The Last Outfit... & A Couple of Giveaways

Okay kids so far I'm ahead of the electrical storm headed our way. :) I finished the last jumper and skirt and I think that's just about all this little "fashion plate" can stand. I have enough to take up north. North would be North Carolina for a couple of days and the rest of the time in South Carolina. The weather won't be to much colder in So Carolina then it is here, so we don't have to worry about freezing to death :) I mean I will pack my socks just in case it gets too cold. Ha I'll be a tourist there and everyone knows that it's high fashion to wear their socks with sandals!! Right????

I made the jumper out of a oh so soft blue-gray silk with a small olive-taupe stripe. I made a soft brushed stretch cotton olive skirt to go with it.

Things could really get boring because I use the same jumper, skirt and apron patterns all the time. So each time I tweak things like the necklines, shape or add a bit of vintage fabric from my stash. I've had a piece of vintage lacy laceup thingy hanging on my board forever waiting for a divine vision. I think it's intended use is to lace up the front or back of a gown, I just thought it was to beautiful to pass up. I don't know how old it is. Could be years or could be 2 years old. I found it in the front counter of a little seconds fabric store No air conditioning in the store and the glass in the counter is shaded it still gets a fair amount of sun each day. Soooooo like I said it's any body's guess on age. :)

I left the left side seam open and placed the laceup thingy (does anyone know the official name of this piece of garment????) on the seam to lace up the jumper Oh yeah that was after I took it for a tea dye job to add a bit of patina :) So there you have it another cute little outfit for Annalise. Don't anyone tell her because it would really hurt her feelings but I think I fill out the top of the jumper a darn site better then she does. ;)

I just have to show you guys this !!!! Isn't it sooooooo, the most coolest, neatobanito thing you have EVER seen???? What??? What do you mean what??? Of course it's the HOLE !!! See it??? There at the top of that piece huge Mermaid tear!!!! I MADE that HOLE!!!!! Yes sireee I did. I made it with the ever so cool Dremel Tool that LW gave me for our anniversary!!! The DT and a diamond bit and it was like magic!!!! :) When the project is done I'll show pictures of the whole creation. I just couldn't wait to show you the hole!! :)

My little Bloglandian Sis Lulu of Coastal Sisters is having a lovely fall give away. She has created a wonderful fall necklace that you need to skip on over to see and leave a comment. Well that's if you would like to be in the drawing. And who wouldn't I mean it's a chance to have a OOAK Lulu original!!!

Oh Look here is one more giveaway. Our little french Bloglandian sister Esther of Mes Illusions Baroques has also created a OOAK cameo necklace to give away in celebration of the opening of her ETSY store!! :) Soooooo when you are done at Lulu's little home skip over to Esther's register for her giveaway and check out her new store!! :)

That is all for me tonight my bloglandian family. Some how I'm still ahead of the storm so I don't think I'll press my luck any longer!! Have a most audacious today or tomorrow depending on where in the world you are p;)

She's Alive!!! ALIVE !!!!! :) & A Finished Piece

Why yes she is alive :) I managed to get Mascara on yesterday, and today I even went for lunch with Jackie P!!! Course being the good friend that she is she was kind enough to say I look a bit "played out" Hmmm If that's the case I sure wish I had more fun at whatever I was playing! :)

That's all I got typed in my post last night before the sky light up with a most beautiful Thunderstorm, which produced 3 things. 1) It dumped buckets of lovely rain so we don't have to water the patio pots. (That make LW a tad unhappy because the plants are on the verge of staging a takeover and only grow more confident with each storm!!) But thankfully there are no Venus Flytraps (I think anyway)

2) There were 5 dogs and 2 human pets all crowded into 4 square feet. And 3) All electronics are immediately unplugged. Boy and howdy are we methodical about that rule. There have been any number of people that have had their entire collection of power driven items ( from the curling iron on up the food chain) totally fried with a power surge :( So now with that bit of explanation I'm sure you can understand why I left you guys in mid-sentence yesterday :)

