Little Pink Studio

Out and About: Antiques in Old Town

Hello! This past weekend my husband and I went to Atlanta to celebrate our anniversary. While there we went to one of my favorite antique shops that is actually in Lilburn, GA, "Antiques in Old Town". First let me apologize for the awful quality of these photos. I snapped a couple quick ones as we were leaving and I didn't look at them until we had already left. So, they're awful photos of a beautiful antique shop. I have been visiting Antiques in Old Town whenever we visit the Atlanta area for a couple of years now. It never disappoints! 

The vendors are so talented and the shop is always styled so beautifully. So not only do I always leave with lots of beautiful stuff, I always leave inspired as well. 

Luckily, I found a couple of better photos of this beautiful shop on their blog. 

And my sweet husband bought me this absolutely stunning vintage prom dress to add to my collection. Again, this is their photo, but I will get a photo of my own soon to show you some of the wonderful details in this dress. 

Next time I visit, I will be sure to get better photos, but if you're in the area, it is absolutely worth a visit. 

xo, Cerri

A peek into April's Little Pink Box

Hello! Just popping in to share a peek into last month's Little Pink Box.  Lots of pretty things went into April's box, and there were THREE project kits! Ha. I usually include one creative project as well as lots of other lovely things, but this month I just couldn't choose so there were 3 projects! The pretty tins above were filled with gorgeous charms, both vintage and new. 

Then there was this creative kit, which had the contents to create this little "shadow box". 

Then there was a kit to create a painted jar. 

Everything was included from the jar, to the pretty paint pots, to the sponge brush. No extra supplies were needed to complete this kit. And yes, I know it may be silly to embellish paint pots with vintage lace and appliques, but seriously, I would prefer if ALL of my paint pots looked this way. ;)

And lastly, there was a kit to create a lovely lace bag made from a linen bag and embellished the new sew method with gorgeous vintage laces!

And as always, tutorials for each project was on the private Little Pink Box blog for subscribers. There is still time to treat yourself to the May box, or perhaps a 3 month subscription! 

There are lots of beautiful things in store for the upcoming month's boxes! I'm so excited!

In other shop news, I am currently restocking some of the gorgeous vintage laces that sold so quickly, and there a just a couple of the spring inspiration kits left if you would like to treat yourself to one of those!

So, so many pretty things included in those kits! 

I have a new book project in the works, and I'm getting quite excited about it. If you love fairies, you might just love this one too! I'll share more on that soon. 

Happy crafting! 

xo, Cerri

More catching up...gifts for friends

Hello! I hope you're staying warm in all of this crazy cold spreading around the country! Even here in TN, it's going to be down to 0 tonight which I think is record breaking cold for us. I read somewhere though that some places are having lows of -76! That's just crazy! I will probably not be leaving the house until Wednesday when it warms back up here. Seems like some great studio time, doesn't it? Or maybe to catch up on laundry and clean my room? Ha. 

Anyway, still catching up here and wanted to share these gifts I sent to a sweet friend and customer of mine and her adorable daughter. A while back she contacted me telling me that they were going through some hard times and wanted some distraction and inspiration for both of them. She was wanting me to do a custom order for her, but I decided to just do them as gifts. Unfortunately, lots of life got in the way, and it took me forever to get these out to her, but I do think she loved them when they did arrive. 

There's going to be a lot of photos in this post, so grab you a cup of tea and settle in. :)

I used a couple of wooden boxes and embellished them, then filled them with some sweet little supplies that I thought would inspire each of them. This is the box I made for my friend. 

Inside of her box I included a fabulous old book cover that she could turn into an art journal, lots of vintage papers and trims, vintage wallpaper, lovely old ribbons, an old bisque doll head, and some sweet little gold doll shoes. Lots of stuff to play with!

I also packaged up some of the inspiration materials in hand stamped bags, and included some petite colalge sheets as well. 

This is the box I made her daughter. Her Momma said she loves pink, and girly things. So that's what I went for. She's a brunette, but I could not find a super cute image of a brunette little girl for the cover. Hope she didn't mind this one. :)

Inside I made her a vintage hankie book kit like the one her Mom had just purchased from me so that they could both make one. I also included some sweet collage sheets and even a colorable collage sheet for her to add to her book, letters to spell her name, sparkly embellishments, pretty vintage papers and fabrics, trims, and of course some pink glitter glue! What little girl doesn't need some pink glitter glue? 

