Friday, March 23, 2012

NEW PENDANTS.

So ok - the one pictured is mine.

I make the silverware handle bracelets. I love them and have some STUNNING ones in process. I gather the silver and silverplate from all kinds of sources. In the rambling and purchasing and discovering, I often end up with some random "single" items. I have amassed a small stash of them and decided to make pendant drops from them.
I also have a confession to make. The first several of all of the creations were 100% Made by Me. Not any more. The Crusty Old Guy (TCOG) has become my helper on many things MaggieGrace. So now I guess I should say WE make these.

So TCOG cut and drilled some of these for me, I polished and added the jump rings and in this case the little green beaded pearl drop.

I'm in love with these. I just took another one over to my booth at Junk in the Trunk. (it doesn't have a bead).



Note - I am modeling this one and I love it. I took it as mine, but could be persuaded to part with it for the right money.

The little charms on the top chain are not going anywhere. The silver one was from MaryAnn and it says survivor The beads have significance to me. I never take this one off.

I decided to play a little in the freebie www.befunky.com photo editing stuff and took the above photo and reworked it to this one.....




It shows the detail of the engraving much better.


I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend. Me --- I am gonna try to open my doors and windows and enjoy some spring cleaning......... wish me luck.


Wednesday, March 21, 2012

about the linen

The linen I showed you yesterday was left from a long long ago work project. We were doing a huge mural for a trade show and need to paint the mural on art canvas. We could not find one that was pre-primed with gesso, so I searched and found the tight weave linen at an art supply store. We mounted the lined to our backdrop and I snagged the trimmings (imagine that)

Fast forward 21 years and I have a more clearly defined "creative style" that includes the natural colors and love of texture that the linen has. Plus I have a tiny little booth at a shop here in Athens, where I sell junk finds, some vintage stuffs, and my creations.

These creations include the silverware bracelets and collage spoon pendants.

Well, I have had the bracelets simply lying on a tray and well, seems losers are everywhere, so I have had a little issue with the ease of people being able to simply pick them up and walk out with them. So I start pondering..... and searching. and I find bracelet displays like the one pictured below.......



Ok my friends --- does that "look" like "me"....

I'm thinking absolutely not.

I work in a plumbing store --- and well ---there is access to  plumbing pipe fittings. I mention an idea to the Crusty Old Guy and the next morning, a really pretty (insert rolls eyes and sarcastic tone one the really pretty) stand appears on my desk. PVC PIPE - ELBOWS - TEES - CAPS are not all that attractive.

(If you don't believe me crawl under your house with all the spider webs, snakes, and those camel crickets, and take a look)

The idea was perfect in theory, but how to make it look like my stuffs ---- hmmmm???

I set it for a few and pondered.

On Saturday I woke up and I just knew what I was going to do. Enter ModPodge, book pages, batting, LINEN and lace.


ModPodge the fittings --- with book pages.




Hand stitch padded Linen sleeves around the pipe. Accent with stunning vintage lace.

And all of a sudden ---- we have a MaggieGrace looking bracelet stand.



Now I know all of you jewelry makers want one of these bad boys.......

The best thing about it --- cheap and easy --- and it comes apart at all the connections so I can change the look quickly if I choose to.

I'm loving it myself.

(PLEASE -- please don't flood my comment section with requests for yours. These are custom made display stands and it may take me a bit to catch up with the demands ---------- *** giggles and grins go here ***)

Have a wonderful afternoon.

Monday, March 19, 2012

there is a story......

Behind each of these pictures........

The first one is easy to figure out.

It is "painted toenail" weather in Georgia........

Oh and those are "fresh cut weeds" I am standing in.



I worked on this display over my weekend ---

Nubby linen - a 21 year old scrap (not joking). I was pregnant with Molly when i worked on the original project this came from. Lace from my buddy, Maryann. Book page scraps from making snowflakes. Glue. Handstitiching in the sun in the porch swing. Love that it turned out exactly as I pictured it.



Then there are these ---- buttons. Lots of them. That really is the biggest story. I'll share it in a few days.


 Raesha and Julie - I have not forgotten your goodies. Watch the mail.

Warm wood tones and a serious project the Crusty Old Guy is working on. Key word in that beautiful phrase (working).



You guys have a wonderful day.

Love.

Monday, March 12, 2012

I do still make stuff

I have been doing things. I've been cleaning and putting away stuff. I've been creating some things. I've been junking for some supplies. I've been playing. I've spent time with friends. And with my mama. I've done a bit of creating things for the booth at Junk in the Trunk.

One thing I've been doing is painting these letters. The wooden letters were given to me by a friend - not really any words just various letters. I am painting them and finishing them randomly. The letter "P" below was stained with semigloss black stain and finish in one. After it dried, I spritzed it with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist route 66 - a special edition color. (I MUST order some more I love this one)

After I spritzed it, I shake and sling and generally get the glimmer mist on me and almost everything around. then I may spritz again. Then I dry it with the low setting on a hairdryer. I think it looks like rained on wood. After it's dry, I spray it with clear spray sealer.

I have done other with different paint and shaking and come up with totally different results.

What do you think???



I create these randomly, but as I was setting them up I noticed that I could give a reasonable idea of a word (yes, I know that is an ampersand) that why I said reasonable idea.

Got some red paint to do some as well.



I also love me some pinterest. I have several boards and on one of them I have pinned this.


Well - it was haunting me. I had picked up some chipboard books at Michaels (in the dollar bins).

I jumped on the idea and covered them with paper. Then added some buttons and lace. See below my take on the necklace displays.

I bundled the chain in the back and tied it with cotton thread.


Draped the chain over the points and voila.



By adding button magnets to the back, I was able to hang them on the tin that I screwed to the booth wall. ( I marked the board as NOT FOR SALE since they are a bit of a pain to assemble)

But boy do I like how they look on that wall.






I'll be pinning this picture to my "my booth at junk" and "inspired by a pin" boards. Thank you so much to SmartAleckStudio for this wonderful idea.


Have a great day. I promise I'll be back.


Friday, March 09, 2012

Speed of Light

Busy - busy - busy.

Been missing in action of late. But I wanted to drop in a few pretty pictures and let you know I haven't complete dropped off the face of the earth.

With picnik going away, I have been playing with the features of Befunky.com editing software.

I like it - I may even upgrade to have more options on this one.

Here are some photo edits.


Right off the camera - double rainbow.


double rainbow after editing --- love the moodiness this takes on


A tribute to a man's life. The funeral procession for Hugh James.



Adding a little vintage color and an old viewfinder mask. (I have fallen in love with the viewfinder mask feature)




Right off the camera at an old house here in athens that is being remodeled --- yes the porch floor is purple AND the body of the house is mint green.


Cropped - color saturation enhanced - blur edges.  This is now my facebook profile picture.


This is the photo above with a grunge overlay. I likes this too.


A different overlay - I may order some moo cards with this image.


I am not exactly a Twilight fan, but this edit seems to give that feel to the picture.

It's almost the weekend --- gonna be a busy one ---- love all.