Thoughts from Alice W.

The Atelier Continued...

 

I told you there was more! {For those just popping in, the first post is below}

And here it is {well some...if you can believe it...there is still more...guess I have a lot of stuff?} This is the back wall of the studio...it consists of three long shelves...filled to the brim...

 

 

 

You will find loads of vintage treasures...and I have an always growing collection of old baby items...

 

Found this silver "Russell" baby cup a couple of weeks ago at the flea market...

 

French painters...my favorite...and always my inspiration...

 

 

You will find many of my grandmother Kay's art supplies in here {like all of the painting palettes and the scent jars below}...I have been blessed to receive them from my grandparents. I actually have her art desk and easel stored away for when we get a "real" studio {and by that I mean in a home that we own...and hopefully a large attic? ...sigh...a girl can dream...}

 

Grandma's "Liquid Pearl"...

 

 

 

Godey prints can be found all throughout the room...

 

 

 

The altered bottle below was a birthday gift created by my sister, Angela. One of the best gifts that I have ever received...

 

 

Old cigar boxes...

 

And I call her "Mademoiselle Vogue"...she is currently adorned with my favorite vintage hat...and a pretty beaded collar...

 

I love antique doll heads...this is a favorite...

 

Lots of old bottles...everywhere...

 

and more of Grandma's supplies...

 

 

A recent find from the flea market...the California Rose Balm bottle...

 

Seam binding...millinery flowers...and more trinkets and treasures...

 

Beautiful...

 

 

 

My grandmother's name badge...

 

And who doesn't love pretty wallpaper?

 

My absolute favorites...

 

Bin of lace and trim...

 

An old birdcage hangs in the corner {above the TV...no photos of that ;) but yes...I do watch TV in here}

 

Random shots around the room...an old sewing basket filled with ribbon...

 

Vintage sewing treasures stored in boxes and tins...

 

A hanging basket...

 

Pretty blues...

 

A beautiful old purse {also just found at the flea market}...

 

Anne of Avonlea...a favorite book growing up...and vintage spice jars with painted tops...

 

 

And finally...the pièce de résistance...Grandma's beloved paint box...my absolute favorite.

 

If there is interest in seeing more...or full room shots...do let me know. Otherwise I can move on to other posts if you are getting bored ;) I want to share what you want to see here! I do hope you have enjoyed the tour and if you missed the first post be sure to see the one below...

Till next time...

Where This Blogger Creates...

 

When the very lovely Karen Valentine invited me to join her Where Blogger's Create party, I jumped at the chance, and took it as an opportunity to finally have the motivation I needed to get my studio cleaned up and organized. We have lived in this home for almost two years now...and this studio has acted more as a storage room than space to work.

But no longer...

Now it is a haven to create in...filled with inspiration and beautiful things that I have collected through the years. Albeit...it is a cluttered space...now perhaps 'chaotically' organized...but everything has a place. And that's how I like it...

So I will try to keep the talking brief and allow you to enjoy the photos shared here...{and there are a lot! I apologize if it is overwhelming or makes your computer run slow for those on dial up....hope you will forgive me for gushingly showing off my creative space!}...

Enter Alice's atelier...

 

{oh yeah and St Joshua's too...he has a little spot carved out, just his own, under these shelves}

 

A petite chandelier decorated with sheet music...

 

 

 

 

An old window hangs from the ceiling and holds dried flowers, an old basket and a vintage baby dress...

 

With my work table below...{and Joshua's in the background}...

 

 

 

Vintage seam binding and bias tape packages are stored in a lacy vintage shoe holder...

 

 

 

 

A wicker Lazy Susan hold paint brushes and other treasures...

 

Some favorite old books...

 

Now where do I spend the most time?

 

In what we have dubbed the "computer alcove" {a converted closet with removed doors}...

This is where I sit and write to you...

 

A clothesline of old cabinet cards and white gloves are displayed in front of the curtains...

 

Joshua built small shelves on the inside for office storage...and I dressed them up a bit ;)

 

My inspiration board...

 

 

 

 

All of the walls in the studio are covered in burlap...

The door to enter the studio is on the far left of this wall....which also has an old door displayed on it, vintage shelves and lots of old treasures...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My ever growing collection of vintage lace...

