The Kids...

Sorry for the lack of artistic posts here lately, but with three kids home all day every day (now that preschool's out), I haven't had time for much artwork or thrifting.  My days are spent refereeing and filling sippy cups for the most part...! 

But I can always find time to dress up Miss Avery in her vintage gear and shoot some photos for Little Vintage Style (and here on Thursday)- ha ha!  This past week, my mom was in town, so we did some exploring and went to a nearby beach.  Unfortunately, we got there at low tide, and a great part of the beach was muddy and full of very sharp oyster shells.  While it was fun for the boys, it was hard to keep Avery in the "safe" zone, so she spent most of the trip crying because she couldn't go where she wanted to...  So I didn't get many pics of her in her cute little vintage pinafore top, but here's what I did get!

We also took the kids to a more kid-friendly beach, which made everyone happy!  No vintage there, just cute, happy kids!

Dramatic...

Time to start on a new journal for Avery, since I finished her last one.  This book is a little larger than her others, and I like the bigger size.  This spread is about her many DRAMATIC moods.  This girl is so melodramatic, so much more so than the boys ever were!  Girls definitely are wired differently, of which I'm constantly being reminded!

While I was working on the page, I kept thinking about this "stubborn" face that she makes.  Noah makes it, too.  They furrow their brows and look at you from underneath, trying to look so mean.  I looked through an old photo album and found this photo of myself from the 1970's.  I guess I can see where they're getting it from now!

And it's time again for Little Vintage Style!  (I'll also link up to Small Style on Thursday.)

 

 For a change of scenery, I took some photos of Avery playing in our playroom this week. I pulled out a couple vintage toys, and let her go at it! 

 This little sundress is perfect for the summertime with the cute little boat applique.  And it's also perfect for taking the babies for a walk!

 This stroller was my sister's when she was young, and it's been in my parents' attic.  Avery hasn't been too interested in dolls until now, but this stroller is just the right height and weight for her, and she loves pushing it around!

 Bye-bye for now! 

Lots of Pictures of Lots of Pretty Things!

This is one of my bookcases in my studio.  Not many books in there, I'm afraid!  But what is in there is part of my collection of vintage dolly furniture!  And scattered amongst the pieces are some of my birthday presents.  When I saw this listing on Etsy, I emailed my husband and told him that I wouldn't ask for anything else if I could get it for my birthday.  Well, good husband that he is, he got it for me!  You can see the pieces a little better below, as I tried to take some better close-up shots of the individual shelves.

I know I've mentioned it before, but I have just got such a weakness for vintage dolls and doll furniture, especially if there is a sweet decal on it!  And as I said, this is only part of my collection!  These are the smaller pieces that can fit in a bookcase. I'll have to take photos of some of my other pieces soon...

I also got the dolly with green hair in the photo above, from my mother.  So adorable!   I just love the green hair-so unusual in a vintage doll!

These are all the vintage handmade dolls I've collected, with the exception of the one I made Avery from a vintage pattern.  I just love the embroidered faces and the cute hairstyles.

This final photo shows my last cute birthday present, also from my mother- the doll wardrobe! Love, love, love! It wouldn't fit into my studio right now, so it is residing in Avery's room. Although I may have to steal it back soon, because I love it so much!

And I'm linking up again with Hart & Sew's Little Vintage Style this week!

  Avery got to try out her little duck dress- so sweet!

Big brothers also got in on the act, although no vintage on those boys!  But they are sitting on vintage chairs, so does that count???

Riley's going through a little bit of the "five-year-old-who-doesn't-know-how-to-smile-naturally" stage right now- can't you tell?

And finally, some artwork I've been meaning to post for a while....

  A little spread about Avery's love of shoes!

And the cover of her latest journal!

Hope you're all having a great week!  School's out here, so we're doing our best to fill our days with craft projects, workbooks, puzzles, you name it, just as long as everyone's not fighting!

Birthday Art

 As promised, here is the piece of art I did for my birthday this year.  There is meaning to a lot of the parts, but mostly it's about how this past year, I've been working on finding harmony between various parts of my life.  I love the colors, and am still enjoying exploring the contrast between organic shapes and more geometric shapes.

  To see some of my past birthday pieces, look here or here or here or here.

I haven't shot photos of my birthday presents yet, but there is definitely some eye candy there once I get to it, so stay tuned!

(Blogger's not allowing me to comment on other blogs for some reason today, so here's info for those of you who inquired about Avery's shoes from my last post.  They are from a company called "Angel", which appears to be a modern company (not vintage).  But I got them at the consignment shop, so don't know where to get more.  I love them though, and would welcome any info about where to purchase more of them!) 

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, yesterday I turned the big 39, and as you can see, I am celebrating with a new blog design!  Don't ask me why it has taken me so long to do this-that old Blogger template was just not cutting it for sure!  Erika at The Fairy Blogmother worked with me to come up with the design, and I love it!

For my birthday, I got some really nice goodies, which I haven't had a chance to display yet.  But above is a sneak peek of them all piled in a box!  I also had a chance to work on a piece of artwork.  Every year on my birthday, I do a piece of art- it's become an annual tradition.  I wasn't able to quite finish it though, so I'll post photos once I'm done.

Since I was so busy being pampered and catered to (ha ha- reality check- I've got three kids, so birthdays aren't what they used to be!), but anyway, I didn't have a chance to post my Little Vintage Style photos yesterday. (I'm also linking up with Small Style)  So here ya go!

 Avery had a chance to wear her new (vintage) bubble romper, and it is so adorable!

After we played outside, she decided she wanted to make some tea for us!

 YUM!

And just so you see how our whole life isn't beautiful vintage backdrops, here's the reality of what she looked like most of the day- Buzz Lightyear and Big Brother's Crocs!

I'll share photos soon of my birthday goodies and birthday painting!

The Sweetest Dress Ever!

If you read my last post, you saw that I really hit the jackpot last week at the thrift store with vintage dresses.  I decided to go back the next day, in the hopes that maybe they had put more out, or that I had missed some.  I'm so glad I did!  Although I only found one, this may be the sweetest little dress that has ever been made!

 It has got the prettiest smocking, sweetest ruffles, and the cutest little bow print all over.  It's by Kiddiz & Co., and I couldn't find much about them online, other than that they're from Paris.  So I'm not even sure of the age, although it is in pristine condition!

The dress is actually a 3 month size, and here's Avery, who's a large 21 month old, wearing it! Although it won't last long with her, as it was pretty tight around the neck. How I wish I had found this dress a year ago!

Since it was a little short, I paired it with tan shorts, and the sweetest little tan shoes.

And here she is showing off her shoes (this girl LOVES shoes!).  I found them on clearance at Old Navy, and now I wish I had bought them in every size, they're so cute!

I'm again linking up with Hart & Sew's Little Vintage Style.  Hop on over and check out the other cuties!