Vintage Suitcase Makeover Into Shabby Craft Show Sign

Hello Everyone..

I've been getting ready for the craft show this weekend.

I have been so busy but I wanted to share

with you all this little project

I found this vintage 60's suitcase at a thrift for 

2 dollars. It was an ugly blotchy gray.

I have misplaced the photo of it's original color.

But here it is primed and ready to paint.

 The name of my business is 

The Shabby Gypsy.

I had ordered this Genie font

stencil and thought it would be perfect for

the lettering style that I wanted.

I had originally wanted to hand paint it.

I even drew the letters on but decided it would 

take too long as I'm still learning

the hand-lettering techniques.

Well then I had to figure out how to get the pencil

off! I tried erasing it. But that didn't 

work very well. So I tried

the Mr Clean Magic Eraser. 

It was a life saver!

I just rubbed the pencilled letters

with a baby wipe to moisten the writing

and then rubbed the Magic Eraser 

over it. I had it all off in ten minutes!

I was so thankful!! 

 Here's the work in progress.

I had a lot of fun making the shabby flower.

Here's the finished sign.

I used Calypso Sky acrylic paint for the

lettering. I then dry-brushed the letters with a little

bit of Vintage White. After that dried,

I brushed the letters with some tacky glue and

glittered them up a little.

I also used a  flourish stencil and glue to put

a pretty glittered area in the top right hand corner.

This was a fun project. And now I have a sign

to use.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

I'll be back with some photos of my projects next week.

I made some Christmas ornaments and

did some paper crafting.

Thank you for coming by.

Blessings,

Tamara XO

The Savoring of Fall... Sweet Alyssum: Worth Beyond Beauty

Hello Everyone...

It’s been a while since I have written a post.

I have been so very busy with

family and preparing for the

craft show this weekend.

I don't do many craft shows as yet

but hope to increase my attendance 

little by little. I keep trying.

That's the main thing.

In a couple of days,

I will be sharing some of the things that

I have been making.

And I have been working on the house

just a little. Many of our kids are coming for

Thanksgiving and all the grandkids will be here!

We are very excited about that!

~FAMILY~

**************

There is a lot of talk about the coming holidays

and I, myself, have been working on Christmas

ideas and working on projects. 

It's all very fun and exciting!

AND the reality of blog life and creating.

( I enjoy it :)

I L*O*V*E

the Christmas spirit, warmth..

the festive wrappings

and the personal, handmade gifts.

They have that home-spun

charm that keeps me in touch with

a simpler time.

But in my heart and home,

I try to keep the present sacred. 

Protecting it the best I can.

It's like living in two different worlds.

So here, I celebrate..

savor the last Sweet Alyssum of the season.

(And isn't her Zinnia friend pretty?)

In the language of flowers,

this dainty, gorgeous blossom means

~Worth Beyond Beauty~

Isn't that so very charming?

They are so gorgeous and the scent that

they offer truly is a sweet aroma.

But they are anything but delicate.

They can stand up to hardy frosts

and severe drought conditions.

A true, little lady

with a pioneer spirit.

There's a little story about these in the picture.

I searched and searched for some

at all of the big building supply stores.

And at as many nurseries as I could visit.

I was going to really stock up upon finding

how drought tolerant they are.

I had had them before but really didn't

understand their worth.

Well, there were none to be found

ANYWHERE!

I searched all spring and into the summer.

After returning from Ohio, after having been

gone for 6 weeks, there was a small patch 

of about two inches wide 

growing in my whiskey barrel.

I was so excited! 

I watered them and fed them and they filled that barrel from one side to the other.

Sometimes, when I don't have

a lot of something, I tend to appreciate

it more... to protect it and really

be attentive.

There are some things that I didn't know

about this precious plant.

She's edible, belonging to

the mustard family,

contains vitamin C

and can be added to salads

or sandwiches for a spicy flavor.

I will surely try this next year!

{Before the below-freezing temperatures came,

I pulled most of them from the whiskey barrel

and put them all around the house 

in pretty bowls filled with water.

I wanted to enjoy them for as long as possible!}

Aww..the Zinnia has a heart in the center! :)

Historically, they were used to treat 

animal bites and rabies. 

The name in Greek means:

"WITHOUT MADNESS"

They also have a bit of  folklore history. 

{I know this is getting a bit long!}

This part is just for fun.

She is said to be protective against glamour spells and hexes.

Plant it around the house to deflect spells intended to mislead you.

The sweet scent evokes peaceful energy and emotional balance.

Wear a sprig on your lapel or in your pocket 

to calm angry encounters.

(Possible aroma therapy?)

But, sincerely..

I hope that you enjoyed 

learning about this beautiful little flower

with her delicate petals,

and delightful scent. 

And if I could, 

I would offer each of my friends

a lovely bouquet of these

special flowers.

Thank you so much for coming by. 

I wish you blessings of peace 

and a creative week.

Tamara

 XO

Fall's Shadowy, Sun-Splashed Mountain Evening

Hello everyone. Would you like to take a stroll with me on 

on this beautiful fall evening in the mountains?

We will start in the back yard, then wander through the 

gypsy camp and then go a little ways up into

the foothills of our mountain, 

Flat Top.

It's not really our mountain. 

It belongs to the National Forest Service.

We appreciate them allowing us 

to wander there. 

