Cute as a Cupcake!

Well as i said Love the Pink, I found this antique table with claw feet at a yard sale- a bit ragged on top, so instead of restoring or painting to sell at shop, I thought I would frill it up& use as a display piece or more just for fun & see what i could do with it. Painting it in a heirloom white-adding some trims, tulle, fur, mini pom poms and chariming shades of pink flowers left over from my wreath making. Perfect for a display of pretty cupcakes, that we give out to our customers at Not Too Shabby, or for future parites..
Sometimes you have to just let the girl in you out & go over the top with fur,all that is pink, & tons of tulle & always decadent Cupcakes...

Pretty with Pink!

With Spring about here, thought it was time for a new wreath on our front door, but the ones i really love are way too expensive for me so i figured i would make my own. AND well i just Love Pink, so i went with pink.
1)i found the plain wreath at Wallmart for $3, & then bought some green boxwood greenery at Michaels for $5 for a bunch, & some bushy greens for more filler at $2 a bunch
2)then i just stuffed the boxwood greens & bushy filler throuhout the wreath until full (or as full as you would want it.
3) then i took the pink hydrangeas, pink roses, and stuffed in where i thought they would look good, and added the hanging flowers in for more detail the flowers were from Wallmart and a bunch was $5 and the hanging flowers were $3 for 2 and that is it.. You can Adjust, or arrange how ever, make as full or light as you want, you could also change with the season or holiday.
I Just LOVE mine, as you see hangs on our front door.

My Ruffled Idea!!

SO I made the party hats for my daughters 12th Birthday-just for fun,& then thought about (Ruffles & Stuff), and her cute contest & thought i would try to ruffle up a hat and see how it turned out.Yeah she showed it on her Ever so Popular Blog...Pretty Cool i thought,I love her spirit,comments that make me laugh & her sharing of great ideas as well as using what you got...Check out all the other cool entries on her blog.
Here is a picture of the Ruffled up Hat I sent in..If you wanted to make it, you would follow the steps on my previous post about party hats-then pick several ribbons, different textures,sizes,patterns accordong to your party or theme, and i used a glue gun, glue down ribbon, then fold,and follow around hat-starting at bottom. Then i always like fur, so i added fur to bottom, and tippy top with a crystal jewel i found. Making it princess like & fun- could be used as a gift,decoration or for a party, think of all you can add to it fur, pom poms,trims, glitter, tassles, jewels so many ideas..

The Sweet Smell!

Having a son almost 15,daughter 12 and little one who is 7 you totally realize how fast the time goes, you forget about the sweet little noises they make drinking out of a bottle, their little heads bopping around as you hold them, or that Oh Sweet Smell of a newborn Baby. Thought i would share a pic, of me and my little sweet potatoe neice(Cadence) she belongs to my little brother Sean & his Wife Christina their First Baby, a precious little girl born in January, I think I held her for almost 3 hours straight today.. Just a Perfect Baby!

Sharing is Grand!

Sharing Work &,Space in this cute little shop (Not Too Shabby) in Historic Folsom, I love to use the old looking vintage tags, I would let them soak all day to get the right brown tint, then let dry out all day as well, a bit lengthy.A Good Friend of mine shared some advice she had recieved from Marilyn of (Marilyn, Marilyn, Marilyn) the Blogger Queen and a regular at Alameda (antiques by the bay). I gave her How To, a try and it worked fantasitcly and looked amazing too.So i thought i would be a gem and share also (spreading the creative spirit).1)you can buy the tags at Office Depot for about $5 for 100 2) then you soak them in a large container (or boil them in a large pot) i used tupperware and about 4-6 tea bags & i microwaved them all for 3 min. or so.3) then you take out and lay flat on cookie sheet (keeping all string on top) and bake for about 5-8 min. on 375 degrees.4) let cool for a few minutes, and then add the v cut if you desire and there you go. Cute looking Vintage Tags, and in a quarter of the time of what i was doing..
Thank You Marilyn for Sharing your brilliant idea..

Sweet Little (Ruffle & Stuff) Inspired Basket!

If you havn't heard of Ruffles & Stuff you must check the blog out & all of her great ideas, her homemade items, her ways of turning anything into something spectacular. She recently was featured on V &Co. and showed how to make an adorable basket inspired by Pottery Barn, Way too Cute.
So i had to give it a try, And i have to say pretty easy, and I love how it turned out, so now everyone I know is getting one for Easter. You can make small ones, big ones, or tweak them to your interest,fav. colors add ribbons,eggs, flowers, or even cookies..Check her Blog for detailed instructions on How To...

Sometime's They're Right!

My husband spotted this large Vintage (old, rugged) China Hutch in a little lost shop a few weeks ago, and he thought it would be so easy to fix up. I never even took a before picture because it was so BAD-Well 4 weeks later several sanding hours,painting then re-sanding, to then bring out the belt sander & re-painting again,several trips to Lowes for drawer sliders (they don't sell the style the hutch required or at least once had anymore),re-attaching the top molding because it wouldnt fit in car to get home,countless debates on whether to use bead board, or pieceing together the original or to use fabric, and one last touch up painting job to Finally Reveal the longest fix up ever for me. But Now I think, I kind of like it & enough to where I might want to keep it. I also like the white back and black wood-that Yes My husband also suggested along with the hutch he also suggested to buy originally as he keeps reminding me, Now I will say it is pretty cute.. (Love Ya Honey-You were Right!)

