Patina White

here we go {AGAIN}...miniEVENT time!

hello hello! so. after things started winding down for the summer season @ shady hollow, i made a decision...for the 1st time in {10} years not to have an EVENT from my home. to which i was met w/ fallen faces when i informed those anticipating it. ok. let's do a {DOG & PONY} show on the road. something a little smaller. more manageable. off to perham, mn i went last weekend. and had a FABULOUS time. like my old wooden wheel rack...i was on "roll".

 

 

thought i would settle into making some smaller items + jewelry. trying my best to accommodate the requests and emails i have received. then. the day after the {DOG & PONY} show i woke up to more emails. and calls. from those wonderful folks who were disappointed they couldn't even reach my display. much less grab the goodies they were after. 

i've always wanted more time in the day...which that extra hour we were granted on sunday provided. it sent my already "deep in thought" tendency into overdrive. the booth from the show is right there. ready to be unpacked. why not set it up in my studio?? and do a "miniEVENT". invite guests by word of mouth + online "sharing".  well...i'd like to extend that invitation {below}...

 

 

so those who were wishing...

 

 

...for a studio event {see my studio ready 4 holiday action below}

 

 

...could come out and get a taste of patinaWHITE wares one more time for the year. incase you were wondering...here's the address {below} for my home studio / miniEVENT location. and if you click the chalkboard...hang on - because you'll be whisked to mapquest where you can plan your route of action!

 

 

are you excited? i am! i think perham was just what the doctor ordered to get a fire lit under me. i've got a few weeks to replenish those best sellers many are looking for. {please pass the spring wreaths!}. and maybe just maybe iron my wonder woman cape and get a few of my uniquely created jewelry creations not only miniEVENT ready but also stocked in a little etsy shoppe. i've been saying it for awhile but just when i think things might settle a little bit...i make another decision trying my best to keep everyone happy. while doing the same for myself! 

there you have it. and even though i am dubbing this my miniEVENT...i promise it to be BIGfun! 

thank you everyone for your excitement. it is what keeps me rolling in the right direction! which is where i best head off to now to get things together once again! of course i will be back with little snippets + tidbits to share. stay tuned! and have yourself...

...a happy day!

 

random thoughts

hello & happy day to you!  this post is a tribute to my little duck, MJ. if you're new to my corner of the world...that likely won't have much meaning. but if you dig a little bit back into my blog you will soon discover what an impact she had on me this summer.  

today marks exactly a month that she spread her wings & took {what we hope was} the flight south to warmer weather that northern minnesota doesn't offer in the winter months. 

now...jump back even FURTHER into my ramblings and you might remember the start of a project i was monkeying around with...

 

 

at the time i had been seeing alot of neat takes on recycled wood into signs. i had plenty of weathered wood myself & figured i could add another variation to my sign selection i already offered at patinaWHITE. well. despite having the wood + the inspiration...i didn't take {make} the time to follow thru on my creation. 

so it sat in the garage in a pile. once and awhile i would catch a glimpse @ the one & only painted slat and smile. because...i figured...love is ALL i need, right? and then i became distracted by something else that had come into my life around the time of this concept. my tiny ball of fuzz...a baby duck who i named MJ. do you remember what she looked like? adorable to say the least. here she is {below}...day 1!

 

 

i decided late summer to revisit the project motivated by the many random, inspiring quotes i had jotted down. plus at this stage of raising MJ, she was well into her routine of floating at her home away from home for hours on end. AND i wanted a form of creative expression while on the visits i made to her pond daily. MJ would climb up the bank when i arrived and play about while i painted. she made me laugh w/ her constant peeking @ what i was up to {like seen below}

 

 

painting the slats took quite awhile. it became an act of personal expression. i'd throw on my dickies...pack up my paint + brushes & walk across the fields thru the woods {almost sounds like a christmas carol!} w/ the sign tucked under my arm like a canvas. i'm sure if the neighbors saw me they would wonder just for a moment what the "eccentric" lady next door was up to.

as summer drew to a close...i was near the end of painting the quotes on the sign. and MJ had grown into the beautiful adult wood duck many of you enjoyed reading about. even a month later my eyes still are swelled over typing & show this {below}...one of the last photos i took of her.

