Spring and Seasonal Paper Greeting Tags

Once in a while I come across something that really inspires and intrigues me. For my birthday earlier last month my sister gave me a precious gift greeting tag instead of a card. I was totally captivated by it's vintage images and similarities to the vintage inspired art collages that were so popular during the last decade. 

Vintage Paper Heart Garland with Love

A few weeks ago I was admiring a post from Angie at Postcards from the Ridge and fell in love with a vintage paper garland she had purchased from Etsy a few years ago. Now, I don't want to be labeled a "copy cat", but I went right to the Etsy Shop, LaCasaMia, and ordered one for myself. I DO love vintage ephemera and paper collage pieces, so I was so excited to see it arrive a few days ago all the way from Belgium.

My Owl Obsession Continues...

Every once in a while I get an itch to do a little fun diy project. One of my favorite mediums is paper... then give me the scissors and glue, and I'll play for hours, just like a six year old. I've said before, that when I was little I had tons of paper dolls, and could play all day. Well, I guess this is just a hold over for that long ago playtime.

Last year I had a little obsession with owls.

 They were on the mantel.

They were in the Holiday Cupboard.

This year I wanted to put a few paper owls in some frames.

NOW...if you don't want to hear about where my images came from,

then you better go now.

I found two of these old Bird Books in a Flea Market for $5,

 so I'm enjoying them in the way that I really love, 

seeing them used in a paper collage.

(yikes, I better tell you all that I have one that's still intact

the other is "not so much")

And this is a door from an old clock.

I found two of these a few years ago,

just the doors.

I wasn't sure what I would ever do with them,

but I think it's perfect for this project.

The one I chose for my project had a gold design on the edging

that sort of reminded me of spider webs

with some swampy cat tails below it.

I used some black "sample" book wallpaper for the backing.

And while I was gluing the owls to the paper

a certain little fur girl had to help.

Actually she didn't like their eyes

so they got the stuff slapped out of them.

sheesh, bad blogger when you can't get action pet shots.

and yes, that's a dead mouse hanging from it's beak....

bleeeeeech!

Here are two other little frames that I've "be-owled".

(you've heard of be-jeweled, well this is be-owled)

I like that they're slightly creepy,

and a little like the old science illustrations.

The little ovals are in the Holiday Cupboard

and I think the bigger one is headed for a new Entry vignette,

just in time for October.

joining in on these great parties:

My Love 2 Create

Savvy Southern Style

Funky Junk

It's Overflowing

Dwellings

Cozy Little House

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Cedar Hill Ranch

From My Front Porch to Yours

No Minimalist Here

Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

Stone Gable

Whipperberry

The Lettered Cottage

Yay, it's the weekend you all!!

Got some fun plans?

xoxo,

It's a "bird" thing...

...and it happens every Spring.

It was time for a sideboard "refresh" after Easter and I've been antsy to get my Pier 1 scroll-y chalkboard in place. The bunnies are all put back to bed, and this time I know where to find them. All tucked into their see-thru giant plastic tub in the basement storage room. sweet dreams...

After Easter I always go to my nature/bird/nesting theme.

I thought I wanted just a plain (gee, that's not a word that I use often) and simple sideboard vignette, but I should have known that once I had things in place that I'd be looking for something else to slap up here for more visual interest.

So I found a couple of my unframed vintage bird prints and a few of my paper play things from last year. I loved paper dolls when I was little, now it's "paper birds". I'm addicted I tell ya...

These little sweeties are cut from an old torn up bird book and mod podged onto an old dictionary page. Then framed in an antique photo album page. Click here to see the original post I did on them.

Don't you just love an ill placed 80's doorbell (below, upper right) 

for some shiny hallway fun? yuck.

An old French Ironstone tureen and English platter are my staples,

that I brought in from the Dining Room buffet.

time to mix things up.

Then I brought in these little ivy topiaries from the Living Room sofa table,

 for something a little different.

I just found a new preserved boxwood wreath too, so that may go here in place of this mossy/twiggy one. Now that the birdies are hanging around it looks a little "busy". (I whined last Christmas Season about a boxwood wreath for weeks. none to be found under a $100.)

So here's the Hallway Sideboard... for awhile anyway.

You never know what you'll find in here.

Thanks for coming by to visit!

joining these weekly parties:

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

DIY by Design

Blissful Whites from Timewashed

From My Front Porch to Yours

No Minimalist Here

Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

Stone Gable

The Charm of Home

French Country Cottage

Shabby Art Boutique

Rooted in Thyme

Craftberry Bush

Funky Junk Interiors

I'm joining in with all of you, sending our love and prayers for Boston, and for those whose lives are forever changed by the tragic event at the Marathon. 

Playing "Paper Birds"

One of my favorite pastimes when I was a little girl was playing "paper dolls". Do they even have paper dolls anymore? I could spend hours with a new set, cutting out the latest fashions whether it be Betsy McCall or some sort of glamorous Hollywood starlet. Well, I may not play with those anymore, but give me some little scissors and I still want to cut something out!

