Twilight

I've brewed up my latest mosaic based on my buddy Sharon's inspiration over at Sweet Repose. Her candles and soaps are to die for!!!! Twilight is one of her latest creations inspired by those sexy vampires we love to see in cinema today.


Something about antlers made them feel appropriate for this piece.

I picked up this old tin on a recent shopping trip and the colors were perfect for this piece.

"I Heart Vampires"! I very rarely use glitter, but a healthy dose was fitting the magic I was going for in the piece.

Just one of a bunch of tiny bottles I found yesterday. Liquid still in-tact!

Here's a peek of Sharon's room at Sister's Garden in Iowa, a great shop I had the pleasure to visit back in 2009. I'm dying for a return trip!

I can't seem to shake the hearts, they are so much fun. Here's one I made for a woman at work who's getting ready to have a baby girl named Ava. What a gorgeous name.

Another tiny bottle found yesterday . . .



Still hammering out several pieces including a fun butter dish and after having sold some things at Frank in Los Gatos, CA, I need to ship some more out West. Wish I had more time . . .

More Poetic Goodness

Sharon, Brandon, and I are having fun with poets. Sharon has her wonderful soaps and candles inspired by them, Brandon came back from market with some fabulous goodies, and I've been putting together a few frames. Anais Nin was a French born writer famous for her journals, starting when she was eleven, but she is most widely known for her erotica. Truly a woman before her time.

"Dreams are Necessary to Life". You bet they are.

There was something Frenchy and fun about this ballerina.

And I love incorporating perfume bottles still filled with liquid. So interesting.

The next frame plays on Sharon's inspiration, too, this one of George Sand. Sand was another French novelist, liberal in her views. She was known to wear men's clothes because they were sturdier and more comfortable and she had affairs for which she was unashamed. You go girl.

I am digging the funky metal wheat thing-a-ma-bobber. It was just right for this piece, completely non conforming to the conservative shape of the frame, just like George.


The entire quote is, "There is no greater pleasure than to love and be loved", but that was a mouthful for a frame, so the shortened version says it all.

Next, I just can't forget the one, the only, Edgar Allan Poe. I already have that one started. Not sure if Sharon will get into the action - what WOULD that scent smell like?!

Birdie Commune

I've been working hard on the Birdie Commune. I am more than ready for spring and these birdhouses just get me in the mood to dig in the garden and take long walks in the warm sun. Anyone else out there agree?!

This little birdie hut is the first in the series and will go to Stuff today. I got the yard sticks at a garage sale over the summer and knew what I was going to use them for at the time I bought them . . . finally!

I love chunks of old metal hardware. It is sometimes so ornate and "Victorian".

The metal circle at the bottom of the front entrance is an old drawer pull.

And I've been doing a few hanging plaques. The dog bone is made of polymer clay.

I had a dream about putting pennies on the roof of this one and got up at 5:30 a.m. one morning to do it. I wish I had dreams about doing housework.

I called the second house in the series "The Pink Chateau". I wonder where I got that inspiration?

Again with the Victorian-esque inspiration! I think the figurine came from Sparks flea market. Can't wait to hit that this spring!

And I love the red and pink combo. I can't remember if it's Romantic Homes or Country Living that features a red and pink home this month?? The story is about an English family who bought a French home and the decor is to die for. Next in the Birdie Commune series: The Tropicana Tweet Club. I think that one will go up to Sister's in Iowa. Off to work I go!

This and That

I just love this holiday shot of the boys and had to share it. I'm not the kind of mother who's gonna put my kids in matching outfits in front of a glamorous backdrop. Boy, would Brendan appreciate that. At least I wiped the pizza sauce off Dash's face before taking the picture.

I LOVE my new scale -- check it OUT!!! A very special someone who knows how much I love The Curious Sofa took a special trip there just for me to find it!!

It's just the perfect shade of light turquoise and looks really cool with the greenery.

I like to display things on top of these little scales, but for now, I just wanted to enjoy it for it's own special detail, the needle, the wavy base -- these old food scales make me happy.

I made some Santa boots and stuck one in with the wreath and the duck decoy. I got the old washtub at a flea market in Paola, KS.

I got an order this week from Sharon at Sweet Repose and she included some of her wonderful soaps, milk n' honey and lavender.

