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

Vintage baby dresses

Hi guys! do you ever have an idea that just doesn't quite gel? I found a bunch of vintage baby dresses at an estate sale this weekend. They were in need of a soak and sun dry so I thought, " Great time for a photo op!"Didn't quite turn out that way. I think I picked a bad time of the day as there were crazy shadows. My background was not great, my clothespins were even wonky!
So I salvaged a few of the "least worst" and edited in Picasa...
And they weren't totally heinous after all!
Sometimes I luck out with a shot.
And get one like this. This is a total fav of mine of Alexa and Hunter in a swing in the park last year. I want to blow this one up for my wall. Hoping you have some happy accidents! Til next time! Julia

Edwardian corset

*sigh*
Hi guys! For those who do not know me..yes..this is me..LOL. Actually this is my daughter Alexa. She is my sometimes put upon model. I think she actually got a kick out of modeling this. "THIS" is an amazing corset I found this weekend. My online research has narrowed it down to an Edwardian to 1910's corset. I am pretty sure this is its first outing with blue jeans!
Man..I remember having that waist...vaguely. I think it went away after this one was born. Can you imagine having to wear this on a daily basis? It has steel stays..she couldn't even bend over! You would need a maid or husband to help you tighten it up too. I could have pulled it tighter, but I didn't want to break a string by accident.
I tried this on just to judge the size but there was a good 6" gap between the busks in front..I guess it isn't a size 12! Alexa is a 3. There IS something romantic, feminine and elegant about these though!
Usual Lexa goofiness "Oh Rhett..whatever shall ah do?" Lexa was born and raised in TN but has her parents' Midwest accent..doncha know. I have other weekend finds to share once I get some pix taken..stop back! *munches brownie and sips huge cup of french vanilla coffee and wonders where that waistline went* Hmmm.. Hope you have a great day! Julia

Autumn Days

Hi guys! I finally went leaf hunting today! I was hoping for a sunnier day but it was sort of overcast.
Some were lemon yellow.. I took these while waiting for my son to get out of school. I am sure the people idle-ing in their cars were wondring WHAT I was up to..I maaaay have been singing to myself too..
Some were scarlet. I always am in awe of God's creations..and to those of you who may not be believers, marvel in the science of it!

Orange and red....I guess these are maples..or is it oaks?
Red and orange...The colors have been quite bright this fall. A bit late and strung out, but beautiful!
Banana.....I was digging this color combo of yellow and lime with sky blue. If I could figure out how to make a treasury, I would make an ode to this color combo! Does anyone still use the term digging? Jazzed? LOL
School bus yellow...I always liked fall because the leaves peaked around my birthday Sept. 3rd up north in South Dakota where I grew up. They are much later here. I am a sweater girl so I love breaking them back out. Unfortunately THIS autumn I am also a menopause girl so I am putting them on and taking them off every 5 minutes!
These were on my driveway...

These remind me of pointillist paintings..

I keep imagining that I am in the Indian Summer of my life...
But I am afraid I am edging into my autumn!

Halloween Trick or Treating

Boo!
Hi guys! I wanted to share my trick or treating experience! I must apologize in advance for my awful photo quality..I should have changed my camera setting to nightscape but didn't think about it until after the fact! These are my 3 tricksters. The ghost is my 9 yr old son Jack and Dora is my daughter Alexa. Boots is her 3 yr old my grandson Hunter. She made his and her costumes. We traditionally start out our Halloween route at one of the local churches. They have trunk or treat and carnival games the kids like. Also free cotton candy this year that Jack was attempting to eat through his eye hole! You may note his costume is much more "low tech" than Boot's. He told me, "I want to be a CLASSIC ghost..you know Mom, a sheet with 2 eye holes?" I wasn't going to argue! We had to laugh later when a girl his age passed him and said"Ghost with sheet and 2 eye holes...classic!" She "got" his deal and he was tickled!
This is my other daughter Hope who went along for the fun and memories. We have been trick or treating this same route since she was a baby! She is an old 23 yr old lady now! (Note new IPhone cradled lovingly in her hand) Hi Random Background Dude! *waves*
There is a street in town with all the old Victorian era houses. It is lined with big old oaks and maples and Halloween usually coincides with peak leaf season here. Usually you are shin deep in fallen leaves, but this year we are a smidge late and they are just starting to fall. They block this street off now as thousands of out of town people descend..they even put out porta potties this year! Lots of people decorate, but I don't think as many pass out candy as they used to. It used to be almost every house, but once the TorT numbers hit 1000's some of them understandably quit handing out candy! I think the city should buy it for the people on this street.

Children AND adults dress up. Hope said if you are trick or treating and actually going to the door for candy, you should not have your treat bag in one hand and a cigarette in the other! (And yes we saw that)
This house sits back off the street a bit for a long spooky walk to the front door..
One of the local teachers reeeaaally does his house BIG. (This is not the house) He has headstones, coffins, stuff hanging from the trees, and lots of dressed highschool students, a fog machine, spooky music and screams and chainsaw noises. You have to walk through a spooky mansion (tent) to get up his sidewalk to the candy. My son has not been brave enough yet! There were so many people in front of it I could not even get a picture..there was even the local news team and cameras!
Oops..same house again.
This one was sort of creepy without really trying!
Cool street light decor..
This is my banker's house..I am pretty sure Paul is not responsible for the decor.
This kid had a cool neon outfit..I had not seen this before.
Micheal Myers was at one house. It was an actual guy and he just stood there menacingly while they played that creepy movie music! You had to pass him to get to the candy. He may have grabbed at some people but I didn't get that close! My daughters reminisced about which houses used to have the "good candy" and who handed out pencils. We stopped at one of my oldest son's friend's parent's house. I said "Paul always was such a cute little boy" Hope said " He still is." and pulled up his FB profile on her IPhone.."Oh look..he is single as of Sept. 8th!" I said in the Olden Days you would have had to went up to the door and pumped his mom for that info and made a couple actual phone calls! LOL These kids are spoiled. Of course the creepiest house is the one that an aquaintence of mine lives in just off that street. She says it actually IS haunted! Lights keep turning randomly off and on and whatnot especially in the attic! Hope you had a fun Halloween too! Til next time, Julia