Cartwheels In My Mind

25 Days Of Christmas...A Vintage Banner For The Tree.

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you are all having a fabulous week! We, in typical Ametewee disaster-prone fashion, have been dealing with an exploded garbage disposal and all the stuff that comes with it. But looking on the bright side, I didn't have to do dishes for a week so when I wasn't calling the people to come fix it I was able to get a little extra Christmas shopping and fit in a tiny bit of art. :D 

SO...today I wanted to share a fun Christmas project that I did to add a little vintage/handmade appeal to our sad little empty Christmas tree...a vintage fabric banner.

When I started the project, I fully intended to use some of the new funky fabric I have picked up over the past few months, but when I was going through my fabric cases I came across this little hand-stitched quilt that I bought a couple years ago when Amy and I were on one of our many antique shop runs. I had intended from the first second that I saw it to use it for a project where I could keep it intact, but when I saw it the day I was working on the banner, I just knew it would be perfect for what I was trying to do with this tree project. And after the first few chops I didn't mind cutting it apart. :)

To make the little banner pieces, I cut little diamonds from the fabric quilt by folding the fabric in half to make them each exactly match up when I folded them and attached them to the piece of twine I used. 

Next, I just folded them over the twine and then stapled them into place. I know that it would probably have looked cool if I stitched them, but A. i don't know how to use a machine, B. I was feeling too lazy to stitch them all by hand and C. I'm not a perfectionist and think the staples make it look a little more effortless. 

Once I had them all stapled, I took a few shots to share with everyone while letting Londerpants play with them for a bit...

And then I wrapped it around the tree to get the decorating process underway (there are now a few more things added to it to make it a little fuller).

And the best part? This will go perfectly with Gracie's new nursery theme (I'll start back up with sharing the process of decorating her room after Christmas) so I'm thinking that I'll be able to use it as art on one of her walls! 

And THAT, is why I like to make sure my Christmas projects aren't all about the red and green...because 1 month a year just seems like a waste to me when you are creating a project that you love. :)

P.S. I wanted to apologize for not sharing the give-aways this week like I said I would. I promise that I will still post them all...even if I have to do it after Christmas. Everyone still loves fun free stuff no matter what month it is, right?! :)

Fashion Ambush: cEleb necKlaces

Who remembers my fashionista friend Haley? Well, if the name isn't ringing a bell then click on that link and hop on over to refresh your memory. 

She is now designing her own line of jewelry. I'm going to let you in on a little secret right now... TAYLOR SWIFT'S personal stylist just grabbed 4 out of the 5 pieces she hand designed for Taylor. Where will Taylor be wearing these? Oh, I don't know perhaps on her tour that she's on RIGHT NOW promoting her new album that was just released!!! THIS IS A BIG DEAL PEOPLE!!! Get excited! Why?!? Because Cartwheels is the first to release this big news! 

She has so graciously let us take another inside look into her personal success in the fashion world.  

The House Sparrow is a vintage jewelry collection of found pieces (pendants, keys, medallions). Each piece is unique because of my individual care and attention. All the packaging is antique tins (tobacco tins, old school Jack Daniels tin, tar soap tin...included in the tin is your custom necklace and you could also find a fortune, an old postcard...)

All materials used are antique and some dated early 1900's. 

Psalm 84:3
Even the sparrow has found a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may have her young—

a place near your altar,

O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

 

These are just a few pieces that she's designed. Aren't they amazing?! All I can say is, this series of necklaces have already caught the eyes of personal stylists in Nashville and will soon be reaching out to many more. How exciting!!! If you would like to find out more about how YOU could get one of these pretties you can always email me at: [email protected].

Be on the lookout for the House Sparrow coming to a boutique {and celeb} near you! 

Jumpstart On A Tuesday :: Ring Organization.

