Playing with Decoupage

I have wanted to decoupage some things for awhile now.  The idea of it is interesting, and there are so many items out there that are just beautifully done.  I put some things on the counter--two keys and a perfume bottle--to decoupage "when I got around to it".  Well, needless to say, they sat there for quite awhile (there is always something else to do, right?).  Finally, there was a bit of free time, and, seriously?...there were only three things to experiment with!  Seems like the hardest thing for me to do is to just sit and DO it...whatever "it" might be.  It ended up not taking that terribly long to do after all, and it was such fun.

I have some napkins that are just beautiful and decided to place pieces on a blank perfume bottle.  I ripped them up and with Mod Podge placed the pieces on.  How one side is all one color and the other all another is just how it turned out.

I sealed the bottle with a different decoupage sealer and added some wire and complimentary beads. They almost look like two separate bottles--but that just adds to the interest.
Next, I did the keys.

The paper on these is still from the same napkin used on the perfume bottle.  It's amazing the color differences and looks to all three pieces.  I added some wire and beads to these too.

I really wanted to try some vintage jewelry bits on these, but the bling took away from the beauty of the patterns in the napkin.  These are in my Etsy shop and haven't sold yet, but it was great fun to try something different.  If you're interested in playing with decoupage, I'd highly recommend giving it a try.  No doubt you will enjoy doing it as much as I did.

Morning Glories

My idea in the past was to have a mailbox out front of our house covered in vine and beautiful flowering Morning Glories--like our neighbors have down the street.  Well, we live across from a little wooded area, and the rabbits would sneak over across the street and nibble away.  Why they never found their way to our neighbor's house is beyond me (they aren't that far from the woods!).  So, I completely gave up on the beautiful mailbox idea.  Our mail carrier is probably glad that she doesn't have to fight bumblebees and the like when she delivers our mail.  So, I decided to try to cover up the ugly metal pipe above our well.  The Morning Glory growth has been wimpy to okay in the past...nothing too exciting.

Well, this year I scattered seeds on a whim not expecting much.  How pleased I've been with an abundance of growth and lovely flowers to enjoy!...not to mention not seeing much of that ugly pipe.  I could be from the abundance of rain we've had this year...maybe it was better seeds.  The bunnies never did find these, thankfully.  I personally think they were too busy in our vegetable garden on the other side of our property to care about these flowers.

Embroidery on Paper

If I see something super neat, I like to see if it can be done on a small scale.  Things on a small scale are just so much more interesting!  I saw a large piece of paper that was stitched on on Pinterest and thought it looked so pretty.  Sometime a while ago I found a wee vintage dictionary with its back cover missing as well as a few pages...and, well, the two ideas just went together in my mind.  It took some trial and error, but here is the little brooch that is the end result...

 

What do you think? 

Teatime Pretties and Happy Spring

First of all...happy spring!  Yes, it is finally here.  What a winter it has been!  That is one thing I like about March...the hope of spring (among other things!). 

 

I go shopping and rarely buy anything for myself.  I'm either looking for things for other people, or just shopping for necessities, or shopping for things to either resell or to make into something to sell.  Well, these pretties I actually bought for me. 

 

 

 

The teacup/tea mug is from a gift shop.  It reminds me of a Cath Kidston print, though this is not related to Cath Kidston at all.  I've been greatly admiring all things Cath Kidston lately--the flowers, the colors, the prints--on Pinterest and elsewhere, and this tea mug was just perfect (in fact, I'm drinking tea from it right now).  The mug really does make tea taste better....really!

 

This little single-cup teapot is from the local antique mall.  I had had my eye on it for awhile, picking it up every time I went by it.  Remembering the old motto "Buy it or you wish you had", it made its way into my hands somehow.  Now it is mine!  It is very small.  Chintz patterns have always been a favorite.  I'm delighted to say the least. 

 

Catching Up

It HAS been awhile since posting.  There have been so many things that have gone on in our lives the past few months.  I suppose some catching up is in order.   This cannot be done all in one day or even in one week...that would be too overwhelming for us all, really.  So, I will start in little bites.  First of all, I'll share some crafts that have been completed lately.  I've tried my hand at a few cuffs.  What a lot of work! 

 

This one I loved seeing go together.  I had purchased these pretty vintage metal roses and couldn't wait to use them in a big way.  This cuff/bracelet turned out really well.

 

 

Then, this bridal one took forever to finish--many hours of embellishing.  The white embroidery on it ended up looking almost like lace.  With its pearly accents and glass beads, it shimmers and shines--perfect for a wedding day.  They are both in my Etsy shop.  These took so long to do, however, that I've moved on to some other felt projects.  Those will be in another post though.  Hope you like these.

