About Rosella's Lane

This might be a messy post but there are a few things I wanted to share. First of all, check out these dress form mannequin pin cushions! Aren't they the cutest thing ever? A really great video tutorial on these at the DIY Dish.
Who can resist making them? I adjusted the pattern for a slightly bigger dress form. So I've made two of these already for my new sewing space which by the way I hope to reveal in a couple weeks.



Alright now we're taking a step back in time-to the "beginning" of Rosella's Lane.:)

It all started with this little girl and an amazing mother and sisters who taught her all about sewing, from hand stitching to machine sewing. Days were spent sitting under trees with applique/embroidery projects as young as 7 years old(grew up in Belize where it's hot and no A/C, so the shade of trees seemed perfect); we even had the privilege of Sunday school needle crafts. That's right :), then came the big project of making a quilt with my brother at about age 10! That one still brings a smile to my face whenever I think of it. We would fight over who got to use the sewing machine.
I always was proud of my work, maybe that's why I held on to these :) :

At age 15, I started my own quilt which I happen to use all the time! With a huge move away from family at the age of 21, I needed a hobby to keep myself busy, so I invested in my very first sewing machine and the result was countless baby quilts and blankets which mostly ended up as gifts to other moms with newborns as I wasn't ready to sell at the time, although the thought did cross my mind.

Now I feel so blessed to be a mother and able to stay at home with our two little boys. I want to be open to the Lord's leading and as long as He allows me and our boys are happy, I enjoy creating things to add to my Etsy shop. I have my husband's full support and thoroughly enjoy the evenings when he sits next to me and helps with creating the shabby rosettes designed by me for the beautiful strap covers and CD packaging. :)
After all these years, I am once again privileged to have my mom help me with my projects. Only this time I tell her what to do;)she delights in helping me with my orders. So very blessed to have her.




As I mentioned earlier on, we're working on a sewing space. I'm so excited about having a comfortable space to dream and create and allow my customers to see where their items are made!
You're welcome to check back for a virtual tour..soon!

diamond quilt

Something new for a change! I've been wanting to make a baby
quilt/photo prop for a while but was simply waiting for some inspiration
to get me started! I fell in love with the diamond shape and wanted to
try them on a little quilt.

I made the mint green quilt, and then felt the need to make another one
to perfect the pattern. The idea is so simple, but it does take some time
to work with those ruffles. ;)

I enjoyed using the Fall morning sun for some of these shots.

Sew a skirt

There's something about Fall and the urge to create!
My latest is a really fun, easy skirt. I came across
a skirt tutorial on pinterest. You can find the amazing
girl behind this tutorial at Creative Spaces!
The instructions are so well laid out.
Here is my version and I like how it turned out.


We have been having an amazing Fall where I live, and I hope you are all having the same!

countryside picnic

It's been a few weeks and I've been busy as always. :) On a perfect summer
evening we headed to the country for a little picnic. It was for my baby's 3rd
Birthday.


Birthday cake in a jar was so simple but it was a hit for the little man.

Our boys... they are such a blessing.

I have these images in my head from when I was a child at my grand-
parents farm, of tables with crisscross legs. First I whipped up a little bench,
and then the table.

These are all the materials I used.(later my hubby added
2 small boards for more support)

Unfortunately I don't have pictures of the legs
before they were nailed to the table.

The boards underneath the table for added support.
I was going to paint the legs black, add a different color and
then go about distressing the legs, but decided
to stop after the black coat. It's different from what I would
normally do but I like it!

Linking to
FJI

newborn photography prop

Hey I just wanted to share this super cute idea for newborn photo shoots!
My brother and his wife just had a sweet baby girl, and I was reminded of the way our mom used the traditional diapers along with the pins with all her 12 children! Anyway, all of a sudden I had the need to create!

Vintage and fraying edges...:)I'm so predictable!


I'm not a newborn photographer and she didn't like the idea of being out of her blanket. It was worth a try!

much love,
Rosella

kite theme party

I mentioned I would throw a little party for my son's birthday.
With kites, and the colours aqua and grey in mind, I started planning.
I really wanted to keep it quite simple and it turned out great!

Rosie from Simply Rosie Photography was sweet enough to come by to set up and photograph the table! I'm in love with her style, photography and so fortunate to have her so close. She has a way of capturing anything and everything in the loveliest of ways. :) Huge thank you to Rosie!

All serving trays were made by my hubby.

Quick fabric kites to hang on the ladders.

Ruffle pie crust pops. It worked so well and love how they turned out!



Simple food, great friends and one very happy 5 year old!

