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Pretty Pillows and Purses at Make Mine Pink

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday July 31, 2009 as we present "Pretty Pillows and Purses"

If there's anything a girl can't have enough of it's pretty purses by day and pillows at night.

A woman's purse can reveal a lot about her personality. If you're fun and flirty, you might carry a giraffe handbag or a pearl patent purse with pink polka dots.  For the more reserved - a collector of all things pretty and vintage - perhaps a romantic summertime bag with roses and bachelor buttons. You can even show your "green" side with a straw handbag decorated with rescued jewelry, belts, buckles and various embellishments.

You can celebrate the many sides of your "purse"-onality with a purse that allows you to change covers and quickly as you change your mood. Or announce your uniqueness with a one of a kind "little black bag" - a vintage beaded black handbag.

Pillows can change their personalities too, as easily as changing a pillowcase. For sweet dreams, there are sweet heart hand-embroidered pillowcases. Feel nostalgic with vintage cutwork pillowcases. Or create a fun look by layering a bed with lots of pillows covered in different Southern Bell pillowcases.

Pillows make a statement all their own. Rescued vintage needle point pillows grace the finest parlors and boudoir chairs. They can be reminiscent of a special event or a special someone, like a floral monogram pillow with the initial of someone you love. A wedding keepsake pillow made with an antique style certificate or your favorite wedding photograph.  Beautiful pillows made from antique doilies and vintage dresser scarves.

Some pillows are fun and used to make a space colorful and whimsical,like a chocolate dipped strawberry pillow, a blue cupcakes pillow, or a handmade slice of cake pillow with satin pink roses and pink lace trim. A whimsical teapot pillow with Battenburg lace to set on the guest bed or porch swing. You can even grow a garden of pillows with mauve ribbon flower hearts, heart pillows with roses and pink ribbed chenille, and a pink roses throw pillow.

No matter what your style or what mood you're in, you can surround yourself with pretty purses and pillows designed to express exactly what you're feeling.

Photo Contribution 1: Mama's Pocketbook  |  Photo Contribution 2: C'est Chouette

Photo Contribution 3: Gail Friend Designs  |  Photo Contribution 4: Janets Creative Pillows

A STITCH IN TIME – ALL THINGS QUILTED AND STITCHED at Make Mine Pink

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday July 24, 2009 as we present "A STITCH IN TIME – ALL THINGS QUILTED AND STITCHED "

Hand-stitched quilts, detailed hand crafts and keepsake needle arts stitch us together in place and across time. Regardless of century,

country or kin, we're unified by our love of all things handmade. Stacks of gorgeous quilting fabrics remind me of Saturdays spent with my grandmother, my eager little hands anxious to just touch the color fabrics tucked in every nook and cranny of the small sewing room. I'd watch her hands and as she worked her fabric like magic and turned floral pastels, ticking stripes and colorful plaids into prized treasures. Stitched treasures are beautiful as well as practical. Hand stitched sachets filled with the sweetest lavender - tucked inside a special drawer of an antique dresser or washstand. Whimsical quilts, using the newest techniques mixed with treasured old quilts tattered with age. Each one is beautiful in its own right, but the centuries combine to create something truly exquisite.

 

Embroidered table linens can become the finest heirlooms. Many have been passed down from mother to daughter or are looking for new homes to create new traditions. Today, machines can replicate those delicate stitches to create heirlooms for our own grandchildren. Pink flowers embroidered on vintage tablecloths, carefully scalloped edgings, delicate stitches on kitchen towels and napkins.
 

Needlepoints rescued and made anew with beautiful silks, each one with a story all its own, ready to make new memories in a new home. The finest yarns and threads woven, knitted, crocheted into practical and beautiful garments and accessories. A hand crocheted doily paired with silk ribbon flowers to cover a table, beautifully crocheted cushions to rest on a sofa. A handmade shawl whose stitches are eager to warm someone special on a cool summer evening.

From past or present, near or far, we are united in our love of all things stitched.

 

Photo Contribution 1: The Quilt Shoppe| Photo Contribution 2: Kitty Kitty Designs | Photo Contribution 3:  Beloved Creations

Christmas in July Shop Hop at Make Mine Pink

It’s Christmas in July at Make Mine Pink and we’ve checked our lists and checked them twice, to be be sure your your shopping at “Christmas in July” sure is nice!

Please join the boutiques at Make Mine Pink July 20th - 26th for our annual Christmas in July Shop Hop where unique gifts and giveaways are abound!

http://www.makeminepink.com

Have you made your list and checked it twice? This is a great opportunity to get some of your holiday shopping done before the rush of the holiday season.

By shopping at the boutiques at Make Mine Pink, here are some of the wonderful gifts you might find. A hand-painted porcelain mirror for your dear mother, perhaps a vintage tablecloth for a sweet aunt , a wreath magnifique for the newlyweds, a fussie mussie for your sister and beautiful handcrafted jewelry for your daughter. A custom hand painted vintage window is sure to delight the in-laws and even vintage silver that will please your best antiquing companion.

The boutique owners at Make Mine Pink understand the Christmas rush and want to make your shopping as pleasurable as possible. To make this possible, we are offering the finest services and products in July. Some Boutiques will offer gift wrap that is so beautiful you may not want to put it away until Christmas, while others may offer artfully crafted gifts tags just right for giving. Special orders delivered on the day you chose is no problem or perhaps a custom color or a special design embroidered on linen and even a stack of books of special interest wrapped in the prettiest ribbons and ready to give. Whatever your needs, we can help you make that someone’s Christmas special.

