VINTAGE LINEN FINDS and NEW CARDS IN THE MAKING

Like so many of you who adore antique linens, I have such a deep love for them as well.  You know, the great vintage stuff...beautiful old laces and the kind of handwork you rarely see duplicated these days.  I think one of the reasons the original VICTORIA MAGAZINE was so popular is because the photos were breathtaking and so often they showcased the beautiful old cotton and linen finds that were once difficult to hunt down.  As we know all that changed when online shopping took hold and sites like eBay came to town.  

But...if you look hard and stay diligent when on the tag-sale-circuit every once in awhile you stumble upon some incredible pieces! 

Last weekend my Mr. AGP Man and I hit the local roads again and had such a wonderful time spending time doing some of the things we've always loved doing.  I look forward to the weekends when we are able share, laugh and chat about the things going on in our lives.  I found this early 1900 pillow cover at a estate sale north of my town.  It has beautiful drawn work and gorgeous tucks throughout the entire cover.  At a different sale a few miles away I purchased a pair of old cotton shams with beautiful embroidery across the front accented with pretty lace-trimmed scallops.  After a gentle wash I pressed them with a quick spritz of water, filled each one with feather inserts and placed them on our bed.  

Simple BEAUTY!  Just can't let them go!

 

 I've also been working on some new Note Cards for my local Booth inside Serendipity Market here in Edmond, OK.   Here's a peek at a couple...

I recently found this a lovely old photo (below) taken close to a century ago...

Most likely everyone in the picture has passed on by now.  I wonder how their lives turned out?  Hmmm...  I love that the children are all holding American Flags and that one is waving in the background as well...  I'm excited about using it in the near future!  Not sure of the caption yet~  But it will be sweet!

Hope your day is fabulous.

Blessings...

Rebecca

~ LA PINK PARISIENNE...and I Love Paris in the Fall ~

 

~La PINK PARISIENNE CARD~

Before I share anything else with you today I want to say a huge Thank You for the kind words you left for me on my previous post and the private emails regarding my Father...  I haven't been around to visit very many of you, but I will.  Promise.  Thank you.  Thank you so much again...

~You Bless me~

~La PINK PARISIENNE TAG~

Now...it seems like it's been forever since I started working on new "Altered de Papier" paper goods and complements for my A Gathering Place website.  I've nearly sold out of both the cards and tags currently offered for sale in my Shoppe and it's long past time for some fresh and fun designs! I'm excited about the new pretties coming your way...

~PERFECTLY PARIS PINK~

The sweet pink paper goods you see above are just a sampling of what I've been working on!  There are five different vintage Dress Form (or Mannequin) designs in the "La Pink Parisienne" line.  In addition to the full size Cards and Hang Tags you see before long you'll also be able to purchase a single sheet of Hang Tags offered in a reduced size.  Just perfect for tying onto those smaller little gifts of yours...

~GLITTERED UP, Too!~

Yesterday I received a HUGE box from UPS and filled to the brim were the "in the raw" Ornaments I'll be offering up this year for Christmas decorating and gift giving.  There will be Angels, Santa's, Snowmen all decked out in shades of soft white and soft sugar pink!  Can't wait for you to see what's coming...

~Designs by A Gathering Place~

(~~that would be :) me~~)

Thank you for peeking in today!  Hope your weekend is full of everything lovely...

Love to you~

~PINK ROSE SANTA TAGS and LOVIN' ICY AQUA, too!~

~SWEET PINK SANTA~

Over the past few weeks I've been busy working on some sweet new designs soon be offered on my A Gathering Place Website.  Coming up with a fresh layout for several aging images was fun and I'm happy to say I just finished seven of the ten St. Nick (Santa Claus) designs that have been dancing around inside my head for many months!

 ~IN PALE ICY AQUA~

Here's a peek at a couple I'm hoping you will LOVE!  I'll be offering them in at least two colorways!  You KNOW one has to be PINK and the other one is a pale icy Aqua.  I love them both and having a hard time deciding which one I truly like the most (kidding...you KNOW it's the PINK ONE!).  Anyway...hope to have them ready for purchase in a few days!  Eeeeek!  I'm too excited to speak type!  :)

~THE DEAREST ST. NICK~

I'm also nearly done with a series showcasing romantic vintage Mannequins (Dress Forms) and I'll be sharing those with you later this week as well!  Stay tuned!

