Show & Tell Friday and Jewelry Making

I'm so sorry! I was planning on joining Cindy at Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday! Honest, it was going to be the last post I did on my Etsy Shoppe! I truly wanted to show off my jewelry but when I went to link with her blog I discovered you weren't supposed to post things you were selling! As my children say.."MY BAD!" But I either have to delete this whole post or just not link with Cindy's. Maybe a few of my blogging friends won't mind me advertising again!

What I am showing and telling about today is my handmade jewelry! I have just recently started my own Etsy shop! I have to tell you it's sort of scary putting your creations out there for all to judge! Do they like my jewelry or do they hate it? Will they buy it? It really made me feel quite vulnerable! But please forgive me, I tend to be harder on myself than others and definitely bend toward the lower end of self-esteem!

My father died 4 years ago. My mother is still with us but is paralyzed on her left side because of a stroke she had when she was only 58. She is living in an independent living apartment facility and loves it! After my father passed I completely redid their apartment to make it comfortable and more feminine for mom. Dad was a garage sale junkie and had pretty much taken over the apartment! I painted and stenciled and cleaned out! My mother had so much jewelry! Mostly broken or she couldn't wear because she couldn't put it on by herself! I had seen jewelry making supplies in my favorite craft stores and thought "Hey, I'll just restring all these so she can pull them on over her head with one hand! The brooches would make beautiful pendants on these necklaces! And I was hooked! I have been selling my jewelry creations to friends and at church and at Curves where I work. I kept seeing everyone's Etsy shoppes on their blogs and the ladies at Curves encouraged me to put my jewelry on it! I initially called my jewelry "Butterfly Creations" because I was taking vintage jewelry and repurposing it into something else. When I started my blog that name was already taken so I went with "Hidden Promise" from my favorite hymn ..."in cocoons a hidden promise, butterflies will soon be free."

I have recently started making collages with different vintage pieces. This is my first collage necklace. It's made up of 3 vintage pins, (actually 4). The small flowers are from a pin I cut up to use the flowers on the antique brass stem findings I used. And then I added my signature butterfly charm! Every necklace or bracelet I make includes a butterfly, either a charm added or a butterfly is used in the piece itself.

The following piece is made with a vintage Sara Coventry brooch and earring set.

I did turn the earrings into pierced. They were originally clip ons. I do want you all to know that I do not use signed collectable pieces such as Weiss. I would never cut up any piece of vintage jewelry that would destroy its collectable value. If a piece is signed it's either Sara Coventry or vintage Avon. Now some of you might think that's destroying too but I hope my repurposing is turning a piece that was a bit dated into something beautiful someone would want to wear now! I like bling so a lot of my pieces look pretty "dressy" but I like to say that the same piece of my jewelry can be worn with jeans or a cocktail dress!

I made my first sale today!! Yippee!

Easter Table

I'm joining Susan @http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ for Tablescape Thursday. She is the queen of tablescapes! In fact, there will be so many pretty tablescapes to look at be sure and go over there and check them all out!!

My Easter decorations and table today are mostly from one place...Hobby Lobby!

Don't you just love that place!

Okay, this isn't an official tablescape, but it is part of the Easter decorations that go with my tablescape! Isn't that bunny adorable! It looks like he's made with purple hydrangeas! I got him at the grocery store! They have such great floral departments now!

Here's my Easter table! I'm going to add some Easter cookies later to the teirs!

The butterfly and bird plates are from Hobby Lobby. The white plate/chargers are Southern Living Gallery. The blue butterfly stemware is from Big Lots last year and I need more! Did you notice the flower shape placemats? I got those at Kohl's with only one thing in mind!

TABLESCAPE THURSDAY!

Aren't these napkin rings adorable! Hobby Lobby!! Each one is doing something different!
The napkins I've used before! My dad got them and the tablecloth to match at a garage sale! I haven't used the tablecloth yet!

If you haven't had the chance please be sure and check out my new Etsy Shoppe! I'll be adding more jewelry and some purses I decorated and maybe even a few tassels! Thank You!

Joining in on the fun at the Vintage Easter Blog Hop!

What a great meme! Be sure and go over to http://thepottingshed-anythinggoeshere.blogspot.com I love Easter with all the bunnies and the colors of easter are my favorite! But most of all I love Easter "Because He Lives I can Face Tomorrow!"

This is some of my Easter decorations around the kitchen!

Thank you for visiting! And have a blessed Holy Week!

