HANDBAGS, PURSES, POCKETBOOKS, OH MY!

Handbags, Purses, Pocketbooks, Oh My!

Whatever you call them, I so enjoy making them.  In fact, I think it is raining purses here at Tea Cottage Pretties.  A couple of weeks ago my sister came for a short visit.  She asked me to make a purse for her friend just like the one I had made for her for Christmas.  I had made her one of my collage purses and she so loved it and so did her friends.  One special friend of hers really loved it.  This is a lady that does not have much and struggles to get by and my sister wanted her to have something nice.  So I told her I would be happy to do that for her.  The collage purses are my most time consuming and costly purses so I am working on it but while working on that one, I started making all the other purses that I have not been able to get to.  

Here is a picture of the purse I made for my sister

 and the one I am making for her friend will be just like this one. It has the "Lord's Prayer" on it and her name.  

And here are the ones I made while working on this special one for my sister's friend. 

As you can see I made a Girly Girl Pink Paris Purse, a Shabby Chic Fabric Purse with Pearls and Lace and a really sweet Navy Blue with White Polka Dot Purse with a Bumble Bee and Flower Buttons.  The navy purse is very special to me.  I made it using my little June Bug's dress from when she was very small.  It was one of my favorite dresses and I wanted to keep it around for many years to come.  By making a purse out of it, I can do just that.  I can't help but smile (REALLY BIG) every time I look at it.  

Here is my beautiful June Bug's Dress Navy Purse

Next is my Girly Girl Paris Purse

Now I did a little something different with the inside pocket of this purse.  I have these really cute zippers and I have been dying to use one.  So this was my chance to use a pretty pink one.  You see what I did there?

And last but not least - Shabby Chic Fabric with Pearls and Lace.  

This purse is soooooo me.

I did something a little different with this one. 

 I added craft plastic inside to give it shape and make it firm.

Although I am happy with how it turned out I kind of like my purses a little floppy.

This next photo was taken in the best light. You can see the color better in this one. 

I added a bow and pearl and rhinestone button to the front of it. 

I think this purse will look great with my lace hat you see in the picture. 

I HEART HATS!!!

I added pretty crochet lace to this one. 

After making all my new purses I was in need of a place to store them all along with all their adornments.  So I cleaned out a vintage suitcase that I got a thrift shops a few years ago and I stored them inside. 

Here is my suitcase. 

Inside are my purses.

Isn't it perfect!   

So not only did I manage to make some pretty purses this week but I also manage to work on our fence.  Our fence was very damaged in a wind storm a couple months ago.  Although the fence is ten years old and was in need of repair anyway.  Luckily only one side needed some TLC.  My son Chris has been working on it with my help and we are slowly getting there.  The problem is we have to dig out the old cement stumps and then get them out of the ground.  Well I say we but he is doing that part all by himself.  It is way to much for me to do but I can help with all the other work.  

Being a reuse, recycle person, I could not see replacing the fence so I decided to replace the post and top and bottom boards plus any other boards that just could not be reused.  Here is a picture of what our fence looked like before. 

Here is a section after it has been given just enough TLC.

And here is a view of our fence showing both a repaired section and one section that has not been repaired.  You can see how the fence is falling down. 

Big difference isn't it?  The best thing is I did not throw away all that wood.  
Love a tree - RECYCLE AND REUSE!!!!!

A special thank you to my son Chris for working so hard on this for me. 
It could not happen without his hard work. 

Okay now back to the Girly stuff.  I found some makeup awhile back that I really love.  So I had something to return to the store today and they gave me a gift card.  You know how it is when you have lost your receipt.  Well that was okay with me.  I headed straight to that makeup I love and I finally got myself a few things.  I got a kit, blush and lipstick.  

"CRUELTY FREE MAKEUP"

My lipstick is called "Marshmallow Bunny"!!! How sweet is that?  The blush is a perfect pink that I have been looking for everywhere and I finally found it.  It is called "Sweet Pink".  Then I got the "Glamour To Go" that has everything a girl needs all in one beautiful case that fits in your purse.  
YAY me, Score!!!!

