Patina White

isn't it grand?

hey there show & tell friends! the past couple weekends @ shady hollow have been quite grand. grand with beautiful weather & grand with excited jam packed crowds of shoppers.

ironic that i took {3} orders for custom necklace requests from some very grandparents. the first called for a large heart with a bitty birthstone cluster to represent all the grandbabies. and this gal was thrilled to see my handstamped NANA tag. the number 7 bubble and cross pulled the look all together for a unique cluster {below}. lucky #7!

the next was a grandma of six that wanted a similar yet different effect. this one called for a glass collage with a birthstone ring of little ones + a simple #6 stamped disc. i love this one too! and hope that the proud grandma does as well!

last but certainly not least...a sweet grandma wanted not {1}, but {2} necklaces to proclaim her love. so i layered up a special saying to their family...i love you to the moon and back...with a crystal moon + silver star. then staggered it with the second grouping of sweet rhinestone initials dangling from a small heart with a "go with everything" pearl accent. she'll be back to see what i came up with this coming sunday!

and speaking of sunday. this will be the last sunday of the shady 2011 season! we will end the summer with a bang...being open saturday, sunday & ending labor day monday! can't hardly believe we are near the end! but this ending marks the start of another chapter for patinaWHITE and that's my holiday event the first two weekends of november! isn't that a GRAND thought?! 

to sign off today i have to show off some grandfolks close to my heart. grandpa and grandma in their early days. {below}. i love these photos and it delights me to have them with me in spirit!

as always i truly appreciate you popping by my little corner of the world wide web. and be sure to have yourself a...

very GRAND day!

 

sweet {16}

hello hello! yesterday marked a very sweet anniversary for hubby and i. it's hard to believe it was...

years ago when we tied the knot! well that was then {below}...

and this is now...{below}.

i thought i had come up with the ultimate gift for our day. a little story told with cards & tokens laid out on our floor to greet him when he came home for lunch. well he was so excited to give me his gift that he walked right by it thinking it was just another grouping of my "junk" on the floor!

after directing him back to my surprise to which he smiled and shook his head...i tore open my carefully wrapped package {harley box with black duct tape sealing it} to discover 16 delicious jazz apples!

they are very tasty + sweet and so is my guy! which is exactly why i would like to tell him again...

and the ultimate ending to a very sweet day was an indulgence to my sweet tooth...turtle pecan cheesecake from an always favorite dinner stop..spanky's stone hearth. click to visit their site...drive fast to visit their restaurant...FABULOUS all the way 'round!

now i am off. i think there's an apple or two...or sixteen that need to be munched on. an apple a day will keep the doctor away...so i should have {2} solid weeks of good health! i wonder if there is a way to substitute a slice of cheesecake here and there?! i won't ask the doctor on that one!

hope your day is full of sweetness as well!

  

it's a bird...it's a plane

hey everyone! it seems like these days technology is evolving @ lightening speed. wish i could say the same for myself. i like to think of myself of a bit of an old soul. my mailing list still goes out good 'ol fashion snail mail. christmas cards are handwritten 1 by 1. and up until not too terribly long ago...my digital camera was the size of a camcorder & recorded images to a 3.5" floppy disc. {it still works great by the way!} 

well the phones in my life have been pretty darn old fashion too. this restored spanish bakelite phone {below} hangs in our kitchen. hola senorita!

then next to our bed sits this still functioning hotel phone {below}. i love dialing on the rotary number set and hearing it's bells announce a caller. too bad few people even know our landline number much less call it. 

a recent outing yielded a milky glass panel from a phone booth {below}. now there's something you don't see anymore! where the heck is superman suppose to get his cape on now?? perhaps the local wireless store is accommodating super heroes these days. it's a bird...it's a plane...

until a month ago...this old soul was still sporting her "grandpa" flip phone. yes...that's exactly what the local wireless store calls them. i don't know about you...but my grandpa was sharp as a tack...and certainly didn't need one of them there cell phones to get thru his day! 

note the patina'd front face {below}. people pay good money for crackly glassware, my phone sported the look for free.

so what does a technically challenged girl do when faced with the decision of upgrading her cell phone? how's about take the greater part of some poor chap's day going back and forth on smart phone or grandpa phone. well andy won the battle...talking me into a snarky little device that can do everything except wash the dishes. though i am certain there's an app for that!

i had to pair a silly glass collage charm with a hand-stamped disc {below} to poke fun of those fan-dangled things called smartphones. it rests atop my new gizmo.

but smart phones beware...you may be full of function...but that superman...he's able to leap tall buildings in a single bound and i have yet to see a cell phone save the planet. but i am sure there's an app for that too!

wishing you all a hAPPy day!

