Playing with Buttons

I've decided to share some of my button stash...literally share it...but making up some pretties for my Etsy shop.  Why hoard all of these gorgeous buttons when they can be made up into something pretty for others to use and enjoy?  I think buttons like these are like little jewels...and what do we do with little jewels?  Make jewelry, of course!

I hand-tied these onto metal filigree components.  Each little glass button is different and beautiful, and I think they made an exquisite bracelet.  There will be more to come in time.  Hope you like these.

Coastal Memories

I saw this beautiful oil painting on Esty done by the talented Shelley Koopmann (Please check out her shop, PastelPaletteArtwork).  To me it conjures up very fond memories of combing the beaches of Maine looking for sea glass, shells, and any other treasures that can be found.  A wave would go out, and I'd be tempted to venture quickly out on the shiny, wet sand for that too-tempting-to-leave gorgeous piece of roughed up glass, only to have to hurry back quickly before the wave came roaring back trying to get my shoes wet. 

I like that his picture has a lady fully clothed on a beach...it is usually quite cool on the beaches of Maine even in the summer. This is how I was usually dressed.  Only the heartiest actually swim in the frigid northern Atlantic!  I remember my feet going numb quite quickly --not to mention ache!--whenever I decided to take off my shoes and socks and venture out into the water to my ankles.  It has been many years since we've had the chance to go to Maine.  It is definitely a destination spot--not one of those places that you can just stop at on your way to someplace else.  Perhaps next year we will have the chance to go and comb the beautiful beaches while filling our lungs with the fresh salt air--much like our lady above is doing.  But, until then, I shall just enjoy Shelley's artwork and the wonderful memories it brings. 

Vintage Jewelry Embellished Perfume Bottle Necklace

Well, I had had this perfume bottle on my craft table for quite awhile now.  It was completely intact except for the embellishment that was on the very front.  It dawned on me to PUT an embellishment on the front that would complement the bottle (plus some extra pearls and rhinestones).  After seeing my mother's Stampington magazine, I then decided to make it into a necklace. 

 

The bail and chain can be taken off without any problem if someone just wanted the pretty little bottle for their boudoir table.  I personally prefer it as just the bottle, but it's nice that this piece is versatile enough to be used as a necklace as well. 

Vintage Crown Buttons

Mom and I were at the local antique mall last week, and I purchased a bag of vintage buttons for $2.  I got the bag because of these three crown buttons....

...aren't they darling?  I hope to put them into a wearable craft. 

However inside there were plenty of other beautiful buttons---many are glass.  While there aren't very many others where there is more than one of a kind (though those red glass triangle ones are a lovely find!), I'm delighted with the purchase.  Buttons are so fun.

Antique Car Vase Find

We girls were out doing our antique mall/thrift shop hop last Saturday.  The guys were busy, so off we went.  There weren't too many goodies out there, but I did find this...

It's an antique car vase.  They were placed into hooks onto the outside of cars...whether funeral cars or a Buick or what have you...and bouquets of flowers were put into them.  This pretty vase doesn't have it's hook...BUT it is beautifully intact.  It is cone/sconce shaped and has pressed grape vines and grapes all over it. 

Such pretty detail!  I see that the holders can be purchased on Ebay.  However, this does have a hole in the glass, so that a hook could be secured to a wall. 

This would look lovely as home décor or on a door.  Anyway, I was glad to find it and have listed it in my Etsy shop.  It has a tiny crack in the very tip of the glass (amazing that's all since this probably bumpety-bumped along the road quite a bit) that does not affect the prettiness nor does it leak.  Anyway, I was delighted with the find.  Hopefully someone else will be too!

"New" Lamp

We have one corner of our living room that can be dark--especially at night.  It is in the corner by two windows which during the day is wonderful.  However, at night it just needed more light...especially since I have decided to do some stitching there in the evenings.  Because of where it was, it needed to be somewhat small and discrete yet give off good light.  The *perfect* lamp was spotted at the local antique mall, but I just couldn't summon the courage (nor the money!) to spend $149 for it.  So, thankfully the thrift store came through with a $5 baby.  The lampshade was wonky and stunk.  What to do about a lampshade?  Well, this lampshade that I beaded years ago and never sold, has now been put into use!  True, the beads, though beautiful, are not the right colors for my living room. I had taken a plain lampshade and stitched pretty glass beads randomly all over it.  I love how glass beads look with light coming through--so vibrant and colorful.  I'll change the beads eventually.  However, I was quite pleased with the result, and now I can stitch away in the evenings and actually see what I'm doing. 