Until next time!
Rosella

the white shabby table

I am so excited to share with you all the finished result of this old table we found on the curbside.
My partner in this project as with almost all of my projects would be my hubby and I absolutely love how well we work together. He also understands the need for shabbiness around here so we make a great team. ;)
I spotted this stack of old fence panels in a back lane just waiting to be picked up. We got the OK to help ourselves to them and grabbed what we needed. The length of the boards were perfect, so no cutting involved there.

Two coats of white paint on the table legs seem to do the trick. After the table top was in place, I simply took some sandpaper to the table for a more aged look.





To finish off the look I made a very quick dreamy table runner and a little cake which I placed under a simple chicken wire cloche.
I couldn't be happier with how it turned out and waiting to use the table soon for a Birthday party! My oldest son will be turning 5 this month and I've never thrown him an organized party, so this year I plan on it.

Linking up to these parties:
Faded Charm
Nothing but country

Mini tool box

The plan was to make a tool box. It's so small, I am not sure if it counts as one?

When I saw the tutorial post on how to make a tool box over at FJI, I had to give it a try. I found some fabulously worn boards from what looked like an old crate, and used them for the mini toolbox.

My dad was an incredibly awesome carpenter...maybe that's why I enjoy working with wood. He made ALL the furniture for our home and that furniture were meant to last. Sadly when they moved from one country to another, a lot of the furniture was sold.



The hardware to attach the handle came from an old window.
We brought out the nail gun to whip up the sides. It seemed to be our best option because the boards were really quite thin. I simply used wire to secure the handle. Perfect! I’m sure my dad would approve of my wood work attempts, but probably not my style. :)

Now what to put into the box? I tried my handmade roses...


...and muffins? Tied up in a strip of fabric. I guess It could be a little gift basket/box!





I'll linking up to Funky Junk Interiors

Giveaway Winner Announced

Thank you all for participating in this fun give away!

Since one of the entries in the give away post was a repeat, the total entries came to 29 instead of 30.

Using the True Random Number Generator, the winner is #27, rose_n_thorns!!
Please email me your address so I can get your shabby pillow cover in the mail:)

Shabby pillow slipcover Giveaway! (CLOSED)

If you read my previous post then you know what this post is all about. :) I’m excited for this first giveaway on my blog!

This slipcover is handmade by me for a 16"X16" pillow.

Simply leave a comment on this post, and your name is entered into the giveaway!
It doesn’t matter in which country you live.:) If you win, I will be happy to mail it out to you.
Give away ends at noon, Friday June 3rd (central time). Check back to see if you win!;)

Much love,
Rosella

curbside finds!

We have spring and fall curbside giveaways where I live. I am sure to find a few treasures every time. This time I was on the look out for an old table and surprisingly not too far into my hunt, I saw these curvy table legs. :) Onto the car roof the piece went!
I'm looking forward to see what we can make out of this, and I'll be sure to update you all when it's done!


Later on in the day I found an old ladder with beautiful paint splatters. It was very long so we ended up cutting it in half to make 2 shorter ladders. This way I can have them in the house! Only two treasures this time around, but pleased about my find. :)

Wondering what's displayed on the ladder? Make sure you check back soon, as I'm doing a GIVE AWAY of one of these white linen pillow slip covers! Details on the giveaway coming in the next post.

vintage lace

You'll find this new camera strap cover in my shop!

Instead of placing the rosettes along the entire strap,
I decided to do a cluster of five rosettes at each end,
making more of the creamy vintage lace visible!
No two rosettes will be identical as each one is designed
to have a unique shabby appearance!

Ruche inspired blouse

Hello...wow it's been a long time! I'm back from a fun-filled vacation. First off, we went to the Mexican Reviera with my husband's family for a long weekend,then from there continued south to Belize to visit more family. Having family in Central America gives us the opportunity to enjoy a vacation to the tropics once in awhile. We also realized how traveling is very educational for children and how it broadens their minds. We're looking forward to more traveling in the future!

Simple comfy blouses=love. I was inspired by a dress I spotted
on Ruche, and the idea
of making something similar ran through my mind for quite some
time. I went with the pillowcase dress idea but because I didn't
use a pattern, you can find simple instructions here.
For the DIY twisted rosette tutorial go here. My rosettes are usually
hand-stitched so that they're washable. :)


Picture was taken on a tiny small island off the
coast of Belize, called Caye Caulker.

ruffle scarf

I thought I would share this simple scarf idea.
A friend of mine asked a while ago if I could
make her a ruffle scarf, and this is what I came up with!
After ripping 3 long strips of fabric(3 different widths),
I ruffled them up individually with a zig-zag stitch.
Start with the widest layer at the bottom, then place the
next 2 ruffle strips on top of that and stitch them all
together and you're done! It's a very light weight scarf
making it perfect for spring and summer.:)






Linking to Funky Junk Interiors