~IN AQUA, TOO!~

Today I'm back in the studio working on even more exciting website product.  Thanks for hangin' with me while I lived through the past two weeks that were filled and over-flowing with weddings, anniversaries and even birthdays!  I didn't get nearly as much done as I thought I would but enjoyed every second of each celebration! 

Isn't life GREAT?  Yes!  Yes it is!

Blessings for an awesome Tuesday...

(PS:  I'm feeling another Give-A-Way coming soon!) :)

~SWEET ROSY CHEEKS and a Little Answer to Prayer~

 ~SWEET ROSY CHEEKS~

Don't you just love the knee-jerk reaction you get when the heavens open up, God smiles down on you and you unearth something you've been searching to for the longest time?

Months ago when I decided to include a line of paper goods on my website I began searching for several very rare images painted by the renowned artist, Miss Frances Brundage.  I love this vintage painter's work and, like many of you, I've been a huge fan of the beautiful things she created long ago with her gifted hands.

Anyway...I was hoping to find the elusive prints so I could use them in the making of sweet Greeting Cards, Hang Tags and Note Cards.

Search as I may I just could not find the exact ones I was looking for.

~ALL WRAPPED UP~

Well, about three weeks ago I found ONE of the prints and I nearly fainted from excitement.  The title of the artwork is called "Rosy Cheeks" and it was used in a charming 1905 Calender.  When I purchased it I had no idea (it helps to read the description) that is was a LARGE 11" x 14" image!  What?

It was just perfect for scanning and reducing down in size.

Even though I had to spend more ca$h on it than I had planned, in the end I'm hoping to get my money back over and over again. 

With lots of help from Paint Shop ProX/10 (wow...I'm thinking about trying #13) the sweet little Cards and Hang Tag you see above were born!  The Note Cards are now off to the printer and they should be back in time to include them in my soon-to-be reopened website.

Thank you Frances!  Your work continues to inspire me.  Thank you God for caring about even the little prayers we pray...

Blessings~

~ALTERED de PAPIER and Lovin' All Things FRENCH~

~LATEST CARD DESIGN~

All Things French and Lovely

Over the past couple of weeks I thought for sure someone was jumping up and down on my LAST NERVE. I think I'm finally grasping the concept of "Paint Shop Pro X". Even though I have tons more to learn about the Program I can't begin to tell you how happy I am I decided to sit still long enough and LISTEN to my instructor. My Teach was none other than my Mr. AGPMan... The computer analyst/guru himself suffered through days and days and DAYS of blank, mindless stares, endless questions about things he'd already answered at least a hundred times and he even witnessed a few full-fledged temper-tantrums.

I'm not a good student.

I nearly flunked out.

Plus, I really hate it when my guy tells me what to do. :)

The song "I WILL SURVIVE" kept running through my brain...

Now...of all the card designs swimming inside my head this one is my favorite so far. I'm IN LOVE with France and have been for as long as I can remember. I'm a fairly frugal person but when it comes to things like French Lace, French Ribbon, French Perfume or French Food...well I can lay down some serious ca$h!

The sweet little card above has a sewing theme to it. It showcases vintage scissors, an old silk ribbon spool, a vintage Eiffel Tower Stamp, aging buttons, an old French letter, gorgeous lace and it's original vintage lace packaging! Matching note cards and hang tags are also in the works!

For those of you who have written to me about the product line I can tell you it's in production! We just received the first designs back from the printer and the next grouping will be sent out this week!

More soon! Promise!

~My Grandpa's Grandfather~
Marcus Lafayette Martinique

I've always heard that the people of France would rather buy one item of great quality rather than lots of little lesser things.

I've always wondered if that was true.

Maybe Karyn over at French Charming would know.

Surely Janet over at Shabby FuFu would know. She's been to France a gazillion times, I think...(which is totally Not Fair! NOT FAIR!).

