Finished Brooches

I finally finished these brooches.  I had wanted to play with transfer paper and have been very pleased with the results.

The images are from vintage cards and things that I own that were edited some via Picmonkey, printed off on transfer paper, ironed onto felt pieces, then stitched onto other felt pieces.  The embellishing is the fun part to me.

 The images turned out crisp and full of color.  Hopefully I'll be able to work on some ornaments soon...but you know how time gets away sometimes.  Hope you like these.

More Springtime Stitching

Just a couple more things I've been stitching up lately.  I was inspired by a hat (an actual hat) I saw on Etsy and decided to try out some brooches.  I have not made felt flowers before and saw a tutorial on Pinterest to learn how.  The hard part was making the flowers small enough for the hat.  Felt roses are on my agenda as well...but who can resist some pretty glass bead flowers?  These really are fun to stitch up...and, oh, so springy!  There are other projects rolling around in my mind as well; it's just finding the time to work them up that is the problem.  These little hats were only completed by a few stitches here and a few stitches there. 

 

I thought the yellow, white, and aqua were perfect springtime colors. 

 

This has an actual parakeet feather in it and a wee vintage mother of pearl pin.  Both of these are in my Etsy shop now.  Hope you like them!

Vintage Button Card Jewelry

Well, I've had some amazing inspiration for this, my newest project--Button Card Jewelry. 

I have made pendants and pins that look like vintage button cards--complete with little buttons (some of them very tiny).  

Using the digital tools available today and vintage cards and things, I've made pieces that look like vintage button cards and sewn on buttons (many of them vintage) turning them into brooches and pendants.  They have been a lot of hard work but great fun. 

Of course, much inspiration has come from following Button Floozies, a blog that I adore.  Pinterest has been another source of inspiration with photos such as this:

Then, there was the article in the March 2013 issue of Romantic Homes.  I just LOVED the picture in it and was drawn to the colors on this page. 

I haven't copied any button cards actually but rather have created my own and coordinated buttons to go with them.  Hope you like them!  They are listed in my Etsy shop.

Some of my Favorite Brooches

I failed to show you what some of my favorite brooches are. As part of Linda's (A Swap for all Seasons) Mother's Day Brooch Swap, we were suggested to post our favorite brooches on Flickr. I did that but didn't post on here. So, here are some of mine. Many beautiful brooches have passed through my hands and into my shop and on to a good home. I wish I could keep them all (some were hard to sell)...but a person can only have so many brooches. Those in this picture are old, and I haven't yet been able to give them up. The little circle one is actually a picture frame. The long, narrow white one is enamel. I love the crown one with its purple and clear rhinestones. The little blue bird one is sweet and such a vivid shade of blue. The large flower one is from Portugal, and my grandfather brought it back to my grandmother when he came home from WWII. Of course, the sterling silver teapot pin is a favorite. Enjoy!

Vintage Valentine Pins

I remember when I was young, my dad came home one day with a sweet plastic valentine pin for my mother...and a little one for me! I was delighted! To think that while Dad was thinking of Mom, he included me as well. It meant a great deal to me--that I was special too to be in on this sweet surprise. Dad has always been very, very thoughtful...I realize this more and more as time goes by. Anyway, I think I have that little pin tucked away (for some reason) in my cedar chest which I'll have to dig out sometime...and wear again. (All of my special memory items go in there.)

These pins that I finished recently reminded me of that Valentine's Day years ago. They are all made from vintage pictures (postcards, etc.) and embellished with glitter.