I've been wanting to venture into creating original art canvases for quite some time, but I've had a hard time finding the inspiration for what I wanted to create. Then last week, I was going through my "vintage graphics" file where I put any piece of vintage paper ephemera I come across that intrigues me. In it, I found that I had stashed some wonderful travel and hospitality brochures from the 1950s. I finally had my inspiration!
I painted and inked the baker and his yummy treats, his baking table, and his baking flour. The painted illustrations became a part of a collage along with a harlequin design that I created for the canvas and some reproductions of recipes I found in my Grammy's recipe box (couldn't use the original family heirlooms!). I hand-wrapped the canvas "gallery style" so there are no visible staples and made it ready-to-hang with a gorgeous milk chocolate colored satin hanging ribbon.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Cupcake Baker Extraordinaire
Monday, February 23, 2009
Yummy Faux Goodness
If you have not had the pleasure of being introduced to Brissonte', I highly recommend that you take the time to visit the Brissonte' blog and the Brissonte' Etsy store. I was originally drawn in by their decadently adorable faux felt desserts and have now found a number of favorites amidst their many lovely offerings.
And if you happen to live in the general vicinity of Lawrence, MA, you could also visit their retail shop and art studio in The Cotton Weaving Mill. Unfortunately, I am not on the right coast, so I will enjoy their online establishments. If any of you do go to visit their retail shop and studio, please drop me a note. If you take photos of your visit, I'd love to post them here.
Oh, I almost forgot, they also have a wonderful online inventory at the Brissonte' official website.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
pinc.stuff
If you're looking for some adorably cute sweet calorie-free treats for the holidays, then look no further than pinc.stuff. Sheryl Ng creates and crafts such sweet delicacies that you'd think they were edible.
I have to agree with Sheryl when she asks, "Don't these little cupcakes bring back sweet memories?" They do for me! This dainty little replicas look just like the original edibles.
I just couldn't resist sharing this precious charm bracelet with you! Is this just the cutest conglomeration of mini marshmallows you've ever seen?!?!
And Sheryl lets you choose which one of this lovely dainty desserts you want on an 18" inch silver chain necklace. Oh my! It's so hard to choose just one!
Sheryl offers so many pieces that you've got to go over to pinc.stuff and see them all for yourself.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Everyday is a Holiday at Jenny's Bake Shop
I have to admit right off the bat that I've been a fan of Everyday is a Holiday for over a year now. So you can imagine how thrilled I am to be able to introduce them to all my pearly friends.
Jenny and Aaron are a couple with a passion for the wonderful illustrations of the past. In their own words:
"Our love of old fashioned bakeries, sweet shops, ice cream parlors, and vintage holiday & party decorations all come together in our newest collection! All of the imagery is based on our 100% original paintings and every piece is handmade by us!"Their work is amazing! I'll let their art speak for itself. And I'll let Jenny and Aaron's descriptions do the talking as well...
"Needless to say...we are crazy for anything vintage kitchen. But our favorite thing of all is vintage recipe books. Many of them are nothing more than pamphlets, but the ones with imagery inside are to die for. Sometimes we'll come across illustrations like this Retro Gal and we think 'wouldn't it be amazing to have a painting like that?' And that's what we did here. We referenced a bunch of very old black and white photos and chose the ultimate vintage kitchen color palette...LOVE the pink stove!!"
"This piece is the ultimate in Cottage Bakery! An old fashioned, chocolate frosted, 3 layer cake, on a backdrop of our signature hand painted sweet & chic floral print. The background color is the perfect shade of vintage pink. The delicate floral pattern is reminiscent of vintage aprons, ticking fabric, and wallpaper. We adore the British cottage look and this piece definitely channels that love. The combination of the chocolate frosted cake and super sweet vintage floral mini print will truly cheer up your cottage inspired kitchen, dining area, little girl's room, cafe, sweet shop, coffee house, bed and breakfast, etc."
"Our ornies are all 100% handmade from prints of our 100% original artwork. They're excellent quality... made from very study artist mat board... they feel totally substantial and they're sealed with a protective clear coat. The backs are covered in various colorful patterned papers and vintage ephemera such as recipe book clippings. They hang by a length of classic bakery twine and each and every one is adorned with super fine glitter highlights."
Okay, have I tempted you enough? Head on over to their Etsy store by clicking here and see what else they have in store.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Loretta Red
At the Etsy store of Loretta Red the motto is: "...embrace the cute!" And believe me, it isn't hard to do just that when you've got such wonderful cuteness to choose from at Loretta Red. Here's a sampling of what you'll find there:
Now doesn't this absolutely quality for "cute"?And once you're done rolling out the cookies of course you have...
Holiday Milk and Cookies Necklace
But if cookies aren't what you're craving, maybe you'd like...Fresh Apple Pie necklace
Looks like somebody already got the first slice.Who cares! It's all delightfully "yummy"!
If you want something a little more dressy...
White Cake and Pearls Necklace
There's even more in store if you head on over to Loretta Red.