Spring is Here!

Had to share these with you!  My crocuses are finally up--and, no, the gophers did not manage to eat these...yet!  It's been such a long winter it seems, and seeing these in the spring right outside my laundry room window is always a welcome sight. 

Despite the Snow...

....Spring is definitely on my mind.  We received several inches of snow this week.  Ugh!  I guess we won't have to worry about getting what is needed for precipitation this spring.  The nice thing about these springtime storms is that the snow doesn't stay around too long.  It melts off the roads much faster than snow that comes in, say, January.  I SO don't like to drive on slippery roads.  The sun has finally come out today and with that a guarantee that we do not have to go out and shovel! 

With spring at the forefront of my mind, I have been making little bird houses out of felt...adding a touch of embroidery greenery...and stitching on some pretty glass beads and flowers. 

I wish I had thought of making these sooner in the year, but I didn't. 

I've made two pairs of earrings and one pendant.  I may finish a blue pair...just because they are already started.  My felt pretties certainly aren't great sellers, but I love making things out of felt.  Of course, working with those pretty glass beads and doing embroidery brings all the fun together in one project.  They are listed in my Etsy shop.  Enjoy!

Ready for Flowers

Added a few things to my shop today--a vintage jewelry embellished ornament and a perfume bottle.  They both are full of flowers and birds.  Enjoy!

Color in the Winter

I just love that my two cactus plants bloom in mid-January when winter has come to stay and the colors are at their bleakest.  The pops of color from these two plants are beautiful and refreshing especially when I look at them with a window just beyond revealing the white, wintry landscape.  One cactus has salmon colored blooms and the other one (below) bright, fuchsia ones. 

While doing the dishes the other day, the wide-open blooms on this reminded me of birds in flight, and I had to click a picture.  I'm so thankful for these bright spots of color during the winter months. 

Organizing

This has been a busy month.  I've been working on my taxes which is always a fun time. However, when I've needed a break from doing those, I've been creating a little and organizing a lot.  There were things to be made...and, alas, it was taking me awhile to create because I couldn't find anything!  Imagine that!  So, I decided to organize my box of tiny old jewelry bits...into smaller boxes of organized bits.  I just love little tiny bits of things--always have.  AND, I love to move them about and work with them with a long-handled, pointy-ended tweezers.  Perhaps I'm a frustrated brain surgeon!  We can all be thankful, though, that I'm only working with tiny flowers and glass bunnies.
Now I keep my tiny flower pieces--things I've collected to create with for years and am still collecting--in an old Sucrets tin. 

I have my little creatures--little birds, bugs, and bunnies--in a pretty white container.

My bigger flowers and creatures for perfume bottles are in a different section of my vintage jewelry organizers.  I made a few collage pieces last night, and it's amazing how well I can find things now that I'm more organized.  Now to organize the rest of my craft room!
Thank you to those who wrote with tips on helping me around Blogger!  Thankfully my blog list has reappeared, and pictures can now be downloaded.  Whew!  Happy day to you all.

New Teacup and Saucer

I really wasn't looking for a new teacup and saucer.  I was actually looking for a teapot--the perfect teapot with fruit on it to be exact.  However while at a flea market a few weeks back and while looking for that teapot (which I never did find, by the way), my eye immediately noticed this beautiful teacup and saucer.  Isn't it pretty?  The price was right, and I bought it. 

It is "Tapestry Rose" by Paragon.  While I was checking it over for cracks and chips, the man thunked the edge of the teacup with his finger and it "rang".  He said that that is the way one checks for hidden cracks.  If it does not "ring" and instead "thuds" it has a crack or chip somewhere.  I didn't know that!  So not only did I have a pretty teacup and saucer, but I learned something new too.

Pretty Mums

Despite some very cool mornings we've had lately, these mums are still alive and flourishing.  These are my favorite colors of mums...I love the rich berry color and deep pink.  They go well with the grays and berry reds of our house.  Most of my blooms have died out, and I know the season of pretty colors will come to an end shortly.  So...I will enjoy these while they last!

Home Again

I'm back!  My husband had his vacation early this year.  We saved our pennies and worked very hard (especially my husband...working extra hours to save up) and went away to Montana for just shy of two weeks.  It is a state we had always wanted to go to.  Of course, driving out there and back took four days total--it was long but worth every mile.  We went to upper Wyoming first going to Cody and splurging on a rodeo (the kids loved it!) and driving through Yellowstone National Park where we saw Old Faithful, the Beehive, and of course many sulfer-smelling, steaming pools.

