9/11 Remembrance and Thrifty Craft Finds

Let me start this post with this

We all know where we were thirteen years ago today. We remember those emotions and confusion vividly. We felt powerless, but intimately connected as a nation. It's a day none of us will forget. Let us not only remember the victims and heroes of that day, but also that connection. Remember, we are one nation, indivisible.

With that said (and it had to be said), I can move on to a more pleasant less emotional topic. I did a little thrifting this week.

Here's a little more detail.

A stack of vellum envelopes and a child's toothbrush (for cleaning small items)

Office supplies: including an almost complete stack of cardstock, a couple of thick paper notepads, and some post-it flags

Some lace (for use on my Gelli Plate)

A gold-tone brooch bezel (so many possibilities)

My favorite of the bunch: 5 rolls of washi tape and a roll of glitter tape!

My scores were nowhere as vintage awesome as the ones I discovered at the antique stores a few weeks ago because I just went to a couple of Goodwill locations. However, I'm happy with the crafty haul. I might even get out and hit a yard sale or two tomorrow, but we'll see. There's still a lot on my to do list that hasn't been checked off yet.

I'm linking up this post at:
Thrifty Things Friday @ Melissa's Antiques
What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants

Have you found anything super cool at the thrift store lately?

Humble Beginnings

Last week I sorted through and organized all my jewelry stockpiled in the craft room. In that process, I stumbled upon some of the first jewelry I made when I started this journey.

Memory wire necklaces (top), twisted wire necklace (bottom left), and strung bead necklace (right).

One of the first skills I learned was to string beads. And, looking at the necklace below I'm reminded of the limited bead choices I had way back when. It was Michaels or nothing. I guess I was fortunate I had that at least!

Speaking of limited, Bead & Button and Beadwork were the only magazines I could find about jewelry making. I studied those magazine religiously and learned to make the twisted wired necklace (first photo) from those pages.

In addition, I went a little crazy making simple netted necklaces like the ones below. That style was also taught in one of those magazines. I made whole sets (bracelets, earrings, and even matching beaded bobby pins) based off whatever color scheme I had for each of those necklaces.

While there's nothing really wrong with the jewelry I made way back when, when I look at the items in my Etsy shop now; I can see how much my style, preference, vision, and skill have evolved.

Music Necklace

Gator Earrings

White Flowers Necklace

Though I re-organized some of my jewelry by donating it, those early pieces are items I just can't bear to part with yet. They're great reminders of where I started.

Do you still have some of your first jewelry hanging around too?

Macro Sunday: Fort Pickens

Pat and I got out of the house yesterday for an adventure. We wound up on Pensacola Beach at Fort Pickens. Neither of us has ever visited that particular fort before and we had a blast exploring it. I was able to find a a lot of beautiful photo opps. Here are the macro ones I captured just to share today for I Heart Macro Sunday.

These bushes were all over the fort. I really loved them and was calling them pom-pom trees.

I mean seriously, look how cool!

The fort is almost 200 years old and there are all kinds of signs of Mother nature threatening to take it over, like this fern popping out of a brick wall.

And just so you know I was actually at a fort, here's the opening to a cannon. Yup, that says 15,940 lbs. And, that wasn't even the biggest cannon there!

 

Find more I Heart Macro eye candy at Studio Waterstone.