 

 

i had originally planned on selling the sign. but found that as i painted...i became very attached to it on many levels. mostly because of the memories i hold when i look @ it. that & i think it just looks darn COOL! so i hung it in my kitchen. where i see if daily. and...if you ask me...whats neat about it not only the random thoughts...but ultimately how i decided against the perfect ends & straight lines. leaving it rough and all most unplanned in appearance {random again!}. you be the judge when you see it {below}

 

 

the date on my little calendar gives away the fact that i took this picture awhile ago. i meant to show it sometime back but had to stop due to the writer's block i faced. decided that today would be the day. 

and as long as i am on the topic of random thoughts + calendar dates...i am finishing up the little collage of art to announce the miniEVENT that i have decided to go forward w/ here in the very near future @ my home studio. i will be doing that this friday...so you all can mark your calendars! 

with that i am off. time to do some seasonal transformations on the outside of our home today. we have been granted a peek of sunshine & that always motivates me. that and the long term forecast calls for highs in the mid 20's. and unlike MJ i don't have any plans on flying south. so i will make the most of the onset of winter and whatever randomness the day may bring! 

and here's hoping you are enjoying yours!

the SNOWBALL effect~

hello show & tell friends! well the{DOG & PONY} show this past weekend was a whirlwind of excitement + fun! i have to tell you...seeing the crowd of ladies briskly moving toward my booth  {see a peek of the BEFORE} 

 

@ opening on saturday both made me giggle and then also made me nearly run away! but really...THANK*YOU everyone who trekked over. and i know that many of you who did couldn't get to me after multiple attempts. and those who did were not able to nab the items they were after intime. 

i call this post the snowball effect for a reason....

 

 

sometimes i try to do things that seem a little smaller scale...more manageable. because the key to my creativity is balance. which is why i opted to do the bazaar this year in lieu of a "studio event". but then the bazaar happens. and the excitment continues in the form of requests...emails and inquiries. {hello SNOWBALL effect} and it's hard for me to say no. which does sometimes get me into trouble. i like to do my best to keep everyone happy...but also remembering that i need to work within the limits this {1} woman circus has. 

so. that all being said i put out a little tickler on facebook yesterday. i was still running on adrenaline i believe and the extra hour from daylight savings. i asked if you all would like it if i had a MINI event @ my home studio this year....

 

 

...that was met with very enthusiastic YES's. and also those of you wanting an online experience. i haven't brushed that aside...again i must mention that as honored as i am...there is only {1} of me {with a couple wonderful show helpers}

and i wear alot of hats. what does that mean exactly?? well...to give you an idea...i don't have one area of "speciality".  i make jewelry. i wear my dickies and do wood working. i do my share of metal fabrication. i like to do paper collage. and blog. and maintain my facebook pages. there is the time spent scouring for the cool junk and unique wares i sell. did i mention i really like to be with my family and friends? 

i am in no way complaining. or making it seem i work more or harder than the rest of you because i am still amazed at what others do like me and balance little ones plus another job. but i as i enter in my 10th year of patinaWHITE...i do know my strengths & weaknesses. {cheesecake is one of them}! 

phew! where is this going you are asking? gee. i am beginning to wonder myself. but here's where i am at. leaning toward a small scale mini event. the first part of december. at my HOME STUDIO. no official postcard mailing. i am just relying on your continued excitment and word of mouth to spread the news. it's actually been years since i have done a show this late in the year. some of you may remember our home in it's winter cloak...

