Denim Hair Flowers for Spring.. And a Little History

Hello.

I hope that you feel beautiful today because you are!

  One of a kind with special talents and an inner-beauty that is

unique to you.

Your story is special. 

I'm just learning this myself and learning how

 to really love myself.

It's slowly changing my life!

Not comparing.

Not doubting.

But just moving forward in the hope, 

inspiration and beauty of it all!

I used to think it was a little late.

But it's never too late to learn who you are, 

listen to your heart and follow those whispers.

*******

I have a bouquet of hair flowers to show you today. 

I was inspired to make them from my pile of worn, denim jeans. 

I love the look of anything made with denim. 

Dress is up or dress it down~

All of those different shades... 

And I love how denim is timeless!

 It's one of those styles that

crosses over into every generation

and has for decades.

To read some history about denim you can go here.

I find it fascinating!

Some materials that I used..

denim

old shirts

glitter 

beads

lace

yo-yo flowers

rhinestone cabachons

acrylic paint

buttons

flower dies from sissix

hot glue

craft glue

As you can see, I just layered co-ordinating pieces.

I did some edgings with glitter and dabbed a bit

of matching acrylic paint on some of the petals.

 I don't have a photo of the finished back.

I'm sorry.. I am a quirky blogger and sometimes forget to be thorough in my photo process :/ 

I'll try to do better!

To keep in the hair, 

I attached the double pronged alligator clip. 

Click here to watch a tutorial on how to line your clip.

This isn't a necessary step, however, it gives your

finished bow or flower a clean, professional appearance.

 I made these to sell and so I had to make a way to display them.

I used a piece of wired, burlap ribbon that you can find in

most craft stores. I attached it to this plastic ring that I had.

I glued some white ribbon on the sides to decorate it a bit

and it was finished! It was perfect for attaching my flowers to.

 The photos also show some little felt

hair-flowers. They are SO easy to make! 

Don't they look like mums? I'm sorry I don't have a

photo how-to for these but they are so super easy 

that I can explain the process.

Decide what size you would like to make. These are 

about 2 1/2 inches wide. Cut a felt rectangle about

3 inches wide and 7-8 inches long. 

Fold this in half length-wise and then cut small strips about 3/4

inch through on the fold. This makes the petals. Take care 

not to cut all the way through.

Then just roll this slowly while gluing it as you go.

It makes a lovely mum!

These were all fun to make. Sometimes I just get inspired to make something from my pile of jeans. I've given some to my

grand daughters at times.

Do you have spring plans?

To take a trip or work on a project? 

Maybe it's time to garden or do your spring cleaning.

We're preparing for a trip. I'll share 

more about that later this week.

I hope that your Monday is wonderful. 

Thank you so much for stopping in! I always

appreciate your visits and your comments so much.

Blessings,

Tamara xo

I'm linking up at:

Share Your Cup

My First Time Pickin' For Old Doors and Windows

I hope you all have had a good week.

Productive and peaceful. 

Mine has been good. 

I'm looking forward to

the weekend and hoping to gather

several times with our kids and grandkids.

It's been raining so much and we

have been enjoying it.

I've had these pictures for awhile now.

Waiting to share this little story about my

first "Pickin" experience.

It takes a lot of courage for me

to think of approaching

people to ask them about stuff

that's laying in their yard!

But at least I was in friendly territory!

It was in the little town of Antrim, Ohio 

where I grew up. I recently shared some photos about the area, when I was

visiting family and friends.

Now that we have a little get-away there and 

we always drive our 15 passenger van across

country, it provides opportunities

to pick up things for projects to make and sell

and for decor around the house.

While driving through this quaint little,

country town, I spotted a charming, 

old door laying out in a yard.

And, gathering my courage,

I knocked on the door and

asked some questions.

I found that I went to school

with the family that owned

the little house. When his sister

arrived, we talked schooldays for a 

few minutes and she offered to let me

see some other doors in her shed that 

she had tried to give away but

folks never came and picked them up..

At this point, I was very excited!

 Here are some of the doors.. 

They were old cupboard doors

from an original house in Antrim. 

She even knew the family's name. 

And by now, I am super-excited 

because, as many of you know,

 I love connecting with my past! 

Above are the pantry doors.

This door came with a bonus window!

I love those old glass door knobs.

 The other white, paneled door came

  from the same stop. 

Those lovely spindles and pedestal 

were bought at a Nursery down the road for

a very good price.

 And this old door came from 

the old country store called "Rusty's".

 I use to walk the two miles from my home

to this store to buy candy and chips.

It's about 8 feet tall and very heavy!

It now sits on the porch behind a 

little wicker love-seat. 

I just love all that chipping paint!

