Showing posts with label madonna. Show all posts
Showing posts with label madonna. Show all posts

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Time in the Studio...



Hi Bloggie Friends,

Christmas time is almost upon us.  Yikes!  I am so incredibly behind.  One reason is I've been spending more time in my studio which is a good thing.  I made these pretty little altered boxes which hold what I am calling prayer ribbons/bookmarks.

Each one is different.  I altered the boxes which were vintage pharmacy boxes with vintage wallpaper and antique paper, lace on some, ribbons on others, a beautiful image of either Mary or Mary and Jesus, and, of course, a little glitter. Finally, a special word was added.

The medals came from France and the beads are all vintage from my stock of treasures.

The crinkle on the ribbon part is intentional.  Hope people "get" that. WINK...




These little pretties are available in my Etsy shop Elegant Farmhouse and would make a great gift for either yourself or someone else.  Hope all is merry and bright wherever you are.

Sharing with Feathered Nest Friday.

Until next time,

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Friday, November 15, 2013

Beautiful Prayer Shrines


Just a quick little check in to let you know there are more beautiful prayer shrines up in my Etsy shop Elegant Farmhouse.  These are SO pretty with their French Nordic influence and antique materials. They would make a great gift for yourself or someone special.  My pictures do not do them justice.  These are my original designs and each one is one of a kind, created with love and much attention to every detail.












Until next time,
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Monday, August 26, 2013

Playing in My Studio

Hi Bloggie Friends,

I am so excited to show you what I've been up to these last few days.  I took a couple of days off this week to celebrate my birthday (yes, 39 AGAIN!) and decided that my number one priority was to go to my studio and create.  I can't tell you how good it felt...I made these pretty little hearts with beautiful images of Madonna and Baby Jesus.  They didn't start out this cute...they were rather gawdy bright gold and bright silver Christmas ornaments but they had great bones, so I had to pick them up a while back.  I did some magic with Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint in a few different whites and layered clear wax followed by the dark wax and then added the beautiful prints which made my heart sing.  


I'm pleased with how they turned out and would like to do up some more if I can locate the hearts again.  In the meantime, I will be listing these this week in my Etsy shop, Elegant Farmhouse.  I also had some fun with some old tintype or daguerreotype cases.  Although I love them in their original state, I just had an idea that these would be great altered to be a little shrine. I keep one by my bed as a reminder to quiet down and just BE once in a while amidst the whirlwind that is my life.  I hope you like them.  I may put one in my Etsy shop and if it sells quickly, I will definitely be on the lookout for some more to "do up".  They are usually pretty pricey, but I am willing to hold out for a price that is affordable-a fixer-upper is fine with me since I am altering them anyway. 
 


This case is so beautiful...almost looks like a stylized cross or perhaps a stained glass window.


This one started out so sad looking but was transformed with a little love and effort.  The same can happen in our lives, oui? 



I am in love with this case.  It has such beautiful detail.


I have missed you all.  I hope your summer was fun and that your fall will be beautiful.  Don't forget to take a little time out to do something that makes your heart sing.  You'll be glad you did!  I'm sharing this week at Blissful Whites Wednesday,  What's It Wednesday, Feathered Nest Friday, and Shabbylicious Friday.

Until next time,
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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Poor Me...A Tale of Gratitude

Hello Bloggie Friends,

I have been feeling every so slightly put upon lately.  Not horribly, but just a little whiney.  Not enough time to devote to my Etsy shop.  Poor me...Not enough time to make art.  Poor me...House always needs cleaning.  Poor me...Summer is going by lickety split and I feel like I haven't soaked up enough of it.  Poor me...Not enough time to do my blogging (reading or posting)...yep, you got it...POOR ME!

So today, I was walking to work on a particularly lovely summer day here in Colorado.  I'm lucky that I get to be close enough to walk to work, especially on a perfect sunny day, not too hot, not too cold, but like Goldilocks said, "just right".  As I walked, I passed all of these gorgeous flowers on my way and had to catch a shot with my cell phone.  That's pretty awesome.  I also ran into 2 neighbor friends and got to exchange a few words with these lovely ladies on my way.  That made me smile.
When I got to work, I passed by a couple of our beautiful statues at the hospital.  Pardon the glass glare as they had to be encased to protect them from vandals (UGH!).  Glass and all, I find them so beautiful and serene.  Hard to be in a bad mood when looking at these precious, almost life sized figures.