Hello again, my friends! I'm sorry to say you are stuck with lots of Cheryl today...but hopefully I'll be able to inspire you at least a little. :)

This afternoon I wanted to share one of my favorite organizational/home decor ideas. It's no secret that I'm a big fan of handmade jewelry, especially when it comes to making my own rings...and mixing in a little home decor just sends me over the top. So when I found this little bird feeder in a vintage shop recently for a little bit of nothing I knew I had to get it to hold all my handmade rings. (I have seen them at tjmaxx, marshalls, kohls and a few other stores so I'm pretty sure it's not true vintage, but I'm ok with that. :D)

The color that the rings bring to the little dish and the accessability just makes me happy. I actually have it sitting in my art studio to provide a little extra inspiration to the room and within reach if I'm in a hurry to go somewhere and want to add a little something extra to my look for the day. Now if I could just get Gracie and Londerpants trained to NOT want to play with all the colorful pretties tempting them at eye-level I'll be good to go!

Do you have any fun organizatonal tips? I'd love to see them if you do!

Through the Lens: Filter Fun.

 

For those of you that are familiar with my work {which is probably 2% of you.. thanks mom for being such a faithful follower} you have probably seen these images before. I apologize. LET ME EXPLAIN MYSELF! These images are some of my favorite for a couple of reasons. First, I got to work with two amazing girls. Second, I gave these images a warm filter effect. Mmm, yes. Warmth. I love warmth.

 Things to keep in mind while reading this post:

{a}. The chair you see in these pictures belonged to my grandmother who gave it to my sister who then so graciously gave it to me {because the hubs and i had ZERO amount of furniture when we moved}. Oh yeah, it was pretty dang heavy to drag across a field. 

{b}. My sister is the one in the purple dress {isn't she a doll!?}.

{c}. The other girl was a hairstylist who gave me amazing deals on my hair before i moved {now i get no deals... and now I pay in pounds. twice as expensive}.

{d}. The yellow chandelier was one of my favorite lamps. This was the last time i saw it in one piece. It was broken in our move across the pond. May it rest in peace. 

 

 

 

 

 

  Filter set on "Warming Filter 85' 

Density: 63%

To see more images like these go HERE

   

 
 

Thrift Shop Fabulous; Vintage Brooch Ring.

Happy weekend, everyone! Who's in the mood for a simple (but fabulous!) vintage ring project?

I have been collecting vintage brooches ever since my friend Amy and I discovered our mutual love for all things antique, thrift and vintage a couple years ago when I moved back home to Ohio. And up until recently I had them saved in a little box that I would peek into every now and then and think to myself about all the lovely projects I would do with them ONE DAY. But if there is one thing I've learned over the course of this whole Cartwheels adventure (besides the fact that it IS possible to still function after going 48 hours without sleep), it's to seize each opportunity and to create when the inspiration hits. Which is why this morning I turned one of my favorite gold brooches into a one-of-a-kind vintage treasure that I can wear on my finger anytime I feel like it.

To create the project, I simply fastened the brooch pin around the ring blank and then squeezed a little dab of Amazing Goop Craft Glue in between the blank and the back of the brooch to ensure that it stays in place.

 
And just like that I was all dressed up with absolutely nowhere to go. :D

So excited to dive into my little collection and start making them all into something different...because to me that's the best part of this whole handmade art thing.

 

P.S. Want to buy this ring? E-mail me at: [email protected].

Weekend Challenge, Vintage.

Happy Friday everyone! 

First I want to say that I loved seeing what you all came up with last week for "Begin",  there were so many different interpretations for just one word and it was fun to see everyone else's creativity come through in this challenge. This week I want to challenge you to find something in your day that is "Vintage".  This can be anything from books to dishes to jewelry and anything in between, use your imagination. Remember that this is your interpretation of Vintage and  if you are like me and have a serious love of all things antique and vintage this might be hard simply because you have too many things to choose from. 

Have fun with this challenge and make sure you check back and see others' interpretations of Vintage this week!  

* My interpretation of Vintage is my daughter, Charlotte, wearing this little Swiss Dot dress made by her great-grandmother over 60 years ago while drinking out of a vintage soda bottle.

Amy