Well I finished Luci's BDay present. Luci and Tony are the friends that have a little B&B and the most amazing incredible, simply to die for Mexican restaurant. Oh my God you guys Luci is truly and artist.!!! Once a year she goes down to Mexico City to make the base for her Mole sauce. Why??? Cuz her 94year old mom is there and they spend days blending the 93 ingredients that makes their Mole. SO back to Luci. Luci loves bling, jewelry of all kinds, shoes the higher the heal the better and a bit of a Bohemian style in clothes. She also works behind her huge stoves 12 hours a day 6 days a week in her non air conditioned kitchen. But every single day she gets up puts all her makeup on fixes her hair, puts on a "going to town" skirt and top with complementing jewelry and heeled sandals and I mean heels I've never seen that little 4'11" woman in anything less then 3inch heels!! :) Yep all that every day and she is as young as I am. :) I asked her one day why and her answer was because her kitchen is open to her guests and it's important that they always see her presentable!

Keeping that in mind and also knowing that she is one of the few people I make gifts for that comes close to "getting it" so I can have fun making for her!!! :) Back in the July Aug Belle Armoire Jewelry magazine Barbe Saint John made a CUTE Dragonfly necklace with a Frozen Charlotte head and a salt shaker. I filed it away in my "cool idea" folder. I used it as a spring board/ inspiration for Luci's necklace.

I made the wings with stiff steel craft wire to keep them from bending with the motion of the necklace. Also the wings hold the necklace together. Since Luci tends to wear a lot of black and dark reds in the fall/winter I used deep red faceted glass beads with smokey faceted beads. for the "chain" On the wings I used little faceted garnets, with black& smokey crystals.

Glued the head to the shaker with my best friend E6000 :) As for the wings....... I hauled out my little soldering iron and did the most amazingly incredibly hideous soldering job of wings to salt shaker ever attempted by womankind!!!! :)

OH MY GOD!!!!!! Now what in the hell I'm I going to do??? Just because it's the back side it doesn't mean it will never be seen!!!! I'm not exaggerating one tiny bit, This truly was ugly with a capital U. It was then that sheer inspiration struck.... cover it up create a distraction.... yes perfect!!!! I cut out a little flower applique from a piece of my fabric stash and glued it over the ever so lovely solder job :)

I cut the shank off of a vintage rhinestone button to use as the clasp You can never have enough SHINIES don't ya know!!

And wa-la here is Annalise modeling "La Senorita Libelula" "Miss Dragonfly"

I apologize for the photos. Perhaps it was the sun coming in the sunroon windows, or not feeling my usual perky self or just lousy photography but I don't think they really do justice to the piece. :(

Ahhhhhhh I hear LW proclaiming "lundin" is ready. Lundin-the meal that combines lunch and dinner like brunch is to breakfast/lunch :) Have a most audacious today or tomorrow depending on where in the world you are. p;)

"The Steamroller Effect"

In an effort to turn Limes-- the side effects to Antibiotic Therapy

into Limonada (Limeade) I have challenged myself to come up with 3 positive things that have resulted from the "Steamroller Effect" You know I've always had a love/hate relationship with antibiotics. They are ever so efficient in zapping bacteria where it hurts oooooh but the price at times makes you wonder if the cure is better then the illness!! :)

Oh Yeah no whining remember. We are filling this post with nothing but positive thoughts and energy... okay well I'll give a good ol college try.

1) So for my first positive I,ve thought of: I'm really saving on the mascara!! I haven't had any on in 4 days now. Of course I haven't been outside the house, for fear of scaring little children and pets resulting in a life long warped psyche!! Oh my gosh I just thought of a 1a) If there is no mascara then I'm saving on the baby oil to remove the mascara!! :)

No these lovely eyes are not mine. Not that I wouldn't sell a small appendage to have these eyes on my 54 year old face!! But I guess that would mean I'd have to have the rest of my face jacked up to match them...hmmm on second thought.... Now when they figure out how to make my hands not look their age, and match my new look I might be able to get behind a face jacking :)