Playing with my phone editing.  Not too bad for a quick effect...


The color of the Madonna's cloak is just the same as the robin eggs we have in a nest out in our hanging geranium plant on my back porch.  LOVE it!


When I got to work, I opened up my office and was greeted by the roses I'd brought in the day before.  They smelled SOOOO good.

How can you not smile with these pretty faces looking up at you?

By the time I put my purse down and got ready to get busy, I was feeling pretty darn happy and blessed.  All of this attitude enhancing goodness AND did I mention that I got to work right on time?  No more "poor me's" for this girl.  I'll get to the stuff I need to do when I get to it.  It will get done, even if not as soon as I would like.
All in all, I'd say I had a great start to my day and the rest of the day was not too shabby either.  I hope you take the time to notice the goodness all around you.  It'll change your life...or at least your day!

Until next time,
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Sunday, May 19, 2013

A Beautiful Spring Sunday...


Wishing you and your loved ones a blessed Sunday. 



Until next time,
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Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Treasures from the Junkin' Junket


Hello Friends,

As promised, I have some pictures of some of the pretties I found while out "junkin".  OK, I wish I could say I got these at junk prices, but truthfully, most everything is from antique malls and shows, so no real bargains to be had, but it is fun stuff anyway.

These old Victorian picture albums always intrigue me, but they are usually in rough shape.  Not this beauty though.  The cover is perfect save a little wear on the corners.  And it is such a pretty design. The fabric is velvet and the picture in the center is on celluloid.  I don't know for sure how I want to use it, but I'll let you know if and when something brilliant comes to me.


The clasps are usually broken, but this one is in perfect shape and is so pretty, don't you think?


These little bobbins just intrigued me with their color and their obvious connection to sewing.  I grew up doing needlework with my mom and she always sewed all of our clothes and hers as well.  Every seam was perfect, every pattern lined up exactly.  My mom was an amazing seamstress, so anything  sewing related always kind of draws me in.


This bottle is very cool.  It is an old toilet water bottle.  It still has it's top although I think part of it may be missing.


The best part is it is from Paris.  Very cool, oui?


The little cafe au lait bowl was an Etsy find that arrived from France this week.  It is OLD and soooooo pretty with its little purple flowers.  It looks great on the French booklet I found at an antique mall.


These nifty pieces of celluloid are headed to my art stash.  They are Japanese and I am guessing they are maybe from a factory that never finished making them into their final product?  I've only seen this type of work in vintage jewelry, like pendants and bangles.


This is a bangle that I have in my own jewelry box that is made from this type of 3 dimensional celluloid.  It is so romantic and lovely.  I only wear it now and again for fear I will break it, but I love it anyway.


I found these little tiny cups at the thrift store.  They are very old English paste porcelain.  I can't tell you how to distinguish this type of porcelain, I can only tell you that once you get a feel for how it looks and feels, you will be able to recognize it too.  A lot of the old transferware pieces that I love were made this way.


After my lace organizing task, you'd think I'd have realized I have enough old lace, but I just can't resist it when I see it for a reasonable price.  Same with vintage millinery flowers.  I don't care if they're shabby, they will look great on an art journal or on something else.  Love the little appliques, pincushion, and glass buttons, too.


OK, as popular as religious items are now, thanks to the Jeanne d'Arc French Nordic phenomenon, how cool is it that I found an original 100 year old Madonna plaque???  The plaque is made with some type of plaster and the image almost looks like it is printed on metal.  It has a date of 1902 on it.  I'm thinking of replicating this one of these days.  I'll let you know if I have some luck with it.


And while we're on the subject of the Virgin Mary, look who whispered in my ear that she would very much like to live at my home?


She is chalkware, so she's chippy and her paint colors are muted, and she basically stole my heart.  I may sell her one day, but not today.  For now, she will bring peace and tranquility to my abode.


This tiny cast iron urn turned my head.  I think it may have a future in a vignette under a cloche; what do you think?


So, that is the majority of my tresors acquired over the last couple of weeks.  There are a few more, but this post is long enough as it is, so maybe another time.  Hope you all are finding your own treasures and inspiration as well as enjoying the beautiful spring weather.  Do tell, what's inspiring you today?

Until next time,

Linking up with:
What's It Wednesday
Vintage Inspiration Friday
Feathered Nest Friday
French Obsession Party
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