Farewell, Ms. Taylor

I'm sad that Elizabeth Taylor died today, but it doesn't come as too great a surprise as she was ill a long time. She will always be Cleopatra to me. I loved her in that film, she was beautiful and exotic, but also so queenly and so commanding in her presence on screen.

Spring is in the air...

There's nothing more exciting or guaranteed to cheer me up after a long cold winter than the signs of spring finally arriving. The trees are budding, there are green sprouts emerging from my garden and the weather is giving us a nice day one in awhile. I've been so inspired I've made a few items for my shop.

One set isn't ready quite yet, but here is what I'm getting ready to post in my shop...

Pins! Pretty pastel colored spring-themed pins. I love birds, birdcages, nests, etc. and wanted to be able to wear something thoroughly spring related.
Aren't they cute?I decided to group them in three separate lots for Etsy rather than individually, but if anyone reading this would like to purchase them all in one lot for a discount price - I'm giving you, my readers, first dibs. Convo me on etsy or email me at bookluv (at) gmail.com The buttons are made of wood, painted in shades of blue-green, pale pink and antique white. All are sealed with a matte finish.

Group 1:Two birdcages and three different birds.
Group 2:Two birds, a nest and a birdcage.
Group 3:Two birds, a nest and a potted tree/shrub. So cute! I love all of these pins. I thought grouping them best as they'd make great gifts or if you can't bear to part with them...they look really cute grouped on a jacket or such...
I've got one more set of silhouettes made into ornaments on the way - they need a bit of finishing, but they are very cute, Spring/Easter related ornaments.

And last, but not least, after the ornaments are posted I don't plan on doing too much silhouette-themed items for etsy for a little while. I'm getting a bit tired of making them and feeling very one-note lately. I'm ready to take on some entirely new ideas. So here is the last set of Jane Austen style silhouettes I'll be making for awhile:
They are stenciled on antique white and painted on wood plaques. More details available when I post them on Etsy.

And as for the future of 58 Cherries, I've been preparing to make some new jewelry. Necklaces, earrings, bracelets and more. I'm awaiting some supplies and it'll take me a bit of time to finish, but I'm very excited about what I'll be making. I hope you will like it, too. It's a combination of vintage items/upcycling, old style jewelry meets modern...well I guess I can't quite describe it without pictures to share so it'll have to wait. All I can say for now is I'm quite excited to try some new techniques and ideas.

Hope you all have had a great weekend!!

Whale of a Time

I've been somewhat obsessed with this pillow for the past few months..

Plantation Designs

But seeing as I don't have $80 to spend on one (ouch!) and I haven't been able to find a good clip art of a whale yet to make my own I've decided to look elsewhere.

This pillow on Etsy is far more affordable and just as cute...

Etsy

And then I found this whimsical pillow...

Emily Anderson

Made of denim and with the rectangular pillow behind it I think it looks like the first pillow come to life or at least 3D.

These pillows have put me in the mood for summer. Too bad there's plenty of spring rain and even snow heading our way...

Spring Inspiration - Need a Smile?

When you are stressed out, sick of winter and in need of inspiration - there's always Spring! It's just around the corner and it's so cheerful and full of hope - it makes me smile. So here's just a few pics of what made me smile and think of spring today...

On top of my armoire sits a beautiful birdcage...

It's a pretty shabby white metal. I love the details. Also you can see some of my favorite boxes with butterflies, fleur de lis, etc., an 'N' and a small Eiffel Tower. All of my favorite things.
Next up is Chloe - my maidenform. I've dressed her in my favorite jean vest and gave her some of my necklaces to wear...

I love pink with denim, don't you? And the flower necklace is my favorite to wear in the spring. Chloe can borrow it for a little while...

But I'll be wanting it back!

Hope they made you smile. I'm in desperate need of a pick me up after some rather bad news earlier. I'm feeling a tiny bit better, aren't you? ;)

Got a Hankie?

I do not by any means have the largest handkerchief collection. (Though I think my Fairy Vintage Godmother does...) I do, however, enjoy collecting them and have ever since high school. I have both modern and vintage - I thought I'd share a few pics of my favorites...

