Better late than never!

Ahem. I think this is just about the longest I've gone without posting and here I am, soooo close to my 100th post! I thought surely I'd be there by now but it wasn't in the cards.

Had a wonderful visit with family from out of town and hosted several family get togethers but some bad-mojo-virus crashed my party. After chasing me around for about a week it tackled me to the ground last weekend and hasn't let me up.

Since I haven't had the energy to shoot or post the things I was working on before I got decked I thought I'd share this picture from my backyard so you would have something pretty to look at. This rhododendron is named "Mrs. G.W. Leek" and it is among my favorites. It is in full bloom right now and made a beautiful backdrop for many family photos while we were all gathered.

Every Button Tells a Story

Sorry this post is going to be long but I know the rest of you button enthusiasts out there will LOVE seeing these.
For the first time in a very, very long time I was able to score an amazing tin of buttons. I won them on eBay and feel just a tad guilty because the seller's photo was so poor and out of focus that no one bid against me. I could make out one button that looked kind of interesting so I decided to take a chance. I was blown away when they arrived in the mail last week!
Glass rhinestones set in metal and plastic. Love, love, love the giant "jewels"!

Glass buttons, including Moonglow, rhinestones, a paperweight and aurora borealis. This picture really doesn't do them justice!

Celluloid wafers and tite tops, including a couple of glow bubbles.

Fabric, bone, rubber and vegetable ivory, Lucite, etc. Check out the two vegetable ivory whistles near the center. They are in perfect condition. I don't usually go for fabric buttons but these oval ones are some of the best I've seen. A couple of neat cuff buttons, too.

Shell and mother of pearl. Loving those ovals!

These didn't photograph well at all but there are some amazing and very old cut steels in this group of metal buttons.

When you poke through a button box you've got to wonder where each of these buttons came from and how they came to be together in this box. What did the clothes they were cut from look like? Who was the person who carefully saved each one? If only they could talk! Yes, every button tells a story.

Five Little Birdies

I was wandering through the Goodwill store on my lunch hour last week when I spotted a little platic baggie of artificial birds. They looked kind of different. I examined closer and discovered I could just barely make out "Occupied Japan" stamped on the tails. How cool! I have seen a lot of Occupied Japan but never artifical birds. They are made of an unusual material, kind of like paper mache wrapped in dryer sheets - LOL!

Naturally, I couldn't resist buying them. Here is what I did with them when I got home...I had some leftover pieces from the new art room lights so I used them to make two ribbon towers for storing my narrow ribbons. The little birds are wired to an old pick I had laying around from a worn-out wreath. Fits perfectly as a topper on the ribbon tower - don't you think?

Dirt Maker

Yep, you heard me right. I spent Sunday afternoon building this fancy device for sifting dirt. A dirt maker. Our soil is really rocky here so every time I dig a hole to plant something I have to pick out the rocks by hand before I deposit the "old" dirt in the compost. My son built something similar so I pirated his design and made one for myself. I think I can make some mighty fine dirt with this - don't you think?

Desk Project - Part 3

I am SOOOOO far behind on my blogging. So much going on around here! Friday the keyboard tray was installed and Saturday I bought the new cables so everything reaches. Yeah! I have my work surface back. I will tell you about that clutter on top of the desk someday soon - so much going on around here....

Ribbon distraction

Once again I have succumbed to my short attention span. After I got my art room put back together I planned to work on a new bias tape project to post as an example to go along with the bias tape inspiration kits I listed in my Etsy store. Uh-huh, that's what I planned to do.
Then Alayna asked if I wanted to go along with her to the library. I wasn't really looking for anything since I usually just reserve books online and then go pick them up but I said I'd go along for the ride. She had some research to do so I was just browsing the isles to see what's new when I ran across this wonderful book by Helen Gibb called "Ribbonwork The Complete Guide". Her work is amazing so naturally I had to check it out. Good grief, I'm so easily distracted by sparkly things!
At home I pulled out a bunch of odds and ends and we all know I DO have odds and ends. The really big leaves under the red rose are made from satin blanket binding. I have odds and ends but they aren't always the right ones - LOL! I have been making my way through the book trying some of the patterns and techniques. Facinating - especially learning about all the different types of ribbon. That lead to a field trip to Fabric Depot and a couple of fancy ribbons. Good thing I don't have enough money to just get on a plane to France!
I have no clue what I'm going to do with all these bits and pieces I'm making but I know I MUST own this book. I am just trying to figure out what else to buy so I can get the free shipping at Amazon. I'm thinking Kaari Meng's "French Inspired Jewelry". I have that one checked out from the library, too, and it's pure EYE CANDY. No, no, no I am NOT going to make any jewelry. I am NOT! But I did sew three little seed beads on to one of the leaves I made, just to see what it would look like. Man.

Happy Easter!

I hope your heart and your basket are both filled with love.

Making Easter magic

Putting together Easter treat bags for the "big kids" and filling eggs for the little girl and I only ate two little Whopper eggs. I swear.

Writing you a picture

Imagine if you will, delicious sunlight streaming through your wide-open back door on a fresh Springtime day. Sunshine that charms you with an irresistible promise of warmth and refreshment. WaaaaaH! You know the kind I mean.
This is EXACTLY how the light coming from the doorway to my art room looks! I step inside and every nook and cranny in the (I should dust more often) space is illuminated like natural daylight. Few shadows, no funny colors, just a wonderful flood of light.
Two lights down (UP!) and one to go....