 

 

I use a lot of glass jars to store treasures such as these old typewriter keys...

 

A wall shelf filled with stamps...

 

and old French printing blocks...

 

An old cashier's drawer filled with white buttons...

 

And in the corner...

 

A shelving unit covered in vintage wallpaper is filled with lace trim and fabric...

 

Well...there is so much more to share...including the far wall which has 3 longs shelves filled with some of my prettiest things.....but...I think I shall wait and share it in the coming days so as not to overwhelm you too much here! So for those of you who are new to my blog today, I do hope you will come back to see the rest...I think you will enjoy it...

But...before I go...I will share someone else's favorite spot in here...{under the window perpendicular to my computer desk and right next to Joshua's}...

 

A 'cat'....err...'Renoir' perch sits under the window...the perfect spot for my little guy to enjoy the view...

Well...do be sure to visit all of the other participants by clicking on the sidebar graphic on the above left. I am sure there are so many inspiring studios swirling through blogland today...can't wait to see them!

Till next time...

 

Rainy Days...

It's been rainy here as of late...very rainy...and not very summer like at all...

 

But I do so much enjoy cozy days spent inside listening to the rain fall against the windows and watching the earth get a shower...

As does Monsieur Renoir....{except of course if there is thunder in the air...then he is fast by my side and seeking cover}...

So what have I been up to in the meantime?

Well, other than enjoying lots of tea...

...the inclement weather has made for time to get caught up...

It seems like forever since I have had a "regular" post here with the giveaway and all...{and by the way...for those of you who have eagerly been awaiting the winner...the lucky one was Debbi of Then Am I Strong...if you go read her blog I think you will agree...she is quite deserving after all she has been through lately.}

I have also been busy preparing a few articles for future publications {will disclose at a much later date}...creating new items for the shop...and cleaning up my studio for the Where Blogger's Create Party coming up this Friday.

Are you planning on attending?

I am so excited to share my {cluttered} atelier with you...and have been getting it spruced up just for the occasion.

Another big undertaking that I have been working on...has been moving my Romantic Vignettes feature on my website. It has always been a bit of a burden hosting it on my main site...which is why they weren't updated as often as I would have liked. But now I have created a website dedicated just to our beloved Vignettes of the Moment {yours and mine}...and I do hope that you will stop by to leave your comments and feedback on it all very soon! I have not yet had time to add all of the archives or give it a design worthy of the romance shared there...but it is on my list of 'things to do'...

I created a special vignette, for summer, last month in our dining room that is the current featured vignette...here is a sneak peek, but you will need to head over to www.romanticvignettes.com to see the rest...

 

With all the busyness, I haven't had time to make the rounds to visit all of you as much as I like...I know that you all know how that goes though...and hope that you will accept my apologies and know that I often think about you during the day ;)

It still amazes me how a community of people, many of whom have never met, become such an important part of each others lives...you really are an important part of mine.

Well it is 3 am here...{yikes! Mental note: add on list of things to do...."go to bed earlier"} so I am off...but I will leave you with this adorable shot...

 

An antique lace doily was lying on the stairway, and Renoir decided to make it a pillow of his very own {he has a fetish for lace doilies or anything of the like...as well as napping on the stairs ;)}

Till next time...

Last Chance!

 

Last chance to get on board for my summer giveaway! Calling all last minute visitors to let you know that you have just one day left to enter the giveaway posted below...

You can read how to enter below...but basically...all you need to do is leave a comment on the giveaway post {not this one} to be counted. Each item ordered at Painted White until midnight {Eastern Time} Friday will also be thrown in! So if you are in the mood to shop be sure to head on over...

Thanks to all who have participated thus far through your abundant comments, generous blog posts, and wonderful orders from our shop. I am so appreciative!

And don't forget...Joshua's ends tomorrow too! {You can view his here}

I will announce the winner once I get all entries in and figure out who the lucky one will be! Best of luck to you all! I wish you could all win for the kindness you continue to show me ;)

The giveaway is now officially closed. The winner was Debbi of Then Am I Strong. Congratulations to Debbi and thanks to all who participated!

Till next time...

Summer Giveaway...

