END OF THE YEAR POST....

        WOW!!!! It has been a while!

 I have been busy sewing and keeping the new business up and going and being a one woman show it is pretty overwhelming.

Now lets see......well...I been sewing some pretty cool totes from old coats. I have stitched up some sweaters and made a few pairs of Prairie Pants. I created my first Infinity Scarfs. It took me about 3 hours to figure out my first one and the next to about half that time. Once I figured what I needed to do, it took no time at all! lol....

I had several folks come in the shop from out of state which has been cool. Traveling is such fun! 

One thing I am going to do this next month is go through some of my creations and pick out a few pieces that I have had a while and dye them. 

I think for a start I will go black and let it thin out to gray. I have had a lot of request for black, like, "I would buy this if it was black", or "Tea isn't my color". I have found that the older ladies in general like black better and I must say I am in that category...lol

           Christmas......what can I say? BUSY!!!!!!!!

My racks have thinned and I am going to have to get busy. I have been working on creating 'Prairie Slip Dresses'. I am looking for vintage slips with plans of adding lace, doilies, etc and dyeing them for the Spring. I will add photos when I have several finished up.

The NEW YEAR is right around the corner and I am ready for it!

I will try to be more proactive this year in my posting....Please keep an eye out for them....

Stay Cool.....

JUST A FEW THINGS......

I had an article written up about the shop and my creations in a local paper, Athens Now and here is a link..http://athensnowal.com/ Thanks Ms. Ali Turner.

SAMOVAR GARDENS

I have the most wonderful loose teas at the shop.

 A young couple have started their own line of home grown loose teas. Caleb and his wife grow their own plants and herbs, dry them at their home....and are a truly homegrown business.

 What they don't raise, local orchards provide..things such as peaches, apples and strawberries. With the help of a few friends who also grow what ingredients the couple do not, they will all get together and have tea parties...deciding what herbs and fruits go together best. Samovar Gardens is the name of this green earth company and here is a link. http://www.samovargardens.com By the way....Samovar is the name of a vintage Russian tea maker!

TI had a write up about thN.

GIRLY GIRL PURSES

 Girly Girl Purses...https://www.facebook.com/GirlyGirlPurses is one of the vendors at the shop. Janet Dearman does wonderful work. She tells me she is always looking for fabrics...I know exactly how she feels. Everywhere I look, I search out VINTAGE!!!

 I have lucked out and found a couple wonderful people who help me find some of the most fantastic choice vintage pieces...doilies, hankies, dinner napkins, table clothes...etc...etc...I really don't think I would have a business if it weren't for the 2 LOVELIES. They own their own business.. Ms. Patty Green of  Sisters Antiques, here is her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SISTERSANTIQUES an a gentleman known only to me as Mr. Reggie  and the name of his online business is Aesthetic Restorations.

 I met a wonderfully nice lady who added this pretty couch to the shop, Ms. Karen is into 

antiques as well. In fact she works at an antique mall, Champagne Lane Antiques and here is a link to their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/champagnelaneantiques

This is an example of my Prairie Boudoir Line... I am about to start a line of dress made from slips and I preferably vintage. I will be adding lace and doiliies to colorfully dyed slips.  

THE SUITCASE....is full of vintage pieces, baby clothes and socks, bonnets and gloves. It even had extra buttons on the card. Anyway...I found all this wonderful stuff in an OLD brown paper sack....and I got it for a steal.....@ $2.00 whole dollars!!!! I use it as display...I can't bear to part with it...lol

HAPPY CUSTOMERS...

 And this is one of my favorite customers. I have created several custom pieces for her. She loves to go searching for pieces for me to put together, 'In your own special way', as she says....I tell my customers that you can dress my creations up or dress them down...She loves to dress them down...notice the work boots and long-john shirt...lol. Thanks Ms. Janet.

Last but not lease I found this to add.

I found this today....It has lots of lovely ideas for uses of vintage doilies and old lace. I thought some of you would like some simple ideas for Holiday presents and gifts.

 http://dishfunctionaldesigns.blogspot.com/2012/05/vintage-lace-doilies-upcycled-and.html

THE BOUTIQUE

It is hard to believe that is has been almost a month since my last post!!!

 I have been so busy...I am sure you can imagine.

The hardest part for me was getting all my ducks in a row with the dreaded 'Tax Man'....lol....but finely I got all done with a big red bow...lol. I have actually paid all my bills from my sales for the month!!!! Now I need to pay my bills and then pay ME!!!!

Here a couple photos of the main room. I added vintage sari's to the ceiling to create layers of visual interests. I hung old paper umbrellas in corners and on one wall I papered it with old photos, pages of books, bits and pieces from an old scrapbook from the 30's and 40's. I want to really give a feel of living in 'ol dayze' when you had to do and make do with what you had.

 At this point the decor is pretty minimal. I want to use more furniture from the Art Deco Era and I have 'put it out there' to bring to me and the shop...

 Of course since I took these photos I have changed things around....a lot!! I love to move furniture around for some reason....It makes me happy...lol.

