Gabrielle Messina Just a Girl

Hippity- Hoppity Easter's On It's Way!!!!!

Before it comes and goes, I wanted to wish you a very Happy Easter! I hope it's filled with pretty pastel dresses, patent leather shoes in lovely hues and Easter bonnets too! I hope Mr. Rabbit leaves you lots of chocolate treats and marshmallow PEEPS, plenty of sweet smelling flowers and green grass with hidden painted eggs for the kids to find!  I have a few projects started around the house and this is one of the little ones I finally got around to making one of the adorable paper clay dolls that the fabulously talented Amy Hanna contributed to Amy Powers' Inspired Ideas Christmas Magazine. So much fun! I need to make two more still.... Right now, my sweet little chick's just hanging out on our Easter tree!  A spun cotton bunny's there too! Lots of vintage flowers and eggs hanging about!  A few months ago, after seeing and swooning over it, I made one of Amy Hanna's Baskets of Love, also featured in Amy Powers' Spring edition magazine!!!! Let me tell you how much I love, love, love this project! Loads of inspiration in those pages, I'll tell 'ya! Well, very soon my little man will be waking from his much needed nap and this chick has got some Easter preparations to tend to! In the midst of all the bunnies and candy hope you'll enjoy the beauty and peace of the true meaning of Easter!!!

Lots of pastel kisses coming your way! xooxxox

 

Party Time!

   Hello, ladies! I thought it might be high time for me to get to posting about my girls' 7th and 5th birthday party! We had a tiny intimate affair, this year. The girls picked a few of their closest friends from school and invited them for an afternoon of girlie fun! As you can see form the above picture, my littlest lady loved her doll and named her Miss Angela on the spot.The night before the party, I set the able with a few paper dolls and a vintage handmade table cloth my mother- in- law gave me.On the cabinet in the corner, I stacked some hatboxes from my bedroom and craft room along with a vintage train case and tacked some paper doily bunting to the ceiling.I made a little clothes line with a sweet selection paper doll attire to festoon the cake.   And individual vases of petite roses at each place setting.I pulled the buffet table from out of my craft room and set it up in the kitchen, once again. Of course, another paper doll.Here's the cake I made the morning of the party. Strawberry buttercream icing, as per requested! And the little clothes line atop! A party isn't complete without cupcakes, now is it?A day filled with smiles galore.

paper doll line-up

 I got to thinking, that for the girls' Paper Doll Party, more paper dolls might be in order. Who's ever heard of too many anyhow? So, a few weeks ago, I set about making some rather colossal sized paper dolls that could be used as center pieces and focal points for the day of their, now rescheduled celebration.
I used the same image of the sweet paper doll I had used in all of the other trimmings for the party. Just this time, scaling them larger. I scaled them too large to fit on a standard sheet of paper, so I copied first the top portion of the little girl, then the bottom and fitted them together. I think they turned out pretty cute and think I'll end up using them as little decorations for their playroom after the party's over.As cute as the front of them are, I think I like the back just as much! There's something wonderfully mod about the lineup of these little women and at the same time, old fashioned. 

  On a side note and completely unrelated, I realize that ferris wheel has been shown in the last couple of posts. It's just been making it's rounds around the house more then usual. I love ferris wheels. Ferris wheels, hot- air balloons and carousels... I put them all in the same fun category and they are often hard subject matter to find. So when I do, I scoop them up! Rambling, rambling. Thanks for listening, girls! 

a little lady for my little lady

Want a peek at my little girl's birthday gift? Isn't she sweet? I'm most certain every five year old girl needs a life sized doll that can also store toys and treasures inside and comes complete with forget- me- nots, a rhinestone buckle and painted fingernails. I for one would certainly need one if I was a little girl again. I know my little lady's going to adore her. Right up her alley, she'll be. I used to do my little lady's hair just like this when she was a tiny babe with curls. Her big eyes and eyelashes reminded me of her too...That rhinestone buckle and dainty red fingernails.... Here's where she'll be able to keep her trinkets and her toys. Love that  form and function! Oh, and yes, that's my vacuum cleaner back there. I just finished up sprinkling her with a baking soda & lavender essential oil mixture and then vacuuming her off to freshen her up a bit. Love the dingy, time worn colors. The scent has sometimes got to go, though! I found her while doing a bit of antiquing with my husband on a date day a long while back(yes, I conned him into antiquing on a date day, and no, he'd never do it again.... It was a one sided date night, I'll admit) He thinks she's ridiculous and that no other person on earth would like her. Just goes to show you he was never a five year old girl..... I know for a fact she'll fall in love with her big dolly and she'll have a name for her in ten seconds flat, as she seems to name everything she comes across. 

Another Snow Day...

   Snow day today.... again.  These paper flowers on my window sill are making me smile a bit, although I feel rather out of sorts and off kilter today... They make me wish for spring, instead, I've got snow.....  More snow...  I baked a cake.  I like to bake cakes and eat them too. The kids like to bake cakes and eat them too.  They wanted to celebrate the snow day.... I lit the candles for them, but did not partake in the celebration of another snow day.... Pardon me, but I hope you can understand.  I did however, have a slice of cake....   I think I'll put a movie in the VHS player to entertain them. Because I am done. They like The Parent Trap with Haley Mills. It's my movie from when I was little. I've heard way too much bickering today and am going to implement a mandatory quiet time during the movie..... Anyone else so over SNOW DAYS?

because they're not already excited....

