Alternative Wedding Gowns created with vintage lace and fabrics. A portion of the proceeds are given to Destiny Rescue to rescue children from human trafficking.

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Believing in Beauty, Vintage Blossoms, Bonnets and Bloomers

When you look at this image, don't you just want to tell her
"You can do anything you want! You are amazing and beautiful and unique!
The world is waiting for your heart,  your gifts and ideas to be shared!
The potential and determination shining
in those eyes
will be accomplished!"

How do I tell her that,
How do you tell her that 
If you don't believe it for yourself?

This last summer a couple of wonderful things happened.
 First , I learned that as a creative  designer and artist 
I will have more ideas than I could ever possibly accomplish. 
This was huge.
 I never really considered the fact that I would have so many ideas 
that some of them simply would never be completed. 
I believed that if it were a good idea,
I should accomplish it.
Newsflash! 
I'm only one person,
with too many great ideas,
so 
accomplishing some of them
well
is actually great.

Secondly,
I learned to start talking to myself
or counseling myself, as I would one of my daughters,
or any of the ladies in my life.
That gave me permission to be a little
more forgiving of myself and my failures
and it encouraged me to believe big in 
my hopes and dreams.
I realized I couldn't truly encourage others
And help them to see their potential
unless I believed in mine.
In other words,
I couldn't tell her, 
"You can do anything you put your mind to"-
unless I could honestly tell myself the same.




One of my great ideas, 
is to take beautiful vintage linens and upcycle them
by creating special dresses, 
unique bloomers and bonnets 
and rompers for little girls.

Reminiscent of Old World Europe
these pieces are simple darling!
Beautiful thoughts and dreams 
protected and adorned 
with roses make these precious bonnets
poems to be worn.


 Vintage rose buds hugging her little neck
and covering her heart
visually communicate truths about beauty
and sweet mother prayers
for their daughters.




Sometimes dreams seem like hidden fruit
elusive  yet near....



....And so delightful when discovered.



 Protect the beauty of wonder and the wonder of beauty!


 My dreams are watered by
 faith, hope and love, 
rose petals, lavender
 and 
sweet little people.


 Every side to this outfit is covered in sweet florals.






 Having friends who appreciate true beauty
 makes the days so much sweeter.
The world is full of unpleasantness,
so whenever possible 
I strive to share whatever is lovely, 
innocent, 
and excellently beautiful.


What does it look like to wear kindness, humility, patience?
I think it looks a little like trailing fragrant blossoms
wrapped around one's heart and mind.
I think it looks like joy in the coming and going.
I think it looks like sharing your gifts and dreams with others
in order to bring love and beauty into their lives.
I think it looks like believing in
your own potential and beauty,
just as much as believing in others!

Be encouraged!



"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

Blessings,
Katherine





All Clothing available in my shop



Photographer
Christine Dibble




Thursday, November 16, 2017

Princess Shoes ~Fit for a Queen




My Custom Made Princess Shoes are one of the  most popular styles 
in my Etsy Shop.


Carefully and lovingly made to each brides specific measurements ,
I embellish each pair with hand made rosettes, flowers and beading.
Hours of detailed artistic work goes into creating each lovely pair of slippers
 ready to  dance  into the most beautiful romance of life.
I'm pleased to be able to work with each bride 
accommodating their unique style.


Shown in champagne with and ankle ribbon.


Scarlet Roses symbolic of deep love are perfect for a Christmas, Valentine or Romantic Bride.


These pairs were customized to coordinate with the brides color palette,
she chose to send the fabric for the flowers to me
to insure she was happy with the unique color.




White or Off~white





A request for a "Little Something Blue" was met by adding some blue beading




This particular pair was made with fabric and lace 
that was the exact match to the bridal gown sent from the UK.
The bride was very pleased with the match.


Flower Girl Princess 







Champagne shoes with cream and champagne roses,
Or
Cream shoes with cream and champagne roses.









Cheers to champagne!











Custom shoes with very special bead work and romantic medallions







And for the Blushing bride ~ pinks!







Autumn Roses, How to Enjoy Your Roses to the Fullest This Season



As I sit down down to write this  blog post,
I scan my desk where an old photo of my grandmother holding me, 
 her first visit to meet me 
and there in the background is a a bouquet of roses.

Their  fragrance has wafted through my life 
adding beauty to every moment they've touched:
Life celebrations, my home gardens and everyday life.
When my youngest had begun to speak,
 she asked me what she was smelling when I had opened a bottle of rose oil.
I asked her what she thought it might be,
to which she answered,
"It smells like angels." 


