Introducing Plum Blossom Vintage: Chinoiserie, The Orient, Midcentury

Hello Friends! Well it's been almost one year since the corona virus struck the United States and our lives fell into a tail spin. But now that there is a vaccine and a new president in the White House, I'm feeling hopeful about the future. I hope you are as well.

I'm excited to share some news with you! I'm starting a new shop! Plum Blossom Vintage will offer inspiring vintage chinoiserie, oriental and midcentury homewares for anyone looking to add some asian or midcentury (or both!) inspired flair to their home decor.

I'm still selling vintage tea ware in my Etsy shop Vintage Tea Treasures. This new endeavor will be on Instagram. I'll be utilizing my Vintage Tea Treasures Instagram account where the name has been changed to Plum Blossom Vintage. Shown above is a sneak peek of the first collection for Plum Blossom Vintage. It is almost ready for a flash sale which will be happening very soon and I will announce it here. 

So wish me luck and I hope you will join me for the sale!

Little Yellow Couch Style Manifesto

Hi Friends! Do you listen to podcasts? I listen to several, and one of my favorites is Style Matters, hosted by Karen June Grant and Zandra Zuraw of the interiors blog Little Yellow Couch. When I first heard Zandra say "we believe that your style comes from knowing who you are" and that their mission on the podcast is to "get to the substance behind the style" I was immediately hooked.

On the weekly podcast Karen and Zandra interview designers and stylists to find out why style matters to them. And each week I am continually amazed by how much I learn about style as I listen to stories from people who are passionate about not just decorating their homes, but how their homes are a reflection of their personality, interests and lifestyle.

My own journey of home decorating and styling is a fairly recent one but my passion for collecting vintage home wares has been going strong for years. The truth is that my home has been more 'junk store chic' than purposefully collected and aesthetically decorated or styled. Life has been so busy with work and the raising of children that I just never had the energy, brain space or 'know-how' for anything more.

But life is different now, changing. My children are grown and I strongly feel that it's time to get serious about style and why it matters to me. I found a great place to start is Karen and Zandra's Style Manifesto, a discovery tool designed to identify how your personal values align with how your home looks and functions. It's rather scary to realize that the clutter in your home can be considered a reflection of the clutter in your head! But face it, I must...

Through a series of five essay questions, Karen and Zandra take you through an inspection tour, so to speak, of your home. I have always felt that being self analytical is one of the harder tasks in life, but what I have also discovered is that journaling is the key to working out issues. The first part of the writing exercises take you through identifying your values and where your personality shows up in your home. Then you will be asked to pinpoint the elements of your personality that are missing in your home and encouraged to brainstorm ideas that will bring those characteristics you would like to make visible into the foreground.

Once you have finished answering the questions the fun part is creating your own manifesto - an actionable plan for how you will achieve your newly found style goals! And since a manifesto is a public declaration, I'm sharing mine here with you:

And of course, I'm always in for a fun art project and the blank space at the top and bottom of the manifesto were just begging for a little bit of collage.

I hope you will consider listening to the Style Matters podcast and signing up to get your own Style Manifesto. I'm sure Karen and Zandra will be delighted if you did!

Thank you for letting me share.

#collectandstyle - @annld60

Hello #collectandstyle community, how are you? I hope you are doing well. Thank you for visiting Under The Plum Blossom Tree blog to view the #collectandstyle favorite. There are now over 14,000 images posted to the tag! If you have contributed to that growing number, thank you! And if you haven't yet I hope to see you there.

Today I'm featuring one artist from among an ever growing array of talented photographers that post their styled images of vintage, new or antique collectables to the hashtag.

Embracing the moment is, I think it is safe to say, Ann L. Davis's 'cup of tea'. Ann's Instagram feed (@annld60) is akin to having your best friend put the teakettle on the stove and invite you over for a relaxing cup of tea and interesting conversation. Her warm, open and welcoming manner summons us to accept her invitation to comment about our day sharing experiences, feelings, and moods.