 

 

and just like the weather...i am little unpredictable @ times. which is why some of you may think..."i wish she'd make up her mind"! to which i say...i will be intouch soon with more specifics. i just need to sort some details. so for those of you still wishing i would do a show @ my home studio. it looks like you may have cast that wish on the right star. it will be fun no matter what level of craziness i am ready for. i hope the excitment continues to snowball into a fun turn of events. thanks for tagging along...checking in and your notes. i am happy to continue on sharing my passion & inspiring others. no matter what the "weather" may bring. 

THANKS much for making this "circus" possible...back soon with more info!

packing the trunk 4 the {DOG & PONY} show

hello show&tell friends! just a little reminder that this saturday...november 3rd...patinaWHITE is packing up the trunk & hitting the road to perham, MN. i will be setting up "shoppe" as a vendor in the crowd @ the FOCUS bazaar. 

 

 

i'm sure excited to do so. i have exhibited there years past. it's a fun show and a great way to pick up some goodies in lieu of my actual "studio event". i'm all stocked up on some customer favorites like my exclusive JUNK WREATH (i sell them "blank"...this one {below} is dolled up w/ my favorite junk)!

 

and there will be a number of fresh collected + created treasures too! here's a peek @ some of the fabulous decor that awaits...

 

 

i've been working on some of my own new jewelry designs...here's a glimpse @ one of my favorites...

 

 

and another little spattering of some artful objects...

 

 

do you see the super cute little chair charm {above}? are ya feeling LUCKY? well if you are quick...and hop over to my facebook page {here} ... there are details to share & share alike {4} a prize of that sweetie.

and on the topic of facebook...thanks so much to those of you who stopped by and LIKED me there! it's been a fun way to give frequent quickie pictures and updates! hope you'll join in if you haven't already!

now. incase you're planning on attending the perham bazaar to see my {DOG & PONY show}...and want to get to my booth lickety split...please use this "treasure map" {below} as your guide! (click image for larger view)

 

 

alrighty then! i best get busy in these last bits of time to pack up the goods in order to hit the road. i can't wait to do a little mini showing of my wares for the season & look forward to seeing those of you planning on joining me. and i will be intouch sometime next week for the rest of you w/ updates in all things patinaWHITE + my little corner of the world. 

grab your map and let's get "hunting"! see you soon!

the WITCHING hour

hey there everyone!  oh where do the days go?? started a blog on monday. got a bit of writers block so i tabled it. been meaning since to say hello since & found myself distracted by "this"...working on "that" - trying to pull everything together for my traveling 

{DOG & PONY} show event this saturday in perham, MINN where i will be showcasing my wares as a part of the group of artisans + vendors @ the FOCUS christmas bazaar

i will just send out a little HALLOWEEN greeting your way today and be intouch sometime tomorrow w/ a little sneak peek of some of the goodies hitting the road with me! you can also click {HERE} to see more info til then!

 

 

so with that i am off to get back to working on all those this-n-thats. i sure hope your day is full of many happy treats!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

a new {FACE} in the crowd

hello there everyone! so. i have always considered myself a bit ol' fashioned. i say this due to the fact that technology....well...it kinda eludes me. i like to hold tight to traditions of sending out snail mail cards. chatting in person. and flipping thru the actual pages of a good magazine

but i know the world is constantly evolving & very different even from a decade ago when i started my little business. back then the internet was still something relatively new. (can you hear the dial-up screeching & ping sounds??) and the only "pages" i LIKED were that of my home decorating magazines. 

i'm doing my best to stay current. and social media isn't going away. (unlike land lines & personal checks)! i resisted {4}ever starting a facebook page. because i wanted to make sure that i could commit to keeping it fresh + fun to visit. as i do the same here hopefully.

so early this fall i finally did it. i took the plunge. made up a facebook page for patinaWHITE & surprisingly gained a little audience + have had fun throwing out some bits of info and eye-candy now & then. {my current "cover" photo below}

 

 

the nice thing about facebook is i can pop a fast picture or factoid out there and be off.  me? fast? i know! not possible right!? well...i have learned that most people stop reading after a few sentences there. heck. i'd be surprised if you are reading this now as i past that point WAY back. 

i'm also finding it is handy to stay intouch. i try to do my blogs often but they require a bit more of a time commitment. and though some of the info may be redundant...i do invite you to pop on by my facebook page.  you can do so by clicking {HERE}.

