A Giveaway...

No...i'm not hosting another one just yet but my sweet friend Melinda at

 Alabaster Rose Designs 

IS and you don't want to miss it. She is celebrating her 1 year blogaversary and offering treasures from her heart and home that truly speak of the kind and generous person that she is! Her blog is as lovely as she is so if you haven't met her yet...go on over and introduce youselves!!

Avec Amour,

~*~Michelle~*~

My Giveaway Ends Soon

Just wanted to let you all know that my First Blog Giveaway ends at midnight tonight, EST. The winner will be announced tomorrow, October 16th! 

I have so enjoyed offering you, my beloved friends and followers , these tresors from my heart and home!

~*~Bonne Chance~*~

Avec Amour,

~*~Michelle~*~

What's A Girl To Do? Part 5

What's a girl to do when she finds a bag full of these at the Flea Market??

...she makes these....

...and these...

...and these...

I found a bag full of bottle caps at my favorite Sunday flea market and couldn't resist them for the price! I wasn't sure what i was actually going to DO with them but i knew they could be transformed into something quite lovely if i gave it some thought. 

"A reliquary (also referred to as a shrine or by the French term chasse) is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures."

This "chasse" was the inspiration for my bottle cap transformations. It is an authentic reliquary of Ste. Therese...a French Carmelite nun also known as "The Little Flower of Jesus." It was given to me by my dear friend, Marguerite, after my father passed away. Ste. Therese has special meaning for my family as my father was especially fond of the Saint. My friend bestowed it upon me knowing that it would be give me great comfort and would be greatly cherished as well.

 

I combined my love of reliquaries and mourning pins to create these pieces.

Mourning Pin: "Pins meant to be worn during a period of mourning. Commemorating the passage of a loved one by immortalizing his or her portrait, or by using pieces of the deceased jewelry in a new piece of jewelry."

I've used copies of vintage prayer cards and holy images, distressed the caps with ink, added snippets from vintage French dictionary pages and added bits of glitter and vintage rhinestones from old jewelry as embellishments. The piece is then preserved with a thin layer of resin. I will add jump rings to some, pin backs to others and magnets to some as well. The possibilities of how to use these are limitless. They just "speak to me." I hope they speak to you as well.

Avec Amour,

~*~Michelle~*~

Wonderful White Wednesday

The gals I share my studio with....

"Mademoiselles"

...altered matchboxes...

...Dame Des Oiseaux...

...sweet angels...

"Madame Lavalliere"

"Lucille & Sophie"

...Mary, mere de dieu...

...and Adelaide....

...when we're all together, we are....

Happy White Wednesday Mes Amies!

I'm joining Kathleen at Faded Charm Cottage for more white inspiration!

Avec Amour,

~*~Michelle~*~

Finally...

For those of you who have enquired, I finally listed some of my 
French Flea Market 
altered matchboxes in my ETSY shop! 
Here are a few...

"La Madonne"

~*sold~*

 "La Reine"

~*sold~*

"Mater Boni Consili"

~*sold~*

Click on my ETSY mini on my sidebar or here.

Avec Amour,

~*~Michelle~*~

Wonderful White Wednesday

Happy to be joining in on this Wonderful White Wednesday on such a dreary wet day here on the east coast! I'm all over the place with this one mes amies....sharing pictures with no special theme except...well...white of course....

...a few week-end junkin finds....

...a frame that i painted and added lace to...

 ...a sweet card with gorgeous hand written french script...

 ...a petite corner in my studio..

 ...another one of my altered matchboxes that i need to list in my ETSY shop!

...a closer look at my junkin finds....

Happy White Wedneday Mes Amies!

Don't forget to go on over to Kathleen's 

Faded Charm Cottage for more wonderful white inspiration!

Avec Amour,

~*~Michelle~*~

~*~My First Giveaway~*~

~*~This giveaway has ended...merci~*~

I hardly know where to begin this post. It was almost a year ago that i joined this wonderful world of blogging. I remember being very hesitant, even a bit scared..."what would i have to say or share that anyone would want to read about?" Another ETSY shop owner encouraged me to give it a try and walked me through all of the steps and so my journey here began. And oh what a journey it has been! Unless you are "part of it all" it's hard to understand the sense of camaraderie, kinship and love that is shared in this amazing family. I have been blessed in so many ways with friendships that have given me.....

encouragement...

inspiration...

acceptance...

laughter...

courage...

patience...

and most of all...love. 

YOU my beloved blogging friends have come to mean so very much to me....so very much... and i want to say "Merci".

"Mon coeur est heureux"

("My heart is happy")

And so...in celebration of all of you...I  am hosting my

First Petite Michelle Louise Giveaway

I've put together some tresors that are near and dear to my heart and that I hope will speak to your heart as well....

so here we go...

...a set of my hand stamped coverless book bundles...

...some of my sweet speckled eggs, cadeaux de la mer and vintage french flashcard tags...

 ...a petite box of fleur de lys paper punches, one of my gauze roses and a vintage "oiseau" image i transfered to muslin...

And here are the rules...

Wait...

What's that you're thinking? 

"That's it? She teases us with all those tresors she finds on her junkin' heists and she's not even going to share some of the loot with us?"

Ahhhhh.....how selfish of me!

Let me go through what i've been hoarding collecting and see what i can find....

 ...how about some vintage tatting thread, crocheted rosettes, a spool with yards of vintage lace trim, a vintage dinner napkin and a vintage millinery flower....

...a vintage dish, a skeleton key and a few other "tresors"....

...a petite bottle filled with mercury glass beads....

 ...some old photographs...

 ....and maybe a few vintage French ephemera....
an old postcard and a pristine French soap label along with some French inspired magnets i made.....

 ...guess you might be needing something to put them on...

...how about this vintage tray...

 ...oui??

....let me see....

Have I forgotten anything? Oh Yes...the "rules"...

1. Leave a comment on this post for one chance to win...

2. Leave another comment and let me know if you are a beloved follower (new or old) for a second chance to win...

3. Grab my giveaway button and leave another comment to let me know for a third chance to win...

4. Blog about it (and leave me a comment) for a fourth chance to win... 

(My International followers are welcome!)

(I know...I know...a lot of "comment-leaving" but i'm going to try the random number generator thingamajingy so you'll need to leave separate comments in order to be entered multiple times.)

C'est tout!

The beloved winner's name will be drawn on October 16th!

Bonne Chance Mes Amies!

Avec Amour,

~*~Michelle~*~