~Bienvenue...Welcome~ My studio is also my guest bedroom..... ...here's the view as you walk through the door... Here's where I blog away.... ...at a desk that my husband used as a child. I sit on this old chippy garden chair that was given to me by a friend. A collection of beloved Mother Mary statues sit on my desktop... ...and a framed print from an old book just "speaks to me." An old brass letter holder keeps my inspiration notebook close by. Above my desk is a mantle top that I found at a yard sale many years ago... It displays my precious hand-knitted nest, from Vicki... one of my most cherished gifts. ...and a sweet angel watches over me as I blog. A petite table holds my printer.... ...and a skirt I fashioned out of an old chenille blanket helps to hide the clutter. Here's where I create some of my jewelry pieces and Inspiration Holders. The dresser was in my first apartment and has followed me ever since. An old glass and iron serving tray is my work surface.... I added ruler markings to the inside of the drawer for measuring wire and chain. An old, painted, pressed ceiling tin serves as my inspiration board. It's filled with gifts from beloved kindred spirits... ...and anything that "speaks to my heart." A zinc shelf organizes some of my supplies... An old liqueur set, which once belonged to my grandparents, helps to organize buttons and old hat pins. An old vanity tray holds more beloved tokens.... A cloche displays one of my sweet oiseaux and a crown I won as a girl in my neighborhood pageant Vintage game pieces represent the "initials" of my blog and ETSY shop name. ...and my sweet chalk cherub holds some of my precious charms and medals. An old file cabinet that I found curbside holds ephemera and... Oodles of supplies are stored in jars on a wire rack... ...while an old baking pan organizes my destash. Another old dresser serves as a work surface and... ...a place to store "ruban" (ribbon)..... ..."lacet" (lace)... ...and fabric. More measurements on the inside drawer "lip" make it convenient to measure my ribbon without having to grab a yard stick or ruler. I am surrounded by inspiration.... ...beauty.... ...petits tresors that I've collected over time.... ...and bits and pieces from a "time gone by." A chippy salvaged column is to the right of the dresser.... ....a recent flea market find... ...alongside a wall vignette. An old hutch stores a multitude of supplies... ... and shelves are filled with destash and tresors. My original coverless book bundle... Jars filled with destash... ...and this and that. Some old suitcases store more of my supplies.... ...French ephemera and "dentelle" (lace). A collection of vintage lace sits atop them... A petite shelf holds my collection of old bottles. ....and gathered tresors. Nestled between the hutch and the suitcases stands this beauty.... ...an old dress form that I found while out "pickin".... (read more of her story here) Wicker hampers hold my jewelry supplies, lace and millinery flowers. I embellished each tag with "visual" reminders of what's inside each of them.... Some of my hand-rolled speckled clay eggs... ...in one of my beloved birds nests. Baskets throughout the room store fabric.... ...lace .... ...and lovelies... A bedside table holds more coverless books... ...ready to be made into.... ...my coverless book bundles. My precious bust of Ste. Therese. I painted a canvas with my "symphony." An old Singer sewing machine table serves as my "stamping station." It reminds me of the one my grandmother had in her sewing room. A vintage wire dish rack is the perfect way to organize my tags and stamp sets... Two old drawers store more of my stamps and ink pads.... ...while a canvas hamper holds vintage sheet music and ephemera. My collection of vintage doorknobs are on display below the sewing machine... ...while waiting to be made into... ...one of these... ...my "signature" Inspiration Holders. Back-to-back with the sewing machine is this dresser that I found curbside.... ...it forms an "island" in the center of the room... ...allowing for another work surface.... ...and more storage for my supplies. My bedside table... ...or should I say "YOUR" bedside table... ...since you ARE my guest today. A wrought iron daybed is the perfect place to rest awhile... ...on some of my favorite French pillows. At the end of the bed is an old metal basket... ...that holds an extra blanket for those chilly New England nights.... ...and a message for my guests. A sweet cherub sleeps at the foot of the bed. Hanging above the bed is this lampshade that I created... ...with words that inspire. And, finally, a vignette that always reminds me... Please click on the "Where Bloggers Create" button on my sidebar to go to Karen's My Desert Cottage for a listing of all the participants in this most wonderful annual blog party! **Merci Karen**