Memorial Day

"It is foolish and wrong to morn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived."- General George S. Patton

To the Beach and Back!

Ahhhh..... this past weekend I was able to escape for approximately 24 hrs. and it was worth every second! The weather was absolutely beautiful, the company was delightful and the memories are priceless. It could not have been more picture perfect! Speaking of pictures, while we were in Morehead, we stumbled upon an art exhibit along the waterfront and caught an eye full. This painting is by a lovely local artist, Pene diMaio, who's art is truly reflective of her easy going, approachable personality. Not only does she paint beautiful landscapes, she spices it up with paintings such as this one. LOVE IT!!! If you have the chance, please visit her web site: http://www.pdimaio.com/
Then, as I strolled in and out of the other exhibitor's tents, I found this little "reclaimed" goodie. Who would have thought to recycle bottle caps and transform them into earrings! These are awesome and I love the nautical theme! How apropos and what a perfect souvenir to remember this trip!

After returning home from my cursory journey to the sea shore, I of course had to have a reality check and make a trip to the grocery store aka: Wal-Mart. As I turned the corner, I discovered this vintage beauty. Where have you been all my life? Is she not fabulous?! The color is a perfect vintage blue/ green with slightly cream tinted finders, as if it had a perfect aged patina circa 1950. The extra wide brown seat looks so comfortable! The only thing missing here is a woven basket and a bell on the handlebars to ring in summertime. Ring, Ring, Ring!!!!!

A Belated Mother's Day..........sorry!

Even though my career/job status is temporarily on hold, you would think I could do something as simple as get my mother-in-laws Mother's day gift in the mail on time. Well, the answer is no! The beginning of the week last week I had all intentions of finishing and things were moving quite well I might add, then tragedy struck. The rest of my week was emotionally consumed and physically strained due to caring for my eldest dog. He is okay now, a slight head tilt, but still good to go. Anyway, I finally finished on Thursday and shipped it UPS. Unfortunately it will not arrive until Tuesday. Here are the fruits of my labor:

Don't you love the packaging? Kisses, because the tin is a Hersey's Kiss tin! Damn I am good! I am really pleased with the finished product. The more of these little girls I make the easier it is to plan out their assembly (the hardest part).

Her party hat is the old thimble I found at the Raleigh flea market and the top of it is a cuff link with the monogram "M". That took some looking to find just the right little personal added touch.

I love her swishy swanky skirt! That too I found at the flea market. It is a rusty tiny tart tin, which I bent in half so it would flair out and make the skirt. The bow is a vintage broach!

I must admit, I was a bit reluctant to use a round tin, but in retrospect I am glad I did. Her proportions balanced out quite lovely in the end. Tell me what you think. Write a comment or please become a follower. Thank you!!!

p.s. Mom, if you are reading this I have not mailed your gift either. Maybe you could get it when you come for a visit next month? Love you!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's day, originally uploaded by Anita Ja

If there is one common thread that unites us all, it is that we all have a mother. Mothers are everywhere in our lives and they are presented to us in many forms: biological, adoptive, step-mothers, mother-in-laws, grandmothers, close friends, caretakers, etc. no matter their appearance or title, they all mold and touch our lives to make us the people we are today, as well as who we aspire to become in the future. This day is dedicated to my mother, as well as the substitute mothers I have met thus far in my journey in life.

To LIBERTY, I just want it all!

A couple of weekends ago I came to the conclusion, that before I left NC I had to travel to the famous, twice a year extravaganza known as the Liberty Antique Festival! Story goes, that it is a sprawling venue (acres), littered with tents just bursting at the seams with one-of-a-kind, can't live without, antiques! How could I resist the temptation! Now, what do I need to do to get there?

Being a novice attendee, I called upon a friend of mine who I was sure could show me the ropes. First, she said that we needed to leave at least by 4:30 am in order to get there, park and wait in the line. Phew, I get up early, but I usually do not start my day with a two hr. tour up and around Raleigh. Anxiety fueled perseverance was coursing through my veins and ........I went.

Above, is the "golden (actually pink) ticket" to enter the premises. I held tight to it in my hand, though it slowly withered with the thick dew that surrounded us, after all we were standing in some farmer's empty field. You could see just the tops of the tents blowing in the wind and through the slats in the fence, people were trying to sneak a peek at what awaited on the other side. Finally, the horn blew and everyone marched into the tent city. This is were I would be posting the awesome pictures that I took on my new, top of the line, smarter that me, touch phone but sadly (or is it ignorantly) I am unable to download them to my email!!! Why is technology so fascinating yet frustrating?

Anyway, this is a quick look at my Liberty "loot". As you can see, there is a bit of a Halloween theme going on here. I purchased three silver trumpet vases, two vintage pumpkins, three talcum powder tins, cuff links, a Marie Antoinette mask, an old gentleman's top hat and two hands/ glove forms.

I about died when I saw the top hat and immediately knew I had to have it to place on my skeleton for Halloween. Then, I saw the mask!!!! LOVE IT! Marie Antoinette is so hot right now in all the crafting magazines. I could not believe no one had already bought it! Will it not look precious wrapped around a pumpkin?...maybe a pumpkin with a tag around the stem saying "Let them eat cake!"

These hand forms are totally WOW! Although I cannot take credit for discovering them, my friend that went with me found them after I had left, called me and asked I would be interested. The white porcelain one is labeled Paris: Extra Small and the slate gray is for forming latex gloves! You can also write in chalk on it! How cool is that?

I plan to transform the old soap tin into one of my "altered art" dolls and the gun cuff links will be the perfect accessory for a Western themed doll.

Finally, two talc tins and a vintage plastic light up jack-o-lantern. I am so inspired to start creating for Halloween!!! The trip was wonderful and has refueled my creative juices. I just want to create!!