Rose Mille

Happy Easter

May you have Spring in your step and Joy in your heart.

xo

mi

 

Junk Bonanza Wrap-up

I can't believe it has been a week since Junk Bonanza (JB). My muscles are still aching from all the schlepping and setting up of the "portable" Rose Mille. Then to handle the throngs of junk lovers from all over the country!  I have never seen anything like it. Maybe it was the fantastic wheather we had just for the event. Maybe. But whatever the reason EVERYONE in the world was there.

{just about}

The floors are almost the same as in the shop!

After setting up on Wednesday I took a few pictures, then went home, an hour away. When we drove all the way back to Shakopee from Stillwater bright and early Thursday morning to greet all the early birds, it was game ON!

{but hey, I'm a night owl}

Now don't get me wrong, we have done shows before, trade shows in Manhatten, Los Angeles and Chicago, but at those it's just placing orders.

I've done plenty of "Street" and booth fairs as well; San Jose, San Francisco, Willow Glen and Minneapolis, But there was no "junk", it was mostly all stuff I made, very civilized. And of course I have had permanent shops for 16 years in San Jose, Stillwater and Mall of America.

But THIS!!! Holy Cow!  People are passionate about JUNK!!!  Even Rose Mille  junk. The term "Junk Bonanza" does not do it justice. Something more like "Junk Extravaganza", or ummmm how about "Junk Frenzy", or "Black Friday for Junk".

{we thought of a lot more, but they just weren't appropriate to mention here}

Oh, and the people. We met lots and lots of Rose Mille customers who were wondering what happened to us. I filled them in, and told them a secret. I met Shelly Cornia who designs for "American Girls", of course I met Ki Nassauer and even that cute guy from Ranger; Tim Holtz who shares pages with me in the "Book of Organization" by Jo Packham, I met Dustin from Uber Chic - that guy gets around, Linda Strand from q is for quandie and spied in on some Annie Sloan Chalk paint demos.

{Wait, what? ....a secret?}

There were a few moments when I could get out of the booth and look around. I had my eye on a few pieces, but alas, I did not buy.

After one day of setting up, and three days of selling, (not to mention the months of planning) we had to pack-up and be gone by 9:00 pm. I think we were off the floor by then, but were still cramming everything in our truck and trailer untill after 10:00 or so. By the time we made it back to Stillwater, we just parked it all deciding to unload on Sunday.

So yeah, it's been a week and I am still recouperating. But we are already looking forward to the next one in September, don't miss it.

{I'm hearing jingle bells}

xo

mi

 

 

 

 

 

 

Junk Bonanza Spring 2014

Isn't this a great time of year? We are so busy getting ready for our first time vending at the famous, and totally awesome "junk" show of shows; Junk Bonanza!

The event is Thursday April 10, 10:00-5:00 and Friday & Saturday April 11 & 12 9:00-5:00

Want to be one of the first to get the good stuff?  Early Bird tickets are still available for Thursday morning, April 10th at 8:00 am, 2 hours before regular admission. To get the tickets and for more information, click on the bird picture.

Thank you Kim Yeager for having Rose Mille be your first featured "New Vendor" this Spring on the JB blog!  xo

Since this is a totally "vintage" show, JB won't allow anything for sale that isn't at least 40 years old. So we have to choose very carefully what we can bring. But there is so much to choose from all our great vintage items; ribbons, fabrics, dishes, clothing, furniture, pillows, pictures and lighting just to name a few. We also will be bring a few rustic pieces, manned by Bob of course.

We cannot wait to see everyone and some new faces as well,

 

xo

mi

 

 

Happy March

The Charming Rose Mille: Ribbon & Paint

Like everything else I collect, my weakness for ribbon is infinite. The kind of ribbon that takes a specialty shop to locate brings me to my knees. In the Twin Cities, we are lucky to have such a place - the once "brick and mortar" store, Rose Mille, is a twenty minute drive from my home. I accidentally found my way there last weekend. When I entered the store, the sweet and lovely owner informed me that she was taking the retail business online while deciding to close the store front. The news caught me by surprise. I adore the place. They were in the process of selling all their fixtures. I asked if she still had any ribbon available for purchase, Sure enough, she pulled back a curtain and behind it, piles and piles of pretty, vintage/new ribbon spools; silks, satins, grosgrain, velvet, ombre and more!! She told me I could buy anything I liked and so began that stacking process....and spools falling to the floor as my excitement got the best of me.

See the rest of the post here:

via retrospection.typepad.com

Oh Christine, such a talented lady, thanks so much!

xo

mi

PS. My on-line shop will never be able to carry as much as my walk in shop did. hmmmmm???

Isn't it time for a little "Green"?

We are just having some fun with our product lines for St Patrick's day. Being such a white, white winter,  I have realized just why this is such a welcome holiday; we need some green about now! 

Not that the snow isn't pretty, but it's getting harder to see my house. Especially since my house is also white!

