Etsy Inspiration & Giveaway - Winterberry Cottage

Welcome to  Winterberry Cottage ..... 

 AmyLynn of Winterberry Cottage creates lovely images on vintage book pages to decorate your space.

AmyLynn's imaginative print combinations are created from recycled music and dictionary pages and incorporate vintage inspired elements.  Her designs range from Alice In Wonderland themes, Paris inspired silhouettes, sea worthy portraits, floral, beautiful butterflies and birds and so much more.   Winterberry Cottage's selection of images is endless and you are sure to find a number to suit your design needs. 

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and these pilgrim children and turkey would complete any fall inspired themed dining room.

      

Her delightful vintage Santas range from  Santa delivering gifts, Making His List and Checking His List to see Who is Naughty or Nice...

And, AmyLynn has taken this art form to a new level incorporating vintage atlas pages in combinations with hot air balloons, sailboats, automobiles and so many more transportation silhouettes and maps.

   



You will be amazed at AmyLynn's selection of unique upcycled art that she has created and even more amazed at her pricing. 

As part of Etsy Inspiration & Giveaway, Winterberry Cottage is offering a $25 gift certificate for her shop of fabulous prints to the winner.  

Just visit Winterberry Cottage  etsy shop and find your favorite designs. Then come back to Larissa Hill Designs and post a comment letting me know which one, two or three of her unique upcycled art print designs you like best. I guarantee you will have a difficult time selecting your favorites because each and every design is so wonderful.

You must be a subscriber to Larissa Hill Designs to be eligible for the giveaway.

Good luck!!!

It's Friday

Have a wonderful Charlie Brown spooktacular weekend!!!

Repurpose Thursday - Crewel Pillow

Like many DIYer's, I love perusing flea markets, antique stores, Goodwill and the list goes on.  Shari of Swinging On A Star Creations and I have been doing this together for years.  We actually call it "Junk-tiquing".  Recently Shari and I visited one of our favorites, Trader Jacks in Pittsburgh. 

We tend to look for different things.  Shari is an artist extraordinaire and I am tend to look for pieces of furniture that I can restyle.  We often spot items for one another and generally share lots of laughs.

Well, on this visit, I spotted this great piece of vintage crewel artwork.  It was in perfect shape and a steal at $8!!!  Here it sits at my doorway after our wonderful day of junk-tiquing. 

Although it was a bit yellowed around the edges, the crewel work was in perfect shape and I just knew it would become a pillow in my family room.  Once I removed it from the frame, all I needed to do was press it and find a perfect pillow size insert. 

And here it sits in my husband's favorite chair!

Let me know what you think....and please become a follower to see what is Repurposed on Thursday!



High Low Decor - Restoration Hardware/Home Decorators

I've always loved Louis XVI chairs so when Restoration Hardware launched their latest line, I had to visit the store and take a look.  I fell in love with the 19th century stately Empire chair that is hand-carved from solid oak with rope twists, acanthus leaves, fluting and flowers hightlighted by a soft weathered finish. 

I soon fell out of love when I saw the price tag. They are currently on sale $1145 - $1465 depending on your choice of a wide selection of fabrics and leather.



Once again, Home Decorators to the rescue!  I found this lovely Marie Arm Chair that is similar in both design and size to its more expensive Restoration Hardware Louis XVI counterpart.

The Marie Arm Chair features an antique-inspired design with padded seat, back and arms is sure to enhance most any room in your home.  It does however offer a more limited choice of upholstery options.  A bleached-oak finish completes the antique look at an extremely attractive sale price of $319.

Truly, high end design on a low end budget.

Let me know what you think....

Larissa Hill Designs Giveaway

Larissa Hill Designs are "Artful Accessories inspired by Vintage Design & Recycled Treasures" and today on this special Etsy Inspiration & Giveaway, I am offering one of my upcycled designs to you, my followers.

Fashion icon, Diana Vreeland once said, "There is no such thing as unconscious dressing." We all have to be more conscious of what we wear, what it is made of and where it was made.