The best part is that Too Faced does not use any animals to make their products nor do they do testing on animals.  I try very hard to make sure I do not use any makeup that has animal bi-products in it. 

Oh and I found the little canvas bag with a crown on it at Michael's Craft Store. It was only $2.00 and oh so cute.  I think I may stamp my name on it and glam it up a little but what an awesome find!

This past weekend my girls and I went to the Riverwalk in San Antonio.  We are working on our "Bucket List"  of things we want to do or do again before we leave Texas.  I took some photos while we where there and one of them I wanted to share.  It came out so beautiful and I love the small beautiful things in life.  You know, those magnificent things that others may pass by and never give a second thought to.  This photo speaks to me of beauty and grace and all things wonderful. 



This photo has not been edited in any way.
 It came out lovely all on it's on. 
I now know that this is a Trumpet Vine.
Thank you Doni!!!!

And here I am standing next to the River. 
Wearing lace of course....

I am so very thankful that I have been feeling well lately.  I love doing things with my girls and crafting and getting caught up on all the things I get behind on. 

I saw a  commercial the other day and it was about living a "maybe life".  It hit home with me because I often feel that I live a maybe life.  I can not commit to anything that requires that I be somewhere at a certain time, on a certain date.  I never know how I will feel when the time comes.  I have to live a more spontaneous life.  I do things when I can and this week I have been very blessed.  I took my girls out several times and I manage to get out and do some fun things.  I also manage to get some crafting and sewing in and clean my house up.  I even worked in the yard with my son on the fence.  All in all, it has been a great week!  
I am happy and blessed.  

See you soon, 
Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

RESTING, NO MAKE THAT NESTING AND PARIS BURLAP FABRIC

Resting, No Make That Nesting

and

Paris Burlap Fabric

So this week I was supposed to rest, at least that is what I told myself.  Well as it turned out I didn't rest but I did something that is therapeutic for me anyway, nesting.......

Remember all that printed burlap fabric I bought?  Well I decided that I wanted to cover my kitchen chairs with it and so my son and I went to work on them.  I have covered my chairs before and it takes me forever but this time my son helped me and it went so fast.  Thank you Chris for helping me and I so enjoyed our time together.  

Look what we did together!!

Here is a close up of the fabric

And here is what they looked like before we covered them.  They were dirty and in need of some TLC. 

This was such a fun project and the results were so rewarding.  It is something that you can do in a day. 

Next I so want to make myself a Paris Burlap Wreath!

Gotta search the Interwebs for a DIY Tutorial on it.

So loving the chairs and needing a few things to tie everything together I decided to do a few little things in our family room.  Our family room and kitchen are open concept, so it is really one very large room and they kind of need to match. 

I had ordered some of the most fabulous hand stamped Paris ribbon from someone on Etsy (I heart Etsy).  I had some vintage crystal lamps from the 50's.  They even have the vintage lamp stickers on them and I don't have the heart to remove them.  So I decided to decorate the lamp shades using my news ribbon. I search through my goodies and I found all these lovely things.

I have two of these lampshades

First I cleaned them up and then I added crochet lace trim and a sweet flower

Then I added sweet little bows and rhinestone button crowns. 

Last, I added tiny white pearls on stick pins and here is the final result complete with vintage crystal lamp. 

Then I made myself a pretty pin board that matches my Paris theme.  

Oh and the crystal lamps were a thrift store find and I paid $2.50 a piece for them.  You never know what treasures you will find in a thrift store.  These days I do not thrift much because I already have way to much stuff and my health but I totally recommend it!!

I am not sure what got into me this week

 but as you can see I was nesting instead of resting. 

 I so love nesting.  

Until next time,

happy nesting!!!

Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

SPRING HAS ARRIVED

Spring Has Arrived!

