Just how many things can you do with old spoons? I love these ornate orphaned spoons who've long lost their matching mates. Who wants to lay around in some old silverware drawer anyhow? Being turned into an extremely cool bracelet is much more fun! Check out these stamped silver spoon bracelets I made a while back with antique and vintage silver spoons. I also made some matching stamped spoon pendants (with the handles cut off) that hang from a chain.
Potty Mouth. Everybody knows one!
Trophy wife!
Dream big...
Enchanted What would you want yours to say? What do you think?
Earrings I made from antique spoon handles I 'll admit it, I have a hard time throwing pretty things away, even if it is something that is considered "scrap." After making a spoon bracelet out of a pair of orphaned antique silver plated spoons I found myself left with the cut off bowl-ends of the spoons — and they had such a pretty filigree design on the neck (the thin part of the spoon that connects the handle to the bowl) that I just had to make something out of them... ....so I removed the bowl of the spoon and kept the thin, ornate necks and transformed them into these one of a kind earrings! (click photos for larger images)
(total measurement 1/4" wide by 2 & 1/4" long including sterling ear-wires and Swarovksi crystal drops )
I added sterling wires and pearls to this pair
Antique silver spoon earrings with pearl drops What do you think of them?
Vintage silver flatware ad. This is what I look like when I find something good at the thrift shop! I squeezed an hour out of my busy morning to swing by one of my favorite local thrifts and it was a good thing I did....I found this awesome set of ornate, antique birth record spoons — and for only a few bucks!
Antique engraved baby spoons! Each is hand-engraved with a child's name and birth date. I feel a bit sad that they are no longer with the family of the original owners and landed up for sale in a thrift shop — but I will take good care of them! They are silver and in need of a polish, but I do sorta like their current state — their aged, tarnished patina is so charming! These will not be made into jewelry!
Today, I want to tell you a story about a father and his daughter. They live 3400 kilometers apart, and don't see each other very often. The father is a craftsman, and one day he began sending hand carved spoons to his daughter. His daughter loved the spoons and wanted to share them with the rest of the world. The father explained to his daughter that he only wanted to sell to people that would understand the time he had spend and the effort he had placed. And together, they opened the small online shop Herriott Grace. The craftsmanship in their wood products is amazing, and the product photography is so beautiful. And with a story like that, my heart just melts.
I'll admit it. I'm having one of those nights where my thoughts are running in a million different directions and trying to reign them in is no small task. This happens quite often to me, so for today, just humor me, ok? Go ahead and grab a cup of coffee and try to follow along.: ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- They say it's all in the details, right? Well, I've got my plan of attack for gift wrapping all set, and have begun planning my annual Christmas party, and I would agree that the details are very important!
Source: thinkgarnish.com via Jessica on Pinterest Have you heard of this cute little shop? Garnish is a dream-come-true for DIYer's like us. They sell totally customizable products that will make your event or gift memorable and spectacular. Take, for instance, these disposable wooden demi-tasse spoons:
Source: thinkgarnish.com via Jessica on Pinterest Stamp them, dip them, roll them in yummyness and you've got an instant Christmas gift for your neighbors, teachers etc. Or how about these lidded paper bowls and brown square kraft labels?
Source: thinkgarnishblog.com via Jessica on Pinterest I mean, seriously, the possibilities are endless. I just bought the red & white bakers twine as part of my gift wrap plans. Wheeeeee! Can't wait to get it!
Source: thinkgarnish.com via Jessica on Pinterest Check out the Garnish blog for more inspiration! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today I went to Lowe's to scout out their faux wood paneling.
Why would anyone want to look at faux wood paneling, you ask? I am scheming up a way to hang them horizontally in our living/dining room. Sort of like Shauna, from Perfectly Imperfect, did on one wall in their dining room (see there in the back? Except hers is hung vertically):
Source: perfectlyimperfectblog.com via Meg on Pinterest ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I think I'm pretty much finished my Christmas mantel, but it's sooo not how I typically decorate so I'm trying to decide whether or not to keep it. Don't get me wrong, it looks nice, but I don't know… It really would be a pain to re-do so most likely I'll be keeping it. Here's a sneak peek:
Ha! That is one wierd angle, but I was too lazy to get up from the chair I was sitting in to take another picture! More to come on my mantel decor soon… ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Look at this picture our friend Stacy took:
I have to say, she made us look gooooood. She deserves loads of credit for that. ( PS. It helps having a gorgeous best friend to help up the quality of a picture.) I just received a CD of all of our family photos and they are priceless. I came across this one and just smiled:
All week my girl has been saying that her best friend is in Disney and she misses her so much. Cam is sending you love, Kira! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to tune in to The Nate Show tomorrow to see us busting our rears to decorate for Christmas in 24 hours using only the stuff in Nate's Crate!
We're still kind of in shock that Nate called us his best DIYer's. Pinch me. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That's it for now. Have a GREAT Wednesday!
