The Painted Fern

Valentine's Day Thank You

 
I had the most wonderful time teaching this paper wreath class at Antiques In Old Town this past Saturday.Words can't express the fun and fellowship we all had as crafters and now friends.Everyone's wreath turned out just over the top in their designs.Thank you to Rowann for hosting this class and everyone who came and made this day so special.Happy Valentine's Day to you all !!! I hope you and your loved ones are enjoying your wreath today and for many more Valentine's Days to come.All the wreaths turned out so beautiful.Please go over to www.antiquesinoldtown.blogspot.com for pictures of our fun event.(as I forgot my camera :( )Hope to see everybody again at our next workshop...think spring...

HEART TO HEART

New workshops are beginning at Antiques in OldTown located in Historic Old Town Lilburn,Ga.
So come on in and join us February 12th from 1-3 p.m. for our first workshop.I had a great time designing this "Romantic Paper Heart Wreath" just in time for Valentine's Day.I found some old romance novels at my local thrift store and came up with this heart wreath design. This project is perfect for a beginner or intermediate crafter.Please bring your glue gun and plenty of glue sticks as all other supplies are provided in the kit to finish this paper wreath.
Cost of the kit is $25.00,again the place to be is Antiques In Old Town.February 12th from 1-3p.m.Class size is limited so call Rowann at 770-279-1300 and reserve your space.
We''ll have light refreshments too. Hope to see you there!!!

A Christmas Wish

 

Merry Christmas...from our home to yours.

We Make You Kindly Welcome

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill is located near Harrodsburg,Ky.With over 3,000 acres, it is the largest restored Shaker Community in the United States.
 
Visitors at Pleasant Hill can enjoy a variety of tours to take in Shaker history.There are demonstrations in woodworking,broom making, spinning and weaving. 

There are overnight accomodations in rooms where Shakers once slept.Each room is furnished with reproduction Shaker furniture and textiles.
The Trustees' Office Inn has a wonderful restaurant that will make you "kindly welcome" with their delicious recipes. My favorite is Shaker Lemon Pie:

2 LARGE LEMONS

4 EGGS,WELL BEATEN

2 C SUGAR

PIE CRUST

Slice lemons as thin as paper,rind and all.Combine with sugar;mix well.Let stand for 2 hours or overnight,blending occasionally.Add beaten eggs to lemon mixture;mix well.Turn into a 9 inch pie shell,arranging lemon slices evenly.Cover with top crust.Cut several slits in top.Bake at 450 for 15 minutes.Reduce heat to 375 and bake for 20 minutes or until silver knife inserted comes out clean.Cool
 
before serving.

A Thanksgiving Story

 
Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family,friends and of course good food!!!

We'll be Comin' Round the Mountain

Join us at the first annual Country Living Fair South this weekend October 22-23-24 at Stone Mountain Park in Stone Mountain,Ga. We hope to see you'll there.

Happy Fall Ya'll

Here are the directions and the supplies you will need to make our beautiful strawflower wreath for your home.It's a lovely wreath to celebrate the Fall Season.Just make sure you hang it in a well protected area.

Supplies you will need

• 18" straw or urethane wreath form
• moss
• 150-170 strawflowers (Usually 5-7 bundles)
• hot glue gun or glue pan
• wire -19 gauge about 18" long
• florist wire tape
• wire cutters

Wrap your piece of wire with floral tape and then wrap the wire around the wreath making a small loop on the back.This will be the hanger for the wreath. Secure the moss on the wreath by gluing with your hot glue gun.
Most strawflowers come wired as they are usually dried this way.Clip the wire to about 2" long dab a little bit of hot glue on the end and insert in the wreath.Cover the wreath keeping the flowers as close together as possible.
That's it...Hang and enjoy!!! Happy Fall Ya'll...

