What Happens Next

What Stella Wore ~ Sequined Sea Maiden

Hey, sweet friends!

We would truly love it if you would take a moment to visit us at our home base www.TheGildedGirls.com, where we continue to share what's happening in our sparkly corner of the world!

The entire month of April, 2018, all website sales will ship with a little extra gift, (Yay!) to show our heartfelt appreciation for your encouragement and support... 

 

xoxo

Debbie, Shea, and Stella

The Gilded Girls

 ********************************************************************************************

 

In the early morning calm and solitude of the Pacific, if you are very quiet and believe with all your heart, you just might catch a glimpse of a tiny Sea Maiden who has come ashore for a brief moment.

Especially if she has just had a birthday, and would like to wear her handmade dress one more time...

 

A vision in sparkly tiers and flowing fringes, stitched together to evoke the romance of the sea.

 

She is that rarest of maidens... one who began in the imagination as a mermaid, and then evolved in the making from costume to couture.

A Sea Maiden. An Ocean Princess.

 

This seems more fitting, somehow. An ethereal confection that adapts to it's surroundings.

 

Row upon row of iridescent sequins on an organza background. 

Layer upon layer of fringe for movement and to evoke a dreamy underwater feel.

Cascades of pink flowers and golden beaded anenomes hand-stitched under the fringes.

 

Seam binding ribbon ties instead of a zipper to keep it dreamy.

 

Every Sea Maiden needs a crown of beaded starfish.

 

Alas, her time ashore is fleeting, and she must return to that special place in the heart... that place where dreams and memories reside. She may indeed appear again as the Sea Maiden, but nothing is guaranteed so I will cherish these moments of watching her frolic on the sand in her party dress.

Happy Birthday, Stella! You are truly an inspiring muse, and I look forward to everything that this new year has in store for you. xoxo

 

What Stella's Ottoman Wore ~ Linen Slipcover

 

Stella asked for something different this week.

She has noted lately that the house is going through a bit of a makeover. New paint colors, a few new accessories and some rearranging of the furniture. 

Through all of the changes, one thing remains constant. She loves this ottoman. It is just the right height for her to stand at and play, and she totally holds court here for hours almost every day. At a very large 3' x 5', it provides lots of great surface area to play, and soft edges for those "oops" moments.

 

This is how it has looked for over ten years. Patterned chenille has served us very well during the early childhood stage, but it is beginning to show wear and tear and the color no longer works with the new, freshened-up and lightened-up decor.

Stella asked me to make a "skirt" for it, after seeing a ruffly one in a magazine, and it seemed like a perfect design decision to us!

 

So this is what we made. Seven yards of the most beautiful, heavyweight upholstery linen and a serious stint at the sewing machine, and Stella's beloved ottoman has a skirt.

 

I won't pretend this was easy. The sheer weight of the fabric alone was daunting. I doubled the layer on the top to provide stability for the ruffles, and even my usual workhorse of a Viking machine was not happy sewing so many layers of such a heavy fabric.

I felt it's pain, but I perservered and the payoff was totally worth it.

 

It has totally transformed the room. We are all a little smitten with it, and we anticipate many a tea party and elaborate dolly soiree will take place on top and around it's soft, ruffled tiers.

Try not to look at the gold frames on the wall. The photos are getting a makeover, too... :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Stella will be back this Friday with a very special "Sea Maiden" birthday dress!!**

 

For The Love of Buttons

 

I have a long-standing love affair with buttons.

My mother's button box was an endless source of fascination when I was young, and the feelings that are evoked by the sight of a jar filled with these smooth, luminous rounds are deep and meaningful to me.

 

I know I share this affection with many creative women, whether the medium is sewing, needlework, jewelry, or any type of mixed-media crafting. We covet the look and feel of authentic shell buttons, so beautiful and often so delicate.

 

We wanted to bring them out of the jars this holiday season, and use them to bring a bit of button nostalgia to our decorating plans.

Hung on trees and cabinet knobs, the look is so sweet. Both glamorous and humble, all at once.

 

Strung into button garlands, heavy and supple. Our new favorite thing.

 

 

There is really no telling where these decorations will find themselves during the holidays, but one thing is certain...

They will not be packed away when the festivities are over. They will find their places in the permanent studio rotation of embellishments. 

But we will certainly strive to also keep the jars filled. Yes, we are that smitten.

Have a lovely, creative week!