Indeed, it is Ann's stunning images of her floral displays that drive quite a bit of the conversation. These range from a single flower to store purchased bouquets and the newer popular seasonal and wild floral arrangements.

And Ann's followers and friends are always curious about her interesting assortment of styling props. She's fond of vintage and antique enamelware, as well as teacups, secateurs (Japanese bonsai scissors), sheet music, stationary, and ribbon spools.

Once you've visited Ann (@annld60) on Instagram, I'm sure you will agree that embracing the moment in such lovely company is indeed a pleasure worth revisiting.  

#collectandstyle - July Monthly Favorite

Hello #collectandstyle community, I'm thrilled you are here! How is your summer thus far? Busy, no doubt. Thank you for stopping by to check out the July Monthly Favorite, chosen from the #collectandstyle hashtag on Instagram. 

Instagrammer @modernandvintage Wendy Cook arranges interesting assortments of vintage and new sewing notions, and other collected ephemera, into beautifully styled compositions which surely catches one's eye. Not only does Wendy enjoy this type of fun photography, but she also has a talent for designing and sewing quirky textile accessories and gifts, handmade to order in Bexhill, United Kingdom. The quality and variety of merchandise in her Etsy shop modernandvintage will have you wanting to order one of everything!

Some of the lovely products that you'll find in Wendy's shop include cases for your phone, eyeglasses and pencils. She also offers Kindle cases, iPad sleeves, and coin purses and pouches, with optional personalization available on any item.

Besides visiting Wendy's Etsy shop, don't forget to also follow her on Instagram for inspirational flat lays featuring collected and styled sewing notions.

Thank you for visiting, and see you next time!

#collectandstyle - Catching Up On The Monthly Favorites

Hello #collectandstyle community, I'm so happy you are here! I'm happy I'm here also - it's been too long since I've posted any Monthly Favorite images from the Instagram #collectandstyle hashtag.

Today we're looking at collected and styled images from April, May and June, belonging to Aida Keith @curiousmekeithy, above, followed by Maricar @merrymaman, and Lynne @cottagebythec.

Australian Aida Keith @curiousmekeithy is sharing her journey on sustainability, recycling, vintaging, discovering the world and taking the moment to sip tea along the way. You might have already guessed that it's Aida's vintage teacup and teapot finds that catch my eye. Aida has an interesting collection, such as the unique rose teacup duo shown. Isn't it lovely how Aida styled it with a basket of delicious looking apples and a few colorful roses? The neutral tones in the basket and the wood surface perfectly support the vibrant pops of color in the teacup set, apples, and roses, creating an energetic autumnal scene.

Aida's favorite pastime is hanging out in her 'she shed', or tiny cottage, sipping tea and reading magazines. Her shed was recently featured in She Sheds - A Treasure Trove of Women's Creative Spaces.

Maricar (@merrymaman) is a maker of things, sharing her days on Instagram. Her inspirational flat lay photography feels as though one is taking a magical journey alongside her, via her interesting collection of everyday items such as the books and bookends in the photo above, as well as kitchen tools, office supplies, stationary, food and clothing. You'll always see Maricar's images beautifully embellished with vibrant flowers and greenery, and feel her spirit shine through with the little stories she tells about events in her life.

It is through Maricar's tales that I learned she is a pilgrim, enjoying regular walks on the Camino de Santiago, or Way of St. James. This is a pilgrimage route to the shrine of the apostle St. James the Great, located at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in the northwestern Spanish province of Galicia.

Maricar is also a part-time flower mortician on Stellar, meaning she likes to faff, or artistically arrange flowers on a flat surface as they wither, fade and fail. She sees it as an act of gratitude for their having enhanced her life. 

Lynne (@cottagebythec) is sharing her life in pics and prose. She is a wife, mom, grama and nurse and believes in doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. Oh, and Lynne is really a mermaid in disguise!

