Mitzi's Miscellany

My Jewelry Making Binge, Continued

If you've been following my blog this spring, you know I've been learning to make jewelry and even went as far as flying to Ohio to learn new techniques from Brenda Sue Lansdowne, aka B'sue, owner of B'sue Boutques, a supplier of mostly made in USA materials for jewelry makers.  I've got numerous projects in the works right now, including decoupage jewelry, collage jewelry, and spoon jewelry, the project I'd like to show you today.

I come across a lot of pretty silverware in different patterns in my travels as an antique dealer.  I've taken an assortment of old spoons in various sizes and shapes and combined them with old costume jewelry bits to make pendants.  This project is really easy and fun, so you might want to give it a try!

The spoons can be put in a vise grip and partially bent, then cut with a hack saw.  Finish bending after cutting to make a loop for the chain:

I always use E-6000 glue for such projects.  The proper way to use E-6000 is to apply the glue to the area, then slide your item onto the glued area.  It creates a better bond to slide the item rather than simply placing it onto the glued area.

Some of the items I glued into the spoons were earrings with the backs removed.  Some of the other bits were small brooches.  The pinbacks can be easily removed with wire clippers.

I had so much fun picking out the jewelry bits from my stash:

The pendants would look fine on a simple black cord or silver ball chain.  A more elaborate beaded chain could be used too.  The possibilities are endless!

Mitzi

I'm participating in the following link parties:  Say Not Sweet Anne, Keeping It Simple, Between Naps on the Porch, and Made by You Monday.

Easy Crafting with the All-American Ball Jar

I was so flattered and excited recently when a representative from the Ball Canning Company contacted me and offered to send me a six pack of  Ball Vintage Style Jars if I would create something special with them and post it on my blog.  Of course, I said "yes!"

I came up with two easy projects with my jars.  These are projects that you can replicate at home, or put your own twist on:

Here are my ready-to decorate jars.  Look for the Ball American Heritage Collection at your local store.  They are affordable and useful for many things besides canning food!  What would you do with them?

Rather than run to the craft store, I looked around my house for materials I already had.  I came up with these Tim Holtz numbers and some burlap ribbon.  I also had some matte white spray paint and hot glue that I used to attach the ribbon and numbers to the jars.

I just wrapped a length of the burlap ribbon around the middle of the jar and glued an enamel number in the center.  I filled my new "vase" with dried cotton.  I think it's a nice complement to the burlap and the classic jars:

Cotton can be a tricky dried plant to work with because it has a tendency to break easily.  My remedy was to simply hot glue the broken blossoms back onto the twigs.  You can find cotton branches on Ebay and other sources on the web.

To make the spray painted jars, I cleaned the jars and lids first with soapy water, rinsed, and dried thoroughly.  Two light coats of the matte white spray paint was adequate.  Once dry, I sanded them lightly with a medium grit sanding sponge to bring out the highlights.  I glued the number on the rim of the lid this time:



I like how the blue glass peeks through the worn paint areas:



I left a tin ceiling tile outside all winter and the back of it rusted quite nicely.  It made a good backdrop for this shot:

Perhaps this post will inspire you to grab some classic Ball jars and create some fun vases or storage jars this weekend!  You can get more ideas at the Ball Pinterest boards here.

Mitzi

I'll be participating in the following link parties, so please stop by:  Friday Favorites; My Romantic Home; and Simply Designing by Ashley.

Large Letter Crafting

Is there anything hotter in the vintage world than large letters and numbers?  I know for a fact I can sell vintage marquee letters and numbers faster than anything else in my Etsy shop.  They make fun wall art and look great as part of a vignette in a bookshelf.

I've given my brother Mike, my main "picker", the word to acquire as many letters and numbers as possible.  I prefer the old metal variety, but when he brought me some plastic marquee letters I decided to try a craft project with one of them.

I sprayed one coat of primer on the clean letter, then one coat of a flat blue:

Using diecuts of my favorite vintage wallpapers, I scattered them on the letter and adhered them with Mod Podge Matte formula.  I top coated the entire letter with Mod Podge too.

