Thursday, January 31, 2013

Mirror,Mirror

In my home I have a small collection of antique and vintage mirrors I plan on placing in a vignette on my mantle in another week... changing out the early 1900's candy box collection for Valentines decorating that is now displayed ... I believe I have the right amount of mirrors to achieve the look I desire without taking hanging mirrors down... My mirrors I plan on working with now are  laying and house vignettes of glam and antique and vintage perfume bottles...
     I love the use of mirrors for their reflection of twinkling lights and adding of the feel of space... Many supersitions throughout many years make mirrors just a bit intriguing ...I found a few of these old superstitions to be a bit scary...and will share just a few of them with you...
     *Of course we to this day all know the most common that the breaking of a mirror is suppose to mean bad luck for years to come... This superstition goes way back to the ancient Roman days and believed the only way to overcome this is to bury the broken mirror pieces very deep in the ground...
     * If a mirror in the house falls from the wall and breaks it means someone is going to die...
     * It is considered bad luck to see your face in a mirror by candlelight...as you may see the spirit of a loved person who has passed...
     * If you want to know what your future husband lloks like, you sit in fron of a mirror and eat a apple.. After that you start to brush your hair, and a image of your future husband will appear behind your shoulder in the mirrors reflection...
    Several others that I researched all seem to be connected with death and spirits... making it seem mirrors to be a scare tactic as thier orgin.. People many times attribute the supernatural links to things they do not understand and mirrors are believed to be a reflection of the truth...
     I still love my mirrors but will be making real sure they are secured on strong stands and no candlelight in front of them... just maybe some twinkling Christmas white lights...
    The pic of the mirror gathering on the mantle is the look I am desiring and I believe this may be from Rene  http://missgracieshouse.blogspot.com but am not completley sure of that... I know she has some other mantle vignettes that I totally love also... The other pic is of a venetian mirror and I think they are so lovely... I do have a standing smaller one I am hoping to work in with my other collection.. Then, next I would like to try a collection of old frames after that.... Will share when I redo my mantle soon... until then all I can say is Baby it's cold and blustry outside and counting my blessings to be in warm cozy home today.....
      

Monday, January 28, 2013

Passion For Antique Purses

One of my passions is collecting antique purses.... I try to allow myself at least one purse a year if the cost is over 100.00.. I find the beaded and mesh purses to be my favorites with their handmade works of elaborate and delicate work... Most of my purses are displayed in different areas on my walls except I enjoy placing a few of my finest in glass cloches changing up displays from time to time... My purses are hanging from little white drawer knobs similar to the first pic...Collecting involves searching for many specialities over 100 years or so... Many love collecting vintage of which is before the 1950's.. I also have a few of these in my collections... Not all my purses of course are museum quality but I love them equally as they to me show strength and endurance of surviving from the past years... and do not have to be in pristine condition..
        The first picture and second picture I pinned this morning from Pinterest and of course the last picture is of one of the walls in my little home in the country...
      Yesterday this little home in the country was filled with family as I hosted a 5th birthday party for my granddaughter Olivia...Pic on Facebook... As the day progressed into the evening hours so the weather thickened and snow and freezing drizzle arrived and throughout the nighttime hours... This morning all rural area schools were cancelled but the temps have gotten warmer with drizzling rain now.. I have taken it somewhat easy today as I did tire yesterday, so only mopping kitchen floor.. and a couple loads of laundry completed and supper will be placed on stove top shortly... Tom wanted smoked sausage... sauerkraut and mashed potatoes with another veggie so that's what it will be... Have some leftover cake from yesterday for dessert... Looking forward to lazy boy and TV viewing this evening....
   

