Sea Shells

"What Do You Do With Sea Shells?     .    .    . You glue them to a picture frame,  or a mirror on the wall.  A conch shell makes a door stop or a light within  the hall". This poem by Lola B. Minard  says it all.  


For "The Great Glitzy Craft-Off", I've made a tealight candle holder out of spoons and I've glued sea shells to a ceramic candle holder and next .   .  .
.   .    .   . I'm going to    .    .    .
 

 



Does this look familiar?  I put my left-over shells
in one of those bags that 
has onions in it you get from the grocery store.  What a beautiful orange color!!!

Sorry, I got off track!  
                                                        








.  .  .  .  glue sea shells to the base of a food cover tent!!!!

It was pretty easy using my glue gun. Just glue and stick the shells around the base of the tent.

 The picture from Z Gallerie is very different from the usual food covering tent. It appears to be a deep tan or gold and is well made and very sturdy. The sea shells add a decorative effect  that's quite appealing.

 A few years ago the food tents were quite the novelty  .  .   . cheap and plentiful in the stores.  I think everyone bought one back then. I found mine packed away - among the things we don't use anymore.  I was happy to bring it back to life by adding the shells.

I've had more fun re-creating some of the Z Gallerie items and I hope you've had fun reading about it, too!!! A very special thanks to Lisbonlioness and Sunny, such FABULOUS BLOGGERS!!!

                                                                                  

Sea Shell Candle Holder

I am having so much fun trying to re-create some of the fabulous items pictured by Sunny from the Z Gallerie. You know that area when you walk into the front of Target that has the baskets of items usually three dollars and under?  Most of the time I just walk past thinking of what I need to be getting.  The other day something in my ear said "take a look at what's here!"  There, I found the cutest ceramic candle holders for just $2.50. A couple of black ones, lime green, yellow and off white.  A light bulb went off and I thought of the picture of the sea shell laden candle holder at the Z Gallerie.

Although the candle holder from Target appeared much smaller and not quite as detailed, I could definitely

 work with it.

 I found a couple of bags of pretty seashells at Michaels for $1.99 - plus I could use my coupon for 40% off.  Not a bad deal at all!!!

 The fun part was gluing the shells on with a glue gun. It was just like fitting the pieces of a "puzzle". Moving the shells around for the best coverage and appearance.

Do you like this angle?

                                            Or this one?

 I know the original holder is completely off-white, but I like to see the beautiful "markings and colors" of the sea shells and chose not to spray paint.  Besides, it's been raining all day  .   .   .   . a good excuse not to do it!

                                               I'm liking this!

Thanks Lisbonlioness and Sunny for allowing me to "play"!!!





                                                                                         

Tealight Candle Holder

        I was excited to read about the "The Great Glitzy Craft-Off" or is it "The Great Glitzy Hack-Off" in a recent blog and decided to give it a try. I love Z Gallerie (although I've never been there). I often look at it online to see what interesting and fabulous things are available to wish for or dream about. I, too, have thought about re-creating some of the great finds. I've been inspired by "Flower Plaques" in hopes of making them one day .  .  . but that's another story.  Anyway, looking at the pictures posted, I knew I could re-create the black tealight candle holder. This looks very similar to the plastic spoon napkin rings I had made some time ago. Yes, I can do this!






To make the flower tealight candle holder I gathered: 

Black Spoons

Small Glass Jar Candle                                       

Needle Nose Pliers                                                          

Glue Gun

LED Tealight Candle

Filter Mask (if not in a

 well ventilated area)

  WARNING .   .   .   . Do this in a WELL VENTILATED area, or outside or wear a filter mask!                                            

To start, take a spoon by the handle and hold the bowl portion side down over the flame of the lighted candle. Not too close or it will blacken or create a hole. You will begin to see movement of the plastic.  Move the spoon around the heat of the flame.  This is how you can shape the spoon into a "petal" using the needle nose pliers or your fingertips. You can bend it up or back or let it flop.  Visualize how a flower might look or look at a picture of a rose. Have fun shaping the soften plastic.  If it gets too hot, move it away from the flame and let it cool.  Once you've gotten the desired shape for all of your petals, hold each end of the spoon and place the curve part of the handle over the flame and pull the handle away from the petal.  For a cleaner finish, the handle can be cut off.  Leaving portions of the handle on can increase the size of the overall flower. There are approximately sixteen petals on the Z Gallerie tealight holder. So you would need to do this for at least sixteen spoons.

