'oh, i could write a sonnet about your easter bonnet...

...and of the girl i'm taking to the easter parade.'

sigh. i'm a girl who loves old movies. surprised? i didn't think so...but not just any old movie. there has to be something that draws me in and keeps my attention. i need a little glam, a little drama, breathtaking sets, song, and especially dance! so yes, Easter Parade happens to fit the bill quite nicely. if you haven't had the pleasure, i emphatically endorse it as a great movie to get you in the mood for spring and for the easter holiday. what a nice way to spend easter sunday evening, no?

its silly, but i often found myself humming the old irving berlin tune that was the highlight of the movie as i crafted away in the studio glittering eggs and embellishing bunnies. i have been enjoying the welcomed early arrival of spring on the doorstep of western new york for almost a month now, and i am finding that it has really helped fuel my creative energies...like the sun warming all my tender little plants in the garden so that they peek their heads up from the soil and bloom.

so i thought i would share some of my springtime creative zeal with you, and show you a little project i did this past week in preparation for the easter holiday...

i was strolling through my neighborhood Dollar Tree stocking up on my basics -- white craft glue, tinsel, stryofoam, and crepe paper (because it makes absolutely no sense to overpay for such items) -- when i stumbled upon this cute little straw hat in the seasonal area. it immediately reminded me of the one i had as a child, and how i would wear it to church on sundays and for other special occasions. but once i was done reminiscing about my lost youth, i had a light bulb moment wherein i was sure that i could turn this dollar store straw hat into a darling little easter bonnet for display somewhere in ma petite maison...

i set about looking through the store for other supplies i could use to embellish my little bonnet. on this occasion, my Dollar Tree also happened to be stocked up with some really lovely silk flowers in pale pinks and creamy chartreuse whites. now, allow me to take a moment to address dollar store flowers and silk flowers in general -- i don't really like them. lol...i know, i know. i am not very elitist when it comes to my crafting or my decor, but i have always strongly despised fake flowers. i see their utility, but they just never, ever look as good as the real thing. but sometimes, as was the case on this day, they are a necessary evil. furthermore, these were so lovely and i knew that i could "vintage" them up a bit with some sand paper once i got them home.

so with my dollar store straw hat and my dollar store silk flowers, i scampered off home to make an easter bonnet of my very own. i gathered up some extra fixings for the hat including some vintage velvet millinery leaves, pearl stamens, vintage forget me nots, ribbon, and tulle. you'll notice in the picture above that i replaced the paper ribbon on the hat with a silk ribbon in a soft sage (a Pottery Barn wrapping castoff), and i also added a few tufts of white tulle that was leftover from a sewing project. i pulled a few of the silk roses off of their stems and took some sandpaper to the edges to make them look more aged. since the hat was sized for a child, i only chose to use about three of the blooms, and i kept the pallette a bit more restrained. i added a green velvet leaf and some pearl stamens to one of the blooms, and decided to stop there for fear that i would overdo it.

now how easy was that? this project literally took about fifteen minutes to complete, and it cost less than five dollars to make! vintage charm for just pennies...

so i hope that this inspires you to indulge in some last mintue spring crafting. celebrate the season and welcome mother nature back into your home! happy spring!