Black Buttons

Well, I guess I'll keep my eye out for a bead or button swap (thank you for those who have helped)....but in the time being I thought I'd show you some of my favorite buttons acquired recently.  There were many buttons in the stash of goodies I purchased at that auction.  Some I am selling.  Some I am saving for other projects.  These I am keeping for myself and thought you'd like to see them.  Though it is damaged in the very center, I especially  like the one with the mother of pearl layer to it.  Exquisite!  Anyway, enjoy your weekend.  Thanks for stopping by. ; )

Blue and Purple-Pink

I have a corner sink in our kitchen.  While doing dishes yesterday afternoon I was enjoying the pretty purple-pink blooms of my cactus and the light shining through Gram's blue jar.  She loved blue glass, and I'm thankful to have this that was hers.  I thought the colors together were just grand and decided to share the scene with you.  Enjoy and happy weekend to you all!

Paper Sugars

In some of my creations, I use very small amounts of different colors of extra fine glitter.  This type of glitter can be so expensive, so when I saw strips of sample fine glitters in many colors at a craft store for a song, I purchased two strips right away.  They were in little plastic baggies and needed a more permanent home, so with a discount coupon, I purchased these little screw-top containers and organized the glitters into the containers.  While I was doing this, I was reminded of colored sugars that we sprinkle on sugar cookies--these were only paper sugars! 

I needed one more jar to put the excess and/or spilled glitter into, and this pretty vintage ink jar was just perfect for this.  In the sun these "sugared sprinkles" reminded me of a little stained glass window. 

Gram's Canisters

My grandmother has had glass canisters such as these ever since I can remember. Years ago my grandfather built a floor-to-ceiling set of shelves in their kitchen--shelves that could be accessed from either side. Then Gram had these canisters on every shelf. Some were sets and some weren't. She had reds, yellows, greens, blues, opalescent brown...and that is all that I can remember. Of course she kept all sorts of things in them. I remember when the sun came into the kitchen it looked like a small stained glass wall full of color and sparkle. I had never really wanted any for myself in the past. My mother has sets in yellow and green (with all sorts of sizes of the same style) in her home.
Gram had decided to weed these out of her home and gave them to me. She kept her cobalt blue set and light blue set (they are so pretty and are her favorites). As these have sat around my kitchen for a few weeks they have sort of grown on me. They DO go with the fruit theme I have for our kitchen. I'm going to try to trade the yellow one that is of a different design with my mother for perhaps one that matches the other two in style....or perhaps it could be yet another quest for me when I visit antique malls, flea markets, etc.

More Vintage Jewelry Embellished Perfume Bottles

I've been having great fun lately embellishing perfume bottles. With my stores of broken and orphaned jewelry strewn all over the counter (I am SO thankful for my very understanding and sweet husband), I have been planning and putting together several bottles lately. Believe it or not, it actually takes me quite awhile to plan what goes on which bottle. The jewelry has to fit the personality of the bottle and its curvature. Then--the hard part sometimes--I need to find several pieces of jewelry that may have come from different places to work in harmony with each other. Here are some of the results.

I think purple is a beautiful color--elegant and rich--and this bottle I thought offered plenty of royal sparkle.

I really like the crown one, since I DO love crowns. When I bought this broken crown at an estate sale, I knew immediately that it belonged on a perfume bottle. It was hard to choose what should go with the crown...I mean, how can a person top a crown? With jewels, of course!

The seashore one was interesting. It started with a broken brooch that was gold "coral" with a rhinestone ball in it. I just carried on the theme with other bits (was very excited to find the "pearl" and coral colored starfish jewelry at an estate sale) for a seaside intrigue.

This one reminds me of Italy...must be the cameo. I tried to keep this one simple and elegant with rich browns and golds and subtle sparkle.

I found three other perfume bottles at the flea market last Saturday and thankfully got them for a song. Two are Italian glass and are gorgeous by themselves. I will be working on them over the next few weeks as well as finish up another bottle today.

Glass Bottle Stoppers

We were at the flea market last weekend where there was a basket of these sitting there. I pawed through them, and the man offered me instead of $1 each...$5 for the whole basket. I debated and thought and walked around again...then couldn't resist and bought them. I finally got them all cleaned and a picture taken yesterday. There are some chips here and there, but I have some ideas in mind for some of them. Though I'm delighted with them all, I especially like the little crown-shaped one at 6:00 (who can resist a crown?) and that turquoise one full of bubbles at 1:00-2:00. At the flea market I also purchased two lightweight gold picture frames for a song, and have great inspiration to turn them into Victorian one-of-a-kind wonders. You'll see. I have some projects I'm working on now but will get to those in July. Hint: That crown bottle stopper above will be a part of one of those Victorian creations!