The picture you see above is of my SCOUNDREL (that's what my Grandpa called him) Great-Great-Grandfather, Marcus (Markus) Lafayette Martinique. He came to America from France in the mid 1800's and promptly fathered a large, large, large brood of children. He also had two wives (at the same time)!!! To 'appear' more American (can you image his accent?), he changed the spelling of his first name (K to a C) and also changed his last name to MARTIN.

I'm thinking he needed to shave off what looks like to me was a HEAVILY WAXED MUSTACHE! :) And...HOW can a man sit for a professional photograph and NOT straighten his tie???? Where was his wife? Or rather, WIVES????

Anyway...maybe my love for all things French comes naturally for me.

Blessings...

~MAKING SOMETHING OUTTA NOTHING...Trash Into Treasure~

~GARAGE SALE FIND - $5.00~

Over the past few days I've been spending my time restocking my sweet little booth space at a local Antique Mall as well as enjoying my work designing a fresh new line of paper goods. I'm more excited than I can say and I'll be sharing more with you over the next several weeks about where this little biz of mine is taking me!

~SWEET CUBBY W/DRAWERS~

You KNOW I'm always on the hunt for neat old finds for my home! Despite the fact I have a storage shed that is full of great stuff, I'm constantly on the prowl for things to use for displaying merchandise in my cottage themed shoppe. Last summer I found this super cute cubby for only $5. I had no clue at the time just what I was going to do with it but for only five dollars it was a lovely find.

(It didn't have the scroll work on the top...but more about that in a sec.)

~PERFECT FOR SHOWCASING MY PAPER-GOODS~

The hand-fashioned piece was a bit gruff. It was only half painted with chalky white primer and I believe the man who originally made it planned to have a drawer in all the open spaces (one odd drawer was on the top row). Anyway, I tossed the needy piece aside and I didn't think about it again until this past week when I found myself in need of a charming display cabinet for the paper-goods.

~I'M SOOO LOVING IT NOW~

For some reason (fate) :) that sweet little cubby tiptoed back to my mind.

Soooo...I dug it out from it's hiding place, removed the extra drawer and painted out the entire thing in my FAVORITE COTTAGE WHITE PAINT! Yum! It did look darling but I must say just a bit boring! The piece was great for holding cards and tags but I decided it needed a backdrop or something!

~SWEETLY DISPLAYED SAMPLES~

Enter Mr. AGPMan...

After 'splainin' to my guy what I wanted we headed off to our local Hobby Lobby (um...that would be an OKLAHOMA BASED BUSINESS!!!) to look around. I knew I wanted something scrolly but wasn't too sure just what we'd find.

Well...we hit pay-dirt! We did! We discovered the fabulous scrolly metal piece you see in the top photos on sale for half off and for only $7. Combined with the $5 for the cubby the total cost for the piece was $12. Isn't that wonderful? Mr. AGPMan attached it to the back with a hand fashioned steel bracket and I painted it out using the same paint color as the cubby! WAH-LA!

Now...I didn't snap a picture of the entire display in my shoppe because when I got there and set the entire thing up on a darling vintage dresser the DRESSER SOLD. By the time I reworked everything I forgot about photographing the space! :(

Blessings to you as you put into motion the calling you have on your life...

~SENDING LOVE TO FRANCE and Vintage Graphics, too!~

~SWEET GREETING CARD~

It's That Paint Shop ProX Again

One of the GREAT things about both Blogging and selling my wares online is that I've had the chance to meet people I would otherwise never ever come to know. I'm sure many of you feel the exact same way I do. Ten years ago I didn't know a single soul overseas...now I have friends in Australia, Germany, France, England, Singapore, Japan and Italy and beyond... It's so neat to know that some of the things I've created have found a new home in a country abroad.

Gosh...my pretties have seen Europe but I have not. :(

I finally kept my word to one of my sweet girlfriends who lives in France. She asked me MOONS ago to make her some greeting cards and other tiny complements showcasing the original artwork of Maud Humphrey. The pink rose girly girl you see above is one of Miss Maud's most sought after prints and the favorite of my French Friend (I love saying that..French Friend ~ French Friend!!). :):):)

You can't see this on the scan of the card but it's accented with shimmery glass glitter and comes with a silky bow around the spine (fold). SWEET!

Oh...and the "FOR YOU A ROSE" lettering on the Card came from the vintage sheet music you see below!

