Patina White

happyEASTER!

EASTER greetings! hope you have a wonderful day...

 

 

...full of beautiful things & in the company of those you love...

 

 

i sure appreciate you taking the time to pop by. and again...

happyEASTER!

spur of the moment {random*RELEASE}

greetings friends! as often happens in my corner of the world...an idea hits me & before you know it i am "planning" something that was totally "unplanned". and such was the case when i posted a picture to facebook yesterday that stirred some interest and got me to thinking.

so...in a spur of the moment decision i decided to do a {randomRELEASE} of some of my necklaces into my {itsyBITSYetsy} shoppe! i will be filling the "shelves" up and opening her for your viewing pleasure @ 2pm central time...TODAY...march 28th!

here's a little peek @ those beauties you might expect to find.

 

 

UPDATE 7pm ...MARCH 28th....thankYOU to everyone who snapped up my featured wares! they were all adopted in mere minutes. so if you click over to my {itstyBITSYetsy} shoppe...my shelves are bare! BUT...i hope you are inspired by what you see and will pop by again to see what's on the "drawing" board! enjoy!

there will be a limited number of each as they are hand assembled, by myself, w/ unique elements both collected & created. but should you be interested i'd invite you to please click the {HERE} to be whisked to my etsy shoppe.

it will be "open 4 business" at the following breakdown of times...

PACIFIC - 12pm

MOUNTAIN - 1pm

CENTRAL - 2pm

EASTERN - 3pm

 

 

i hope my spur of the moment thinking finds some of you w/ the opportunity to take a peek @ those times noted. i am excited about the variety & glad the "random" thought hit me for this {random*RELEASE}. thanks for popping by...

thanks (4) your interest!

 

 

country {PICKINS}

greetings! nothing quite gets my pulse racing more than the mention of some potential pickins'. and that was just the case when i got a note from a sweet gal...mentioning that her grandpa's farm was soon to be sold off as land. which meant the "outbuildings" were a free for all. she knew i had a love of reincarnating "stuff" and was kind enough to contact me wondering if i'd like the chance to do a search and rescue. sign me up! i'm never one to pass up such an opportunity...so off to north dakota i went

the day was chilly. so i pulled out the extra layers and warm boots and we started exploring. though long since abandoned...i couldn't help but appreciate the buildings in contrast to the banks of snow {as seen below}

 

 

i have to admit. much of the work was already done by this wonderful gal and her hubby in regards to pickin'. i wasn't able to get there before the burn of one of the structures. so they had pulled out some goodies prior and saved for me. 

but i did dive into one of the small spaces and dug out a personalized "shorthorn" sign. and giggled when there was mention of the possibility of rouge critters. again...takes more than territorial wildlife to stop me. 

you can see a collage of those items they saved and my sign "find" in the collage below. 

 

 

are you diggin' the pair of child-sized metal garden chairs? i know. they made my heart skip a beat to. and when presented with the box of cars/trucks/tractors to sort...i about fainted. farm fresh pickin' is certainly how best to describe 'em! there was some other items of interest...but my cold fingers mixed w/ contentment regarding those treasures that were uncovered were good enough on this occasion. 

as i drove home i was inspired by the days events. the connection to my own rural roots was like "music" to my heart. so i decided to revisit a project i did way back. country girl pickins' of another sort if you will! {see 'em below}

 

 

and what of the box of toy trucks you might ask?? well i dig start pickin' away thru those. pulling out all the tiny "TOOTSIE" toy varieties to clean up to see what it was that was under the layers.

pretty excited to find not only a BIG rig but a couple EL CAMINOS and a blue THUNDERBIRD. {see 'em below}

 

 

 

i know that soon the snowbanks will subside. and thie pickin' just gets better in the great north w/ warmer days ahead. so critters look out...i will be ready to dig into unknown piles that you might call home. there's room for both of us!

and if you're tagging along on my dusty road...for bits of beauty, inspiration and a bit of rambling mixed in...i appreciate you hopping aboard. you never know where i might be going. heck. i seldom do! at least i have a fleet of little cars to take me! 

happily yours...

  

happySPRING!

it's official! spring has begun! or at least that is what the calendar tells us! because in our neighborhood as i type this the temp is a big ol' doughnut. and not the yummy kind w/ fun sprinkles!

but what WAS fun was my annual visit to bergen's greenhouse. so happy to take in the fresh air and rows of little plants growing...while we patiently {or impatiently} await the season to arrive outdoors.

i was greeted by some {CHEERFUL} gerbera daisies {below}.