Monday, January 21, 2013

Pinning Inspiration

Winter is firm here in N.W. Ohio, as we have very, very, cold temps with forecast for even colder the next several days... with winds adding a chill that makes you aware you need to count your blessings for a warm and cozy shelter...
      The last couple days I have been sorting through my stashes of papers and objects saved for altered art cards, journals, tags, and decorating inspiration.. Need I say... what a mess it becomes when you save anything and everything you think may be a object you can use for inspiration at no cost... I have so yearned for a studio the past years but it is not going to happen here but I am thinking of making a small area maybe my own... which will be fine as I have learned many years ago we don't always get it, just cause we want it... I do think I can make a nice little small area, however, in the rec room...
      I have started PINNING and have found it a ideal substitute for magazines of which have become too expensive for me to purchase on a weekly or monthly basis...
      Today I have shared a idea I pinned that was originally pinned by Karian Weijers of a cart made from crates... I want to do this in the area I am thinking of creating... Will make a trip to the antique store as soon as the temps warm up some again to search for crates...
    Would love to know others that are PINNING as I love searching for inspiration to add to my boards..
    For today I am sending warm wishes to all my friends up North to stay safe and warm... We are blessed however we are not getting amounts of snow with the cold and winds blasts.... On days like this it seems to be a bit endless when everything is in a frozen state, unless we can find interest in cooking and baking {not good since it is Tom and I eating it} or pinning or creating...

Thursday, January 17, 2013

A Sweet Little Handmade Card and Gift

My granddaughter Olivia has a birthday coming soon and I have been working on some small gifts for her.. When I was small and even through my teens I loved paper dolls and designing clothing for them... I created a Shirley Temple doll and a card and holder from a brown paper sack,  embellished the little dresses very simply with small buttons and ribbons ect...I mounted the doll onto cardboard to make it study for a little one to play with. This site www.allmydolls.com/index.html  has a sweet little doll and clothing you can download and also other little puzzles and precious little things for little ones..
     Shirley Temple seemed to be every ones sweetheart in the thirties and through the years till today... On this site you can learn about Shirley and her accomplishments as a child, teen, and a adult...

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Just A Ordinary Day

Another mild day... Home-made kettle of chili on the stove stop simmering for lunch along with a home-made old fashion scratch butterscotch pie fresh from the oven.. 
    Will be making the house more tidy this afternoon while I was hoping to do some crafting and creating I don't believe I am going to get everything done to do this... Have 2 loads of laundry going also... Just an ordinary day of my life in my little home in the country, but I am enjoying the moments as they come.. I find much contentment in my senior years of retirement as you have learned the wisdom for the love of life and the people who are in it.. I can find the smallest of things to be magical and simply gorgeous, such as the piece of luscious piece of pie and bowl of home-made chili that will be enjoyed in a bit... realizing every minute that not everyone will partake of a meal today... Tom is bowling and will be home shortly and his nose will be wiggling like a bunny when he hits the kitchen area... he will have lunch and will be leaving to make a trip to Toledo to try to help out his brother... He really enjoys all the home-made food and goodies...
     What is it that makes home so special to me... the warmth of it's walls that draws me in and keeps me safe and warm and is a place where ones you love gather and enjoy time together... We have a very peaceful home.. free of any drama...{ well except our puppy "Lucky" adds a bit once in awhile...}
    As the month of romance draws near why not add some touches to your home and inspire others to have soft feelings and moments of enjoyment to one's busy days... It is always a wonderful place to be where the coffeepot is on and a home-made treat is available to grace the loveliness of everyday living...

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Your Hearts Desire

The heart box design is from Juliet Mascarenhas  ......


     A beautiful mild day here in N.W. Ohio... The snow we accumulated over the holiday season has pretty well melted away and should completely disappear in the next day or two according to he weathers forecast..
     After taking "Lucky" , our rescue puppy, to the vet to finish up his shots this morning and returning him home .... Tom and I returned to town and purchased just a few needed groceries and shopped just a bit to find some really good buys at 70 percent off... Great on the pocketbook....
     This afternoon I went to the rec room and worked on creating a couple more little paper shoes and a couple little heart containers... I wanted to share the pattern with you that I found on Pinterest and share it with you... You may right click and then enlarge to the size you would like you would like your heart box to be.. I made several different sizes and of course use cardstock or any heavy scrapbook paper you wish.... you may also find it inspiring to embellish any way you wish...I have always enjoyed working with paper .... now so very many lovely papers are available ... The sentiment Valentines Day brings is perfect to enhance on paper... I love, love, love, the very old Victorian Valentines and the beauty and time that was spent creating them with the lovely doily's and fancy embossing... With them comes the beauty of ones mind in lovely hand-written words... believing this to be my inspiration for the love of sitting for hours at a time creating lovely papers for others...

