Happy New Years!

Don your party hats people and get ready...at 12am we will be entering 2012. Make this year as memorable as you can, laugh harder, love fiercer, and remember that if you want something all you need to do is pursue it. People are 'extra ordinary machines' and there's nothing like a new year to bring on a rebirth of how you live your life! How will you be bringing in the new year? 

Don't forget how fabulous you are! Happy News Years!!

-E

Clocks

The loss of clock faces because of technology is a huge tragedy to me. Not even just the faces, but the brilliance of the mechanics behind the faces. I promise you this, taking a digital watch apart is not nearly as beautiful as a traditional watch.

If you are purchasing a watch I encourage you to get a traditional one, there is something very lovely about the knowledge it will always spin round and round symbolizing renewal and the promise of another summer, Christmas, tomorrow, noon, etc.

-E

Place Cards ~

 Here are some simple but sweet place cards, enjoy!

 

A few posts ago I preached my love of rubber stamps and I meant it!! Go buy an alphabet and a world of possibilities will open up. Now these took a little time, but all in all not very labor intensive.

Here's a little added inspiration as well! These would look darling on this table.

this masterpiece is featured here

            -E

                                                                            

Beautiful Lyrics

My friend turned me onto The Civil Wars a few months ago and I am simply in love with this song. You need to turn your volume up as loud as it can go, and just listen to the words.

You only know what I want you to

                                     I know everything you don't want me to

Oh your mouth is poison, your mouth is wine

You think your dreams are the same as mine

Oh I don't love you but I always will

Oh I don't love you but I always will

Oh I don't love you but I always will

I always will

I wish you'd hold me when I turn my back

The less I give the more I get back

Oh your hands can heal, your hands can bruise

I don't have a choise but I'd still choose you

Oh I don't love you but I always will [x7]

I always will [x5]

-E

Book Pages

My freshman year of high school we read Once and Future King. Somehow I ended up with an extra copy and it was the beginning of my appreciation of the beauty of books in art. I papered my walls with the pages, made jewelry and art with them. 

This post is about how books are not only valuable to read, but to create and be inspired by!  

This is a shout out to you Once and Future King ~ for papering my life for that past 5 1/2 years! 

[Jewelry bag wrapping]

[Wrapping cigar boxes makes a great coffee table piece, you can buy them for a few bucks at a smoke shop]

[The boxes also doubled as jewelry displays]

[Papering my walls]

-E

Apothecary Bottles

Here is a project I have been itching to do for ages, but mi madre beat me to the punch. Hats off to my mom, she did a beautiful job.

Glass bottles are a small obsession of mine, and whenever I go to the thrift store I gravitate toward the glass section...it just has so much stuff with potential! They are normally jam packed with these small bottles. For these Gypsy apothecary bottles you just need:

1) Copper Tape

2) Glass bottles

3) Stones, shells, pieces of interest

4) Soldering material

                    

Bust out your copper tape people, and secure to the top of the bottle and the tip of the object you want to attach. When I first got into soldering the lady at the store told me that the more time I spend pressing the tape the better it will turn out. Remember to flux before you solder as well! 

-E

Happy Christmas!

Merry Christmas all! Next stop: New Years! 

Noel

Snowman photo credit to Mr. James Fanucchi, check out his photography here!

-E

Christmas Presents Part III

Here is my pride and joy of that 10 dollar lot and the product of my terrarium inspiration. Here you go!

As mentioned before, I bought this lamp and gutted it, planning on using the structure as my jar. I wanted something unique and one of a kind.

       

Now to the succulents, check out here too see how to pick them out~

            

I went into the backyard a collected a box of dirt, and loaded it in. Figure out the placing of your plants by fooling around with it, there's no right or wrong. 

[Needed a little planting help...turns out I don't have much of a green thumb]. 

If you have any questions, comments, or crafts of your own I would LOVE to see...post below! 

-E

Christmas Presents Part Two: Crystal Terrarium

Hey all! Here is a little teaser for the next and last Christmas Present post. Enjoy!

Once again we have another member of the ten dollar lot, check out what else came out of it here and here. Now this is a unique piece in that I believe it was hand crafted. They are panels of glass soldered together with copper tape.

Because it was bottomless and I wanted to use it as a plant holder I used a square of tin and soldered it with the same copper tape used to put the piece together [soldered bottom not pictured].

             

 

Next came one of the best parts...picking out the succulents! When picking out plants for a terrarium you are looking for small hardy little plants so they don't outgrow their home too swiftly! Have fun with this, select plants with different colors, textures, leaf shapes, and heights.  

              

-E

Christmas Presents Part One: Stacked Light Bulbs

December is my favorite month in the year, hands down. I love how much happier everyone seems, especially the week before Christmas.

I'm going to break up my Christmas present posts, and here is part uno of the installment!

How To: Probably my best find of the season was this rusty and dusty gem (part of the 10 dollar lot that also had the treasure box) it was the gift that kept on giving:

I originally had one purpose for this lamp, I wanted to strip it and use it as a terrarium, but then I saw how much more potential it had. This leads me into my biggest belief: Do not throw pieces away!! This is probably why I have so much random stuff, but I always end up finding a purpose for it.

Anyway I put aside all of the bits that I stripped (even the rusty screws that appeared useless) and a few days later the light bulb went on (ha...ha..)      

                 

                      

By reusing the screws used to put the lamp together I could secure the top pieces of the lamp.

I needed the tray attached to the stand made from the top of the lamp, so I called in the big guns...thanks Papa!

[If I didn't have access to my amazing grandfather I probably would have resorted to copper tape and my soldering gun. But his soldering gun was cooler.]

oh and super glue has never let me down either.

Viola! 

                   

 

I washed up the old light bulbs from the lamp and busted out the super glue. WARNING: You can totally glue you fingers to the tube and it hurts to get off.

Let it dry, place light bulbs inside this (another member of the 10 dollar lot):

(it was on top of a really tacky light fixture so I nabbed it)

Put it all together and you've got:  

-E