I put the rod in the corner like it was done back in the day when you didn't have a closet or a shelf-robe to put your clothes in. The clothes drying rack is an old homemade one. I have some of my jewelry, totes and hats as well as my clothing. My lovely hubby built me a dressing room from 3 old wood doors. It turned out wonderful...Thanks My Love.

 At the moment I am making up some simple Prairie Aprons for the Holidays. I am making some like my grannies use to wear. They have a little bib that is pinned to the shirt/blouse instead of a tie off around the neck. I am using brass quilting pins and old sheets and pretty vintage hankies with a little tea bath.

**I am working on a line of Boudoir Clothing with a nod toward the 20's and 30's. I will be posting photos of this soon.

In the meantime.. I have a fair size room that I hope to fill with the work of other artists from the North Alabama area.

  Things such as purses from Girly Girl Purses, loose teas from Samovar Gardens, fancy Halloween masks by Belilah, I am talking with other artists so we will see who considers themselves true artists and who doesn't.  

Until Next Time....

Fruits of a Journey continued.....

I found this wild and fabulous blog this morning and fell in love with it and her....JuJu!!!http://www.bellejuju.blogspot.com/. SHE is so full of life and has the same loves as I in other artists....She loves Gibbous Fashion..and so do I....She loves Magnolia Pearl and so do I............How wonderful is that! 

My journey has been long and scary but I have found over the years that The Big Journey is what we are all to explore, examine, use all the senses for and in the end that is all there is...The Big Journey..that has taught everything we need.

We may enjoy, we may scream and cry, we may love or hate and over time it all becomes mute..for the Universe brings you what you ask for and I have asked for the perfect husband for me and the perfect son for me and the new business I have created.....all just for me. And.....that my friends is what I want to share with you....Prairie Child Design

Prairie Child Design is setting on a rise looking down on the surrounding area and in a sweet little log cabin backed up the woods. There is a rock wall behind it and the land behind the wall is higher. There in the edge of the woods is an old concrete picnic table with seating and it all covered in moss, fallen leaves and the cool moist smells of the woods....can't you see it?

I have wanted this building for years and years and years....and finely, finely the Universe calmly said... yes.  I have worked for two weeks in getting things set up for my little boutique at the edge of the woods, so now finely I am open and ready to show the world just some of the results of my continued journey.
I hope you will enjoy the continued journey with me...Prairie Child 

THE LATEST..... PRAIRIE CHILD DESIGN

My shop will be open for business tomorrow....So if you are in the Athens AL area...look me up at 1221 #A Kelli Dr. 

I can't figure out how to post the whole video on here...so...just drag on the address below and it will go directly to it. It is a little excerpt of a photo shoot using some of my creations...I hope you enjoy it...

Thanks Ms. Tori Lawrence of Victoria Lawrence Images.

http://animoto.com/play/h5o1qAewZ1OXvOe1Zypeag

BUSY...BUSY...BUSY.....

                FINELY A DREAM COMES TRUE....MY VERY OWN SHOP.                       WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE......

Stop by my little boutique..PRAIRIE CHILD DESIGN 

It's right off I-65 back behind the Cracker Barrel @

1221 Kelli Dr. #A

Athens, AL

I have been in the process of setting up shop keeping. I found the most wonderful little log cabin and it is in a fantastic location.

I am just starting to get things somewhat organized, SO THERE WILL BE MORE TO COME!!!

 Everything in the front area will be my up-cycled work.. Remember to reuse...recycle and re-purpose.....ALWAYS!!!!

 I really want it to have that old 20's to 30's feel. With just a touch of, 'rolled hard and put up wet', look...if you can imagine that....lol

THE COUNTER..I plan to wrap all my sold clothing...in paper.......            like they use to do back in the day.

 This is going to be a little seating area. I put news paper and old photos on this corner of the shop..to give it that touch of desperation in a brothel fashion.

I mentioned the front area....

There is a back room as well and I will have consignment there.

 My plan is to have all things 'woman'. 

ALL handmade items...such as purses/totes with a vintage look, that special jewelry, wonderful smelling soaps, soy candles that can be used as a lotion,etc...etc...

There is a third room......

I will have my sewing studio at the shop as well. On certain days I will be sewing only and on other days ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING!!!!!

IT HAS BEEN A WHILE.....

It has been a while since I last posted.

                               BLACK SEE THROUGH 1930'S STYLE

SORRY....THIS LOVELY HAS SOLD....

This lovely is a Medium

 but, could be worn by as a Large and only $75.00

The shoulders are open which will give it plenty of room. 

It would look beautiful over a black lacy camisole and black skinny slacks OR wide leg satin pajama pants.

RECENT THINGS.....

 Here is a couple photos of my booth...I decided to add some color along with the tea dye and white...

 

This is a couple examples of a few sales.  

The pantaloons are in Canada and the dress is in Wisconsin...

LATEST CREATIONS....

I recently finished this lovely custom jumper and the client loved it.

 She provided the embroidery place mats. They were lovely...I almost hated to cut them up....She tried it on and fell in love....