Speaking of my house, you will get to see lots and lots of pictures of it in the near future when it goes on the market!!!

xo

mi

 

Fixture & Furniture Sale

Friday and Saturday, January 24 & 25,

10:00 to 5:00

Now's your chance to grab some of our best shop fixtures for your own. Since we really can't use most of this stuff when we hit the road, its now up for grabs.

Here are a few of the items we have for sale. But there is much more, lots of vintage dishes that we used for display, wood hangers, chairs, small tables and more. And if you need ribbon or fabric or glitter, just ask, we still have it all.

Antique display case. It's really hard for me to part with this beauty. Totally reconstructed with three new thick tempered glass panels but of course we kept the distressed grey paint color. There are sliding doors on the back and really cool original shelf brackets.

This rare retro card rack with see-through panels, was what we used to display the glass glitter letters in. We just love it, but it needs to be in a permanent place, not being schlepped around the country at shows. It's in great shape. Where else can you find something like this?

Our beloved lighted curved main counter. Perfect dimensions, (6" x 20"? I'll double check) But what makes this case super functional is the curved sides. Just ask the staff how easy it was to get behind it quickly without hitting a corner. The lower panel is perfect for covering with paper like we did. It's all there; two curved glass shelves, sliding doors, velvet lowest shelf, in a nice color, except for one missing bracket, they are pretty standard, and we actually only ever used one shelf.

A pair of modular 1950's retro French cabinets. Each unit contains three separate pieces for easy moving, the base with legs, the lower cabinet with solid doors, (there is a shelf inside) and the narrower top unit with glass shelves, wire mesh doors and it lights up from the top. A perfect display case in a shop or in your dining room. We are selling them separately but you can buy both.

As you can imagine we have a lot of clothing and miscellaneous racks. Four ways, two ways, wall mounted, a fabulous purse rack, even fabric bolt racks.

Since this is only a two day sale, we cannot hold anything unless it's paid for and then only 48 hours-ish. 

Rose Mille

215 William Street North, Stillwater MN  55082

hello@rosemille.com

Candy Cone Instructions

Using old world German embossed paper "Dresdens", nostalgic crepe paper baskets, a bit of real glass glitter, silk ribbons and paint, you can make a pair of these pretty gift or candy cones ready to decorate for Valentines or as a gift box. All the supplies are available as a kit from my shop Rose Mille, or separately if you like.

 

These instructions go along with the Valentine Candy Cones, but can be applied to any of our cone projects. The steps are basically the same for both the "antiquing" and assembly process.

The first thing you want to do is separate the embossed paper items that you want to antique. For the Valentine project, I antiqued everything in Martha Stewart's Pearl paint in Pink Taffeta.  Place them on a covered surface, like brown kraft paper.

I like to water down the paint so that it goes on easier and leaves a transparent coverage. As you can see in the above photo, I start out with a small amount of paint, then add water drop by drop until the consistency is runny. Make sure you start with the paint in a small clean container, then add the water. You can dip your brush in clean water and then let the brush drop the water on the paint or use a straw by inserting it into the water, then cover the top end with your finger, taking it over to the paint and releasing all or some of the water. Stir the paint and water well with the brush.

Now paint all the items with quick strokes, no need to be neat here, just cover all the surfaces. Don't worry about the little bubbles that form, they will go away.

At this point you can rub off some of the paint on the high surfaces, leaving it only in the cracks and crevices, but from experience, I know that some of the paint will rub off as I work with the cones, so I am leaving this project it as it is to dry.

It may take a few hours to completely dry depending on the weather in your area, so be patient, it's best to wait.

While we are waiting for the paint to dry, lets work on the crepe paper baskets. Cut a piece of the crepe paper for each of the cones we are making. I started with a 6" x 6" piece.

Now you are going to glue one of the pieces to itself forming a tube, make sure the grain of the crepe paper is going up and down.

I have found the best glue to use on delicate papers such as crepe is Beacon's Zip Dry Paper Glue. The glue does not make marks, is quick drying and very light. It does however dry out in the bottle and they recommend putting the original cap on after you are done using it. I am constantly poking a needle or pin in the applicator tip, but once it's flowing it's fantastic.

Roll the other side of the paper and press it with the side that the glue is on, forming that tube.

Using that same glue, apply it to the inside of the crepe paper basket. Move up and down, side to side, however it works for you. Then quickly insert the crepe paper tube, pressing it against the sides of the basket from inside the tube. This can get tricky, just keep with it - its a pretty paper cone thingy, not brain surgery.

This is where I had to cut the paper down a bit. You may want to go around with some more glue in-between the tube and the basket to hide the little cup inside.

If you want to insert a little gift, or just some fluff, you can do that now, or skip this step until the entire cone is finished. After you tie it up with half of the satin ribbon, fluff, trim, fringe if you like the crepe paper above the bow.

