When the Going Gets Tough . . .

You've heard it before: "When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping" Such was the case this week after learning that I am facing another tough surgery in the next couple of weeks. I mean, I didn't really set out to go shopping--I didn't even leave the house. But as I was browsing some Pinterest boards of friends, I came upon this sweet necklace from Jessica:

Source: etsy.com via Susan on Pinterest

I loved her designs and decided to treat myself to a special little gift. Jessica will customize the necklaces to fit your hometown and she was great to work with--I just love it when someone takes the time to personally contact you. It makes me feel like I have a new friend. :-) The turnaround time was also amazing! This evening when I arrived home, I found a little package in my mailbox. It was packaged so cute!

I love the tiny handmade box and patterned tissue paper she used (not to mention the pretty twine).

Inside, I found the treasure!

Hammered silver with a tiny heart cutout over my hometown. Perfect!

I just love it and can't wait to wear it to work tomorrow. Thanks so much, Jessica!!!

A Little Jewelry Making

Inspired by Infarrantly Creative's Valentine Necklace,
I decided to put some of my bead stash to use to create some new jewelry. I went to Michael's yesterday to look for an open heart like she used. I wasn't able to find anything even remotely similar, so I decided to go with a different look. I picked up two packages of charms---hearts and fleur-de-lis----but had everything else I needed at home.

Since I took a really nice, long nap on Sunday afternoon, I wasn't a bit sleepy when my usual bedtime rolled around. Despite the fact that I'd be sorry when the alarm goes off Monday morning, I got out my jewelry pliers with a late night movie on TV.

Here's the heart necklace I made--just in time for Valentine's Day.

And with Mardi Gras right around the corner, I used the fleur-de-lis charms to make a couple of necklaces for myself and Kathy (her 50th birthday falls on Mardi Gras this year).

Summer Jewels

When Callie was preparing for job interviews earlier this week, we talked about adding a "pop" of color to basic outfits. None of us are that skilled at pulling together outfits, but I do know that adding a simple necklace or colorful shoes can really add a lot to a simple outfit of black and white. Of course, we weren't able to find anything appropriate in the quick shopping trip we made--most necklaces were way too big and busy for my petite daughters. So, today when I was a Wal-Mart, I picked up a few strands of beads to make something fun for summer. I found these beads for $1.97 per package
and made three necklaces. This magenta one is for Jana. . .
. . . turquoise for Callie . . .
. . . and this one is for me! (I know mine isn't a pop of color, but I've been needing a simple black necklace to tie together a few outfits.)I decided to just use elastic cord instead of a clasp and all. That way, they can just be quickly pulled over the head and fit close to the neck. Hello Summer!

A Place for Everything

When I saw this picture in one of the special decorating issues of Better Homes and Gardens Creative (makeover style), I loved the way the jewelry was displayed. Since I inherited lots of my mother's costume jewelry, finding a way to store the things that I wear the most has been a challenge. This seemed like a great solution for at least part of the collection. After looking through the frames that I have and I wasn't really liking all the different styles and wood tones, so I decided to go with a monochromatic look instead. I pulled out a mirror I bought a while back that I've never used and gave the frame a shot of white spray paint, leaving some of the silver showing through. Then I painted a few other wooden frames I had and dusted them with a little bit of silver acrylic paint to accent the designs.Using some scrapbook papers that match my bedroom I covered sturdy cardboard and inserted them in the frames (minus the glass). On this one, I used bits and pieces of ribbon and decorative brads (from the scrapbook section at Joann's) to make an earring holder.And here's my favorite part--I found some really pretty doorknobs at Hobby Lobby for 50% off! Isn't that glass one great (it's actually clear despite the yellow tint in the photo)??? I had to remove the screw stem so that I could super-glue them to the backgrounds. The first one came off fairly easily--just unscrewed and then I put plain stem part back on. But the next two were much more challenging. The blue one (which I painted white) had to be cut off.

I laid them all out on freezer paper to get the arrangement that I liked the best. I decided to include a wreath that I made years ago with white buttons. Then, I just taped the paper to the wall and hammered tiny holes to mark where the hangers should be. I removed the paper, installed the hangers and . . .
Voila'!Here's my new jewelry storage wall. My bedroom is sort of "cottage style", but I think this could be also look really nice in a modern home with black frames and clean lines.