To shape the flower, begin by taking 2 petals and holding the handle ends over the flame until they soften, pushing them together (side by side). While still warm, press together (flatten) using your fingertips or needle nose pliers.  Be careful doing this, the plastic can get very HOT!!!  Continue melting the ends of each petal (one by one) to the first two until you've put together all of the petals (approximately six or more) for your base of the candle holder - the first layer.  Stagger the next petals over the first layer by placing and pressing just the melted ends into the center of the first layer, one by one. This is the second layer.  Now that the actual flower is formed,  you'll need to make approximately 5 or 6 short petals to form an enclosure for the tealight.  Before making the actual petal enclosure, place the tealight on top of the flower to judge where to place the petals. ( Very Important) 

Using the tealight as a guide, insert the melted ends of the petal into the flower to form an enclosure for the tealight. After the enclosure is formed, make sure the tealight is level and can easily be removed.  For a cleaner look, I glued a flatten round petal at the the base of the petals where the tealight sits.

                         I don' t know why the color looks different in this picture.

      Well, what do you think?   I think I'm on to something .  .  .    .   .

                                                                               

A Shout-Out to Sunny at Life in Rehab and  Lisbonthelioness over at Three bed semi for allowing me to join in and have fun!

My Lilies Are In Bloom!

     I planted lily bulbs back in late March not knowing if they would sprout into full plants.  I'm not one to start plants from seeds or bulbs .  .  .  .  I don't have what you would call a "green thumb" and I usually want to actually see what I'm getting, but I couldn't resist buying the bulbs while shopping at BJ's.  Lilies are suppose to be "easy care, showy flowers that add beauty and color to any landscape".  Now how could I resist that? Anyway, the bulbs did sprout - I would check on them almost everyday.  What's that saying .  .  a watched pot doesn't boil?  First, (I'm sorry I didn't take pictures of their growth)  the plants sprouted long, slender leaves along the length of the stem, and next large pods formed from which flamboyant flowers appeared:

                                 These plants were so successful!!!

Aren't these lovely?  The lily is certainly a "best pick" for someone just starting out in their garden and a proven winner for those who have been gardening for some time.    ENJOY!   

Keepsakes

     You know how it is when relatives come to visit and you sit around eating and drinking and bringing up things you didn't know about. On a recent visit, my niece, Patricia, and her mother, Maria, told me about a picture my sister-in-law had made of a ponytail lock from her daughter as a child.  They told me how my niece's husband found it "creepy" that a piece of her hair was mounted and put on display and wanted it removed from the wall of their home. I was intrigued as to what the picture actually looked like so I asked my niece to send me a copy.

When I saw it, it immediately stirred something in my heart. My niece has always been an important part of my life. From the time she was a baby, until now, our lives have intertwined.  I have so many fond memories  .  .   . 

This picture is a keepsake that makes me smile.  As a child, Patricia always had thick, long hair. My mother, who often took care of her grand-daughter,  had a time combing and brushing her hair. It would often tangle and I would get a kick out of the expressions on Patricia's face when grandma struggled with the knots she created. The ribbons in the picture also made me think of the ribbons my mother loved tying around Patricia's hair.

                    And this fabric looks like a   

              handmade eyelet dress

                 Patricia wore as a child.

My niece's husband needs to understand that there are items in everyone's home that have sentimental value and most would be disappointed to lose them. We take care in choosing the right spot . . . the right shelf or wall space . . . to display them. And once these keepsakes are in place, the house feels more like home!

