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And Spring Arose…

I recently ordered from Etsy a set of vintage book pages:

According to the seller they are from 1889 and 1899, so I was very excited to receive them in beautiful condition!

I finished my first artwork featuring one of these vintage pictures today.  The title “And Spring Arose” was inspired by the following poem:

And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth’s dark breast
rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.

~Percy Bysshe Shelley, “The Sensitive Plant”

And Spring Arose - original watercolour and collage by Kirsten Bailey
And Spring Arose

I really enjoyed working on this piece, and I look forward to seeing what I can come up with for the other pictures.

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Saturday Selections… MMM… Chocolate

It’s Easter time again already.  Easter means three things to me – family, holidays and CHOCOLATE!

I am notorious for having pretty much no willpower when it comes to chocolate.  But it’s not just the edible kind I love!  I love warm and inviting chocolate brown as a colour, too.

Here are some of my favourite chocolate brown items from Etsy:

Chocolate brown items from Etsy

From left to right and top to bottom:

1.  The chotto tote/messenger in chocolate brown by Christy studio.  It’s practical, stylish and comfortable to carry, and the chocolate brown colour would go with so many outfits!

2. Small chocolate flower hair pin by Princess Allure.  Add a little feminine style to your outfit with this pretty hair pin!  Each petal has been handcrafted using chocolate coloured satin, and it features three Swarovski crystals in the centre.

3.  Chocolate rose necklace by Heather Berry.  Chocolate brown faux pearls have been hand linked together and decorated with a creamy rose and filigree medallion. This pretty feminine necklace would go beautifully with the cardigan I’ve featured!

4.  Chocolate Jar by TC Art.  This doesn’t quite fit in to the rest of my theme which are all wearable items, but it is so cute I couldn’t resist including it!  I’m a sucker for little jars and knick-knacks.  How cute would this be filled with a few little chocolates?

5.  Upcycled Cardigan – Chocolate Cookie by Caroline Joy.  I just love the idea of upcycled vintage – it’s great for the environment and means you will have a completely unique item for your wardrobe.  This cardigan is a great example of that – its a modern look using a rescued sweater.

6.  Walk Tall vintage chocolate brown high heeled boots by Planet Claire Vintage.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE these boots!  I would definitely have snapped them up myself already if I didn’t have the feet of a giantess (they’re a size 5).

I hope you’ve enjoyed my selection of chocolate goodness this weekend!  Please let me know what you think of the new format, too (i.e. putting all the pictures at the top together instead of spacing them out).

Have a safe and happy Easter!

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Friday Favourites – Silver White Winter

I know it’s not quite Friday yet, but I thought I’d post my Friday Favourites now as I don’t know if I’ll get a chance tomorrow.

This week’s selection is inspired by this painting:

It’s actually stinking hot here right now, so I’m a little envious of my northern-hemisphere friends and their white winters 🙂  To get me into a cooler frame of mind, I’m featuring beautiful items in blue, white and silver.

First up this week is this sterling silver necklace with interchangeable amazonite and pearl pendants, by Emily Wiser Jewellery.  I love that you can wear just the white or just the blue pendant, but I think they look great together.

You may have noticed that I am very taken with swirls, and they feature heavily in my artwork.  Bearing that in mind, I’m sure it isn’t difficult to guess what caught my eye about this beautiful necklace, titled “Romantic Getaway” by Beach Glass Gone Wild!

The next blue and white beauty on my list is this gorgeous vintage vanity fair robe in periwinkle blue, from Fine Vintage Apparel.  It’s just too pretty for words!

This Silver Snowflake necklace from Inbal Jewelry and Design is just lovely.  It would make a lovely addition to a winter outfit, but I think it is so pretty I’d wear it all year round.

Last, but most definitely not least, is this stunning card featuring artwork titled “Buckwheat Branches” by IsabellaFlora.  The card is blank inside so it could be given for any occasion – it’s just beautiful!

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Four Friday Favourites

Welcome to my second edition of “Friday Favourites” – this week I’m lising four of the items on my Etsy favourites list.

My first choice this week is this stunning Lace Noir Vintage Olga nightgown, from TiaLey Vintage.  I’ve been eyeing off this one for a while 🙂  Almost looks like an evening dress, not a nightgown!

The next item on the list today is also a nightgown (I have a lot of these in my favourites list – wish I could afford to buy them all!).  This nightgown from Haute Country Vintage is in the most gorgeous shade of blue – I just love it!

I hope my husband is paying attention to the Christmas present hints here! 😀

Next up is this beautiful turquoise and sterling silver bracelet from Julie’s Jewels.  I love the colour of the turqouise, and I think it would go with so many outfits – you could wear it with casual or more dressed-up clothes.

Last, but most definitely not least, are these stunning Versailles earrings by feminesque.  I love the colour and the swirly shape.  The matching necklace is just as beautiful.  These are definitely one of my favourite Etsy jewellery items!

Well, that’s my Friday favourites for another week!  Please check out the stores mentioned, as they have other lovely things available too!