Mermaid Dreams

While searching for coupons to the Weeki Wachee mermaid shows (my little mermaid Kayla gets to see the show next week for the first time!) I came across this stunning photo taken at the underwater theater in 1947. 

Water was the habitat of my youth, and this photo brought back lovely memories of happy times spent floating along face to the sky in the gentle Gulf of Mexico while listening to a muted and magical underwater world.

As I poured through the old Weeki Wachee photo gallery I totally indulged myself in a little 'mermaid madness' here in anticipation of the upcoming trip back to FL.

 I hope I find time to float back into a serene state of mind during this trip home again!

 I've seen the old mermaid movies a dozen times, and still love them all!

New Jewelry Holder

 For someone who possesses very little jewelry, I seem to create a lot of jewelry holders!!

On this one I used a wood door panel, cool metal lamp part for the vase, and added my wire vines for the handle, lower support and branches. Measures approx 42" by 24".

Mothers Day Tribute

 Here's to you Ma

 

Vintage Frame and Wire Wall Jewelry/Display Hanger with Nest

 My latest work is very large! So large in fact that the shipping would run about 90.00, so I can't list this one in my ETSY shop! Bummer!

 I love to create wire trees to adapt to these wonderful old frames.....and they hold tons of jewelry or could be used alone as wall art! The nest provides a unique tray to hold watches or display unusual items.

(This crazy new Blogger format will not let me add any words below this point or under the bottom two pictures!! I'm going to go mad trying to figure this out--it's so frustrating!)

The dimensions are: 35" high, 25" wide and it sits about 8" from the wall.

Still experimenting........

 OK....so this new and allegedly improved Blogger format certainly takes some getting used to!

 After loading photos backwards for 4 years, it's downright weird to load them normally! But what the hey, at least it's allowing me to insert words now!

 Anyway.....this project above (the before photo didn't load at all) was a large broken mirror with cool metal birdie/branch frame that I found for under 10.00. 

I just removed the broken bits of mirror (thankfully it had a lovely backing board--no having to get out the jigsaw!) and painted the wood with multiple coats of blackboard paint to make a quick and simple chalkboard--easy-peasy! (a rare occurrence in my projects....usually I spend hours finding just the right screw or re-doing something endlessly in search of perfection!)

 I love this new/old hat I just found to display on my hatstands! (I keep trying to phase these hatstands out, but still get requests for them)

When collaging found objects, you never know what will emerge!! A wood side panel from a table, an old silver teapot, metal hair curler thing (for a perch), rusty hinge and a few house numbers = a funky new home (that even drains) for your favorite feathered friend!

 

And...after shuffling around rusty old fireplace screening for years.....I finally just cut the thing up and made a funky bird's nest.

(Hmmm....I wonder why all my photos look smaller than before, and why is Blogger centering this text under the last photo only?? Baby steps in figuring this out, right? 

Testing the new Blogger format.....haven't figured out how to add words yet. In the meantime....some Thistle love! Look but don't touch...ouch!

Wishing you beautiful Easter blessings!

A fleeting glimpse of spring

Our mild winter slipped straight into summer in the blink of an eye......
.....so my friend and I set out on a beautiful Sunday afternoon to capture some pics of the quickly fading spring loveliness.....

.....the sunbathers were out......


......and the mountain bikers were on the trails.
(Actually, we would have been riding too, but my friend is recovering from elbow surgery from a mountain bike fall!....so we walked the 7 miles around the lake.)

A little log cabin and primitive fence provided some nice textural shots.


My feet still hurt, but the weather was so perfectly perfect! And these pretty sights will remind me that it was spring, even if for just a little while.....before the heat and humidity of summer starts making us captives of air conditioning. Looks like summer might be a real scorcher this year!

Makin' stuff......

Yay! My new wire mirror stand sold within a few hours of listing it!
And coincidentally, shipped to a home near the beach where I hang out in Sarasota!! Small world!

The purses with photo frames are still being requested, so I'll keep making them until I run out of handbags.....plus it's great fun to experiment with all sorts of display options! (I especially love the way they look in a wall grouping!)



More wire........I use wire nests in a number of projects, but am starting to list them alone on Etsy....we'll see how they do. (there is more work in them than you would think - hello carpal tunnel, my old friend)

Making lights out of metal anything is very addicting!! The flat Purina chicken feeder sold quickly!


Wood, iron, wire.....and lots of funk went into my new wall collage.
Again....endless display fun!
Makin' stuff is such creative therapy......and if I could accomplish even a fraction of the ideas I have brewing in my head, there would be 50 projects in these pics, instead of 5!!