I asked her how much she would be 

willing to sell them for and she said that

I could have them!

I couldn't believe it. 

And so she and her brother

helped me load them in my van. 

I gave them a little something for their 

help and was on my way.

I was excited to have found some treasures and visited with old school mates!

The next stop was at a childhood

 neighbor of mine.

I had driven past where I knew 

she had lived with her father but 

didn't know if she was still there.

But I had seen some old windows 

leaned against the side of a shed when

I drove by just 

"takin' the backroads."

Well, since you see the windows,

you can guess what happened.

The story was that she now lived there

with her husband and children and

they were doing some re-modeling. 

They had tried to salvage the windows 

because the house had been 

built in the mid-1800s!

Wow

But they couldn't keep the cold,

Ohio, winter winds from creeping into that

two-story farm house and so they had

to be replaced.

They just wanted to get rid of them..

and it was the same story as with the doors.

People had stopped and asked but

no one ever came back to pick them up.

We had a nice long visit and they helped 

me load them up and my daughter and 

I took them back to Sugartree and

unloaded. I felt blessed.

 Here they are after being hosed down.

 Aren't the arched ones just gorgeous?!

Some of the frames are falling apart and I wondered about taking them but am glad I did.

And I'm currently working 

on a little fall project that is made from 

two of the small salvaged pieces.

I'm almost finished with it and 

will be sharing it this next week. 

I did share some of them with my younger

sister and I gave her the glass-paneled door.

It seems the love of old junk 

runs in the family!

It's so rewarding to find these old things and 

love them into something new.

It always makes me sad when old houses

and buildings are torn down and bull-

dozed into large piles and burned!

Wait.. 

the history and memories..

the craftmanship...

Isn't it satisfying to re-claim 

re-use.. re-make.. re-love?

or whatever one wants to call it..
And the treasure-hunting part is fun, too.
I'm looking forward to
doing some more of that!

I'd love to hear any stories that

you have about special pieces 

that you've found

or experiences that you've had.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting. 

Have a wonderful weekend.

Tamara xo

Recycling a Shoebox for Colorful Storage

My daughter recently had a birthday and she had gotten an assortment of cardmaking
supplies. I wanted her to have something to help her keep them all in one place.
I don't like to always go out and buy those plastic containers. I had this idea. I wanted
to try using a large shoebox that I had on hand. I enjoy reusing what I have if I can.
I have quite a few craft supplies that I enjoy while attempting to be creative.

And so, here is the project. First of all, I spray painted the shoebox a cream color.
And then you will need some basic things.

*Ruler
*Pair of scissors
*Mod podge glue (optional)
*Clear adhesive paper
*A protected surface (because of the glue)

I like to sit on the floor and work. If I know a project will take a little longer,
it helps me to set up in a place where I can leave things out. I am not " a projects left
on the dining room table" kind of person. The clutter gets to me after a while.

My pictures are not very good. I didn't even think to turn the Mod Podge

glue bottle around. I'm sorry. I will work on my photography skills! AND lots of

other details.

I started with the Sissix Big Shot, as you can see. I have only two dies

so far. I used the Tattered Flower in the Tim  Holtz collection. 

 I like the raggedy, sharper edges of the flower shapes. I also

used a small tag from the Tim Holtz Tiny Tags and Tabs die.

I had just restocked my paper and so I was excited that I had

so much to choose from. So what I used was the Spring Fling and Summer Combo

 Collection from Joanne Fabrics and Crafts Store. They have such good deals

 on their craftsupplies! (I was very impressed with their look look and selection.)

The fun thing about projects like these, is that you can use whatever you have. Be

 creative and have fun! I wanted something bright and cheerful for the birthday girl.

A box end..

Annnnddd.... the other end of the box.

I Mod Podged the ends. You wouldn't have to use

the contact paper or the Mod Podge. I did because I put a lot of time into this project and

I wanted it to last. I knew the layers would get get caught and torn while getting it out and

stacking things on top. Soo.. this way, it was protected.

The top of the box had several layers, so I decide to use clear contact paper

to cover it. I wasn't sure how Mod Podge glue would work and the layers.

And I didn't want to experiment with this because it took a lot of time to

 put it all together!

Any way, here is the finished top. I was pleased with the way it turned out.

I really liked how the tag turned out.

I hardly ever have a solid plan when I begin a project like this. Just a basic idea. That's

part of the fun, however, it does take a little more time that way. By the way,

I didn't have it finished for Charlotte's birthday but she didn't mind.

My kids are used to waiting for things like that and I am so glad. Because then I

 not pressured by deadlines that don't fit.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed seeing my project.

Have fun making your own!

The possibilties are endless once you get started.