Harvest of Barnstable

If you are in or around Cape Cod this fall stop at this wonderful floral shop in Yarmouth,Ma.
They specialize in dried floral arrangements,wreaths,swags and shell arrangements in Nantucket lightship baskets.There is something for every decor and special occasion.
Don't miss the store next door filled with beautiful silk and faux fruits and vegetables.You can shop online at www.harvestofbarnstable.com but truly if your in and about Cape Cod stop by and visit.You won't be disappointed!!!This is a fabulous shop!!!
Happy Fall!!!

 

 

Come one,Come all...

Join us October 22-23-24 2010 at the Country Living Fair South at Stone Mountain Park in Stone Mountain,Ga along with over 150 other artisans,crafters and antique dealers from all over the United States.
Enjoy great food tastings  and cooking demonstrations. Attend decorating,crafting seminars and how-tos.Meet with the editors and contributors of Country Living Magazine.There will be lots of wonderful folk art,antiques and  "Made in America" crafts along with art,furniture,home decor and more.

Come one,come all..

For tickets go to WWW.Stellashows.com 

Motif Number 1

Located on the Bradley Wharf in Rockport,Ma.Motif Number 1 was built in the 1800's and is known by both artists and art historians as the most often-painted building in America.
It is well worth the trip to Rockport to see this wonderful fishing shed. 

Gardens

 
 

I am still devoted to the garden.

Thos. Jefferson
 

Pantone Love

What Pantone color are you????

Can't decide???Neither can I...but if your in Decatur,Ga run over to Heliotrope and grab  some mugs before their all gone!!!Get one of these tins too, for all those great crafting supplies.All good art studios need some.
They all make great gifts.Thanks T...  

Seed and Flower Signs

Our new seed and flower signs have been taken from turn of the century seed and flower catalogues.They are enlarged,mounted on plywood then aged and hand painted.All are done by hand so no two are the same.

prices range from $12.00 to $38.00 plus shipping and handling

Time to Garden

Come Celebrate May

with our dried floral wreaths... 
SOUTHERN ROSE GARDEN WREATH  

Our beautiful dried floral wreaths are back.They are handmade using dried salal leaves filled with hydrangeas from our gardens.Then we tuck roses, peonies,larkspur, sweet annie, baby's breath ...the list goes on and on until each wreath is decked out to perfection. 
    Southern Peony Wreath
Our Southern Peony  Wreath is made with beautiful dried peonies,hydrangeas, statice, and sweet annie.
  SOUTHERN HYDRANGEA WREATH   
We use hyrangeas from our gardens to fill most of our summer wreaths.They are always a beautiful compliment to all our designs.
Wreaths measure 18'' Retail $42.00 plus shipping and handling.   Hang in protected place.

Happy Easter

from our home to yours... 

Hopping into Spring...

You will be captivated by our turn of the century Easter Rabbit.Reproduced from the pages of a vintage children's storybook.Our rabbits are crafted out of quarter inch plywood.Then we hand paint and distress for a vintage look. Each rabbit comes with its own pop off base for easy storing.

Use as center piece,by a front door to greet guests or place with your child's Easter basket.Our rabbits come in two sizes.(bow not included)

    14 " tall   $14.00    32" tall    $38.00   

Shipping and handling not included

 Place in a protected area

 

 

 

   

Happy Valentine's Day

Merry Christmas

 

 

Hoping all your Christmas wishes come true.

Pretty Poinsettias...

 
'nuff said.

Silver Bella 2009

Thanks everyone for the wonderful memories...

Summer Holidays...

Lazy days of exploring nature,collecting sea shells,sea glass and dried grasses.Long walks on the beach.

This is the composition of these assembleges.Storytellers of a day long ago and a summer long past...

A collection of found objects preserving pieces of the past.

At The Shore measures 14"x17" and retails $68.00 plus shipping and handling.

This three dimensional composition is the inspiration from a long walk in the woods.

Along with storybook pages,vintage letters and nature's found objects of ferns and bird's nest help set the theme of this collage.

Nest is mounted in a vintage crate and measures 14"x 17".Retails $68.00 plus shipping and handling.

French Yarrow Arrangements

Our French inspired arrangements are made from dried yarrow and preserved salal leaves.Made in a 7" clay pot perfect for a side table or that special niche.