This week has seen the arrival of Spring here in Texas.  Ah but it will be short lived as Summer will come very fast and the temperatures will climb.  I try to enjoy our little taste of Spring while it last.  Yet, this week I have been super busy trying to get mom ready for her trip to go live with my sister Patti.  

 I have been sewing and packing up all my mom's things to get her ready for her trip.  Mom is very short (4'10" to be exact) and she had tons of nice new pants that needed hemming so that she could wear them. Now she can wear her pretty clothes and she even picked an outfit out to wear on her trip.  I have mixed emotions about mom leaving but with my fibromyalgia acting up I am just not able to take care of her right now.  This has been hard for me and seeing her go is even harder but I have to accept my limitations at this time and do the best I can do.  Mom needs more care than I am physically able to give her but I will be and always have been very supportive of mom. 

While I was doing all that sewing I managed to sew a purse that I had been wanting to finish.  It is made from a printed burlap material.  It features things from France to include the Eiffel Tower and all sorts of neat images.  I found the fabric at Hobby Lobby and I fell in love with it, I bought 4 yards!  The purse turned out really cute.  It is made exactly like the others I have made in the past except I made it 3" larger and used a larger handle.  

As usual I added all sorts of ribbon and sparkly dangles to give it that extra special girly girl touch.  I have used it once and I got quite a few compliments on it.  Now what to do with all that fabric I have left?  

Oh and I was so excited this week when I found the best bargain of the year for me.  I saw a faux fur jacket before Christmas and it was $160.00.  Now I would never pay that much for a jacket and certainly not a faux fur jacket.  I tried it on and it was so adorable and it looked good on me.  The jacket was a shorter jacket with almost a swing jacket style to it.  Well I placed it back on the rack and went on with my life.  Then last week while playing around on the interwebs (that's what I call the Internet) I came across a jacket that was almost exactly the same. The cool part was they had it in my size and it was $10.00.  That's right $10.00 marked down from $100.00, so 90% off.  I ordered it and the shipping was only $5.00, so for $15.00 I got my jacket and here it is!!!

Now I will of course have to wait till next winter to wear it but I don't mind.  It will be like having a new jacket when the time comes and a pretty one at that!!!

Also, I have been in need of a jewelry box and not just a little box like you can buy at stores but something BIG to hold all my bracelets, headbands, necklaces and more.  So I was looking around my house and trying to figure out what would work that could hold a lot of jewelry and girly stuff and I think I have found my solution.  Here is my vintage nightstand that is soon to be my jewelry box, hopefully.  Stay tuned to see it in the near future. 

See it is even dreaming of being a jewelry box!!

Among my many blessings this week I walked outside on Monday and I was greeted by these beauties!  Yes, Spring has arrived!

My red rose bushes are blooming!

Welcome Spring! 

I had a few folks ask me about my Omega 3 fish oil from a previous blog post, so here is a picture of what I am using. It has really helped me a lot and the best part is there is no fishy taste!!!

So you see I have been very busy this past week.  I plan on resting and recuperating all of next week.  I need some down time to heal and take care of myself.  Until we meet again, have a lovely day. 

Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

WHITE LACE CAMEO HANDBAG

White Lace Cameo Handbag

I just wanted to write a short little blog post this evening so that I could share my new white lace handbag with everyone.  I made this handbag several months ago but I had never finished it because I did not have the "right" things to adorn it with until recently.  While enjoying a show with my Tiffany last night, I finally got it done.  I think it is beautiful and fantastic for springtime.  

I so love crafting and making things with my hands.  There is so much satisfaction in creating something beautiful.  It is also very therapeutic for me.  My next handbag will be a stamped burlap with a Paris design.  Be sure to come back and visit to see it soon!

Have a beautiful crafty day

Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties 

SPRING CRAFTING AND EASTER

Spring Crafting and Easter

Spring is here and for some reason I always want to make something beautiful this time of year.   So I am in a crafting sort of mood.  Now this does not mean that I will actually find the time to do any crafting but I can sure have fun thinking about things I want to make and buying the supplies.  Then maybe soon I will get around to making something.   

