Harvest From My Silk Garden

Last week was an action packed week with the addition of Thanksgiving and my holiday gig at Neiman Marcus but I managed to find time to weed my silk garden and vintage button stash so that I could add some more gifty items to my Etsy shop

Where's Pepper?

My son, Will bought this darling oddity at auction recently.

At first he thought it was a hat pin holder...makes sense...baby crying because pins are being impaled on its sweet little head...but when he turned it over there was a cork and when he removed the cork out poured the salt.

Will has done his usual research but has not been able to come up with any information on this piece of porcelain. There is no makers mark just a set of numbers that would indicate German or English origin...surely Victorian and most definitely tugging at my heart strings ...and maybe it will turn up under the Christmas tree if it doesn't sell on Ebay!

I would love to know what pepper looks like!

Wearable Art Collage to Silk Scarf

I recently found a company that can transfer your art work on silk. I am so happy with the results. They printed 4 different versions using silk, a wool and silk blend and a very fine light weight wool that is really soft and lends itself the the dreamy quality of the transfer.

The company requires your art to be in a digital file in a 1:1 ratio. Since my collages are all 6X6 I had the challenge of having to enlarge and rework the piece a bit in Adobe Photoshop. Although I am really pleased with the results and I LOVE working in Photoshop I think next time I will planning to do the original art work in the actual size of the scarf.

Because this first batch was a test I kept the size small 20 inches square. It is a nice versatile size to knot around your neck. The hems have been hand rolled which gives the scarf a nice touch. My next order I think I will try an oblong scarf in the wool. The entire process was so easy and gratifying.

If you are interested in printing on silk check out Lyma Products here
The service was great and Al was a great guy and very helpful in guiding me through the process.

I am offering 2 of the scarfs for sale at Whimrose Projects Etsy shop

to view my original art work go here

Lanvin Silk Brooch Knock Off

Don't you love the title of this page torn from the November issue of Bazaar Magazine...you have got to be kidding??!...$360 for a few scraps of silk... they call this Smart Shopping?

The REAL smart shopping can be done at Etsy this year. It is remarkable the unique, handmade offerings that you can find for under $50 ....including my "silk corsage" for $20, finished with a vintage rhinestone studded Lucite ball button... beautifully wrapped and ready for gift giving...and I am even offering free shipping! I will also take special orders if you would like specific color combinations.

Hand Dyed Wool Felt Shoulder Pouch

I have found a new home for my vintage pin badge collection! My newest addition to the Whimrose Projects Etsy Shop line of patchwork wool is this 6X10 inch hand dyed wool shoulder pouch...of course I would be remiss to give up my little collection of pins so I will have to make another version of the bag with perhaps some vintage buttons or Bakelite doodads. I lined the bag with a piece of vintage floral fabric and made the strap using 3 torn pieces of wool felt that I braided together. I am planning on having this listed on Etsy tomorrow. I need to get the shop tricked out for the holidays before I start my seasonal gig at Neiman Marcus.