Fleur-de-Lis Ribbon at Dove Originals Trims

In French, the word fleur means flower and the word lis means lily or iris. Over the centuries the design was used both symbolically and decoratively to represent the nation of France or its settlements and even today appears on French arms, postage stamps, and flags. According to some historians, the three leaves or pedals represent three medieval social classes: workers, fighters, and churchmen.

In any event, the fleur-de-lis design has become a popular motive in fabrics, wallpaper, tablecloths, jewelry, logos, accessories, and more. The design suits a number of decorating styles from classic French and English country to contemporary. For example, a metallic silver fleur-de-lis design against a black background is striking and very modern in appearance, while a brick fleur-de-lis on an ocher background fairly shouts French provincial.

Given the popularity of the design, we were delighted to obtain a limited quantity of double sided fleur-de-lis jacquard ribbon in four striking colors: black on a blue ground, black on a fuchsia ground, black on a white ground, and brown on a mint green ground.  All are in stock and American made, but the quantities are limited.

I hope you’ll stop by and check out these stunning ribbons which would be ideal for accessories,  sewing, crafting, and home decorating projects.

 

 Black and White fleur-de-lis Ribbon

 Black and Blue fleur-de-lis Ribbon

 Black and Fuchsia  fleur-de-lis Ribbon

 Brown and Mint fleur-de-lis Ribbon

Do Numbers and Letters Give You A Headache?

If you're new to working with iron on letters and numbers, yes, they can give you a bit of a headache, especially when they manage to stick themselves to the bottom of your iron and clump up in pieces on your new tee.

Based on my experiences with iron on letters (some involving the gnashing of teeth),  I've compiled a list of dos and do nots when working with them. I hope you find the tips helpful!

Cheers,
Flo

COPPER PATINA GARDEN SPRITE PROJECT from Dove Originals Trims

This project was so easy and came out so well that I simply had to share it with you. This adorable antique looking sprite is actually an inexpensive grey resin plaque from my local dollar store. I used a two step copper patina kit to make him look like an aged copper medieval sprite.

Surprisingly, the finished plaque has held up well outdoors in my garden over the spring and summer, although I do bring all resin garden ornaments in over our hard New England winters. I have used this technique on resin statues and even a family of resin bunnies. Very cute.

You can read more on our website here.

Cheers,
Flo

COLOR NAMES by Dove Originals Trims

William Shakespeare famously asked, "What's in a name?" Apparently old Will never had to contend with trim manufacturers and their maniacal interpretations of colors.

While most folks can agree somewhat on colors such as turquoise (who hasn't seen turquoise jewelry?) most other colors present significant difficulties. Colors associated with fruits are a bit easier than others. After all, if I say 'Sunkist orange' a certain shade of orange comes immediately to mind. Ditto with lime green, banana yellow, grapefruit yellow, apple green (Granny Smiths), cherry red, and so forth. Fire engine red generally conjures up a specific color, but what about purple? Now there's an interesting color, since purple can be either red based or blue based and never the twain shall meet. Mix the wrong base colors of purple together and the results are usually not pretty.

The real problems occur with color names such as "off-white, oyster white, ivory, natural, and even-  yes-  white.  Plain white can have a sheen or not which affects the play of light on it. Off white can have a yellow or a beige base tint. Oyster white can also have a cream or tan bias. Natural can be downright beige or almost white depending upon the natural "what" that you're talking about. Elephant ivory usually has a slight yellow undertone, but ivory the color is often a bit beige. And of course, each of us perceives color in his own way.  At times it seems a miracle that we can arrive at any understanding.

Thank goodness for black. But wait, black is actually an absence of color!

So what is to be done? One solution of course would be for manufacturers to standardize base colors according to an agreed upon universal color system. It would be a delight if ivory meant the same color here vs there, and off white meant the same thing to Wrights as to Conso. But it's likely not going to happen.

As trim sellers, we want our customers to get the precise color they need the first time. Returns can be expensive and time consuming.  So until manufacturers find a way to agree on color names, we'd much prefer that you called us and discussed your requirements with us if you aren't sure about a particular color. Or send us a fabric sample and we'd be happy to suggest trim shades that will work.

Cheers,
Flo
Dove Originals Trims

LUSCIOUS RICK RACK at Dove Originals Trims

Rick Rack at Dove Originals Trims

We listed a number of new colors of 1/2 inch rick rack today, and when I had all of the colors photographed and placed in a box, I just couldn't resist sharing with you the marvelous shades and color combinations. These luscious colors simply shout Spring! The scrumptious lime green, beach aqua, sunny gold and yellow, summer green, and bright fuchsia make me long for summer and my gardens. We're still a far cry from spring here in Connecticut and next week could bring snow, but these happy colors give me hope that winter will soon be gone.

We currently stock about 27 hard to find colors of rick rack in sizes starting at 1/4 inch (baby rick rack) and moving up to 1 1/4 inch maxi rick rack.  In between there's 3/8 inch, 1/2 inch, and 3/4 inch, all in glorious colors. We sell our rick rack by the bulk spool and in 15 yard lots, so you'll be sure to find the amount that best meets your needs.

Best of all, our rickrack colors match the chainette fringe and gimp braid that we stock from this same manufacturer. Whether you match trim colors or contrast them, the selection is fabulous. Oh, and did I mention that we also stock an incredible variety of pretty embroidered rick rack, sold by the yard, and perfect for children's garments.

Why not stop by for a visit? We're also adding dozens of new trims daily from Conso at some incredibly low prices.

Cheers,
Flo
Dove Originals Trims

BULK ELASTIC IN STOCK at Dove Originals Trims

You requested it and we've added it to our stock: black and white bulk elastic in a variety of widths and types on convenient 12 yard rolls. And best of all, this great elastic is made in America.

I hope you'll stop by and visit us at Dove Originals Trims where you'll find more than 2000 trims in stock and ready for shipment. Need help selecting a trim? Give us a call. We're happy to try to help.

Cheers,
Flo