White Wednesday...

...a very old and weathered white tombstone, the marble cross darkened and covered in moss and lichen.

While the tombstone might represent death to some, to me, it represents life. A new life beyond death, a belief central to my faith.

From death springs life.

From under a frosty blanket of snow, life will spring forth in just a few short months.

This much we know.

But to gaze upon this image, to contemplate the lichen clinging to the edges of the cross, I am forced to view the ferocious tenacity of life in all its many forms....the lowly lichen included.

As it clings to the cross, as life springs forth from what many eyes view as a place of death, so I am reminded of the tenets of my faith.

As we pray at Mass, Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

From death,  life emerges.

Fresh, new, eternal.

Just words and an image to ponder this White Wednesday, hosted by Kathleen at

Faded Charm.

Critique My Craft

Or crap, as the case may be. ;-)

Please be kind.

Truthful, but kind.

I lucked upon a stash of wonderful Martha Stewart Crafts Collector Boxes, which are basically shadowboxes, for a fraction of what they normally sell for. Found them at Tuesday Morning, which is also where I lucked upon a treasure trove of Martha Stewart rubber stamps and paper punches, too.

It's no secret that I am not a crafter. Understatement, much?

And yet I have this intense desire to be this crazily crafty chick, whipping out paper wreaths and angel fairy jars,  crocheting neck warmers and sewing homemade Snuggies for my dogs. Whaaaaa? Why you be laughin' at that last one?  ;-) They only make 'em for little pip-squeak mutts, and my babies are 60 lb Huskies! Big dogs need love (and warmth!) too.

But I digress.

So I gathered up all the tools of the trade that I had at hand...

1. Shadow Box
2. Old Sheet Music
3. Scrabble Tiles
4. Flash Card
5. Old Skeleton Key
6. Mod Podge
7. E6000 Glue
8. Craft Punch (for sheet music doves)
   

Mind you, this is the first time EVER that I've attempted to do anything like this. I'm going for more of a minimalist look, not an everthing-but-the-kitchen-sink sort of collage.
This is the first draft of what I've got thus far...

 

 

AND...here's a later pic I snapped after this posted, incorporating some of your ideas...

 

And here's a later fix, with the edges of the flashcard aged a bit...

Dingleberry here had already glued the key in place, so it would've been tough to have laced a ribbon through it, so I used this awesome fabric ribbon I received from Jill at Gypsy Brocante. You rock, Jill!

Almost there...

Annndddd.....

The Final Edit!

Meet Charlie, my latest bisque baby courtesy of my new friend Katie's Etsy Shop, Linda Paloma.

The next one will be SO much better, thanks to all of your contributions.

So there you have it!

I know it's nowhere NEAR the level of artistry of my buddy Dawn from Feathered Nest, or any one of a hundred of you other crafty lil' critters. But it's a start.

So tell me.

What do I need to add? Or take away?

Fine as is? Ha! Hardly.

Here's your chance to make me a better artist....PLEASE!

XO,

Me

For No Other Reason Than....

....to say Thank You.

I just clicked on to my blog and took a quick look at my followers list, and was suddenly overcome with.... gratitude.

I am so thankful for each and every person who visits here, whether you leave a comment or not (even though I love  comments!), or whether you become a follower or not (although I love those, too!)

Just the fact that you took a few minutes out of your busy day, and chose to spend a little time here with me, out of the hundreds and thousands of other blogs out there....it's humbling.

I make a lot of mistakes.
I'm not the most talented, or the most prolific.
I'm certainly not the craftiest or the most inspiring.
I'm just me.

And you should know that as much as I may have contributed to your lives, you have blessed me a hundred times more so.

So, again, I say

For allowing me the opportunity to live out a little piece of my dreams here with you.
For sharing in my life, and for encouraging me when I've needed it the most.
For accepting me into your sister (and brother) hood, and for making me wonder how I ever got along before knowing all of you.

Swirly Silver Sunday

It's been said that necessity is the mother of invention, so when I picked up this absolutely gorgeous swirly, Sheridan Silver candelabra at an estate sale yesterday, I knew that I'd better get inventive.

Why, you ask?

Broken. But still beautiful, just like my sweet little Frozen Charlotte head perched atop it.

Hey, I'm a junker, ain't no way I'm gonna let a little something like that stand between me and a badazz, tarnished silver treasure!

So I cozied up to my buddy Jason who is on the estate sale staff, and acting all cool and non-interested, I nonchalantly asked "How much for the broken old candelabra in the garage"?

I think he was on to me, so he said with a twinkle in his eye,

"For you? $4.50!"

SOLD!

I may solder the broken piece back on, or I may not...I happen to think Charlotte looks pretty killer right where she is.

