Before & After

BEFORE.......

Old Samovar and floor lamp fixture..... With an antique ceiling cap, and sawed off Samovar cylinder...

And a center lamp nipple and wing nut....

With a few more added parts...

Some paint, vintage teacups and saucers and candles, and it's done.......(it's not actually crooked....just my lack of photography skills :)

AFTER

Have a beautiful Sunday,

xo,

jana

A Sweet Pink Saturday

I look forward to Saturdays because I get to share the beautiful pink things that have made their way into my life over the years......and for someone that really didn't like this color for the majority of my life, I find it very curious that I now have so very much of it.....hmmm, gotta wonder what that's all about.....

This is an old wooden box I made over 15 years ago. It is covered in antique tea stained laces and adorned with my Grandmother's broken costume jewelry. The beaded pieces are from my daughter's competition skating dresses. The jewelry had so much meaning and the beading was just priceless as it represents so much time and so many memories. The box holds a journal I wrote in during a very difficult year of my life.....it's all just very precious to me for so many different reasons.

And, of course, my absolute favorite saying......

Then there is my collection of crocheted hearts.....although I have over 50, these are the only two pink ones, and my favorites as well.

This sweet little lavender organza sachet is something I'm making to attach to clothing hangers for your closet as they are a natural moth repellant.

Then there is my reproduction "wannabe" yard long Paul De Longpre. I have always wanted one of the antique lithographs in it's original frame, but just can't make myself pay that much for the water stained pieces on Ebay. Maybe I'll just buy a Christie Repasey instead......one of these days ;)

I thank Beverly, our wonderful weekly host, for keeping up with all the "pinks and participants." If you share our love of the color pink, use the button on my sidebar and see what the others have for you this week.....it's always like a big pink hug!

xo,

jana

Barbara Jean's Teabag Roses

I love to visit Barbara Jean at Treasures from the Heart because she has so many really wonderful ideas....and ones that can be completed fairly quickly and with much reward for your time. When I saw her tea bag roses I knew I had to try one.......I make roses out of everything and this was a new one on me! I must admit, I am not much of a reader......more of an observer and inspector, wanting to figure it out for myself. Well, the one problem I had with doing that here is I didn't realize you were supposed to dump the tea leaves out of the wet bags and open the papers to dry....which when done correctly, allows the paper to dry quickly. Oh, no.....I left the entire tea bag in a small saucer for what seemed like days expecting the whole thing to dry....and all the time struggling with my sweet man because he wanted to throw them away.....well, it pays to read instructions and when I did it right, the project went very quickly. I also took my cue from Barbara Jean and used them on a frame......this was actually because I found a 5x7 ceramic frame next to my dumpster out back and wanted to be the one to "save" it, as the artist in all of us does. So my tea bag roses became a frame project as well. The thing I really love about recreating someone elses art is the fact that it never looks quite the same....which is a good thing, right? We all put our own spin on it, allowing ours to always look just a little different.....my roses are much larger.....but, in my defense, I am a Texas Girl! Visit Barbara Jean here for a look at her beautiful work and the instructions on how to recreate her creative tea bag roses......( The picture in the frame is simply a lining behind the glass....you would actually be able to insert your own picture here....this just looks prettier for display.)

I hope you also try Barbara Jean's little tea bag roses......it is such a wonderful idea for repurposing and a precious idea!

xo,

jana

Quick Project Thursday #4

Welcome to the fourth Quick Project Thursday where I share, of all things, "quick projects" ;) I found this little "bronzed" (but I actually think it's copper dipped) shoe last week. I had never seen a Mary Jane shoe done this way and fell in love. I thought it would be precious just as it is with paper clips on your desk, but have always loved unusual pincushions as well. The project was very simple and took about 45 minutes to complete. It's a great way to reuse these wonderful little treasures.......even though you never knew the child who once wore the little shoe....here goes......

1. Cut a rectangle piece of fabric for the under layer of your pincushion, sewing up three of the four sides.

2. Stuff the little "pillow" very tightly with fiberfill or cotton working it down into the shoe form with the open side down against the inside sole of the shoe.

3. Poke your finger down in the shoe and up and under the stuffing, pushing it up tightly against the top for a taunt surface for the pins to stick into.

4. Cut a square of lace or overlay sheer fabric to cover the pincushion with and tuck it down over the pincushion pillow into the sides of the shoe, allowing enough inside to be glued in place.

5. Working quickly....run a small bead of hot glue around the edges of the shoe and hold the fabric cushion in place until tightly inside....do this in sections if you like.

6. Adorn the front center of the shoe, if desired, with little millinery flowers or ribbon.

Viola' ....you're done!

And you end up with a precious little one of a kind pincushion.....or even use it for paperclips and such......very easy and "just too cute"!

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to join us next week..
...we'd love to have you.

xo, jana

White Wednesday......

This week I wanted to share the three lace purses I have finally finished. Although I have another ten underway, they all share the same common denominator, which is the large organza handmade rose and the beautiful vintage and antique laces. The purses vary in shape and size, with the largest being a "bucket" purse, and the smallest a small miser bag......all carry the Heart & Soul label.........

Although I don't sell my organza roses individually, Audrey of Mlle de Sombreuil does. She is located within my shoppe and has a very good eye.....and wonderful items for sale as well, including the lapel rose shown here. Her blog is all new, and she is just now working on it, but you can sneak a quick peek here to see some of her amazing creativity......she's already a favorite within the store, and it is clear to see why!

Thank you for stopping by today to see what I've been up to.....the shoppe is currently having a really big sale, and fortunately, I have been very busy all weekend. Still, I have missed keeping up with all of you and also, keeping you posted on things in general.

If you want to see more soothing whites today....jump over to Faded Charm using the button on my sidebar and you will have a day's worth of visual stimulation....it's always a feast for the eyes what these wonderfully creative women share each and every week.

For any of you that keep up with the monthly giveaway, I am sorry to say that I just can't keep up with it anymore. It doesn't mean I won't still have giveaways along the way, but I no longer have the time to do it justice....goodness, it took me four weeks just to ship poor Rose's winnings to her....and that's just not right. So, rather than do it badly, I think it best to not do it at all.......thanks for understanding. I am still hosting the Quick Project Thursday, so if you would like to join in that, just let me know to include you and grab my button to the right.

Make your day great...

xo, jana