Everyday Beauty

Handmade on Hold

 
Hello Friends!

I wanted to pop in with a little "handmade" update. Two month agos, the home page of my shop said "New Vintage Trinket Jewelry coming in February". Then I had to change it to "coming in March". And I'm afraid it may now be April. Geez, Andrea, get it together!

I apologize for the delay. My intention was to have loads of new jewelry designs as well as a good dozen or so of my Fancy Ostrich Eggs listed in my shop when the Where Women Create article hit newsstands last month. As you can see, that didn't happen. I'm a little behind on some things, and have lots of creative irons in the fire at the moment. Probably too many!

 

I did make some Fancy Ostrich Eggs, but have decided not to sell them this year. Similar eggs have been hatching in various other shops on-line, and you know I'm kinda funny about that sort of thing. I loved those eggs because they were unique, and I do try hard to make and sell things that are special. Maybe next year though. Who knows. Thank you to those of you who emailed asking about them. You guys are sweet to remember them from previous years.

 

As for jewelry, I have a half dozen or so pieces made {shown in these pictures}, but I had an opportunity to send some of the pieces to be photographed for possible inclusion in an upcoming project. It's not my project, and I'm not at liberty to give details just yet, but I'll let you know if  it pans out. When the pieces are returned to me, I'll list them in the shop right away. I'm hoping that will be sometime in April.

 
Baby Girl is "due" to arrive May 25 {which means nothing, as many of you mamas know!}, and I've finally kicked into "nursery mode". So much to do and make. It's a teeny tiny little bedroom, but I'm enjoying the process of selecting special things for her. And the shower gifts I received will be the icing on the cake!

Oh, and I finally got my new computer set up. Thank goodness. Fast as lightning! I tend to keep things like cell phones and computers 'til they are dead as doornails. I had forgotten how fast a computer could be!

See you soon!

xo a

A Surprise Indeed!

 

I think it's pretty tough to surprise me....it really is. I tend to catch on to the little nuances in someone's voice, and somehow or another the cat gets let out of the bag. Well, not this time! On Wednesday I was lured to luncheon only to discover that a group of 14 girls from Blogland had secretly thrown me a surprise baby shower! I couldn't believe my eyes when I walked in the room and saw the table loaded with pink gifts and ribbons, bows, tulle and balloons. My sweet friends from all over the country {and even Australia!} had each sent a gift for the baby, and Hope was in charge of collecting them all and bringing them to the luncheon to surprise me. And surprised I was!

These pretty pictures are just the wrappings, ribbons and cards from the gifts...so you can only imagine how pretty the presents themselves are. I was blown away by the sweetness of it all, and I still am.

 

My little girl will have a nursery full of handmade treasures, and I'll look forward to someday telling her about the very special women who made these gifts for her. I feel so lucky to know these girls, and to have such thoughtful and generous friends. And I cannot believe they have been sneaking around planning this for weeks. Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky!

I was going to take lots of pictures of the beautiful mountain of gifts that is sitting here in my family room at the moment.....but I'm afraid my computer has finally bit the dust, and I'm in limbo here without a computer or photo editing software. {Right now, I'm using my husband's laptop from work.} And the more I thought about it, I realized each of the girls has already posted such wonderful pictures on her own blog. If you haven't seen them yet, you really won't believe your eyes! I would love for you to take a peek. Just click the names below and you'll be directed to their blogs.

Amy, Analise, Gabrielle, Heather, Holly, Hope, Jenn, Kari, Karla, Lori, Natasha, Rosalyn-Sue, Sherry & Tiffany

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you girls for coordinating this wonderful surprise! I am so lucky to have you as friends, and I will always treasure these gifts you have lovingly created for my daughter!

Treasure Hunting

 

I haven't felt too much like waddling through antique shops lately, but I did pick up a few things that I love the past couple of months. Thought I'd share...

This vintage tiara is a favorite, and it was a bargain compared to what they go for on ebay. I think it will look precious on a shelf in the baby's room.

Found lots of linens and laces and collars at one particular booth. All half price!

I couldn't leave these old iron towel bars behind. Again, I'm thinking these will be perfect in the baby's room with little dresses and tutus hanging from the bar.

 

Look at the pretty rosette detail. Heaven!

Another old wedding cake topper for the collection. This one is so perfectly dingy and discolored.

A great old straw hat loaded with flowers. The mannequin was a Christmas gift from my mom and dad. George is scared to death of it, so I told him it's going on his nightstand. :)

 

This little plastic frame was a dollar...I'll figure out something to do with it.  

 

We have a long wooden farm table in out kitchen, and this linen runner fits it well. 

 

This velvet one is much smaller, more like a little dresser scarf. Such pretty colors.

 

Well, that's the scoop for today, girls. Just thought I'd share some pictures of pretty old things. 

The Week of Pillows, Books & Tissues

 
So, I was laughing when I got a comment yesterday from Andrea that said, "You didn't eat yourself into a coma, did you?" Ha! No, no, no....I've just been nursing my sick self and 2 sick boys back to health. This morning seems like a turning point, thank goodness. Everyone is doing a little better today.

I spent the week propped on pillows, blowing my nose and reading books while holding the boys. We all have the same head cold thing going on, so we might as well snuggle together.

My nightstand. See that botttle? If you have heartburn {like I do now that I've hit my 3rd trimester}, Papaya Enzymes are a miracle in a bottle. You can find them at any healthfood store. I spent too many nights sleeping upright to avoid heartburn until I discovered these tablets.

 

I pulled out a random stack of books from the shelf and flipped through them 'til I had the pictures practically memorized.....and George brewed probably 50 cups of herbal tea for me this week.

