Spring Bling

Our ATC for March is all about "bling" - which got me thinking about some of my own dazzling delights...
I'm showcasing mostly my brooches. I love brooches and try to wear them when ever I can - though they don't seem to be in "style" at the moment.
I’ve been very fortunate to inherit some lovely pieces from my Mum, grandmothers and aunts.
My Mum gave me this piece for that birthday. It belonged to my grandmother.
Some pieces I just get by chance . I “won” (hubby debates this part) a box of old jewelry at a silent auction at a quilt show. There were some pretty pieces.
This is an old Sara Coventry piece. I found this description online….Circa 1964, this medieval revival cross motif is one of the loveliest Sarah sets, never widely distributed because it was a "Hostess set," meant as a gift for those who agreed to have a jewelry party with a specific amount of sales. The beaded goldtone openwork cross setting holds beautiful multicolored cabochon teardrops. I cannot tell if these are glass or hard, heavy plastic. Whatever it is, gold foil is marbled within. There appears to be matching earrings but we did not have those – I’m pretty sure we picked this up at a Church rummage sale back in the 60’s (I vaguely remember).
Most of my pieces are British. The Viking ship brooch came from a great Aunt on my Dad’s side of the family and is very old.
These are more pieces from my Mum.

I’m not sure where this bracelet came from – but look at the detail – it has different scenes from Paris – it may have been a gift to my Mum from a relative.
The little jewelry box came from an elderly lady who knew my Mum –

it was very nice of her to let me have it. You can tell it has been well used - the black velvet has gone thin on the edges - it's own patina...
Which brings me to my ATCs...last year we also did Bling but I focused more on silver.
This year I had gold in mind but wanted to combine with spring...
So Spring Bling!
What do you think? I liked how this technique turned out so much that I'm thinking a Give Away is due - so stay tuned...

Lucky Me!

Unfortunately weather interfered, our montly meeting was cancelled and we did not get to do our Guild Secret Valentine Exchange :-( It has been postponed to March. BUT some of the hard working Gals from Guild were at my house today planning for our Quilt Show and it just so happened my Secret Valentine got delivered!

Can you guess what it is?
Clever Gal who made this! I LOVE it (and it follows all the rules). But then I got an additional Valentine from my pal Carol!!!!

Yes it was the one she described as "whopperjawed" but I LOVE it too!

She even personalized it for me YYY What a lucky girl I am indeed!

Sunday Ramble

Unlike some of my Blogging Peeps on the East Coast, we are enjoying a sunny, albeit chilly day here in Mid Michigan. Hubby and I always try to do something together on the weekend (since we see pretty much zip of each other during the work week). Today we decided to get out and enjoy the fresh air...

Fortunately for us the Chippewa Nature Center is a 10 min drive from our house. It is 1,348 acres of woodlands, wetlands, rivers and upland fields.

There were a few other folks about taking in the view but for the most part we were on our own. This is the new "preschool" building that opened this year.

I would have LOVED to come here - see the outdoor Alphabet, and the Bird Feeders outside the classroom.

Of course this time of year there is not much "color" but I love the profile of the buildings on the property against the Winter blue sky.


This is an old School House we checked out...

... as well as the Sugarhouse which will be very busy this March when they start collecting sap from the Maple Trees.

Hubby was "brave" enough to venture out on the river. It really is shallow for the most part which is why you can see so many trails on the ice surface...after our ramble we came home for a nice cup of tea - and of course now the big game is on!

And by the way, can you believe it, an anniversary for me - a YEAR of blogging as of tomorrow! I've certainly learned a lot - gotten better with my photos and continue to be inspired by others. For my "regulars" - thanks so much for the comments you have left over the year (always good to know someone is actually reading). Cheers and here's to another year of fun in "blogland", Jewels.

Shhhh - its a Secret

Well I'm just pleased as punch...we are doing a "Secret Valentine" at Guild this month and I get to experiment again!

The only rules are - you have to make it and it has to include a heart....simple as that.
Easy starting with this little hanger...

Lots of fabric and

vintage doohickey things (the more doohickey the better, I say) to work with...

I first saw some of Rebekah Meier's work in Sew Somerset - this is a great book for inspiration which I used ...and it just all came together - can you guess what my masterpiece "says"?

I ....

Love...
To...

...Stitch! How sweet is that! Even hubby figured it out...

I really don't want to give it away - it was one of those projects where everything just seemed to work out - definitely one of a kind. Thankfully, I have enough materials to make one for me!

I also finished my ATC - this month "Under the Big Top". I've been using a lot of old birthday cards lately for another project (more on that later) and this one just happened to fill the bill for our theme! I've had a peek at Carol's and it looks fun to (dang, she's ahead of me on our Challenge Quilt).

But I'll be taking a break from crafty things for at least one night...LOST starts up again tomorrow (hurrah) - the final season - so will we finally find out what is "up" with the Island? Stay tuned...