Happy Halloweenie~

LOL....

Show & Tell~

This week I'm showing my cameo collection. Now, none of these are super old or worth anymore than what I paid for them (about $2 bucks each-- tops) But they sure do look nice when all grouped together in a little bowlie on my bathroom counter. Here are some vintage inspired two sided pin-keeps that I just made. I really like how they turned out. When I had completed one I thought to myself, "These would be great at showcasing an old piece of jewelry"....Soooooooo taaaaaaaaaaa daaaaaaaaaaa now I've got some vintage inspired jewelry holders! The jewelry piece in the center of this one pictured below is a pin-backed piece that is indeed old... I found it in amongst some buttons in a tin that I picked up for $2~ If ever When I open an etsy shop, I'd like to make & sell these.... What do you think I could charge for them.... $10 bucks each? Or do you think thats to much???? Input would be greatly appreciated :-)

You can also see more Show & Tells over at Cindy's blog "My Romantic Home" If you have linked to my blog and wish to view more, just click right here!

W.I.P.

What on earth do you do with those darn baby bumpers that are for baby cribs. Who uses those? Sure, they look cute when placed in a baby crib, but personally I never used them, I think they are dangerous. With that said... I cut apart the bumper that goes with the crib linen set (Brandee Danielle) for the baby crib I have at my house for when my grandbabies come over. Once I had the fabric pulled apart from the batting, I ironed it, sandwiched a piece of white fabric between the layers of pink and blue gingham and cut out 10 triangle shapes with my rotary cutter. Then I stitched around all 3 sides of all 10 shapes leaving about a 1/4 inch edge-- then I snipped all around the edges of each one, then I tossed them in the dryer to fray the edges. So far so gooooooooood! I decided to put "I love you" on the banner~ I had to make my own letters since I didn't have any. I used illustration board for the letters, then painted them all pink... Now, I just need to add some glitter. Here is some of my stash, yes, I am a hoarder~ Well, thats as far as I've gotten on this project. I am also making some mitten ornaments, some vintage inspired pinkeeps... and I'm thinking with some of that left over bumper material to make a cover for the changing table pad :-)

Show & Tell~

This week I'm showing my newly covered mannequin torso that I picked up at a yard sale for the whopping sum of $20~ You can read all about that and more treasures I picked up here. I painted the wooden neck piece and the metal stand with wooden legs with white spray paint. Next, I used spray adhesive and covered the blow mold form with a thin layer of quilt batting. I then made a fabric pattern with 5 sections to cover the torso...I then made a paper pattern out of that.... thennnn I used the pattern on a thrifted Shabby chic curtain panel (I got two for $6) stitched up the entire thing on my trusty sewing machine then placed it on my mannequin. Taaaaaaaa daaaaaaaaaa instant caute! Okokok, not so instant~ but definitely caute!!

Lastly, here is a photo of my birdcage from last weeks "Show & Tell" with a newly made seed catcher and fabric roof. You can read more about that here and here.

Jen is hosting her "Before & After party" on her blog Sanctuary Arts At Home... check it out~ You can also see more Show & Tells over at Cindy's blog "My Romantic Home" If you have linked to my blog and wish to view more, just click right here!

Thrifted treasures~

I had a lot of fun searching for the following treasures that I hauled home, the weather is getting cooler/colder and that of course puts a spring in my step! This Saturday I'll be springing up and down a mile long yard sale! *woot-woot*
I got this basket with six large emu eggs for a $1... I know, what on earth am I going to do with them??? But goodness, a buck? Couldn't pass 'em up!Here is a photo of what I did with the eggs (for now)... very halloweenie!Linens... I love linens! The white coverlet was $2, the old-old quilt top was $1, the crochet white tablecloth was .50cents (crazy!) the doiles were .25cents each. The goldtone rosary box was .50cents.The pumpkin basket was .50cents. Wouldn't this be fabulous filled with pumpkin cookies?Some odds & ends for my studio... all of this on the tray for $3.These dishes were practically free. The saucers were .10cents each, the cup & saucer was .75cents... the two sectioned bowlie thingie was .25cents... the larger plate was .25cents. The three circular doilies were .10cents each~ A box full of flowers & greenery... most of which will be cut off of the stems to be used in some future project/s this stuffed box was $3~

