LEARN FROM YOUR CHILDREN!!!!

MY HOUSE IS FINALLY GETTING BACK TO NORMAL!!!

The sun is shining in the living room despite the dump of snow and icy cold weather today.

It seemed to have taken much longer putting the house back together from Christmas this year.  I blame the cold, dark days and the fact that I decided to do the Spring Cleanout while I put everything back.

The living room is completely done!  Cleaned , polished and lovely.  The floor held up great and I still really like it, it looks like worn denim.  I picked up the really fabulous Bohemian pillows from HomeSense the brighten up the room.

I brought some pieces from the other living room in to this one for a change.  I inherited the old Quebec Gate Keeper from my Grandmother's primitive collection.  He has a big metal hoop on his back and he would hang on a gate and hold the key.

I also move Saint Mamet on to the old step stool.  He is the Saint of stomach ailments.  For years I thought he held a loaf of bread but he is holding intestines....lovely!  My Grandmother bought him in the 1970's from an old Monestary School outside of Quebec, he is from France by way of Ireland.  The person who had him was a collector of old religious figures.

The Grouse and her babies is an old carving from Ontario.  The print of the little girl feeding chickens was my Grandmother's favourite.  I painted the woman harvesting wheat as a companion piece for my old men in the kitchen.

I bought this amazing print of Gypsy Horses at a farm auction a few years ago.  The owners were collectors and the price on the back was $350 in 1961.  It was in perfect condition.  Unfortunately it rained that day and the auctioneers had the paintings and prints outside instead of in the barn so it got water damage on the bottom.  I bought it for $10. and I love it in spite of the dumb mistake the auctioneer made.

Last the is a sign I made that hangs over  our door.....words to live by.

OUR FURNITURE BUSINESS.......13 MOCKINGBIRDS.

Before I made Kimonos for my Bohemian Shop MY HIPPIE HEART we had a Primitive Pine Furniture business called 13 MOCKINGBIRDS.

We started out making small pieces for our home, the bird shelf is the first piece I ever made.  The tray is one of the last ones I have left, they were very popular.  The Market Box is a copy of an antique one from Norway, they held vegetables.

We started making larger pieces and sold a lot of cupboards, harvest tables and armoires.  Our son and his wife furnished their home with our pieces.  We make matching armoires in their living room, matching bookcases and dressers and the most recent addition was a harvest table I had been using in our storage area, we refinished the top to lighten it up now it has a very Scandinavian feel.

When our little darling was born we made this storage cabinet for her room, it holds baskets, we also made her this little stool.

When we needed storage in the kitchen for my pots and pans we repurposed a great old pine table    into this cupboard.  It is on casters so I can use it as an island if I need to.  The lovely mustard

piece hold paper work and wine!

We used old an new pine to make this great woodbox and when we did the One of a Kind show in Toronto I needed a place for the debit machine and transaction papers so we made this nice tall piece, the inspiration was our trays so happy ravens are painted on all sides to represent the 4 seasons.

Although I miss creating with wood, we still do it for ourselves and our family, it is a lot of work.  Now that I make the kimonos, they are so easy to transport to shows, reasonable to ship too.  I will always love my business 13 Mockingbirds and if anyone asked I am sure we would still make them a pieces.

POP UP SHOPS!!!!!!

I am looking into doing some POP UP SHOPS this summer for MY HIPPIE HEART Kimonos.

It would be nice to find some spaces to set up with just my Kimonos and Kaftans and not a lot of other Artisans with different mediums.

I did several Artisan show and Festivals last summer and it was exhausting.  So many different Artists and unfortunately many times the people who put on these shows just want to sell spaces so I find myself there with dozens of other seller who I have nothing in common with which does not attract the people who would be interested in my pieces.

I would love to be "mobile" one day with a cute little Hippie Bus but that would not be for some time, right now it is just a dream.

Having never done  a POP UP SHOW I really am not sure how it works.  If anyone out in Blogging Land has done one let me know I am interested to see if they are successful.

VINTAGE NEVER GROWS OLD!!!

I adore vintage clothing.  The quality of the work, fabrics and embroidery lasts for decades.  This gorgeous velvet and silk embroidered opera jacket is a wonderful example.  Made in the 1920's it is in mint condition and just sold at auction, some lucky person will wear this I am sure.

Also from the 1920's is this embroidered silk dress and coat.  this particular piece was part of a museum exhibit for a French designer but the quality is still there.  I love the faded look of the silk.

Look at the sumptuous velvet in this 1930's French cape.  The embellishments are breathtaking.  The velvet has not faded or deteriorated in any way,  love this!

Another piece from the 1920's , this Italian opera coat is made of silk and velvet, another museum piece, gorgeous.

This Italian designed 1920's coat is fabulous.  Look at the gold embroidery, the deep rust velvet shawl collar.  I can only imagine how this feels on, it would have some weight but the elegance of the design would make you feel wonderful.

As you know, I use vintage silk sari fabrics for my Kimonos and Kaftans in my shop MY HIPPIE HEART.  I will be starting my new line at the end of the month and I cannot wait to start to use the fabrics I have been collecting since the Fall.  I have many pieces from the 1940's to the 1970's and they are in perfect condition.  Embroidered fabric, hand painted and some luscious velvet I found in thrift stores.  The beautiful Kimono Jacket is from the 1920's and I was lucky enough to have found some velvet in that lovely smokey blue but just enough to make a Flower Child Kimono for our little darling.

Last but not least, is this fabulous Vintage Turkish coat from the 1930's.  Why do they not make pieces like this anymore?  Look at that indigo velvet and the lining.  If I had a coat like this I would wear it all of the time.  Perhaps one day I will find some fabric close enough to make one for myself!