I think they both enjoyed their boxes, and hopefully it provided some creative fun for the two of them. 

I loved putting these boxes together for them, and really have thought of adding something like this to the shop, but just not sure how I would do it on the website to where the boxes could be customized for the little or big girl. I'm still thinking on that...

I still have a couple more catch up posts to do, so I'll be back tomorrow. I hope you don't mind. :)

Stay warm and safe out there!

Cerri xo

 

 

A couple of adjustments to The Little Pink Box

Hello! I hope your week has started off lovely. My husband's birthday was this past weekend, and my daughter came home from Nashville, so we had some wonderful family time. It's always nice to have both of my girls in the house. 

I wanted to mention to you that I have made a couple of adjustments to the way I am doing Little Pink Box. The first couple of months I knew there would be some trial and error as I figure out what works best for me, but also for you. So, while things may change a bit again, right now, I'm only making two small changes. 

First, I will take orders on the current month until the 15th of every month. On the 16th, the next month will go up for sale. This gives me a bit more time for ordering supplies in the correct numbers, but it also gives customers a longer time to be able to purchase, and no need to rush to the website on the first of every month. My hope is also to be able to accommodate more customers wishing to purchase the box as well. 

Second, because some items take a bit longer to arrive or to get ready, boxes will ship between the 20th and 25th of every month. I will still attempt to get them out by the 20th, but I need a little leeway with the ship date. 

The photo above was my inspiration for July's Little Pink Box. (taken with my phone and instagram) It's a gorgeous old hat box label I found. That inspired the whole box. :) I will post peeks soon, as I will have them in the mail in the next day or so. 

And this! You have probably seen the vintage dress forms I have had in my shops for the past 6 years or so, but this little darling is about half the size of those! It's only 3.75" tall, and just so, so cute. They will be in July's box, but I am currently working on a deal to see if I can start offering them in the shop as well. I just think they would be so cute altered, and used as place settings at a shower or party, or altered in other ways as well. 

So, that's it. Just two little changes, and a bit of inspiration. 

In addition to the box, I've been working on a few other projects too, I'll be sharing very soon. 

Cerri xo

Petite May Basket Swap

Hello! How is your week going, so far? I wanted to host an Easter basket swap this year like I have done a few years in the past, but with being sick so much I was unable to get to it. A couple of years ago I participated in a petite May basket swap and it was lots of fun, so I decided to host one this year! I know it's a bit short notice, but I think we can do it. 

I gathered some inspiration from flickr, where the May basket group was hosted and here are a few of my favorites. 

(All of the original photos and links can be found right here. Many of the photos belong to ladies that are no longer blogging so I wanted to be sure to link to the source of the photos)

Lots of gorgeous inspiration there, right?

This will be a one on one swap, unless you would just like to have more than one partner and if that is the case, let me know. To participate, you will need to create, alter, OR embellish a petite basket and fill it with the kind of art goods your partner would love. I want each basket to be special, with attention paid to the smallest of details. (Like packaging things sweetly, etc.) NO JUNK. I don't want anyone to fill their sweet little baskets with things they just don't want anymore, but rather treasures that their partner will love. 

All baskets will need to be in the recipients hands by May Day. (May 1st) 

If you'd like to join, and can can meet the expectations, then please shoot me an email telling me your name, address, where you can be found on the web, and your likes or style. Send the email to cerri at thelittlepinkstudio dot com. Also, please be sure to let me know if you are willing to ship internationally since our time is short.  I will take sign ups only until Sunday evening so then I can quickly assign partners. I want you to have plenty of time to get your baskets ready. 

I do hope you will play along, I just love a good swap, don't you?! Please feel free to add the button at the top to your blog and I'd love for you to share if you would like!

Cerri xo

PS, I almost forgot to mention: If you have a 12-13 year old gal that would like to play along, please let me know. My niece loves to do swaps with me, and I know she would love to play along for this one as well. 

Let's talk about gingerbread houses

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Hello! Not quite ready with my tutorial this week yet, so let's take a moment and talk about gingerbread houses, shall we? There's just something so magical about creating a house of cookies, candy, and frosting. It's been a long standing tradition in our house to make gingerbread houses, starting way back when my girls were just little and their houses were more of a candy and frosting mess than anything. Over the years it became a bit competitive, and we've had everything from tiny little houses, to full on gingerbread ships. (My husband won that year) We don't compete with them as much anymore, but I still really enjoy making them. Just thought I would share some of the wonderful little houses I found on pinterest. 

