Packing My Bags...

Well, I'm not really packing up and moving, but it feels like it! I've been going through more boxes in the basement and clearing out things I will never use or never have the time to re-purpose as I'd intended. Take that vintage Samsonite suitcase for example. I had grand plans of collecting them and having a stack as high as the ceiling (almost!) ... just like those collections you see in Country Living or Romantic Homes... but it reminds me too much of the Toppling Tower and I never made it past the one piece of luggage.

And this cute miniature curio cabinet (below)... I could just see it painted white (or black), edges distressed, old book pages on the back of the shelves, holding some of my old pincushions or little curiosities... but I never got around to it and I have other things I'd rather do now.

There are so many more things I've dug out of boxes that I know I just won't ever get around to recycling so I am adding them to my junk sale. And what doesn't sell before the end of the month, will be put in a local sale I am having with my daughter, sisters, and nieces. I am really in one of those moods to declutter! :)

I'm hoping by fall (since I have other things going on as well) I will have gone through every inch of the house, through all the boxes and closets and drawers, and will have everything completely organized. What we want to keep, will either be displayed nicely and creatively, or stored in much fewer boxes until we want to change things out a bit.

Wish me luck!!! :)

Take care and God bless,
Lana
~*~

Something Old, Something New

No, no one's getting married... or I would have something borrowed and blue, too!
Instead, I wanted to share a new needlework / jewelry design I came up with that was inspired by an old pincushion.

Some time ago I had added a little pin holder (seen above) to my pincushion collection. And recently, I started making my usual list of items to have ready for the Lavender Festival coming up later in June. I'll tie those two statements together in a minute...

I remembered in the last few years, festival customers asked if I could make some sort of silk ribbon jewelry for those that don't collect the pilllows. I made a few pins (brooches) and they sold well, but I didn't want to make something so small to embroider and then sew and turn right side out as I had to do with the pins. Now here's the connection: I happened to think of the little pincushion on the shelf and thought it was probably a good size to work with, sketched a quick design, wrote a few notes, and the pendants shown are what I made. Later, I'll do other designs and add some ribbon embroidery, but for now, I like these simple ones. Several years ago one of my designs in Create and Decorate, called Curled Fern Stitchery, was similar to this one but on a larger scale, framed, and done with silk ribbons.

{back of pendant}

I really like making these and they are something I can do in the evenings while sitting in the living room with my family.

You can read the entire description on my website here and if you are interested in purchasing one, just send me an email.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Take care and God bless,
Lana
~*~

p.s. I didn't get any comments about the antique fork in my previous post... can anyone help?

I Need Your Expertise, Please

I was taking down a bed today to clear out a room (as part of our renovations) and amongst the boxes under the bed (I'm not the only one that stores boxes under the bed, am I?), I found a box of old silver I had collected over the years.

Most of it is silver plate but I found one old three tine fork with a bone / celluloid / ivory / bakelite (???) handle. I can not find any markings on it like what is on the silver plate pieces.

I can see a faint wood grain type of design in the handle. Can anyone tell me what it is made of and about how old it is? Thanks!

Beauty in the Details

Sometimes I look at the big picture and see chaos, clutter, and confusion...

and yes, I could be talking about life... or my workroom!

Perhaps I need blinders or tunnel vision, so I can focus on one small thing at a time...

 Or maybe a camera lens for life like the kind of camera lens that blurs out the surroundings

and focuses on one specific thing...

maybe for once, ignore the obvious...

and look for beauty in the details...

I would stop worrying about all that surrounds me that's waiting to be taken care of...

it will still be there tomorrow...

and the next day...

and the next...

And take a moment here and there to appreciate the little things...

seemingly insignificant little things...

the little details...

 Because there is beauty to be found in the details...

if I (we) just look for them.

Where have you seen beauty in the details recently?

Was it somewhere least expected?

I'd love to know. :)


Take care and God bless,

Lana

~*~

Views Through a New Lens

My husband, kids, and new daughter-in-law were here for an early Mother's Day last Sunday. I thought we were just going to spend time together after church and cook on my husband's new smoker / grill, but they surprised me with a new lens for my camera!

I bought an excellent used Nikon D70 camera last year from Donna. It came with a great, all-purpose 18-70mm zoom lens, but I had been wanting another lens for it for quite a while. My oldest son has a Nikon D90 and several lenses and I love the photos he takes with the 50mm lens in particular.

So recently they secretly ordered a 50mm f/1.8D lens and gave it to me Sunday afternoon. I love it!!! And I love all of my family for being so thoughtful, of course!!! :)

Hmmm, do you see a color pattern here? It's not intentional... I just took photos of things around the house, but I guess I do have a lot of blues scattered here and there.

Ok, back to the lens --- it's going to take some getting used to, as it has a shallow depth of field (which is the reason I like it so well), and I suppose if I take the time to finally read my camera manual and find some sites about using the lenses, I'll learn a little faster.

If any of you know of some good photography blogs or have tips of your own, feel free to share the links in the comments ~ thanks!

Take care and God bless,
Lana
~*~