I made these last Spring and put them in old vintage album pages. That was a lot of fun, but this year I'm just using one of my old windows. Once I get started on these I don't want to quit, and there were scraps of paper and old dictionary pages strewn all over my studio.

Someone else is interested in birds. Miss Jenkins is my little shadow and sticks pretty close. Problem is she wants to walk all over my papers and then smell the musty old pages. yummmm... She found some old pressed flowers in the pages of the dictionary and while I was working I could hear crunch...crunch...crunch". yuck, I was just waiting for them to come back up.

anyway, sometimes I just need a "hands on" paper project.

I'm backing these with brown craft paper to give them some sturdiness, 

otherwise they can be too fragile without it.

I love the old bird prints from the 40's. I recently "unearthed" a set that I'd had stashed in the garage "sell" pile, but I think they'll be used in my "Holiday Cupboard" downstairs soon.

So here it is put together, 

I may hang on to it for a little while and enjoy my fine feathered friends.

The outside birdies are busy nesting around here. Robins tend to be messy nest makers and I had a couple of nests laying on my potting bench from last Fall. They have destroyed them, looting twigs and grass for new nests. 

I'm itching to get my potting area cleaned up and all the furniture out from under the deck. That usually has to wait until we open the pool, which will be early this year, hopefully. Potting some geraniums is on my "agenda" for the day. I'm not a gardener, but I do love me some containers of posies!

If you haven't visited Monday Marketplace, remember it runs all week. You can link up your Etsy and Online Boutique items, and then do a little browsing. Just scroll down to the next post.

Be sure and come back tomorrow because I'm editing the photos that I took at The Vintage Suitcase, a new shop opening this weekend. They'll be tomorrow's post, and let me tell you this place is wonderful!

I'll be linking up to these party places:

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

Knick of Time Tuesday

Tuesday's Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Primp Your Stuff at Primp

White Wednesday at Faded Charm

Share the Love Wednesday at Very Merry Vintage Style

What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants

A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

Rooted in Thyme

Jennifer Rizzo

Hope you're having a good week,

xoxo,

Just a little L-O-V-E

Not long ago after perusing some old Victoria Magazines, I found a wonderful image again in the February 1999 edition. Victoria never gets old or outdated, they are always lovely and classic. I knew once I saw it that I wanted to put my own "take" on it, so I used what I had on hand; tags and romantic elements to say "LOVE" in a very special Valentine-y way. 

Old stamps

vintage buttons

Millinery flowers

faux pearls

L-O-V-E

I had so much fun putting this together...

I'm joining in for these great parties:

Copy Cat Challenge

Metamorphosis Monday

A new linky party, Simply Klassic Sundays

The DIY Showoff

Embellishing Life

The Girl Creative

Coastal Charm

It's Overflowing

Cheap Crafty Mama

Hope you're off to a wonderful week,

xoxo,

Vintage Inspiration Friday #38: Paper Birds

I've always loved birds. When I was growing up in the country, my dad who never threw any thing away, always had seeds and scraps that he would put out for the critters. Opossums, raccoons, birds of all kinds, and even the occasional skunk joined the "dinner table" at the side of the farmhouse.

Bird feeders, houses, and baths have been a fixture in my yard since I've been married. Now that I have more free time, I really enjoy it so much more, and you could say I have a small obsession with all things "bird".

I grab every Bird book that I can find and really love all the old illustrations.

I've been putting together vintage windows with "bird" elements for awhile,

 and since not everyone can use a large window,

I found myself creating these paper bird collages with old illustrations,

 dictionary pages, and album pages.

Click here to see how I used illustrations for some framed art.

Recently my husband found a stash of these old albums at a flea market,

so we bought them all. Some had more elaborate design than the others,

but I love them all.

I used old type stamps to add a little extra to these plain ones.

I have a row of bird houses along the back fence that I put up this year,

and this sweet wren is busy building her nest.

Sunday, I took out a garden seat, did some weeding,

and had my camera close by.

She had a hard time with some of the longer sticks,

they just wouldn't fit thru that tiny door.

But she worked and worked till she got them inside.

One of the best ways to spend an afternoon!

Here are some great posts from last weeks VIF:

A Perfect Marriage

from Theresa at 612 Riverside

(I'm soooo in love!)

For some splashy color fun see Vintage Tablecloth Love

over at Cottage Beach House

Lovin' Stacey's Daisy Candle Sconce

over at A Sort of Fairytale

And Renee puts together a great idea for an endtable

over at Shabby, Chic, and Charming.

(you know I LOVE white suitcases!)

I'll be joining these gals for great parties this weekend:

Hope you can join in for Vintage Inspiration Friday.

Please link up with Common Ground

 somewhere in your post or sidebar.

I'd love you to display the button

(on the sidebar)

it let's everyone know where to party!

(and there's a "featured on" button too)

anything vintage or vintage inspired!

and if you haven't entered my May Give Away

then click here.

Have a wonderful weekend,

love,