 

in the raw

hello everyone! i can hardly believe another week has zipped past! the dog days of summer are coming to an end. and w/ that it means my time spent @ shady hollow are dwindling! thus...i intend on making the most of my last few weekends out there! so i popped a couple scooby snacks & got busy in the work-shoppe! 

i've been wanting to send a shout out to you all but my projects weren't quite ready in all their finished glory...so i decided to give a peek @ some of the early beginnings and show 'em off "in the raw"!

silly and sassy...these letter snippets will lay the groundwork to a whimsical sign. their message is loud & clear even at this stage...

life is sometimes {more often than not} a 3 ring circus. and these wheels will provide a place to not only get organized...but create a spot for you to showcase photos of loved ones as well! here {below} they are just lying around waiting for me to pull it all together!

changing gears a bit here...i stamped up some tags {below} that will become jewelry elements to create the perfect cluster necklace for you or a loved one. they have a good look this early in the game!

mirror...mirror...on the ground. well that is where this lovely currently resides. but the wheels are in motion on giving this salvage ceiling tin panel {below} it's reflective qualities. 

and since i am the "fairest of them all" on our home front {who could compete with me in my dickies??} i must be on my way to bring these projects in the raw together in-time for their debut @ my cottage this sunday. i will be there {2} more sundays followed up by our final {3} day hurrah

labor day weekend...

friday sept. 2, saturday sept. 3 + monday sept. 4. 

so pop by and say hello if you are in the neighborhood. otherwise i hope to do the follow up post to "in the raw" with something a bit more "well done". thanks for peeking show & tell friends...until next time...

make it a great day!

 

it's what's on the inside...

hello show & tell friends! just a short and sweet note for today. i created a fun piece of wall whimsy {below} w/ the pairing of a fabulous {2} tone old cabinet door + oxidized metal words. a couple stars couldn't hurt either...

LIVE * LAUGH * LOVE...true happiness lies within. a simple and powerful message for all of us to remember...

it's what's on the inside that counts! 

thanks for peeking!

 

vision 2 reality

hey everyone! i will share a little factoid about me. i am a collector. i have been so since i can remember. barbies ... my little pony ... garfield ... rocks ... stickers ...and that's just the childhood end of it. as an adult the list goes on. and ooonnnnn.

gatherer...packrat...hoarder. call it what you like. but please know that cats are nowhere on my laundry list of "collections". so i feel ok about my "habit". even more so that now from those collections a pretty darn neat necklace was born.

i always look forward to a time when i can crack open one of my jars or boxes of treasure. how can't you love the thought of diving into a medley like this {below}?

especially when the graphic appeal of the containers they are stored in are equally as beautiful. cigar anyone??

for  years i have been accumulating vintage religious medals + pretty whatnots {below} w/ the idea that someday they would happily come together for a one-of-a-kind necklace for me to enjoy.

recently i talked myself into stoking the creative fires within. so ensued the tedious task of placing...walking away...and then revamping. off and on...i worked on this project the greater part of day. did i mention i also happen to be a bit of a perfectionist? 

well i must say i felt i achieved perfection when i put on my labor of love... 

religious relics mingle w/ rhinestone buttons, weathered pearls & a tiny skeleton key dangling from a length of glass bead chain. HARMONY! a chunky chain brought it all together upon which i layered a drapey metal beaded number.

excuse me while i do a little happy dance. since i often have the "vision" for bits & pieces of my collections that...more often than not...take awhile to materialize. {if @ all!} and this time it became a reality!

thanks for tagging along {if you are still with me} in my excited ... giddy... state of glee! and remember...no cats were harmed in the making of this post. 

make it a great day!

