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I am sure a few of my readers have a similar throw that Granny made back in 1978. I want you all to know this crochet blanket goes with nothing in my home. That is....until last week end when we went swimwear shopping! Look how cute this girls bikini is with the same color scheme- brown, yellow, hot pink and lime! I know...that's why I'm filing this under the something different category.
Here's some baby chicks with an Easter Greeting for you. Happy Easter! I always like the hope and the promise of new things to come in Spring....some new babies, flowers and laughs, for sure!
I'm really late decorating this year. Fortunately last year we made these pretty thread-wrapped eggs and they held up very well. This idea was inspired by an old issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. It's a lot harder than it looks to wrap embroidery floss around the Styrofoam egg using glue to keep it in place. The glue gets stuck to your fingers as you wrap so you must be very patient. My other comment is that this process takes a lot of thread. I also tried out some vintage trim and I think it's very cute with the little button anchor at the top. Here's a link to other MS egg decorating ideas. I didn't see this project at first glance but I am also in a rush to get to the grocery store soon.
My display tip: We only made 4 of these eggs. So I positioned the branches in a tall vase and placed it in front of a mirror for extra impact. You can probably think of many possibilities using the mirror such as eggs, candles, and glass for some nice effects.
These are solid trim eggs. These eggs were created by winding the trim into an egg shape. Yes, I have lots of it. I have an incredible collection of vintage braid, trim and lace. The wider varieties don't make egg shapes very well. I love bringing out my trim eggs around Easter. This year I set some in glass cups, parfait dishes and even an Italian yogurt jar for a casual display on my mantel. I also like the way the bright trim eggs look in my natural baskets. These eggs never break or go bad. Every once in a while I think about making something else with them. I hope you enjoy them too.
Here’s a sweet vintage greeting reminding everyone to wear green today! I like the idea that everyone can be a wee but Irish today. It makes me smile.
I found a perfect lucky charm yesterday at the San Francisco Gem Faire at Fort Mason. It’s an actual 4 leaf clover dipped in gold. This little charm would be a thoughtful gift, don't you agree? I’m wearing it with my green crochet cardigan layered over a cotton tee. I feel lucky today! I have to tell you more about the Gem Faire later. Here's a schedule for the Faire if you're interested. I found some very nice items that I will offer on ebay soon!
I've got to get to the Annie Leibovitz exhibit at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. The work is so exceptional. Click here for a description. I'm sure you will agree this is going to be amazing! The Legion of Honor is one of my favorite locations in the city with it's art deco style and dramatic views of the ocean.
Sadly, I'm going to miss the de Young's wonderful salute to spring, Bouquets to Art this year. The Bouquets to Art exhibit features luxurious floral arrangements placed in the museum viewing galleries. Hopefully this annual tradition will be back in 2009. If you were able to see this please leave me comments on the show. Here's an idea of what I missed- fabulous work!
I discovered a whole collection of Art Bars on the chocolate wall at our local sweet shop. When I saw that the bar is organic, Swiss chocolate and proceeds go to art education I decided to try it. Also on the wrapper it said a collectible art reproduction card would be enclosed. So there is a bit of intrigue. My daughters scoffed at my expensive chocolate bar but they won’t mind when I share a bit of it. I wanted to open it today while everyone was at school but I thought it is better to share something like this.And it was worth the wait. It’s an excellent quality chocolate bar! You can find out more about Art Bar at this link. We tried the milk chocolate. And the art reproduction card was an interesting piece from a woman named Mary Hambleton. I went to her site and found some images I enjoy. I'm particularly fond of the dots and round shapes she uses in her pieces. I think I’ll try another Art Bar soon, most likely the dark chocolate bar because nobody likes dark except me! So if you see an Art Bar, go ahead and indulge!
Here’s a wonderful way to put those elegant ladies on display. First, I created a collage of some of my vintage lady images in my favorite photo editing tool, Adobe Photoshop. Then I painted some blank papier-mache boxes using acrylic paint. I chose a jet black for the outside of the box due to my philosophy that a touch of black makes things more sophisticated. I chose a deep royal blue for the box interior. I made 2 boxes using this square collage. The other box was larger than the one shown here. I measured the boxes and used Photoshop to get the size just right before I printed them out on matte paper. Then I used artist's adhesive spray to mount the paper on the box lid. The final step was a coat of shellac. The box made a perfect container for my friend’s gift. I secured it with a fancy black ribbon.
I want to make more of these boxes using different images. The only trouble is that when I went to the art supply store I had a hard time finding blank boxes that were up to par in quality. If you look for papier-mache boxes be sure to test out the lids and make sure they fit properly on the boxes. I'm picky about this. I wasn't able to find more than 3 at one time that met my standards. If you know any stores in the S.F. Bay Area that I can check, please leave me a comment. My other idea is to make my own box!