 

 

also please remember...patinaWHITE is not having a studio event this year. so FACEBOOK has become a valuable tool for me to share info & peeks @ what's to come on the business side of my world.

in lieu of the event i am doing what i've dubbed the {DOG & PONY} show...taking my wares on the road to perham, minnesota and showcasing @ the FOCUS bazaar w/ an array of other vendors + artisans. this happens on november 3rd. more info by clicking {next event} on the right side bar . and with that barely a week away...i must get back to work. 

so be looking for that new FACE in the crowd. and please do say hello if you like @ yet another little corner of my world. 

i hope you LIKE what you see! 

what i wore {going GUNSMOKE}

greetings show & tell! time for a little WHAT I WORE segment. some of you may remember back this summer my thrift store war posting where i talked about my big sis & i entering into a friendly battle of the goods @ my local thrift. we have very like tastes...thus were vying for the cool hats & boots on that occasion.

i ended up with some fun elements for my fall wardrobe. and put them to the test this past weekend on a date night w/ my hubby. when i was "all decked out"...hubby's response was that i looked like a character from the tv show, gunsmoke. i smiled and took it as a compliment. so here's what i wore...

 

first was the graphically driven jacket. this was NOT one of things my sis wanted. infact she looked @ the jacket and said she was sure i would make it work. translation...she wasn't going to fight me for it. so work it i did...with another find from that day. a gentleman's wool hat...with a fantastic feather accented band. {see it below} brilliant pop of color!

 

 

and since accessories make the girl...i didn't stop with just the hat. oh no. got out some "witchy" boots w/ crazy silly pointed toes that i have had {4}ever. i don't wear them often...because there is a very small window of "comfort" if you will...that my feet and i agree on.  but i sucked it up knowing most of the eve would be spent sitting. and eating. not too taxing on the ol' toes. 

i also stacked up a medley of bracelets for a mixed-up effect. there's {2} vintage lucite + {2} contemporary bangles intertwined between a long length of leather lace. loved the casual effect it created.

 

 

and of course i wouldn't go without some necklaces. note the plural because i don't think i can recall many occasions where i wear only one. today it was two. because i threw in some earrings...and heavens....i wouldn't want to overdo it! i went w/ a chunky look pairing up the GIANT 80's metal ball number {the tarnish made me love it even more than the $2 price tag}.... w/ a favorite shadowbox pendant. the earrings are an antique clip-on pair of disco-ish rhinestone globes. everything is hanging out {below} on my seashell accented antler mount.

 

 

the only accessory i was missing was the smokin' gun! so we hoped on our trusty white steed {pickup} and off we galloped into the sunset. where the chuck wagon dining was oh so very good. and cheesecake dessert was even better. those cowboys really do know how to cook! 

now i'm back in the saddle yet again...wearing my dickies this time and off to the work shoppe i go to get some projects together for the perham bazaar.

remember...if you're in my neighborhood...patinaWHITE's {DOG & SHOW} show is right around the corner. click {HERE} for more info! i hope if it works for you to pop by - you will do so! and that the rest of you will continue to peek here for some eye candy + ramblings. that's what my show & tell is all about! 

make it a great day...

sweep up a SWEET treat sac {HOW 2}

hello there show & tell! i have been wanting to make some little "broom" treat bags 4{EVER}! and i mean it when i say that because i started them last year...ran short of time & tucked everything away in a drawer. wasn't going to repeat again this year by showing the year's before...because that'd be like running a repeat...of a repeat! 

so w/ a little extra time on sunday i got out the goods and got busy. and was tickled to make a little grouping of them {below}. interested on learning how? well please read on my friend...

