As always, I never know what I'll be getting into next.

This time it turned out to be a joint venture between myself and my friend in France!

We've always wanted to do something together, however the distance

obviously would be a challenge.

So we said "Ha! We say Phffttttt to that challenge!"

So now Sacha and Brenda are together at

Boudoir De Paris!

And an Ebay store...

boudoir-de-paris

It's going to be interesting to say the least!

Still under wraps...

I'm working on a new collection for August inspired by my antique patterns from the 1920's....

Still very hush - hush....

Under wraps.....

Actually wrapped in tissue paper, hand dyed ribbon,vintage lace, antique calling card and vintage

silk millinery roses!

I think I love making the packages pretty more than I like sewing the garments!

Shared on Shabby Art Blog,  My Romantic homes and The Feathered Nest Friday link parties!
Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound blog.

Why name it The Wilted Magnolia?

One of the frequent questions I get asked is WHERE did you come up with the name "THE WILTED MAGNOLIA"?  I always laugh, but it's a name born of hope, hard times, strength, and just plain old stubbornness. (As my Mom would say!)

My sewing groups always called me "The Southern Magnolia" because I type just like I talk...which is at the  least VERY southern. Born in GA, raised in GA and regardless all my travels, this is where I come back to.

I'll try to make this short, but if you've ever known a southern raised person, you KNOW we can't just spit it out, there's always a story!

At age 44, my life took a very sudden turn with a divorce, which in turn caused a bankruptcy just to keep my home and lots of stress! I had been a housewife for l0 years with not a lot of job experience at that point. So off I went to work. A few months later I was in the hospital for l0 days, very ill (thankfully to drugged to know much about it). Ironically enough, the hospital bill was exactly the amount of the bankruptcy!

To say life was difficult at that point in probably an understatement! I just kept thinking, "This Magnolia is very wilted right now".

 I started writing about my crazy, funny, days (it was laugh or cry, ya know?) and sending letters to the troops who had just been deployed overseas. The dad of one of the soldiers started a program where he sent all these letters to his son, who gave them out to soldiers who didn't have family and never got mail. So funny stories about a crazy life seemed to fit. The letters I got back saying how I had brightened their days with letters kept me going. Who was I to complain?

So the pen name "The Wilted Magnolia" was born. It reminds me of where I've come from, what I've overcome and that I will always have the strength to "make something from nothing".

Thank you to all of my customers who have loved and worn my creations. I love you all!

Brenda
The Wilted Magnolia

Chirstmas from l'uccello!!!! I won...can you believe it?

Anyone who knows me is aware that I NEVER win ANYTHING!!

It's a standing joke at work, when one of our regulars hands out lotto tickets every night,

that I WON'T be winning!

So when my favorite fantasy shop online l'uccello had a giveaway....I knew I wouldn't win...

never do...right???  But this is my fantasy store so heck yeah I was going to try!

OH. MY. GOSH.

I WON!!!

So the best Christmas gift ever. From my dream store. Free.

I'm still in shock, even after it got here!

The wrapping was gorgeous. The cards were fabulous.

And the vintage goodies are AMAZING!!

So thank you so very much l'uccello, I'm thrilled!

Show and Tell Friday!

It's been such a busy week!  My computer has almost died...I'm humming the funeral march for it as I type...

I'm still working on getting the booth at the antique mall stocked...washing and packing and pricing...

Found a luscious new lilac color of lace for my leggings....

Worked my day off at my regular job...really?

And finally just wore myself out, sat down and enjoyed my first roses of the year in a pitcher that a friend just gave me....whew.

Y'all can just see the edge of my bulletin board that I made from bark-cloth. I love it!

I'm linking this back to the blog for show and tell Friday at My Romantic Home!

Burlap's you thought I was crazy....

An update on my burlap adventure!  

Started with this....

Washed and dried and dyed pink....Took the dye well didn't it?

Then the fun part!  This will be the front of the Burlap and Roses Tote bag!

Still not done...but almost!

Really??? I'm in the pattern business?

Ah, the anticipation on getting up at the crack of dawn to go to the estate sale in the next county....OK, the crack of dawn was 11:00, but hey I work second shift, so that was pretty good for me! After calling my buddy that lives close and having the "should I go, is it worth it?" conversation, I grabbed my coffee to go and went to explore the treasures that only live in houses of the south!  45 Min's later, there it is!

Oh no, lots of other people!  I've been scooped!  No surprise there, considering it's almost l:00 now!

I get to the garage and think "OMG it was a wasted trip" Nothing but ceramics and magazines.  The man sitting or should I say "reining" over the proceedings "laid back in his chair, said "Honey, you just go on inside. The back room is the craft room, Xmas decorations are in the other room and the living room has everything else and the back porch is the jewelry". Well. Needless to say I pushed the little woman aside with the small snippy dog (why do they ALWAYS have little dogs?) and made a beeline for the craft room!

I should have taken pictures, but there was too much to do!  Wall of fabrics, box of patterns, notions, shoes....this was my kind of sale!  It didn't take me long to realize that I was never going to get through all this in time to get back home and get to work on time, so after tracking down one of the ladies in charge (in her calico red checked dress and apron (awwwww....cute), telling her my predicament, I asked how much for all the patterns, never dreaming that it would be reasonable enough for me to get them all.

  And lo and behold I am now the proud owner of 6 boxes of vintage patterns!

Some are the designer Vogue's, some from the 40's....

Some are from the l980's which will promptly go into the trash!  Some things really should NOT be made again! :)  Do you KNOW how long it's going to take me to go through all these???    So we can certainly expect to see some of these in my Ebay shop next week!  Most of them are size 12 and l4, wonder if I can lose 50 pounds and wear some of these by September for the "Self Stitched September" challenge? 

I did score some of the cutest vintage purple shoes and lilac hat still in the hat box!  And they fit!

So overall, I'm going to say...it was worth getting up at the crack of dawn!