The best of 2011...

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!!  We enjoyed ours here in Colorado.  There had been a few days before Christmas that brought snow and the cold, so it made it feel even more like Christmas here. I just love this time of the year and remembering the importance of what Christmas is truly about.

  As I look forward to the New Year to come, it is always a great time to look back over this last year and reflect on what 2011 brought.  I feel many of the goals I had set for this last year I was able to accomplish or to start on that path of getting to the goal I had set.  Setting goals give's me a chance to try to attain them in a realistic way and if I don't get there before the end of the year, I can continue to work towards them.

I wanted to share with you all what I think was some of the best things that happened to me this year and posts I shared with you.  I am really excited for what this New Year brings and some of the goals I would like to attain.  I have something coming up that is a big change for me and my family and we are really happy about it.  I can't share just yet, but very soon!!  A new road on my journey and of course I will be bringing you all along. :)

I hope you will enjoy going back in time over this year and visiting some of my posts that I felt were the best of 2011...

Following your dreams...

Love of old books...

Smell the roses...

This very moment...

Victoria's secret recipes...

A Sunday game of chess...

Flirtatious...handbag and clutch

My Art Saves Story...

Enchanted 2011 Collection...

Victoria Hayden...

Creating Vintage Charm...

Vintage matelasse floral stockings...

I will be back in the New Year of 2012 with new designs for my shop, lots more decorating in my home and exciting things that will be happening in my business!! Thank you to all of you who stop by for a visit, leave sweet comments and have become my support as friends!! I appreciate you all so much and look forward to what this new year will bring!!  I wish you all a very Happy New Year friends and many great blessings in this new year to come!!

Hugs and love,

SALE!! Vintage French Cutwork Embroidery Pillows...

Hello to you all!!

Things always get so busy this time of year as I am sure you all can relate!  I have had many projects going on and am looking forward to getting to share some of them in the coming weeks with you all.

I wanted to let you all know of the SALE I have going on in my Etsy!  I just marked all my items in my boutique down 30%!!

 Just in time for Christmas shopping!  

 Every item you buy with me comes beautifully wrapped with a special "pocket of love" added as well!  You won't even have to worry about the wrapping...each gift personalized and the work already done for your loved one's!!  Here is just an example of an order I just mailed...

 A pocket of love...

Personalized glittered initial...

A sweet little nosegay...

Pretty details....

Brown paper all packaged up...

Each one is done differently in colors and unique for each gift.  I'm happy to take requests on colors too!

The beautiful vintage cutwork(60 years old) embroidery paneled( from France)pillows, are some of my favorite in my shop.  These are one of a kind pillows with unique details on each one.  I love the contrast that the osnaburg and linen fabric give with the sheer detailed panels.  These too are marked down from $45 to now $35!! The perfect pillow for that someone special who loves vintage, french and wants to add a touch of elegance to any room.

Here are some of my favorites...

Vintage French cutwork embroidery pillow w/white fleur garden design

Vintage French cutwork embroidery pillow w/cream medallion and scalloped design

Vintage French cutwork embroidery pillow w/cream and big floral design

Vintage French cutwork embroidery w/cream and fleur medallion design

Vintage French cutwork embroidery pillow w/cream and whimsy floral design

Would love to have your visit and would be grateful for you to keep me in mind for some of your Holiday shopping!! 

Before I go I just wanted to share just some of the things I have been up to...

•  Working on a memory quilt for my Grandma who turned 80 this week!!  Such a big celebration in life! I couldn't be where she lives to celebrate with her, so I wanted to make something for her that would let her know how much I love her. I will be sharing step by step my work for this, so maybe you too might want to make one for your loved ones as well. 
•   I hosted a very fun Hot Tamale night for the sisters in my ward at our church. I shared my love of growing up in the Four Corners of New Mexico and the food I have loved for so many years. One of our family’s traditions is eating posole and tamales on Christmas Eve. We had a big tamalada or tamal (as it's called) party so they too can now share in this tradition with their own families. I too will be sharing the yummy recipes and step by step instruction on how to make tamales...don't miss that post if you would like to know as well!! :)
•   A GIVEAWAY for next week you all are going to love... :)
•  I worked on something I am VERY EXCITED about sharing...have to wait for the reveal and then can share with all of you!! I had a lot of fun creating and one of my dreams coming true...
•  Orders for my boutique and new shop goodies...very soon I will share!

