Last of the lilacs

As the month of May comes to an end, so do the lilacs in my garden.  I love my lilac bushes but their blooms are short-lived...the ones in the front yard bloomed first...these in the back garden are the last (and technically they are growing in the neighbor's back yard but the limbs hang over my garden fence...)

I like the contrast of the delicate blossoms with the well-loved enamelware pitcher...

While out in the garden, I noticed other details...blossoms ready to burst...

and a new resting spot for my favorite garden helper...

Take a moment this holiday and look at the simple things in your world...there is wonder all around...

Linking up to Mosaic Monday over at Little Red House...simple wonders to view there as well...

Metal adornment

As many of you know, I have a thing about metal...especially old/vintage/even kinda rusty metal...recently I acquired some metal necklaces...I'm not much of a jewelry girl, but these pieces seemed just right.  Of course all of them were remade from something else...
I crafted two of the necklaces from jewelry I bought at a recent estate sale...
BEFORE:

AFTER:

I combined two of the chains together to form one necklace, adding the filigree flower on the side for interest...I looped the pearl strand in half and attached it on each side with a jump ring.

I love the patina of this shorter necklace, especially the worn surface of the heart...all I did was add an old key to the mix...

BEFORE:

This photo was taken last summer - its my haul from an estate sale.  The round metal disk with the engraved leaves was removed from the back of the sewing machine...

AFTER:

I traded with Tammi from My Brown Wren - one box of assorted vintage finds (keys, buttons, dominoes, metal type, lace, other old and interesting stuff) in exchange for turning this medallion into a necklace...here is the finished piece using the sewing machine medallion - I love the silver bead - Tammi made it herself...visit her blog and her etsy site...her creations are wonderful.

These pieces are perfect for me - simple, uncomplicated with a touch of vintage and a healthy dose of upcycling - can't wait to wear each of them!

A study in bleu

Today I changed up my space at Faded Elegance...

Blue (with white) is classic and refreshing...and it can be any shade of blue - navy, teal, periwinkle, sky, robin's egg, sapphire...I took inspiration from a supply of paint chip cards from work (extra cards that the Olympic paint rep was tossing...of course I snatched them up before they could hit the bottom of the trash can...)

I like to have vertical interest in my space - adds another layer...I made a paint chip mobile and hung it from an metal bike rim...

I set a table of blues and whites...the scrabble boards make great placemats and have been a favorite for some time...this idea of mine was even featured on the Apartment Therapy blog a couple of years ago...

Always need to have a touch of Paris...

With spring's eventual arrival, there are so many great ideas for refreshing your home - hope you stop in soon at Faded Elegance... 

btw...I'm in the process of tweaking my blog (so that photos can be larger and sharper!) so forgive any glitches you see in the next couple of days...

A closeup of Time

I spent Sunday afternoon on a "photo shoot" in my kitchen...I have a couple of juried shows to which I'm submitting entries...my kitchen gets the best light in the house, so I try to rig a background set-up to get decent photos...its a challenge sometimes!

The multi-media collage entitled "Time" is a large piece (with an old wine crate as its foundation) with three creative sides...it proved difficult to get an image that did justice to all sides...

I felt that a photo mosaic was perfect to capture all the intricacies of the piece...

I'm linking up to Mosaic Monday at Little Red House...lots of creative photo mosaics to view!

How the garden grows, chapter 2

original stained glass window by s. duncan

I've just returned from my sister's - she was visiting me and my family - and then I drove her back home and stayed a few days to enjoy a little warm weather (it is still amazing to me after 20+ years living in Washington State, how different the West is from the East!)

You might remember that I wrote about her garden last summer here and the progress she had made from an empty plot of grass in her backyard...well, the progress continues, but it can be slow going.  The new fence is glaringly, well, new....

Obviously its going to take a little time for everything to fill in...but in the meantime, wouldn't it be great to have something interesting to look at?  The gold plastic delphinium from Goodwill provided the nudge...gathering up items from around her house rounded out the idea...a few screws, nails and a bolt later...

It's a little kitschy, a little funky but a lot more interesting...

A garden should be fun and show off the gardener's personality...

and this garden certainly does.

Impressions

My sister is visiting... we have been to several thrift stores, estate sales and even a big flea market...bought a little...looked at alot...

How do you describe what impresses you...why do you gravitate to one thing and not another...my sister and I have a saying for our junking routine - "Everybody's looking for something different..."  How else do you explain that a set of 1906 encyclopedias was at Goodwill Outlet and a vintage California Pottery creamer could be bought for $1...

What do you look for when you are out junking?  How do you know when you have found it?

First lilacs

The first lilacs have bloomed in my yard...always a sign that spring has arrived (at last!)  These lilacs were planted about six years ago by my sister and they are now grand bushes with lots of blossoms.  I love to cut a few and put them in a vase on my nightstand...the fragrance is so lovely and soothing for restful sleep...

