Inspired Sunday Blog Party Features

Happy Sunday everyone! I had a post about Southern silver--pre-civil war--written and waiting for pictures, only to discover that my son had borrowed the battery from my point and shoot to take on a lake camping trip to use in his!   Arrrrg!  He probably left his uncharged battery for me thinking that I could charge it (I've done that to him--hee hee), but I can't find it!  Guess the battery swapping has to stop or have a designated outlet for charging! So on to the blog party features! 

Last week I had a new party goer join, Kelli from Adventurz in ChildRearing. She gives instructions for making this great pinwheel that is just perfect for the 4th of July holiday coming up.  I make these for all sorts of purposes - banners especially.

And if you are celebrating by having a barbeque, you might want to make this gorgeous--and I'll bet delicious punch--made by Dawn at We Call It Junkin'.  Personally, I would spike mine! LOL!

And as if these party goers didn't offer us enough festivity, Debbie at Debbie Dabble, reveals her weight-loss journey that will make you want to cheer or join along!  She has an inspiring story and is such an encouraging person--couldn't most of us use a dose of that!  

Thank you everyone for joining the party last week. If you've been featured, please grab my button from the side bar and post it on your blog. Have a wonderful week and a great time celebrating the wonderful freedoms we are hanging onto in our country.

God bless America!

Laura

Now, on to the next party!  Post whatever inspires you. For me it's antiques and art, but what inspires you?  Show us. Please also put a link on your blog back to mine and visit some new blogs.

Painted Furniture Convert

If you've visited my blog much at all, you know that I LOVE antiques. My husband and I have collected and inherited a houseful of beautiful wood furniture and have no problem mixing birds' eye maple 

with quarter-sawn oak

satin wood:

and even rose wood:

We appreciate the characteristics of the wood, like the grain and aged patina, so painting wood is almost blasphemous to us!  However we had this one little tobacco humidor that we bought at a yard sale in Alpharetta, Georgia many years ago when we were first married just because we liked it--and we could afford it:

It had been painted, we stripped it, and I always wanted to repaint it rather than try to get the trim perfectly stripped and sanded--too much work for me!  My hubby finally agreed I could paint it.  So I DID!  

It went from looking like this in the                                                   To this:

corner of my office:

 

We both agreed it was a refreshing improvement!

Tag Tuesday: Y is for "Yesteryear"

For this tag, I chose the word, "yesteryear," with everything on the tag representing days of yore. This is one of my few attempts at a mixed media collage, and I'm not sure what I think about it. For the foundation, I used a shred of map from the 60's, a piece of a 50's dictionary, a shred of sheet music, and a scrap of paper in a vintage print, which are barely visible at this point, being hidden under layers of acrylic paint, stamped and painted images, and washi.  I mixed some molding plaster and used a vintage stencil to add texture. I stamped a 50's pattern girl and a Victorian cup from Oxford Impressions and started assembling. Although I love detail, I prefer a cleaner style--but I think this might be growing on me.

The green paint and circle metal brad remind me of the green industrial paint that was used on so many metal items here in the 50's. The "hanger" is vintage rick-rack and lace. Here's a closer look where you can really see the textured molding plaster:

Linking up with these blog parties:

The Creative Home Acre Hop

Time Travel Thursday

Inspire Me Tuesdays at a Stroll Through Life
Knick of Time Tuesday
You're Gonna Love It
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Show Me What You Got Tuesdays
Primp Your Stuff Wednesday
Wow Us Wednesdays
Share Your Cup Thursdays
Grace at Home
Show and Tell Friday
Sweet and Simple Fridays

I went to the Antiques Roadshow and Inspired Sunday

So late on my Inspired Sunday post, but I spent the entire Saturday at the ANTIQUES ROADSHOW! My friend entered for tickets, and her name was picked! I had been waiting for months for this big day.  We got up early and drove to the Anaheim Convention Center. It was quite exhausting to stand on hard cement floor for hours on end but it was so much fun to see what unusual items people had brought:

Me on the way in.

We could take pictures while in line. Of course, I had left my memory card in my computer, so my friend took the pictures. Once we entered a particular area, we had to turn off all cameras and phones.

We had a lovely time together...

Laura and Lisa

BUT when I got to the silver table, the "experts" were very young and right away mine told me that I knew more about my silver than he did!!!  After months of waiting and hours of standing on hard concrete, that's not what I wanted to hear!!!  My silver appraised at what I had imagined, perhaps slightly more on one item (silver christening cup for $1000.00), but I have to say, I was there for the experience, and the lack of enjoyment or enthusiasm from my experts compared to that of the older seasoned experts and the experts at the other tables was noticeable. In fact, my guy was British (and there is a bit of rivalry or "attitude" between collectors of American and British silver), and after his two- minute review and reiterating that I knew more than he did, he excused himself saying "I've really got to go to the loo!"

Besides wonderful company, the really redeeming element for me was the "feedback booth."  It's where they film the quick clips that they put on at the end of the show. Not feeling very enthusiastic about the experience, I reluctantly went in because my friend wanted to. We had to sign a release to be on TV if chosen, and we had two minutes to say whatever we wanted. We could hold up an item, and as I was unwrapping my christening cup, the camera man exclaimed "I LOVE that cup."  I said something like, yeah, it's dated 1853. He said "that's 160 years old.  I LOVE that cup."  He got it! Then he rolled camera, and we said something.  As we were walking out, I asked him if he knew silver, and lo and behold, he was a silver appraiser. He APPRECIATED it.  He was enthusiastic. We had that special bond between people who appreciate the uniqueness and beauty and story of something from history, something owned. loved, cherished, and made by hand.  That's the experience I had hoped for, and that's the whole reason behind why I collect antiques. 

