Holly Doodle Designs

I showed you the sleeve to this dress recently, but I’ve never posted the whole dress.  Isn’t it sweet?  It’s a tiny little vintage tap recitle dress!  The dress it’self is gorgeous, but the picture above is of the gorgeous ruffles UNDER the skirt!  Here’s the darling little dress:

A beautiful bit of ribbonwork on a vintage velvet baby bonnet…

A big bundle of vintage hand-made paper carnations…

Pretty little things.

I’m working on my studio/craft room right now.  Oh my gosh, it is torn apart.  Just stuff everywhere.  I’m trying to get myself truly organized.  It’s so hard for me.  I’m not naturally a neat and tidy, organized person.  I TRY to be.  And in the general areas of the house, I do keep it moderately clean and tidy, but places like… oh, my closet, craft room, laundry room, not so much.   A few days ago, I spent the entire day completely going through, cleaning out, and organizing my boys’ room.  Oh my goodness, it’s so wonderful!  The kids were so excited.  They love to hang out in there now.  I think I’ll feel that way too.  When my room is all pretty and ready to work in, I think I’ll actually MAKE MORE STUFF.  At least, that’s my fantasy.  I’ll report back with pictures when it’s all orderly.

Have a wonderful week.

I know it’s shocking, two posts in two days!  I wanted to show you some of the “details” I’ve been working on.  Velvet and ribbon strawberries and flowers.  What could be more beautiful?  Made from silk, seam binding, and velvet, these roses, forget me nots and berries may adorn some jewelry pieces I’ve been imagining, or perhaps one of the other things swimming around in my head.  I’m not sure.  As I said, I seem to be focused on the details!

I’ve noticed a lot of people in blogland focused on hand stitching, sewing, etc lately.  Is it the winter that has us rocking by a fire with embroidery hoop in hand?  Maybe.   Or maybe we just long to connect to our heritage as women.  Or perhaps it’s a rebellion against our computer/phone/internet driven world.  Or is it just plain fun?  I’m not sure, but it certainly seems a romantic mood to me, and I’m loving it.

Hello friends!  I’ve been AWOL for a bit, haven’t I?  I FINALLY have internet service again!  Yay!  We found a new provider last week.  I’m so relieved.  So you should be seeing a little more of me now.  I hope!

Today, I thought I’d show you some beautiful details from things around my home.  Just some inspiration.  Like this gorgeous pleated silk ribbon around the bottom of a lampshade.  Is this amazing or what?  The faded peachy pink color, the beauty of the silk fabric, the pleating, it’s a concert of gorgeousness!

I really like details.  I mean, I REALLY like them.  Sometimes I can get too focused on them, actually!   I especially love the old details.  Vintage things were made so beautifully.  It seems we’ve lost that attention to the small these days.  Things are mass produced instead of home made.  And we’ve lost the patience to focus on the little painstaking bits that make something special.  I know that’s been true of me too.  So, this year, I’m really feeling like sort of hunkering down and sewing, crafting, and in general making beautiful things with an attention, and dedication really, to detail.

Here is an example of something that my beautiful friend Andrea made for me.  This was a thank-you gift.  Can you believe that?  A thank you gift!  All I did was loan her a dress, and this is what I received in return.  Andrea, honey, you can borrow stuff from me ANYTIME!  I think most of you know Andrea and her attention to the little special things in life.  Her shop and blog are a testament to her sense of the special, the romantic, the little things that make the big things so much better.

Can you believe how gorgeous this is?  This is the MOST beautiful vintage millinery rose I’ve ever seen.  I almost never see them in this Old English form.  Incredible.  The details… vintage bits from an old prize ribbon, a fabulous pearl cuff, her initials embroidered in the felt on the back, nothing was overlooked.  Thank you, Andrea, I love this so much.

Speaking of millinery, here are a couple more of my faves from around the house.  Isn’t that beige velvet and cotton rose corsage amazing?  And those vintage green cotton French millinery blossoms, oh my… they take my breath away!

The corner of a special frame….

The ruffles of that dress that Andrea borrowed (and was crowned Prom Queen in at Silver Bella!)….

The view from beneath an amazing old tutu…

The sleeve from a gorgeous child’s tap recitle dress (sigh)…

So what inspires you?  Do you have any art resolutions for the year?  I found it helpful to make one last year too.  Last year I vowed to make more things for me, for fun, for my home, my family.  And I did!  And it was so much fun!  This year, it’s about devoting more time to the details.  To learning or improving or expanding on my handiwork abilities.  What are you up to this year, art wise?  I’d love to know…. leave out no details!