Ribbons & Pearls is a Chanel-inspired necklace that has been upcycled from a gold and black ribbon belt.  This 34" necklace features recycled pearls and chains and a special pre-loved flower that completes the piece.  Value $75



Larissa Hill Designs was born just before my illness and it was reborn while I was recuperating from surgery.  Unfortunately, the blogging aspect of this adventure has taken far more time than I had expected.  I have learned so very much along the way but have had little time to create.  So, please stay tuned for more as I journey on and establish my shop.  In the meantime, here is my vision for Larissa Hill Designs.

LHD is a small eco-friendly line of home and fashion accessories inspired by vintage design and recycled treasures. Each item is an artful mix of repurposed, recycled and restyled discarded items and 100% handmade in the USA. Designs are never repeated and collection pieces are limited. I take pre-loved and pre-owned clothing, jewelry, accessories, silk flowers, vintage pieces, etc., and turn them into one-of-a-kind eco accessories. Each item tells a story of delightful accountable design that I hope women will recognize as beautifully, fashionably green.  LHD blog is also a place where you can come to see what others in the world of eco-friendly design are doing.

So, on this special Etsy Inspiration & Giveaway, you only need to be a follower of  Larissa Hill Designs blog and post a comment to be eligible for this giveaway.

Let me know what you think.....

Etsy Inspiration & Giveaway Winner

Drum roll please...

And the winner of the  Miss Ruby Sue  $50 gift certificate is

Isabelle Thorton!

Congratulations and thank you to each and everyone of you for following.  

Please remember, Lori at Miss Ruby Sue is offering a 15% discount to Larissa Hill Designs subscribers for purchases through until October 26, 2011.  Just use the coupon name LARISSAHILLDESIGNS15 at checkout.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's new Etsy Inspiration & Giveaway announcement.  I'm really excited about this one!!!

It's Friday

Enjoy your weekend....



Repurpose Thursday - Silver Vintage Champagne Bucket

If you're anything like me, sometimes it's just too difficult to part with some things.  In this case, it was a very special silver champagne bucket that was given to us by one of our bridesmaids.  It has sat in our sideboard for years, not receiving the spotlight it deserves.

I was inspired by a photo I saw in a magazine recently that used a similar silver piece for a flower pot.  So, I decided to resurrect our silver bucket.  Upon removing it from the sideboard, I discovered that I had quite a cleaning task ahead of me.   Here is what it looked like....I'm actually embarrased by its state of tarnish.

So, I contacted my dear friend, Joan (the best antique dealer around!) and she recommended a product called Simichrome Polish. She guaranteed me that it was the best and easiest silver polish around.  Apply as directed and you'll be amazed by the results!!



I am thrilled with my repurposed, glistening wine bucket that now holds recycled silk orchids and moss.  It sits proudly on my server in my dining room and I'm loving it!

Let me know what you think....

High Style Low Budget Design - Restoration Hardware/Home Decorators

Salvaged factory cart coffee tables are everywhere.   Restoration Hardware has its own version of an early 1900s industrial factory cart that was once used to transport furniture, fabric and other supplies across the factory floor.  The cast iron wheels, bolts and plates are original and the North American solid white oak top has been cleaned and oil.  Each cart is a vintage original with variations in distressing, cracks, finish and wheel construction. 

Given it handmade and hand-finished, each item is unique.  No two are exactly alike and the result is a $1095 price tag!!!

 

Made to resemble a wheeled cart used in a old factory, Home Decorators' Holbrook Factory Cart Coffee Table is crafted of century-old reclaimed wood for a rustic, weathered look.  The base is made of iron with a rust-free coating.  this rustic table from the Holbrook Collection is similar in design and size to the more expensive Restoration Hardware cart.  

At the online outlet price of $391, it provides high end design on a low end budget.

Let me know what you think....

Painting for Charity - Princess Fairy Chair

When I began blogging in August, I mentioned that I am frequently asked to paint furniture, especially children's furniture for fundraisers.

Unfortunately, I have not been good at taking pictures of these items but I did find these few photos of a cute little "Princess Fairy" chair that I painted this past year for the Western Pennsylvania Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. 

I often find inspiration from children's books, blankets, pictures and even toys.  In this case, it was a book about a fairy princess.  The seat of the chair features the princess herself and it is surrounded by dainty flowers.

