My latest creation is a 2 in 1- hand made leather vessel/bowl
Designed to be used either side for a different decorative look
A beautiful OOAK handmade vessel I created from soft leather scrap and reclaimed fabrics from vintage sources such as tableclothes and doilys. All moulded together with French 1950′s dressmakers ribbons.
I use mine to display my antique & vintage button collections, shells and French coins on shelves and tables.
I’m so hooked on dyeing lately so here is my latest batch of cold water dyed fabrics and papers. I’ve had these dyes since the 70′s and they still worked really well. I was able to keep diluting the dye bath to get the very subtle tints. I’ve also been doing a bit of experimenting with rust dyeing and absolutely love it
On my other blog Outlook8studioI have a tutorial to share with you on rust dyeing
I have just listed in my shop“Atelierinparis Wearable Art – Textile Cuffs ” stunning one of a kind creations using vintage textiles, found objects embellishments and reclaimed jewelery bringing you a touch of 19th. Century French Bohemianism & romance.
“GYPSY BLOOD” wild seas tear us apart Oh! Gypsy Blood where are you …
ABOUT
Deep rose hand- dyed frayed cotton canvas topped with fragments of vintage black lace, twisted and stitched to decorate, vintage French brocade textile & shredded hand- dyed doily in deep rose, vintage olive green ribbon with hand stitched crosses in black tapestry thread and a vintage glass knotted button. All backed with aged cotton canvas and a torn piece of ribbon with Paris written, completed with a black elastic loop and vintage black button to fasten on your wrist for elegance and style.
SIZE
Cuff Length with loop – 8 inches – 20cm.
Cuff Width – 2 inches – 5 cm.
“TOINETTE”
“Chamber maids are more affluent wearing long loose jackets mantlets and pellisess. Decorative cuffs and muffs for winter were becoming common. The coif was still worn but was rivaled by headdresses and bonnets.” From The People of Paris: An Essay in Popular Culture in the 18th Century By Daniel Roche
ABOUT
Vintage tablecloth fabric dyed with acrylic tinctures with fragments of vintage French satin decor fringing , antique dyed lace, brocade textile. All topped with olive green ribbon and an old fabric covered button, decorative stitching of a cross and the words “I Am”next to a tiny dyed doily below a vintage glass button. All backed with aged cotton canvas and a torn piece of ribbon with word “Je t’aime” written, completed with a black elastic loop and vintage glass button to fasten on your wrist for elegance and style.
SIZE
Cuff Length with loop – 8 inches – 20cm.
Cuff Width – 2 inches – 5 cm.
Over the years I have collected boxes of archival mount board offcuts from my artwork.The other day I had a bit of a play with them and came up with some French- inspired brooches. Each brooch has been fully made by hand even the cutting so there maybe some flaws which I think only add to their charm
On the front I have decoupaged some French paper with Mademoiselle’s wearing 1950’s “Mode Française” enclosed with my vintage hand- dyed doily scraps.On the reverse I’ve decoupaged some French word or words with a nickel free brooch pin. Each piece is fully waterproofed with liquid gloss resin on the front and several coats of acrylic sealant on the reverse.
Brooch size approx. 3’x 2.5” – 8 x 6cm.
Brooch pin nickel free.
Packaged in an elegant hand- made sachet with a jewel to adorn
You can buy my new brooches and other French- inspired goodies from my Etsy shop
CARING FOR A BROOCH
Each piece of archival board is hand-cut and sanded then sealed with liquid gloss resin and several coats of acrylic sealant on the reverse. Waterproofed, this will protect the piece for normal wear and moisture but still wear and handle with care as you would any hand-made item.
CREATIVE WAYS TO WEAR YOUR BROOCH
Pin a brooch onto an evening bag. This method looks best when the brooch is pinned onto a clutch or other small evening bag. Pick a brooch that matches a color or detail in your dress, and it will really help tie the bag into the look.
Want your outfit to have little French chic? Simply wrap a scarf around your neck and fasten it in place with a brooch. Very simple but effective. For a slightly more modern take on this look, place the scarf around your waist or hips instead to draw the eye downwards and accentuate your figure.
Another neat idea takes a bit more creativity. Use a brooch as a hairpin. Make a bun or french twist extra glamorous by pinning a brooch in your hair. This usually looks best in the back of your hair, but use your judgment depending on the style. You will need bobby pins for this technique, since brooches are decorative but aren’t great at holding hair in place by themselves.
