Holiday Open House!
Idea Round-up: Valentine’s Edition
It’s time to do another Round-up of some great ideas found on Pinterest- this time with a “Love” theme!
Remember – if you’d like to follow my Pinterest page just click on the red button in the upper right corner of the blog. I’d love to have some new Pinterest friends!
Here are my Valentine themed favorites:
These pillows easily caught my eye – they are just so colorful and striking. They are contemporary needlepoint by Emily Peacock (article is here.)
I LOVE being surrounded by mobiles, keep several on display in my home and studio! This one has such a sweet look and would be easy to make. I have a tutorial from a few years ago on how to make fabric hearts. You could easily adjust the size up or down and make a mobile similar to this one.
How’s this for sewing room decor? It’s oh so cute and would be a unique DIY project for yourself, or your favorite sewing buddy! This particular piece of art was mounted on a canvas – you can see more details on it on this blog.
What a sweet way to dress up a gift – Vintage Keys with ribbon threaded through the top! This clever idea came from an article on BHG.com with lots of ideas for DIY Valentine gifts – you can check it out here.
Such a great reminder for a loved one on Valentine’s Day – It would become treasured forever!
I can’t get enough of the colors and inspiring phrases from artist Katie Daisy. She has an Etsy shop if you want to check out more of her beautiful work.
And of course, I have been getting in the (early) Valentine’s Day spirit here at the Studio as well.
Here is a look at some of the project’s we’ve done in the past:
Every year I put up vintage cards on the memo board.
Last year I re-styled this vintage bag and accessorized it with our Spinning Heart Charms, available in Silver or Antique Brass finish.
You can also use the charms with our Ring Blanks to make a cute Valentine’s Day themed ring. Use heavy duty glue to attach it to the ring and you’re done!
And finally, here is a photo of one of our handmade XOXO Heart Mini-Clutches.
Thanks for stopping by!
XOXO, Ellen

Filed under: Favorites, Holiday by ellen
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Merry Everything: an Ellen Medlock Christmas tree
How do you describe a Merry Everything tree?
A little bit of this…
A little bit of that….
More is more….
And then add some more!
Throw in a few vintage ornaments…
Mix in a few Natural Graffiti inspired elements…
Beribbon the branches…
Add a dash of sparkly peacock feathers…
A homemade ornament or two…
And you’ve got yourself a Merry Everything tree!
I don’t think we could fit even one more ornament on this little guy!
I’m not sayin’ we didn’t try though…
And of course we had to style the bench it is sitting on with one of our ready made minaudieres in the Vintage Santa print of course!
I wrapped the gifts with my Enchanted Damask fabric to round out the vignette and called it done.
Merry Everything indeed…
Happy Holidays from Ellen Medlock Studio!
~ellen
In the spirit of Christmas…
I recently came across this video of the beautiful Christmas window displays in New York and thought it was too great to keep to myself! It put me in the Christmas spirit~
Merry Christmas from Ellen Medlock Studio!
~Ellen
Antique Valentines…

Happy Valentines Day!
Couldn’t let this special day go by without a bit of bloggy celebration! It has always been a favorite holiday for me personally as long as I can remember…probably has something to do with chocolate candy no doubt!
I have a memo board at my kitchen desk that becomes a quick seasonal holiday decoration. If I don’t have time for alot of fussing, this is one space that can always be made festive in a jiffy!

The decorative objects that work overtime for me are antique postcards and Valentines in this case! I have a small collection for each holiday and love to take them out year after year, and shop for additions
at the local resale and “junk” shops.
CBS Sunday Morning recently showcased most intriguing collection of truly antique Valentines I had ever seen…. and wanted to share that with you too! Here is the link. Just breathtaking!
XOXO,
ellen
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You’re Invited!