I made these pysanky last year HOW TO MAKE PYSANKY (Ukrainian Easter Eggs) (pysanka — singular, pysanky — plural) PART ONE: HOW THEY ARE MADE I was taught how to make pysanky by my father John, who was a first generation Ukrainian-American. My grandparents were from the Carpathian Mountain region of Lviv, Ukraine. Designs on the eggs are fundamentally traditional, passed down generation to generation, and differences in styles are mainly regional.
What are pysanky? Pysanki (pronounced: puh-sahn-key) are Ukrainian Easter eggs. They are made from real chicken eggs. The most interesting thing about them, aside from their intricate, beautiful designs, is the way they are made: The designs are not painted on, but are done in a wax-resist technique using hot bees wax. The process is similar to batik. How do you make pysanky? Basically, you start with a plain white egg. You begin by drawing designs on the egg in hot bees wax with a pen-like tool called a kistka (stylus) and whatever areas you cover with wax will remain white. When you are finished covering the areas that you want to keep white, the egg is then dipped into a dye bath of the lightest color, such as yellow. The white areas that you have covered in wax will not absorb the yellow dye and will remain white because they are beneath the wax. Once the egg is the desired shade of yellow, you remove it from the dye, dry it off completely, and then, again using the kistka and hot wax, you cover the areas of the egg that you want to keep yellow. Then the egg goes into the next, darker dye, such as orange, and the process is repeated until you reach your final, darkest dye bath'and so on and so on until you have finished your design in wax. In the end you will have an egg that has a lot of wax on it! The last step is the most fun: you carefully melt away all the wax and the colorful design is revealed! You do not need to use many colors, but traditionally the main colors used are: yellow, orange, red, brick, brown, and black. Nowadays you can buy the egg dyes in many shades such as green, purple, blue (light, dark, royal), turquoise, pink, fuchsia, scarlet, etc. One important note: you MUST use dyes made especially for pysanki. These dyes are poisonous and should not be used around or by children. Also, the egg should never be eaten. Sometimes I will use only one dye bath, such as purple. First I will wax the areas that I want to keep white, then dip the egg in purple, then the result will be a purple and white egg. Two-tone eggs are beautiful! PART TWO: TOOLS AND PREPERATION Supplies Needed: Many paper towels Mason jars or large peanut butter jars with lids boiling water regular white vinegar large spoons for mixing dyes and dipping eggs pysanki dyes a candle for heating kistka and also for removing wax from egg when finished matches or lighter Block of beeswax made specifically for pysanky kistka (stylus) pencil with eraser for sketching designs on eggs chicken eggs optional: pysanky how-to book with designs and instructions straight pin and tool for blowing out inside of egg Gathering supplies: I have found that my local AC Moore carries pysanki supplies, but only seasonally, and the dyes tend to sell out fast, so when I see them I stock up! To do the day before: Make your dyes Mix dyes according to package directions. It is best to prepare the dyes the day before you are going to use them, because most directions instruct you to use boiling hot water, and it takes the dyes while to cool down. Be sure to follow the mixing directions exactly, especially when making the orange dye, in which vinegar is NOT added. Vinegar IS needed for most of the dye colors. Pysanky dyes are PERMANENT and if you spill them they will stain just about any surface including clothes and tabletops'use with caution! Prepare your eggs: I use large or extra large chicken eggs. You can use whatever size you like. Try to purchase ones that do not have dates stamped on each shell, as that stamp will usually show through your finished design. Use only raw eggs, and be sure to remove them from the refrigerator for a few hours before you begin working with them so that they are room temperature. Cold eggs will sweat and be impossible to work with! Do not attempt to warm them by putting them in warm water or by any other method. Just remove them from the fridge the night before and let them naturally become room temperature. Do not keep them in Styrofoam egg cartons, as these will retain moisture. Use only cardboard egg cartons to hold and store your eggs. The Kistka (stylus) Kistkas come in three basic sizes, fine, medium and heavy.
Traditional kistkas The size of the kistka refers to the thickness of the line that it draws. Traditional kistkas are like pencils with wood handles and a copper end that is held over the candle flame and heated, then held gently against the beeswax. The beeswax will melt and fill the kistka and then the wax flows through the opening and can be applied to the egg. Nowadays many professionals use electric kistkas, which are great because they maintain temperature and are a lot faster to use than the traditional kistkas, but they also take a lot of practice to get used to. I use both types but always find myself going back to the traditional type of kistka. I highly recommend learning to make pysanki with traditional kistkas.
Beeswax block A natural colored beeswax block is used with the traditional kistka, and black colored beeswax is used for the electric kistka. This is because the electric kistka will not blacken the wax when heating it, and the candle flame will.
Traditional kistkas Here are a few supplies and kits to get you started!
Egg blower for emptying out eggs easily
Egg lathe for holding the egg while drawing on those first lines. I love this tool!
A kistka — I recommend three sizes, heavy, medium, and fine Pysanky dyes are available online
Three different types of Ukrainian egg decorating kits — great for beginners!
Here are two kits that come with electric kistkas — no candle flame needed! What do you think? Have you ever made Pysanky? If you enjoyed this post, you might also like my post on Batik: Beautiful Batik: What it is & How it's made