Yikes I better undigress cuz I can feel a lot of negative energy here :(

2) The second thing is always nice. LW who babies, pampers, and indulges me way more then I surely deserve on a daily basis kicks into overdrive when I'm sick. Bring tea, and the evil coca cola and making wonderful meals

All I have to do is think something sounds good and before I know it, there it materializes!! :) And on top of that he even does the wash!!! Now just how cool is that. Okay I'd be amiss if I didn't admit to LW doing 97% of the wash and 100% of the dishes!! :) Yes indeed I am a very spoiled girl :)

3) Number three is I did get Luci's necklace made for her birthday. And I had full intentions of taking some pictures of it to share but........

I'm afraid that this is exactly what the back of the camera looked like. Except it did flash "Change Batteries NOW" before it went black :( Soooooo Show and Tell has been delayed to tomorrow due to technical difficulties. :)

Hey I think all this positive chi is working cuz I have come up with a Number 4) I have been able to catch up on my reading :) Gads I have that huge stack of art magazines Lulu sent!! I've been reading Laurie King's mysteries, and blog-hopping my little heart out!!

Only 2 more days of antibiotics heck I can do that standing on my head...(as long as the barf bucket is close)...I think on this positive note I will just sign off

Have a most audacious today or tomorrow depending on where in the world you are ;)

A Great Book, A Cool Givaway, & I Don't Feel Good

You know when or remember when your kiddles look up at you with pathetic droopy eyes and said "I don't feel so good Mama" ??? Well that's me today. Nope not a cold, or the flu those are just so over used these days. No I decided that I shouldn't be allowed to live 54 years without experiencing the nuances of a Bladder infection. :( So LW has been babying and taking ever so wonderful care of me today. He went to the Farmacia (pharmacy) and bought the necessary antibiotics to tame this puppy and them send it whimpering out of my body!! :) So I expect I'll be well on the way to mending by tomorrow morning. But for today I think I'll tell ya about this awesome idea and crawl back in to bed with my pillows and book. :)

If you guys haven't seen, or own this book you really must check it out!! It's sooooo wonderful. I ordered it from Amazon a couple of months ago and I bet I return to it at least a half dozen times a week. :)

Ruth Rae and Kelly Snelling wrote this book about a cool collaboration they did with a few other artists friends doing round robin jewelry exchanges. One of the cool things about this group is that they weren't all jewelry artists like Deryn Mentock. There were painters and mix media artists like Maija Lepore. But they all contributed by adding to each artist's jewelry. It was during these heady months that Kelly was diagnosed with breast cancer. Kelly used this project and the support of her fellow artists as positive supports while undergoing her treatments. Along the way Ruth and Kelly were approached about writing a book about the collaboration. A Charming Exchange is the result.

Both the authors and their fellow kindred artist decided to auction off the pieces made for the collaborations and donate the proceeds to Breast cancer research. Since October is Breast cancer awareness month what better time to do it.

Ruth and Kelly are asking us to help spread the word about the auction. Sooooo please head over to A Charming Exchange blog to get the low down on the project, grab one of the event buttons, then post about it on your blogs. Oh yeah as a thank you for helping remember to register for their give away. They are going to give away a necklace Ruth and Kristen Robinson made creating a FREE tutorial video. Which by the way you can download and use to make a necklace like it. You know just in case you don't win the giveaway. And I might as well warn you to just go a head and grab the tutorial because I'm certain... almost positive... well fairly sure I'm going to win the giveaway!! :)

Okay so what are you waiting for head on over. I promise you'll feel so good afterwards, I mean what a painless, fun way to support, and lend strength to finding a solution to a needless killer!

I think I can hear my pillow and comforter calling. Time for this girl to take a cup of hot tea and settle in, till she's on the mend. Have a most audacious today or tomorrow depending on where in the world you are ;)

I Hope it has "Sumsing" Ssspecial Just For Me!!!!

OOOOH The Wells Fargo Wagon is aa comin to town......