Our cakes are often decorated with fresh garden roses.
In Autumn , 
when the roses are preparing to rest for winter 
there's a few ways I attend to my favorite flower friends 
who have so generously 
enhanced my life through spring and summer.



Sugaring rose petals, rose buds and small roses 
allows us to enjoy their beauty throughout the winter.

You'll need one egg white diluted with an equal part of water,
white sugar, preferably extra fine,
and clean soft paint brushes.




 Carefully brush the dry rose or dry petals with the egg mixture,
 covering thoroughly, but not saturating.




 Sprinkle the sugar over the petal or flower while holding over the sugar bowl,
 being careful to be thorough.



I sprinkle sugar over the roses several times
 until I feel I have covered all the egg mixture thoroughly.




These small rose buds were  taken from a carpet rose 
I planted last year as a ground cover just before the first snow.
They have since assured me they are happy to live through our snowy winters.





Aren't they lovely! 
Any dessert garnished wish these will be transformed into loveliness.

I leave them out to dry for 4-5 days, 
then store in an air tight container for up to four months.





To insure that I have enough roses to share  with friends
and in hopes of bookending our dream vineyard rows with roses someday soon,
I have  also started cuttings.

It's the perfect time for this
with the sun and rain taking friendly turns with our Autumn days. 

Cuttings should be about the width of a pencil and 18 inches in length.
Remove all but the top set of leaves.
I cut a small slice in the base, 
dip in a rooting compound to encourage growth 
and place somewhere I will be able to keep an eye on the growth.

I've successfully stared many of my roses like this.
I leave them to root until spring.





Lastly, I harvest the rose hips, quarter them, 
remove the seeds and dehydrate 
to be infused in a tea in order to release their stores of vitamin C 
which we will doubtless be needing this winter.





 All this done, I can patiently  look forward to the first rose bud of spring.



Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Romantic English Garden Wedding Gown, A Bridal Gown Laced with Meaning


"Then gather a wreath from the garden bowers,
And tell the wish of thy heart in flowers."
The inspiration of creation of this uniquely lovely English Garden gown
 was a piece of elegant vintage embroidery that I acquired from England





I'm finding that English embroidery is made with  a level of excellence 
and attention to detail that I have fast fallen in love with. 
The care and love that has gone into every stitch
 of embroidery is quite evident.




I wanted to be able to include as much of the beautiful floral handwork
 in the design of the gown as possible.
I was ecstatic to be able to piece together the colorful garden
 in such a way as to include all the beautiful flowers.  



This garden includes: Irises, Daises, Forget-Me-Nots,
 Violets, Marigolds,
Hyacinths and Hollyhocks.
On the back of the corset 
I have inlaid some of the garden flowers 
and surrounded them with various laces. 
One side also has a lovely M monogram.


Ribbon corseting through lace on the back  and 
Dripping vintage lace around the edges 
elegantly finish this corset.
The skirt I created to compliment this corset 
includes an accent of vintage linen and lace 
with a beautiful M monogram 
and is finished with bridal lace on the edges.
Truly a lavishly elegant and unique gown
 for the bride who is looking for a gown 
that reflects who she is.
I love that this gown is covered in the  language of flowers giving it a beautiful depth of meaning!

The meaning of the Iris is  royalty, faith, wisdom, hope and valor
Daises symbolize innocence, purity, new beginnings, true love and trust.
Forget- me -nots symbolize true and undying love and loyalty.
Violets symbolize humility.
Marigolds symbolize cheerfulness, beauty and warmth.
orHyacinth symbolizes constancy and sincerity.
Hollyhocks are associated with majesty and fruitfulness, tenacity and safety.
  











 Other gowns from this series available in my Etsy shop





The Language of Flowers 

In Eastern lands they talk in flow'rs
And they tell in a garland their loves and cares;
Each blossom that blooms in their garden bowr's,
On its leaves a mystic language bears.
The rose is a sign of joy and love,
Young blushing love in its earliest dawn,
And the mildness that suits the gentle dove,
From the myrtle's snowy flow'rs is drawn.
Innocence gleams in the lily's bell,
Pure as the heart in its native heaven.
Fame's bright star and glory's swell
By the glossy leaf of the bay are given.
The silent, soft and humble heart,
In the violet's hidden sweetness breathes,
And the tender soul that cannot part,
In a twine of evergreen fondly wreathes.
The cypress that daily shades the grave,
Is sorrow that moans her bitter lot,
And faith that a thousand ills can brave,
Speaks in thy blue leaves "forget-me-not".
Then gather a wreath from the garden bowers,
And tell the wish of thy heart in flowers.



                                                     Christine Dibble Photography