Yes My

As much as I love the find or the hunt for those fabulous Vintage pieces, I also love to share whether it is my ideas, my pieces or ways to advertise. When I heard my daughters school Natoma Station Elem. School is putting on a Rummage Sale Saturday April 24th 2010 to raise much needed funds, I jumped All Over That, First a chance to help plan-promote the event, an opportunity to share my finds, show my work, spread the word about where I work (Not Too Shabby) help the school who needs all the help they can get right now (with so many budget cuts) & maybe make some money, (IM IN!!!)
So for those of you who love to yard sale, make a little bit of cash, socialize,and maybe do some shopping at same time, here you go for an AMAZING $20 for a 10x10 space you can do your thing.
Send me an Email for more info- anyone is welcome & bring the goods!!! karryann@gracefullyvintage.net

An Outstanding Piece

This Amazing Fainting Couch I re-upholstered for a friend who owns (Sophisticated Whimsy)& has such great style as you can see when you look at her piece,the carving in the wood, look at that swans head, the classy black color,& fabulous fabric she had picked up in Texas, the texture of the black-white houndstooth, i have never seen before. I just Loved it-I can't imagine what that looks like in her new home in the South.

Change of Fabric ?

I came across this pretty little wood hutch, I thought would be perfect for a t.v. or computer or even to be used as storage or for linens, so i painted it white,put some burlap on the inside back, so when you opened it, it had a clean look to it-then i took off the panels on the doors and put red-white toile (something to be different), got tons of compliments, many customers loved it,and i would hear them talk about how cute as they shopped in store, and even got lots of calls for it,but still had not sold. So with my short attention span and lack of patience I decided to change the fabric to a differ. fabric, using a white color and a really really dark brown/almost charcoal toile and put it up yesterday. So now we'll see what happens. Here are the two shots of the red- and the now blackish color toile. My Motto is (if something doesnt work-Try something else)...

So it begins.

So as the (revitilization) starts here on Sutter St in Historic Folsom, I thought I better get one last picture, and sadly I did't think of it until after they already bulldozed those beautiful tree, & began tearing up the street.But none the less, here is one last image of the historical street before...

The After Shot

So that adorable vintage 1970's china hutch i posted a week or so ago(before shots down below), is all finished and in store.Turned out pretty cute, just couldnt go wrong with those carved details, extravagant wood work on top of hutch, those darling feet or bottom of the hutch. Just So Cute, I spent a day or two trying to figure where i could fit it in my home, and then what i could use it for seeing as our home is pretty dainty in size. Maybe a crafting hutch, i could store my fabrics-trims-fur-thread or maybe my crafting paper-glitter-tags-scissors, or maybe in garage for all my paint,brushes,tarps,goof off- BUT then my kids reminded me there will always be another one, & to share my fabulous finds-So to the Store (Not Too Shabby) it goes where it looks charming in the corner with adorable Easter decor in it-and marked $399 we'll see what happens, I do have a black more squared one that my hsuband is going to help me add beadboard to back of that is almost ready to go, Maybe that one I'll keep.(hmmm?)

How To??

So today was my little ladies 12th b-day, & every Friday her & her friends go out to lunch after school, so I thought i would surprise them w/ fun Stylish-Sassy Party Hats when they got there. I had an example of one i found in San Anselmo and thought was super cute- but wanted to personalize it to my daughters style.
Here is a quick 1-2 on how to make one 1) make a pattern by tracing a b-day hat 2) Trace onto the a thicker cardboard-cardstock paper & cut out 3) trace onto paper with design you want,i used wrapping paper but can be fabric also.4)spray glue the paper-onto cardstock 5) Fold and bring together-and staple to hold in place-then hot glue seem 6) I then stapled the ribbon to tie under chins(can use elastic-string-ribbon) 7) Then you can embellish how you want.
I used a marthas stewart pen and wrote the girls names, and glittered them and added my favorite fur trim.You can make them for adults-little boys parties or for any event.A way to customize your party-and cute decoration for a girls room afterwards-Everyone likes something personalized for them (makes them feel special)..Be Sure to check out my website for more How To's...

Decisions???

With my love for detail, I have this obsession with vintage chairs as well,so here are a few chairs paitently waiting for me to make a decision on a fabric. The Tall unique brown wood one with green velvet- how odd is that chair? Can't decide if i should go neutral (not as much fun for me-but maybe easier to sell) or do i go with a funky fur-animal print-or a sweet girly fabric, then there is that short squatty chair that is all tattered &torn, I really wanted to keep this one for my home, but then where would i put it and what fabric or color would i do it in. So then taking to store, which direction should i go, It is so hard to choose a fabric,this little chair is so one of a kind in itself, that i want to do it justice, making it special, not just another side chair..(Yikes-what to do?)

How Adorable is this Hutch?