 

 

and what appears to be a field of grasses {below} was actually oodles of accent "spikes" with the canopy of hanging ferns growin' away.

 

 

there were pops of color forming around...

 

 

...in addition to natural neutrals + lush foliage contributing to the freshAIR feelin'.

 

 

even spied some cool characters hanging out...like the junkART pig {below}

 

 

i was so inspired that when i got home i decided it would be a good time to add some junkART of my own to a special {ONLY*1} jewelry release i will be doing on THURSDAY march 21st into my etsy shoppe! 

these ONE*of*a*KIND creations are a patinaWHITE exclusive design. i have thoughtfully gathered old LICENSE plates in a rainbow of hues to make the unique necklaces you see below. and i use a 1930's royal typewriter to create coordinating messages on the reverse of each pendant. if you look close {below} you will see the background on BOTH sides is that of VINTAGE road maps!

 

 and like the succulents i spied at bergen's....

 

 

...all the pieces featured on this special release are UNIQUE. what i'd like to consider artful little "works of whimsy" that i created w/ my own two hands. 

if you click the collage below...you will be whisked to my {itsyBITSYetsy} shoppe. currently empty...i will be stocking it up w/ O.O.A.K {one of a kind} pieces w/ the likes of those shown. they will be available at the times broke down by zone {below}.

 

  

 

so...i best SPRING into action pulling it all together to make this RELEASE a reality. hope you have some SPRING in your step & perhaps we will see you on the etsy side of things THURSDAY evening! always appreciate your visits to my corner of the world here + kind comments you share!

happy*SPRING!

 

may the luck of the irish...

hello! a {HAPPY} st.patrick's day! to you. i made up ths greeting {below} using some of my favorite holiday appropriate baubles! 

 

 

enjoy your day...and remember a bit o' green! that is unless you like pinches!

  

hammers-n-lace

hello there show&TELL friends! hope this finds you enjoying the day! given the opportunity to visit the local BIGbox home improvement store...i am on it. so when the time recently arose that i needed a new hammer i motivated right on over to such to do some initial browsing.

i literally "hit the WALL" when faced w/ the variety of hammers i saw below. 

 

now...i try not to be swayed by form over function in terms of tools. but i must admit i was slightly influenced by the "aesthetics" of the {1} seen above. i know...hammer aesthetics??!  but you got to admit it's natural wood hammer...steely head and star logo has you wanting to make it your own. or...perhaps not! 

i stayed on track and finally decided on a not as cute...but heavy & ready to inflict some brute force variety that would serve it's purpose + better fit my needs than the "looker". 

next order of business was to make the dash next door thru the W-Mart. i seldom dillyDALLY here. it's one of those places i prefer to be "quick & clean" in my shopping style. however today as i scooted toward check-out with my grocery necessities...a fast glimpse into the apparel revealed a lacey top hanging out that stopped me short. {see it's pretty pattern below}

 

 

an unexpected surprise find...it was cute...and it had my attention. which launched me into the "deep in thought - contemplation mode". 

#1. what would i wear it with?

#2. do they have my size?

#3. and does it hold it's value?

to which i "answer"...JEAN JACKET. MUST TRY ON TO DETERMINE SIZE. AND YES...IT WAS A MINIMAL INVESTMENT. well so much for quick. in the cart she went.

pondering jacket options on the drive home...i figured i'd reach deep into my closet for a jean jacket i haven't worn in AGES. so it's pretty well like something new after this long of a hiatus. originally it hails from the GAP. and it embellished w/ some detailed embroidery w/ what i'd consider the focal point on the back. a big...beautiful PEACOCK! {see him below}

 

 

what's not to appreciate about peacock feathers? their showy colors alone deserves a standing ovation. as exhibited by those i recently picked up {below}

 

 

remembering the jean jacket also jogged my memory to a necklace i made some time back. and had tucked away never having worn it as i was undecided if i should keep or sell her. i get PRETTY attached to some of my creations and this {1} i was enamoured with. i encased a peacock feather behind a vintage chandi prism. and did the metal work to enhance it's beauty. i thought the addition of the green beaded chain brought out those lovely colors.

not content w/ only one necklace and inspired by the onset of spring...i pulled out a little wire wrapped branch of pearly "pussy willows". you can see how all the elements played together in the collage below. 

 

 

i guess i could call this segment "what i WANT to wear" since i haven't had a chance to don these layers. but i'm looking forward to a more "spring like" day to do just that! 

and speaking of SPRING like...this post will find us embracing dayLIGHTsaving. time to spring ahead!