Here I am at the Mega Mall in Lansing, showing off my letter at the craft demonstration I did with my friend Lisa on Sunday, April 14:

 

Lisa and I had a good time and showed customers fun crafts they could do with flea market finds:

Lisa's specialty is up-cycling clothing.  She brought her sewing machine and ironing board!

One of our favorite customers:

If you want to try a similar letter project, try one of the readily available craft store paper mache letters.  You can substitute scrapbook paper for the vintage wallpaper diecuts, too.

Mitzi

I'm participating in Sweet Sharing Monday's Link Party.

A Fun Up-Cycled Bracelet Idea

Lately I've been on a jewelry-making binge and I'm having so much fun!  My work table, which also serves as my office table, is a huge mess, and right now my keyboard is sitting on top of a layer of jewelry bits and pieces I've been working with.  One of the projects I've just completed was an easy bracelet made from vintage memory wire bracelets.  I'm sure you've come across those wire pearl or beaded bracelets in your flea market shopping trips, if you don't have one in your stash already:

I think they make a great ready-made base for embellishments.  Today I took a few pearly bracelets I had in my "hoard" and I up-cycled them into fancier versions using vintage and new items.

I bought this red floral embellishment from Flights of Fancy Boutique a while back.  It matched the red pearl bracelet perfectly, so I used thread to attach it first, then a little hot glue to make sure there was a secure bond:

 

My next project was a yellow pearl bracelet with a shoe clip attached.  I removed the metal clip, leaving just the fabric rosette.  I added a brass button to the center of the fabric shoe clip to add some additional sparkle.  Once again, I used thread and hot glue to secure the embellishment to the bracelet base:

My third project was a "prom night" bracelet.  I took a black velvet bow tie and attached it to an off-white pearl base:

Of course, there are many more possibilities with these bracelets.  I'm sure you can put your own twist on them!

Mitzi

I'm participating in the following link parties:  Say Not Sweet Ann, Market Yourself Monday, Between Naps on the Porch and Craft-O-Maniac Monday.

Valentine Rolled Paper Wreath Tutorial

I've made a rolled paper wreath before, but it's been quite a while.  I thought I'd go through the steps again for those of you that are new to my blog.

Today I'm making a Valentine-themed sheet music wreath:

 

To make this wreath, you will need a circle cut from a corrugated cardboard box and a loop of ribbon.  Cut the ribbon and make a slit through the cardboard with a knife.  Use hot glue to attach the ends of the ribbon together to make a sturdy attachment loop for hanging.

Find the center of your cardboard circle and use an ink pen to make a "belly button":

To make your sheet music cones, there are various methods.  You can use rectangular pieces and experiment with cone-making until you find a method you like.  If you like all of the ends even, you can trim them with scissors later.  I think that's easier than cutting each piece of paper into a pattern first.

Once you have numerous cones rolled, you can begin gluing them to your cardboard circle.  Using the hot glue gun and a chopstick, knitting needle or other long instrument, place a bead of glue extending from the belly button to the edge of the cardboard.  Place the cone on the glue, using the chopstick to press the cone into place.

 

 

 The center medallion decoration can be created from crepe paper, photocopied Valentines, or doilies.  I used a paper doily, a photocopied vintage Valentine and stick-on rhinestones backed by manila cardstock:

 Here is the finished paper cone wreath, ready for the center medallion:

 I used hot glue to attach the center medallion:

And here is the finished wreath:

 

For those of you that prefer a neater look, here is a Christmas wreath I made and trimmed the edges with scissors:

Since Valentine's Day is two days away, I guess you'd better get rolling!

Mitzi

I'll be participating in the following link parties:  Metamorphosis Monday, Gingersnap Crafts, and Handmade Tuesdays.

