Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Hoboken Arts and Music Festival

Can't believe its time for the Hoboken Arts and Music Festival again. For those of you in the area, it will be this Sunday from 11am-6pm on Washington St. between 1st and 7th Street.

They will have over 300 Photographers, Artists, Crafters, & Food...including us! Michelangela's booth will be right in front of our store at 330 Washington St. :)

I have so many new pieces of furniture that I am really excited about ... also we will be making up unique Mother's Day Gift Baskets. You should come by or send friends! I hope the weather hold up! :)

Hope to see you there!!!

Friday, April 24, 2009

April Showers...


Bring May Flowers... and at last we have some SUNSHINE to enjoy them all! So excited for this weekend, we should have beautiful weather at last :)


Anyway, here are a few shots of our tulips and other flowers kissed with raindrops. I took these earlier in the week. :)

Have a wonderful weekend!!!


Thursday, April 23, 2009

Vintage Thingie Thursday!


So here we are ... Vintage Thingie Thursday again. These weeks are really flying by... now only if the weather would get warmer! Make sure to stop by Suzanne's Blog Colorado Lady to see all the wonderful weekly vintage thingies. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy!


Last week I showed off my half finished vanity, and since it is finished and now in the window... I though I would do an update...and also show off some Vintage Vanity Accessories this Thursday.

Here is the detail from the top of the vanity... sorry I couldn't get a brighter picture.


This is a great vintage tri-fold mirror. Its perfect to turn a small little desk into a vanity area.
Up close it has all the wonderful age spots of a truly old piece:)


Here you can see the wood back - which might be my favorite part!


This is a great little hand vanity mirror. Very Art Deco I think :)



I love the beveled glass and sweet little detailing on the top!



And here is the back! Also very pretty and ornate!

Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday Everyone!


Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Our new and improved Garden :)


At least all this rain is good for something! Here is our little garden, growing away thanks to Jordan's hard work.


We have plans to move this summer, so we couldn't wait till Memorial Day to plant the typical Jersey Tomato and Basil garden (mmmmmmm) So what you see here are some cold weather plants that do well in early Spring, and can be harvested before we have to go! We have planted (so far): broccoli rabe, cabbage, arugula, onions, spinach, lettuce, carrots, celery, and peas! Lots of leafy greens coming up for us! We are also starting some flowers and some radishes on the kitchen table :)


My Lavender is already coming back strong from last year!

Broccoli Rabe!

Cabbage

Carrotts

And lastly celery!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" Necklace Finished!


Well here she is! Finished at last. I really put a lot of time into this one, but I adore the outcome. The art bead is strung with freshwater pearls, rose quartz, a glass art bead from Greece, Greek ceramic beads, white coral, pink coral, Czech glass beads, and some glass turquoise seed beads. Make sure to check out the Art Bead Scene to see all the other beautiful pieces entered for this month's challenge.



Here is a detail. Who did the shell better... me or Botticelli? Ha ha, yea, don't answer that :) Even though I can't compare to great Renaissance masters, I'm very happy with the outcome of my copper patina finish!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Vintage Thingie Thursday!


Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday Everyone! Please go over to Coloradoladys Blog to see more fabulous finds by Vintage Thingie Lovers from everywhere in Blogland! :) You'll make new friends - I promise!


Yikes! A whole week has gone by! That is pretty incredible!!! I'm running around like a madwoman trying to get all packed up for the weekend... I'm heading to Baltimore for my college reunion. I must say... I really need a break. So in honor of my girls weekend coming up ... this week's VTT will be some girly stuff!

Everyone needs at least a couple ( I have like a dozen ) super girly, beaded vintage evening bags...which I never use. But I must have them. I have more at home...but here are a few I have for sale in the store. The blue one is really adorable...come to think of it... do I have a blue one? :)


And what, I ask you, is more girly than a vanity? This pieces was a mess when I got it in, and now of course is the most talked about piece in the store! I'm really excited about how its looking. I will need to do an update shot for next week.


For now, just try to visualize this vanity mirror floating above the vanity...and of course ignore the paint cans and drop cloth. Gotta love the creative process!

Have a wonderful Thursday! Filled with Vintage Love!


Cherry Blossoms! Is Spring here?

So I am going to ignore the fact that I'm pretty sure we had a slushy-freezing-rain-type shower this morning and blog about something much more wonderful - CHERRY BLOSSOMS!


Branch Brook Park in delightful Newark, NJ is famous for its Cherry Blossoms...and they are in full bloom! Jordan and I were able to stop by on Sunday before going to my Aunt's House for Easter.
I just love trees with branches like these. They remind me of some of the shots I took in Hawaii!


Enjoy!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Easter Greetings #1



Hello Friends and Happy Easter!

I write "Easter Greetings #1" because I am lucky enough to celebrate Easter twice. My mother raised her children Roman Catholic, but my father and his side of the family are Greek Orthodox. We will be celebrating Greek Orthodox Easter next Sunday :)





These are not Easter lilies. They are beautiful Irises from my sweet boyfriend Jordan. I thought they were appropriate images for Easter Sunday. I also loved this poem I found, "The Easter Flower," by Claude McKay.



The Easter Flower
by Claude McKay

Far from this foreign Easter damp and chilly
My soul steals to a pear-shaped plot of ground,
Where gleamed the lilac-tinted Easter lily
Soft-scented in the air for yards around;
Alone, without a hint of guardian leaf!
Just like a fragile bell of silver rime,
It burst the tomb for freedom sweet and brief
In the young pregnant year at Eastertime;
And many thought it was a sacred sign,
And some called it the resurrection flower;
And I, a pagan, worshiped at its shrine,
Yielding my heart unto its perfumed power.

I think I like this poem so much beacuse reveals the beauty of Easter to people of all religions, through a simple, lovely flower. I do not consider myself a practicing Catholic anymore, but like the "pagan" author of the poem, I too appreciate the sacred, perfumed wonder of the Easter Lily. It is also easy to recognize the comparisons to Christ in the usage of the words; tomb, worship, and ressurection.
Happy Easter! Especially to my sister in Hawaii - Alexis we will miss you today!


Friday, April 10, 2009

Boticelli Art Bead Finished


So I soldered the art bead together and I must admit...I really love it! This piece is really special so far. The floating flowers are a perfect match :)


Now 100% lead free solder has posed a problem for me in the past. It doesnt take on copper patina well! And I LOVE the look of the copper patina. So its time to turn lemons into lemonade!!! Since I am such a lover of antiquity I give the soldered seams a look of aged copper!


I use three acylic paints to achieve the effect. A dark green/teal, a light green/teal, and a copper color. The finished product gives the look of aged metal and I like it better this way! I seal the seams with clear nail polish so there is no clothing color transfer :)

Interested in entering a piece? Do it!!!! Click here to visit the Art Bead Scene :)



Thursday, April 9, 2009

Vintage Thingie Thursday!


Yay! Its Vintage Thingie Thursday over at ColoradoLady's Blog. Make sure you skip over there for awhile to check out all the fun neat stuff everyone is posting :)


This week I am showing you my vintage hat pin collection. I can't say I collected too many of these. They were a gift from my Godmother Demetria. They were originally her Mother in laws.


Arn't they all so perfect?


These are my favorite! I love the Greek/Roman coin one (of course!) and the small locket one.


Inside the locket is what looks like a tiny Virgin Mary. So Cute!

I even adore the sweet little pin cushion they are displayed on!
Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday Everyone!