 

 

this pile o' springs {above}...full of rusty, crusty possibilities...hopefully will soon be part of a re-purpose project. no telling where they might POP up. 

anywho...i have {1} more lace find that i must show before signing off today. last week i did some digging in the fabric area of the thrift...lace doilies to be exact. i'll admit that i admire these table accents but had yet to actually "display" one. that was til i discovered a pretty muted green variety that made me reassess my thinking. it was a perfect play of my beadboard mirror...and with a few snippets of ivy added to some glass vessels it provided a cheerful "springLIKE" gathering in our dining area as you'll note {below}.

 

 

so enough talk about hammers-n-lace. i best be off putting my new tool to use. all this talk of spring has me thinking that it won't be too much longer til i need to wake my little cottage up from it's winter slumber and ready it for some summer action @ the shadyHOLLOW. and there's projects that could benefit from a good blow of my heavy hammer! 

HAPPYtrails to next we meet again!

  

making it {PERSONAL}

helloTHERE! happy day to you! sure appreciate you popping by. i have to share a project i did this past weekend. as usual...i found myself perusing the aisles of the local thrift on saturday. not that i hadn't been there a few times already the days prior. i find that in the winter i scour a bit deeper as the weather isn't friendly for the outdoor hunts i long for. i'm like a displaced squirrel....looking for that nut!

anywho...i picked up a book. an embroidery "how to" titled MAKING IT PERSONAL. it had a slick paper cover that i normally would have passed over. but today i was leisurely reviewing various media when i flipped it open discovering pages filled with {APLHABET} examples in assorted fonts. hmph. who knew!? and once outta of the confines of the contemporary sleeve, it suddenly was even more attractive as seen {below}.

 

 

alright. got me the book. now what can i do to MAKE IT PERSONAL?? well...on i went. thinking away. different thoughts crossed my mind when i saw a {PLAINjane} black frame. with multiple openings. minus the glass. no bother. i prefer it wasn't there to be honest. sometimes the glare of glass is distracting from the art itself. so i was set! had the {2} treasures to bring a vision to life {seem 'em before below}

 

 

as i wandered i couldn't help but notice the frame was a little shelf weary. had a corner that was banged up and some paint flakes about. eyeballin' it...i decided the edges looked just the right size for a yardstick enhancement. and was pleasantly surprised that when i got home and grabbed the nearest ones from my trip back to nebraska {below}...that they fit right in the recess.

 

 

i started carefully removing my favorite pages {below} ...

 

 

...methodically planning where each one would go in balance + scale in the collage of the frame. and once i had things laid out...i began decoupaging the pages directly to the back insert of the frame. that needed to dry so i moved to the next phase. i took a trek to the woodSHOPPE cutting the yardsticks down to size plus doing a little refurb on the frame itself. you can see a close peek of the end result {below}

 

 

and finally the big "picture". of how it all came together {below}

 

 

so let this be a lesson. that the age old saying of don't judge a book by it's cover couldn't be more true in many respects. i have a number of scraps + bits left over so there's opportunity to yet again MAKE IT PERSONAL. infact the pages did already inspire yet another project. tinkering on some jewelry. so if you have a peek {below} you will notice one of these things is not like the other. 

 

 

so onward i go...tinkering & experimenting in some uncharted territory i've been wanting to "explore" for sometime now. we will see where it takes me! i'll do my twist to MAKE IT PERSONAL. 

thanks again for the visit to my corner of the world. i'd like to invite you to do so again!

 

why a DUCK?

greetings show&TELL! this time of the year is always a welcome thing in the upper area of minnesota that we reside. it IS still winter...but then we get those days that the sun is shining...the temps are comfortable {30's....yes that's comfortable to us}....and there are more sightings of little songbirds slowly making tracks back to the area. 

and this year poses an entirely new thought of those migrating birds. yep. those of you who have been with me awhile know where this is heading. MJ. i've spent the entire winter looking at snapshots {like the 1 below} on occasion. laughing + recounting stories w/ hubby. keeping her spirit alive & with us. 

 

then...there i was out & about not so long ago. when i spotted a book...a play rather, in hardcover review...titled...WHY A DUCK? made me smile and think "oh so many reasons why....". and if mere simply for the smile it might provide you all....i put together a quick collage of some of my favorite MJ moments. {shown below}

 

 

if you're newer to my world...MJ is a wood duck i found as a baby...not likely more than a day old. what started as the thought of "what in the world am i going to do w/ this baby duck??"....turned into a whirlwind summer w/ me growing very attached to my little feathered "girl". suddenly i was the protective mama duck. {you'll see me walking w/ her as my shadow below} with so many stories surrounding her i don't think i could find a spot to begin....right now anyway. 

