Thank you Paula of Tattered Gold  for including me in your list for the Stylish Blog Award! Paula asked those of us who were included on her list to make our own list and then tell us 8 things that our friends in blog land might not know about us.
OK 8 things you might not know, hummmmmm, ok here goes.

1. OK, a funny one first. I hate veggies. I'll eat a salad, baked potato, corn, black eyed pea, all the bad for you veggies but, brussel sprouts and broccoli, forget it. 
2. Well seeing number one this should not surprise you. I am a sweet addicted fool! I could eat sweets from dawn till dark. The other day I went to lunch with some friends and actually ordered dessert as my meal, I swear! They all looked at me like I was crazy!
3. I, like my friend Paula, have a deathly fear of water. I tried taking swimming lessons as a child and I never "caught on." I think this shocks people more than anything else I could tell you about myself. That being said, I could live by the ocean and hear the serf, walk the beach and smell the sea air for the rest of my life. 
4. I have always had animals in my life, always. Even in college I couldn't have a cat so I had a hamster! I could easily the the crazy cat lady with a big house and a little land to rescue as many cats as I wanted. But, right now I'm down to one old tom cat who appeared on my doorstep, hungry and close to dying. We have taken him in and love him dearly, his name is Moses.
5. I'm an inside girl. I don't like to play sports, hike, bike or an other form of exercise! And OMG  the worst...camp out ! EEK! Mr smarty pants  husband, says my idea of camping is a hotel with no room service. 
6. I adore anything to do with old weddings. Dresses, photos, cake toppers,and wedding lace. I look at the old wedding dresses or photos and wonder, what was this bride thinking as she stood at the back of the church. Is she thinking oh egads I do hate his mother, or is she thinking this is the love of my life I'm about to marry.
7. I love Vampire and Werewolf movies and books. I have read all the First Blood series years ago, all the Twilight, and yes, I'm an Edward fan. I think I have seen every movie ever made about both!!
8. Last one, lets see. Oh I am a horrible, horrible speller!! I blame it on those years in public school when they were trying out the "pod system" where you were in a huge room that held 4 classrooms. Ring any bells to the teachers out there. I'm glad they don't do that anymore! The End! Whew! 

Here is my list of recent favorites, this was hard because there are so many that I adore. Oh remember if you're on the list, tell us 8 things about you and give us your list!!

mydesertcottage.blogspot.com
myheartsease.blogspot.com
vintagesusieandwings.blogspot.com
whathappensnext.typepad.com
tarnishedandtattered.blogspot.com
the-feathered-nest.blogspot.com
smndesigns.blogspot.com
countingyourblessings.blogspot.com
katiesrosecottage.blogspot.com
tatteredgold.blogspot.com

How to Tea Stain a Wedding Dress

Five dollars for this set of sleeves! I was a crazy woman at the estate sale where I found these! I swooped them all up and put them in my bag. I brought my own bags, ready to get ahold of as much as possible!

I'm always so amazed how much stores charge for one yard of bridal lace! Then I usually take it home and tea stain it. SO it got me thinking, what if I buy a cheap wedding dress at a thrift store and tea stain the whole thing. So I hit the thrift stores and Goodwill and came home with two dresses. Both for under $30. 

Supplies:

1. Thrift store wedding dress
2. Three boxes of family size tea bags
3. A very large kettle or large pots to boil the tea in
4. Salt, uniodized (it's cheaper
5. White Vinegar
6. Old sheet
7.Safty pins
8. GLOVES
9. Pair of long tongs, bbq ones work great, clean of coarse
10. A day where you have time to complete this process without stress, kids or dogs. The reason I say no kids or dogs is because the tea will be very, very hot.

Let's get started!

1. Cut out the toule and underskirt which you can save and stain later. There just isn't room do do all of the dress. This will cut out some of the bulk.
2. Using a giant kettle and two larges pots, (or three pots) boil the tea bags to a slow boil then turn the heat off and let the tea set for about 20 minutes. I usually will add an entire box of tea bags to each pot or kettle.  Don't boil to hard, the tea bags will break!
3. Pour at least two cups salt into tub, then put a strainer in the plastic tub to catch the tea bags and carefully pour the tea into the plastic tub. Pour, strain, then throw out the tea bags. Do this for all three containers. You want enough liquid to cover the dress or at least be able to move the dress around in.
4. Wearing your gloves and using your tongs if you want pick up the dress flip it over and put the other side in the deepest part of the tea bath. Remember it will be HOT! The whole idea is to get the dress well covered, over and over. This part of the process is messy which is why I do it i the back yard. This usually takes about 30-40 mins. When you're agitating the dress yourself, the tea gets everywhere! When you're satisfied with the color, hang the dress wrong side out on a ladder, draping the dress over the length of the ladder. Yes it might get a little dirty but you will be washing it.

I wish I had hung this a little prettier with the flowers in the background!

This one was much more delicate, much older so it took the stain much darker.

5. Let the dress dry all the way, in case of bad weather, hang it in the garage with plastic underneath, because it will drip a lot.
6.The next day, pour several cups of white vinegar and water into the tub you used for the tea stain. Place the dress into this solution. Remember you want enough solution to be able to swish the dress around.This is going to set the tea stain. Remember when using a poly blend fabric, it may not hold the color as long or as dark.
7. Swish this around, rinsing the dress. Pour out the excess vinegar/water solution.
8. Now, lay the sheet flat on the grass or garage floor and place the dress in the middle. Using the large safety pins, pin the sheet around the dress, making a pouch of the sheet with the dress inside.
9 Place in washing machine using a mild soap and downey,or whatever you like to use) and use the gentle cycle. When finished, hang to dry. DO NOT put it in the dryer! Some of the sequins could melt!
10. Enjoy!

It's amazing that I lost so little beading.

It took most of the day for this to dry because it was so big. I had to keep repositioning it to dry all the way!

I can just imagine a beautiful bride wearing this, the sun is out, her bouquet is vintage in style, maybe,  a small nosegay of violets?

You're all finished! If you have any questions, please email me anytime! Just keep checking your thrift stores and goodwill online. Thanks for joining me for my first tutorial! How did I do?

Magnolia Pearl! A whole new box arrived!

I was drooling all over the website, I just couldn't wait to get my box!

I just got a box from Magnolia Pearl,

I put everything on and gave it a whirl.

I wanted it all, to show off to ya'll,

But I need to save pennies for the Round Top Ball!

To see more of MP's beautiful new spring line go to:

magnoliapearl.com

Myrna and Clyde

For the life of me I cannot think of an ending to this silly poem!! I need help! Any suggestions from blog land??


Myrna and Clyde were lovers for life, they never got married cause' Clyde had a wife.
So unlikely a pair, no one suspected, innocent parties were always protected.
Now Clyde liked the ladies, some tall, some small, some so mean you'd thought they had  ba**s.
So on the night when Clyde slipped and invited two ladies, Oh, he'd done it now, he was definetely in hades.
They started scrappin' and screamin' like cats in a fight, he tried stopping them both, but dropped dead of fright!
 At his funeral there were his ladies all shapes and sizes, like a carnival show without all the prizes!
They all bowed their heads and said a little prayer, and looking for the wife, but she was not there.
They said their goodbyes and on his tombstone it read,
"Here lies a man who was forever unfaithful in bed,
his penance was to have nary a hair on his head."


Thank you Paula of Tattered Gold! I knew you would help me. Check out Paula's beautiful blog and poetry at: tatteredgold.blogspot.com