High Tea Handkerchiefs

Shed tears of joy in style with these girly handkerchiefs. They make great bridesmaids' gifts, or use these deliciously delicate hankies as napkins or placemats for a truly memorable tea party!

Find these handkerchiefs and more on Etsy at www.lepetitpretties.etsy.com. 

The Gemma Vintage High Tea Dessert Stand

I have to say that I absolutely love this stand! She's a 2-tier, but the bottom platter has a large 13" diameter and can hold many a goody. She's so girly with her pink blossoms and heavy gold gilt. Only a bold chick can handle all of this gold gaudiness! With Fall right around the corner, her presence will be a constant reminder of Spring/Summer, and she'll brighten up any dreary Winter day. 

Find her on Etsy at www.lepetitpretties.etsy.com. 

i love Etsy!

Even though I have had my Etsy shop since 2009, it was only last year that I started getting really serious about it. I listed my first stand on March 21st 2012. So, It's been a little over a year and my humble Etsy shop is slowly but surely gaining ground.

One of the most exciting aspects of Etsy, other than listing a new product, is it's Treasury. I've only created one Treasury so far, but I have been featured dozens. It's very flattering to have someone believe that one of your products captures a part of their vision. It's an opportunity for Etsians to feature other artists and their wares. I truly feel honored to be featured in one.

Here are a couple of my favorite treasuries that my stands have been featured on: 

'Like a daisy' by GaranceCouture

Felt houses with tree, ... Intres $35	Pastel green cat brooch... Chifonie $38	Vintage Lucite Daisy Dr... WiseApple $20	Geometric Art, Photogra... MollysMuses $40
The Ambre Vintage China... LePetitPrettie... $125	Spring, teal blue, maso... MissMPhotograp... $22	Bead Crochet Necklace &... LeeMarina $81.4	Camouflage Flamingo - h... CedarMoon $75
Los Angeles print -Urba... PaperFinchDesi... $12	Kids wall art making a ... LouiseArtStudi... $25	Sea Urchin Air Plant Tr... AGiftofNature $25	Danish vintage retro st... Alfamarama $25
Elephants handmade. Gar... JuliaWine $19	Green Luna moth on the ... CaryeVDPMahone... $15	Fuchsia Pink Yellow wra... cardioceras $22	Landscape painting canv... AstaArtwork $69

'Summer party!' by PureCraft

Necklace scarves, Tradi... likeknitting $14.99	Colorful Hipster Spring... AmplifiedPeopl... $10	Le Blanc 2 Tier China D... LePetitPrettie... $42.5	1950s Inspired Summer P... MissBettysAtti... $15
Fiber Roving Green Kell... CheshireFarm $6	Antique Teapot English ... vintagebiffann $100	4 Raspberry Fantasy Tea... SerendipityCan... $2.95	Pink, Green, Yellow, an... MistyandMe $4.25
White Rabbit Locket, Wh... PaperRoseLane $26	Blue and Yellow Crochet... odpaam $45	3 Tea Towels Crochet Ed... prettyware $24.95	Wheel thrown Mom Mug Re... MissPottery $25
Wood Laser cut Pendant ... TheTwentyFinge... $13	Soft green paper doilie... TodoPapel $7.5	Embroidery Wall Art pin... KawaiiSakuraHa... $49.58	Rainbow Dress, Rainbow ... MySweetieBean                    $69.95

My New Moo Mini Business Cards

I decided to redo my business cards. I just wasn't satisfied with the ones that I received a couple of months ago. The font was too small which was my fault. After a little tweaking, I think I finally got it right. 

I decided to go with Moo this time and that was a decision that I do not regret. I love them. They were $10 more than my Vista Print cards and well worth it. I wanted my logo on the back of the card, while my contact info is on the front. I wanted the design to be bold and bright maximizing the mini card's 2.75" x 1.10" size to the fullest. The card stock is much thicker and the colors are more vibrant than my previous cards. 

I decided to add the small gold butterfly charms to my design. I wanted a truly memorable business card. Check them out: 

P.S. Get 10% off your first purchase at Moo.com! 

My Very First Etsy Treasury...All That Glitters...

This is my very first Etsy Treasury! I wanted to capture pretty images that utilized both gold and silver. I love mixing the two metals and often wear them together. I currently have gold braces, which I absolutely adore because they make me look younger, and recently got silver bands. So, here is my tribute to my mixed metal braces:

All That Glitters...

