winner............and........the.......winner.......is.......

shrimpsaladcircus! YAY!

Thank you everyone for entering, will be having a spring giveaway soon. :)

A small piece of Me .......

2009-10-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

Every week I will be listing pictures of me or my family with Flora Bond vintage spirit! This one is me in my 60's gray wool dress, Bright pink and gold 80's heels, and of course a load of vintage gold and black chains around my neck.

Flora Bond Giveaway! Feminine confection (( brooch ))

2009-10-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

Yes! The last on Etsy was sold, and I have enough fabric for one more. One of my most popular designs. All you need to do is add yourself to my facebook fans and leave a comment under this post.

- 39$ value!

- There will be one winner

- Leave your comment with your email address

- Be my fan on Facebook

- If you do not have a facebook account, follow me on Twitter or this blog

- The links for facebook and Twitter on the side of this blog

- Ends Dec 5th.

- Winner will be notified within 24hrs

Wedding bib necklaces.... wear big!

2009-09-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of my favorite wedding necklaces I have custom designed for wonderful weddings all over. I love working with brides to come up with a perfect design that balances well with her dress. Every design would be different depending on the neckline, length, color and fabric. There have been many brides lately that are doing a non traditional wedding, like wearing a gray dress with wedding colors like, green, gray, and silver.

Vintage hunting and a birthday

2009-09-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

Took my daughter and her friends to my fav thrift store to look around and try on some fun clothes. The girls had so much fun trying on fur coats, 80's clothing, high heels, and prom dresses. I took some photos and this one is the shoes in front of the wedding dresses. I love the light pink ones with the bows on the back, too bad they were not in very good shape. :(

Jackpot!! New/vintage fabric for bib necklaces!!

2009-09-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just get lucky. This was my day, and I really needed it! Most of them are blue with flowers, I am using the cornflower blue fabric in my new necklace design soon to be listed. Also, I am adding some vintage clothing, just because my love for vintage clothing, and then could not pass them up even though they did not fit me, or had something like it. LOL

Fun and flirty, wear your flower bib necklace...

2009-09-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

I am having tons of fun making up these collages! Here is another flora bond necklace paired with some fab couture for inspiration. A dress and boots from Modcloth and a wool pencil skirt and tee from Jcrew, I know Jcrew is very spendy, but this is just inspiration! Go and find something simular, but vintage! This is what I do. I found a nice soft purple wool pencil skirt the other day at the thrift store, and it is just perfect with a nice dressy tee and a bib necklace. You might even have something like this in your own closet!

What do I wear with my fabric flower bib necklace?

2009-09-06T18:53:00.000-07:00

I get asked this all the time! Other than a plain tee and jeans, what can I wear with my Flora Bond bib necklace? well there are many options, here is one I quickly thew together for you. I love the color of this dress, and the color of the shoes. This is just some pieces for inspiration. You can buy the dress at Modcloth and also the shoes. I love Modcloth because they have many options in all price ranges and also some vintage clothing, You know I LOVE vintage clothing! My closet is getting a little overloaded with vintage, oh well, I might have to put some in my daughters room. Maybe she will love vintage clothing when she gets older if she has to see the lovely items in her closet ever day. LOL!

My Collection...... or new necklaces?

2009-08-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

Here is my vintage apron collection, well most of them. A few met my scissors. LOL, I love the patterns and colors of them. My fav is the purple and green one found at the thrift store a few weeks ago. It is very unique, has a mesh purple fabric over the pattern. I am willing to introduce any of them to my scissors upon request. :)

New! Eccentric Luxury Chic Bib necklace

2009-08-10T18:02:00.000-07:00

I LOVE, love making custom necklaces! This was a custom design for a lady in New York getting married in a few weeks and she needed a necklace to go with her dress. She sent me a photo and I came up with this design. This layout I had sketched out in my book about a month ago. So, here she is! (the necklace) I will be posting photos of the bride in the necklace soon. :)

Girls and boys...

2009-07-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

So, the boys went fishing,

and the girls went shopping, (at vintage shops, of course)

My daughter is an artist!!

2009-07-21T18:21:00.000-07:00

My daughter Kiah is awesome! She made lots of art at Tacoma art Museum's camp. She made fused glass, chandeliers (made of shrinky dink paper), and lots of other stuff. At home she makes purses, bracelets and necklaces. If you have any children, you should look into Tacoma's art mueums art camps, very fun and they learn alot about all kinds of artists and thier different techniques.

New Flora Bond OOAK key necklaces

2009-07-20T11:09:00.001-07:00

I love making up these fun vintage key necklaces, Found a bunch of vintage feedsack strips of fabric in different patterns. Each one of the key statement necklaces will be one of a kind with fun vintage beads and fabrics. There will be many of them created, some more feminine and some a little retro.

Sunday food for thought...

2009-07-19T20:41:00.000-07:00

Here is an amazing gluten free pancake recipe! I even fooled the hubby!!

We have tried to make them egg less, turns out OK. You can add 1/2 Cup egg sub. and 1/4 Cup apple sauce.

2 Large eggs

1 cup milk

2 tsp. vanilla

3 table S. melted butter

3/4 teaspoon Xantham gum

1 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1/2 cup potato starch

pinch salt

2 tsp. baking powder

3 tsp. sugar or cane juice mixed in with the vanilla

1 cup fresh blueberries (optional)

First beat all liquids together in one bowl and the dry in another. Pour the liquid into the dry and mix by hand, do not over mix, just until combined. That is all! I think these are better than wheat flour pancakes. Oh, and this is my mother's recipe, I promised to give her the credit.