I am getting excited to participate in Stitchin’ Heaven’s New Year’s Eve internet Twitter Party!
YOU ARE INVITED TOO! Be there or be square! Ha!
There will be tons of prizes, (I am giving away an Interchangeable1 Bag Kit, and Classic Minaudiere!)
and great folks to chat with!
Plus, you can wear your pj’s, make your self a little toddy (or not!) sit back- relax, and join in the fun!
Below I have posted the instructions on how to enter the Party Room via Twitter from Stitchin Heaven, incase this is new to you or you are rusty on the procedure! Here you go~
Instructions
New to twitter? It’s easy and it’s free!
1. Get a Twitter account. You can sign up for free at www.twitter.com
2. Go to www.tweetchat.com (or the platform of your choice if you have another you prefer)
3. Enter SHPARTY next to the hashtag (#) at the top of the screen. Once you do that all conversations and party goers for our party will show up in a list just below the top of the page.
4. Sign into Twitter if you aren’t already. You will be prompted to allow or deny the app to access your account. Click “allow”
5. You will be redirected to the party page where you will only see conversations for #SHPARTY partyers.
6. Use the text box to write your messages. No need to put #SHPARTY in each post because Tweetchat does that for you.
7. Party! We will post messages to the party and you respond. You’ll see the conversation roll. You may want to set the speed of messages, either slower to keep up or faster to get your messages almost as soon as they post without the delay. However you want, it’s your party! You can find how to set the speed right under your message box.
Are you a blogger? Grab the button and place it on your sidebar to let everyone know you’ll be there! Don’t forget to invite all your friends!
Looking forard to “seeing” you there!
~ellen
Holiday Greetings!

As the day comes to a close, I hope all have had a lovely day filled with fun and family!
We even saw a few snowflakes in Tulsa today!
Merry Christmas, and Happiest of the New Year to all!
~ ellen
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Happy Happy Easter!

Filed under: Holiday, Spring by ellen
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Salute! Quilters

I had this day marked on my calendar as National Quilting Day, yet I had never really heard much about it! A little quick research confirmed that it is the third Saturday in March, and has been recognized as such since 1991 when a vote was taken at the 22nd Annual Show of the National Quilting Association. The National Quilting Association website is featuring a free downloadable quilt to help celebrate, called Let’s Tie One On (for the troops!). It is pretty cleverly designed.. a tree with a yellow ribbon tied around.
I am honored to call many quilters my friends- I can’t think of a friendlier, more honest, and sincerely creative crowd to hang with! Being adopted into their warm and cozy world had been a true thrill for me! So here is my idea…on this quirky early Spring day…with the weather raging it’s last dose of winter in many areas of the country… I am going to curl up in a quilt, find one of the inspirational quilt books I have collected but never had time to really absorb…make a cup of tea, and be thankful for these wonderful folks called quilters and the beauty they have brought into our everyday lives.
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Sweetheart Bags~

Wishing everyone a sweet day today! Here are a few seasonal bags that just say February 14th to me! Please look for the following bag making pattern and craft sets from you local quilt shop, or at www.ellenmedlock.com.
The Coquette Bag Pattern is represented by two different bags in this shot. One with the black and white butterfly (Alexander Henry Fabric) handbag bedecked with romantic embellishments- direct glued to the exterior with Fabri-Tac craft glue.. a super quick bag to put together! (Getting to rummage through your stash of little things is the most fun as far as I am concerned! Ha!) And not to miss the other Coquette Bag .. sewn in red rose fabric with a tiny metal embellishement tied on..
The Preppy Mini-Tote Pattern & Handle Set is shown with the black wood handles (you may choose either black, light oak or walnut with this set.) It is sewn with fabric by Blank Textiles. The bow ornament tied on to the handle is made special with a cardboard scrapbooking tag! Very easy to engineer with a bit of patience and again, a good clear drying craft glue!
The Interchangeable1 Bag Pattern & Handle Set is the poufy bag in the foreground with the black and white Michael Miller fab floral fabric, dot bow, and check ruffle! The secret to this bag is the clever metal purse handle that allows muliple bags to use the same handle hardware~ one handle for many bags! Perfect for the traveler.. just pack one handle, and a bag bottom to match every outfit.
The Bangle Bracelet Set is shown in the background as a tower of many bracelet samples sporting black and red! Go crazy here with your stash snippets of both fabric, ribbon, and embellishments. They all start out as creative blanks … awaiting your touch! Wrap in fabric or paint and embellish in a million ways!
-ellen
xoxo
Filed under: Holiday, Sample Bags, Uncategorized by ellen
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