Monday, May 23, 2011


There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.


~Douglas H. Everett~


Personally, I believe that I live my life with one foot in each of those worlds. It's a balancing act, to be sure, but I really like it here.


Thank you, Valerie {Bohemian Season} for posting this quote for me. :) You're always inside my head!

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Birthday Treasury Shadowbox Swap

Oooh! I know you'll want to be part of this! Amy Powers is hosting a really wonderful exchange based on this positively scrumptious prototype that she designed for her Inspired Ideas Magazine, The Birthday Edition.




This is a one on one exchange, we'll each make one, and receive one back! Pop in on Amy to see the particulars, and sign up! It will be so much fun to see you there!




"Swap sign ups close on May 31. Swaps due to be exchanged the week of June 13."

{Which, it occurs to me just happens to be my birthday week! How do you like that?}




I can't wait to discover who my assigned partner is! This is going to be so much fun!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Budget Minded Bride

I did a wedding last week . . . on a budget. Of course, all weddings have a budget, but I happened to know that this bride was going to try to do her own flowers . . . and she's related to my nephew {by marriage}, and I am a florist . . . I know very well how much work goes into a wedding, and I know the tears that I've shed, working on that kind of deadline . . . wedding flowers are a last minute deal, afterall . . .

I couldn't wish that on her, especially when it was an easy thing for me to do, and I had the time . . . you know? So they bought the flowers, delivered them to me . . . which is surely out of the ordinary :) . . . and here I share with you, the resulting Bridal Bouquet. The reason that this is all noteworthy, is this . . . this bouquet is made from 1 bunch of mixed Spring flowers from Costco. 1 bunch! We are talking budget here, people!


So I just want to give budget minded brides some hope. It does take a little training, but these days, doesn't everybody know someone who can teach them how to wire and tape flower stems? These are wired, then shaped, and wrapped. Oversimplified, I know . . . but take heart! It can be done! You can have beautiful flowers, on a budget . . . learn how to wire and tape, and practice beforehand with flowers from your garden. And practice, practice, practice! . . . Do not wait till the last minute to figure this out . . . it is not rocket science, but in this case, practice does make much prettier. :)
And you're really gonna love this! The centerpieces! She bought sweetpeas from a local fruit stand, and vases from a dollar store. $5.00 centerpieces. It is my intention here to be of assistance . . . to maybe instruct a little . . .



Buy flowers in season at Farmer's Markets or like this bride did, at the local strawberry stand . . . if you have time, grow them yourself {I hate to admit this, but you shouldn't depend on growing them from seed . . . it's just too risky} . . .



To arrange, simply gather them in your hand till they make a pleasing arrangement, then cut the stems off to one length. Lovely. Lovely.



My gift to you. :)



Note: Minutes after posting this, I mean really, truly . . . just minutes! I peeked in On one of my favorite blogs, Running With Scissors . . .and lo and behold, she's making a Bridal Bouquet, but she took the instructions, oh, so much further, and included how-to photographs! Run over to see! Fresh or silk flowers, the instructions are the same! You can do this! I promise! Tell her I sent you! Love!

Monday, May 16, 2011

Birthday Flowers

I promised a couple of friends that I would post photos of the centerpieces from my Mother-in-law's birthday party. See!? I try to keep my promises! {I really do try. Honest!} I kinda wish I had cleared the background a little better . . . but do you have any idea how vain I looked, when the party was in full swing, and I was taking close ups of the flower arrangements . . . that I made!? And since it was family and close friends . . . I think the guests might have known that.



Awkward.



This angle was an attempt to show the butterflies . . .



I'm gonna give you a quick tutorial on those. I love them! Aren't they just the sweetest!?

I found a tissue paper that was printed in a friendly little butterfly design. Yep. The very stuff that we tuck into gift bags. I liked this particular one for it's overall design of the same butterfly, in multiple Spring-ie colors, and lots of great sizes.



I color copied the tissue paper at my friendly neighborhood copy shop. Just for you, I'm sharing that first step with you! Click on the picture above to enlarge it, then print! I hope it enlarges to full page . . . I don't know to what size it will enlarge . . .I'm only kinda geeky . . . {I surely don't know everything about this stuff. I think most of it is just magic.}



I carried my color copy all the way over to the copy desk and asked them to make three more copies on transparency film. {You know, the stuff they use for overhead projectors.} The color will be waaaaay lighter than you expect. I recommend that you start with really intense, vibrant colors.



Took those home, and sometime in the middle of the night . . . with a girlfriend that I enlisted {coerced} into helping me . . . cut them out. I think you should cut them quite close.



