I got a Pony!

A Kodak Pony 135 that is! My father in law gifted this to me recently. I was really touched since the camera was actually a gift from my mother in law to him over 50 years ago. It is in great shape, even the case pictured below for you. They both know that I have a small collection of vintage cameras in the studio. This one is extra special.

Hope you are having a great weekend. I have some photos to share of late nights in the studio this week. I'm working on a new project. I'll share soon.  Off to my son's basketball game then to visit friends at the beach.  How about you? Anyone dealing with snow? I can't believe it! Yikes. xoxo

Meet Kimberly Madson Art and Design

Once I had pinned these gorgeous altered cork ornaments on Pinterest, I had to go find the artist and see more of her work.

Let me introduce you to Kimberly Madson Art and Design.   Kimberly is a busy artist with three Etsy shops that you can visit via her blog.   Yes, you can find a few of her cork ornaments listed here.  This gal does a little of everything!  She works with most mediums and loves photography too.  Let's take a look at a few more of her creations before you run over for a visit.

Ok, now run over and say hello!  Tell Kimberly that I sent you and be sure to give her a follow on her blog.  All photos are courtesy of Kimberly Madson Art and Design.  Take care friends! xoxo

A few favorites on display

I'm enjoying decorating our entry table for Fall with a few of my favorite things.  I always like to incorporate some handmade and vintage touches into our modern lifestyle.

These adorable lavendar sachets came from Cheryl at Chezabee's Creations.  I won her giveaway last month.  Thanks, Cheryl!

One of my favorite treasures is this inspiration holder from my sweet friend Petite Michelle Louise.   I have to wonder if we had the pleasure of meeting in person, would I be tempted to call her "Petite Michelle Louise?"  lol  Be sure and visit. She has a few of these listed in her Etsy shop right now. These gorgeous altered door knobs graced the cover of Somerset Life recently. 

Here's an oldie but a goodie.  I break out this scrapbook page every Fall. You would think by now that I would have printed that picture in sepia tone, huh? lol  Sometimes my girlfriends and I schedule craft nights. We like to pick a project that we all work on and share materials. This was a result of one of those nights a few years ago. Brings back good memories.  I still like to make a page once in awhile and post it on my altered clipboard. 

Hope you are having a great week! I have projects on the table to photograph and share. I hope you will stop back by this week. Take care. xoxo

Giveaway winner!

The winner of my giveaway is the ever so sweet and talented Connie of She Dreams Big.  I enjoy following Connie on her blog. She loves good junk, creates beautiful handmade treasures and introduced me to photo editing textures over at Kim's cafe.   This summer, we have all followed along as Connie prepared for her daughter's wedding. She has some photos up right now of the event and the lovely couple.  I hope you will visit!  Connie, send me your address please.  I'll get this mailed off right away.  Thank you to everyone for playing along.  xoxo

Love everything about this

I love the packaging it came in.  A sweet little handmade pouch made from scraps with some machine stitching. A pin embellished with a bead and seam binding kept it safely closed. 

I love the handwritten note that came rolled up like a scroll and tied with string. A white feather was tucked carefully under the bow.

And inside I found and love this gorgeous handmade necklace made by my very talented and very generous friend, Becky Shander.  This beauty was recently featured in Jewelry Affaire.  Here is a shot from the magazine -

I gushed over all three.  Aren't they beautiful?  I know many of you already know Becky but if you don't, please stop by and say hello here.  Tell her that I sent you.  Becky is a real inspiration to me as an artist. She also is just one of those people that make the world better with her loving spirit and ability to find beauty in the ordinary.  Thank you, Becky. xoxo

Still time to enter my Giveaway!

We've been out of town this past weekend visiting family in Maryland. Thank you to those of you who have entered my giveaway while I was gone.  I appreciate your sweet comments and follows. Visit here to see what is up for grabs and to enter!  You have until this Friday, October 21st to leave a comment. I will announce the winner on Saturday morning. I look forward to catching up with you this week!

Giveaway time!

I just celebrated my one year blogging anniversary. THANK YOU all so very much for sharing this blog with me.  I appreciate you so much. Thank you for spending time here.  Your comments, follows and your own blogs inspire me to keep creating and to keep sharing.  It is wonderful to have such like minded friends.  I truly look forward to our time together.  To celebrate and to share,  I am offer a giveaway!  Come join me!

The winner will receive this beeswax collage I recently created.  It is approximately 5 x7 and hangs from a rusty wire and broken tree limb. The collage features a bird print, vintage book pages, cheesecloth, lace and even a real feather.  But, that is not all the winner will receive...

I have also hand dyed some more cheesecloth for you in Fall colors.  I love these colors. You can enjoy using them in a project or as part of your Fall decorating.  And last but not least...

I found these great mixed media packs in gorgeous Fall colors. Double click to enlarge the picture.  Three great glitter colors, a package of suede, cord and wire for stringing up Fall projects and a nice mix of beads for decorating tags, cards and artwork.  These should inspire some project ideas!

The winner will receive all three items.  No need to be a follower, but I do hope that you would consider. It is okay if you are an international friend.  This giveaway is open to everyone.

Simply leave a comment down below to be entered.  If you would like a second try,  mention the giveaway on your blog, then come back and tell me you did with a second comment.  That simple!  If you do not have a blog, you must include your email address in your comment. Thanks for playing along.  Linking up to this blog party-

Have you seen this Roo?