I then added a sweet multi colored fringe, polka dots and of course, more flowers.

The spindles were painted in coordinating colors and voila....

A perfect chair for a little fairy princess!





Esty Inspiration & Giveaway - Miss Ruby Sue

OMG.....


I am soooooo excited!!!!


Miss Ruby Sue is offering a $50 gift certificate to be redeemed in her AMAZING Etsy shop for today's Etsy Inspiration & Giveaway.   Lori of Miss Ruby Sue creates "delicious accessories for happy people!"

Love is the answer, Wish Upon a Flower, A Full Life are just a few of the whimsical names for her one-of-a-kind headpieces and bows for babies.  These multi floral, multi fluff hair accessories are perfect for portraits, special occassions and everyday!

Little girls will love Just For Fun, Mandy, Traipsing, Whats Up Buttercup and so many more...polka dot leaves, ribbon flowers, tuille, soft petals, feathers and little girls are a perfect fit.

 

And who can forget man's best friend.  There's even dog hair accessories for little fido's special occassion...

  

Frolic in Finery can be adjusted to fit any size as are so many more of Miss Ruby Sue's delightful creations. 

      

And finally, there are gorgeous designs for women and the bride....



To participate in this great giveaway,  just visit Miss Ruby Sue Etsy shop and find your favorite designs. Then come back to Larissa Hill Designs and post a comment letting me know which one, two or three of Lori's designs you like best.  I guarantee you will have a difficult time selecting your favorites because each and every design is so wonderfully beautiful.

You must be a subscriber to Larissa Hill Designs to be eligible for the giveaway.

As a bonus, Lori at Miss Ruby Sue is offering a 15% discount to Larissa Hill Designs subscribers for purchases through until October 26, 2011.  Just use the coupon name LARISSAHILLDESIGNS15 at checkout.

Have a great Etsy Inspiration day! 

Etsy Inspiration & Giveaway Winner

And the winner of the  Primitive-N-Proper Recycled Coffee Sack tote giveaway is.......

Michele of Primp!!!

Congratulations and thank you for following. 

Stay tuned for tomorrow's new Etsy Inspiration & Giveaway announcement.

PS.  I'm so excited, I just registered my largest number of comments for any of my Etsy Giveaway postings....39 comments.  Thank you to each and everyone of you

It's Friday

Need I say more...

Repurpose Thursday - Flower Lamp Shade

Today, I am starting a new weekly feature entitled "Repurpose Thursday". Every Thursday I will feature items from clothing to furniture that I have 'repurposed' as well as creative repurposing from around the web.  I hope you are inspired by this feature to repurpose, reinvent, reuse and recycle.   So, here it goes...

It's often hard to part with certain items in your wardrobe for a variety of reasons.  Well, in this case, I had purchased a blouse for an event I was attending that has since hung in my closet for years.  I loved its pleated chiffon accents.

I then developed an interest in handmade rosettes and it dawned on me that I could use these rosettes pratically anywhere and this blouse was the perfect item to start creating flowers with.  YES, I tore up the blouse to make flowers!!!  I knew that I could use them on a number of projects and the first was on a lamp shade for my daughter's university apartment.

I sewed a number of different sizes with the different pleated ruffles from the blouse and then glued them on to the lampshade and voila!!! 

Lampshade closeups from two different angles....

Voila!  Sitting on my piano before it heads to my daughter's apartment....

I tried to incorporate some of Centsational Girl's photography tips, I still have a long way to go!

Let me know what you think....

High Style Low Budget Design - The Foundary/Target

The Foundary is one of my favorite flash sale sites and recently they offered this fabulous 41"  3 Piece Nestable Leather Ottoman set.  The set includes 1 large ottoman made of Espresso bounded leather and 2 smaller ottomans  Priced at $285 discounted from $555....it appears to be quite a steal.

Again, Target to the rescue!  This Sheridan Black faux Leather 3PC Double Storage Ottoman with Tray Plus 2 Side Ottomans is virtually identical at a much better price point of $129.99 with free shipping. 

It is a great piece for a small apartment or a family room for extra storage.  

Truly, high end style on a low end budget...

Let me know what you think....