Modern -
some of these actually might better qualify as scarves, but are all square or rectangular and could be both.

First off, my absolute fave:

I love the shade of blue plus the beautiful designs on it - it's just perfect.

This one is actually kind of vintage - it was my mum's and I think maybe '70's?? It was big enough to tie up in my hair in a pony tail. Very cute.



This one is good for funerals...

And this one I can't believe I bought at Old Navy years ago. They don't carry too much 'pretty' stuff anymore - more trendy items these days.This is either Old Navy, or most likely Target. I love the tiny blue flowers.

Vintage -

These are genuine, bonafide hankies and a wide variety...

I love delicate borders like these and white on white embroidery. Subtle and pretty.

This one I found in St. Charles at an Antique shop on Mother's Day. Perfect timing since it has my mom's name on it...

A close up - can you believe the detailing?? I love this one! It's a delicate pink with white embroidery.
I love embroidered flowers...

A pretty border...

Some are more flamboyant...

And in desperate need of ironing...sorry.

And this is another favorite... Hope you enjoyed these.

Tuesday Giveaway - Danita

The talented Miss Danita is having a great giveaway on her blog - a wood mounted image of your choice. It's a tought choice as to what to pick - there are so many great ones to choose from! Her Frida ones are usually my favorite, but I also think her Angel of the Broken Hearts is great. I think I'd pick this one...

There's something about the shade of pink, the haunting eyes...the antiqued background...it's a fave. I also enjoy folk art angels a great deal. Winner will be announced Saturday so hurry up and comment on her blog for a chance to win.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sweets to the sweet!

A giant M&M cookie for you...

Wishing you all a great Valentine's Day filled with love and a sweet or two.

Inspiration Friday

I'm really loving this turn of the century advertisement...

I have it on my laptop as a tiled background - it's so pretty. And then I looked around my kitchen and saw one of the reasons I like it so much - I'm drawn to those colors frequently.

Such as some new bowls we picked up while Christmas shopping...

I really really didn't need more bowls, but they were so cute!! Who could resist?

And while I was at it we really needed somewhere to hang our aprons...

And this is the shelf just above my stove. Two well-loved cookbooks and an assortment of my prettiest groceries.

I love the Greek coffee canister and old fashioned labels on the cans.

Have a happy Friday, everyone!

Flea Market Style

A new Flea Market Style magazine is coming out and the cover, by the talented Heather Bullard looks gorgeous...

After weeks of snow and freezing temperatures I'm more than ready for spring and this cover just screams spring, doesn't it? The colors and the freshness is truly inspiring. I'm thinking of my garden and Easter and all the things we have to look forward to once Old Man Winter departs...

I love flea markets and finding new ways to use my vintage finds. I won the fantastic giveaway of a free copy and I'm looking forward to drooling over this - it looks amazing! Thanks Heather!

One of those days...

It's just one of those days...it's bitterly cold outside and I feel so crummy. A headache, tummy ache...just about everything-ache. I woke up and saw that Smokey was sleeping so soundly in his basket. He looks so peaceful and snuggly in his warm bed that I'm tempted to go back to my own bed and do the same.

It's the kind of day that makes you want to curl up with a good book.

My father built me this set of bookshelves above my desk. I have another bookcase in my bedroom, but this one is for my favorite books on my favorite subjects - history and art. They are mostly on my favorite period of all - the Tudor Age. I have just about every good book on Henry VIII and his wives. I study it constantly and am always looking for new books on them.

And old books on them. I collect vintage books in general, but I get really excited if they are on the Tudors. I got two 'new' vintage books on Henry VIII for Christmas. I then went out and bought a few more with my Christmas money.

You could say I'm a bit obsessed. I also have French history books, too. Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV are also interesting people and periods in history. I have a few knickknacks that go along with the theme. An iron Fleur de Lis I'm using as a bookend...

And a golden lion (ancient symbol of kings) as another bookend.

Little things like that make me happy. Now I need to pick a book to read and curl up in bed. ;)