Ethnic Cottage Decor: April 2013

Saturday, April 27, 2013

The Revival of Vintage in Atlanta

Some friends and I planned to go the The Revival of Vintage on April 13th ~ and we had a blast! First of all, the old Goat Farm - The Goat Farm Arts Center - in midtown is an awesome venue. Plenty of FREE parking close to the site, rustic buildings with their great patina and character, lots of room for the crowds to mill around and not become too crowded, live music - an amazing guitarist outside when we were there on Saturday - and best of all, INCREDIBLY TALENTED ARTISTS!

I had planned a lengthy blog with photos but my camera had other plans that day! That's why I'm missing some of the talented folks I wanted to feature.

Following are a few photos I was able to salvage as well as some great photos that were from a Google search of the occasion.

Make sure you attend the next Revival of Vintage in Atlanta...you'll love it!

We loved these collages, art and sayings: http://studiobeecreations.blogspot.com/

http://www.grapevinemarketplace.com/

This lovely couple said everyone loves their faucet "hooks" (behind them)!
http://www.findtrueriches.com

Don't you just love these vintage brooch bridal bouquets? Featured on Martha Stewart! http://www.washingtongrassfleurs.com/index2.php#/home/

http://www.ribbonemporium.blogspot.com - They have the most beautiful hand-dyed ribbons and trims I've seen anywhere!

http://www.thevintagestyledlife.com/

One of our faves: http://www.past-lives.us

This awful, blurry photo is My Bad. The subjects were this lovely lady, Bianca, and her adorable assistant, Bijou. I wanted to take Bijou home with me! She gave us a tour of their wares and could sell ice to an Eskimo. I bought vintage cuff links for my brother and my friend bought some vintage bow ties as well.
Consignment's Cousin Vintage: https://www.facebook.com/consigncvintage

I thought this little gal was a HUGE talent. Nicole Mitchell from Warner Robins, Ga. She had many treasures in the Shabby Chic style and is very creative with wood work also. Take a peek at another one of her handmade treasures below on this blog... And keep an eye on her! http://www.etsy.com/shop/UnicoleImpressions?ref=search_shop_redirect

When we walked into the main auditorium our eyes instantly went to the bright and colorful designs of Finding Fabulous! So talented, Lolly and her daughter, Madison, were very popular vendors at the show.

http://www.curiousprovisions.com - These are the coolest!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/UnicoleImpressions?ref=search_shop_redirect

And by the way, I am now the proud owner of the lampshade below :-) Made by my friend, Lolly, on the left. That's her daughter, Madison, on the right and they are the talent behind Finding Fabulous in Blairsville, Georgia!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Finding-Fabulous-in-Blairsville/361179597308597?fref=ts

Some of my photos that didn't turn out so well were of the following vendors. You can take a look at their sites for some more great vintage finds!

Cindy Dail from Oxford, Ga, a very cool folk artist: http://www.past-lives.us/

Julie Murphree, Atlanta, Ga. Some lovely bottle cap jewelry: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ninelivescrafts

Gorgeous vintage and handmade jewelry: http://kimhanauer.blogspot.com/

Wind Chimes With A Purpose: https://www.facebook.com/WindChimesWithAPurpose?fref=ts

Amazing, gorgeous designs: http://www.jdrexlerdesigns.com/#home

Cool, creative gals: https://www.facebook.com/JunqueSisters?fref=ts

Inspired vintage wedding designs at The Revival of Vintage: http://www.thevintagestyledlife.com/

Loving Diva Diva Boutique in Alpharetta, Ga: https://www.facebook.com/DivaDivaBoutique?fref=ts

Who knew you could rent it?!!! http://www.dixiemoonvintagerentals.com/

Lovely jewelry by Laura Scholer: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ApricotsJewels?ref=search_shop_redirect

The most gorgeous handmade pillows, custom drapes, etc: One Unique, Canton, Ga 770-710-2626

VERY cool bohemian jewelry: http://www.boho-gal.com/

This is some of my favorite jewelry EVER: http://www.dibonadesigns.com/

Fascinating signs and sayings: http://www.lolablueframes.com/#

Thursday, April 4, 2013

COLLECTIONS & CABINETS OF CURIOSITIES

The hobby of collecting includes seeking, acquiring, organizing, displaying, storing and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector. I love to see a collection in a home even if it's something I couldn't care less about for these two reasons: it tells me somethings about the person collecting and they get joy out it! The joy may come in the search ('the joy is in the journey'), the acquisition, or the display for the enjoyment of yourself and others. For this blog, I hope to inspire you to start a collection of your own or show you some inspiring ways to display in your ethnic cottage decor. Things to collect are as varied and interesting as people are different. There are the standard historical collections of stamps, seashells, books, fishing flies, baseball cards, even rocks - which can be very beautiful!

Jay Leno has his cars, Britney and Demi Moore dolls, Tom Hanks his typewriters (see collection below) & Keifer Sutherland has a collection of over 30 classic Gibson guitars. Dan Akroyd collects police badges, Ellen Burstyn antiques and rapper Biz Markie collects Barbies. Yes, Barbies. Frank Sinatra collected model trains, Ben Stiller has a Star Trek collection, Elton John's photographs have been in museums and Dick Clark collected...music memorabilia of course. Queen Elizabeth I had a fashion fetish - she collected over 2,000 pairs of gloves! Dr. Seuss had over 200 hats. Not only do I love his fun and wise words but I too collect hats - vintage ladies' hats. Way too many! This is interesting info in that it tells us something about the collector.

There are people who just don't have the Collecting Gene, who consider it all as some sort of madness and the collection a dust magnet. As they say in the South, bless their hearts. As Mr. T said, I pity the fool! It can be such fun and it can cost only as much as you have to spend. A collection of, say, feathers or rocks could be free. A collection of rare books, art or antique furniture could really cost you some money. The WHY people collect can have varied and complex reasons. We'll save that for a psychological blog that can get into our subconscious as well as take on the hot topic of hoarding! And we won't get into the really weird stuff people collect (navel lint, anyone?) because frankly, some of it can just be gross.

Some may say Cabinets of Curiosities are gross or strange. I disagree and find the antique ones fascinating. For the uninitiated, cabinets of curiosities were originally an encyclopedic collection in Renaissance Europe of various objects typically found in nature. They were also known as Cabinets of Wonder. Cabinets of curiosities would often serve scientific advancement when images of their contents were published. This painting reveals a corner of a cabinet in 1636: