Hello, it's me....again

Hello my dear friends and readers! I've missed you all very much. I've not been around for a bit I know, bad blogger! I do have a reasonably good excuse. I've been on a very long pity party.


Me at the peak of my pity party

Several months ago I went into the hospital to have my ovaries removed and came out with a brain tumor. Hence the pity party lol! Now, no worries, I'm (finally) at the point where I am determined to get myself out of this seriously funky place I put myself in. What better way than to catch up with my beloved friends in the blogosphere!

First things first. One of the most motivating way to fix one's mindset is through inspiration...and favors lol. I've got a little favor to ask. I've been inspired by a very lovely woman. Her name is Heather Von St. James. Here is a picture of her and her oh so beautiful little girl Lily.



Heather is a Mesothelioma cancer survivor. You can read her amazing story on her blog HERE

Aren't they both so beautiful? Ok, now for the favor. If you could show your support by posting Heather's button on your sidebar, I know she would be most grateful, as I am!

You can grab her button below or anytime from my left sidebar.

<center><a href="http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/heather" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.mesothelioma.com/images/Heather-VSJ-Mesothelioma.jpg" border="0" alt="Heather Von St. James - Mesothelioma Survivor Blog" /></a></center>
Now that I'm focused on energizing myself, I've gone back into my little studio....



...and have been finishing up on project I abandoned months ago; specifically some lovely mosaics. I've also been planning some fun posts. So do stop by to see what tasty treats I have in store for you *wink wink*

Last but certainly not least, I'd like to thank those of you who hung in there with me and didn't take me off your favorites! Also, a special thank you to those who were kind enough to take the time and email me.


this buds for you
I'm very sorry I didn't reply to some of you, as I had trouble finding the right words that didn't make me sound like the pathetic wallowing brat I was being at the time. Hope you can forgive me.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit and thanks taking the time to leave me your sweet thoughts!

Have a lovely, safe and warm week! Be well!

Cheers!

Broken China Mosaic Birdhouses and Design Inspiration

Hellooooooo bloggers and bloggerettes! Lovely to see you! So sweet of you to stop by for a visit! I hope that all is well (and warmer) in your world! It's been raining so much here in the SF peninsula, might need to build a boat! ha!

There is always a lot of talk about inspiration here in the blogosphere. We also have lots of before and after post.

For this post, I thought it would be fun to show you the inspiration behind the broken china mosaics I created.

I was looking for some inspiration for my mama's 75th birthday present (she will turn 85 this year). Since we are Russians, I thought it would be fun to create a design in the spirit of Russia.

Here, the inspirations...


The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia

and


Russian dachas

the birdhouses resulting from the inspirations....



Mama's Winter Palace Birdhouse






and Mama's Dacha






They sit on the pass-through from the dining room to the kitchen.



The perfect spot because we can enjoy the front and the back of the design.

It's hard for me to be impartial, I know the flaws and what I'd like to do differently. Even still, they are very pretty to look at. Just like their respective inspirations.

I have posted some tutorials at my How To blog for creating vintage china mosaics here.

Thanks so much for stopping by and for taking the time leave me your sweet thoughts!

Have a lovely, safe, warm (and dry) weekend!

Cheers!




I'm linking this post up with the following fabulous hosts:





Being Creative @ Gorgeous and Fun Things

109th Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on The Porch

HOW TO ~ BOOK PAGE SHIMMERING WREATH USING PUNCH OUT FLORETTES

Hello you! I hope this post finds you and your loved ones safe and warm!

As I promised, here is the step-by-step tutorial for creating a shimmering book page wreath using punch out florettes!

These wreaths are dazzling! There is so much to love about this type of wreath (plus you are recycling ha!)! I could go on for ages about how stunning these are, but maybe you should just make one...yes?!


Supplies needed:

Wreath form (any shape you desire)
Paper Punch (florette) I used a 3.5" punch
Book Pages (approximately 150)
Glue gun & glue sticks(low temp saves burned fingers)
Glitter* - any type works
Glue or glitter glue* (If you want a very subtle edge of glitter, then glitter glue alone will be fine.
Sewing Pins

*If you want a very subtle edge of glitter, than glitter glue alone will be fine.

Considerations before you begin:

You will need to dry the glittered edge florettes before you apply them onto the stryo wreath form; therefore, you will need a place to dry the florettes where smearing and smuging won't be a problem.


I use sewing pins and a styrofoam board to dry my florettes. I keep the boards vertical and the pins keep the florette from resting against the board.

The glitter gets EVERYWHERE.

Using newspaper or plastic sheeting to cover rugs/floors/carpeting will be very useful in clean up.

CREATING FLORETTS:

Tear full pages out of book paying special attention to both sides of the pages.

Punch out florettes from book pages; you should be able to get two (2) florettes per page.


You should yield two (2) florettes per page



Add glitter to the edges of florettes by dipping the edge of the florette in the glue (or glitter glue)


then roll the wet edge in the glitter



Sorry, I forgot to take the photos when I was glitzing up the florettes with silver!

Allow the florette edges to dry (approximately 3-6 hrs.)


Cover wreath form with book pages. Tear out a full page, then tear the page into smaller strips. (I use a ruler to guide the tear of each strip)



Take care to glue the ends together on the SAME side of the wreath


Slightly overlap each subsequent strip




Again, be sure to glue the strip on the same side of the wreath.

The side with glued edges to be covered by the florettes


This is the non-glued seams side that will be the back of the finished wreath.



Applying Florettes


Gently fold florette in half WITHOUT creasing the folded edge.

I use the end of a pen to accomplish this. So very high-tech! ha!


Then fold once more taking care not to crease the fold



Next, crush the pointed tip and apply to wreath form with a small amount of glue from your glue gun.




Apply the glue to the crushed tip and set in place.

Continue applying florettes until covered.




At this point, you can apply as many as you like. This 12" wreath form needed about 250 florettes



This 12" wreath form, 120 florettes




The fewer florettes the more visible the words will be.

After having made several, I prefer to lay the wreath form flat on the table and apply the floretttes to the inside and outter edge of the wreath form first. The table acts as my guide to prevent me from scrunching the florette against it.


This way the wreath will be flat against the wall when you hang it.


Last step! Create a hanger by gluing a strip of decorative ribbon and a sewing pin.



I like the bright collored tip on the pin, makes it easier to see when you are trying to hang it!

There you have it! You can use any color glitter, you can make one for the holidays, add decorative ribbon and bows, the possibilities are endless!

Using a 12" styro wreath form with 3.5" florettes will give you a 16" wreath.

Here are a few others I have made...





Have fun with it! Please do let me know when you make one! I'd love to see it!

Thanks so much for stopping by! It is always a thrill for me to read your wonderful comments!

I'm linking up with these fabulous host! Be sure to view the other fabulous posts!







Frugalicious Friday @




Cheers!