Past, present and future vintage finds and crafts

It's been a while but I'm back. And, as we begin 2014 I've been reminiscing about the year just gone.

2013 was a great. I finally put my passion for vintage and handmade jewellery making into practice by starting Make Me Pretty Shop on Etsy, and I began writing this blog.

Before I recap on some of my best vintage finds and crafts I want to share with you the best thing I made in 2013, my beautiful baby boy Joshua; he's a smiler!

Top 3 vintage finds

1. No doubt it's this gorgeous purple prairie dress by Paragi
2. Next it's this super cute mustard paisley shirt with ruffe neck
3. And, last but not least, this 1980s monochrome ra ra dress

Top 3 retro crafts

1. 2013 was all about porcelain - Wade Whimsies and tea cups / pots
2. Among my best sellers were these retro swallow bobby pins
3. And, a more recent make, these patriotic rockabilly hair bows

All clothes and accessories in my blog are available from www.makemeprettyshop.etsy.com

Now for 2014 I'm working on more bows, this time adding them to my jewellery, as well as necklaces with tiered rows of super cute spot and gingham buttons.

If you want to hear about my latest vintage finds and crafts, as well as generous competitions, mosey on over to my Facebook page.

I'd love to hear about your favourite vintage finds and jewellery purchases so please comment below.

Lisa xXx

Crafty Rolls gets crafting

Phew what a day it's been, I've been crafting since 12:30pm.

Last night I was struck by inspiration, and quite a few baby bump kicks, for some new necklace designs for Make Me Pretty Shop. So after a spot of brekkie, feeding the cats and checking my Facebook page, I jumped into my car and headed to Hobbycraft to stock up on supplies.

Two hours in store and £60 pounds lighter - no I hadn't given birth while I was there - I left pleased as punch with my haul and sped off home to start turning my late-night craft fantasies into reality. Plus, a few extra ideas that came to me after spending so much time looking round many beautiful things.

While initially apprehensive about how to actually make what I had in mind, I have to say I am feeling pretty smug about my creations, unfortunately this means once again I am already contemplating keeping half of them - well a girl can never have enough jewellery can she?

In total I made 11 necklaces, 21 bobby pins, 3 rings and 1 pair of earrings. That's right my name's Lisa-Marie Nelson and I am officially a crafty addict.

The item I am most proud of is a statement bib/collar necklace of sumptuous pink, purple and red paper roses on maroon felt, topped off with a ribbon and bead tie - perfect for autumn / fall.

I made other vintage-inspired necklaces too using paper roses and wooden beads, as well as some cameo ones using super cute cat cabochons, mounted on antique bronze and resin settings.

The additional purchases I made included some cool ice cream cone and spooky cat embellishments, which I turned into retro bobby pins, perfect for securing vintage hair-dos or for Halloween.

While it's been a joy to craft and blog, I now have to get on with adding all my new lines to my shop!

So remember to respect style, respect vintage and handmade crafts, I am off to Etsy to list.

Toodles XOXO