At the boutiques of Make Mine Pink you will find that handmade is heartfelt, vintage brings back memories and sentimental is still sweet. A darling candle in a vintage teacup, a pillow made from a cherished baby’s dress, collectible woodland mice or fairy houses, and bath products sure to pamper even the busiest of women. Now is the time to plan a special quilt, the fabric and patterns are put together in special kits for your convenience. Ordering special potpourri to tuck in each gift you wrap would be a delightful surprise for your gift recipients but don’t forget to order extra for yourself too!. A gift of personalized ribbon is an indulgence that will not soon be forgotten. You might prefer to pick a charm made of china just like the china that Grandma had, or a charm with a custom engraved sentiment that only you and your best friend would understand.

All that you do is for others is thoughtful and not soon to be forgotten, but what about that delightful little treasure that you can’t live without? You may not be able to resist the pink lights for that special tree , or a vintage ornament or two to add to your ever growing collection. Perhaps a special tea to enjoy while you jot down your thoughts in a beautiful hand-crafted journal or soft as butter soaps that will ease the tensions of a long day. And a sweet cupcake or two with no calories (faux of course) makes it even more delightful.

As if the boutiques and all the delights they have to offer is not enough, don’t forget the prizes that you can win just by joining the shop hop. No purchase is necessary to win, but we’re pretty sure you won’t be able to resist a treasure or two.

So shop and hop the specialty boutiques at Make Mine Pink and remember, we love special requests. It’s our pleasure to serve you and to help make your holidays special.

"An English Cottage" at Make Mine Pink

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday July 17, 2009 as we present "AN ENGLISH COTTAGE"

The English cottage was introduced by British aristocrats who admired the simple beauty of the homes of farmers and craftsmen. These nobles hired architects to design similar buildings for them. The English cottage soon became popular with the general population, especially in North America, because its small scale made it more accessible.

Today, the country charm of an English cottage can be created in any home, not just those with thatched roofs and ivy covered walls.

The windows of an English cottage are often decorated with delicate lace curtains or a floral fabric, like cabbage rose print. A cozy window seat provides a perfect place to enjoy a cup of tea in the china cup passed down from a grandmother.

On the walls of an English cottage hang framed nature prints or memories preserved in vintage frames. A bird tin wall plaque, a collection of framed vintage postcards, or a carefully stitched sentiment, are equally at home here. Favorite family photos in antique frames might hang in the hall, a vintage framed mirror in the entranceway.

The cottage cupboard is an essential element of the English cottage and is used for storage or to display a collection of treasures. On its shelves you might find a glass vase painted with pink roses, an antique English teapot with plum flowers, or a vintage cottage plate. This is the place to store the embroidered tea towels from your mother or the vintage pure white linens you bring out for special occasions.

Outside in the cottage garden, you'll find colorful blooms and roses, or ivy that climbs trellises and arbors. Homemade bird houses wrought iron bird baths, welcoming garden statues, and sweet garden plaques create a cottage feel here too.

With cottage touches in just the right places, the simple beauty of a country cottage can live anywhere, not just in the English countryside.

 

Photo Contribution 1: C'est Chouette Photo Contribution 2: Petite Bookstore

"Summer Porch and Garden" at Make Mine Pink

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday July 10, 2009 as we present "SUMMER PORCH AND GARDEN"

There’s nothing more inviting than a summer porch and garden. It can be a source of shade when the temperature gets too warm, a place of shelter during a gentle summer rain, or just a place to sit with someone special on a lazy summer day. It can be a welcoming start your day with your favorite antique tea cup in hand or a front row seat to watch the sunset from the weathered oak rocker, that in it’s day sat proudly in your grandmother’s home.

A welcoming porch and garden can create a friendly entryway to your home. A welcome sign hand painted with pink roses perched against the railing or a lilac berry wreath with a scent as inviting as it looks, letting guests know that you're glad they're here before you've said a word. If entertaining guests, perhaps vintage chairs, refinished and made comfortable with dainty floral needlepoint cushions, or a white painted table set with a vintage lace-tablecloth like your mom and before her - grandmother used.

With the right accessories, a porch and garden can even become an extension of your home. For candlelit evenings, a candle inside a topiary lantern casting a romantic glow. For lazy afternoons, a daisy metal basket filled with fresh cut flowers, a knitting project, or even as cliche as this sounds, a glass of fresh squeezed lemonade and a favorite books. Tucked in the corner, a vintage pink metal watering can kept handy to water the flowers in the window boxes while the lace curtains on the windows gently sway in the afternoon breeze. As much comfort as your home, with the right accessories.

You can add a cottage touch to your garden with decorations like ceramic garden mushrooms and inspiring garden plaques sprinkled with just the right amount of glitter. Tea cup bird feeders, handmade birdhouses, and antique iron birdbaths are all welcome sites for feathered friends. Remember to add a touch of whimsy just to make you smile - like a basket of flowers placed on a pink bicycle.

No matter what your summer days hold, a porch and garden can provide the ideal setting for friends, family and even a private retreat. Won’t you join me for a cup of tea as we help you design your summer porch and garden.

Joyce Lucas, Founder
Make Mine Pink

Photo Contribution 1: Camelia Cottage  Photo Contribution 2: Shabby Shan's Cottage

Make Mine Pink Cape Cod Mini Retreat - a Beautiful Remembrance

About a week ago I received a small package in the mail from Kim at RoseblossomCottageDesigns. Kim was one of the attendees of the MMP 2008 retreat.  
To ensure that everyone would have a beautiful reminder of their time at Cape Cod, Kim created these magnificent seas shell charms made from shells gathered on the beach where we stayed. My beatifil shell charm has an additional pink stone with my initials engraved on the back side of it and as if that wasn't enough, have a look at the engraving on the back of the shell!

Thank you dear Kim for Making a memorable trip even more memorable!

If you have a special event and would like Kim to make it special for your attendees, visit http://www.roseblossomcottage.com.

Joyce Lucas, Founder
Make Mine Pink