My sister is visiting for a couple of days so we are checking out how the rest of the garden is doing...looks like the blue poppies that she planted a couple of years ago are finally going to bloom...

This posting is the one that somehow disappeared last week in the midst of the Blogger shenanigans...but I was able to resurrect it... 

In recognition of Mosaic Monday over at Little Red House, I leave you with this lilac tableau...

The sweet spot

I must confess...I have a favorite spot for inspiration...the bathroom...particularly the shower. I have to admit that many of my creative ideas come to me in the shower. I don't know if its the opportunity to be alone with my thoughts...I don't know if its the warm water streaming down on my head...I don't know if its the scent of the soap, triggering some sensation...but I get the most brilliant ideas in the shower. Often times I think of a solution to a creative problem that has been festering...sometimes its just a random thought on a different approach for a project. 

Perhaps its because the bathroom is the one room in the house where everything is orderly and clean (as opposed to my office or studio that is a bit chaotic and messy!) so there is a greater possibility to clear one's head...
Do you have a favorite spot for inspiration?  Tell me about it...

BTW...many of you I'm sure have experienced the difficulties with Blogger these last two days...my post on Lilacs went missing...I'll have to go hunt it down and re-post!

The thrill of the hunt

I spent this past Saturday with my friend Sue on a junking excursion...we travelled over to Bainbridge Island for the Indianola Flea Market...this was the flyer for the event...of course I wanted to go!

It wasn't a huge event, just a great community effort to find treasures and enjoy the fleeting sunshine.  Afterwards we drove down to Poulsbo for lunch and more picking at the local antique mall...

I love that the numbers of "180" and "200" on the scale wore off and someone penned them in...

I always pick up silverplate (and in this case pewter) pieces when I find them - especially for 25 cents!  I love the old black metal cash boxes and the floral metal trays that still carry a remnant of their former glory.  The balls made from wool blanket strips are a great color...I might have to keep them around until Christmas..have an idea for ornaments with them.  I adore the pin cushion and will definitely be keeping it for myself - it will be a wonderful addition to my sewing paraphernalia collection.  All of these items were photographed on the petite oak secretary I bought...it is definitely in need of extreme TLC but the lines were so charming (and the price so right) that it just had to come home with me...until I remembered that I wasn't driving my Subaru Outback - Sue had her compact sedan...but with enough coaxing, we got it into the trunk and made it home just fine.

Off to clean up my finds...some will make their way to my space at Faded Elegance, some will be reborn and some will be staying with me...and I am so glad that the junking season is in full swing!

I'm participating in Mosaic Monday over at Little Red House...visit there yourself and discover what treasures you might find...

Love of letters

To say that I have a love affair with type is an understatement..there's just something about the graphic quality of letters & numbers that is so appealing (which helps to explain my fascination with clocks and typewriters!)  So when I saw this idea on the blog, Anything Goes Here, I knew that I just had to try it for myself.  I emailed Joan to ask for permission to recreate her idea and she said it was fine - but please link back to her blog - so visit Anything Goes Here - it is filled with inspiring ideas, great photo vignettes and a link to her etsy shop where you will find wonderful vintage items for sale...

I have a healthy assortment of wood type so I knew I had plenty of raw material for this project...what I didn't anticipate was the amount of patience I would need...trying to configure a composite block with all of the sides flush and no empty spaces between letters was a challenge...much like putting a puzzle together...

Once I had the blocks designed, I used a little dab of Liquid Nails on the sides of each letter...I worked on top of a piece of wax paper...I've learned from experience not to leave glued projects to dry on top of a table without protection...

With some of the blocks, I incorporated words into the mix...others were random.  I let them sit overnight to ensure the glue was dry and then I brushed on a light coat of matte medium - this gave a light sheen to the letters, brought out the wood tones and added another layer of adhesive. 

I drilled a small hole into the top of each block and inserted a metal memo pin; I covered the back of each block with a piece of black felt to give it a finished look...

...and they were now ready for their "photo shoot"!

thanks Joan for the inspiration! 

And you can see plenty of fabulous, inspiring ideas at Funky Junk Interiors where I'm participating in Donna's Saturday Nite Special.

The Weekly Fluff

At Faded Elegance today, sprucing up my space, a lot of texture caught my eye - 
...rough with smooth, light with dark...

...hard with soft, refined with rustic...

 
...man-made with natural...

It's this contrast of texture that adds interest and personality to any project - whether it be a home, a table setting, a garden design or an art collage!

BTW - lots of great ideas for Mother's Day at Faded Elegance...including a great giveaway!  Visit the Faded Elegance blog to get all the details...