Approximately 12" tall and come in Spring Green,Yellow and Red Yarrow.

$38.00 plus shipping and handling.Place in a protected area.

E. Barrett and Company

We are proud  to carry this wonderful line of French soaps and Lotions in our shop.

All soaps are made in France from shea butter.We carry Ocean,Lavender,Pear, Almond and my favorite Verbena.Soaps retail for $7.95 plus shipping and handling.

Lavender hand soaps and lotions retail for $15.00 plus shipping and handling.

 

Farmgirl Totes

Our vintage burlap totes have been designed using old farm feed sacks.

They have been lined with patch work quilt toppers.Fun for the beach,for shopping or just chasse' around the town in flip flops and an old pair of jeans.

and don't forget a farmgirl always adds a little bling...

Totes retail for $38.00 plus shipping and handling.

Nest Building

We gatherd together old wooden cheese boxes and wooden crates to make these little bird's nest vignettes.This sweet illustration was taken from a turn of the century children's book.Glue on the bottom of the box and smooth  so you don't get any air bubbles and let dry.

Next take a walk in the park or the woods and collect your botanicals.You will need some twigs,a few flowers,leaves,grasses and moss.Maybe you were lucky enough to find a little bird's nest to use in your arrangement.

In this vintage cheese box we used flower and seed advertisments from an 1890's Flower Catalogue and glued them to the bottom of the box.

Again,arranging our nest and drieds in a corner of the box.

Our sweet little bird came from a vintage children's book on Nature.Just cut out and glue to the nest and add some little faux eggs.

We attached a pretty ribbon to the back to hang. Enjoy your Spring days gathering and building bird's nest.

Nesting Boxes retail for $28.00 plus shipping and handling.

and

Billet-doux

Not since little girls in pig tails,climbing apple trees and whispering arm and arm down by the well,(Did he send you a billet-doux?) has this sweet French word been used to describe a love letter.

Ornaments are handmade from turn of the century letters. $8.00 each plus shipping and handling

To make these ornaments gather together some wooden hearts and vintage letters,trace around the hearts on the envelopes,cut and glue to the wooden heart.Drill a hole for your twine and of course glitter to finish it off.Hang in that special place or give as a gift to that special someone.

It's Magic You Know...

Sometimes you wander through life wondering why you do the things you do...Why do you take old pieces of furniture and  what-nots,sand them,glue them,nail them and paint them up ...what's with old papers,lost letters,ledgerpages of long ago stores...why do we tear up old books and paint and glue and glitter and call it art...Where are we going?

One place we wandered to,in this land of creativity is into the shop of Rowann and her husband Hugh.Please join us on this new adventure into the magical land of Antiques in Old Town.

Knock on the door,peak inside lift the latch and walk right into...MAGIC

Booth after booth of old treasures and new treasures.White washed furniture,chippy and old ...rooms filled with creative ideas for living and  wonderful creative people to meet...Wander down...

and around the corner...

To painted old furniture,mossy hearts,dried arrangements in vintage containers...

You'll find us here...Never believe it's not so...

Antiques in Old Town     

93 Main St.

Lilburn,Ga.

Monday-Saturday

10am-5pm

A toi, pour toujours...

Hearts cut from the pages of an old French novel placed on burlap and soldered into delightful charms...

Yours Forever...

Charm and chain   $18.00 plus shipping and handling

Bonne Saint Valentin

Cherubs tucked into the pages of a vintage Parisian photo album...

Burgandy tulle and vintage ribbons from an old millenary shop wound round and round...

Old rusty wire shaped into a hanger to hang in that perfect spot...Paris in February

$22.00 plus shipping and handling

Paper Roses,Paper Roses...

made from old sewing patterns found at the local thrift store.

Design a template of rose petals and cut out your tissue.I started with some vintage pearls for stamens and then wrapped each tissue petal one at a time around a floral wire (19 guage) using florist's tape.

I added antique wallpaper,vintage chenille from an old bedspread,burlap,old ribbons and twine.