We savor it's beauty... serenity and ruggedness.

 for my collection of hearts...

October's offerings...

fall is on it's way.

 Brutus had to be in the middle as usual.

drinking in the last rays of the warm, evening sun

a path through our gypsy camp

So many happy, fall faces..

Too many Liberty shots? 

Possibly. 

But it isn't intentional!

She seems to want to be near and

just happens to get in the photos. 

Thank you for joining me on my walk.

  

Beauty and blessings..

God given and meant to be shared.

Happy Wednesday 

Tamara

xox

Handmade Flowers and Re-Purposed Window Frame From 1850's Farmhouse

 Happy November everyone..

It's Monday and I hope you had a weekend full

of warm fall-ish moments.

November comes and November goes,

With the last red berries and the first white snows.

With night coming early and dawn coming late,

And ice in the bucket and frost by the gate.

The fires burn and the kettles sing,

And earth sinks to rest until next spring.

~Clyde Watson~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

I have been obsessing a little  lot

over vintage Christmas ephemera and

focusing on getting things made and organized 

for a show toward the end of this month. 

Several weeks ago, I shared with you the window frames

that I was so generously given by a friend of mine. She's actually

my sister's friend and I did a little horse handling

for her dad. 

Anyway, she had tried to salvage the windows but they

 were the originals and their two-story farmhouse was 

built in the 1850's!

Some of the frames were not in very good shape

with small pieces that had fallen off from weather rot.

I almost threw the pieces away.

However, loving junk the way I do, I 

just couldn't bring myself to do it. 

So here's what I made from those window frame pieces.

I had a little helper :) His name is Burlios or Burly for short.

Here, you can see how chippy and aged the wood is.
I just love the way it looks!

{And I think about all of those years that
that window protected them
from the wind and rain.}

And all those rough edges made it so perfect
for a fall sign. 

There are several flowers that I made for this project.
There are many tutorials on how
to make these but I found one here that is very clear
easy to follow. It is a bit time consuming but not
too bad after you make a few. After getting
the knack of it, I skipped the drawing part and
just cut them out by eyeing them.

I started out by making the paper version but
thought that felt would be pretty too.
I liked the way they turned out. They add
a softer texture and are a little more full.
The felt flowers are actually a bit easier to make
 because they don't unroll like the paper ones do.

 Burly likes to get real close! 

The yellow flower was made using the shabby chic

rose method. If you'd like to learn how to make these,

 this video will show you how.

 The creamy white, felt flower looks a little like a

Dahlia. They are very easy to make. Cut a strip of felt 

depending on the size flower you want. 

(Width and length will determine the size.) 

Fold it length wise and then clip 

the folded edge without cutting all the way through. 

Continue until you get to the end.

While keeping it folded, hot glue it as you roll it up.

It's very quick and easy. These are fun to make

in different colors to use for little girls hair clips.

Just add an alligator clip!

I hope you found some inspiration here. I would

 enjoy hearing about your projects

or things that you've salvaged. 

Have a wonderful week and thank you for stopping by

 Where Blessings Gather.

Linking up at:
 Cooking and Crafting With J and J

Tamara 

xo

a little Gypsy CaMp MaGiC...with thrifted, ViNtAgE, Christmas lights

It has long been my good intention to tell you about

 and show you pictures of our *GyPsY CaMp* 

and how it all began.

It was born of a dream and that 

dream is living still and slowly moving forward!

But the telling of that will be another time.

I do get ahead of myself but at least these

are night time shots so not too much of a spoiler..

I love LiGhTs!

Actually, our entire family is drawn to their

way of bringing a bit of sPaRkLe and a feeling

of "let's celebrate" to the most

COMMON of  days.

So, whenever we can, 

we string 'em up and plug 'em in.

Even if it's only to roast marshmallows

or to sit and 

enjoy some solitude from life's lovely, 

but sometimes loud, daily clatter...

(which for me is MUCH needed at times)

or to have a little family, jam session.

We have lights up all year 'round.

Inside and out.

And these old lights were picked up at a

thrift store for a couple of dollars 

per string. We bought several strands and my husband, 

very patiently, switched out the bulbs until we

had a couple of good strings! He's so helpful

with so many things. We are 

blessed to share so many "likes".  

 An inviting fire ready to enjoy.. 

OH OH! 

And then there are the dazzling beauties hanging

in the trees and shining forth their brilliance

that I might find my way! 

Glorious.

I do love my times by the fireside and

we've always been blessed to live in a place

where we could have a fire ring. 

One of life's simple pleasures.

  coloring the Juniper tree with shades of green and blue

and red and yellow..

Magical  Luminescence..

 Enjoying the crackling and dancing

of the flames in a few moments of peaceful resting.

And I'm so grateful.

Isn't it good to dis-engage sometimes? 

from phones..computers, radios and the tv?

And, yes, even from people..

To let your senses just rest and to hear your heart.

Some of my most profound thoughts and

revelations have come to me during these times of

refection and total quiet.

Just a thought, Dear ones..

A good fire slowly dying.. 

It's time to gather my thoughts and

 bid goodnight to this magical place.

I hope that you enjoyed your visit to our 

GyPsY CaMp and that you have a magical place of 

your own where you rest, sing, dream and gather

with all sorts of loved ones..

If you do, I'd love to hear about it! 

Thank you so much for stopping in.

May your week be blessed beyond measure.

Tamara xo