Today my girls wanted to go to Hobby Lobby and you never have to ask me twice to go there.   While at Hobby Lobby I found so much inspiration.  I fell in love with a burlap fabric they had that looks as though it is stamped with all sorts of PARIS things on it.  As soon as I saw it, I though this would make a beautiful handbag and as soon as I can I am going to make it.  Here is my new beautiful burlap fabric. 

I also found all sorts of other crafting goodies to include buttons, jewelry, ribbon, lace medallions, ink, stamp, bookmarks to make and hair pins. Oh and some really cool burlap stamped ribbon.  

I don't have a lot of extra time right now but I did manage to make myself some bows that I can clip to my shoes or wear as a pin.  I used the ribbon above and some rhinestone crowns and pin backs to make them.  You can see them in the picture with all my supplies but here they are on my shoes.  

I just adore these little crochet type shoes.  They are perfect for spring and oh so comfy to wear.  All they needed was a little bling and a girly PARIS bow!!!

Be sure to watch in the near future for a handbag made from my new burlap fabric!!

  I am so excited!!!

Easter is right around the corner and I have planned a meal for my mom and my children.  Mom will be going to visit my sister for a while so that I can have a break.  So I wanted to make this Easter a little special for her.  I will be making a pork roast because that is her favorite!  I will be making baskets for my girls as always and we will spend our time together celebrating this beautiful time of the year. 

I also made some Easter jars, thanks to a pin on Pinterest.  I made one for each of my girls and even a small one for my mom. 

To make these cuties you will need:

 Glass Jar with Lid

Lace

Ribbon

Peeps Bunnies

Candy Coated  Chocolate Eggs 

Edible Easter Grass

Place grass in jar, place a few eggs inside and fill with bunnies!!!!!!!

So sweet literally and figuratively speaking.

Hoping that everyone has a 

lovely Spring and a very Happy Easter!

See you soon....

BLESSINGS AND COMBAT BOOTS

Blessings and Combat Boots

These are my new combat boots covered in beautiful pink roses.  I figured if I must battle my own private war with fibromyalgia, pernicious anemia, hypothyroidism, vitamin D deficiency and a multitude of endocrine problems I at least deserve my very own combat boots.  

It is true that when you are sick you are fighting a battle.  It can sometimes be a very lonely and isolating battle with few to champion you along the way.  I don't always talk about how I feel to others and for the most part people in my life are unaware that I am sick.  That everyday I fight my own battle to get up and move about and do the things that I need to do, that I must do.  I have chosen to keep my problems to myself.  I am very cognisant that we all have our battles to fight.  I am no different besides I tire of telling the story.  It is hard to explain and usually the response I get is "but you look great".  Being sick is part of me, it is my battle and I chose to fight it in my own way.  

Recently a very sweet person emailed me to say she had been praying for me.  She knew not why she felt she needed to pray for me but she just did it anyway.  During this time I was very sick and I was also upset that I was feeling this bad yet again. I would wake up so extremely sick and everything would hurt.  When I say everything hurt, I mean any stimuli such as light, sound and touch.  Every fiber of my being hurt from my head to deep inside my bones.  My muscles and joints screamed at me when I moved.  My head hurt and I experienced severe brain fog and the list goes on.   I would know the minute I woke up how bad it is going to be on any given day.  However, recently something has changed all that, at least for now. So , I wanted to send out a very special thank you to my friend for her prayers and for all my lovely friends that keep me in their prayers.

I have been sick for 16 years and there are always ups and downs to how this thing works for me.  I take the good days and the bad days and I do the best I can do with them.   I have all sorts of endocrine problems and to top it off I have a cholesterol problem.  The cholesterol problem has kind of always taken a  back seat to the many and varied other things on my list of problems.  High cholesterol runs in my family on both sides.  I can not take statins, they completely strip me of any quality of life.  I took them for a time and suffered from myopathy so badly that I could no longer function.  So now I am using Niacin which is a B vitamin and although it is working a little, it is not enough to combat the cholesterol problem.  A very dear and good friend of mine said you know I take fish oil (Omega 3) and I told her that I hated the taste of it.  You know those fishy burps, yuck....  Anyway, I found an Omega 3 that surprisingly does not leave me with that fishy taste in my mouth, so I started taking them everyday.  Now I have been told many times by my Doctor to take Omega 3 but every time I start I end up putting them down, so I knew it would be okay to take them.  