A Fun Idea for Up-Cycled Jewelry

If you haven't noticed by now, I love to up-cycle vintage items in creative ways so we can enjoy them in our modern lifestyles.  I think I have a good example of this today, with my wooden puzzle piece jewelry.  These items have a playful retro vibe and would be fun to wear with jeans and a white T-shirt:

I started making little pendants when I found an old wooden tray puzzle at a garage sale.  It was made in Holland, and was missing a piece which devalued it substantially as a collectible.  I thought of making refrigerator magnets from the pieces, then decided to make something a little more interesting.

If you want to try something similar, you need bails and ball chain.  I buy bails from The Glass Connection on Etsy, and I prefer the medium size silver Aanraku bail.  The ball chain is also available in The Glass Connection shop.  To glue the bail to the puzzle piece, I use E-6000 glue.

Some pieces will have little knobs on them, made for little fingers to hold when putting together the puzzles.  I just leave them on, but you could remove them if you wish.

Besides garage sales, you can find wooden puzzles on Ebay.  They were made by Playskool, Sifo, Fisher-Price, and Simplex of Holland.  There are many more options besides vehicles.  I've seen occupational figures, animals, buildings, and other nature themes.

I made a brooch by gluing a pinback to a bus and truck, and earrings from two cyclists.  Pinbacks can be purchased at any craft store.  I stole the ear wires from a pair of ugly garage sale earrings.

 

I hope this inspires some of you to think out of the box when creating jewelry!

Mitzi

I'm participating in Craft-o-Maniac's and Say Not Sweet Anne's link parties today.

An Amazing Scrapbook Find Part II: Free Printables

Welcome to the second day of my Amazing Scrapbook Find!  If you are thinking you don't need to see more of the same, might I suggest these pages could be used as inspiration for your own scrapbook layouts, collage work, or other art work?

I really admired how the creator of this book mixed fruits and veggies, landscapes, and images from World War I so effortlessly.

It made me wonder if they tried really hard, or if it just happened?

I found this image very heart-warming, because I'm such a dog-lover:

 The flower images are especially colorful:

Well, so are the fruit:

 

Maybe you can click on these images, save them to your computer, and print them out for your own use....

 Wouldn't it be great to have a bunch of ready-made collage sheets?

You could make tags with them, too.

Are you recognizing the Norman Rockwell illustrations here and there?

 

I hope you are getting some ideas!

 

If you make something special with these collage sheets, I'd love to see it!

You can send me a picture of your finished project at mitzismiscellany@comcast.net

Have fun creating!

Mitzi

Old Ideas for New Upcycling Projects

Recently I came across this little booklet published by paint manufacturer DuPont way back in 1943.  Because the U.S. was in the middle of World War II, there was a unique, shared sense of self-sacrifice as citizens learned to do without certain luxuries and make the best of what they had. 

Inside the book there's a message from DuPont:

Today we are living a new kind of life.  To conserve materials which are vital to our national sercurity, we are doing without many things we used to consider as necessities.  We are "Making things do."  We are happy to make these small sacrifices. 

But there's no reason why our homes should be unattractive, dingy, run-down.  This books shows how such things can be transformed into things of beauty.  By creating pleasant surroundings, you are making a vital contribution to our national morale.  We suggest that you transform your things in similar ways.  You'll find it will make you happier, and better able to do your daily work, with a minimum expenditure of money and effort.

It sounds a lot like what what us "up-cyclers" are doing today, doesn't it?  So without further ado, let me show you some examples from the DuPont booklet:

I've seen clever creations from frames like these for sale in antique malls.  We can do this!

Old chairs are all over the place....

DuPont is big on decorative painting of old chairs:

 

For card table or other table tops:

I'm not sure about the color choices on the washstand, but I love the lamp.  Find a brass garage sale lamp, spray it with primer, paint it a color, then decorate it:

A brightly decorated kitchen:

How to make a frame look antique.  This can be done with acrylic paint and a dark stain like Walnut Ink, available at craft stores:

Re-purposing drawers:

Ideas for table lamps and decorative shades:

Tole painting was a popular hobby at the time.  Learning the various brush strokes would be helpful in order to decorate these items in this manner.  I'd love to learn!