 We're off to Disney World! A magical place even for me. My kids are excited and haven't been able to fall asleep for the past few days.... I have a little tea party awaiting the girls when they get home from school.... just to add to the excitement of it all!   I'm this closeted Disney fan. I've read all the books on Walt and daydream about what it would have been like to visit Disneyland on opening day over sixty years ago.... I lost count at how many times I visited the park... Of course, you're not going to find a Mickey Mouse shower curtain in the bathroom or Mickey and Minnie salt and pepper shakers on my table, but this tea set on the other hand, is the most beautiful set I've ever seen! It blends perfectly in my cabinet with mismatched vintage sets. So much detail! Of course my girls love that Tinkerbell's on it.   Chip's in the same cabinet as well. There you have it, the extent of my Disney Collections.... Now, what to whip up for this little party since there's NO food in the house is the question.....

A Paper Doll Party

 Well, we came up with a theme for my girls' party this year.... A Paper Doll Party! I think it's such a sweet theme and my youngest little doll has been helping me non-stop. She's so into crafting and loves her vintage like her mama! She's playing a big part in the whole design... picking out the colored ribbon, glitter and flowers for the decorations. We just got word that she will be starting full days at school next week. I'm so sad I'm losing my little helper around the house, but she's so excited and it's what's best for her! Both girls are excited to have their friends over for a day of girly fun! I've been cutting out lots and lots of these sweet little curly haired dolls and her wardrobe for garlands, invitations, and wands! A wand for each.... I may stick these inside their cakes a cake toppers...  And plenty more little girls to be used as cupcake toppers.... I backed each with vintage paper from an old book and tied on some seam binding. Easy peasy!   And been dying doilies in coffee for what seems to be an eternity now too. As the party will be very close to Valentine's day, hearts and lacy doilies make for a perfect compliment to the little dolls!! The remind me of sweet sentiments little girls would hand out to their third grade sweethearts in the 1940's. Very nostalgic, I think. Well, I'd better get out of these pajamas and get dressed. It's soon time to pick my little one up from school. Have a beautiful day!! 

 

A Bell to Ring in the New Year!

 Last year, at about this same time, I began to make this bell covered entirely in pearls. I got to a point, about three quarters of the way to done and just stopped. I didn't even want to look at it anymore. I had orignially planned on making two of them and hanging them from the top of our Christmas tree. That plan seemed to fizzle when I realized that it took much, much longer than I expected. That, and the fact that I am pretty sure I had newborns that weighed less than this bell does..... It's a heavyweight and would topple the tree if it was paired with another at the very top! 

  I thought the bell would make a nice centerpiece for our New Year's table. It will be a day similar to last year's New Year's Eve. A night in with the kids in the early evening and the hubby and I later on... Oh, and a snazzy bottle of champagne too! These would be pretty to make in smaller sizes as ornaments... That's a project for next year!   I used a mix of old pearls from strands and necklaces that I tore apart along with new glass pearls; the pink and pale green ones.  I was finishing up the last few details on it today and happened to turn for about a half of a minute and when I looked back, lots more corsage pins were stuck into it! I had to laugh, that's my little guy! What a big helper! (I don't know what happened to this picture...)   To finish, I topped it off with a vintage cluster of millinery, ribbons and old and tarnished tinsel!   Well, I am going to wish you well now, as I know there will be lots to prepare come tomorrow!  Here's to you and your's this New Year's! Happy 2011, sweet friends!!!! Cheers! 

 

Gloria in Excelsis Deo

I want my children to know Christmas isn't all about a plump man in a red suit, a reindeer with a shiny red nose, or a stack of piled high presents. I want them to know the true meaning behind all this jubilee is one little Baby, that without this tiny Baby's birth, there would be no celebration. That the birth of the Newborn King, saved all of humanity. I also want my children to know how very, very blessed they are, which is why I'll be taking my girls to our local food bank with food we've been collecting. They need to see the real world, I want their eyes to be opened, as well as their hearts. They only know that if their hungry, all they have to do is open the refrigerator. They do not know that there are kids that have to wait in long lines to receive, whatever food is available. There is so much we can do to help others and I want to teach these values, the values of compassion, serving others and generosity at a young age.... 

I'm wishing for you and yours a very Merry, Merry Christmas!! 

The Magic Tree

    Christmas ornaments are magical aren't they? Sure, there some rather meaningless ones that somehow make their way into our collection, but the really special ones, I believe, they hold something.... They can tell a story or bring you back to a moment in time.This year, I selected my very favorite ornaments and set up my feather tree in our kitchen. The ornaments were all chosen for a different reason. Some from memorable trips, some made by my daughter, some older and more delicate than others... these ornaments, for whatever reason were selected above others to be on this tiny but prominent tree in our home. There's no theme here, their sizes are completely different... which leads to a tree that's a bit willy nilly.... I have no problem with willy nilly...  The most fragile and petite acorn with the most perfect patina produced by time.A velvet carrot from a special trip with my husband. This isn't even an ornament, but becomes one with a bit of metallic string. It's much larger than the rest of the ornaments.... I ran out of the pink mercury glass garland just before I hit midway, so I stopped and embraced the beautiful imperfections of this special tree.... This year and those that follow, I'm embracing the perfect imperfections that life is made up of.... because surely, it is those imperfections that make up a perfect life! We made these little felt corsages a few weeks ago, and I can't get this little one to take it off! Remember to slow down... read bedtime stories, sit by the fire, watch a Christmas movie, play board games, craft, bake and enjoy every ounce of this beautiful season! 

Thank you for all of your sweet comments on the Snowkids in the previous post! I so loved reading each comment! xoxoxo You are the best!