Her crown is an old ‘Prince of Wales’ trinket of my husband’s, the pearls I’ve collected and carted around the world for years, the bottom of the charm is trimmed with vintage lace from my maternal grandmother’s collection.  Hanging from the bottom is a vintage watch balance I have been aching to find a place for.

The chain is constructed of old bits and pieces from three different necklaces, and finally there is a dictionary definition from my paternal grandmothers old elementary book. 

Abide – great love, faithful to; to put up with…

It’s a powerful magic around my neck each time I wear it.

I am also very inspired as the clock ticks down on an Ebay auction… remember the budget, remember the budget….

Actually it’s been a good learning experience for me.  I’ve never had to work so hard to make sure that my cost and margins were so tightly under control.  I’ve also never worked in such a way, batches of jewelry to try to make sure I’m paying my self a reasonable hourly wage.

I also pay close attention to what else in the boutiques are selling, and I ask lots of questions.  Shop owners are different, some will tell you too much and some have no desire to enlighten the potential competition.

Below are some of my new line, enjoy!

This is just one piece, because it’s a strip of sari silk it has these beautiful decorative areas at one end.  I twisted and twisted the piece of silk and tacked it down with a few simple stitches.  The backing is felt, and I use a simple safty pin to tack it on my jacket or sweater.

If I happen to find a good source for these I’ll share, in the mean time, prepare yourselves to pay for shipping from Australia and an almost month long wait for delivery.

Best,

I purchased a few Luna Girl image CDs and I’ve been waiting for the perfect use, my steampunk necklaces seem to be the right place.  This lovely was one of movie starlets.  She looks just like the Queen of Hearts.  The other side of the clear text bead reads ‘she made some tarts’… so less Alice in Wonderland, more Nursery Rhyme.

Upcycled Art Doll

I also used my heat gun to melt the fabric into the interesting shapes in her skirt.

I got the idea from those creative folks over at Cart before the Horse (Dylan and Jo) and did a little cheater quilt of my own with my girls silhouettes.  I painted on muslin and then used some old flannel blankets for the batting and jeans for the backing (seems to make it sturdy).

Each picture was transferred from a photo and a little black and white work in Adobe Photoshop.  I did a pencil outline and then painted with charcoal gray.  After painting the silhouette and frame I did some hand sewing to quilt all the layers together.

This was so fun and I loved the way it turned out so well that I’m planning a few more.

So we finally found an answer for our littlest one’s diaper needs and our pocket book.  We’ve moved to cloth diapers, and we found a great source on Etsy.  Her shop is called QTBUNNS.  We did a custom order for our little girl and I am a convert.

QT’s Diapers are made by Shariee Wisdom a work-from-home grandmother in Anchorage Alaska.  We found her on Etsy after a very unsuccessful foray into another .com’s idea of cloth diapers.  The other company’s diapers were $60 for 3 of them… We felt like that was quite an investment for something we weren’t sure would work.  So I went shopping on Etsy.

Shariee has a great feedback rating and has made hundreds of sales, so we felt comfortable making the leap.  Her diapers cost from $7 to $11 dollars each, depending on the baby’s size.  We got them in good time, even through our APO and they are fantastic!  Washing and drying instructions are included, and easy to do without trouble.

Shariee’s diapers are “made with elastic leg gussets and an adjustable waist, with velcro closures to ensure a snug fit as your little one grows.
Each diaper has an outer layer of flannel material, durable for washing and attractive for style, and an inner layer of flannel that sits softly against baby’s skin. Inside, a thick inner layer of terry is sewn securely in place for absorbency, and a layer of PUL (polyurethane laminate) offers hidden waterproof protection.
All diaper orders include a soaker liner that is firmly attached with a small strip of velcro, yet easy to remove for washing. Soaker liners are made with two outer layers of flannel and two inner layers of thick terrycloth.” (from QTBUNNS diaper description)

My daughter doesn’t get diaper rash and they hold so much without leaking or ruining her outer clothing.  The flannel is holding up well to the washing and the velcro is nice and strong, the elastic around the legs is also good (no leaks).  We are so impressed, and feeling dumb for not making the move earlier.