                                                                                                                                






                                              

PINCUSHIONS

Sterling Silver Pincushion, Needle and Spoon Holder

 My sister-in-law, Maria, is from Brazil, and a few years ago, she went back for a visit. While there, she watched a cousin make adorable pincushions out of 2 liter Coke bottles. Back home,  Maria decided to try her hand at making the pincushions. Once she made one, she couldn't stop.  As I looked at how cute and unique her pincushions turned out, I couldn't help but wonder how the original "pincushion" came about?  I  discovered that as early as the 1300's, metal pins were very costly, precious items ad hard to find.  They were kept in small cases made of bone, ivory, or silver.  These  cases were often called pin keeper, pin case, pin poppet or tuffet.

Pink Antique Pincushion - Handmade American Shaker 1800's-1900's

At the beginning of the 1700's, simple stuffed shapes started to be used instead of the cases and were called pin-pillows.  They were made of colorful and elaborately decorated silks, linens, canvas, or satin.  The parlor room became the perfect place to display the novelty pincushions of that time.  






The pin-pillow evolved into mounted cushions. Silver or wooden stands were topped with these pin-pillows.

Large Antique Sewing Companion with Spool Holders & Pincushion Top

Many of the  pincushions were made in the shape of baskets, shoes, dolls, teacups, eggcups, fans, fruits, and vegetables.  Often, the pincushion was actually used more as a home decor item than as a sewing tool. They were hung on the walls or placed on tables.

Antique Victorian Sewing Bird Thread Holder Pincushion Quilt Clamp

During the 1900's, pincushions became more useful as sewing aids.  Clamp pincushions were decorative and functional.  They would be screwed onto a table edge while holding the fabric in place.

Victorian Mauchline Ware Treen Pin Cushion Sewing Haddon Hall c1890

Today, pincushions play an important part of our sewing history and a collectible that comes in many, many designs.

  








 Typically, it is a small cushion that is used in sewing to store pins or needles with their heads protruding so as to take hold of them easily, collect them, and keep them organized.  Pincushions are usually filled tightly with stuffing, so as to hold pins rigidly when placed.



Not many people actually have time to sit down and whip up their own

homemade pincushions.   For all the people out there who might want a pincushion, for whatever reason .  .  .  . Sewing, Gift-Giving, or Decor, here are some totally cute and gorgeous PINCUSHIONS by Maria.   

ENJOY!

Gardenias

When I got married over forty years ago, I carried a bouquet of gardenias. At the time, I was drawn to the gardenia  because of it's fragrant, delicate white flower that seemed intoxicating. I've tried growing gardenia plants through the years with no success. On numerous occasions, my niece has brought me transplanted gardenias from her and her mother's yard in North Carolina. Recently, we moved to Millersville, Maryland, and once again, my niece has given me several gardenia plants for my new home.

 This time I decided to do some research on basic care and growth requirements in hopes of maintaining a lasting and rewarding relationship with my gardenia plants. I discovered that gardenias are tricky plants that are very particular about their growing conditions. They also require some consistent maintenance in order to keep them happy and beautiful. Many people, and I hope not to become one of them, give up on gardenias because of their finicky nature.  However, once I understand what a gardenia needs to survive, growing them will be very rewarding with their glossy green foliage and fragrant white blossoms.

 Gardenia Requirements are Very Exact:       

• It demands bright (not direct) light - some shading in the summer (in the hottest areas)
• It flourishes in acidic soils with good drainage
• Keep the soil with plenty of organic matter, moist, but not soggy
• It demands high humidity, or daily misting
• Heavy feeding
• Cool night temperatures

 I also discovered that gardenias are cold sensitive and may die during severe winters - something that can and has happened in my area.

For now, my gardenia plants are thriving.












Just this morning, I discovered a beautiful blossom on one of the plants. This, in itself, is a success story  .   .   . .   .   I've never had a gardenia plant to bloom!






See the morning dew? Oh, how pretty
 it is!!!