Have fun and use whatever's in your craftroom to embellish with...

P.S. Don't forget the glitter!!!

OLD PICKET FENCES...

sometimes need sprucing up a little.Our Garden Angels are made from salvaged house parts.Old spindles and tin ceiling torn down long ago from their homes and reworked into little works of art.

Hang them in your garden,on a back porch,a garden wall or an old picket fence.

Sizes range from 18"-$32.00   24"- $38.00 and 36"at $48.00 Plus shipping and handling

TO MARKET TO MARKET

To market,to market,to buy a fat pig,

Home again,home again,jiggety jig;

To market ,to market, to buy a fat hog,

Home again,home again,jiggety jog.

Atlanta Gift Mart

January 6th-14th

See you there!

New Ideas for the New Year...

We have spent the New Year working on new merchandise for the show in January.What do you think about a line of checkbook covers made from all kinds of vintage fabrics...

old buttons,velvety ribbons and of course some bling?

It might make it easier to pay all those Holiday bills ...or not.

We are also working on some wood products made from old architectural house parts that were salvaged in Maine.

Fun plaques to hang your apron on or just hang up your heart.

MERRY CHRISTMAS...

from our house to yours.

Frosty The Snowman Necklace...

What fun it will be to find this "Magical" Frosty the Snowman tucked in your Christmas Stocking this Holiday Season.Designer Mary O'Wheatley brings us this wonderful necklace designed with 3 stacked pearls for his body and 2 Swarovski crystals for his tophat. This Christmas run here or there or around the square with our wonderful Frosty or tuck him in that special someone's stocking and share the "MAGIC".

Frosty measures 1.5 inches and hangs on a 16" ribbon necklace.Gift bag included for $24.00 plus shipping and handling.

Fern Series...

Inspired from gardens past,these monocromatic paintings of Autumn Ferns,Boston Ferns, Maidenhair and the Chinese Painted Fern were taken from a collection of antique herbariums.

Using a four part  process learned in art school,Tara O'Gorman has transformed nature's plants into beautiful oversized  paintings that  have a wonderful aged patina.Painted on plywood and framed in pine these paintings range in size from 25"x 49" and 13"x 25".Prices are $175.00 and $45.00 plus shipping and handling.

Apple and Pinecone Wreath Tutorial...

You will need:

1-18" pine wreath

2-15 apples

3-15 pinecones

4-15 #16 guage wire

5-1 roll paddle wire

6-wire cutters

In equal distances,place 5 apples on the front side of the wreath.Take the #16 guage wire and push through the side center of each apple and make a u shape bending the wires toward the base of the apples.

Attach the apples to the wreath by holding the wire two inches apart and pushing them through the pine wreath.Twist the wire several time at the back of the wreath to secure.Tuck the stray ends of the wire back into the wreath to hide (or trim.)

To attach the pinecones cut 15 pieces of the paddle wire about 16 inches long.Twist the wire around the base of the pinecone,then feed through to the back of the wreath and secure.Trim or tuck the wire back into the wreath to hide.

Placing the last 10 apples on the inside and outside of the wreath,making sure you put them in a symmetrical  pattern so the wreath is balanced in its design.Balance is the key component to making a true Williamsburg design.

Hang and enjoy throughout  the Holiday Season.(Mist with water to keep your wreath fresh)

Wrap It Up Winner

 

Drum roll please... Congratulations... Jessica is the winner of this fun filled pack of vintage Christmas wrapping paper,tags,cards and Santa soldered charm.Send us your address and we will get this package sent out to you.

Christmas in Williamsburg

"That the future may learn from the past" is the basis of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.Enjoy all the time honored decorations for years to come with this wonderful book of Christmas traditions.