And in a spirit of sharing, Lynne tagged me on Instagram with this image she took of her heirloom decorative Nippon bird plate. It has been treasured in Lynne's family for a generation, having been part of her family's home, and for her, represents the treasured memories of her childhood. Lynne inherited this lovely plate from her mother when she passed away, and Lynne was tasked with sorting through her belongings. Lynne chose this plate, and many other treasures, as a memento of the loving home she grew up in.

Thank you for joining me for #collectandstyle Monthly Favorites! For more stories about people who love to collect, style and share their treasured heirlooms, new, vintage and charity shop finds, click on a link below; or to participate, tag your styled images of your collections to #collectandstyle on Instagram.

#collectandstyle - March Monthly Favorite

As collectors of antique and vintage home wares, we can all relate to that little voice in our heads that we fight with - should I or shouldn't I? Do I need it, or do I just want it? A compulsion that wells up in our minds and lingers, especially if we've seen a particular item and passed it up. We always seem to know later the same day, or maybe by the next day, whether or not we will be going back to see if that particular gem is still there, on the shelf, waiting for us.

Our #collectandstyle Monthly Favorite for the month of March, Jesse Lauzon, feels no shame in sharing these kinds of collecting stories, and he does so with a great amount of humor. You will definitely recognize yourself, and laugh!

Take as an example, the caption he published with the image he took of his colorful vintage enamelware pots, shown above:

"These happy vintage enamelware pots are just the sort of thing that end up in my car when I'm not looking. Sometimes, when I look in the backseat, another one is sitting there - all smiles - and it gives me a little wave...'Hey there. Home please.' It's roadtrip time again and we're off to buy all the antiques. Well, maybe not 'all.' But 'most.' "

And Jesse allows us a glimpse into his own should I/shouldn't I dilemma, as played out in a story he shared more recently about some gorgeous new antique transfer ware plates:

"I'm a sucker for a set. (I know. Not news). So when I spied a stack of eight transfer-trimmed plates this past weekend for about the price of a pizza, it was on. In the interest of feigning restraint, I did the whole 'should I / shouldn't I' thing which is an old trick designed to make me think I am reasonable. (Spoiler: I am not). In the end, I bought the plates (shocking). Because 'reasonable' is overrated. And so is restraint. Not overrated? Eight transfer-trimmed plates. Yes. Also not overrated? #IronstoneWednesdays - see you there."

But what really made me laugh was the story Jesse told us about his 'rules' for collecting when he showed us these gorgeous McCoy pottery pieces:

"When I first started collecting vintage McCoy pottery, I made a few rules for myself just so that I wouldn't get carried away. (Spoiler alert: I got carried away)

Rule number one: only aqua green.

Rule number two: no duplicates.
Rule number three: only flower pots.

I quickly discovered that my rules were bad. And boring. And so I broke them. A lot.

These Nelson McCoy Butterfly pieces are exactly why I broke my own rules. I mean please. Those forms, that creamy white - gah. I have broken all three of my McCoy collecting rules in this pic alone.

Also: ask me if I'm sorry."

I'm guessing all of you collectors out there reading this can relate to this amassing-lovable-objects kind of predicament. It's so funny how we can keep moving the goal post on ourselves. It appears that the collecting bug within us is strong and even a bit boisterous or rebellious!

But in all seriousness, just this small glimpse into Jesse's world of beautiful objects from bygone eras has me imagining his home to be a stunningly styled, comfortable place where having a sense of humor is a guiding principle. After all, on Jesse's Instagram account, he states he is "crazy for good finds, good people, good food and the good life." I believe him.

If you'd like to join in on some Instagram fun with Jesse, he hosts not one, not two, but three different hashtag projects. Check out #ViValaVignetteTuesday and, as you may have noticed above, #IronstoneWednesdays, and #thursdaytrays. I just might be joining in also.