I am going into my 3rd week taking the Omega 3 and I feel different and I mean different in a good way.  I don't yet know if it is actually helping with the cholesterol (that test will be done later) but it seems the Omega 3 has done some other things for me.  I first noticed that I was waking up and I did not feel sick.  That is usually my first indication that I am going to be very sick that day.  I noticed I was jumping out of bed and getting dressed and I felt pretty good.  Not 100% but so much better than before.  I notice little things like my hair and nails were growing beautifully.  My skin feels softer and I have better coloring in my face. I was able to do things I have not done in a long time.  I have been working in my yard doing things like mowing the grass, repairing our fence and staining it and cleaning out all sorts of closets and drawers.  

So last night I did a web search to see exactly what Omega 3's do for you.  I was shocked when I found that Omega 3 helps with autoimmune diseases, fibromyalgia, brain fog (I so hate brain fog), cognitive processes, smooth joint and muscle functioning, and the list goes on.  This research validated what I had already been experiencing.  I keep thinking how come no one ever told me the benefits of taking Omega 3?  I have seen so many Doctors during the last 16 years and not one of them has ever told met that Omega 3 could help with my illnesses.  Having said that, it matters not because now I know.  What a difference this Omega 3 has made in my life.  I will continue to note how everything goes over time but for now it seems to be helping.  In a word I have been blessed and I am thankful for the prayers, friends and the Omega 3.   

May you always be the victor in all your day to day battles. 

God Bless

Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

MY VALENTINE

My Valentine

Pink Heart Shaped Tea Cups!!!

As anyone who knows me knows, my husband is my very own and true Valentine.  I think at times we make others a little sick to their stomachs actually.  We always get remarks like, "how long have you two been married, you act as though you got married yesterday",  "can you keep your hands off one another", and "we can’t even take a picture because he is always kissing you".  I always smile to myself when I hear things like this because for Eric and me it is just the way we are together.  We have had some beautiful Valentine's Days together over the years.  The best one was when we were living in Puerto Rico.  He took me to the Wyndham Casino and Hotel in Isla Verde.  We ate at a rooftop restaurant and we even visited the casino.

  Casinos are not our thing but the atmosphere was so captivating.  Ladies in beautiful dresses and gentlemen in splendid suits and beautiful and lavish surroundings.  The night was fabulous and he gave me a gold bracelet and he also bought me a star that year.  I know it is just really a novelty but all the same I felt he loved me so much that he could buy me a star.  He gave me a star, yes he did that!!!

This year we had to spend Valentine's Day apart but that is okay for we know that this is our life.  We will be together again and we will be just as happy as we always have been.  This year he got me a beautiful pink inside heart teacup and saucer set for my tea.  My daughter Tiffany and I have become quite the afternoon tea drinkers.  We love Twining's tea and especially love Prince of Wales tea by Twining's.  So she and I have been enjoying our tea.  

 Now this came about because of Pinterest.  Yeah, I love Pinterest and I want to make everything I see and have all the beautiful things I see on Pinterest. That does not happen much but with the tea cups and saucers, I had to have them.  I had mentioned it to him; OKAY I sent him the picture and said "Can I have these PapapaPlease!  Of course he replied and said "is this a tea set"?  Well the thing is I have tons of tea sets but I did not have this one.  

