New Item - Typewriter Love

Anyone who has been reading my blog for awhile knows how much I love antique typewriters. I have two very different types on my shelves and I often buy old ones that don't look as nice, but have great keys to make jewelry with. Here I have the best kind of typewriter of all - the kind you can hang up on the wall!! ;)
It's a typewriter graphic that I've printed onto a page from one of my vintage French books...

SOLD

This is the last of my square wood frames and before it had a prim dress print in it, but I've decided I really need a typewriter instead. I'm very tempted to keep this one for myself, but decided to put it in the shop. I'll just enjoy it on my wall until someone buys it. LOL

SOLD

This would look fabulous in a studio or office.

SOLD

You can hang it up (there is a ribbon you can use on the back, or just take it off and hang flat for a more simplified/clean look) or you can prop it up on a shelf or a typewriter.

SOLD

Thanks for looking. Don't forget to comment on the tea party blog or email me if you have trouble commenting there for the giveaway! Happy Wednesday!

Jump Down the Rabbit Hole...A Mad Tea Party with 58 Cherries!

It all started one late afternoon when I decided to laze about outdoors with a quilt and a few old books...
I read in the sun until the shade of the big tree drifted closer and led me to put my book aside and close my eyes for just for a moment and daydream.

When I opened my eyes again I found all my books picked up and stacked at my feet. On top was a delicate little turquoise and white plate with a tiny white cake!

We've all heard of how interesting adventures can begin with tiny little cakes, haven't we? Well, this one didn't say Eat Me, so I hoped it wouldn't make me grow too tall, but at the same time I couldn't resist the temptation. I decided to take a bite and see...

It was a delicious petit four with vanilla cake and a hard shell of frosting with a delicious orange cream filling inside. Nothing seemed to happen at first until I put the cake down and suddenly I noticed a white rabbit beside the plate!
I felt my eyes grown heavy and I rubbed at them, not wanting to fall asleep and miss anything, but when I blinked my eyes clear I found myself somewhere else entirely!!


I was in a big room with large bright windows and a table laid out with an elaborate tea! The chairs were all different, some formal, some padded and I decided to tiptoe closer for a look.

What a beautiful and strange tea service, indeed! So many teapots and cups already filled with tea and just look at all the plates full of goodies laid out!

I remembered the last two times I'd had the privilege to join just such a tea party so I hurried forward to take in all the wondrous sights before they disappeared!

There were petit fours, jam jewels, lace cookies with chocolate filling, shortbread with raspberry or apricot jam and so many more!

I saw the armies of chessmen again and a squirrel behind them seemed to be about to drop something into a tea cup.
The chessmen were arguing again about whose turn at the cherry it was, but I was more concerned about the large green berry or nut the squirrel was going to toss in, should I try to stop him?

Then I noticed the tiny green boat with the pretty little lady rabbit in it - she seemed unconcerned about what was going on so I decided not to interrupt...

In the center of the table were two teapots on a heavy glass pedestal. I looked closer and saw three little mice sitting at a little bowl of cream. They nodded in greeting, but were too busy dunk little crumbs of cookies to pay anymore attention to me...
I turned away and glanced down to see more guests at the table below. I was so happy to see that both Gnomes had turned up for the party as well...

They seemed to have brought their own drinks and a big (to them anyway) watermelon to share. They smiled and nodded to great me and I took a cup of tea and a plate of cookies to join in...

I heard a squeak and looked down to see that the dormouse was nibbling at his own jam jewel and had stopped to great me.

He'd already eaten nearly half of it and I offered him a small cup of tea.
There was a tower of small tea cups halfway across the table. I admired the plate beside them full of more goodies to eat. There were cherries and vanilla cookies with dark chocolate and crushed pecans sprinkled on top.
"Better hurry up," a tiny voice said nearby. I looked and saw a little mouse in an apron with a dustpan and broom. She was sweeping up the crumbs from around the table into her little pan.

Just as I realized my time may be coming to an end I felt my eyes growing heavy, blinking sleepily with my tummy full of cookies, cake and tea. I felt something tingle - a hint of magic, perhaps? And when I opened my eyes I saw all the food and all the cups that had held tea were gone from the table...

And what was this? A tiny little old bottle by the little brown rabbit washing his face...

Well we all know that if you eat the little cake...you drink from the little bottle as well. So I took a sip...
And found myself back where I started, lying in the shade with my book of Grimm's Fairy tales open again!! No hint of a crumb of cake...

Was it all a dream? I don't know, but I can't leave my guests without a gift - now can I? So I made something special - a very Alice in Wonderland gift!!

Four pages from a VERY OLD French book - and on each one? A favorite image from Alice in Wonderland!!

These would look lovely framed together in a grouping, wouldn't they?

There are two Alice figures - one with the Cheshire Cat grinning down at Alice below. One White Rabbit in full herald costume and the King of Hearts - speckles, wig and crown! These images are from the 1865 Illustrations by John Tenniel.

Here's a closeup of one of the Alice images...

I'm hoping someone will want these for their own. I love the old vintage feel of them - these are old yellowed pages from a book 'Memoires d'un Royaliste 1851'.

So if you've enjoyed our little dream and like the gift you see - please, please do comment here!! I will pick one name from a hat on Friday, July 8th. That way everyone has plenty of time to visit (especially since there is a big holiday the weekend before) and hopefully everyone who wishes to enter can do so by then.