Thank you for joining me for another edition of #collectandstyle Monthly Favorite. See you next time!

#collectandstyle - January Monthly Favorite

Hello, #collectandstyle community, and thank you so much for visiting Under The Plum Blossom Tree blog. I'm excited that you're here, and thrilled to share with you the #collectandstyle January Monthly Favorite image.

The world of styling, on both a professional and a personal level, is a fascinating activity. There are many of us on Instagram who admire stylists who have the ability to cultivate a distinctive way of approaching the art of arrangement with a clear visual voice, and firmly grounded within their own unique practice of styling.

Instagrammer Tamsyn Morgans of Norfolk, United Kingdom, is a professional interior and prop stylist, whose love for renovating a run-down Victorian terrace coalesced her hobby and her career into the well loved blog she named The Villa On Mount Pleasant. This passion project led Tamsyn to enjoy "inspiring readers to make their home a beautiful place to live." A self professed thrifting addict, Tamsyn believes in "giving a new lease of life to vintage furniture and flea market treasure, reusing and repurposing, and weaving them in with modern homeware." 

The recent purchase of a mug at Anthropologie prompted a styled photo shoot; her use of vivid colors and interesting textures in the above vignette point to her impressive talent as a stylist, making evident her love of mixing vintage and modern home wares.

As well, Tamsyn's flair for consistent and chic style, whether viewing her personal or professional work, is noticeable throughout all of her various media platforms. No matter if you are reading her blog or her content on the social media channels, you will recognize Tamsyn's distinct pastel-colored style. Indeed, your heart will warm upon seeing how she employs textures like velvet, paper, fabrics, vintage china and flowers. And let's not forget her use of beautiful things that sparkle such as sequins, Christmas baubles and fairy lights.

Additionally, Tamsyn has collaborated with an impressive list of companies including Laura Ashley, Liberty Fabrics and Bloom and Wild. And last year she was shortlisted for the prestigious Amara Interior Blog Awards and her gorgeous home was featured in Country Living Magazine. The light filled rooms and treasure trove of vintage props that make up Tamsyn's home are also available as a shoot location for photography and filming through the agency East Coast Production.

After viewing the delightful world of Tamsyn Morgans, and finding yourself in love with her style, there's good news! You can also shop the things she loves right from her website. And if you live in the UK Norfolk area, Tamsyn and Katie of the blog The Vintage House That Could will be offering a Decorative Vintage Styling Workshop.

Besides Instagram and her blog, there are several other options for following Tamsyn; you'll find her on Twitter, Facebook, Bloglovin', and Pinterest.

Thank you for visiting Under The Plum Blossom Tree, and I hope you've enjoyed getting to know Tamsyn Morgans. 

If you would like to join in with #collectandstyle on Instagram, you can read all the details in my introductory blogpost #collectandstyle - A New Instagram Hashtag. I hope to see you there!

#collectandstyle - December Monthly Favorite

Happy New Year everyone! Thank you for visiting Under The Plum Blossom Tree blog - I'm so glad you're here for this last #collectandstyle Monthly Favorite of 2016! I can't believe I have managed to write a blog post for each of the chosen monthly images since starting this hashtag project on Instagram back in April. On the other hand, it is your support of the tag that keeps me going and I thank you for that. I plan on continuing the project throughout 2017, despite all the everyday challenges of life, work and family.

The traditional vintage blown-glass Christmas ornament, or bauble as some like to call it, is for many of us not a mere trinket, but part of our 'why' when we celebrate the holiday season. We appreciate them for their beauty and craftsmanship. We love them because they are a part of our family heritage. And when collected, they create within us feelings of nostalgia - for our childhoods, for tradition, and for remembrances of people, activities and stories that we cherish. The above image, by Sylvia Cook, who is known on Instagram as slcook52, conveys those feelings through its evocation of an evergreen tree, lights and ornaments.

