the tree!

Well my tree is just about done (minus a few little things here and there as i unpack them!) Every year my tree tends to get more vintage. I'm not using some of my other ornaments as much as the vintage ones i pick up at the flea markets. that combined with a few favorites and my handmade ornaments is what i find so appealing.

my tree topper this year (every year it is different) She is a vintage Bunnies by the Bay collectible bunny (of which i have quite a few!)

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there were a couple of other things i put on my tree this year that are fun and easy to make (didn't think to get a close up shot of them...), but they are tissue flowers. I made some out of vintage pattern tissue paper, but you can use any tissue paper you want. this is another way to fill up gaps in your tree where ornaments won't really hang well. here's a youtube video on how to make these easy flowers:



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so that's it for today - tomorrow is the day that we are unveiling our top hats. You've already seen mine, so i didn't make another one, but i'll post my pic anyway. So after a few days when all the hats are in, i will pick a winner.

if you are participating, here is what you need to do:

do a blog post showing off your hat (please try to include a picture of yourself wearing it; this isn't the Miss America contest, so don't be so hard on yourself!), make sure you've linked your blog post to my blog as well. then come over to my blog and find the linky spot for you to enter your blog information so that we can easily hop over to see your hat!

Top Hat check in

how's it going with the top hats? are you all decorating away? it's hard to tell how many are participating since i really didn't have sign ups (wasn't sure how big it might be and didn't know if i had the time to handle all that) but, guess we will be surprised, huh?

if you don't know what i am referring to, you can go read the original post here, to get yourself updated.

tonight i was working on the First prize for the Top Hat Derby Winner (i think i am going to do 2 prizes). i really want to show you what i was making, but i don't really want anyone to see it yet. sorry! the judges will be myself, jeff & dillon

alright, that's it!

Top Hat Derby blog hop!

i think you all know me by now that I am drawn to hats. i love them and love to wear them. hats beat a bad hair day anyday! (i have very fine, persnickety, fly away annoying hair......) so i'd like i'm excited to tell you about my blog hop, "Top Hat Derby".

This summer when i was at a flea market, i came across a top hat and i was psyched! they are very hard to find and often quite expensive. this one was collapsible and not in the best condition. still for $20, i didn't care. i bought it and immediately began planning how i make alter it and give it new life. this is how the hat looked as i found it (you can't really see how bad the top is)



after decorating it, i thought it'd be really fun to have some sort of blog hop where we decorate a vintage style hat. I took my hat to The Creative Connection and on a whim threw it on a display in my booth as decor. WELL! you would not believe all the people who either wanted to buy it or have their picture taken with it - so that's when i knew that this would be fun!





I wore my top hat one evening while at TCC along with my special birthday dress and i felt so fun and fancy! many photos were taken of me in my finery and it just made me think of how in the olden days, wearing hats was part of the outfit; part of the package. I wish we all had more opportunities to dress nice and feel as special (and couture as someone else described me!)

here is a side view of my hat:

so here's what we are going to do:

I wasn't going to introduce the hop til Nov. 1, but decided to do it now for a few reasons. first of all, as i said, top hats are hard to find. if you do come across one that fits you and it is under $60 then snatch it up! (if you see one antiquing, flea market, etc.) But what i was thinking, with Halloween right around the corner, costume top hats are going to be plentiful and using one for the hop is totally acceptable. i've been looking at stores the last few days just to get an idea and i've seen some super inexpensive plastic ones for a few bucks, to a nicer one that was $20. so by letting you know about it now, the better chances you have of finding something to use.

you can also look online, ebay, etsy, costume shops, etc. i've been researching online as well and they are out there. i saw one just yesterday on etsy for $35 (gone today though!) there are some newer ones on ebay for "buy it now" at not so bad prices ($45 ish)- but again, you are welcome to use a costume top hat.

The unveiling, or actual hop, will be Friday, Dec. 3rd ; that gives you 2 months to get ready! i will have a linky set up that morning where you can come to my blog and add your link to your post. i'm doing it that way because it'll be easier not to have to remember if i've emailed you that you are signed up, etc. so the responsibility is up to you to remember to come back and link up. i've told so many people about this hop, so i am hoping it will be a good one and fun! feel free to leave a comment here though, so i can gauge the interest.

Now, the best part! I will be picking a winner for the best in show (prize to be announced later) - so decorate your hats, go over the top, use your imagination and have fun. on your post, i'd really, really like it you also showed us a picture of you in your hats, which is going to help me in the judging. Please ladies, don't be shy, be proud and model your hat! i too will be playing along and decorating another hat - the ideas are flying! think feathers, think fou fou, think dolls, think outlandish!

I will keep posting reminders about the hop and there is a button you can grab for your blog to help remind you. feel free to blog about the hop and get the interest going!

p.s.

a big thanks to Christine of Dollybelle Peepshow for designing my button EXACTLY how i wanted it (please note that she actually used my hat in the photo!) and to my ever so techi friend, Gail of Shabby Cottage Studio for creating my "grab this button" for the hop.