Next is when I added the gold glass glitter to the edge of the basket, but it could have been done before the tube was inserted. Make sure you have a clean piece of paper under your work to catch the glitter, so it can be used again. Just pick up the paper and pour the glitter back into the bottle. You will need to do this a couple of times in order to finish this project.

Apply the Zip Dry glue or you could use regular white glue, to the edges of about half the basket rim.

Quickly but cautiously, pour the glitter on the glued edges, sprinkle it off and repeat gluing the remaining edges and applying the glitter. Pour the excess glitter back into the bottle.

If you are able to catch all the glitter, you will have plenty to use for both cones and then some.

Now that the embossed papers have dried, you can cut off the connector bumps and separate them ready to be worked with. Try to cut as close as you can without distorting the design.

The cones are rather stiff and I have found it easier to roll them on the edge of my work table to get them to form the cone.

 A bit of manipulation of the bottom point is helpful as well.

Once you get it almost cone shaped, fold down the tab at right angles to itself.

Apply a generous amount of Beacon's 3-in-1 Craft glue to really hold it together, without taking up much glue space. You will need to press it from both sides, I have found a wooden spoon handle or thick knitting needle to be helpful here.

Smooth this out best you can.

Flip over the vintage heart doily and trace with a pencil the lower heart motif. Carefully cut this out on the pencil line.

Find the center of the front of the cone, by arranging the seam in the back, you will notice that there is one design, kind of looks like an upside down heart, at the top edge that is in the center. Keeping an eye on the center, place the heart doily, with enough glue on the back especially near the edges, (but not at the edges, the glue will spread a bit and you don't want it to be exposed). Press into place.

Cut one of the small arrows in half, glue each end firmly as shown.

Apply glue to a small heart and position it so that it covers up the space between the arrow parts, press in place.

Starting at the center back, apply a bead of glue around the top of the cone, just above the row of scallops as shown. Cut off excess, press in place.

Cut the silk ribbon in half so you have two pieces, one for each cone. Center the ribbon over the back of the cone so that it straddles the back seam, you will be inserting the ribbon through the openings as shown.

You may find it helpful to use a poker, such as a piece of floral wire, a skinny paint brush or knitting needle to help the ribbon through.

The goal is to have equal tails criss-crossed behind the center large scallop. Be patient, this will take some time until you get the hang of it. Try to straighten the ribbon as you go. Once you get it to look like the photo, you can tie a bow, or a half bow like I did. Don't forget to finish the ends of the ribbon by cutting a V shape by folding it near the edge and cutting at an angle. C A R E F U L !

This last step is simple, apply some glue above the stitch line on the basket and insert it into the cone. Okay not as easy as it looks. How to not scrunch the tied crepe paper in the basket. It may have been better to not have filled the crepe paper tube, or even have glued it on untill after attaching it to the cone. But you can always untie it, push it down and then tie it again.

But then it may be hard to work with the crepe paper while the basket is attached to the cone. ??

Not to worry, it's perfect!

Wala!

Please coment if you have any questions or nice thoughts, I will answer them here.

xo

mi

 

 

Valentine Candy Cones

The first holiday of the year is Valentines Day. It always sneaks up on me as a shop keeper. Every year I try to think about it in say November so I can order the inventory and supplies that I need to be prepared, but alas, it never happens. There is something else going on then. :-) But I think this year is a bit of an improvement, it's January 9th and I am kind of ready!

{Happy Birthday Diane!}

I am totally inspired by the gorgeous embossed foil "Dresden" cones that we carry in an array of colors. I believe I am going to create a pair for every holiday and maybe even every season.

{Who knows?}

In addition to the cones, I used our adorable crepe paper favor baskets, they fit perfectly, some other embossed embellishments, silk ribbons and of course glass glitter.

In order to get my head around crafting with the Dresdens, they always seem so bright and shiny, usually a good thing,  I thought maybe if I tried to antique them with paint, they would look more like metal or more vintage? It worked. I have been doing this for a while now and love the results. It seems that just about any color will work.

{If all goes well I will do a demo on how to do it. Stay tuned.}

So what should I make for Valentines day? Out of the literally thousands of options that I have, being the owner of a vintage crafts shop and import business, one of my projects turned out to be these lovely candy cones. Which I have also made avalilable as kits so I dont' hog all the crafty fun myself.

I even included a couple of vintage heart doilies and enough materials to make two cones, maybe you and a friend can have a crafting party? Of course you can always order enough kits for a bigger party. That would be a fun day.

{Hmmm a party pack? I'm on it.}

I designed these to have a closed crepe paper gift option, but you can always do your own thing and leave it open.

Remember, we can always customize them for you, just email or call. The phone still works.

{651-342-0206}

Wishing you a happy, loving and prosperous New Year!

xxoo

mi

 

Merry Christmas 2013

From my home to yours.

Thanks to all of you who took the time to stop in and say hello for the past 15 years both in San Jose and in Stillwater. Here's to meeting more of you on the road in the next 15 or more, cheers.

Happy Christmas and a beautiful new year.

xo

michelle