So as you can see...staying busy here!!  I hope all is well with you and your family's!! 

Be back soon!!

Hugs and love,

Season of change...

Hi everyone!

Have you all been enjoying the wonderful change in the season?  It definitely feels like fall here in Colorado.  Beautiful colors on the trees, leaves falling and piling up and the brisk coolness in the air.  I love Fall time!  The time of year that for me, makes me want to be in my cozy, warm home and in the kitchen cooking more...great for my family...not so good for my waistline! ;)  

Just as the seasons change, there is change going on here as well...  

I mentioned this summer I had some changes coming.  Well I finally have had a few days to work on that change.  One of those...my new blog look...I hope you all like it!  My blog now will also be called~Victoria Hayden...just me, living my life creatively and sharing it with all of you.  To reassure many of you who love whimsy...still lots to be found here.  I can't live without having a little whimsy in my life...so, no worries. :)

My new blog address will be up soon, re-directing traffic... once I get it all figured out.  I am excited for this change and all that lies ahead. I look forward to continuing on this journey and sharing whats ahead with all of you...my sweet friends!

Now that my collection Enchanted has been revealed and my Etsy is open...I feel I can breathe a little easier again!  I have been working on some more designs that I hope you all will love and finding some vintage goodies to add soon into my boutique.  I will post when I do.  I am really excited to keep adding all the things I want to have in my Etsy and I hope you will find things you love too!  I will say that the designs I am working on now are beautiful with  rich colors.  I love how pops of color can add warmth and interest to a room.  

I of course can't share a post without some eye candy, so here are some of my favorite fall pictures from my Pinterest board harvest happiness...

This makes you wish you were there and walking down this road...

A great idea...crocheted pumpkin!

Vintage turquoise pickup love!! 

A book to read by the fire and a leaf pressed as a bookmark...

I adore Cinderella pumpkins...my favorite!!

I hope your week is off to a great start and getting to enjoy the

 change of season wherever you might live!!

Thanks for stopping by for a visit...be back soon with shop goodies.

Hugs and love,

Victoria Hayden...

I hope you all had a great weekend!  Some of my kiddos had a 4 day weekend, which made it nice to not have the rush for those days.


The response to my collection Enchanted has been overwhelming and heartwarming!!  Thank you to everyone who has left a sweet message, shared, liked me, viewed my lookbook and visited my Etsy!!  Your support means so much and I am grateful!! :)


Over the next few months there will be many things added into my boutique.  I am busy again working on some new designs for Fall, refurbishing furniture, upholstery and slipcovers.  Along with all this, I will also be adding vintage finds too!  As new things are added, I will be updating here so you all know. I am really excited to see where my new endeavor is headed and how it will be even a year from now!


If for some reason you have missed all that has been going on here, I thought I would share some of the pictures in my collection that you can also find in my Etsy....

 Osnaburg table runner with crochet trim~$40

Ruched osnaburg pillow cover~$35

Osnaburg crochet trim/vintage buttons pillow cover~$35 

Vintage ruffle osnaburg pillow cover~$35

Romantic floral embroidery pillow~$48

Delicate bamboo pink beads...

Whimsical dimensional beaded flower slipcover~$45

Vintage French cutwork embroidery pillow~$58

More one of a kind french vintage pillows in my boutique...

  

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of what's in my Etsy!  I wanted to let you know that I also have a 10% coupon code using OPEN1011 at checkout for your entire order for the month of October!!  

So before I go I need to share the winner of  the $150 credit to use in my Etsy Victoria Hayden...

The winner is #44!!!

Susan@Hometown Girl...

"Victoria everything is just lovely.Congratulations!

 I wish you much success. I LOVE the table runner it is perfect!

 xo Susan

So happy for you Susan!!!  I will send you an e-mail!!

Thank you to all who entered and your support!! I will have many more giveaways for my boutique as I go! Have a great week and will be back to share more soon!

Hugs and love,

Enchanted 2011 collection and giveaway...

Finally, finally, finally...can you see I am excited!?  