The fact that Sylvia chose to photograph several blue ornaments from her collection is a hint of the delightful color palette that winds and weaves its way throughout Sylvia's Instagram feed. There you'll find pops of pastel blue, aqua and various other pastel colors, firmly grounded within the on-trend background of white walls, furniture and other decor. And Sylvia's blog Inspirations, provides a wider contextual view of the color and texture elements shared in her Instagram feed. Sylvia recently blogged her 'Christmas Home Tour 2016', which featured her bedroom, family room, living room, kitchen, and a hot cocoa bar which I'm sure her grandchildren loved. My personal favorite is the family room tour, where Sylvia's passion for "retro/vintage" and the color aqua are clearly shown, and where you can see more of her gorgeous and colorful vintage ornament collection.

Sylvia's many endeavors include not one, but three Instagram hashtag projects: #vivalavignettetuesday, #mycottageinstincts, and #mypastelcharm. And her boundless photographic creativity can also be found in Sylvia's Etsy shop Vintage Chic Images where you can find shabby-chic floral fine art prints, shower curtains, and phone covers in the pastel colors she so dearly loves. An even larger selection of art prints and home decor items can be found in Sylvia's Society 6 shop Sylvia Cook Photography and also in her Kess In House shop. And for portrait photography, visit Sylvia's website, also known as Sylvia Cook Photography.

Thank you for stopping by. If you would like to know more about #collectandstyle, you can find out all the details in my blog post #collectandstyle - A New Instagram Hashtag. See you there on Instagram, as well as later this month here on my Collect And Style Monthly Favorite blogpost!

   

#collectandstyle - November Monthly Favorite

Hello everyone, and thank you for visiting Under The Plum Blossom Tree blog! I'm so excited that you're here, and thrilled to introduce you to this month's #collectandstyle Monthly Favorite: Andy of oandystudio!

As you can tell from the image above, Andrea Brinkley is both a collector of vintage blue and white china ware, and also a master fiber artist. Andrea creates one-of-a-kind hand embroidered wool art, or 'stitch painting' as she likes to call it, featuring botanicals and flowers.

She had posted an image at #collectandstyle a few months ago of a very unique blue and white teacup and saucer set that she had given to her mom when Andy was fourteen. I immediately was taken by how she had connected a lovely story from her past, to her current love of collecting blue and white china:

Since that time, I've enjoyed seeing more of Andy's images of her beautifully styled blue and white china ware, along with her delicious looking French tarts, flowers, and the landscape and scenery surrounding her adopted town in North Carolina (Andy is from South Africa). Then, I noticed a shift in focus, and with this image, Andy began talking about how she is intentionally working at fulfilling a creative dream:

When Andy posted the above image, she wrote:

"For several years I've been writing down ideas and aspirations in my Big Ideas notebook. I have let many interruptions (big ones like illness and a wedding and small ones too mundane to mention) delay my goals. With much prodding, love and encouragement, I am happy to say I've been making a good start lately. I'll be sure to keep you posted."

And in just the past couple of months, BOOM! - Andy opened her Etsy shop, oandystudio, and has been hard at work, stocking it full of her gorgeous original hoop embroidery designs such as the first image you saw at the top of this post.

Do you find this story inspiring? Do you have a creative dream? My feeling is that for all of us women in the creative community, there is a lot of value in watching another's dream come true. It can inspire us to take up challenges we have set for ourselves, to inspire others, and to work to lift one another up.

I plan on continuing to follow Andy on her creative adventures, both on Instagram and on Etsy and I hope you will too! You can also find Andy on her website oandystudio.com, and on Facebook.

And don't forget, if you are looking for a unique gift for someone special (or for yourself!), I'm sure Andy would be happy to help you choose just the right hoop embroidered floral or botanical wool art piece, lovingly handmade in North Carolina!

Thank you for joining me for the #collectandstyle November Monthly Favorite! And if you would like to know more, and how to join in on all of the fun, please visit my blog post, Collect And Style, A New Instagram Hashtag, right here at Under The Plum Blossom Tree.