What do you get...

when you spend one dollar and one evening sewing? Why you get a fabulous made-over birdcage of course! I picked up a thrifted curtain panel (for one whole buckeroo) that had fabulous crocheted trim along one long edge and across the bottom. Using said panel... I made a fitted seed catcher for the bottom of the birdcage...and a little fabric roof as well...At the point of each crocheted triangle I stitched on a little white pearl bead~ The flowers on top are hot glued to a fabric covered foam core "hat" of sorts that sits on top of the fabric roof. It is easily removeable without any damage to the existing fabric. Now, I am needing to find more crochet panels to fix up some of my other birdcages-- last count I was up to 31-- and thats just the ones inside my house!
Swing on over to Kim's blog to see what other girlies are working on~ Kimba is also hosting a D.I.Y. linky party... stop over there as well! I also linked up to Metamorphosis Monday over at Naps on the Porch nothing like browsing blogs! If you have linked to my blog and wish to view more just click "here."

Mixed Media Monday~

This weeks theme is: Mothers & daughters~ I used a photo of my daughter sitting with her daughter on her lap.The original photo was taken poolside... my daughter was in a swimsuit with a towel wrapped around her waist.... I printed the photo in black & white and it made it look like a black skirt-- perfect! I popped it out of the picture & frame with some sticky backed foam~ It sits with other things I've made on my entry hall "halloween table" Isn't that cauldron fabulous? The "smoke" is just that spider web stuff...I've got little skeletons inside the bowlie~ Anywho, the frame was a .50cents thrifted find. I spray painted it black and rubbed my embossing ink over the raised areas then applied silver embossing powder. Once all that was finished, I added orange glitter. I have sooooooooooo much glitter that in order for me to use it up, I first have to start using it! duh~ lol
You can view more art pieces by checking out the weekly challenge site for mixed media art here---> Mixed Media Blog. If you have linked to my blog and wish to view more you can click on this link right ---> here.

Yo ho ho~

Its a pirates life for me~ Ahoy, me Hearties! Welcome to the last known pirate ship to fall prey to Davy Jones' Locker (a fabled, mythical place at the bottom of the ocean where the evil spirit of Davy Jones brings sailors and pirates to die) ... Shiver me timbers! it was a sight to behold all the Hornswaggling (cheating you out of money or your belongings) and the Pillage-ing (rob, sack or plunder) going on. Some were Hang 'im from the yardarm, while others were Hempen Halter (hung).. and those less fortunate had to endure the Keelhaul (punishment in which a person was dragged underneath the pirate ship from side to side and was lacerated by the barnacles on the vessel) The Landlubber (big, slow clumsy person who doesn't know how to sail) who was sailing the "Chloe Rose" had a tad to much rum in his belly to command such a mighty vessel....See the empty bottle of rum? See, I'm not fibbing, see the bottle?...Now, just you watch, someone is going to steal that bottle for the 10 cent deposit! Mark my words! Ahhhhhhh the mutiny that goes on hourly on this mighty ship is sheer terror I tell you. Each buccaneer has stolen pieces of eight... nine and ten! Everyone is three sheets to the wind, walking the plank for fun! We are needing to sober up one of the old Salts to get things under control before the ships going to Scuttle (sink)
Down in the bowels of this pirate ship... in the narrow galley the ships cook, Stu Burns has been cooking up a storm. MMMMM my favorite, pumpkin cookies! Such a sweetie.... making them fortified with calcium.... and whats with these needles? B vitamins I image, the dear~Everyone else on this pirate ship has parrots. But not dear ol' Stu... he has these exotic birds that are the color of pitch black night! Okokok, we must leave Stu in all his baking glory as he is giving me the ol' pirate sneer... which you all know is followed swiftly by a kick in the butt~ Aaaarrrrgggghhhh! I was wanting a cookie!!Whats that I hear?.... "Thar she blows!" Oh my goodness... that means there is a whale sighted! Hmmmm which side of the ship.... oh my goodness, the ship is listing to the port side-- Blimey! Avast ye everyone, thats not a whale, thats a storm a brewing! Batten down the hatches! Close all the lids to all the pirate chests! Give me that Cat O'Nine Tails, I'm needing to whip these buckos into action! Well I must sign off for now, I must go store my laptop in one of those pirate chests before someones bottle of rum gets its spot~ Here is a film reel of todays adventures, sorry its blurry and shakey-- but you know, thats how it goes on a pirate ship.