He once bought something and I said sweetie you haven't even used it.  He looked at me with all the love in his heart and said "how long have we been married" to which I replied "for a long time", then he said. "How many tea pots do we own" and I said "too many to count".  Then he really went for the jugular and said' "and how many times have I had tea" and I tried to protest by saying but I do enjoy my tea pots.  I look at them every day and you know tried to pass them off as decor items.  A girl never likes to loose. In the end I conceded and I let my prince win.  You notice I say I let him win, although he did have a point. 

But I digress, as I do sometimes.  So I got my beautiful tea cups and saucers and we love them very much.  They are prefect for Valentine's Day and really for me every day.  You know being a Girly Girl and all.   He did well as he always does.  Oh and I forgot to tell you the best part.  After he asked if it was a tea set, he then emailed me to say: “anything you want my sweet princess"!  Yay me, I am married to such a wonderful guy that loves me to pieces and truly he is my Valentine!

Here are my cups filled with delicious tea.  One for me and one for my beautiful and loving Tiffany.  

You did notice they are pink, right?

Hope everyone had a beautiful and happy Valentine's Day!

Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

AND MAY YOUR BLESSINGS BE MANY AND YOUR TROUBLES BE FEW

And May Your Blessings Be Many 

and Your Troubles Be Few 

Valentine's Day Shadow Box

Before I get started on my post.  I want to take a moment to thank each and everyone one of my followers. I am up to 79 beautiful followers now and I am delight. Thank you!

So my world is out of balance and falling apart. 

I have never liked when I hear someone complain all the time and I make an effort not to complain.  I try to stand up to whatever I am facing and do the best I can do.  That doesn't mean that there are not times when I sit down and have a good cry.  Not really because I am feeling sorry for myself but because for me it is a catharsis.  I do not like always having to be the strong one in any situation.  There are times when I want to hand it to someone else and let them handle it.  I have never tried to cover up the fact that it is always nice to let someone who loves you take care of something for you.  Matter of fact it is absolutely wonderful.  

This is not one of those times in my life.  My Eric is away and as always when he is away I am faced with more problems then I need.  This week alone the HVAC (heating and AC) system went out in the house, hot water heater went out, AC drain pipes got stopped up, June Bug was hit by a ball at school and broke her front tooth, fence outside had to be repaired (was getting nasty grams from the HOA threatening to fine us), weeds had to be killed in front yard (again HOA letters),  and well everything else in between all of this stuff.  I have had one of the most trying weeks I have had since Eric left.  I am tired, worn out, exhausted, and on top of that I have been sick all week.  I have made several attempts to get in to see my Doctor and every time I have not been able to see him.  You know accident at school with June's tooth, trying to get to dentist for her, no hot water, etc etc. etc.  

So tonight I was trying to see the good in all this and I thought well at least we have a home for things to go wrong and need fixing.  It isn't that I don't appreciate the good things in my life.  I always appreciate our blessings and all that we have as a family. Yet, somehow right now all I want is to be in a happier place.  I want to see my Eric and have him home at least for a few days and I want the house to stand still and stop breaking apart.  I just want a few days that are stress free and happy so that I can recuperate from all this craziness.  

So instead I am writing this post as a way to find some release from all that is going on in my world.  Life can be tough at times and it can also be amazing and wonderful.  Our blessings are many and I am trying so hard to focus on them all and appreciate them.  So it is my hope that tomorrow the sun will be a little brighter and life will look a little better.  For tonight I am tired and sad and overwhelmed and I just need a hug from my Eric.  

Perhaps my world will go back into balance once 

my Eric is home. 

And may your blessing be many and troubles be few.  

Before my world fell out of balance and then fell apart, I manage to decorate for Valentine's Day.  Above is a picture of my Valentine Box I made.  I used vintage cupcake picks and all sorts of things to make this shadow box.  And of course their names are Eric and Beverly.  

Just in case I don't get to post before Valentine's Day, you know world out of balance and falling part, Happy Valentine's Day. 

This is another shadow box I made. 
 This one does not have as much detail but it is still so sweet.  

And here is a sweet bracelet that is perfect for
 Valentine's Day

See you all very soon.....

Beverly 
Tea Cottage Pretties