spoon ornies

I finished these guys up late last night and wanted to post em quick this morning.  Busy day at kitchen today I have 3 markets this week so candy making and baking today and hopefully time in my studio when I get back! 
I bought this big box of old silverware at a flea market this summer and there was only 2 big spoons in the whole box, at least my mom and I found some at the thrift stores this weekend so I could make more.  I do have 6 more on my work table right now that are drying.  It takes a bit but after sanding and basecoating this guys are fun to do.

Obviously this batch was just snowmen but the next ones are with sheep too. 

I bend the handle part of the spoon back and make a twine hanger with little homespun tie.

quicky took a pic of em hanging off a box in my studio.   A rusy bell is attached to a litle curled wire embellishement.

Some glitter and on a couple I used some tiny little stickers from in my scrap stash. 

They are coated with lots of triple thick glaze and some teeny tiny shimmery glitter.  Happy with the way they turned out.  I will be back later to share another round head snowman creation and also hopefully the other spoons will be finished.

Have a great monday!!

Hugs

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Snowman projects and repurposing

Hey Yall!!!    My super super mom and I took my brother out shoppin yesterday.  We hit almost every thrift shop we could and came home with her car bursting at the seams!! LOL  I bought up 2 full bags of garlands with white lights and even extension cords for $4.00, (they will come in handy for our shop and then around the farmstand) 6 boxes of new white mini lights for get this.......$1.00 a box!! 100 count even!! That was a great deal!! We got some really nice new looking heavy sweaters for Joey for .........another deal..........$1.00 each!! Found some old clear big jars for snowmen projects for .20 cents each!!  oh and my favo of cource was 2 pair of kids double runner skates for $3.50 a pair!!  I always am on the hunt for those babies! they are difficult to find and before winter comes they are pretty reasonable.   AND we seen a ton of red berries along the way on beautiful branches so pretty we decided to stop along the road and snip a few!! they are gonna be wonderful in floral arrangements, on wreaths, and well maybe just a bunch of em in a vase with white twigs and silver glittery sticks!! 
I did also find a few very cool picture frames I just had to alter!!  I am a huge fan of Linda Albrecht and took her paperclay sculpted snowmen ideas to make a few of my own.  So with My Minds Eye wonderful glittery snow pack  and pieces n parts of all my stash I came up with these!!

These are the little glass tiles I used to make the alphabet pendants but love the look of em for this.  and the foam letters are just from a scrapbook store long ago. 

I did take apart some glittered flourishes to make the swirls on here too. 

Glittery snowflakes from Big Lots and some silver mesh wired ribbon from a thrift store, the eyes are black tiny glass beads and the nose was just a piece of a wooden skewer painted orange. 

The frame did require a bit of painting and sanding and dry brushing then antiquing but I think it fits perfectly. 

The snowman here has the snow stamped on his little banner.  Twig arms make all the difference.

I like this one best so far!!

And I finished up a couple more banners.  Inspire has some great ephemera on it.  I cut out some old milk caps that I scanned and printed so each letter has a different one on it, some little flowers, a mini word stamped on using Just Rite stamps, ribbon and I painted and sanded and stamped and antiqued the little chipboard frames I had in a stash pile. 

I am leaving this one seperate so you can hang them anywhere and anyhow your heart desires.    The chipboard letters are also painted, sanded and then I used a bit of Tim Holtz distressables on the edges. 

WISH is another banner done. 

 Another thrift store frame painted sanded and antiqued along with lots of Martha Stewart flaked glitter and of cource another rusty tiny bell on top the hat.  Hey this was up at the top part of post!! >???? dont know why it got moved down here or even how?  LOL

So that was it and now I am off to get more creative things made.  I have wayyyyyyyyy too many things to get finished!! always that way huh!!

Have a wonderful saturday!! Maybe my mom and brother want to hit a few more thrift stores in another town!! ROFL<<<<<,,,well I better use up some things before brining more projects to work on huh!! 

HUGS

Darlene

holiday lights

Thrift store redo!!

  The wreath I found at the first thrift store we went into and thought I would add some fabric snowmen I am making but then  I found the slate painted snowmen sign and thought it would be perfect in it.  I added some glittery snowflakes I bought at hobby lobby and some red berries I had and some red checkered ties.  

We went to Douglas to walk around the stores and look at the lights.  Here's my mom behind some lighted trees in town. 

This was the most spectacuar display.  White lights (my favo) and red shiny ornaments and the pretty green pines.  JUST holiday perfectness!!   These shops win my award for best decorated this season!!  Way to go!!

Look at that decorated urn  JUST GORGEOUS!!

We made and decorated some pine wreaths at home for sale.  I love adding all the pretty shiny embellishments!!  Lots of holiday bling!! LOL

I finished up painting these signs for my show next week.  AHHHHHHH snowmen!! My favo favo things to paint!! 