 

so i digress. but i will say there are parts of me hopeful. cautiously hopeful...that she is out there. alive & well. it's one of those unknown things that we are left only to imagine. that she's enjoyed a winter in an area of the country a wee bit warmer than ours. AND the thought that maybe. JUST maybe....she will return. 

i don't want to be expecting her for sure. i can't set myself up for disappointment. it's a very BIG world & maybe the odds are not in her favor coming from a human rearing....then w/ her taking it upon herself, instinctively, returning to the wild. i won't dwell on the what might have happened as i just don't know. and i may never know. but one thing i do plan on doing is installing the specially built wood duck next box @ her pond.

 

 

so we will be trekking to her pond here in the near future. and installing this nest box. so we are prepared. just incase. because...again...you just NEVER know. 

one of my favorite memories of MJ was the day i was "guarding" her on the opening of duck hunting. and she shimmied up my arm and perched on my shoulder like a parrot. i will never forget that. and it would be hard to considering the "mark" she made on the fabric sleeve.

 

she made more than one mark. she has touched our lives and will live on in our memory - forever. in so many ways. and the neat thing, i must say....is that she touched some of you too~! i've had some wonderful emails where MJ is the subject matter. i have had more than one person stop me and mention how cool the MJ chronicles were. which make me SMILE. knowing that she has not only entertained me...but also some of you...is priceless.

thanks for sharing my recount of this special feathered friend of ours. you never know. the story may continue. and if not...it's always fun to reminisce from time to time. which leaves me wondering...why NOT a duck?! there isn't one thing i'd change about the experience. well...maybe a little litterbox training in hindsight could have proved useful! 

 

take time to enjoy the little things...

  

so {HAPPY} together

hello! happy start to your week! i'm ready to dive right in! both into my post and the soon to be piles o' junk that will be upon us with the promise of warmer weather. like that one (below) as seen last year.

 

 

and being the self proclaimed "junkGIRL" i am...this past weekend found me plunging into those resources that are right under my nose. no need to seek out "new" old stuff when i've built quite a collection thru the years.

i've got a few skeletons in my closet. keys that is. so i grabbed a handful picking out those i liked best for what i had in-store. that being some old rhinestones that are now @ home wrapped about the length of each unique key.

THEN...i had some tops of chandelier prisms that were in a stash. decided it was time to experiment w/ them since their larger counterpart had long gone missing. so late saturday night i got started...and didn't stop til i had each of them surrounded by some metalwork taking into consideration i wanted them to dangle quite low on the chain.

finally i wanted a {3rd} element for balance. and since i was inspired by the constant junk trails i seemed to be on...i stamped a {junkGIRL} charm that hangs in harmony w/ it's "junk" friends. what's neat is that each element does command a strong presence on it's own. 

 

 

but i envisioned this as a cluster so you can see how the {3} became {1} below.

 

 

if you happen to catch this on monday the 25th...i will be offering a tiny handful based on the look above. at 4pm sharp - central standard time...i will be stocking my {itsyBITSYshoppe} w/ these lovelies bits of "junk". though my shoppe is "empty" til times of "releases" such as this...if you click on the banner below...it will be a direct path to my etsySHOPPE so you can find it quickly at that time. 

 

 

so back on the junk trail i go. to see where & what it finds me. glad you stopped today and thanks much for doing so. perhaps i will see you on the etsy flipside @ 4pm. because...GIRL...there's some good JUNK waiting!

make it a great day...

 

love isn't perfect...

hey there show&TELL friends! decided to do some tinkering this past sunday. so i started in....cutting...hammering...trying different techniques. things didn't go quite as planned when my experiment resulted in a very LARGE crack. but...nonetheless stamped LOVE next to the heart anyway. {see it at this phase below}

 

 

then i took a moment to access the situation. i didn't mind how it looked actually. but i wasn't stopping as there were other things i wanted to give a try. so i forged forward...more cutting...grinding...sanding...riveting til i came up with the best "mistake" i've made in a long time! you can see her {below}

 

 

well...as the age old saying goes...practice makes "perfect". or imperfectly PERFECT in this case. so glad i was able to create this treasure. she will be part of my upcoming jewelry release into my {itsyBITSYetsy} shoppe w/ updates on that being posted to facebook as i have more info to share. incase you'd like to peek @ my FB page...you can visit by clicking the photo {below}. would love to have your pop by for daily bits of beauty + inspiration! and appreciate your continued interest by visiting + making my patinaPASSION possible. 

 

 

live imperfectly w/ GREAT delight...