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(I couldn't click through for an original source for this, but here is the pin)

I am quite smitten with the idea of using your gingerbread houses as a centerpiece for your holiday table!

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Follow the link for a tutorial, more ideas, and a template for your gingerbread houses!

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And just how sweet are these tiny houses? Wouldn't they make darling place settings? Sorry, I could not find an original source for these sweet houses, but I just love the idea!

I think I'm leaning towards tiny houses myself this year. We'll be making them this weekend, so I better get busy collecting my candy. :)

Do you make gingerbread houses in your family? Do you make them from scratch, or buy the premade kits? 

Be back soon, Cerri

Let's talk about place settings

 

(image source and lovely tutorial)

Hello! I'm sorry to have disappeared a bit on you. Last Friday, I had planned a giveaway for the blog, but then the tragedy in CT happened, and I didn't feel right about posting something as trivial as that. In fact, I haven't felt like posting or being on the internet much at all since then. My heart is broken for the families of all of those involved. 

I'm trying to just concentrate on Christmas, and all that needs to be done before then. So today, I thought we would talk a bit about place settings. Have you already set your holiday table? I have seen some really lovely and inspiring settings around the net this season. I am quite smitten with the bow napkin fold above, as well as the lovely colors! I have really had a fondness of green and ivory this year. The link above will not only take you to the source of the photo, but a great tutorial for making the bow fold yourself. 

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This photo is not pictured as a place setting, but I think it would make a one! Sweet little ornaments nestled into a vintage tart tin. Lovely.

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And just how lovely are these ornaments hanging from ribbon on the back of each chair? 

I also love this simple and sweet idea. Just drill a hole in a wood slice, place a small branch inside a glue a star to the top. Each of your guest not only knows where to sit, but can also take home a little memento.  (This photo came was from marthastewart.com as is noted on the photo itself, but I could not find it on the website, sorry!)

What do you do for place settings? Please share your ideas, or links to photos in the comments. We would love to see. 

I will be back with a tutorial on Thursday, and we will try again for a giveaway on Friday. 

A quick note about the shop: I will take any last minute orders that need to be expedited throughout the day on jWednesday, but after that will not be shipping again until after the first of the year. My girls are both home, and as you might remember, last year was a really, really tough year for us, so I want to snuggle in and enjoy my family as much as possible. 

I will be happy to email gift certificates and tutorials at any time though! 

Cerri 

Handmade gifts

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Hello! I hope your week is going well! This year, I really want to spend time creating some gifts for the people I  love. Other than a couple of things for my Mom, I haven't really made any gifts in a long time. I want to change that. I haven't started yet, but all of these are things that are on my "to do" list. 

I love the way the natural beeswax candles look in the simple jars above, don't you? So pretty. Apparently, burning beeswax in your home is a good thing as well. I adore candles, always have, but I have pretty bad allergies and as I get older they get worse, so I actually have a hard time burning anything with a scent. I am hoping these will do the trick.  If you want to make some beeswax candles too, you can find out how here, with a lovely tutorial (and more pretty pictures of the candles).

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I love, love this idea. These beautiful framed doilies are actually for sale as an instant collection, but I was thinking this would make a fairly easy and lovely gift to make as well. Though, I have a lot of doilies I don't think I have any quite as beautiful as these. 

I also think beautiful pieces of lace would also be great framed in the embroidery hoop frames. Wouldn't it be wonderful to gift someone a collection of hoops that have framed pieces of family wedding dresses? 

Anyway, I'm definitely looking for more doilies, and Mom, if you're reading..hint. hint. ;)

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These little truck pin cushions are definitely on the list for my girls. So cute, right? I just love this idea. My youngest daughter is a country girl at heart, you rarely catch her out of her cowgirl boots, and having an old truck to haul her vintage camper is definitely one of her dreams. So I think this would be right up her alley. When I pinned this though, my oldest daughter proclaimed that she wanted one too. :) I'm on the hunt for some old trucks. 