I came across this vintage china hutch, how cute, are the lines, detail in the carved top with that scroll, the unique stature of it,do you see the feet on it(amazing)I Just Adore it, It reminds of a feminine piece so I am going to do it in a hierloom white, making it a delicate girly hutch, maybe it can be used in a nursery for displaying pictures, nic-naks, storing goodies underneath, or maybe in a hallway for linen storage.Not Sure but amazing detail on this one.. Stay Tuned for the after picture...

Not Too Shabby

I thought I would post a picture of the cute little shop i sell my pieces at. The shop is located in the Historic District of Folsom where there are many antique,vintage shops, restuarants,jewelry shops, even a drama theatre where they do live plays called Stage 9, as well as live music at night and a new high end Stake House, all in walking distance of Lake Natoma & steps from Rainbow Bridge. So the shop Not Too Shabby is in a great little area.With Sutter St.getting ready for a new look with some re-development going on this year. We are hoping it can only help our business, as we are only two shops up from where they are going to be working.

Every Room needs Animal Print!

While I love elegant style, & shabby chic designs, or simple shades of heirloom white I really love that one piece of furniture that becomes an accent piece or the talk of your room. So whether it is cheetah (my favorite) or zebra, or my new found fur giraffe. It is a must in my opinion.

Take a Risk

Loving what I do, & loving sharing my ideas, or thoughts on fabric-types of chairs-taking chances on color,and how there is no mistake you can make, you have to remember you can always sand-and repaint, or tear off fabric and re-upholster, so go out on a limb, & paint those cabinets, or tackle that table, you can't imagine how paint can change a room whether it is on the wall or furniture. And it is always good to get a second opinion, like from a friend or a designer or just be confident in yourself. A good friend of mine Suzanne is a designer and has such great style must check out her blog
( http://s-w-design.blogspot.com/ )for excellent ideas of inspiration.

Loving the old,vintage chairs, see my special collection that i have collected over the years, we were cleaning out the garage and lined up all my chair(21 total) in the driveway. People kept stopping to see if we were having a yard sale- I had to tell them (back off mama's) these are my treasures.

loving my stamp

while I love making the fancy over the top aprons, i have found a new style of apron to make, with a linen, and a stamp that i made. So i really wanted a large crown stamp-but they are a little pricy-so i used some of my husbands insulation from work and made my own Crown Stamp. Well it turned out well, so then i thought i could make a heart one, and then a bird one.SO here is my crown one i did. And even more exciting is that it sold 3 days after i brought it in.(yeah)

Valentine Sweet Shop Night

Not Too Shabby has been doing great, sales are more than expected for January and we are very excited about that, the store has come together quite well, looks amazing,& a real warm feel to it especially with all the beautiful pieces in it, that are going quick-so it has been nice to rotate in the new items we have been working on at our homes and create a new look each week. With Valentine's only a week or so away we are Hosting a Valentine Sweet Shop night with The Lovely/Elegant Stella & Dot jewelry that is so beautiful with it's vintage inspired look to it, Our good friend Casie will be displaying it from 6-8, a great opportunity to see the new spring collection with no hassle no pressure while you browese through store enjoying 5% off everything in store. On top of that we will be providing wine and chocolate desserts- a Perfect Girls night out- Shopping-Sales-Jewelry-Chocolate and a glass of wine. 306 Riley St. From 6pm to 8pm-give your hubby an idea of what you want for Valentine's Day- only takes a few days to get items in with Stella & Dot.Become a Follower and recieve an additional 10% any of my items in store.
stelladot.com to preview some of her items..

Newest Addition a French Bergere Chair

A Darling Vintage French Bergere Chair i sanded-painted in a heirloom white added some plush padding & sweet white and pale pink toile patterned fabric. One of my many favorite vintage style chairs.

Vintage Couch

I just loved the lines of this old vintage large sofa i found the detail in the edging is so pretty to me. And i just love the simple,classy look of the black & white toile and sort of shabby chic touch it has, and an adorable little family bought it from us, so happy when my pieces go to a good home..

The Alameda Trip

Recently we decided to go host a booth at Alameda " Antiques by the Bay" where you are only allowed to bring in true Vintage pieces. An early (very early) experience we woke up at 1:45 a.m. to finish loading trailor & head down with an arrival time of 4:15 a.m - set up in the dark &witness the sunrise over the beautiful Bay bridge in the distance as so many vendors-shoppers wandered the grounds. We got so many ideas, and met so many people we had heard about, The one and only "Big Daddy" and his items were as amazing as we had heard, our friends over at "Tattered House"who had precious designs, from Roseville, "Bungalow" from Fair Oaks who had the most beautiful peices, met Marilyn from Oregon who hosts her own fabulous blog "Marilyn,Marilyn,Marilyn" and we even saw Dianne Keaton strolling around and were even more excited when she stopped at our booth and chatted with her friends about one of our vintage pieces (a grain box) as we sat that in a daze-and i think smiled. At the end of the day we loaded up and headed home to finally arrive back in Folsom at 6:30 p.m. A really long day but so worth it, if you ever get a chance to go, You Must Go, it is just fabulous.