Do You Have Your Easter Bonnet?

This amazingly, beautiful woman was my grandmother.

When I think of her, two things immediately come to mind.

First, that I could easily write an entire blog/book about my
beloved Granny,

and secondly, I realize  just how much like her I am.

She too was a teacher, writer and avid gardener;

had to be working on something all the time

(the woman never sat still!),

loved needlework,  little children and
hats.

Oh... how she loved hats!
No outfit was complete without a matching hat-
there was no telling how many she owned.
In her later years, the task of finding hats for Granny fell
to my mother and aunt.  It was great fun to go with them
on these excursions because we would all get to "model"
 our finds.
Our favorite places to shop for hats in Nashville were
Lovemans, Petway Revis, Rich Schwartz and Harveys
(Harvey's was my favorite as it meant a trip downtown!).


As Easter draws near, thoughts of my Granny and her Easter
bonnets naturally come to mind.
I have a passion for hats as well, not only to wear,
but to use in my numerous creations.

 

I have scads of vintage hats that I have collected over the years

that have graced everything from Santa Clauses, to snow women

and Easter chicks & bunnies.

 

 

 

Just like my Granny,

I just adore beautiful bonnets...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are two of my favorite little lambs,

June & Lucy,

wearing their fashionable spring millenary:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course, I can't leave out my most favorite hat of all...

 

 

 

 

 

If my Granny were alive today,

I'm sure she would be pleased to see that hats are indeed

quite the fashion in these parts...

thanks to our very own Steeplechase and the mind blowing

couture seen on Downton Abbey.

I'm envious of the fact that she and her six sisters probably

 wore these heavenly confections as young girls-

What an Easter parade that would have been!

 

I will end today with some special Easter bonnets for you~

antique engravings inspired by the French women

of the 1780's.

 

And to my Granny...

Happy Easter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dressed to Impress!

I'm not sure whether its my total fascination with the

incredible period attire worn by the cast of Downton Abbey,

or the "oh so chic" fashion paraded on the Red Carpet these

last weeks that have me longing to have a reason to play

 "dress up" myself. 

 Wouldn't all of us ladies love just once to be

draped in something sparkly from Harry Winston?

Or the chance to don a hat like my favorite resident dowager,

Violet?

Since the likelihood of either one of those happening is quite

 slim for me, I have to fill that impulse in other ways.

 

One can always count on Pinterest to check out the latest in

fashion trends. But I especially love seeing all of the altered

vintage dress mannequins that show up from time to time. 

They are truly inspirational!  So much in fact, that I just had

to do one for myself.

The first challenge was to find a mannequinn I could afford. 

 I literally drooled over the ones I saw at the Paris flea market

 a couple of years ago. 

 But alas, they were not in my budget~ nor

 would they have fit in my luggage!

Luck was with me however this past fall when I spied one at

a county antique fair.  Madge (thats her name~) probably came

from a department store in the 1950's~ which is considered an

 antique these days by some standards (though certainly not

mine!), and she had seen better days for sure.

However, I recognized a "diamond in the rough" and knew with

a little spackling & duct tape, she could be "Red Carpet"

material!

 

 

If only it took that to get me ready these days! Oh well!

 

 

 

 

With Phase 1 of "project Madge" completed, I could move

quickly to the fun part.  I decoupaged her bust with old

book pages & inferma, and began assembling paper

flowers from coffee filters for her ball gown.

Using an antique hoop skirt from the 1860's

( yes- I know you must have one lying around your house

as well!  Mine was leftover from a project I had

done for Nashville's Cheekwood several years ago~), tulle

and the paper flowers, I was able to construct a fairly decent

bustle skirt.

To complete her ensemble, I wrapped the shoulders in a

vintage fur caplet, added a little bling...and of course,

a crown...

and voila!

 

Madge was ready for her closeup!

 

I must take this opportunity to present a few of the dress

 forms that inspired me so. Unfortunately, Madge takes

a backseat to many of these creative beauties...

 

I can only dream about owning one of these



 

Love these book pages!

 

 

Cher at the Oscars?

 

This one just knocks me out!



Look closely... this is a Christmas tree!

Must shamelessly copy this idea!

 

Simply amazing!

And this next one is actually a cake!

 

 

 

 

 

This next dress form looks like someone has pilfered

Dame Violet's dressing table!

 

 

 

 

Oh, to live in an era where dress forms & dressing

tables were a way of life!

But for now, I have my Madge to "dress up" a

corner of my studio.

And, its almost time for her spring wardrobe!

Dame Violet would be proud.