My New Etsy Shoppe and Favorite Saturdays with Laurie

Well I finally did it! Some of you know I make jewelry. My friends have been telling me for months to put my jewelry on Etsy and I finally did. Just look over to your right! I was up till 2 am this morning!! I feel sort of vulnerable! My own personal creations out there for someone to either love or hate! I plan on adding more pieces but I thought I would start slow. I also have some purses I've decorated that I call "Wedding Purses" I want to add, especially with the season coming up! I made one for a friend's daughter-n-law when my friend's son was getting married. Bride's need a little purse too! She absolutely loved it and when her sister got married she used it too! I may even have some tassels!!! I know, blogland is full of tassels!! LOL! But I do enjoy making them and mine are a little different. I am also trying to get back into blogging again!! I've got an Easter tablescape I need to share! Love You All!!! Lauralu :)

I am also joining Laurie @ http://bargainhuntingwithlaurie.blogspot.com/ for her "My Favorite Things Saturday"! She has such a wonderful blog, almost as wonderful as herself! I love to create and I love jewelry, especially fashion and vintage jewelry so I'm shamelessly promoting my new Etsy Shoppe here! Okay, maybe I feel a little shamed but making my jewelry is one of my favorite things to do !

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Now I know to many of you out there this is nothing! But to us Memphians this only happens once or twice a year, if at all! And we had no warning! I got up this morning, as usual, to get everybody up for school and work. At first I thought it was really foggy outside, until I got closer to the window and saw it was snowing like crazy! I was quite flabbergasted! Usually, we'd have every weather man out in full force warning us of the bad weather coming at us and to be prepared and tell us how to drive and what to get at the grocery store! The kids wouldn't do homework because they knew for sure they wouldn't be going to school and then of course nothing would happen! Well, they sure missed this one! But it was so pretty! Now it's raining and supposed to sleet and maybe more snow!

View this morning from my front door!

Poor little frog!

Love her new hat!



The view from our breezeway!

And Molly loved it!

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. Family issues have taken precedence. I'll be back, I promise! Meanwhile, I'll miss you all! I'm still trying once in a while to check out your blogs but I may not leave a message. My heart's just not up to it. Someone tell me! Why does it all go so wrong when they grow up?! What happens to our sweet little babies?? God is right there with us I know! "My Trust is in you, Lord! You are my God! I am always in your care!"

'Cause We Need A Little Christmas!

Hi Everyone! And Merry Christmas!!! I'm joining many others over at Susan's Deck the Hall Party! Everyone is showing off their Christmas decor over there. So be sure and go over to Susan's @ http://thoughtsfromovertherainbow.blogspot.com/. (After you've visited mine of course!;)

Last week I showed you some of my various ornaments. I finally got things finished in the great room and cleaned up a bit around the tree! Many of you wanted to see the whole thing! So here it is!

The star's not as crooked as it looks! I think it's the angle I took it at! I know everyone is doing some fun stuff at the tops of their trees now but I'm just a traditionalist! I love the star at the top of a Christmas tree.

This weekend, before it started raining again!, the DH actually stayed home from hunting and helped me get the yard cleaned up and I got the outside decorated. My oldest son usually puts out a big plastic light up Santa we have and puts some lights out but he's been busy with exams. I got the door done and the mailbox and the little breezeway we have between the garage and the house.

The topiary is an iron frame I wrapped with 3 different kinds of garland! First, a green garland went on and then some holly and then a lit holly garland! The garland above the door has grapevine bells, white hydrangeas and poinsettas with white, green and red lights. You can see my ugly tile floor!!! I made the door basket with a metal basket from Southern Living. Mr. Nutcracker is guarding the staircase!

Just pretend all that wrapping paper paraphenalia isn't over there!! I did the buffet in my entry all in Santas! And the banister garland I've had forever! It's got poinsettas and pine cones and then I dripped it with gold, red and silver bead garlands. You can never have too much bling at Christmas!

I love these snowpeople spelling out JOY! I saw these 2 years ago at Hobby Lobby and had to have them with the trees in a little vignette I made. I took a piece of styrofoam and added some smaller pieces on top to give it different heights then covered it with batting. Hot glued the trees and the snowpeople in place, added the greenery and used the glue gun to make some glue ridges on the batting and covered it with white glitter! I think I've told you I love glitter! Then of course I couldn't stop there! I added glitter to their hats and some on the trees! Do you see the potted trees next to the snowmen? I made those too! The sweet angel trio I've had forever! They're so beautiful! I've used them on the tree and off. This year I nestled them in with the greenery on my mantle.