Do you have a plain belt? Jazz it up with a brooch. You can either pin the brooch directly onto the belt, or for leather or delicate items, use a piece of ribbon to hang the brooch or tie it in place while protecting belt.
I love to collect napkins . These ones are very special to me and would have to be my favorite ones.Each napkin is covered in little rabbits, squirrels and reindeer with children playing in the snow, wearing colorful hats, coats and hand mittens.
Story behind these napkins…
I found these beautiful paper napkins in Paris. I bought them for our Xmas dinner at my son-laws parents in 2009. We had 11 courses of decadence consisting of colorful seafood terrains, Brittany crabs, lobster, chicken voulavents, duck, venison, deserts and to finish it all off, a huge chocolate buche covered with little ceramic ornaments. All this, while watching the Eiffel Tower lights twinkling out the window. Yes, I’m very spoilt when I live in Paris.
I am selling 5 of these in my Etsy shop Yes, I know thats not many but, they are pretty special to me, so I’m keeping some for a project and want to share out a few before they all disappear .Each napkin has 4 scenes for you to frame and also perfect to use or to use in decoupage and craft projects. You may just like to add them to your collection.
Size 13” – 33cm.each one
Paper Napkin transfers are fun too… check out this video
As a thank you to all my readers,you can download my 2nd Antique Cartes Postales collage sheet for free. Just click on the image and it will enlarge so you can print it out for all your art and craft projects
ABOUT THIS COLLECTION
A gorgeous collection of very rare images of Antique French Cartes Postales (post cards)dating back to early 1900′s scanned from my own large collection of original antique postcards and bits and pieces I gathered from my travels in France , Europe and Australia.I played around with this image and made my own design by adding an antique decorative French lock with found fonts.
Great for all your creative projects: Artistic booklets, Card making, Collage ,Painting Altered Art, Assemblage Scrapbooking , Fabric and Transparent Transfers , Jewellery and so much more.
TERMS OF USE FOR DIGITAL IMAGE COLLECTION
You are free to use the images in your personal art and/or crafts and for art and/or crafts you intend to sell. You MAY NOT re-sell the images in any form.Images may NOT be resold to others, as a collection or part of a collection, of any size in any format (digital, print, etc.)
When I was last in Paris, I found a couple of boxes of lace and fabrics full of vintage and newer pieces. Being such a hoarder, I couldn’t resist and sent it all back home to Australia. I now realize I won’t be able to use all of it, so gradually I will be listing small amounts in my shop.
Pieces of delicate French lace and fabrics at different lengths. Perfect for sewing, craft, wedding, altered art journals, altered dolls, scrap booking, handmade cards, collage and art projects type fabric in pastel pinks and greens.
I don’t know yet what I’ll create with the lace and fabric, as it’s just too beautiful to use .
I have heaps of travel catalogs that I hate to throw away so I recycle them into notebooks, journals and artist books .I make each book cover as a separate collage piece – OOAK.
I re-use all my jotting and doodling paper I keep beside the computer so when I get a pile I create a book. In my books you may come across scribbles an idea a thought budgets old exhibition invites artist postcards catalog covers pages botched print- outs advertising materials junk mail magazine cut-outs-stickers wallpaper tags and baguette bags from Paris computer keyboard keys old cheque butts and more……I wire bound them with my binding machine and sometimes I join them with punched holes with ribbons , wire,cord just whatever is around.
They can be used for doodles and sketching to jot things down ideas thoughts lyrics words travel or artists journal whatever u want.
Welcome and thank you for visiting
"Cottontail Craft & Vintage" blog and online Etsy shops.
I have spent most of my life as a creative person and would like to share some of my favorite things and ideas with you. I hope you enjoy reading my blog and please,grab one of my free collage pages for your next project. Rare French Digital Collection 1 Rare French Digital Collection 2
While your browsing you might also like to checkout my little collectionof unique handmade gifts and craft supplies or pieces of yesteryear from my my etsy shops
All designs and handmade pieces are created by Australian artist Jenny Davis, from her studio's in Melbourne Australia and Paris, when in France.
My Vintage 1920′s Solingen Scissors featured on Etsy Front Page Today
My painting “Yellows on Oranges on Red” featured on Etsy front page today
Outlook8studio
An exhibition of painting, drawing, sculpture, installation with updates of works in progress, thoughts, ideas,arts business tips & more
