....perfect for dragging out all my cool junk components and get started on those big architectural collage projects. I have lots of new ideas, and hope the weather cooperates until the next show so I can get them done....
.....so many possibilities.....
.....and it would be nice to see the walls of the garage again.....
I love to save tree branches from my yard, and when I saw Dawn's (The Feathered Nest) recent post of her truly marvelous new collage using a tree branch, it inspired me to use some of mine for a quickie display piece for the show. (I only have one day left, so it had to be an easy project) This is nothing like her beautiful art work, but it was simple and fun, and hopefully functional. 
You can hang all sorts of things from the branches......
Topless sugar bowls could hold some ivy.
Vintage purses, gloves and hats. There are lots of possibilities........some small frames with family photos would be fun.
I didn't get to go to Cancun like Sea Witch.....or Aruba like Kay......but I did get to go home to Sarasota and see my family over New Year's, and even though it was a little chilly, the beaches were stunning! The pics of this sunset don't do it justice....it was amazing, and there was a wedding on the beach right at that time----I bet they thought the sky was decorated just for them!
What is more fun than wandering the backroads on gorgeous fall day? Well, how about coming across an abandoned old southern mansion that you can actually go in (no front door)!!!!
I love the niches (sp?) by the front door.
View from the back--great old split-rail fence.
There are lots of cotton fields in the area.
Interesting to see the construction when the outside layer is gone.
There is an old store across the street....
How long do you suppose it will be before someone steals the fabulous front door?? Never, I hope!!
Just behind the house on a side street I stopped to take photos of a little shack, and these curious horses came to visit.....
They were all really pretty, but I fell in love with this dark brown one with a blaze----he was very friendly and good-natured. I really enjoyed talking to him......
Isn't he a beauty? I hated to leave--it's interesting how much of a personality some horses have. My former riding instructor told me that a horse will never forget you....true or not, I'd like to think that......I will have to try to get back and see this beauty someday soon....
When I found this nice alabaster lamp base, I could see it as a hat stand or photo holder, so I started playing with the wire and came up with a new design for displaying photos....
For seasonal decorations for the show, I put together some photos that will hang around the booth....the above one is of my sister and I (I'm the short one) with our snowman in Illinois......I added sparkle snow dots to that one....haven't decided whether to put snow on all of them.....
I like them in a banner, but I am going to hang them all over a tree we have at the show.
There are so many fantastic paper artists out there in blogland, (myself not being one of them) and I can just imagine what you'all would do with these.
A lot of these are from my own family photo albums......
I don't know why I enjoy taking lamps apart so much! You can use these lamp collage pedestals for so many different things.....
This is my rainy day project (we are getting lots of wind and rain today--hurricane remnants, I think).
I only had one round globe for the pedestals, and I wanted to do them ALL with round globes, but I am trying to stick to the "use what you have" plan, so pickle jars, a cloche and a vase is what I ended up with for this display idea. (The brass lamp will get painted when it quits raining)
I have been collecting black vintage handbags for awhile, but couldn't formulate an idea of how to use them until I had this brainstorm while thrifting. I love vintage little stamped metal frames, and thought they would be cool on the bags. (It is hard to find the old ones, so I had to incorporate a few newer ones, but I rubbed black magic marker on the edge and then wiped it off quickly to just highlight the design and give it a more aged look.) I put holes in the back of the frames and wired them to the bag, then added my favorite dried weed....Chinese Tallow!!
I really love how they look in a grouping on my "chocolate milkshake" wall color in my office.
(Figuring out which setting on my camera to use for the best photo is still challenging--this auto setting doesn't show the brown of the wall color.)
