Warehouse Gazing

Wondering through a giant warehouse that excepts everything as donations and sales them for the Florida Sheriff's Boys Ranch.  You can find everything here even if it is broken.  But to upcycle or recycle it is the best place around.  It is also tax excempt.  

Bottom pic is one of the ladies that courteously let me take her picture as I told her she would be featured on my blog.

Creating Pendants

Looking around this afternoon at some creative pendants that I like very much and hope to try and make my version of each.  Long flowing pendants over a sweater is one of my favorites and hope to have some made by fall and winter.

Go into your junk drawer and start chaining bits and pieces to see what you can come up with.

Happy crafting and creating today and tomorrow.   Thanks for looking, Marie

Caligraphy Reused

A few things upcycled from caligraphy papers and turned into great things to use or wear.

I have become fascinated with old hand writing papers while extracting info from old courthouse records  researching our genealogy.

The long clear earrings are from anotheruse shop on etsy.com.

Gather old papers,letter,documents and even postcards to make delightful, useful items.

White Pears

The bottom pic are the ones I made.

White pears are becoming very popular in home decor especially if you like vintage,cottage or french country.

I have been experimenting with making some white pears for my shop on etsy.

Southern touches will soon have the bottom pic listed and they are stark white pears upcycled from vintage pears that have a natural stem look and rustic white coated paper mache outer layers.

I first put three layers of torn white paper over vintage plastic pears and dried 24 hrs. Then I gave them 3 coats of stark white acrylic craft paint and let dry in between coats.  Using fine steel wool I gave them a brushing all over thinning in random spots.

I think they turned out nicely for a small bowl or basket display.

Renewed Kitchen

My kitchen is getting a facelift. The colors for so many years waere beige and primary colors.  I have painted the cabinets stark white enamel  with a beige wainscot around the walls and added black and white vintage adornments.  All white dishes and lots and lots of milkglass. I even painted the cabinet pulls metal parts black.

Still have a cabinet to transform but have not decided where it will be black or white.  I'm leaning towards black. 

Now I am collecting white china of any and every style.

Most of the color splashes  comes from my collection of dogwood blossom vintage dishes and nic nacs.

Everything seems to suit for the time being.

Coming to Etsy Shops

From vintage to primitive you will be able to select your favorites by visiting all three etsy shops.
http://www.dogwoodflowerdesigns.etsy.com
http://www.vintagetreasureanew.etsy.com
http://www.southerntouches.etsy.com

Southerntouches will be closing from all handmade items and become a shop of renewed home decor and usable items.  Most items will be upcycled to weathered white or rustic.  Hope you will stop by in the near future for the grand opening.

Vintage hats has become a passion for my daughter who has a shop at http://nocarnations.etsy.com.  I have been looking around lately to see what I could find and why she is so fascinated with them.  I think she could talk for hours about what she has learned about vintage hats and millinery items.

Taking a look at just some of the hats I found, I can see why she loves them so much.

A lady in a hat is so glamourous and chic.