 

Meanwhile, the house got somewhat trashed as you can see by this picture of our bedroom floor. I know what I'll be doing today. It's like an obstacle course in there and I can't take it for one more day. When I'm sick, it doesn't bother me much, but the minute I feel better, I'm a woman on a cleaning mission!

 

And, for all of  you fellow Foodies who requested the Mac 'n' Cheese recipe, I didn't use a recipe, but there are lots of good recipes out there that will give you basically the same results. Martha's Mac and Cheese recipe is supossedly her most requested recipe. Personally, I think it needs a lot more cheese, so I'd almost double it. And just make sure you use good cheeses, as it will make a big difference.

See you soon! Enjoy the weekend.

I eat

 

Eating....that's one thing I tend to do a lot of when I'm pregnant. Seriously, if it's not nailed down, there's a chance I'm eating it. I pretty much feel like a buffalo at the moment, but I am just SO hungry.

I made some homemade Mac & Cheese {the ultimate comfort food}, and I just thought I'd share the pictures I took because it looked and tasted so yummy.

 

And then I started laughing. Only a blogger would take a picture of Mac & Cheese. Seriously, who does that?

XOXOXO

 
I wanted a little something to hang up for Valentine's Day, other than wreaths. I figured a banner would be simple enough so I started with a little cardstock, old papers and some silk ribbon.

 

Digging through baskets of flowers and embellishments is always fun, and this gave me chance to use up a few odds and ends. A few.

 

It started getting a little too fluffy {even for me!}, so I added these metal numbers for a contrast in texture.

 

 

Hearts, hearts, hearts.

 

 

With these simple types of projects I find that I could keep adding and adding things until it's a little too much. {not that I've ever been accused of being a minimalist or anything.} So, I stopped here, and it's just enough to add a little love to our home this holiday.

 

Speaking of love, I hope your hearts and homes are overflowing with it this Valentine's Day!

A Rosary {a la candy necklace}

 
After I finished the Candy Necklace, I was still on a roll with the jewelry pliers so I decided to make this rosary using the same beads and colors. I have many rosaries, some of them old and broken, so there's no shortage of connectors and crucifixes around here.

I used a different color bead for each decade and attached a Mother of Pearl crucifix. I'm thinking these would be nice Christmas gifts for some of the women in my family. Knowing the way Decmber always seems to sneak up on me, I better start now.......!

 

Candy Necklace

  
So, I was making jewelry the other day, and I thought how pretty it would be to make one big long necklace with all sorts of pastel beads linked together. I began bending and looping wire through each bead and connecting them all until it was long enough to wear doubled up.

I used  mostly faceted beads, mainly semi-precious stones or Czech glass. Love those yummy colors. The opaque lavender is especially pretty I think, but together it looks like one big candy necklace, don't you think? 

Snow With a Chance of Snow

 

That's the forecast around here. How about you? I actually enjoy not leaving the house for days on end. Been doing lots of baking and crafting....and I've just now begun to think about the nursery and what I want to do in there. So far, all I've done is order a chandelier!

I apologize for being so late in announcing the winners of the drawing. Geez, I totally lost track of time, and I feel terrible. We've had a lot going on here. Sadly, my father-in-law passed away and we spent a week out of town being with family and attending the funeral in Massachusetts. Very sad. I feel sad for my husband who has lost both parents. He seems too young to have lost them both already. We do have a lot of good memories of him, however, and find comfort in knowing he was well taken care of in his final years with Alzheimer's. Even though we knew it was only a matter of time, it doesn't make it any easier when the day finally comes.

Anyway, enough gloomy stuff.....Now, without further delay, the winners of the WWC magazine drawing are: Leah Cockrum and Tricia Samsal! Hooray for the winners! It's always so fun to win.

Thanks so much to all of you stopped by and entered the drawing. It is so nice to feel your support and enthusiasm. I feel really lucky to "know" you all and to see the same friendly familiar names appear in the comments, right along with some new ones. As always, thanks for reading along here and walking this little path with me.

{I edited this post about 50 times. It just feels weird going from a death in the family to a giveaway drawing. But, I suppose this is life. You take the good with the bad and everyday the sun still rises, no matter what. You have to celebrate the joys amidst the sadness and keep a positive mind. After all, life is good.}

Where Women Create

 

I have some exciting news to share with you, my friends. My craft room is featured in the current issue of Where Women Create! Even as I hold it here in my hands, it's still a little hard to believe. It's strange to see your own face in a magazine. And it's strange to think about the creative journey I've been on for a lifetime that has lead to this moment. Amazing. I'm just a girl who likes to make things, and not all that much has changed, but I definitely feel like I'm out of my league to be among the women whose spaces have been featured in this magazine.

I remember purchasing Where Women Create {the book}several years ago and reading it cover to cover, feeling endlessly inspired. Then came the magazine. I gobbled up the first issue and have done the same with every issue since, like many of you probably have as well. What a fabulous idea to create a book and a magazine that's all about the places where women create!

 

Well, the new issue just hit newsstands {there's the cover, above}, and I have a couple of extra copies I'd love to give away. If you're interested, just leave a comment {name and email is sufficient} and I'll do the old random number generator and pick 2 lucky girls' names on Thursday.

Here's to all of us who have even a little corner of a kitchen table to create upon.....or maybe a closet, a loft, a spare room, a studio, a basement, or even an entire building. As different as we may be, we share the same passion to create. It's an absolute honor to share my space with you, through this publication. And I wish you could all come over and share a cup of hot cocoa with me. Extra marshmallows!

And a gigantic thank you to Jo Packham and Jenny Doh, who saw my space and believed it would, in some way, inspire readers and add something positive to this issue. I'm so grateful.