Why am I so excited?!  

I  finally get to share my collection with you all!! 

It has taken a lot more than I anticipated and I have learned a lot, but I will save that for another post.

Today I get to share my collection...

I hope you will be able to see how much love, time and energy I put into this.  From the designs, creating, styling, photography, writing, editing...lot's of editing...yes, it has been a lot of work!  It all has been worth it though! I am grateful that my husband and children have supported me in my journey...I couldn't have done it  without their understanding and support...I love them!!  I also want to thank my daughter for being my amazing model in my story...I so blessed to be her mother.  For all my friends who have encouraged and shared in my excitement...thank you from the bottom of  my heart!! 

There is still so much more to come, but here I am at the beginning and I couldn't be more happy!!

Well...maybe you should just take a look yourself and let me know what you think?  I hope you love my collection as much as I do...

*Just click on the lookbook to view*

To start this weekend off right and because I am so happy to finally get to share my collection with you all, I am doing a giveaway!!  I will give one lucky winner a $150.00 to spend in my new Etsy boutique Victoria Hayden for anything they want to spend it on!!  

How to enter?  Simple...just leave your comment here after you have visited my lookbook and boutique and tell me what you think!  If you want to share my collection with your friends, family and everyone...I would be honored!!  Just come back and leave a comment for each way you shared...FB, Twitter, or Blog.  I will pick a winner next Friday, October 7th 2011 by 12am Pacific time.

Over the next few months look for more new designs, drapery, upholstery, bedding, refurbished furniture and vintage finds. I am already back to work on all of these things.  I will be adding as I go!  Thank you again sweet friends for being so patient and all of your support...it means so much!!

Hugs and love,

*This giveaway is now closed*
  Thank you to all who entered...winner will be announced Monday!

My Art Saves Story...

Hi friends!

  I just wanted to pop in real quick and let you know I was asked to be a Guest Curator by Jenny Doh, on her blog CRESCENDOh and share my Art Saves Story. I am very honored to be among the many and oh.so.talented artist/designers that are showcased on this amazing blog!  My story is from my heart and recalling some of the memories in my life, really made me reflect why art has been such an importance to me.  I would love for you to stop by for a visit and to read about my journey how art has been in many ways my constant safe and happy place.

I was also asked to share some of my favorite blogs and a post that I loved as well.  Two blogs and their post change daily that are featured alongside my story for the next 7 days. You can check the daily archives to see which of these blogs were shown on what day.  I would like to again mention them here and their links so if you missed them you can visit them too. I have added my thoughts on why I love visiting these blogs as well.   So in no particular order of favorites, here they are....

 The Vintage Wren 

2.   A rosy ring…http://thevintagewren.blogspot.com/2010/10/rosey-ring.html…Carrie can capture a photo in the most beautiful way. She is very talented in so many creative ways and has recently started sharing her artwork in watercolor. You always feel welcomed and inspired!

 Burlap and Luxe

3.      Beauty in the imperfections…http://burlapluxe.blogspot.com/2010/09/beauty-in-imperfections.html…I love this blog for its serene, peaceful feeling and inspired European designs.   Dore is a trompe l'oeil and faux painting artist. By recycling and restyling forgotten pieces she brings them back to their full beauty.

Frugal Farmhouse Design 

4.      Pink…http://frugalfarmhousedesign.blogspot.com/2010/01/pink.html…This post spoke to me of trusting your instinct’s over others opinions!  Lori shares great tips, budget ideas, with fresh, simple and modern design.

  

Full Bloom Cottage

5.      Buy what you love…it always works out in the end…

      http://fullbloomcottage.blogspot.com/2010/08/buy-what-you-love-it-always-works-out.html…I could get lost in this blog for hours.  Loretta uses sumptuous vintage fabrics in her linens collection and gorgeous French antique furniture.   

  Divas and Dreams

6.      Ten ways to boost your creativity…http://www.divasanddreamsblog.com/2010/08/10-ways-to-boost-your-creativity.html…This photography blog is filled with beautiful eye candy, lessons in photography and so much inspiration.  Christina is not only an amazing photographer, but she gives great insight to the everyday as a life coach too!