I'll even make it easy for you, just click right here.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Bugga Bugs
If you're like me, every once in a while you get the desire to be super creative. That desire often fades when I realize I don't have the creativity to think up something creative to do! Or sometimes I'd just like to have a little project that I can pick up, work on, complete, and see it finished, thus satisfying that creative urge without requiring me to turn my life upside-down to make it.
That's why I love the idea behind Bugga Bugs. It's a place full of "heart-felt fun" and is chock full of all the ideas you need to be creative and feel really good about accomplishing something that looks harder than it really is.
"Each Bugga Bugs pattern comes complete with a Cover Page to help you stay organized, Sewing Tips and Tricks, Supply List, Pattern Instructions (including step by step color photographs) and Full Scale Pattern Pieces (no enlarging necessary). Patterns are e-mailed in PDF format."
Imagine making up this adorable "Bakery Sweets" setfor the special diva in your life (even if it's you!).
And EVERYTHING is made of felt!
Can you believe it?
Then make this adorable pink tea set to go along with it.Look... the teapot really opens up!
And then make up some adorable gourmet felt cupcakesthat actually fit into a real muffin tin.
Friday, October 24, 2008
CuteAbility
There are times when shopping is just downright fun. It's usually when I find a store that has such character that I just enjoy being there. Well, I found an online Etsy store that does that for me. The shop is called CuteAbility and is billed as a shop with "fun jewelry for the young and the young at heart". There is such a plethora of cuteness at CuteAbility that I had a really hard time limiting myself to what I would feature here as the sampling to whet your appetites.
Take a look...
Someday Your Prince Will Come Necklace(because my childhood nickname was Cinderella,
I'm really wanting this)
Candy and Roses Pink Polymer Clay Cake NecklaceIsn't this just the most precious dainty pastry
you've ever wanted to wear?
Chocolate Frosted Cupcake NecklaceNothing is better than chocolate and pink!
Baking a Cake NecklaceIs this the ultimate Dusting in Pearls necklace or what?
Long Stemmed Rose Beaded NecklaceClick on the link above to see how gorgeous this looks on!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Bon Bons and Other Yummies for the Bath
When I first got married, I had to quit my full-time job because of health problems. I would bemoan the fact by saying to Hubby, "People are going to think I sit around on the sofa all day eating bon bons!" Hubby would always reply, "Where in the world did you get that idea? And what the heck are bon bons????" Last week as we were grocery shopping together at Trader Joe's, I stopped Hubby in the freezer aisle, pointed to a box of frozen bon bon's and said, "THAT'S what I've been talking about all these years!"
Recently, I shared this with my sister who enlightened me as to where I got this image. She reminded me of an old cartoon with a couple of pigs and a bazillion baby piglets. The husband pig was required to chase after the piglets and do all the housework while the wife pig stretched out on the sofa eating chocolates from a fancy box. My sister and I had a good laugh about how we both have issues with worrying that others think we're sitting around eating bon bon's all day.
Well, imagine how tickled I was when I discovered Soap Cafe with "yummy" soaps that look like decadent desserts. And they have a box of "Chocolate Soap Bon Bons"!
This is just a small sampling of what is available from Soap Cafe. Head on over there to see the rest. But I advise you not to visit on an empty stomach.
Friday, October 3, 2008
The Fakery Bakery
In my quest for calorie-free yummy goodness, I discovered the adorable creations at The Fakery Bakery. Paula at The Fakery Bakery makes good-enough-to-eat Felt Foods and also has a line of Sweet Treat Jewelry . About the new line of Sweet Treat Jewelry, Paula says:
"Not only can you play with our foods, now you can wear them too!!"Even though I would have loved these when I was a little girl having Kool-Aid tea parties and learning to love the color pink, I think that I love them even more as an adult! Why? Because I can appreciate how truly beautiful they really are.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Lilley Handcrafted Loveliness
Sugar cookies are so yummy and they are a weakness of mine. Imagine my sheer delight when I discovered wear-able sugar cookies that have no calories at Lilley Handcrafted Loveliness. There's lots of other almost-good-enough-to-eat creations too. Here is just a sampling of what's in store for you when you visit Lilley Handcrafted Loveliness. I highly recommend visiting the Lilley Handcrafted Loveliness blog as well.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Stylish and Yummy Pin Toppers
Gigi Minor at Pinks & Needles creates gorgeous and playful pin toppers. What is a "pin topper", you ask?
Gigi says:
"...as far as I know I coined the phrase 'pin topper'... Remember the good ole' days when your Grandmother's thimble or spoon collection was so fun to look at? Well, I can see that same trend happening with these little babies! Some of you may be wondering 'What in the world is a pin topper?' It's basically a sewing pin but with a surprise on the top like a cupcake or mushroom, maybe even a piece of fruit! Think of it as a little bling for your pin cushion!"
The great thing that I can see about the pin toppers is that they're each a piece of art; so pretty; inexpensive (always a plus!); the good-enough-to-eat treats are calorie-free; and they're so small that they don't take up a lot of room! It's the best of all worlds.