Monday, January 7, 2013

Finding Contentment At Home

Winter has settled in.. I feel as if I slow down much more I may go into a coma... I am already starting to yearn for the days of spring with more light and longer days.. After the holidays the house seems quiet from the sounds of family laughter... Have not to give in to the daily thoughts of baking and having the aroma fill the house as it is just Tom and I that would be doing the consuming and indulging... During these days of winter I must stay persistent and try many different creations and things to keep my mind occupied and filled with happy thoughts and contentment... I really enjoy all my home time and relaxing and maybe that is the reason I do not have desires or feel the need for vacations.. and just enjoy nesting ... Now that my home is void of Christmas I hope to place some times for sale on my Etsy shop soon... would love to reap some rewards from some creations and maybe parting with a few found objects... With another New Year it is time to live and banish fear, doubt, and worry, have faith, and love and laughter and enjoy the act of living.. With not vacationing much I feel it becomes important to change the home up frequently and I do not mean going out and purchasing new.. just moving and maybe creating new vignettes, showcasing ones personal style throughout the home.. The arrival of New Year brings on day dreams of making our  life's to be filled with contentment.. I need not wish to live anywhere else so no need to pack me up and send me away... I most of the time find myself enjoying the ambiance of days gone by and its lovely gatherings of the past.. but at the same time find myself totally enjoying the modern tech of my Ipad and laptop and the hours spent blogging, and searching for answers and inspiration and for now I will bathe in the charms of the comfort of home... and wait for the sweet days of spring to once again arrive and enjoy all along the way...  

*Picture above is a wooden hand painted distressed cottage sign that hangs in my bedroom surrounded by other vintage objects... 2 Mother of Pearl buttons are gllued to the wall below the sign.. Blogger would not let me download any pictures today to share with you...

Thursday, January 3, 2013

New Year Musings

As we welcomed another Year we have hopes and desires that we can live our life and watch it blossom as we enjoy the moments.. to assure this we must maintain a good outlook toward life and living it.. What it will require to live the life I love is having trust in beliefs and yet not taking everything too seriously.
     I have found it to be a simple truth, that some poverty and some great imagination causes the best to surface in ones self.. I don't really mind a great deal of tarnish in my life if I can add the sparkle of crystals...
     As I have almost completed the task of once again storing objects of Christmas I have the thoughts of some change while fully knowing it will have to come from creating with objects to be found in my home.. The last few days I have been combining creating several little paper shoes and heart containers to add some Valentines decorating... Today I have shared with you a few of the shoes that I will hang from a small white feather tree I left out for decorating for Valentines... I will also be leaving out another really small tree in my entrance and add a couple paper hearts I will create hopefully later on today... Small changes have been made to my fireplace mantle... as I removed my icicle lights and packages wrapped in the Jeanne d Ark French paper and left the antique candy boxes I love so much... and a string of mini twinkling lights that was a gift from Tom's daughter Trish... and off course a lovely spray of crystals I purchased at 50 percent off at a floral shoppe a couple days ago.. I am a little detail person and add little objects that surround me and help me to relax as I love living with things I love, but I also know this doesn't work for everybody...
     I am not into reproductions as much as I love the older with all it's little imperfections and appreciate the creative adornment of vintage jewelry, especially rhinestones, with the sparkle I mentioned earlier in my post... Decorating is always a work in progress if you have the desire for change, and look forward to the adorning, embellish, and beautifying and you always must know that the very same terms work wonderfully for truly enhancing our everyday living of life...
   I am off to take my little clock faces off the small tree in the entrance and add some Valentines to that vignette until I decorate for spring... A load of laundry again today and a few objects of Christmas yet to be packed as I work at a slow pace, just enjoying the time spent... later this evening will be off to the Tinora guys basketball game... I hope the New Year holds many special moments for us all and as always we have the wisdom to take full advantage of them...