Well it wasn't the Wells Fargo wagon but it was even better!!! Jackie D and ED made a rushed trip down from the Northernlands this week and they had treats!! Yipeee!! :) One of my very bestest Bloglandian sisters Lulu of Coastal Sisters sent me a most wonderful ,stupendous . and amazing just because I care parcel!!!!! Oh it was bursting with all manner of lushes art supplies.

First I have to show you the earrings she created for me to wear for Mette&Joe's wedding. Remember I purchased that lovely dark blue leaf print dress??? Well just look at these incredible earrings, the perfect shape and color!!! Oh Lulu they are exactly what I had in mind!!!

When I pulled back the flaps I saw wonderful things!!

Glass, clay, stone and crystal beads. Wonderful metal findings. Rhinestones and charms!! Copper foil & 2 sizes of glass slides!! Remember my whining a couple of months ago about not being able to find copper foil ??? Hmmmm I guess this means I have no excuses any more when it comes to making charms huh??? :)

Oye Lulu how did you lift this box up to the counter???? Jackie said you must have sent bricks as heavy as the box was!! Not bricks just ART Magazines YAAAA HOOOO Happy Dance!!!!

And in the very bottom a huge package of cutie putootie stickers a box of memory frames and a net bag of SEA SHELLs from Topsail Island N.C. I love them and the coolest thing about them is that your shells on the Atlantic side of this continent look just like the shell I have on the Pacific side of the continent!!! How very cool is that????

THANK YOU ever so much Little Sis I can't tell you how precious this parcel of love is to me. :) Because of the difficulty with the mail service (rather the lack of) it becomes almost impossible for me to participate in exchanges, giveaways or anything that has a time constraint on it. The major reason why I haven't had a giveaway since OWOH, is the inconsistencies and frustrations of getting a parcel to the States to be mailed in any kind of time frame. If it were not for my dear friend Jackie D nothing would go up or come down. That being said I know how difficult and frustrating it is for those up north to get a parcel to us, so when I do receive one from the States, Australia, or even Europe I am so amazed, thankful and humbled to know that you took the time and care to do this for me :)

Oh gosh could someone pass the box of tissues please :) I think I need to head off to bed now with one of my new art magazines, so my wish for all of you is to have a most audacious today or tomorrow depending on where in the world you are ;)

Creating Birthday Gifts From a Bit of Stash :)

I don't know about you all but I still get a little bit of a thrill in my stomach when ever I'm able to turn a bit of junk into a simple little pleasure! ) My first born (and only daughter) has a birthday this month. I decided to make her a couple of little things as Jackie D has to go up to the States and can mail the parcel for me. I made a bit of a necklace with a few things I had in my stash. A few amber chips, wire the letter M and a "halvesy"





I made the S links out of steel wire, and offset the spacing of the amber chips from one side.


The letter M is from an antique typewriter!! I love these letters. I find sets on Ebay but I fear there are a whole lotta people doing the same thing as they have gotten rather expensive :( Hopefully the next cool thing will come along soon and the keys will be forgotten. Heck all we have to do is get someone with a name like Paris or some other chi chi name to start wearing... oh I don't know Q Tips maybe, well then type writer keys are out and Q Tips are in !! :)

Word has gotten around that Pattie is always happy to have "halvesies" earrings. You know they are no longer a pair because one is AWOL so you are left with a halvesy :) The base of the focal is a halvesy that I glued the M on with the magical E6000. I'm really having to ration my dependency on the glue. I've maybe an inch left in the tube and it has to last till we go to the northlands next... oh my god that's NEXT month!!! Slight panic attack!! Deep breath.... I hung a little swivel charm with harmony one side peace the other, and a couple of amber chips. from the halvesy.

I hear that it's all the rage in the Northlands to knit with wool yarn then felt it in the washer and drier. Hmmmmm I remember when we called that "boiled wool" anyone else remember??? Renate I know you have ;) Well I thought I might make a small little purse with a bit of boiled wool. Ha like wool yarn or sweaters are soooo easy to find here :) Well I did have one small black wool sweater that I had shrunk the heck out of. A few felt flowers with buttons on top. Cutie Putootie little pick flowers with rhinestones as clasps.