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And last for today, I think this idea is adorable. But for Christmas/winter holidays I think it would be darling to make a kit like this with hot cocoa. Think cute mugs, cocoa mix, marshmallows, sprinkles, candy canes, etc...It would be a great gift for a "family" gift, a neighbor gift,teacher gift, a college student care package, or even just for your nieces and nephews. 

I can't wait to get started making and putting together handmade gifts!

What about you? Do you make gifts? What's on your list this year? 

xo,Cerri

PS, Starting tomorrow I will begin showing you what's "in store" for the our holidays in the shop. I think you'll find something for everyone. 

Wrapping with non traditional things we have on hand

Hello! Today's post really should be brought to you by my sweet Momma, who has turned into the gift wrapping queen. All of the packages shown here were wrapped by her. I love how she takes items that she has in her studio to make her gifts even prettier, and abandons all "traditional" style wrapping. 

The love aqua box above was a Martha Stewart office box, and since the box was pretty in itself she simply wrapped a vintage scarf around it, tied it into a bow and added a vintage brooch. This made the wrapping gifts as well! Love that. 

Here's another package where she used her wrapping elements as gifts. Mom and I both collect vintage embroidered linens, and so I was obviously thrilled with the way she wrapped this package. She took a simple white box, and use glue dots to wrap the vintage linen around the top, she then tied that off with a bit of vintage millinery, a handmade tag, tulle, and a bit of vintage lace. Gorgeous. 

Even a lovely piece of paper can be turned into a prettily wrapped gift. She just created an envelope out of a pretty sheet of paper, and tied a bow using a piece of a vintage silk scarf and a bit of vintage millinery. Simple, and beautiful. 

This last gift again utilizes a simple white box, but she covered the top in a pretty patterned paper and then beautiful vintage lace over that. She secured all of that with simple glue dots. Topped with some silk ribbon and vintage millinery, this package is just beautiful. 

Obviously, it takes a bit more time to wrap presents like this, but it really tends to make the person on the receiving end feel so special. Plus, you use bits from your stash, or add to the gifts by making the wrapping part of the gift. These packages were not holiday gifts, but you can add a bit more bling or bits of tinsel and they would be perfectly festive for the holidays as well. 

What are some special ways you like to present your gifts? I would love to hear any special tips you have thought of when wrapping a gift. 

A quick note: 
The LPS holidays will include posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. I will be covering handmade ornaments, wrapping ideas, recipes and neat ways to present food, as well as handmade gifts. We will also have a couple of give aways thrown in.

Most blog posts will appear in the early afternoon, but sometimes in the am.

Next Monday, the 19th, will be when I have all of the holiday items in the shop. I have been adding and restocking all week, but will have it finalized by then. There will be new and new, old things throughout the shop in every category I believe. I am waiting on a few items to arrive still. Over the weekend, I plan to share peeks of what is coming. 

Also, don't forget to sign up for the stocking swap soon. You can do that right here.  We are a little more than half full right now. 

See you tomorrow. 

Cerri xo

Tuesday tutorial: Halloween inspiratioin

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Hello! I hope you had a lovely weekend and your week is off to a great start. My weekend ended up not as expected at all, and instead we had a family emergency. Such is life, I guess...but hoping for a much better weekend next time. Anyway, so today I don't have a tutorial I have prepared for you, but I have gathered all sorts of neat Halloween ideas from around the web to inspire you.

Here's a tutorial for some super cute painted pumpkins. Love the silhouette pumpkin!

Love these cute treat bags just created by folding newspaper (or other scrap papers) together and stamping on them.

These darling printables would be perfect for cutting out and adhering to your treat bags. They can also be cut out, sandwich a toothpick between two of them and made into really cute cupcake toppers. Or print them on sticker sheets and include them IN your goody bags for your little trick or treaters. For only $2, I am sure you can think of a million things to do with them! (besides, they're designed by the sweetest designer I know--my daughter)

LOVE the glittered pumpkin favor boxes! I bet you can probably find some paper mache pumpkins on clearance in the craft stores now. Just cover them in glue and silver glass glitter! Easy, and so charming.

And lastly, I love how simply a bit of washi tape can turn a little tin into into a special treat. 

For even more ideas and images, you can visit my Halloween pinterest board, so much inspiration there!

What's inspiring you for Halloween? Do you go all out for decorating and treat making? Link in the comments if you have a great idea, we would love to see!

Happy creating, Cerri