Jewelry Box Transformation

Like this Jewelry Box

(as I have not run out of my quart of Chalk Paint yet!)

I have undergone a transformation

That which appeared of no value

discarded and left sitting in a thrift shop

~ no one seeing the beauty that Someone else beheld ~

when viewed with eyes of

Transforming Love

With the opening of doors

my heart now flies free

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And others can now behold the beauty

that was seen by the One

who made the transformation

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and gave

j  e  w  e  l  s

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where before nothing sparkled

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and time worn scratches and loss hid what could be

And made into something of beauty once again

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et d'apporter à ceux qui, dans Sion, sont endeuillés, la splendeur au lieu de la cendre,

pour mettre sur leur tête l'huile de l'allégresse au lieu du deuil, et pour les vêtir d'habits de louange au lieu d'un esprit abattu, afin qu'on les appelle: Les chênes de justice, la plantation de l'Eternel qui manifestent sa splendeur.

Isaiah 61:3

Altered (and then) Embellished Shoes

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She may look quite innocent

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But this girl has a thing for shoes

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They do make great chew toys

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And are oh so tasty!

This girl is not outgrowing her 'taste' for shoes

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And she is into ALTERED ART

and her medium is shoes

(hats and furs also)

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And even though these shoes

came from a thrift store and were on sale for 99 cents, well, they fit just right

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and are such a lovely color

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When not being worn by me they were studio decor,

matching the vintage tutu worn by my dress form "Audrey"

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Therefore, easy access to a sneaky dog to tip-toe in

and steal ~ then quietly backing out of the room

to a comfy rug to do some chewing

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 The back of one shoe was destroyed in seconds.

 (  I didn't think to take a photo of the chewed part, but if you have dogs, you can picture it  )

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But now the shoes are lovlier than ever

thanks to my stash of lace, velvet leaves and jewels.

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Ta Da!

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( Now kept on a higher shelf  :  )

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 Do your dogs also enjoy creating altered 'art'?

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~ Violet ~

You're Such a Doll

She knew she was quite a doll

... especially with that feathered hat ...

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And her gown of pink ruffles and sparkly silver thread
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She knew she was worth more than the $4.50 price tag

placed upon her by the thrift store clerk,

even though her dress was torn and needed washing.

She knew in her heart she was a princess

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Worth more than she first appeared when found by the

woman who frequents thrift stores and flea markets,

looking for treasures rejected by others.
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Although she was a bit worried about the two dogs

that for some strange reason this woman also loved.

Especially this one, known throughout the land

as a dog who loves to rip things to shreds.

(don't hurt me oh please don't hurt me,

I command you as your princess do not hurt me!)
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(Whew, that was a close call!!!)
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I much prefer pretty flowers over dogs with teeth
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Or, just standing in the light ~ striking a pose
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And it is important that I keep my lovely nails unchipped
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It's not always easy being a princess

But somebody's gotta do it.

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This lovely doll, found at a thrift store last week

for under $5. All she needed was a little cleaning

and some repairs of her torn and tattered dress and gloves.

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I haven't tried to discover anything about her yet

but would love to know how old she is.

I am guessing she was made around 1950.

Her body is something like soft plastic.
And she needs some shoes.

(don't we all???)

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If anyone knows anything about her, I'd love to know!

I am delighted to give her a new home.

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Have you found any great treasures lately?

Telephone

A Friend is Just a Phone Call Away!

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This lovely lady waiting for a call

to go out for lunch, or a shopping spree?

... still has no name ...

But I thank all of you for your ideas!

Still trying to decide.

Who does she look like today?

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I have two new phones.

The above, I found at a thrift store this week.

Never used before! If only I could use it.

We have our phone service through an internet provider

and this one only plugs into a phone jack.

But isn't it

B E A U T I F U L !?!

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Asthetics

versus

Functionality

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The one above does not fit in my purse quite as well

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My other new phone
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Also white ...
And so far, no Afghan Hound teeth marks
no falling into water like my last one.
(Oh, and no purple tape holding the battery in!)
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Beauty and the Beast.
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(but I can take photos and text with the Beast)
Okay, it's not really a beast. I really like it
But it's not that great for posing for photos.
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~ Both go with my Blue Danube china ~
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No ... just not the same effect though is it?

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And no matter how I design a photo-shoot
Well, this is just w r o n g!
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But it makes me giggle
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I doubt, years from now
They will use 'vintage' cell phones in romantic photos
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But this phone will always be in
S T Y L E
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... or just text ...
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Gotta go make some calls now,
Violet

Altered Dress

The lace and fabric of this dress is so pretty!

(I added the pink ribbon.)
I found this lacy Gunne Sax dress (circa 1970's I'm guessing)
at a thrift store this week for $4.00. My initial plan was
to take it apart and use the beautiful fabric for something...
Perhaps baby dresses? But the skirt of the dress is so
fabulous that I just couldn't bring myself to cut it up.
And since I collect romantic clothing for photo props and for
models to wear for paintings ... I decided to just alter the top.
Below is an 'after' photo.

What a change from the original!

Here is a close-up of the 'before' bodice

And below ~ after the alterations.

Now to find the perfect model to pose for me in this!

(Megan? Walking with your children??? : )

... Hanging on my easel just waiting ...

~ sigh ~

Sheer white fabric and lace ~ and pearls of course ~

are such an inspiration!

Purple Thursday!

I almost forgot Purple Thursday!

I had so much fun making this pin out of felted sweater scraps, ribbon and beads.

This is a rosy-purplish sweater with purple and green yarns running thru it. I've been wearing it a lot the past 3 days!

I found it at a thrift store for $6, it appears to be hand made and is in perfectly new condition. Isn't it cute?

It's our anniversary today and we went out to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. Yum! I wore this sweater and pin. (Again.)

Happy Purple Thursday!

Purple Thursday!

I happened upon this beautiful porcelain doll today at a thrift store.

She cost $6.99, what an amazing deal! She is 26 inches tall,

and her clothes are shades of lavender and plum.

I haven't done any research yet, so I don't know anything about her

except for what the tag says ... a "Traditions Doll".

I don't even collect dolls, but couldn't resist her.

I gave her a deep purple flower for a hat.

Happy Purple Thursday!

The Vintage Singer Sewing Machine

A friend came to visit the other day. I use to sew with her in her parents basement when we were in high school. Her mom was our Home-Ec teacher in junior high (back in the days when there was such a class!) Sue would help me in my sewing and I learned so much. She had the patience to tear out my mistakes and help me fix things. What a friend!!!

We oiled the old Singer I bought at a thrift store ... over 40 places the booklet said needed oiling! Then we threaded it up and lo and behold, it sews wonderfully! Nothing is broken or damaged on it. I'm not sure how old this machine is, I tried to check it out online and one source said it may be almost 70 years old. I'm wondering what items being made today that will still be working in 70 years ?!? Not my digital camera. Not my computer. Not my microwave. But this old Singer will still be sewing! Perhaps sitting in a future great-granddaughters sewing room. What a thought!