Awhile back {on May 29th to be exact} I celebrated my second anniversary of blogging. Somehow with the "busyness" of life the day slipped by...and preparing a giveaway took longer than I had thought...

But it's here now!

So...what will you receive in honor of this occasion?

First...two of our best sellers...our 'Spa' and 'Soaps' enamel bath bowls. These two have ever so slight imperfections...but are still quite nice...so I know someone will enjoy them...

Second...a bar of our Fresh and Clean Almond Soap wrapped in vintage inspired paper and tied up in vintage lace and ribbon...then adorned with an old Mother-of-Pearl button. You may just find it too pretty to unwrap...

You will also receive a set of four vintage tea-stained French flashcards tied up with seam binding ribbon...and...

a handmade burlap sachet featuring a vintage holy card image printed on canvas. It is filled with English Lavender grown in the South of France and comes ready to hang with a linen tie and adorned with a vintage button.

As well as the first set in our new line of notecards soon coming to the shop featuring Alice W. photographs. The winner will receive four ivory notecards featuring Alice's "Delicate" photograph, including four matching envelopes and wrapped in cello.

And last...but certainly not least...and because I just love my blogging friends so much...

I have preordered the next issue of Jeanne d'Arc Living for the lucky winner! {Also got one for myself while I was at it;)} If you don't yet know about this magazine...I must say...you are surely missing out. It is most certainly my favorite. The text is in Danish...but the amazing photographs speak in all languages and always serve to inspire...

So...how do you enter?

You can enter the following ways...

1.) Leave a comment here {with your email address so I can contact you if you win} and PLEASE...do not leave more than one comment on this post. {Additional comments will be deleted to keep one per person so that in the end it is orderly and fair}.

2.) Post a blog about my giveaway to be counted a second time. It must be an actual blog post {not just a sidebar link - even though those are appreciated as well!}, with link back to this specific post to count. Feel free to use any of the above photos to include in your post. You will need to email me at paintedwhitebyalicew@gmail.com to let me know you have done so. <--------A lot of people are forgetting to do this part...if I don't know about your post it won't get counted...so be sure to let me know! {And I stress again, PLEASE don't leave an additional comment here...it complicates the number system for obtaining the winner}

and our favorite method {but not obligatory}...

3.) Make a purchase at Painted White. Each item ordered during the giveaway time frame will count as well...so you increase your chances by shopping! And the more you buy...the more you are entered!

So...who is eligible to enter?

Anyone! This giveaway is open to those both domestic and international. You name and address will need to be provided once the winner is notified.

The winner will be drawn next Saturday, July 18th. Entries end Friday, July 17th at midnight Eastern time.

************************

And speaking of giveaways...my husband...{aka St Joshua} is also hosting a giveaway of his own...

The lucky winner will receive one of his best selling one-of-a-kind Remnants of Time rings. Check out his blog for details and to enter... http://stjoshua.blogspot.com {You will only be entered into the giveaway for this ring on his blog...not comments left here}

Best of luck to all who enter both here and over there!

***The giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all you participated!***

Till next time...

The Day We Celebrate...

In celebration of our nation's freedom...a patriotic vignette in honor of America...

{Click on the photos to see the larger versions}

I typically don't decorate much with darker blues and hardly ever red. But for today, I decided to pull together some of my favorite vintage tidbits in celebration of the 4th of July...

This vintage postcard, given to me by my mother a couple of years ago, served as my inspiration...and reminder, that today truly is...the day we celebrate...

It is so easy to take our freedom...and country...for granted. I know I am guilty of that all too often. Creating this simple vignette, allowed me the chance to remember just how wonderful our country is and to take pride in it...

Apothecary jars are now filled with buttons and thread spools in shades of red, white and blue...

An old hymnal is open to the "National Days" section...featuring "The Star Spangled Banner", "My Country Tis of Thee", among other patriotic songs...

An old trophy cup is filled with more vintage notions and set on a silver tray covered in white buttons. While a small American flag is draped below...

And for today...she is playing the role of "Betsy Ross"...

From the line above, hangs old cabinet cards, reproduced patriotic papers, and a 13-Star flag...

I hope you enjoyed my little patriotic vignette...thanks for indulging me as I celebrate ;)

And for all of those celebrating with me today, I wish you a safe and Happy 4th of July!

Till next time...