 This lovely crochet over blouse was a first for me. I used all vintage pieces to create this beautiful top. It is for sale and can be found on my Etsy page.........SOLD

I created this 1920's style shift with a dress and curtain panel. It has a nice flow when you twirl. It can be found on my Etsy page......SOLD

I have been collecting vintage crochet pieces with green for a while and I finely found a dress that would go with the green. It had a second layer so when I cut the hem of the dress to create the blouse I left the

under layer longer to give the new blouse much more umph....lol The neckline, sleeves and waist all have elastic and are very expandable.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED....EMAIL ME....

CHECKING IN...

It has been a few days... since I last posted on here...

Here is an example of my latest work...

              This lovely started out as a double lined lace long john shirt.

 I cut the collar, sleeves and hem off. I ripped the under shirt up and sewed it to the neckline and down the front. I also added a bit of lace here and there. I used some of the cut hem to make the bow tie at the neck.

 After all this I tea dyed it and dried on delicate..

All my clothes can be dried on delicate...as wash and go...no ironing needed. Just something to remember....easy peasy...SOLD

...a pretty booth.

This my booth this week at the Craftsmen Cottage.

Since I took this photo the little girls dress in the front has been sold. A local photographer plans to use it in her work.

The 9 new pieces are a Large or larger. if you see something you like you can request extra photos.

prairiechilddesign@gmail.com

This lovely outfit is more beautiful then the photo shows.

I used a bed sheet to create the blouse. It has wonderful lace at the hem that was actually a dresser topper. It has a tie off in the back to create more of a waist if wanted.

The pantaloons are a first. I started with a small pair of pajama bottoms. It was a cotton with a white pattern. I added a  very soft vintage cotton tablecloth to the outside legs and the same bed sheet fabric area and a simple lace to the gathered hemline. The 2x-3x blouse is sleeveless and could be worn with another Prairie style blouse or your favorite denim shirt...SOLD

.

Here is a sweet little jumper blouse. 

I wanted it to have a little French feel..so..I used a a curtain panel to make the skirt part an a fancy embroidered tea towel to make the bibby. The shoulder straps criss-cross in the back. It has drawstrings on either side sot that is adjustable from Small to Large. It is listed on my Etsy page....SOLD

CONVERSATIONS:

CONVERSATION WITH ARTIST 

Bonnie Strauss

I recently asked Ms. Bonnie Strauss what inspired her and here was her answer..

"Tough question. Everything inspires me. From fabrics, to a bead, colors in nature, old lace, paintings, the sky, faces, hair colors, makeup colors, music, vintage laces and sometimes I just free form it and let it happen. Nature is my number one inspiration."

One of the things we had in common was that she has been an artist since she was 4 years old. She use to take her fathers old T-shirts and cutting,  painting and creating. Isn't that wonderful....at such an early age  to be creative.

 " I was always creative and every thing always turned me on..still does...I love that aspect of my life but I hate the business part of it." She only does the designing and dyeing these days.

One of her favorite things is Vintage Lace....I too love vintage lace...it is so soft and lovely and I am always on the lookout for that tattered piece of history...

This is an example of Ms. Strauss's work. It will be of the 2013 Spring season.

Before our conversation came to an end she complimented my by saying that my clothes reminded her of Magnolia Pearl.

Until next time, here is Ms. Strauss's Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bonnie-Strauss-Clothing-and-Jewelry/210965085583961

BLOGS AND THINGS....

FIONA AND TWIG

ALTERED COUTURE MAGAZINE

 JUNK SALVATION

Just a few of my favorite things.....and I will be adding more.

Have you ever wondered how some of these wonderful ideas come into play.....well me too and I would love to know what inspires some of the most creative folks around. I NEED TO FIND OUT!

 In the meantime here is another site that has a style similar to mine....Check her out...she is a wild child down in Louisiana and a real sweetie....METTA MARIE

RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR

I have been busy just getting through the holidays and I happy to say it is all over for the year...

I am looking forward to 2013 as a life lifting space in time. 

I did pretty well at the Craftsman Cottage, Athens AL and it seems the nice  ladies are really liking my work...I had several repeat customers as well as lovely customers that bought my work and gave as presents that ended up in other states...which is wonderful....I am so glad.

I went up to the shop yesterday to try to de-holiday it...not much luck with that....I made more of a mess than I had intended ..I had put cedar boughs here and there which looked beautiful at the time...but a month later those same beautiful boughs turned to sharp needles of torture...lol and tiny pieces flying everywhere. Sorry, Ms. Pam.

I will be adding more pieces in the next few weeks to my booth as it got a little skimpy...woo hoo..:) 

At the moment I am working on a dress that has a long waist and a drawstring that will fit from Large to 1x. I will post photos of it as soon as I am able.

I do hope all my followers had a wonderful holiday season and that the new year leads you to many more exciting moments in time.

I am adding adding GirlGab...The PLACE Where Girlfriends Gather to Gabble, Gush an Gadabout....

                                      MaryJane Farms and Girl  give them a looksee and enjoy.

One other thing.....I am looking to this year to be uplifting and very enjoyable....I do hope you will tag along with me...cause it going to be a wild ride.....PC