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Thursday, August 16, 2012

More Roses by Mimi…


It has been a busy week around here but I always have time to sit down with Mimi and work on a new craft!


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My mom – a.k.a. Mimi – stopped by the other day and brought her supplies for the current project she is working on…Rose Rings. She is making these to sell at an upcoming craft fair, with her beautiful Rose Boxes I shared in this post last spring.We sat down at the table and she taught me how to make these beautiful Rose Rings.

Here is a step by step tutorial featuring Mimi at work!


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Starting with your supplies;
Jewelry Wire – this comes in multiple colors and different gauges
Ring Sizer/Mandrel – you can purchase one here
Ruler
Wire Cutters
Needle Nose pliers

First – measure approx. 12 inches of jewelry wire for each ring and snip with wire cutters...


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Next – lightly bend your wire in half and place around your mandrel to determine what size ring you will be making…


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Here, we are going to make a size 7…


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Now, wrap one end of the wire over the other. Keeping the wire snug against the mandrel…


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Wrap the two wire pieces around each other creating a circle that will become the center of your rose…


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Continue wrapping the wire around and around – alternating each piece over and under, to create the look of your rose petals…


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When you get to the end – use your needle nose pliers to tuck the ends of the wire underneath and up into the rose bud…


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And then you have a beautiful handmade Rose Ring…


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I will admit, it takes a couple of tries to get them just right. But each one you make gets better and easier than the last. Plus, just like real roses, each one is unique and truly one of a kind…


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Just look at all the colors available and how pretty they are displayed together! It looks a little like a rose garden, don’t you think?


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All in all a very fun and productive visit from Mimi…and I have a new ring to wear!
That’s a win – win!!



Linking up to...Between Naps On The Porch, Uncommon, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, {Primp}, House of Hepworths, Serenity Now, Here Comes The Sun, The Crafty Blog Stalker,
Addicted 2 Decorating



Monday, August 13, 2012

Going for Gold…


Coming fresh off the Olympics…I have GOLD on my mind!


London 2012 Olympic gold medal

Here is the official gold medal count for the top 3 countries participating in the 2012 Summer Olympics…

1.  United States – 46
2.  China – 38
3.  Great Britain – 29

Congratulations to all of the athletes that took home the gold and to the American athletes that lead the pack!

With all this gold being won, I have been drawn to some beautiful images featuring gold and brass in home décor. Lately I have been adding more and more to my own home. There was a day, back in the 90’s, that brass was like a four letter word and most of us would avoid it in fixtures and accessories.

Now, I am happy to see it returning in all its brilliance and beauty…



I love this vintage gold wall décor hung above the bed. I actually passed up one very similar at an antique store earlier this year….why oh why?!

Here is another gold wall sculpture that I would adore…


Here are a couple of beautiful images that I have pinned on my Pinterest Vignette Board

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I have had my eye out for one of these bar carts for years…



The above cart is called the Sedgwick from Society Social. I love the faux bamboo motif and the shiny gold finish.

I have also noticed more gold toned light fixtures catching my eye…


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Ralph Lauren ceiling mount via Harbinger


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Check out this clever pendant light made from a hammered brass bowl by Kristin over at her blog The Hunted Interior


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beautiful!

So I would just like to say "Thank You!" to all of the athletes for their dedication to their sport and their incredible efforts and performance during the 2012 Summer Olympics.
And "Thank You!" for inspiring all of us to Go For Gold!!



Friday, August 10, 2012

Dorm Room Blues…


This week my oldest son is attending his college orientation so I am currently preparing for his move into the dorms.

Since this is my first child to move away, I must admit that I am feeling a bit like this…

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However, since I do have to let him go I may as well make sure he has all the necessities in his new dorm room.

While browsing the internet I found the website for Bed, Bath & Beyond very well organized and offering everything a boy could need for his first year in college…and then some!

Bedding ~ clean, classic stripes in two shades of blue…

KNOTS BAY T/XLT ST


Alarm Clock ~ he is going to NEED one of these since he wont have Mom waking him up. This one has a “shaker” to put under your pillow…



iLuv Vibro II Alarm Clock with Shaker - Black


Shower Tote ~ this will come in handy to carry all his toiletries down the hall to the showers…  


Mesh Shower Tote


 
Laundry Bag ~ this will come in handy to carry all his dirty clothes home for Mom to wash!…



Novelty Icon Laundry Bag - Twice/Green

 

Closet Organizers ~ these are wonderful to make the most of your limited closet space…


 

 


Desk top organization and lighting ~  these lights work triple duty with storage and electronic plugs…
 
Desktop Organizer Lamps

 
Quirky Pivot Power Surge Protector ~ you can never have enough outlets these days…
 
Quirky Pivot Power Surge Protector - White

Electro Man Multi Outlet Plug ~ these guys are fun and functional!…
 

Electro Man Multi-Outlet Plug by Kikkerland


Storage Cubes ~ these can be stacked or hung on the wall…
 

Bed Lifts ~ another clever way of adding extra storage under the bed…

 
Tall Black Bed Lifts (Set of 4)

And finally…just for fun.

Funkalicious Toss Pillow ~ you can even create your own graphics…


Threadless Funkalicious Toss Pillow


Rock Star Wall Art
 
Bean Bag Chairs ~
 
Fuf Navy Twill Chair

All this will make his first year away from home a little more organized and easy to handle…but what about me? I wonder what Bed, Bath & Beyond sells for Mom’s experiencing “separation anxiety”!





 
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