Karen at the Graphics Fairy posted this gorgeous print last week.  I saved it for a future project or wall hanging.  I'm guessing by that bright red comb and the obvious swagger, this is no hen.  Thanks, Karen, for this wonderful print and all the others over on your blog.  If you are looking for inspiration for a project or instant art, be sure to visit The Graphics Fairy.  Look for my one year blogiversary giveaway to be posted this week!  Stay tuned! xoxo

Vintage image for you - Nature inspired

Here is a beautiful page to share from one of my vintage dictionaries. I think this one is 1940's.  I hope you like it. It would be beautiful framed for the house or used in your artwork.

I'm really in a Fall mood right now (despite our warm temps and rainy weekend).  It is funny how Fall inspires me to create, decorate and even cook in certain ways.  I find myself incorporating nature in my art. I"m drawn to Fall colors and decor which give the house a warmer look and feel. I have Fall candle scents burning, and we have used our crock pot a half dozen times in the past two weeks.  How about you?  Feeling Fall?  Tell us what you like best about this season. We'd love to hear.  Thanks for visiting. I appreciate your comments and follows so much.

Simple Fall project to share!

This is a repost of a very simple Fall project that I made last year and shared as a new blogger. Since natural elements continue to be so in this year, I wanted to share this again. I hope you enjoy it.

So a project that begins with a dead tree branch is one of my favorite pieces of artwork right now in our home...really! It is a simple piece that makes me smile when I think about the trip into the woods with my friend Jodi and our daughters, Kara and Sydney, searching for the perfect branch. We started out just looking for the right size. You know, something that would fit inside the bottle and not tip over once we made the table top displays.  Then we started to appreciate the shapes, the colors, the bits of lichen and tiny pine cones still attached.  It became hard to choose, and we collected so many they barely fit into her car!

Once we got home, I filled a vintage inspired bottle with popcorn to add some color and to help hold the branch in place.  I decorated the bottle with some coffee stained cheesecloth, an old chain and vintage clip on earring.  

Now I was ready to decorate. I had so much fun rummaging through all my junk looking for items to hang on my tree.  I used more vintage clip on earrings, some vintage drawer hardware and skeleton keys.  The possibilities are endless. You could try some vintage cookie cutters, spools, tins, watch parts, small bottles, little nests, flashcards...you name it.

I was in a fall mood and decided to add a few inspired words to my tree as well. I had picked up a pad of what appears to be a vintage receipt book. Perhaps for a farmer's market? I punched hearts in some and a random decorative shape in others then added words like "grace," "thanks," and "love."  Here's a close up of the paper ephemera -

I love the simplicity of this project.  The only things I had to purchase were a bottle from Ikea and the popcorn.  It is a great way to display some small pieces I had collected that were stored away in cigar boxes. And, the pieces can still be recycled for other projects. Nothing is permanently attached. You can even add odds and ends. I plan to use the tree project as a centerpiece on Thanksgiving, but it has earned a permanent place in our home.

Special thanks to Sheri Deluke Photography for photographing this project.  Thanks for stopping by today my friends. I appreciate your sweet comments and follows so much! xoxo  Linking up to -

Dunking and Spraying

Dunking and spraying are my high tech terms for how I color lace, cheesecloth, shipping tags and found objects for my artwork.  Anyone can do this and it is fun.  Kara helped me color this cheesecloth shown above with Glimmer Mist and Walnut Ink Antiquing Solution.   You simply place the item on wax paper and spray until the desired color is achieved.  Consider mixing the colors too!

Love the earth tones we created here.  I do this with any fabric. This weekend we focused on cheesecloth purchased at the grocery store.  I spray it while it is double layered then often peel it apart when dry. The thinner layers provide different textures when making projects.

Left over morning coffee never makes it down the drain at our house. I will dunk something in it first. I love the color of coffee and tea stained objects.  I will purchase anything white knowing I can alter the color later to fit the needs of a project or decorating plan.  The longer you soak and the less you rinse (just wring out in your hands), the darker the color.  If you went too dark, run under a bit of warm water.

If I want to quickly age a found object, like these brass bells, I will use an antiquing solution purchased at my local craft store.  It helps speed things along. Of course, follow directions carefully and look for solutions that are more environmentally friendly please.

There are so many ways to dye and age your supplies. Leave a box of metal objects outside this winter. You will have beautiful rust and patina by Spring. Try slow boiling some of your summer blooms and see what colors you get. Have fun with it.  I love having a stash of goodies like this ready to use in my creations. Hope you are having a great week. Thanks for visiting and for your sweet comments. 

Vintage Bottle Art

I had a wonderful play date with some craft friends last night. We worked on some projects together and enjoyed a glass of wine. I was anxious to try my hands at bottle art after taking Cristina Zinnia Galliher's class A Textured Life this summer.

Layer upon layer of paper, cheesecloth, gauze, lace and paint were added to get this depth and texture.  I already had piles of dyed cheesecloth and lace so this was the perfect project for me.  

I decided on a Christmas image for my first bottle.  It is October 1st after all! It is right around the corner. As with most things, you just get better each time you try. I'm already working on a few more today! This is just way too much fun!

I love the twisted rusty wire at the top and all the fibers and dangles.  If you would like to learn more about bottle art and the techniques used to achieve this kind of texture and layering, visit Zinnia's blog.  You will enjoy your time there.  She has several other classes she offers too...all online.  More projects and techniques to share this week.  Stay tuned! xoxo