 Canadian Cottage

7.      Thoughts on making ordinary things pretty…http://canadiancottage.blogspot.com/2010/04/thoughts-on-making-ordinary-things.html…I love this blog!  The very sweet Janice and her handyman husband share their families  journey as they renovate on their House of Dreams.  Using lots of creativity, attention to detail, pretty cottage style all on a small budget… very inspiring!

 Tinkered Treasures

8.      Faux sew sewing jar…http://tinkeredtreasures.blogspot.com/2011/03/faux-sew-sewing-jar.html...Elyse shares diy projects for her pretty cottage, her love of oilcloth and charming  tinkered treasures. A happy place to be!

The Twice Remembered Cottage

9.      Dollhouse cottage kitchen…http://twiceremembered.blogspot.com/2010/09/dollhouse-cottage-kitchen-snapshots.html…Since my first visit here, I am in awe and admire Kim’s creativity and attention to the tiniest detail!  She shares vintage style, love of the color red and quaint cottage charm!

Cinderella Moments

10   The artist cottage dollhouse…http://shopcinderellamoments.blogspot.com/2011/04/artists-cottage-dollhouse_09.html... Artist, Caroline Dupuis creates romantic, shabby chic and French inspired  miniature cottages. Taking the ordinary she adds a magical twinkle that creates pure whimsical delight!

 Lulu and Co.

11  Life…http://www.luluandcompany.net/2011/03/life.html…Art comes in many forms and Lulu has a way with poetic words.  Wanting to hang onto her every sentence, you will be captivated as she shares about her life, family and love of design.

Hometown Girl

12   The Reveal ~A winter party…http://hometowngirl.typepad.com/hometown_girl/2010/01/the-reveal.html…The talented artist and photographer, Susan Duane shares her simple.handmade.life with love in every post!

 Na.Da.Farm Life with Anne Marie

13  7 days to a better me…http://nadafarmlife.blogspot.com/2011/04/7-days-to-better-me.html…Anne Marie lives her life with simplicity and shares in the joy of doing so. With the love for her beautiful family, strong testimony in her faith and joy in creating she inspires in so many ways!

 Air Kiss

14    Peonies and a vintage ladder…http://www.larasheleheda.com/2011/05/peonies-and-my-vintage-ladder.html…You will see why the name “Air Kiss” fits this blog perfectly.  Photographer and stylist, Lara Sheleheda captures that light and airy feeling in her beautiful styling and photos.

Bluebird Notes

Mending my mindset…http://bluebirdnotes.blogspot.com/2011/03/mending-my-mindset.html…Full of whimsy and her favorite colors: red, blue and pink there is lots of inspiration you will find in Koralee’s simple posts and beautiful photography!


Again I just want to say how honored I am to be a guest on CRESCENDOh and thank you Jenny Doh for letting me share my story!! 


I wanted to let you know that I am behind the scenes right now trying to work through some technical computer issues so that I can share my collection and Etsy.  I know my week turned into 2...bare with me, hopefully will be showing in the next 2 days!! 

Hugs to you all!!

Flirtatious...handbag and clutch

I'm still here...

really.

Sorry for my absence...

life has been really busy here the last month.

A sweet 16 birthday for our oldest, 

back to school with 5 kids, 

and an exciting event coming up...

I Finally get to share my design collection with you all next week!!

Can I just say how excited, relieved and happy I am that I can let you all 

see what I have been working so hard on?!

One thing I have learned over the last several months...

my studio and home have to be put together before I will do another collection!

Just too hard to balance a big family, life, remodeling and designing.

I am a person who functions on order and the last 2 years of my life have definitely not been that!

So, for now I am happy to be opening my Etsy next week and sharing my first design collection.

I have many dreams and thoughts about what is in the future...

 but for now I feel satisfied and happy to just have these designs out of my head!

I decided to share a new handbag design with you all today...

however it will not be available to buy until next week when my Etsy opens. 

I am so in love with how this turned out!

  I also have been blessed to have a great model to photograph it with...

my beautiful daughter Brittany!

Here is my new handbag and clutch design...

"Flirtatious"

So...

What do you think?!

I will give lots more detail on this bag when my Etsy opens next week!

Can't wait to share the rest...

Happy weekend to you all!!