Thank you for visiting us here!! Now off I go to hop and skip along the other parties... Have a great weekend!!

**Important Update** If you are having problems posting comments via blogger - you are not alone. I've had a heck of a time posting comments on some blogspot blogs so if you are wondering why I don't comment that might be why. Also - if you want to post a comment and find you can't you can email it to me at: bookluv AT gmail DOT com (spelled out to avoid spam, sorry). I will then add your name to the hat for the giveaway and also post your comment here, too. Sorry it is such a hassle, but at least there are ways around it. *******

Busy, busy - change in Etsy listing and Tea Party Mutterings...

Just a note that my previous silhouette listings got a bit altered. I had a request for the gentleman in one pairing and the young girl in the second pair so after doing that I decided the remaining two silhouettes were a bit odd in pairing so I made new silhouettes for the listing still available:

SOLD

I created another high collared young gentleman (who I can't stop thinking of as a young Mr. Darcy) and gave him a young lady to pair with (Miss Elizabeth Bennet, perhaps?). I was thinking the children silhouettes were cute, but I think most people want a couple on their wall or shelf, right?

SOLD

If anyone does want the old pairing of children or liked the high society lady with the ornament in her hair you can convo me on Etsy or comment here or email me and I'll gladly try to accommodate you. As of right now I have only this pairing available as I only have the two frames, but hopefully I can get my hands on more soon and I'll make some more variety available if possible. Grab them while you can because there is no telling when I run out of frames like I did with the square ones a few years ago.

I will also try to get another one or two of the larger black frames for the bigger sized silhouettes - I am currently out of those having sold my own personal one just the other day.





On the Mad Tea Party front - I have made some preparations, but life is so darn busy I'm worried I won't have time to do all I hoped to do this year! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late - for a very very important date!!! Well not yet, but I might be! :)





Keep your eyes out for white rabbits with pocket watches! If you are new to the Mad Tea Party then please do visit my past two years' parties. We had a great deal of fun - there are links on the right side of the blog or you can click HERE for 2009 and HERE for 2010. Whatever happens this year there WILL be a great giveaway. I have made an Alice in Wonderland themed giveaway for the lucky winner. I will leave the giveaway open for at least a week or so to give everyone a chance to put their name in the hat. I'm very excited about the giveaway!!





By the way, be sure to drop a link to your own parties if you'd like me to be sure to visit because there are SO MANY I forget where I visited and where I didn't and I always seem to miss a few, it can be quite confusing, but oh so much fun!! See you all very soon, I hope!

Happy Monday

Happy Monday to all - I hope you all had a great weekend and a Happy Father's Day. We had a lazy weekend BBQing and watching movies. My mother and I did some jewelry making, too. I must take a few pictures and show you what she made me.

And I have a few new items in the shop (and in process of going into the shop). First off - I bought some very cute little white oval frames with antique detailing that was just too perfect for pairing silhouettes so I made two different versions.

First, a couple - A Gentleman in a high colored shirt and jacket with buttons and A Lady with a bit of decoration in her hair...

These look cute haning on the wall AND sitting on the shelf, don't you think??




Check out the detail on the frames - little curlycues.

And the other pair are of children. A Little Boy and a Young Girl...

All of these silhouettes are on vintage French book paper.

The white is so shabby chic and perfect for summer, I think. I love them on the shelf with sea shells and boat pictures. I think I need to make a pair for myself instead of selling them all...

And since last week I sold my larger framed silhouette on music paper I decided to offer up my own framed silhouette I'd made for myself. It's been hanging on my wall. It's also on vintage French book paper...

SOLD

She used to fit in below the picture of my grandmother as a flower girl and next to my grandfather in his uniform...And be sure to check out the same style detailing - antique looking, slight distressed look to the black frame.

SOLD

And last, but not least - some flower pictures...

My very dark red Sweet William came back again this year and is doing well - I love this color - so vivid!

And one of the four different colors of cone flowers I have - this is my favorite shade, I think...

And a few pictures from my grandmother's yard. Her vine covered bench...

Her flowering bee balm and other plants in front...

I love summer - even with the extreme heat and nasty thunderstorms. Hope you all are doing well. I need to get ready for the tea party now!!

Historical Charm and Romance - More Key Earrings

I've added some new earrings to the shops - more keys, but in different combinations and some new key charms added. There are now four different pairs to choose from:

First off, this pair sold super fast when I listed them a few weeks ago so I made another pair, but please note that I do not have the supplies to make anymore after this so if you are interested in these you might want to grab them before they are gone.

Here's another pic of them with all my real antique keys - you can see some of the keys are in the same styles/colors as the earrings!

Here's a different pair - a big copper key and a small antique silver key. I think these are my favorite of the whole bunch...

And if you like the little keys - both gold and silver - well, here's a pair of those - they make a slightly smaller pair of earrings than the others. Very cute!

The fourth pair is the set of single antique silver key earrings which you can see in the first two pics as well as my previous post and in my shop. If you'd like to see larger pictures and see more details on these items please look at my store listings. I've put most of them up and will finish tomorrow. If you have any questions you can comment here or convo me on Etsy - or even just to let me know they are cute because I'd love to hear what you all think of these.

Thanks for looking and indulging me in my vintage key obsession.