Metallic 'Metal Mad... GaudyGlamBouti... $30	Gold leaf in hand blown... thestudio8 $21	Gold and Silver Necklac... ShibusaStudio $35	Metal Rainbow Tassel Ga... StudioMucci $36
Still Life Photography ... MelanieAlexand... $25	Silver and Gold Robots ... indigotwinwedd... $75	Metallic Gold or Silver... EspeciallyPape... $5	A pair of Rhinestone Cr... blinggarden $34.99
Compact Mirror with Sil... KanzashiHairFl... $27.5	Glitter Hair Ties, Blac... LuckyGirlHairT... $2	The Petite Glam Scallop... LePetiteFest $16	Leather clutch LINETT /... GIONbag $108

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

BBB Wrap-up

It's been awhile since I last blogged. Let's play catch-up!

The 2013 Boutique Bridal Bazaar was awesome. It was my first show ever and I learned a lot and got to see some really pretty things and taste some wonderful goodies! Unfortunately, I didn't sell any stands and I came down with the worst case of the flu ever along with a bad sinus infection. But overall, it was a great opportunity to do something new to promote my business. I learned a lot about networking and self-promotion. 

It was a very cold day and was sunny out, but dark inside. It was very difficult for me to take pics of my table which I thought was really pretty. I'll try to clean up the pics and post them a little later...

My major takeaway from this experience is that no matter how great a product you have, you have to sell it and yourself. You have to be organized, confident, and prepared. Every opportunity is a chance to make a lasting impression with a potential customer.  

2013 Boutique Bridal Bazaar

It's official! I am now a part of the 2nd Annual Boutique Bridal Bazaar. I am so excited to be a part of this event! This is my first event showcasing my tea stands! I have a few surprises including a new white china line that I will be launching at the event.

I have a lot of planning and work to do to get ready for the event. I'm working my way through my checklist on things to do and buy. I'm getting there slowly but surely.

The Boutique Bridal Bazaar event is on January 21, 2012 from 12 pm to 4 pm. Click on the Boutique Bridal Bazaar link to see what vendors will be there and for other event info.

LPP Presents: The Céline Vintage China Dessert Tea Stand

Here is another Le Petit Pretties vintage tea stand that can be found at my Etsy Shop. It is one of the very first stands that I created. I used a soup cup at the top of this one because I wanted to repeat the double handle design that the Limoges cake plate has. All 3 pieces used are of a different china brand, but the pieces match wonderfully.

P.S. Each one of my vintage stands are one-of-a-kind, so once they're gone, they're gone!

Flirty Frames - Pt. 2

I went to LensCrafters today and was kind of disappointed. I tried on my first choice of frames which were the Coach frames and did not like how they fit my face. They were too small. That was disappointment number 1. Then, they did not have my 2nd choice there which were the Ralph Lauren frames in red. They had the frames in a tortoise/green colorway for me to try on which I did. I loved the way the frames fit my face, but I wasn’t crazy about the color. So, they've ordered them in red for me but I won't have them for about 7 to 14 days due to the holiday. Not happy about that, but they are on their way. I will just have to wait until then.

P.S. I may not have been able t get the Coach frames, but I got them in the sunglasses version. This is the first time I've purchased prescription sunglasses, but I figured it's a wise investment for my peepers. They were super cute. Can't wait to show them off.

My Inspiration: Margaret Braun

Another artist that has influenced me aesthetically is Margaret Braun. She is a cake artist who has taken cake artistry to a whole other level. Her cakes are gorgeous and reminiscent of the baroque era which is one of my favorite design time periods. I just found out that she has a book out called Cakewalk. I haven't seen it in person, but it would more than likely be something that I would like to have in my library if for nothing more than to look at beautiful wedding cakes once in awhile.

Her cakes are fun, whimsical, and a slice of fantasy. I wonder if they taste as good as they look.  I don't even know if I could bring myself to cut into one of those. They are breathtaking.  



My Inspiration: Tricia Guild

I wanted to take a moment to discuss one of my favorite designers. It's appropriate for me to mention her because she continues to inspire me and my work. Her name is Tricia Guild. Her design style embodies who I strive to be creatively. I love to pretend that my stands could go right into one of her rooms and look right at home. She is a true artist and her designs are always executed wonderfully. Her spaces are a wonderland. They are a playground of color, fabric, and texture, and a harmonious blend of frill & functionality. She creates beauty. Her designs seem to take my breath away time and time again. They truly do. 

I stumbled upon her book while working in a wonderful custom home furnishings and fabric store. I was immediately drawn to it. It was large, a rich pink hue, and had a black floral "flocked" pattern on it. It was called Tricia Guild Pattern. Once I opened it, I knew I had to buy it. That was about 4 years ago and it is still my favorite interior design book today.  

P.S. I think I'll create a Pintrest board in her honor.