You're not gonna believe this, but they didn't melt when I hot glued* them to the frame, wires and nests! Instant Spring! They were kind of adorable! {If I do say so myself.} {Gosh! I hope this doesn't mean that vain thing was accurate.} . . . sigh . . . *I did use a lower temp glue gun. The truly hot ones can really cause nasty burns! And would probably melt the transparency film.




Fold your little cut-out butterflies in the middle, so they appear like . . . like . . . like butterflies! . . . and using the cool melt, hot glue gun, glue them to light weight floral wire . . . or like I did, the nest and twigs of these arrangements . . . but they would be super cute sprinkled on a table . . . used on paper goods . . . somebody even tried them in a little bottle at the soldered charms class that I taught last weekend.



They seem so delicate and ephemeral . . . I think you'll love them, too! And will very likely find a million other uses for them! Please tell me if you do! I would so love to hear!





Now. . . don't say I never did anything for you! ;)



P.S. Do I have the world's best flower suppliers or what!? I said Spring, they delivered SPRING!

Red Lead . . . Where have you been all my life!?




Nest



You know how it is when you're surfing . . . once in a while you run across a site that is positively wonderful . . . I stumbled onto Red Lead this morning. EEEeeeee!






The following is what their website tells about them:



"Red Lead was voted "the best place to buy art supplies" and "the best place to buy scrap booking supplies" by the St. Louis Riverfront Times.


Chris and Sharon have been published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Mary Englebreit Home Companion, Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Celebrations, as well as several Stampington and Company publications.


Chris and Sharon are known for their inspiring art, exclusive line of rubber stamps designed by them, an eclectic mix of collage trinkets, vintage collage sheets, and artful workshops taught in the Red Lead studio. When you are in their neighborhood please drop by, they would love to meet you!


Visit Red Lead in the historic Webster Groves neighborhood of St. Louis, Mo. at 27 North Gore Ave."


So I ask you . . . why is this news to me!?


Have I been living under a rock?


{I suppose that is possible.}








Do you even believe this is a rubber stamp! I am not kidding you!






A super delicious collage sheet!







I mean, come on! Seriously! Don't you just love it!?


Their prices are even completely reasonable, and I can be such a terrible cheapskate {I dropped a small fortune for me, there today!} . . . I suspect a lot of us creative types are . . . it's hard to buy that which you can make . . . and Red Lead will help you find some scrumptious goodies to do all that great creating with!


{Sorry about the closing preposition . . . I couldn't help myself. I'm a real person, you know?}




Saturday, May 7, 2011

Carla M Fox, Metalsmith

This is for those of you who might wonder about those silversmithing classes that I keep talking about . . . :)


~Much Love! ~

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Cool Tool




Filed in the Look What I Did department . . .

;)

It is lovely, though, isn't it?


I've told you before that I take a silversmithing class . . . a classmate and her husband invented the tool that I used to make the chain . . . I just love it! It's all sterling silver and pearls . . . The crucifix and connector, I found on Etsy . . .




It's a birthday gift for a dear friend . . . I'm hoping she doesn't see it here before she she sees it in person . . . :)



If you want to know more about the tool that I used, or the Etsy supplier . . . just let me know . . . I'll get right back to you!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Gosh! How've you been?! It's been ages since I saw you! I should stop in more often, I know . . . I've just been so busy . . . and I always write at night, it seems . . . and my husband has discovered the joys of sharing my computer in the evenings . . . sigh . . .

Today, I'm grounded. He has my automobile . . . {pickup, actually . . .} . . . and is out enjoying his new boat with our son, and I get to stay home and do whatever I please. :) I so love those days when I can't leave the house for some reason . . .they're gifts, absolutely . . . so . . . I've completed a bit of correspondence, edited a couple of pictures, and remembered that I have a blog. :) Here you go . . . in photos . . . a bit of what I've/we've all been up to . . . ;)

I've been . . . taking classes and giving them . . .


. . . just finished this necklace for Relay for Life . . .




. . . tried to hang out with these precious people whenever possible . . .






. . . and Rip Van Winkle . . .




. . . celebrated Easter with my family

. . . including my two favorite, beautiful, little gossamer girls . . .

{She's trying to decide whether to go near to . . . }




. . . Emily Easter Bunny! {Who happened to be in the neighborhood {because she lives across the street} and surprised us with a happy visit . . . }


We traveled a bit . . . not too far, just enough . . . to share in a celebration honoring my Mother-in-law and her milestone birthday . . .




{Mom with our eldest son and his beautiful family. . .}



. . . enjoyed the company of relatives who traveled rather farther than we did . . .


. . . and taken every opportunity to find my peace . . .


. . . here . . .



. . . in this beautiful place . . . {big ol' sigh} . . . how about yourself?