Foreign Jewelry

I am really beginning to like challenges. Somehow they lead me into doing things I've wanted to do, but just haven't gotten around to. This week on Grungy Monday 37 Linda chose the theme of Tim Holtz Wearable Art. Love it. A couple of years ago I made a charm bracelet out of some charms, Idealogy pieces and parts, fragments and whatnots. But I wasn't careful and kind of haphazard about the whole thing. It needed to be re-done. What better time than this??? AND as an added bonus, this weeks' Simon Says Stamp and Show theme was London, Paris or New York. Did I mention the charm bracelet was about Paris?? See. It was fate, karma, kismet, whatever you want to call it...

I had some map stickers I had picked up along the way and cut those to fit the fragments. One is backed in silver, one in clear tape, and the other has a different picture applied to the "back" side of the fragment and which is covered in Glossy Accents. I wanted the piece to feel like it was put together over time, maybe even from a Paris Flee Market. After I put it all together I realized the Eiffel Tower was missing so I popped in a little charm along with some beads for color. The dress represents the good shopping in Paris. I used Tim's type charms for the letters, and from Helga at ArtChix I cut a tiny little "spoil me". Because really, who doesn't want to be spoiled at least once and a while?

When I first met my husband we took a trip to Paris, and it really was a trip of a life time. I had wanted to go back again for so long, and it was a perfect vacation. Beautiful city, romantic trip, good weather, great food, laughter, shopping; so the heart and the muse token that says Lifetime reference that experience.

And when not adorning my wrist, it happily lives on top of this little light on my dresser, adding a bit of, well, something to the atmosphere.

Simon's Valentine....

This week over at Simon Says Stamp and Show the call went out for something with Distress Inks, buttons, wings and showing torn edges. BINGO. I was so lucky this week. The ATC was made for  Linda Ledbetter's Grungy Monday challenge already had two of those factors - wings and DI's -  AND I needed to make a Valentine's Card for my sweetie. The need to add torn edges and buttons just told me how I was going to make the card. Really...what could be better?

On the middle ATC portion of the card I misted my card and then smooshed it around on the  Dusty Concord, Victorian Velvet and Aged Mahogany stamped on my craft map.  It was a little too purple so I tapped the Aged Mahogany on the card. Well, that made it too red, but since it was still wet I just mopped some of it off. Ah...distress inks. A wondrous invention. I edged with a bit of Dusty Concord and then stamped the Fabulous Flourish stamp in white...more than once. Finally I covered it with Perfect Pearls Mist....another glorious invention. Wish you could see the sparkle a little better.

The wings are pretty obvious, as our the buttons. But I have to say the buttons were just perfect for balancing out the cute little white cherub. I edged the torn edges in Distress Seedless Preserves and mounted the whole thing on a very sparkly paper I picked up at my local store. I've even written the card, and jazzed up the envelope. Life is good. Enjoy.