And speaking of mantles! I've never been quite satisfied with my mantle...but I do like it this year!


I love my manger scene! My set includes the holy family, 3 wise men on their elaborate camels, a shepherd boy (which I bought cause it reminded me of my oldest son), the drummer boy (which reminded me of my youngest!) and a lady with a lantern, (that's me!), I haven't found one to represent the DH yet! I'm sure he'd say he was one of the wise guy's! I mean wise men! (LOL)
My father gave me that angel plate a long time ago! He's been gone now 4 years! It just doesn't seem that long ago! My boss at Curves gave me that beautiful Jim Shore angel last year! The whole mantel is my manger scene and just about every angel I could find!

Well, that's it! My memory card is full! So I couldn't show you the kitchen! I'll have to get a new one and take more pics! This year I added one of Kristen's adorable picture frames!

I'm joining my friend and neighbor Susan @ http://thoughtsfromovertherainbow.blogspot.com/ for her Deck the Halls Party! I missed last week because I just wasn't ready! I still have alot to do today to finish my Christmas decorating. I've posted pictures of a few of my Christmas tree ornaments. Hope you enjoy this little peek into my obsession with ornaments! When you're done be sure and go on over to Susan's blog and check out everyone's Christmas decorations! Susan is one lovely lady inside and out and her blog is just like her!

This year the tree was the first thing I got up! Last year I bought a pre-lit tree from Hobby Lobby after Christmas! We don't get real trees anymore because they effect our sinuses too much! My old tree was the kind with the pole I had to stick each branch in to and then string it with lights. I always used white and colored lights. I had it down to a science! It only took me a whole day to get the tree ready to decorate!!!!! Needless to say I'm a little anal about my Christmas tree! Pardon my french! Did I say that?!?! Anyway, while I was cooking Thanksgiving dinner I asked my 21 yr. old to bring down my tree. We put it together 1,2,3 and voila the tree was up and the lights already done! How cool is that! Okay, so I'm a little behind the times! It wasn't until last week I got around to decorating it. This new tree is smaller than my previous. My DH came home and saw it and the first thing he said was "you'll never get all of your ornaments on that tree!". Well, he was right, so I'm working on the tree in the dining room and the one in the study. Since I knew my space was limited I rummaged thru my ornaments only putting my most beautiful and favorite ones on the tree! I started putting them on the front first. I had also added a star. By the time my DH came home from work my tree was leaning to the front with the weight of the ornaments! We had to take everything off and straighten the tree again and start all over! It's done and I do believe it's my favorite tree ever! Of course I say that every year! I thought I would miss my colored lights but my ornaments actually seem to show up better with just the white! I love Christmas tree ornaments! Did I mention I love Christmas tree ornaments! You know how most of you are dishaholics....while I'm an ornamentaholic! Whew! that was hard to spell! My tree is a mixture of all kinds of ornaments and all colors! Take a look!

Handmade Ornaments!

These are two of my favorites I made. The ball I made 2 years ago. It's decorated with ribbon and various Christmas piks! The santa ornament I made from a kit 2o something years ago! I can't believe it's that old!

Last year I made several of these Christmas flags. I saw the idea in a magazine. Don't remember which one! They're all different. I have three on my tree. I made them out of scrapbook paper, stickers, ribbon, red and white pipe cleaners and small wood finials I covered with glitter. Have I mentioned how much I love glitter!?! I love how you can glimpse my Christmas tree elf! Isn't he adorable?

To your right is a styrofoam ball I covered with sequins and pearl pins of various colors! Took me forever! But I loved every minute of it! The star was a form I got at Hobby Lobby. One side is this pink and green and white with gold accents, the other is gold and silver. I love glitter! Oh yeah, I said that already!

Faberge Eggs!

Oh, I have more! Trying not to make this post too long!

I love these kind of ornaments! Does anyone know what they're called?


Angels!




And Faeries!

The ones on the left are part of my Christopher Radko collection. On the right are blown glass ornaments I actually bought at Hobby Lobby last year or the year before...I can't remember!

Vintage Ornaments!

These are ornaments from my Grandmother's. We used the birds on our tree was I was little! A long time ago!!!

Okay, I'm done! But there are so many more! I'd love to share them all but you'd be here til next Tuesday! I'll leave you with this mosaic and a large Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!