Vintage Drawer Pull Necklace

I have always love these drawer pulls.  At one time I had a very vintage styled kitchen and every drawer and cupboard had one of these draw pulls. There where glass door knobs on the doors leading into the kitchen and vintage glass towel racks. I also had a vintage stove that had 3 burners, a built in chili or soup pot and a grill down the center.  That stove was such a joy to use.  Unfortunately I sold the stove with the house.

So, For this casual necklace I used a small vintage glass drawer pull of the focal piece.

I ran a very long head pin through the pull and formed a loop at the top and added a flower shaped bead cap at the bottom with a loop .  At the top of the drawer pull, which is actually the bottom, I glued a antiqued brass crown piece using E6000.

On the top of the crown is a ring I used to hang the piece from a long antiqued brass chain using a large sturdy, heavy gauge,  jump ring.  I also added a clear rhinestone to the cross in the center of the cross at the top.

A the bottom I hung a small antiqued brass branch link that I dangled clear crystals from.  Also another clear crystal and an aurora borealis crystal with a bead cap hang at varying lengths.

This is another of my found object pieces that is always a good conversation starter when people realize it is made from a drawer pull like the ones in their Grandmother's kitchen.

  I enjoy having a few fun pieces of jewelry made from unexpected vintage finds.

Happy Crafting!

Lavender Earrings

I love the patina of antiqued brass that I used for these earrings.  And again I dream of Spring.

So to get ready for that wonderful season I chose a series of different colored lavender beads to use in this pair of earrings.

For the center pieces I used 2 square filigree metal pieces, one for each earring, that I curled the points forward, with pliers, leaving enough space to glue on the Lucite lavender roses.  This gives the    pieces some dimension.

At the top I added a Czech fire-polished glass bead and a couple of brass spacers.

And from the bottom I hung a glass Czech bead in the shape of a flower in a very dark purple with 2 small bead caps and 2 purple bicone  purple crystals.  

These turned out so pretty and will go with so many of my clothes since purple is one of my favorite colors.  I always love using the Czech beads.  The colors and finishes have such interesting color variations and textures.

Happy Crafting!

Vintage Paper Crown

This is a small vintage paper crown I made using vintage book pages and vintage music pages.

I first drew and cut out a template from card stock.  Traced the pattern onto the desired papers and cut out 2 pieces for the medallion and 2 pieces for the crown.  I glued the two pieces together before I cut them out for the crown and medallion.

I used the vintage book paper on the outside and the music paper on the inside of the crown. Glued these together of form a circle.  Next, using hot glue I added a piece of blue velvet ribbon to the lower edges.  Used distress ink over the piece.  Edged the crown with Platinum Stickles glitter.  And on the tips of the crown I added brown pearls.

I coated the entire crown with Mod Podge before adding the medallion.  I folded the medallion, glued that over the seams and added a series of stacked buttons for the focal point. On top of the buttons I glued a heart shaped golden rhinestone.

Happy Crafting!

Peacock Feather Wreath

We heard back from Mr. K's doctor and his heart is fine. Seems he had such a low blood sugar that it sent his heart into fits and landed him in the hospital.  We are so happy that there is no damage to his heart.

well, now that everything is back to normal the area over my stove was looking a little blank after all the Christmas decorations came down. So I decided to use a plain twig wreath I had made last summer.  I think this one was from our Honeysuckle plant. This was a really quick project.  What took the most time was heating the glue gun.

I am on sort of on a peacock feather kick lately.  It all started when I bought the ribbon I made the bow for the wreath from that I purchased at Costco during the Holidays.  Then I bought pillow covers for my throw pillows in the living room and lastly a pack of feathers.  

I know some people believe peacock feathers are bad luck to have in the house.  I just can't help myself the colors are so beautiful.

here is a view of the back, it was just a bare twig wreath.

I simply chose about 12 of the prettiest feathers in the pack and started hot glueing them onto the wreath overlapping as I went, following the curve of the wreath and adding a simple bow at the bottom.

That is all there was to this project.  But it added a lot of color to my white kitchen.

It is nice to have blank wreaths handy when you need one.  During the warm months I collect twigs from the honeysuckle plants and curly willow tree in our yard to use for decorations later.  I simply strip the leaves off the twigs and form the wreaths of different sizes while the twigs are green and easy to bend.  Then let them dry for later use.

Happy Crafting!

Week in Review

 Here's a review of the this week's posts.

Monday

Altered Ikea Glass Dish

Tuesday

Coffee Filter and Candy Wrapper Flowers

Wednesday

No Post Today

Thursday

A Breath of Spring Necklace

Friday

Fun Found Object Necklace

Happy Weekend!

Fun Found Object Necklace

This was a fun necklace to collect the items and put together for a very casual piece to where with jeans and a T-shirt.

 The focal item is an antique wooden silk thread spool that I covered with a tiny paper tag and a bit of sparkly fiber.

I coated the whole spool with Mod Podge to preserve the wood and the writing on top.

The  paper tag I glued to the other side of the spool says, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever."

I also used an old token from the former PG&E trolley that ran in town around 1915.

A little skeleton key where I added a couple of rhinestones and a very old Chinese bone charm.

I always collect small interesting items never knowing where I can put them to use.  I have a little box I fill with all kinds of interesting little odds and ends.

 You just never know how some little charm can be just the perfect item to add to a project.    These have been in my stash for years until one day I was playing around and put them all together to form my cute little necklace.

Happy Crafting!

A Breath of Spring Necklace

We won't hear back from the Dr. until Saturday.  But so far so good.

In the meantime I thought I would post a bit of Spring wishfulness. I don't think that is a word but I always am wishful for Spring.  I think that is my favorite season because I love flowers so much and in the Spring they are everywhere.

This is a necklace I finished using beautiful shades of Spring greens that remind me of the first green buds of the season.

The main ingredient is antiqued brass metal I used in the chain and other elements.

I used  green glass beads with bead caps for the stations of the chain.

This is a lariat style piece, however the length in front is not adjustable as it appears.  Actually the buds that dangle through the ring are attached in place with a jump ring.

For the circle I used a solid ring in back and an open work metal circle on top.

Here is a close up of the center rings and bud attached.

From the center circles I attached a length of chain that I use to connect the various leaves and buds.

For the larger bud I used the antiqued brass floral bead cap with a Lucite green flower inside, green bean then a Czech glass bead.

 Farther down the chain I used a very tiny Lucite flower and a couple of different green beads for the tiny buds.

Close up view

The back of the chain has a decorative metal clasp that is really only for decoration since this is a very long piece that easily slips over your head.

So now we will all just keep dreaming of Spring although I am loving the rain we are receiving after 4 long years of drought.  I used to complain when I saw cloudy skies. No More.  Because without the dreary winter there are no beautiful Spring meadows of flowers I so look forward to seeing. Not to mention it is really nice not to worry if we will have drinking water in the coming months.  So come on rain, I have learned my lesson.  I will love the rainy season, too,

Happy Crafting!