Glass vase with lid-$29.95

Christmas Decorations Book-$19.95

Brass Pineapple Bookends-$56.95

Plus shipping and handling

Create Beautiful della Robbia Christmas Decorations Tutorial

Fan Plaque Supplies:

1.  Fan plaque - $38.00 plus shipping and handling

2. a staple gun and staples

3. flat magnolia leaves

4.3" sprigs of boxwood(about 22)

5.#22 guage floral wire(12" long)

6. Pineapple(small to medium)

7. Red apples(around 30)

In a fan shape staple magnolia leaves to the top curve of the board.(protruding 3"to 4" over edge of board. Staple sprigs of boxwood on the board until covered(along edge of the board and covering stems of magnolia leaves)

Impale pineapple on the 3 nails in center of the board and wrap wire around the top of pineapple then around the screw eye to secure it.(hide wire in pineapple foliage)

Impale the apples on each of the remaining nails(stem facing outward,the size of the apples will determine the placement ,you may need to mount some off center to acheive the desired effect.)

Staple 2 magnolia leaves at the base of the pineapple,with stems tucked under the pineapple.Hang over a door and enjoy throughout the holiday season!

Wrap It Up Giveaway...

In this Christmas Giveaway the winner will receive the sweetest vintage Christmas wrapping papers,Christmas tags,Christmas cards,Christmas stickers and one of our most popular Christmas Charms. Write us a comment and tell how you plan to wrap it up this holiday season...GOODLUCK

The Winner is.....

MARTHA THOMPSON!!!Congratulations Martha on winning our first Christmas Giveaway .Please send your address to my e-mail and I will get these in the mail to you!!!We will have more giveaways this week,so everyone ,please try again!!

Gift Bag Tutorial and Giveaway...

Here's a tutorial for some gift bag ideas.Gather together these items:

1-Gift Bag ( I used a brown kraft bag)

2-Christmas image (I used a vintage postcard)

3-copy machine

4-Ornament (I used a silver snowflake)and pinecones from the yard.

5-Twine(or ribbon)

6-Glue stick and glue gun

First copy your image to fit the bags you're using.I blew my image of the postcards up to 125%.Next glue your image to your bag.I used a glue stick.Then I hot glued the pinecones to the silver snowflake and tied the ornament to the bag's handle with the twine.

These are the finished products and the lucky winner will receive 6 bags with assorted Christmas images.Just leave a message on how you plan to use these festive bags...teacher gifts,secret Santa gifts or maybe bags for your favorite baked goods.Winner will be drawn by random...HoHoHo

Tinsel Trading Company...

Do you need a special gift for that favorite crafter of yours? A BFF,a co-worker,a sister? We carry Tinsel Trading in our shop!!!Yeah!!!These wonderful jars are filled with the best vintage goodies in the country or the world for that matter...Tinsel Trading calls it a piece of history,lovingly preserved since 1933. 

6"Jars retail for $15.00 plus shipping and handling. 

Celebrate Christmas Past...

with our soldered charms made from vintage ephemera of old world Santas',adoring angels and snowy scenes from holidays past.

Charms are $8.00 each.  Postcards trimmed with ribbons are $28.00 plus shipping and handling.  

Happy Thanksgiving...

from all of us at The Painted Fern.

Crewel embroidery by Tani Albin.

 

"Now therefore I recommend and  assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was,that is,that will be-That we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks-for His kind care and protection of the People of this country...for the signal and many told mercies and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the tranquility,union,and plenty,which we have enjoyed...and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions...To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue ,and the increase of science among them and us-and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree oftemporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best."

President George Washington-1789

Puttin' on the Ritz

Flea market finds of rhinestones,beads,and trinkets have been repurposed into fabulous necklaces and bracelets.This fun,one of a kind jewelry will add some vintage flair to your couture. Prices range from $35.00 to $38.00 plus shipping and handling.

Wickedly Fun Kits

Soon we will be adding primitive and altered art kits to our store.Fly by and check us out.Show dates are October 17th,18th and 19th.

Autumn-Inspired Arrangement

 Found in an old barn in North Georgia,these wonderful crates make great arrangements for fall.We mixed faux autumn leaves, together with dried grasses,berries and- of course -pumpkins and gourds.The crates measure 20"by14"(roughly) and retail for $74.00 plus shipping...Pick-up just the crate for $15.00 and add your own autumn bounty.