Don't you?!

To see everyone else's scrumptious silver, head on over to Beth (not Betty!) at

Gypsy Fish Journal

for Silver Sunday, going on now through February 7th.

And the lovely Jill at

Gypsy Brocante

is having a wonderful, Silver Sunday themed giveaway over at her blog!

She's offering one lucky winner one of her silver blackboard trays next Sunday, the 17th.

I've got my entry in, you be sure to do the same!

She's Got The Right Idea....

My sweet and insanely talented buddy Adrienne of The Flying Bee is taking her blog a slightly different direction these days. Through blogging, she has discovered an intense passion for photography, and is sharing many of her glorious, wordless images with us. I do hope you'll head on over and take a look, they really are quite stunning.

It's inspired me to reach back into some of my own photos, ones that I was perhaps too insecure to share with all of you before now. I have also found, quite unexpectedly, that I too am crazy about photography! I knew that I loved ( and lived ) to write, but this photography thing just sort of snuck up on me. I've been bitten, and like Adrienne, there's no turning back.

So, like sweet Adrienne, no words, just images; a few of my pics from the vaults...

 

 

 Thanks muchly for indulging me, and again, please head on over to Adrienne at

The Flying Bee

to see what truly awesome photography looks like!

Buster Welcomes You to White Wednesday

Welcome to White Wednesday, hosted by Kathleen at  Faded Charm.

And please say hello to "Buster", too.

Buster has been on lay-away at the posh antique shop downtown for a couple of weeks, and was anxious to get settled in his new home. He made the trek back with me to Casa de Twig just this afternoon.

I had admired him for several months, and each time I'd pop in the shop, would be relieved to find him happily perched in his regular spot...until one day a few weeks ago, when I was dismayed to find that my darling little boy was nowhere to be found! There was a new lady working the desk, and she had no idea where he was, nor had she even seen him prior. Saddened, I left and vowed to be a better follower of my own advice in the future....

This little pearl of wisdom that I designed is displayed on my side-bar. So why the hey didn't I listen to myself???  I'm tellin' ya, there's no regret quite as bittersweet as the one you feel when you pass up that one special something that just speaks to you. You try to rationalize that you don't need it, that the price is bound to come down, that it'll still be there next week.

T'ain't always so. Sometimes, you miss the boat altogether.

But other times.....

You get a second chance!

Turns out Buster had been relocated by the owner, and after inquiring as to who purchased him, I was happily made aware that he was still available and was simply hiding, as capricious young lads are wont to do.

He had actually belonged to the owner himself. He had purchased him in England many years prior, and had carried him in his lap all the way back home to the US on the plane! I asked what he had named him, and was shocked to hear that he didn't have a name.

And that was when I knew.

Buster had never really, truly belonged to the kindly owner of the antique shop.

True, he had discovered his young charge and had transported him safely overseas those many years ago.

But to have never named him? How could that be?

I am a firm proponent of anthropomorphizing those "objects" which speak to your heart...of giving a name to that which calls out to your senses and provides you with delight, with enchantment, with wonder.

That was when I knew that Buster had always been intended for me.

He has a proper name, but he has yet to reveal that to me.

He has shared that Buster is his nickname, and that's how he prefers to be addressed until he gets a bit more settled. I told him to take as long as he likes, and to make himself comfortable. He has a forever home now, no more living on a shop shelf or in an overcrowded mall booth. Buster is here to stay.

 

He looks happy to be home, doesn't he?

Please visit Kathleen at Faded Charm for links to all the other White Wednesday participants.

Also.....

Please pay a visit to Cindy at My Romantic Home, she graciously allows us to play Show and Tell each and every Friday on her lovely blog!

My Post-Christmas Shopping List, Vol. 1

That'd be me!

Junker Girl (or Grrrl) all the way.

But I'm not all-junk, all-the-time.

Sometimes I even break my hard and fast junk rule for awesomeness such as the kind shown below.

Behold, two things I needs real, real bad...

 Rosette Bedding from Anthropologie.

This was featured in the January '10 Anthro catalog which I received in the mail today. I can't quit looking at the bedding and getting all dreamy and swoony over it. Somebody slap me.

 

And also from the Anthro Home Collection...

The super girly and romantic

Bustled Shower Curtain!

Why, if I had that, I'd stay in the shower so long I'd pucker up like a prune!

C'mon now, admit it...you need these two lovelies, too!

Oh, I saw lots more that I lurve, but these two top my post-Christmas list.

Off to bed now, but instead of a before bedtime snack, I'm helping all of y'all out with your New Year's resolutions to cut back on sweets by providing you with yummy eye candy instead!

You're welcome.

XOXO,

Night All!