The Keys to Loveliness

One of the things I collect is keys.

Vintage skeleton keys,

Old car keys, house keys, you name it.

To be more honest, I don't collect them.

I hoard them. 

 I buy them and love them and store them in little boxes, jars and tackle boxes.

Notice all those things are plurals.

So I decided I probably have enough keys to use a few in my designs.

I dressed some of them up with some polymer clay.

They will make fun little pandants.

Some will make fun big pendants.

To me, it is intriguing to take a common useful item and transform it in some way.

I love to give it a new life and purpose.

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Mason Jar Monday #4 Sweet Treats in a Rosette Snowman Jar

It's that time again....

Today's Mason Jar Monday is simple and sweet.

I used a vintage jar and zinc lid.

I made 3 white muslin rosettes.

My muslin is from thrift store sheets. 

 I buy the ones they call "drop cloths" because of a stain or two....

There are tutorials all over the place for making the rosettes.

Essentially start with a strip of muslin.

  I like torn edges.

Tie a knot on one end.

Start to wrap around the knot and turn it every so often.

For these, I actually stitched them every couple of wraps but you could glue them.

I made them three different sizes: 1 for the head, and 2 for the body.

I stitched all three together.

I added a little strip of stained cheesecloth for the scarf.

I like the ratty bit of primitive it adds...

Then I glued mine on to  the side of the jar.

I only used a couple dots of glue so I can take it off later.

I filled mine with peppermint marshmallows but you can use anything you want.

It would make a great gift or just look great on your counter to hold goodies....

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Hometalk Board

I am so excited!

I was asked by Hometalk to curate a board on Windchimes.

There were so many great ones to choose from.

I chose just a few favorites.

Here is what it looks like....

And here is a link to the board.

You can find me on Hometalk here.

If you are not familiar with Hometalk, check it out.

They are a very friendly bunch and the ideas are amazing.

I really love how you can ask questions and get answers. 

 I think that makes them special.

A lot of your favorite bloggers may be on Hometalk as well.

Head on over and snoop around a bit.

I bet you will become a Hometalker too....

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Thrifty Thursday...Glass Mushrooms for the Garden....

A trip to the thrift store with my daughter yielded supplies for a quick garden project.

Thrift stores never seem to lack glass vases and glass bowls.

I picked up 5 of each.

I gave them a wash in the dishwasher.

It was a really hot, humid day when I did this.

You can see the glass steamed up when it came outside from the cooler house.

I used some of Beacon's 527 glue.

I put the bowls on the driveway and ran a line of glue around the raised edge of the bottom of the vase.

Then I just set each one in the bowl and let them sit until they were dry.

It took mine about 4-6 hours before I actually took them in the garden for placement.

I would recommend over night or longer just to be sure.

You may wonder why on earth I glued the vases that way...

I have a good reason.

I don't want them to keep tipping over.

I took a piece of rebar and pounded it in the flower bed with a hammer.

I slipped the mushroom on and we are good to go.

Even a heavy rainstorm or small animals running by won't tip these mushrooms over.

This would be a super easy kid's craft.

You could even paint the glass with glass paints.

I wanted the subtle clear look this time.

Since I made 5, I have plenty to go around.

I added a piece of rebar to the planter in front of the garage.

And the mushroom perfectly fills a little space there.

You may already have everything you need at home for this quick project.

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these great blogs...