And I needed a couple more candles from Friend's Candle Shed. I got chestnuts n' brown sugar and pumpkin crunch cake. These candles fill the whole house with the greatest smells, you'd think I was actually baking something, but no.

And here I am with one of Sharon's great necklaces that I admit was supposed to be for someone else until I decided to keep it for myself. I am 40 years old today and I deserve it!

Ready for Iowa

I have my first shipment to Iowa packed up and will venture to the post office tomorrow. Thanks again to Sharon of Sweet Repose and The Junk Asylum for chiseling my stuff out of the many layers of bubble wrap and for spinning her wonderful merchandising magic to display it all. The switch plate above is made with a great brass tag I got at a show last year.

This is a tiny keepsake box. Tintypes are one of my many favorite things.



Just enough room for some tiny treasures.

And I had a baby shower for my fabulous sister-in-law today and made her this plaque that simply says "baby". The brass roses are a drawer pull. I drilled a hole in the wooden plaque and glued it in place.

And the back of the plaque done in some fun scrap booking paper. I'm working on a bird house that will be part of the next shipment but for now, a nap is the most constructive thing I will be working on.

New Creations for Iowa

I'm finishing up some custom orders and this is the latest. I made the frame in my blog header for my friend, Kara. Her aunt's dog's name is Cagney and won't the frame be cute with a pic of her pup. She wanted me to make the frame below for her grandparents, Clyde and Lois. She has a pic of them from the 40's and wants to put it in the frame -- yes, that's the 1940's!! Gives a whole new meaning to "together forever"!

Her grandmother loves her rose garden and I think the multi-colors and typewriter keys set off the blooms just right.

"Now I will tell you buster, that I ain't a fan of Custer." This frame and the switchplates are going to the Junk Asylum. My buddy, Sharon from Sweet Repose is starting up a retail space north of Davenport, Iowa and I am so excited that she's carrying my art work!!!

I'm going to put together some garden flowers (my creations made of old tin) to send up there soon. Who couldn't use some color with all this cold weather! Garden flowers will not wilt!

And I'll be busy making switch plates, too. I hope these will be popular since they are so much fun!

I also started what I call a "table plaque". It's a mosaic I'm doing on a wooden plaque that's not made to hang, but to sit on a table, get it?! My first one will be grouted tonight with pics to follow. I will make a few more things before packing it all up and sending it to the Great White North! (Iowa, that is). Stay warm!

Iowa Treasures

Well, I got all my cool finds unloaded, although not properly arranged, yet. If there's a proper way to arrange an animal skull and a decrepit doll head, that is! I thought Dash would be more freaked out by my "Cracked in the Head" nightlight than he actual is. He just thinks I'm silly.

I found all kinds of cool stuff on my adventure to Iowa.

Lots of great pictures for the wall in my living room I'm trying to fill with thrift store, flea market and antique mall finds. I found this one at Sisters Garden.

This one came from Sister's and is a Sharon Wilson find. The picture is faded to a weird iridescent glow. What a great frame on this one.

A nice collection, even a couple from that place where if Sharon told ya, she'd have to kill ya.

Great wooden reproduction bowl from Friends Candle Shed, coal bucket from that "secret location", and the spindles are from Manley's Antiques. The owner was kind enough to let us barge in long after he had gone home (upstairs from the shop!). The place was packed with amazing stuff.

I love old Santas.

The table came from Bloom. NOT functional -- the drawers stick and are warped, but who needs function when you have a sideboard like this? I can put lots of stuff on top, which is what I was interested in. Besides, my table and chairs are new and shiny and I wanted something to offset the clean stuff. Ha!

Skull is from Manley's complete with some teeth and big, giant eye sockets. Jason said I would flip if he tried to bring something like this home -- I don't think so!

Ahhhh . . . I love my new treasures. The candle is from The Shed in Muscatine and smells like carrot cake. I was going to give the baby doll to my mother-in-law, but I'm getting attached.

I love cement garden statues.

The bluish flower is a napkin ring.

These old ornaments are so cute.

I have a thing for these old scales.

And I had to include a couple more pics of my great nightlight. I may not be able to stop at just one. I guess it would be weird for the me to have one in my office.