#collectandstyle - October Monthly Favorite

Happy October #collectandstyle community! Thank you for visiting Under The Plum Blossom Tree blog. I am beyond excited to share this month's Instagram #collectandstyle Monthly Favorite with you.

In her photograph above, Emily Quinton shares with us a view of her creative workspace, decorated with a number of inspiring items - natural botanicals, photos, and various interesting paper ephemera. In all, she has created a wonderful autumnal mood in her studio.

If you have not yet been introduced to Emily Quinton, you are indeed in for a treat! In her fabulous blog Makelight, along with a whole lot more, Emily imparts her philosophy on how to collect, style and photograph interesting things; especially those items we'd like to share in our own blogs and other social media. Her ideas on how to do all of this are a helpful guide to learning and practicing the skills needed to accomplish our own goals. She also shows us how to express personal meaning and story telling in visual form. This resonates deeply with many of us who are looking for creative ways to share what we love in meaningful ways.

A very good example is her video Styling With Prop Boxes, in which Emily explains her idea of keeping a mini prop bag or box, filled with a gathering of favorite items that are alike in color. She explains that having similar items assembled and at the ready, can contribute greatly to using our photography time wisely. Emily walks us through the variety of items she keeps in her own prop bag, and then shares several images she created using those items.

And in Styling A Flatlay Emily walks us through her process of using the items from her prop bag to create flay lay images, sharing several expert tips, suggestions, and finally, her inspiring photographs.

For more examples of the items Emily gathered for a winter prop box, and ideas to keep you inspired during the upcoming dark months, you might like January's Prop Box. 

Many of us have also been inspired by Emily's flower images, especially on her Instagram feed. If you are interested in learning about flower photography, you may like Photographing Flowers - Hydrangea or A Hundred Photos From One Bouquet. And speaking of Emily's Instagram, you might say that one of Emily's great claims to fame is her weekly hashtag #floralfridaycompetition. With thousands of images already shared, it's a welcoming community of flower loving photographers from all over the world. Please do join in - you can post your images any day of the week, with Friday being the most popular day for posting. And if you love Pinterest, you'll find Emily there as well; with almost 100 pin boards and nearly 10,000 images there is plenty of inspiration!

For anyone who might want to take an online or in-person professional educational course, Emily has plenty of those to offer as well. Emily's course offerings are for both beginners and the more advanced, in subjects such as food, makers, street photography, tech, and Instagram. For all the details, her current offerings, and a free 'Taster Course', visit Emily on Makelight!

Thank you for joining me today for the #collectandstyle October Monthly Favorite image. I hope you will join Emily in her adventures in styling and photography.

And if you would like to participate in my own Instagram hashtag project #collectandstyle, I would love to see you there! Click here for all the details on how to join in.

#collectandstyle - September Monthly Favorite

Greetings #collectandstyle community! Thank you for visiting the Under The Plum Blossom Tree blog. I'm thrilled you are here!

For September's #collectandstyle Monthly Favorite I have a special surprise. This month's favorite image was not only created by my brilliant fellow Instagram friend in the U.K., Madeline Norris (@bymeeni), but Madeline also agreed to share with you, in her own words, the story behind these beautifully styled pieces of transferware from her collection of vintage crockery:

"Over the years I have acquired quite a few pieces of vintage crockery. I’m not quite sure how this collection began but I have always been interested in objects with a history and a story to tell. Some of the items in my collection have been handed down to me and belonged to my grandma and great grandma, other pieces have been gifted to me by friends and family and some things I have bought myself.

I don’t collect a particular make, design, period, or colour of crockery and my collection is quite eclectic. I often look on the bargain shelves, as I don’t mind if something is a bit damaged, in fact this often draws me in. For me this gives the piece more character and I want to give it home and a purpose.