What inspired you this week?

Sherry from The Charm of Home made these absolutely wonderful polymer clay tags!  I can see so many decorative and packaging uses for these. She did a LOVELY job!

Denise from Denise on a Whim did a wonderful paint job on this Victorian table:

Michelle from The Day Before This Day made this gorgeous tote inspired by vintage crochet. All her bags are to die for! :-)

If you've been featured, please put my button on your blog.  

And now, let's see what inspires you this week!  

Please post a link on your blog back to my blog.

Tag Tuesday: X is for Xebec

Wow, what a challenge the letter "x" has been! I am so loving all the "x" tags that have been posted at Tag Tuesday and appreciate the kind comments on my "w" tag.

After much struggle and time spent in a dictionary from 1947, I chose "xebec." This is a small, three-masted sailing ship commonly used by Barbary pirates and still in use today! I started with this beer carton that I had been saving--my husband's current favorite beer:

I cut out the front emblem, still not really sure how the tag was going to come together. I used a Spanish doll stamp from Mad Rat Rubber (great doll stamps at great prices) and was really happy to use my yellow-green ink for the first time.  Perfect match!  I stamped a ship that might be a xebec, :-), and then stamped the anchor on part of the beer carton and cut it out. 

 

On a piece of torn sail, I stamped an "x." Once everything was cut and attached, I spritzed the entire piece with watered down walnut ink.

 

I am so eXcited to see what the other participants have created!

Laura

Inspired Sunday: Vintage Maps

If you've spent much time on Pinterest lately or looked at 
trendy catalogs, you'll see that maps have become a popular design item for home furnishings and stationery. 
I was fortunate to find a whole stash at an estate sale.  

We were told that the owner had recently passed away at 90 yrs of age and was a single woman who was in the CIA. There were maps of the US and countries all over the world.

She had written on the outside:

The oldest map I found is this one from 1925 of the 
Washington D.C. area:

I just couldn't cut these up for a craft.  So I haven't. But I was fortunate to find these maps from the 60s and 70s a few 

weeks ago - ten cents each!

The red, white, and blue map on the left reminded me of the Fourth of July. It was torn, so I didn't feel bad about cutting it up.  I picked patterns that I liked and cut little 

banners and a center medallion piece and made this card:

I will make more of this style and change the sentiment 

and the characters  in the middle as appropriate

 for the occasion.

                                                                                           Laura

This week, Susan at Eclectic Shorebird was inspired to make this cute cake topper out of a vintage card:

Sally at Salamagundi was inspired to recreate a vintage- 

style seed box. Check out her blog to read why she was 

inspired--lovely history.

If you were featured, please post my button on your blog.

If your creativity has been inspired by something 

lately, link up and show us!  

Blog party etiquette:  

Please post a link on your blog back to my blog.  

I would also love for you to become a follower.

Now show us what inspires you!

Tag Tuesday

I've joined a wonderful group of artists in a project called "Tag Tuesday." Each Tuesday a new prompt is given, and each artist in the project makes and posts a tag based on the prompt.  It's a great way to experiment with mixed media, try new techniques, and challenge your creativity. I am very goal-oriented, so having a creative deadline every week is a great opportunity for me to grow in my skill and craft.  This week the prompt was the letter ":W."  I chose the word, "wardrobe," and took advantage of my new photopolymer pattern girl stamps.  Here's a peek at my tag:

You can check out my complete project here.  

You can see how other artists' work with the letter "w" here.

Hope you are having a wonderful and creative week, or at least creating or 

admiring touches and moments of beauty every day!

Laura

Inspired Sunday: Pearl Handled Flatware

I hope you've had a lovely week. I added some vintage beauty to my kitchen with a 

display of flowers and pearl-handled flatware:

Made from oyster shell, pearl-handled flatware was popular from the late 1800s to the 1920s. 

 Mine dates from the late 1800s. The blades and tines are silver plated, and 

the ornate bands around the handles are sterling. I love how the pearl catches the light:

I have lots of dinner knives as well as fruit knives that have a sharp edge for cutting whole fruit, popular as fruit became more available in the late 1800s due to transport by trains:

Butter knives:

Forks:

And this wonderful fruit set,

that came in this lovely oak box:

Some of my favorite knives have carved handles:

I loved carved pearl:

I set the table with it for special dinners, but when I'm not using my pearl handled flatware, 

I sometimes display it in pressed glass to be enjoyed by all:

Do you have pearl-handled flatware? If you do, please leave a comment and add any history you know!
I'm linking up with

Creative Home Acre Blog Hop
Seasonal Sundays@ The Tablescaper

Make It Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House
Metamorphosis Monday
Dwelllings' Amaze Me Monday
Weekend Showoff Party
Time Travel Thursday
Inspire Me Tuesdays at a Stroll Through Life
Knick of Time Tuesday
You're Gonna Love It
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Show Me What You Got Tuesdays
Primp Your Stuff Wednesday
Wow Us Wednesdays
Share Your Cup Thursdays
Grace at Home
Show and Tell Friday
Sweet and Simple Fridays
Feathered Nest Fridays

What inspiration did other bloggers bring to my intimate (small, lol) party this week?

Lisa at Helene's Legacy designed a powder room that is truly an inspiration. Hop over to her blog and
 read what  inspired her beautiful bathroom. The wallpaper alone makes me sing!

Nicole of Southern Charm was inspired to add summery starfish to her Easter
decor to extend the life of her lovely display from spring into the summer:


Have a great Sunday!

If you were featured, please grab my button from the left side bar and display it
on your blog!  Thanks!
                                                                                        Laura

Now show us what inspires you!
Please link back to my blog and become a follower.