spring and silver, a great combination...

A while back I made this metal cone/ tussie mussie out of an old screen, I liked it a bunch but there was just something about it that I thought needed a bit of tweeking. So I pulled the ribbon off of it that I had used to cover the raw edges and the construction bits and as soon as I did I knew that was the problem... less is more!

Oh and I took off the ribbon that I had used as a hanger and added this silver chain instead.  I dusted it with a bit of glitter and when the glue dried and the glitter stuck it looked a bit like sparkling white paint. 

 and now it hangs in the kitchen on the china cabinet with a little primrose giving all who see it a sign and hope of spring and I just needed to share it with you!  I just adore it and will definitely be making more, I just needed to work out the kinks :) 

I have also been soldering again, and I had my brother Wil over to play last week, these are almost finished, I just need to add the jumprings.

These are the backs, I made my MIL a bookmark out of one for her birthday and I plan on doing the same with these.  I will show you again when I have them finished ~  consider yourself warned!

I made another one with a bit of crochet trim enclosed inside, they are a bit trickier but I do love the results.

Have I ever told you I have a thing for older men?  I do!  I can't help myself, I see these old pictures of a man in a suit and his lil hat and I just NEED to create something with him!  I have put a piece of a dictionary page behind him from the letter O... original, just because you just know he was one!

And last but not least, just in case you thought my sewing machine was sitting idle, Danielle was going on a whirlwind trip to TX. for a comedy festival ( which is why she was missing from the b-day trip pics) and she asked me to make her a small tote to have with her at the festival.  You know I can't hardly say no to my kids, so there I was as she was packing to leave,  sewing and ruffling her new bag :)  She found the graphics and I ironed them on.  This one was really quick and simple, even the handle is made of drop cloth, we skipped the rosette,  and no snap (only because she already had one foot in the car!)

So there you have it... I wanted to assure you that I haven't been sitting on my duff watching the world go by!  

O.k. o.k.... I've been doing a bit of that too :)

I am linking up to White Wednesday, Wow Us Wednesdays, and Link Love... 

what can I say, I'm a creature of habit!

Thanks for stopping by!

Theresa xoxo

insert clapping and dancing here...

So I need to ask... on Wednesday did any of you hear a very shrill, loud squeal followed by crazy clapping and maybe a little vibrating under you feet from the world famous happy dance?

cuz, that's what happened when I found this beauty at the local GW...


are you ready?


well are you?

o.k. I was soooooo excited to show it to you, I didn't even clean it up before I took the pictures!

or rehang all of the crystals that are in weird places and just haphazardly hanging off of it

you understand, right?

It's been a couple of crazy days around here and so no time to clean it, because I was cleaning a 12 year olds bedroom, and we all know what kind of time that takes!  To be fair, Hannah cleaned her room, but then I CLEANED her room!

and then I had to work, but I knew you'd want to see it!

  I digress, is that not a great find?  I have not shared a great find in a really long time, and well I knew you'd be happy for me!

now where should it go? hmmmmmmm

Have a fabulous weekend!

Will you be treasure hunting?

Theresa xoxo

Silver Sunday...

I haven't played with everyone over at Silver Sunday in quite some time... I'm thrilled to join in the party today!  I thought that since I took pictures of my latest crafty adventure, soldering that I would give you a peek... oh my gosh it is so much fun!  I tried it a couple of years ago but after much frustration I put it aside, well no more!  It, apparently like all of the other art forms I try, is addicting and with the right teacher is so rewarding!  Thanks again Jill! 

After making many little bubbles and such I finally sat down at the kitchen table and got down to business!  I made a few more trinkets to solder, thanks to Sally Jean Alexander's book Pretty Little Things and tried the crystal for my necklace.  My initials on the little bubble were done by cutting the letters out of an old book and adhering them on the tiny bubble with Diamond Glaze and then gluing the bubble to a silver piece from chandelier crystals, and the Red Cross pin was actually just set into a bezel from Hobby Lobby with a piece of background paper behind it and then filled with Diamond Glaze.  I do not profess to be a jewelry artist, far from it, but I am proud to wear this, it being one of my first pieces.

Have I told you how much I love the red cross symbol and vintage photos of service men, and well I'm a bit of a fanatic when it comes to our flag so adding the red, white and blue is a natural!  This piece is too big to wear I think, it is made from a small match box.  It is a little shadow box and I am thinking I will make it into a book mark.  As you can see, I need more practice on my soldering, but that will come with time.

Jenny Doh just showed something similar to this on Crescendoh that was made with a piece of vintage doily, I used a piece of embroidery from a vintage hanky and then added a crystal to hang off of the bottom.

 

This is where I put a bit of my silliness to good use!  I mean she looks happy, right? LOL  See the scallop edge I am hooked on?  It is a special tape that is already trimmed like that!  I love time saving stuff like that!

These glass bubbles just about got the best of me though ... they are tricky and I think I need to master the straight stuff first!

I also should share that I need to get me some silver cleaner to shine these up! 

This is going to be a book mark too,  I am going to add a nice ribbon to it...

and give it to Duane's mom for her bday.  (she doesn't read my blog so I can say that on here)

So now you know something else about me... I am the Jackie of all trades and master of none!  I can't help myself, I seriously only try a fraction of the things I want to try.  I am like a kid in a candy store when it comes to art... so many choices and so little time!  Here is the question...do I need an art intervention? And if you tried to have one for me would I be able to convince you to try the lastest project that I am jonesin to make?  ;O

Are you like that?  Do you want to try every new thing you see?  Are you like most crafty people I know and see something, and maybe instead of buying it you take it as a challenge and tell yourself... I can make that, and for a good many things in the dept. stores, make it for a fraction of the price!  I have always looked at that thinking as a gift... but maybe it is a bit of a double edge sword... because I would be kidding myself to think that I really have time to do everything I want to tackle.  I mean, there are after all loads of laundry and a sink full of dishes to tackle first!  So now I am off the immerse myself up to my elbows in the kitchen sink and get a bit of my household duties done!I'm sure you can guess just how thrilled I am to do that, but I will look at it as a blessing. 

 If we have dirty dishes, then it means we have good food in our bellies. :)

Thank you Beth for the Silver Sunday Party!

Have a fabulous Sunday Everyone!    Theresa xoxo