The large blue and white plate that I used for my homemade plum cake in this photo is just such a find. It was in the bargain bucket at a little antique shop that I visited while on holiday last year. I love the crackles in the glaze and it’s signs of use. The white and gold plate is part of a tea set that was my grandma’s and I bought the plate with the rose to add to that set, I like to mix and match.

You will notice in this photo a couple of doilies and these are part of another collection. I started collecting these for use in the textile pieces I design and make but some of them have found their way into my prop box and have become a kind of signature in many of my photos. My family often tease me about my doilies!"

Since connecting with Madeline on Instagram, I have been influenced and inspired by her numerous creative talents, and I'm so happy to be able to share this sample of her work with you. As I have only recently discovered, and come to appreciate, the beauty and history of transferware, it seems fitting to include Madeline's image here, since it was other beautiful photos by her which led me to the discovery of transferware in the first place.

To discover more of Madeline's work, including her Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest accounts, visit her on her blog bymeeni for all the links.

And if you would like to participate in #collectandstyle, click here for all the details.

Thank you for reading, friends!

Under The Plum Blossom Tree Presents: Vintage Tea Treasures - An Etsy Shop

Hello everyone - this is my 100th post here on the blog and I have an exciting announcement for you. Under The Plum Blossom Tree now has a vintage teatime china ware shop! "Vintage Tea Treasures" is now open for business. 

Some of you may remember that last spring, Numi Organic Tea sponsored my Instagram hashtag #collectandstyle for the entire month of May. Michelle at Numi Tea graciously donated a box of tea for each of twelve winners, as well as provided a lovely flowering tea set to one lucky winner at the end of the month. Since that sponsorship, I thought it would be fun to expand on the collecting and styling aspect of the hashtag, and offer antique and classic china wares for those of you who love vintage style tea parties and collecting tea ware for styling props. And now that the shop is up and running, I am so happy for you to see the results! 

I've been having a lot of fun searching high and low for unique and beautiful vintage teacup and saucer sets, teapots, cake plates, milk jug and sugar bowl sets, and serving plates to fill out the inventory in my new shop. My goal is providing you with the best quality porcelain and bone china pieces from a bygone era. So far I have in the shop, brand names that you most likely will recognize, such as Wedgwood, Old Royal, and Noritake. I also have many pieces in stock from other companies such as Spode, Royal Vale, and Haviland Limoge, waiting to be listed in the shop.

I'm very excited to be able to share my growing knowledge, expertise and passion for vintage tea ware with you in this new way!  Please join me over on Etsy at Vintage Tea Treasures, and while you are there, don't forget to say hello!

#collectandstyle - August Monthly Favorite

Hello #collectandstyle community! Thank you for visiting the Under The Plum Blossom Tree blog. I'm so happy you are here!

Welcome back to another edition of #collectandstyle Monthly Favorite, where at the end of each month, one image from the Instagram hashtag #collectandstyle is featured here on the blog.

Have you had the pleasure of viewing Mayumi Ichiryu's Instagram gallery @atelier_cocon_m? Mayumi is a craft designer who possesses boundless energetic ideas for composition, using a wide variety of antique and vintage items.

Mayumi's use of well-worn backgrounds, coupled with an amazing collection of interesting objects and dried flowers that she crafts into pretty wreaths, contribute to a very unique take on the shabby chic style. As well, her strong pastel color palette provides beautiful harmony and stability to her Instagram feed.

I love the art form of collage, and really enjoy how Mayumi utilized it in the image above, with her creative use of dried hydrangea petals as a 'dress' for her 1950s inspired piece.

Besides creating beautiful images for her own Instagram gallery, Mayumi is also a moderator on Instagram for @tv_retro and @antique_r_us, as well as being a member of #9vaga_members99. You can also find her on her own website, ameblo.jp/haidosora.

Thank you for stopping in! If you would like to participate in #collectandstyle, click here for the details. I hope to see you there soon!