~OH THE PLACES YOU WILL GO~

How cool is that????

I'm packing her order up in the morning and in about 10 days it will be at her front door...

Blessings to you sweet friends of mine. May the deep desires and passions that lay quietly within you rise up and carry you to places you once only dreamed of going...

~OH THE PLACES YOU WILL GO~

~I STARTED WITH THIS~

Vintage Sheet Music

For those of you who live within the United States you probably know how terrible the weather has been in the State of Oklahoma. Except for one evening (Friday night!), I stayed hold up :( inside my La Chaumière de Briarwood just about ready to climb the walls! The snow and ice held us captive for days and days! For a while there I was wondering if I was living in a fairly fancy padded cell or something...

I'm a GET 'ER DONE kinda girl and let no snow build up under my feet (sorry...couldn't resist the stupid humor here!).... I really mean it when I say I HAVE to be doing something or I go mad!

~NEXT CAME THIS~

Gorgeous Vintage Lace From Kim

And soooo... I decided to refocus my attention on learning more about the PAINT SHOP PRO X (PSPX) computer program I told you about a few days ago. Since my Mr. AGPMan was caged here at home with me I figured his assistance would be a huge plus.

He's TARZAN :) to me, his SCREAMING Jane! (HAHAHHAHA)

~A SWEET PINK BOW - A MUST~
Taken from a Charming Old Postcard

Now...before you start thinking the desire to learn this PSPX was some new passion that welled up within me, let me tell you straight up...it wasn't. I've thought about taking on this complicated MONSTER for months and months (more like fifty) and finally just decided that 2010 was going to be the year!

~VINTAGE SHELL BUTTONS~
Photographed on Black Paper

So, I sat down early this afternoon determined to create SOMETHING!!! I knew in my head exactly what I wanted to make but getting that idea to jump out of my brain and then show itself on my monitor was going to be a challenge. Since I love vintage graphics and old ephemera, aging laces, buttons, ribbons, etc., I decided to combine them all together and start there...

~VINTAGE ROSES from Miss KLEIN~
My Favorite Rose Painter EVER!

My love for roses, especially those painted by Cathrine Klein, just had to be included!

~SWEET HEART FRAME~
This Graphic is a Keeper!

I just adore the sweet little heart shaped frame you see above. But...the girl inside it left me a bit wanting. And so...I replaced her with the pink rose beauty you see below...

~BE STILL MY HEART~
I Would LOVE to Own This Hat

Now, in the spirit of FULL DISCLOSURE, I have to admit by the time I got up from my computer chair my back was sore and my head was pounding and my TINY :) :) :) little Bumm was numb...

BUT............

~SWEET GATHERINGS~

My SPIRIT was soaring! Somehow I was able to gather all the things you see above and merge them into one design. I'm going to add some glass glitter and a loving sentiment and hopefully you'll see this timeless little sweetie marketed in one way or another by early Spring.

Oh the places you (and I) will go if only we have the courage to take that first step. Blessings to you as you create what's inside your heart...

~FINALLY! Sweet HP PINK ROSE Cookie Cards For You~

CHRISTMAS TREE 'T COOKIE CARD
More Info - Click Here

OK, Peeps! You asked for them and so I've finally uploaded my Sweet Pink Rose Cookie Cutter Cards on ETSY! Just click the link above and it will take you directly to my ETSY Shoppe! You'll be able to see up-close the inside of the cards as well as the sweet sentiments on the back. On the Card above it includes a charming little poem about a PINK CHRISTMAS TREE!

If you'd rather not go that route and would rather just contact me directly you can email me HERE!

GINGERBREAD MAN COOKIE CARD
More Info - Click Here

The Gingerbread Man Card also includes recipes on the inside and a sweet little diddy about Gingerbread Men and Christmas!

SWEET TEA COOKIE CARD
More Info - Click Here

The Heart Cookie Card includes recipes as well! On the back you'll find the scripture about LOVE (1st Corinthians)!

Thank you to ALL of you who have contacted me about these sweet Cookie Cutter Cards! I'm sooooo blessed by you! Honest I am! I'm jumping for JOY!

Blessings to you as you live out the dreams you carry in your heart...Rebecca