We drove through the Bighorn National Forest.  Wonderful! 

Yes, it was a little chilly, but the mountains were gorgeous and the wildflowers were a delight.
We then went on up to Montana where we gold panned (didn't find anything) and searched for sapphires (did find many...but I'm saving that for another post!).  We stayed in camping cabins (thankfully there were heaters in most--froze one night in a cabin that didn't have a heater!) and had many picnics.  I was able to do a little bit of shopping (a different post on one of those places).  My husband enjoyed a little fishing on Father's Day after church...because it was Father's Day it was a no-license day! 

I enjoyed the mountain roses everywhere.

We went up the northwest side of the state and spent time at Glacier National Park before coming home.  We saw plenty of exciting wildlife.

Due to rain and the snowmelt, the rivers, falls, and streams were swollen and rushing...but beautiful. 

The Indian Paintbrushes were everywhere.

The "Going-to-the-Sun" road (the one that goes over the mountains in the park) was opened the second day we were there.

 It was quite a ride, to say the least, but we enjoyed it!

We had a super family time and totally enjoyed God's awesome creation. 

Something New

These are the result of seeing an idea in an old magazine then carrying that idea forward, putting my own ideas with it, and making something new.  I had discussed wanting to find little vintage tartlet/chocolate/butter tins with my mom, and she found some at a flea market in Florida.  So, I played and experimented, and these "tin pins" are the result.  I had originally wanted to embellish the outside bottoms of these...but, alas, that would be too hard to fix a pin to.  I had some vintage jewelry pieces--some of them very old pieces--that are beautiful but too delicate to really utilize on my other projects.  So these assemblage pins are the result.  What do you think?

This one uses a sugared flower piece. I love the glass leaf spray and the heart shape of the tin.

This one has a Bavarian theme with an aurora borealis rhinestone piece with a spray of pine cones and tassels...then I added a cuckoo clock.

There are three others that I've listed in my Etsy shop if you would like to see. 

Pansies

The sun was hitting the planter just right this morning to illuminate my pansies.  I just love pansies!  Their pretty, sweet faces always turn upward to give a smile.  They have such an interesting and subtle variance of colors and shading.  All of mine are finally potted and placed around the house outside--some I purchased and most as a Mother's Day gift from the kids. This particular pot full is underneath the hummingbird feeder on our deck to encourage the hummers to linger.  I have yet to get pictures of my roses...but that will come in time. 

Hummers, Flowers, and Glass Lights

Guess I've been MIA lately!  Lots of things going on.  The kids and I have been working extra hard finishing up school for the year.  They have worked very diligently, and thankfully their standardized testing went well.  I'm very pleased with their efforts and work, and we only have a few more weeks left of school.  Hooray!  I finished another swap but will blog more about that later once my swap partner gets her package.  I hope all of you moms had a nice Mother's Day.  My big sweetie and two smaller sweeties gave me the nicest cards for Mother's Day (the kids made theirs).  What a blessing and delight to have such a loving family!  They bought me some flowers....

I'll need to replant them soon.  I DO love these colors, and they go well with the cranberry, gray, and deep purples on the siding and rocks on our house. 

They also bought me some solar night lights.  I've always wanted some but thought that so many styles were terribly ugly (not to mention the ones that change colors).  They know I love stained glass, and these mosaic glass ones are just perfect--beautiful during the daytime and at night!  I can't wait to get them into the ground. 

The roses are all blooming around the house (will save that for another post) and the hummingbirds have returned.  This pretty copper feeder was yet another gift from my crew--though for my birthday a few months back.  My other feeder had broken last year, and I really like this one.  Apparently the hummingbirds like it too.  They've been busy feeding.  What a joy to have them return for the season!  It has been great fun watching them. 

Springtime Blooms

Just two pictures of what is blooming around our house.  I've enjoyed them and hope you will too.

Yes, Another Swap

I've decided to join one other swap this spring...couldn't resist this one either.  It is hosted by Michele (notice the other one "l" Michele here) at Something Special.  We are to decorate a vintage canning jar then fill it with goodies--mostly vintage.  Head on over to her blog for all the details.

First Flower of Spring

After the snowy weekend we had, who would think this sweet flower would show its face to the sunshine today?  What a delight!  I believe spring really is here.

Felt and Bead Heart Pins

Been playing with pretty beads and felt and finished these two heart shaped pins this weekend.