Examples of the strokes.  I guess we could practice using these images for a guide:

I was surprised how many of DuPont's ideas have been repeated recently by "up-cyclers", seeming fresh and new.  When it comes to antiques, I guess everything old is new again!

Mitzi

Beautiful Vintage Valentines Free Printables

Are you ready for some weekend crafting?  I know I am!  It's time for me to come up with some Valentine craft projects, and I'm going to dig into my stash of beautiful old vintage Valentines from the 1920's and 30's for inspiration. 

Yesterday, took a pile of my very favorite vintage Valentines to Staples so I could copy them on their high quality laser color copier.  This way, the images won't blur if I use Mod Podge on top of them.  After copying them, I took them home and scanned them so you can use them in your projects too!

I love the elaborate details in these Valentines, including the embossed floral borders, the butterflies, and the abundant hearts and lace:

They may be a little crooked, but you are going to be cutting them out anyway.  Just double click on the image, then right click to save the image to your computer.  You can then print it out whenever you want!  If you have an ink-jet printer, I recommend that you take your printed sheet to a copy shop and re-copy it on a laser printer so your image won't smear when you apply decoupage medium to it.  If you are going to use it for another type of craft that doesn't involve glue, then don't worry.

Are these images sweet, or what?

Some of the Valentines came through the scanner better than others, as you can see below.  Still, there are some lovely examples for your Valentine craft projects here:

I'm also throwing in some images from a gorgeous set of vintage playing cards.  We'll be interested in just the "hearts" suit, of course!

Have fun crafting!

Mitzi

Craft Tutorial: Plate Pedestals from Flea Market Finds

Today I'd like to show you my version of plate pedestals made from flea market plates, saucers, and candle holders.  Plate pedestals have been on the web before but I don't like to copy others, so I added a few different elements to make them "Mitzi-fied."

To make these little pedestals, (which would be perfect for cupcakes, by the way) you will need a selection of small plates or saucers:

You'll also need some glass candle holders.  Most of mine are vintage, but the one in the foreground came from the dollar store:

 

To make your candle holders swanky, wash them with soapy water and dry them thoroughly.  Spray paint them with non-glossy spray paint.  Usually two or three light coats will do the trick.  We've painted flea market glass before, and I think it's lots of fun.

Once thoroughly dry, use a fine grit sanding sponge and sand off some of the paint on your candle holder.  Concentrate on the edges and ridges.  The example below was an experiment.  I used paint-on pearl paint by Martha Stewart, and it flaked off.  Spray paint is easier to control when you are sanding:

Here are the bases for my pedestals after sanding with the sanding sponge:

These are basic decoupage supplies (you might not need a brayer for this project, because saucers are curved):

This is my glue of choice for glass, metal, and ceramic projects:

Now for the saucers or plates.  If the center has no design, I used a scalloped punch to punch out pieces of floral vintage wallpaper.  Scrapbook paper could be used as a substitute here.  One of my plates has a copied vintage perfume label in the center, which I just cut out with scissors.  You can find all sorts of cool images at The Graphics Fairy.

Mod Podge Matte was applied to the back of the paper pieces with a foam brush.  Press the paper onto the saucer, cleaning up any excess glue.  Topcoat with Mod Podge.  After the piece dries, a second coat of Mod Podge can be applied.

To attach the candle holder to the plate, I used E-6000 glue.  It needs to set over night.

As you might notice here, I used a small milk glass dish for the base of one of the plates:

These candle holders are large enough to support larger size plates.  I have more plates and pedestals ready to go, so I'm going to make more!

If you don't have these items on hand, I hope this gives you the incentive to go the flea market or antique mall this weekend!

Mitzi

I'll be linking to the following link parties.  Be sure to stop by and see all sorts of great projects:  The Shabby Nest; All Our Days; Happy Hour Projects; Flamingo Toes, Nifty Thrifty Things, Craft-O-Maniac, Between Naps on the Porch, Say Not Sweet Anne, FaveCrafts, and See Vanessa Craft.