Front

Back

Oh yeah this last picture is part of the reason for the small panic attack . This is one of 20 beach/grocery totes that this Mom is making for her daughter's wedding that is now 2 months and 2 days away. But that's not the worse of it. I have to have these done before we fly up on the 27th of October!!!!!! Ah heck piece of cake I'm sure you've heard me say before I work best under pressure. Yes???? :)

Have a most audacious today or tomorrow depending on where in the world you are ;)

Time to Pack Away the White???

Labor Day is nearly upon us and you know what that means don't you???? Yep time to pack away all the lovely white frocks, shoes, purses and any other clothing that is summer white. So is there anyone in Bloglandia that still does this??? (yep) says Me :) I can't help it really I can't. I was still a little girl when my mum trained me to avoid this most horrendous of social faux pas You don't wear white after Labor Day :) SO with this being said I bet you think my mum was raised in one of the "Summer Cottages" in the Hamptons or a Southern plantation??? Actually nothing could be farther from the truth. My mum was the youngest child, only girl with 3 grown brothers. My Grandfather and uncles worked in lumber camps and railroad crew camps. This was the depression anyone with work was lucky. My Grandmother and my mum moved from job to job with the boys. That is until my mum was 9 when she lost her mother to cancer. That left 3 grown boys and my grandfather to raise a cute little red headed tomboy. She was packed off to live with her aunt for the school year and spent the summers in the camps. It was her aunt who taught her how to be a "Proper Lady"

Boy it must have worked cuz when my mum left home to seek..ah make her fortune...ah heck to make a living :) she was one put together woman. Her outfit matched her shoes, which matched her purse, which matched her hat, and there was always a pair of gloves in said purse. :)

See what I mean if she said you don't wear white after labor day I figured she must know what she is talking about. Although I must confess white has never been a color you would find in my unwork (yep made that word up) clothes. As a kid it was a lost cause to dress me in white :) Then after my career choice you don't honestly believe I would ever choose to wear white socially do you??? :) Except for a white tee shirt or two there was never anything in my closet that was white. That was doubly true for white shoes. :) Why???? remember I'm the retired nurse...... I HATED WHITE!!!! I still have trouble with to much white Don't even get me started on white walls, white this white that jeez I've been in some houses you could go snow blind in ...Hurruuph

Oh yeah, these days I have ONE white frock. Oh and it's such a wonderful, famine, embroidered handkerchief cotton sundress. :) I love wearing it. I could be sitting out on the lawn for a little tea with Alice Roosevelt. It's just one of those frocks that make you feel like you stepped out of another more graceful time. :) And I have taken great care to maintain it's whiteness. Not easy here that's for sure!! But it is very white and this is Labor Day weekend so it's time to pack the frock away for another year. What??? Oh yeah I tried a couple of years ago to wear it after Labor Day, but it just was no good. I just knew everyone was staring at me pointing their fingers and whispering behind their hand..... Psssst doesn't she know white after Labor Day is just Not to be WORN??????

To prevent that little unhappy episode from happening again, I started to make a few jumpers, aprons and skirts for Fall-Winter. Annalise is modeling the first one. A blue gray apron (my favorite pattern) and a gun metal gray skirt. Both are made out of a type of luscious rayon fabric. My nod to the warm semi-tropical weather we have here that lovingly passes as Winter!! :)

I love the way this apron drapes and lays in the front but the back is always my favorite the way the straps cross over. It's a great pattern and I can easily change necklines and strap widths so that no two aprons are alike. This and the jumper I made a couple of weeks ago have sorta become my team uniform :) Oh well I like them they cover my overly abused legs from standing 3/8ths of my life. And I don't look like Hoo Hum Hermione or Boring Bertha :)

This concludes our Fashion Faux Pas class for this season, now shoo everyone go put

those whites away you will thank yourself well maybe.....

Have a most audacious today or tomorrow depending on where in the world you are ;)