A SPRINGkling of Pink Things

This week I have a handful of pretty pinks to share and they are for sale on my Bella Rosa website (I just added this part as someone asked me if the rose ornament was for sale) and I'm celebrating SPRING!



A rosey pin dish

Vintage Asian and Egyptian prints for framing...

A lovely vintage photo of a young lady wearing an even lovelier pink gown!

A pink glittered rose ornament... how lucky was I to come across this???? And why am I not keeping it????

A trio of vintage earrings with oooh look at that....a pink pair!



And a vintage pair of earrings that I have a connection to. They were given to me over twenty years ago by my first love's Mother. She was a very sweet Italian lady and must have liked me. I wore them once in a Glamour Shots photo. Remember those? They were a lot of fun... wonder why they went out of business?

For more fun check out Mary's blog, Vintage Comfort. She's created such a fun and colorful blog. Since I'm a vintage nut, what's not to like?

She's also a participant in PINK Saturday over on Beverly's blog, How Sweet the Sound.

Happy Spring! We're off to share a picnic as a family today out in the sunshine...

Fun ideas

Ever get an idea in your head that just keeps popping up?

A few days ago I decided it would be fun to make my own Bella Rosa Antiques T-Shirt.

So today I went out a picked up a couple of plain T's in white and pink.

Bought ten sheets of printable iron on transfer paper.

And realized when I got home my printer is out of color ink.

Don't you hate it when that happens?

Hopefully I'll get to the office supply store soon. We'll see how they turn out. If I like the way they look I'll give one away during a Pink Saturday post!

We've been having such gorgeous spring-like weather... I've been taking Dear Bebe to parks and strolls round the neighborhood. She just loves it.

I'll be back soon though to show you my T-Riffic (hopefully) results!

For you on St. Patty's Day! French Bottles, Vintage Jewelry, Rose Ornament, Art Deco Frame

Believe it or not... I'm wearing green today and didn't even realize it was St. Patrick's Day until I started writing my blog post! I am part Irish so it must have just come naturally!

To celebrate I'm posting two St. Pat's postcard graphics for your scrapbooking or card making. That's about all of the celebrating I will be doing.

Dear Hubs is going out with a friend tonight (it's a guys night out tradition)

(Have some stew for me, honey!)

Now here's what I've been working on for Bella Rosa this week. A few more items not pictured still to upload but I've run into some back pain after taking Dear Bebe to a playtime event.... so here is what I have so far:

A little rosey chic dish for your romantic shabby style decor.

A cameo mug! This one is a cool cobalt blue and made in Germany.

I loved this beautiful photo inside the gold art deco picture frame. What a sweet pink gown she is wearing.

Picnic season is coming up. How fun would these French Limonade bottles be with chilled water or hey, lemonade!

Antique Egyptian prints. They also come with two Asian scenes.

Another "I wanted to keep it for myself" item. I am resisting the urge to keep everything!

Three pairs of dainty vintage earrings. They look so cute against the old sheet music.

I plan on updating my Facebook page and hopefully add some more items this evening.

May the luck o' the Irish be with me and my back feels better!

Happy St. Patrick's Day !

Spring Fling

Spring is in the air.

I know it must be because I am getting the urge to straighten up and clean out. It started last week with me going through closets and pulling out clothes I haven't worn in awhile. Like, before I was pregnant with Dear Bebe. My Dear Step-Daughter happened to be here for this sudden closet purge and was thrilled with her new wardrobe. She and her college roommate will be able to make good use of them. Now there's room for replacements! Shhhh....don't tell Dear Hubs. Ha!





Then our antique booth received an overhaul. Well, not a complete overhaul but a good sweeping and rearranging. It feels so good to do this after a long cold winter.


Then last night we watched the show HOARDERS on TLC. Wow. Couldn't believe the stuff people save and pile up. I mean REALLY pile up. Makes me want to clean out every room in the house! While we are not hoarders ...it is still tough with an antique biz. You just can't help but have things waiting to be sold or to go to the booth. Organizing is key!


What do you like to do when Spring arrives?

First Hair Cut ~ Snip Snip Snap!

Dear Bebe was such an angel for her first hair cut! Mommy was so happy and surprised! (She is afraid of things that sound like hair dryers.)

Just a couple of snips and of course a snap of the camera shutter and it was all over.

My little bebe is getting SO big!

Great day for the beach?

As predicted, this winter was more harsh than I would have liked. It is common knowledge around our house that I do not tolerate cold weather too well. We had tons of snow in February and it seemed like a hint of spring would never arrive.

It appeared out of nowhere this weekend! I was thrilled! I'm starting to really like MARCH.

I was even more thrilled to take a walk along the New Jersey shore yesterday. We took a nice long drive to visit with family.

It turned out to be such a beautiful day! Gramma (Ms. Daisy of The Daisy Chain) is to my left. Dear Hubs was obviously focusing on Dear Bebe because he cut my head off a little. This is what happens when you have a baby...

ha ha!

It was so crowded. I was surprised! We decided it must have been the perfect way to cure cabin fever for those cruising the boardwalk. It certainly helped me.

We're hoping to reserve a rental this summer at the beach. Something to look forward to!

This week is going to be busy. Dear Bebe has her first haircut tomorrow!

Then, it's another photo session with one of our favorite photographers. Mommy is trying to find just the right outfit. Last session we did a ballet theme. How do you top it? Suggestions welcome!

Stay tuned for photos...

Pinks Are Popping Up for Spring!

Welcome to Bella Rosa the blog! I've recently moved over from my personal blog page to this website blog page and I'm enjoying the new home for all of my latest news. I do have to confess I'm in a bit of a "blog mourning" phase. I didn't realize I would miss posting to "Jillian's Pages" so much.

