Accessories Of Old

Window display 1

Last week I got to the stage where I was ready to focus on the window display in the new shop.. not a easy task as there are two windows on either side of the entrance and both are at a angle...

However I managed to pull it off and liked the end result.... take a look.

In the one window I used white eyelet lace, purple and lime green ribbon to dress up my wire figure...

Love this old vintage brooch that I used to embellish the waistline..

Always have to add a few vintage dress clips... nothing more pretty in the world..

add a vintage millinery flower and voila..........

My dress form all ready to be shown in the window of the new Accessories Of Old

 

This is how it all tied in at the end... felt like I was caught in a spiderweb by the time I was finished!!

From the street view...

 
  
 
 
 
 
  

 

ABC Home NYC

Last week I was in New York for the day and headed over to ABC Home..

For any of you that have not been into ABC Home and will be in New York my suggestion is go there.. infact run there as fast as you can!!

It is a store that talks to all the senses! It will blow your mind away. I for one love anything to do with fabrics, ceramics in fact form in any sense of the word and this store gives it to you all under one roof..

Take a look...

The fabrics and the display could blow your mind at the same time..

...not to forget the ceramics..

So, if this has happened wet your appetite my advice to you is to head straight towards ABC Home next time you are in Manhattan... a real treat.

Button display

I love vintage buttons and one of the first things I did when I opened my shop two years ago was get my hands on an old shop form. 

 I took  a hot glue gun and together with a whole bag full of loose  buttons that had fallen off their cards glued them onto my form  covering him from A-Z making him a new coat of buttons.

This was the result which not only has stood in the shop but has travelled all over the USA with us doing trade shows.

..love the bow tie ( reminds me of my grandfather who wore one each and every day of his working life)

A heart made of vintage sequin

During blogging about the heart covered with sequin I decided that I had to share some images with you.

The great thing about the sequin we stock is that they are vintage.. made in France in the 1930's  and STRUNG.

These days sequin are found loose and this is how you know if you are buying vintage sequin or not. What I love most is all the different shades and colors our sequin are available in take a look on my website www.accessoriesofold.com under sequin and see for yourselves all the great colors, shades as well as shapes we offer.

In the shop I have one of the original countertops that was used by my grandfather that houses all the different sequin. Each drawer is stuffed with different colors of these glittering stands..

For many years I made a style of bracelet on elastic only using sequin. They were always my best seller and continue to be after all this time. Bead and Button Magazine liked them so much they did a page on the sequin bracelets - take a look.

They are really easy to make and take a few minutes. When you knot the ends find a really pretty bead to pull the knot through. Always wear a few together as they make more of a statement this way.

xxx

A heart made of sequin

I have a  pink heart shaped piece of foam that I bought from the local craft shop that  I decided to revamp and cover with sequin and beads.

I love hearts ... and this one especially

There is something in a sparkle that just says it all.

Add a bit of tulle and a vintage beaded necklace and voila ..what's not to love??

Beads

One of the most common questions most people ask when they are in my shop is what the paper bricks on the bottom shelves contain?

 

 

The answer is beads... lots and lots of vintage bugal and seed beads that all came wrapped and sealed and have been kept this way since my grandfather first bought them from Europe.

 

 

 

A peak into a 'brick' of beads.. wrapped in layers of paper and tissue paper are bundles of glittering beads

 

 

All our beads are available to buy on our website and soon will be sold in the actual bricks online too.If you are intrested in the 'whole brick' email me and I will be happy to let you know what we have available.

 

 

 

Setting up our booth at The New York Stationery Show

As I had mentioned in my last blog I was on my way to the Stationery Show in New York. It is the second year we have been at the show as a exhibitor.

I must say the booths at the show are unbelievable and the imagination that has been put into some of them blows me away. This year we decided to keep our booth very pastel orientated with very calming colors. We chose beige with a very light peppermint green.

The start of our booth ( all beige and neutral) and empty!!

 

The two of us getting our act together after a good few hours of stringing up all the boards..

This was Warren ( my Tjomies partner putting things together for the boards we were displaying the stationery lines on)

 

Putting it all together - last few details on the table...

 

 

 

Six hours later and our booth was ready for the start of the show...

 

Warren and I (tired but ready for the week in NY)

 

To see everything we had on our boards go to our website.  All of our scrapbooking kits will  also be available on www.accessoriesofold.com in the next week.

 

A countdown to the NY Stationery Show

Now that the NY stationery show is but a stone throw away we are getting ready with all our booth preparations for our  Tjomie  vintage inspired stationery line.

I decided that without a doubt we needed two chairs for all those weary feet ( believe me after standing from 9am to 6pm you will be happy to sit anywhere to rest your feet) so what better than to  plaster both with our Tjomie faces!!!

I bought two simple chairs at Ikea and with a little help from Modge Podge recovered them using our business cards...

 

One for me.....

 

and one for Warrren....

Of course I had to trim them both with some of my vintage stash of novelty trim!!

 

For all you out there that are going to be at the show you are most welcome to come past us say hi and put your feet up for a while xxx

Spring window display

I blogged yesterday about the great hand beaded airoplanes my father sent me from South Africa.

As soon as I had unpacked them I already had a image in my mind of having them as part of my spring window display...so yesterday I made these clouds to go together with the planes - have a look

 

I also found this really cute paper at MICHAELS craft store and together with some lace and ribbon made a kite to hang from the planes...

 

All I did was punch a hole on the corner and thread some nice pale blues and white ribbon through the hole as a kite tail.

 

I then hooked up my planes ( not a easy task let me tell you!!) and with clear thread attached the kite and some clouds to the planes.

   

     

 

Hand beaded airoplanes and paper clouds

My father who lives in South Africa is always on the lookout of new and wonderful crafts to send me to put in my shop. This time he send me these incredible HAND BEADED airoplanes. 

 

The work is so incredible take a look...

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, now that I have these great planes the next step is to create a theme for them to hang in the shop window....

I decided to make some clouds ( every plane needs some clouds wouldnt you say?)

 

I cut out some nice puffy clouds and together with some help of Martha Stewart glitter made the borders just that little bit prettier..

 

I then took some white paint and painted each cloud ....

 

Eventually after a while I had a whole collection of nice pretty clouds to use in my window.

 

Now that I have my clouds read I will put it all together tomorrow... remember to check this spot . 

 

Sweet little Easter treats

I have these really sweet little Easter treats that I bought from Bethany Lowe. 

 

I filled them with mini Easter chocolate eggs I bought and put them out on my counter for all the Easter shoppers to help themselves... (the gift of giving)

 

 

 

Happy Easter to all of you out there...