Fun finds!!

2009-07-17T21:59:00.001-07:00

Purchased Much broken vintage jewelry in Seattle! Here are some of the pretty finds. Some them will be "baking" awhile in my studio until they are "ready" Oh, while I was gone my hubby, took some of my old windows down to the antique store and got me a credit for something else, of course, wait until I am gone and then get ride of something! He did get a credit for 40$, not bad, But they were not done baking yet!! do not worry, he was put in "time out" LOL

Vacation! is over :(

2009-07-17T21:22:00.000-07:00

My sister is a curator at the Tacoma Art Museum and I got to see the Avant -Garde jewelry as many times as I wanted for freeeee! (I have a family full of artists) YAY! so I went three times, and still did not get to reflect on all the pieces. It was fun to watch the 4 min. video on Nancy Worden and her studio. Here are some things she said That I can relate to :

"when you don't have enough piles of junk, you have no vocabulary" (Hear ya sister, lets get my hubby to agree! LOL )

"When it's another countries junk it seems more exotic" (like my french beads from the 20's)

"You basically look at EVERYTHING like a potential bead." (like my "baking" spools of thread some day to be a necklace or bracelet, they are not "done" yet.)

Above is one of my favs, I love the chandelier glass that fells lavish, and the contrast of the old broken coke bottles. the poor maid and dusting the queen's sparkling crown. You must see this piece in person!

Off to Tacoma - Seattle !

2009-07-02T10:42:00.000-07:00

Kiah is going to art camp at the Tacoma Art Museum and I am going to visit their exhibit :

Ornament as Art: Avant - Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection

Very, very excited!!

So excited I cannot write anymore, I must pack and get the heck out

Flora Bond Too!

2009-06-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

I have two girls, One is 11 and the other is 20 months! They are so much fun! My older daughter Kiah told me that I needed to make some "necklaces for little girls, not just for mom's!" Kiah is very big for her age and Kimi (my 20 month old is very small for her age so I asked a very good friend if her daughter could be my model, she is such a cutie!

I have gotten many requests for them also, so I made up 3 new designs. One is still in the studio about 1/2 finished. Keep a look out! the 3rd design, it has more flowers and colors.

Another helper of mine...

2009-06-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

This is my scary, but funky little gal. She is very retro with long eyelashes. I love the different vintage prints on her clothes. She has a cute steampunk hairdo and these big legs and feet, she is definitely not a Barbie, thank goodness!

Inspiration needed....

2009-06-23T22:44:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite pictures of items that give me color inspiration....YUM

Nature is a wondrous adventure of colors and textures!

Sometimes you need to outdoors for a good flow of inspiration. I love to look at the colors in nature and breath in some fresh air. Look at the color of this wild flowers, so pretty. The yellow roses smell like sweet lemons.

How sweet are these baby ducklings! they have the softest pail yellow feathers with a bit of darker yellow. How can you not love yellow when you see these darling babies. I am thinking three colors of yellow and light green Hmmmm. Just the color of something, texture, or design of something gets the creative juices flowing.

The very first...

2009-06-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

The very first sale! I loved these vintage earrings I added a few beads and hooks, They had been sitting around for years, found at an estate sale. I remember rummaging through all this vintage jewelry not really caring, not knowing the amazing find in front of me. Paid $1.50 for them. Just to buy something because I was stuck there with my dad. LOL, Now I remember, this guy, kinda cute, was looking at the jewelry also, He had picked up these earrings and a few other things, set them down together and kept looking, I figured they must be really cool ( and I did like to flirt.). So I tried to snatch them and he noticed , "do you want these?" and I said yes, and did my pretty walk to the register. LOL, I do not remember if I got his number or not.

blueberryshoes: Etsy Tips For Newbies, Short and Sweet

2009-06-17T11:48:00.000-07:00

blueberryshoes: Etsy Tips For Newbies, Short and Sweet

Here is great fast to read help on selling!

A new blog needs new photos of the studio!

2009-06-16T17:32:00.001-07:00

Yes, I love vintage, I should take a picture of the rest of the room, because the rest is modern with touches of vintage. The photo below is my eating area with some modern and vintage prints in contemporary frames. The studio table is very contemporary/vintage , with clean lines but I sit in a cute painted vintage chair!

OK, I cleaned a bit for you, shoved everything over to fit in the photo. I open up all the old jewelry boxes to get my creative juices flowing. The favorites are on top, only the lucky designs get these!

Helpers are very important! My kids tend to just want to throw my beads, these two pretty ladies are a little more helpful. Maggie, on the left, loves her hair piece and is always willing to give advice.

A big pile of lace and trim are in a old hat box, baking in the studio until they are "ready".

Boxes of beads are waiting for their appearance! You look more organized when you take a close-up picture LOL!

I love the look of stacked fabric, I color coordinate them in stacks. They also happen to look pretty this way also. Little wooden lady in red and the milk man are having an affair (which I do not approve of ) and need to hide out in the studio. I might have to split these two up!

Up for auction today!!

2009-06-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

These are up for auction for Carol Decker & her family. 100% of the money raised goes directly to Carol and Scott!Aucton is today the 14th!Tiny vintage brass crowns with vintage glass beads and pearls. All on brass.Visit this blog for more info. http://www.auctionforcarol.blogspot.com/