 

it's fair game...

it's so not fair...not fair that the county fair only comes but once a year! it's something i have looked forward to attending as long as my wandering mind can remember! what is it about the sights {playful rides + tempting games}, the lights {ferris wheel?? hello!} & the smells {funnel cakes, pig barn-oink!} that makes me feel like running around like a big kid!? well the fair recently just pulled into our town & i thought i'd share a little piece of all the action!

a little shakedown of what's going on in the above collage...let's start in the top left corner then work clockwise shall we?? follow along...

• sign...retro carnival graphics. 'nuff said. it's fantastic! point me in the direction please!
• angry lama. stand back...you never know when these fellas may shoot a wad of spit!
• 4-H sheep chart. old school in appearance...and pretty darn cool. 
• fun slide. sure does look that way...
• 4-H horse sign. i was a proud member of 4-H. and did my share of horse shows. boy does this bring back the memories. giddy up!
• big top tent housing a band just starting to warm up for an eve of entertainment. 
• grand champion brownie. won't say if it's still there AFTER the photo op.
• here chick chick chick...and you think you're having a bad hair day?!
• the barnyard. it's our 1st stop every year. i long to bring home a bunny or kitten. maybe the mini horse...i hear you can potty train them. maybe it will even put the toilet seat down. best work on those already in my household first. 
• zipper. the very sight of it makes me turn on my heels in terror. the wildest ride i will even entertain the thought of is the ferris wheel. i'd like to keep my stomach where it belongs {as well as it's contents}. thank you.
• this is tom. tom is a very handsome fella. not too messy either considering some say he's a real pig.  
• prize winning bloom. i adore the color.
• and right back where we started from...with the big wheel being front and center! i just admired from afar this time...

are you ready to grab a corn dog? or maybe a pork chop on a stick? hows 'bout an airbrushed tattoo for you wannabe rebels? i know i already miss the lights...shouting carnies and lovable critters that roll into town about this time. and most certainly my heart longs for my new friend "tom". he's "fair game" for some summer lovin'. hope this has stirred up some fond childhood memories...

make it a great day!

new kids on the block

greetings everyone! a happy gathering of "friends" are coming together to make an appearance @ shady hollow. it always thrills me when something new comes off the "presses" of the work-shoppe. in addition to the "new kids on the block"...i also plumped up the selection of tried and true.

because i am most excited about it and because i can wait no longer...this frame {below} came together from cutoff bits & pieces of ceiling tin. once again proving my point that it sometimes pays to be a borderline junk hoarder. 

what do you think of my pride and joy {above}? to which i refer the frame...as the sweet little one featured isn't my own! on that note...if that photo doesn't melt your heart i don't know what will! and the gal behind that touching photo would be the uber talented Rialee Photography. go back and click her name to be whisked to her site. prepare to gasp some oohs & aahs. amazing work ria....do you photograph {4} legged children?

just had to show you the finished product in a home setting {below} ...which happens to be mine. hopefully i don't get toooo comfortable with it! occupational hazard.

now for some of those seasoned patinaWHITE veterans. a group of cadet caps {below} will be hanging out waiting for you. making bad hair days non-existent! a wide variety will be ready to save the day!

a little closer look @ the bling...

another new face...this chicken wire enhanced window frame {below} turned photo display plus a coatrack. ya just gotta love a piece that not only serves a purpose...but looks darn good doing so! photos courtesy of rialee again. 

been there done that. i was just reminiscing how i brought two barnstars back from florida nearly 10 years ago. way before they were the "hot thing" after a feature on home and garden's dreamhome. i rode the wave then and continue to do so...i bring 'em back now & then and just got in a small selection {below} of the authentic amish created works of art.

another spin on the box signs i showed you in the last post are those in cream with offset verses {below}. simple and sweet. i love how you can use my rustic letters to highlight either initials or possibly your family name. i may run out of room if i try and showcase mine though! no smith here...

one final new kid for the day...just a simple pairing of a weathered door panel and industrial type galvanized hooks {below}. a coatrack wouldn't be complete though without a label to ensure everyone's everythings are in the right place! so i made up some little blackboard tags to do just that!

now that you have "met" everyone here @ my show & tell...i would love for you to swing by shady hollow to get better acquainted with these new kids plus many other fresh "faces" that await! i always appreciate you popping my little blog & cottage alike! and look forward to all your comments...both here & there! 

have a wonderful day my friends!