If you would like to see the above slideshow larger & faster... you can click on the "view all images" button under the slideshow~
If your wanting to join in on more Halloween festivities... go say hello to Vanessa and all the lovely party guests she has listed for you to visit~ If you have linked to my blog from the party caravan and wish to view more of my blog, click here to visit.

Recipe books~

I was commissioned to make 4 Spell books into recipe books. The gal was wanting these for herself and her three sisters. How fun huh? This is something I was already thinking of doing.... for myself! I couldn't find any vintage book covers to use-- isn't that how it goes? Anywho, I used brand spanking new books that were once blue. I distressed them and made them brownish... I love how they turned out. The silver and green you see is the embossing I did on each book, it isn't as vivid in person as it is in these photos~For the inside of each recipe book I wanted the client to be able to insert recipes easily, so I placed inside the covers a 3 ring snap holder. I covered the shiny silver with some burlap~Here they are packaged and ready to go~Here is a close-up of one of them.
Caute!

Halloween swap~

I joined a Halloween swap-- I've finally gotten everything boxed up to be shipped out. The swap was to revolve around an adult trick-or-treat bag. Now, I'm no dummy (or is that know? lol) ... but us adults, we need a BIG BIG trick-or-treat bag now don't we~ *sigh* I can remember way back when... when I was a child we used pillow cases... those suckers would be backbreaking to carry home filled with chocolates and the like. The good ol' days huh~ Anywho, here is the bag I made...

Here are some other things that I'm sending.... A vintage tin and a paper flower I made. There are some things inside the tin as well~ Nice fall colors! (I just opend up a cupboard yesterday, I think I am the "tin container queen of the world!"A vintage pumpkin-head-knee-holding ornament. I call these "I'm bursting for the bathroom dolls." I am sending the plastic r.i.p. sign as well. I just added some more white paint to really make it POP!I decorated this tin and filled it with chocolate.... I didn't even eat one-- I did lick them all and put them all back in the wrappers, but I didn't eat any~A little witch caught in a jar. A black glittered skull (with a party hat of course) sitting on top of a book of spells~A large furry spider, a wooden toy that you hold and it looks like the little birds are eating seeds. (I've got one of these... they are so darn caute!) The "B" is part of a "boo" banner I made.A Yankee Candle spiced potourri filled pumpkin.

There are some other things as well, but they got cut out of the pictures when I was cropping.... I hope my swapping partner likes her stuff :-)

Show & Tell Friday~

This Friday I'm showing off my new chair. This old-old green velvet chair with wood inserts was a mere $20 bucks. It is heavy and very well built. It is sitting in front of my $15 birdcage, which is in front of one of two matching pictures I got for $7 bucks each.... which is next to the $10 pine cabinet full of thrifted milkglass~ This chair was at one of my favorite boutiques (thrift stores) I get a half off coupon for everything in the store every Wednesday & Friday. It was priced at $40-- even at $40 I would have looked at it! They just had set it out on the floor when I was doing my final "loop-dee-loop" of the store.... SCORE! I am going to paint the wood white-- eventually~
You can see more Show & Tells over at Cindy's blog "My Romantic Home" If you have linked to my blog and wish to view more, just click right here!

Giveaway~

I've joined a monthly giveaway.... what to give? what to give? Well... I made this beaded egg ornament last night.... so I guess I'll give it away! The ornament will be shipped in the tin pictured behind it~If you'd like to be in the drawing for the chance to win this ornament, just leave a comment to enter. The drawing will be held on Saturday the 17th of October. If you visit Cindy at her blog "My Romantic Home" you will find Mr. Linky with more giveaways. If you have linked to my blog and wish to view more, you can click on this link to go to the current post.