Lots of comments and visitors will really perk up my spirits. (*Hint Hint*)

You'll find bits and pieces of what were up to on the home front as well as our latest vintage finds.

Today I'm joining fellow pink fans for Pink Saturday. Beverly hosts this event. Find other pinkers on her page here.

What I'm offering this week in PINK:


A vintage head vase or planter. This has such a late forties/early fifties look
The pink roses in this transfer cake plate are beautiful!

This was unique. Possibly a flue cover in a square, turned to the side in a diamond shape. I normally find round flue covers. The rose print is not perfect but it has a great look. Chic for the shabby collector.

Each week Beverly asks that we highlight a new blogger on our post. I'd like to share Kandy's page over at Pink Sugar Castle. Her blog is so sweet!

~Jillian

New Listings & What We've Been Up to

We've been really busy but it is par for the course. Who isn't busy these days?

With all of our conveniences, I think we're up to our eyeballs with things to do.

I wasn't too busy however to list about twelve more items to Bella Rosa. All in the same day I took Dear Bebe to a new program at our church for toddlers and pre-schoolers. Whew. She wore Mommy out! Pictures to follow on another post. Then I also turned around and made a meal for a new Mommy at our church. Now this gal is REALLY busy. She has newborn twins!

Making a meal for a fellow Mommy is usually no problem. But, our oven is out. Our three and a half year old JENN AIR cooktop oven. The digital circuit board stopped working. Is it me or do modern conveniences = more work. The old fashioned ovens with the turny twisty knobs would not have broken so easily! I really am an antiquer, aren't I?

Luckily my neighbor graciously allowed me to use her oven. So, Dear Bebe and I went over there with our bakeware and visited while the meal cooked. We're so blessed to have wonderful neighbors!

And after all of the dust settled....uh...I mean dishes were washed, I settled down to my computer and listed my latest finds:

A German daily inspirational reading book. Beautiful angel cover and gold gilded pages.

I have a few favorites this week and this is one of them. A lined victorian ring box. Sooooo sweet.

Elegant depression era glass ring and jewelry holder.

This piece is absolutely gorgeous. A Royal Doulton figurine. Marie Antoinette holding a beautiful rose. She has lovely shine and gold trim on her dress and shoes. This piece is from somewhere between 1967 and 1979. I'm selling it for about half the book price. When I find savings, I pass it on to you!

These little Lenox swans are adorable! They have room in their backs for a placecard, business card, or maybe even a love note!

Easter is just around the corner. Three antique postcards would make a great addition to a basket.
This is one of my favorite pieces this week. It is definitely hand crafted by a jewelry artisan. Marked on the back gold filled and what appears to be the artist's initials. The aqua gemstone is just perfectly adorning the center. Such a romantic piece.

There are a few pink pieces but I'm holding off for the Pink Saturday event.

Stay tuned!

Shipping Woes: An Update!

Finally! After about a year and a half of frustration with the Bella Rosa shopping cart, I think we have a solution! Whaaa Hooo! A big thank you to Lori over at Pappashop for her help tonight.

Now, if you place an order, you may select your area of the country to ship to. I've sliced the map into three sections. Eastern, Central, and Pacific. Keeping my fingers crossed that this helps with orders. I'm doing fine with receiving orders, but I sincerely believe I've lost a lot of new customers from sticker shock.

When ordering multiple items the HUGE, GI-NORMOUS shipping charges should no longer be there.

Relief.

Now, I'm off to go download, crop, rename, and then upload photos of my newest arrivals! As always, I'm excited to get them online.

Have a BELLA day...

Shipping Woes: Whoa! How Much????

Having your own website can be great. I've really enjoyed learning the ins and outs of starting my own online business. In fact it went better than expected.

The only problem I really have is the shipping. (Wouldn't it be nice to really have that many boxes to ship out at a time?)

I truly think my current shopping cart is hampering sales. It's crazy!!! Place more than one item in the cart and it doubles, then triples when adding a third, and so on.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? I can just see the mouse clicking away from my site as it happens.

I don't blame my customers. I probably wouldn't continue with checking out either. Who wants to be hit with an enormous shipping charge on a few items?

Here lies my problem: When ordering more than one item, the way the current shopping cart is set up, each item placed into the shopping cart receives its own shipping value, as though it were being shipped separately in different boxes. Shipping is based on California rates (we're located on the East Coast)... so it really starts to add up. The shopping cart cannot to weigh all of the items selected and place it in one box.

I could set it up for a set value. Like lets say, the average cost of $5.85. But, here is where it gets tricky. A piece of jewelry may only cost 2.00 to ship while a heavy bowl will cost 10.00 to ship. I'm not kidding. I sold a small cup and saucer and a small plate to a woman in California, fit them into a small box and the shipping still came to 9.92! So, that won't work.

What I've been doing is returning overpayments back to the customer's account. It is working but I'm not sure how many customers I've lost who do not feel comfortable or do not trust this system. Again, I don't blame anyone for balking at high shipping charges.

Another solution would be to completely remove the shopping cart and have customers email me with their selections with their zip code. I'm actually starting to like this idea.

Last night Dear Hubs sat down with me and we tried to set up the cart to have a beginning value and each additional item only be a dollar or two extra based on the shipping zone. The problem is, it is not working. I tried to order my own item to see what would happen and the old system kicked in. Sigh. Total frustration.

But I'm not giving up! I am currently waiting to hear back from my website provider, PAPPASHOP, to email me back with some help. I've gone round and round with them before with no solution. I'm hoping for some help.

Anyone have a similar problem with your website? What did you do to find a solution?