Vintage map paper and Glitter

Hi guys! I can't believe a week has buzzed by! For me it was a blur of vintage and glitter. Vintage as in the things I found while estate sale-ing on Friday and also as in vintage map paper and supplies. Glitter as in..glitter! I went estate sale-ing on Friday as I knew my Saturday was booked with a religious education workshop. I am a 3rd grade 'Sunday School" teacher and they started requiring more than a warm body for the position. Nowdays there is a background check (passed..whoot!) classes on pedophiles, identifying pedophiles and how not to look like one when you are not( you can never be alone with a child anymore) and a 3 year workshop regime. I am Catholic and many years out of my own Sunday school classes. I feel guilty complaining about rediscovering facets of my faith and actually except losing a Saturday and the online quiz and 400-600 word paper I have yet to complete on the workshop for Sister Mary Michael and figuring out when I got back to my truck that I had locked the keys in it, it was actually an interesting day! Ok..what was I saying?? Oh yes, vintage and glitter. These first 2 pics are of a vintage camera that I am in the process of altering. I am leaving it functional, but it was shabby and missing pieces of it's leatherette cover. I replaced the missing bits with vintage map paper. I figured a camera and maps and travel go hand in hand.
It is also missing its handle which I am going to replace with a bent wire photo holder to turn this into a 3 dimensional photo displayer. The inside would also make a good place to hide things..who's going to look for your nest egg there? Eventually this is going to be in my Etsy shop.
I have been going glitter crazy this week. I had 2 former customers request more of the ornaments that they bought from me last year. I dug through my stash, heated up my glue gun and cracked open my glitter suitcase. Yes..I actually have a suitcase full of glitter..and a box..and some jars and bottles of it on my dining room table...oh..and there maaay be a Hobby Lobby bag with a couple big jars of pink and aqua glitter..and some of that new Krylon glitter paint... and oh, OK..some of that ridiculously expensive looking-glass paint to do faux mercury glass projects with too. Phwew... a glitter confessional! I feel somehow light and sparkly! Anyways..I made a dozen of these first few ornaments.
I used vintage foil Christmas light reflectors as the bases and co-ordinated the map paper and glitter with the color of reflectors I used. Silver and aqua, silver and gold and silver and red.
There are star shaped ones and snowflake or flower shaped ones.
The centers are vintage tinsel and vintage mercury glass beads.
Some of these were featured at an art gallery exhibit in NYC on maps and mapping last winter.
More sparkle. These are vintage glass Christmas bulb ornaments. I collect these all year at estate sales to offer for sale come November. I sort them into colorways.. aqua and greens...
and pinks and magentas. This is my fav silver plated ice bucket. Currently a chandelier is resting in it, but it will shortly hold my collection of vintage ornaments. In the summer and spring it held seashells and baseballs!
These are some I will be listing soon. Extra large shabby Shiny Brites..my fav ornament maker! This silver plate tray and a big oval one are going into my shop too!
I love this little angel tree topper! She appears handmade..she is pink AND glittered..a trifecta! (Much better than my other personal trifecta of a teeth cleaning, mammogram and pap smear!)
These were the other ornaments I made with my 3 year old grandson Hunter's "help". "NINA I want to do the sprinkles!" I am indulgent. I remember my first glitter experience. It was kindergarten. I remember getting to use the red glitter on our Christmas cards and I have been hooked ever since. I tell my husband if I ever lose my marbles, just lock me in a room with paper and glue and magenta glitter and sequins and I will be happy all day!
The bases again are vintage foil reflectors and the centers are vintage mercury glass beads, vintage sheet music punches and a vintage sticker...lots of vintage!
These stickers have such great graphics! I have quite a few different ones to use.
I liked her polka dots. We made 24 of these but one went missing before I got its picture taken.
I have glitter all over my house. I had an "incident" with a vial of red hitting my dining room floor. There is glitter on my dining table..in my coffee cups with my coffee, in my sheets and on my husband ( I don't mention it to him though..I just let him go on his glittery way!), and even though I shower everyday..there is always some on me someplace. I am starting to get odd looks at the post office and grocery store. If I was younger and skinnier, they would probably assume exotic dancer, but as I am not either of those, I think they are just puzzled.
These final flowers are new for me. Still vintage map paper and foil reflectors, but I just said no to the glitter. (It was difficult..I have that new industrial sized bottle of pink!)
These are rolled rosettes. I love how these look in vintage map paper and I would love to make a whole wreath out of them, but it would be one to keep as it would take hours to make and I would not be able to handle the price tag I would have to put on it! I like making odd, Seuss-like flowers. Hoping you week is full of glitter sparkles! Until next time! Julia