You guys are GREAT!

Hello all,

UPDATE~  Greer has come through again!  She actually made me a personal tute on how to make the patina recipes button clickable, and she held my hand through the step by step process, not because it's a hard thing to do, but because I am seriously that tech challenged.   Yes, embarrasing, I know.  So there you have it folks,  thanks to Greer, a clickable button!  It will take you back to the patina recipes post rather than just the recipes, but this way you get the photos as well.   THANK YOU AGAIN GREER!
 Appreciate the help that all of you offered and took the time to type in for me.  You guys aren't just great, you're amazing.  Such a helpful bunch you are!  THANK YOU ALL!  
Hopefully this will begin to be intuitive for me and my requests for help will cease completely. 
 Until then, I will try to keep them to a slow trickle......  




Wow, you guys really rose to the occasion.  Thank you all for your suggestions and help on my patina recipes sidebar question.   You might have noticed the pretty picture over there on the right sidebar, the one that says "Patina Recipes".  That lovely picture is courtesy of Greer of Vintajia Adornments.  Thank you so much, Greer!  Really appreciate the efforts you went to . 
 And doesn't her handiwork look nice?  Why yes it sure does!  You might be wondering why I have the date of the post listed underneath Greer's picture.  I had excellent directions on how to make the button clickable to take you right to the post.  But I kept getting error messages.  So despite all of your best efforts, ladies, you'll still have to find the post in the archive to refer to the recipes.  Hopefully having the date will make it easier for you.

oohh already getting too wordy, here let me fix that

Lily of the Valley blooming like crazy.  Aren't these delicious?  Sorry fanci, there's gonna be real flower pictures this time. 

Something else happened that was very cool.  Look what I won from 13Alternatives blog giveaway!  I know!  I've now won two, count em, two things in my life!  happy dance woo-woo

These are Marcia's Regal Pigeon earrings.  Love them!  The workmanship is amazing!  I wish you could feel how soft the leather is that she used.  They're just beautiful. 

THANK YOU MARCIA!

but it doesn't stop there.  Her packaging is wonderful

Don't you love it?  When I commented on how much I liked her packaging, she mentioned how "great it would be to see what everyone else does for packaging".  So here's what I do, which looks sadly non-descript next to Marcia's interesting composition.

You all kind of knew it would be black, white and venetian blue, didn't you?  Inside, the goodies are wrapped in black tissue with a round Anvil Artifacts sticker.  Yup, that's it folks.  Marcia, you've got me thinking, I need to up my game. 

Switching gears- a lesson in Botany.  This is what Colorado Columbines are supposed to look like

or this

This is the traditional color of the wild Columbines in Colorado.

I have a mutant Columbine growing in my yard.   I know it's hard to believe, but I do.  I have proof.  Here it is....

When we planted it, it was a regular Columbine.  Then wham that sexy Mum moved in next door and look what happened next!

It's beautiful, but weird, eh?  This is the second year for this plant now, so I guess it's a thing.

Here's a few things I've had in the works and got finished up and listed this week.

"First Date".   

Made from the most scrumptious vintage tin tray, rhinestone chain, freshwater pearls and vintage chandelier crystals.  These make me think of a romantic picnic in a flower strewn meadow.....with normal, non-mutant flowers, that is.  Sheesh.  Now I have visions of alien pod people coming to get me that look like Columums.  What, you've never seen Invasion Of The Body Snatchers?!  You should.  There's 15 versions.  The original black and white one is fantastic.  The one with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, ummmmm............not as scary as the original one.

Pillars Of Pompeii.

This rusty vintage tray had the coolest leaf pattern on it.  Half of the leaves were rusted but the top half was pretty much intact.  Just enough rust for a wonderful patina.  Combined with these pillar beads, the handformed leaves and those beautiful silver filigree bars, they looked like ancient ruins to me.  But then, doesn't everything?  hahahaha

Intrigue at the Venetian Palace

A vintage English biscuit tin has been embossed and adorned with brass stampings, midnight blue seed beads, rhinestone chain, rhinestone beads and vintage black teardrop shaped glass beads.  There I go again with the teardrop beads.  Can't help myself.  Here's the back

You get to see the back cuz I only have a few things to show you tonight.  Not my usual 47 photos that torture Petra cuz she can't see them and thinks she's missing something. 

Also listed this

Black Tourmalinated Quartz with Sterling Silver

The focal of this bracelet is also it's clasp.  I dimpled it, oxidized it then sanded it in a way to mimic the rutiles in the stones.  Love it! 

   

The Grungy Sophisticate

Not listed yet.  They looked too minimal to be hanging next to the Intrigue earrings.  They have quartz daggers hanging from oxidized brass hoops with gold-filled earwires.

And these which are already spoken for

Vintage tin, vintage twisty pearls, vintage MOP buttons, and the sweetest little tortoise shell cameos.  Why did I only buy two of those?!

First Iris of the season keeping those black tulips company.

and last but not least

These greet our friendly mail-woman everyday.

Why am I posting all of these flower pictures?  Sure, mostly cuz they're pretty.  But also because the second most interesting man in the world and I have recently found out that we will be relocating to another state.  Leaving all these beauties behind.  But here they are in Bloglandia, for me to revisit in all their extra large glory whenever I get homesick for this place.  

And here's a dilemma.  To take this or leave it since multi generations of sparrows are happily living in there, even though it was an anniversary gift.  hmmm these are the hard decisions I'll be making. 

 I think it unlikely that the sparrows will end up homeless.

A collective thank you all for your lovely comments on the last post.  Really enjoyed them.  Had an unusually busy week with a visit from some out of town friends.  What fun!

 Bond girl, we would love to get back to Florida and get to know you and go check out the gators for first hand inspiration, but nope, not at this time.  We'll be heading in the other direction.  So I'll live vicariously through you.  You will tell me all about your trips to Gatorland, won't you?

And a warm welcome to Little Brown Sparrow!  So glad you paid a visit!

now to conteract my flower sappiness 

What is that thing?  It looks like moss with a mouth!

Have a great week everyone!

Ja ne (Japanese)