I got alot done at the kitchen too.  Caramels are ready for market, brittle is bagged up, pretzels dipped and packaged up, made some cherry filled linzer tort cookies, (which still need to be put together) graham crackers packaged up just need to label them, egg bread ready, foccacia ready, muffins done and ready and the cookies are done.  And I made some sweet tater casserole, cabbage n kielbasa, vegetarian minestrone, and some bean soup.   WHEW!! that is about it.   Tomorrow we are tackling homemade vanilla marshmellows!!  kind of dreading it but also cant wait.  It looks like quite a bit of trouble but well worth it!!

so I better get a good nights sleep and rest up.  Market tomorrow! Foundry Hall South Haven.  

Have a great night!!

Darlene

HUGS!!

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

paintin and bakin day

Hey Yall~~   Geezeeeee for some reason I have been gettin up way before I really need to so with all the extra hours this week I have been paintin in the early mornin and then bakin in the afternoon!   And of cource I did up more snowmen signs.  I so want to make them into xmas cards to send out but really need to get a different program for doin that on our puter.  *(on my xmas wish list) LOL 

This guy is reaching for the best snowflake around!****

I love that dark barn red against the blue backround it really stands out nice!

Still have to finish them but will try to work on them tonight or early tomorrow am since we have market csa drops tomorrow and then Bronson Winter Market on friday and a show on sat!! WHEWW~~ busy week.  As of right now I am definetly plannin on takin a nice long nap with my boys on Sunday!

decided to do non xmas thing.  This along with another one will be on a shutter! 

Another snowman this one I wanted to have him holdin somethin other than a wreath, so a tree in a pot and a bowl of gingers works. 

And this old metal coffee pot has been sittin in my studio for about a year now.  It was time to do something with it.  I am thinkin of stuffin it full of pines and a battery candle light and lots of glitter!! 

Here's the babka that I showed you the other day, these I filled with cinnamon and raisins. 

 FYI when bakin raisin bread I do NOT put any raisins on top of the bread anymore as in the convection oven the heat is intense and it really burnt the little guys that were ontop and they actually flew off of the bread!! LOOK OUR FLYIN RAISINS!! LOL   Susan told me once she made some puff pastry dough for baklava and topped a cheesecake with it and the layers were flyin around the oven like crazy!! 

These babkas are filled with a buttery streusel and a bit ontop

AND>>>>>>>>>> here is my favo of the day!!  I started out makin bread pudding then added orange zest and juice and chopped up fresh cranberries, and some pieces of walnuts!!   I did make a very nice creamy cinnamon sauce and added just a touch of cardamom to it to top it!!   We had to sample one and ours Susan mixed in a bit of brandy into the sauce!! WOW!! what a nice kick!!  It really made a wonderful addition! 

more cinnamon raisin babka.   I did add cinnamon sugar to the tops and misted them for a nice crispy top. 

And I made some more orange coconut macaroons.   they really arent 1/2 as good if they arent dipped in choc!!  and drizzled ontop a bit more.

YUMMY!!

So that is all I have to share at the moment!  I am off to the kitchen to make pierogi and some herbed biscuit loaves and cookies today! 

Hope yall have a wonderful wed!!

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Busy busy day

What a busy monday this will be and it is already half over!! I got up extra early to finish painting some signs for the next show and also some skates and a couple of  snowmen dolls that need finishing up.  The dolls are attached onto an old rusty bed spring so they will sit ontop of a tree or on a cabinet or even on a mantle. anywhere. 

I do alot of long signs with these guys all decorating trees and the middle one is reaching for a large special snowflake!   "Believe in the season".

Warm winter wishes sign.  I fell in love with the pale green backrounds last year and still love it. 

I have to send some pics of my works in progress to a show for verification of handmade not resale items.  I think that is a wonderful idea that way everyone is judged on handmade quality items.  And it is truly made locally!! 

So  I remembered to take pics while working on a couple of snowmen signs.  My absolute favo thing to paint!

And I do think this one is my favo right now!! I did a very light blue and ivory sponge technique on the backround, the barn red saltbox house just pops off the sign!! and there is a bit of "bling" on the roof edge and on the fence pieces.  Some great glitter flakes by Martha Stewart!! love that sparkle.

And best of all last night while driving back home I came across a sign along the road FREE STUFF

So I turned around to check out the goods!!  Found a cute little wood foot stool, a small cabinet with a little door and shelf behind, great for hidden treasures, and 5 great 4 ft tall old shutters from houses.  SO the shutters are already base coated and distressed outside just waiting for me to do my magic on em and that little cabinet will be the next thing to get a new coat of some paint.  Gee maybe even a sagey green?   Who knows until I get started it could turn out to be barn red or even black.???     What fun along the roadside!! LOL

 hope yall have a super duper sunshiney monday!!

It is 61 degrees out here right now!! YEAH!! YIPPEE!! beautiful day!!

HUGS

Darlene s

 ~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~