 

now mind you...this is a MARTHA STEWART found project from years ago. infact i have already done them once...but love them so much i had to do again for those of you who missed it. i know...really still repeating here. but this time i took some snapshots to hopefully give you an idea of how i did them. it's sometimes hard for me to get instructions across with my somewhat {always} long rambling...but here goes!

if you're lucky like me to live on the edge of some woods...then twigs are not hard to come by. if not...well hopefully a stroll down the sidewalk or street would provide a few stray branches for your crafting pleasure. pick up sticks! {below}

 

 

now i go to our local hardware store enough that i felt comfortable asking if they'd share some of their small brown sacs with me. and they did for a minimal cost. but if you don't have access to tiny brown bags like mine {below}...then a small lunch bag would be fine too. it just will take a little more goodies to fill which will likely please the recipient anyway! :)

 

 

you will need two sacs to make each broom.  take the outer one...and fold the bottom down like shown {below} as you don't want to cut into that formed "V". you can use scissors but as a time saver i used my paper cutter to make many cuts forming thin "strips".  cut with care...

 

 

then you want to take the second sac...your "inner liner" and cut the top down to make strips only on the top 1-2". you then will tuck that "liner" sac into the outside bag with all the long strips. see those steps {below}

 

 

my favorite part. grab some sweet treats. i got an array of cookies and candy following with halloween tradition. you could fill with a multitude of surprise i suppose. i have to test what i give so of course candy it was! fill the inside sac up with as much as you like! 

 

 

just some last few fluffing details...see them {below}. 

 

 

so here's hoping my steps above will yield you a broom something like that of this cutie {below}. 

 

 

now you can sweep up with your own sweet treat sacs! you'll be the queen witch with these fabulous little treat favors perfect for halloween get togethers + trick or treaters alike! 

HAPPY CREATING & TREATING!

 

sometimes it's ok...

greetings! so after a few days of gray skies & some much needed rain....i am feeling somewhat ?? {for lack of a better word}. the week started off sunny & warm and i was on fire. well...not REALLY on fire but i did sure get quite a bit done. then come wednesday and this is what the great outdoors has greeted us w/ for {3} days below...{had to "doctor" up the picture just a bit to make it somewhat note worthy!}

 

 

wanting a "kick in the shorts"...i decided to call my boxing instructor last night & schedule a round in the ring for this morning. {i'll show my vintage gloves below...these are for my display rather than use!} i have been a boxing girl for a year {on and off. more off than on these days.} but it did feel good to get the blood moving early. and i even managed to make up some baubles beforehand!

 

 

i got home with very good intention of getting busy. started w/ some laundry...{now i know i can't get a good visual of that so i'll opt for my cool old laundry room sign {below}

 

 

got the computer out {below} had a blog planned & ready to post. {which was NOT the one i am currently doing....guess i'll have material for another day!}.

 

 

knew there was jewelry to be made. signs to be painted. frames to be finished...just typing this makes me think i should get up and get moving! then i started feeling overwhelmed...losing a bit of direction when i remembered a necklace i did one day {below} inspired by a pinterest-found saying.

 

so i planted myself down to do this newly considered blog post...that sometimes it is ok if all a person does is BREATHE. i have a tendency of beating myself up when i don't feel as "accomplished" as i should be {in my eyes}....even though in reality i have been getting things done. maybe it's ok to sit and curl up in a blanket with my cup of cocoa for a bit...

 

 

i know that things always do have a magical way of coming together. fuss as i might. and that...like my ma has always said...i may be a little "hard starting" but once i'm going look out! 

ok. well. enough typing about not doing much of anything. because i am breathing, right?! that's something! not to mention the pile of leaves that are now scattered on the floor {below} from my necklace staging will @ least get me going in the right direction. didn't see that one on the to do list...raking the office floor. now THAT's something for sure!

 

 

so off i go to start clean up duty...and hoping it leads to other motivating moments! with a nice weekend forecasted i think my "get up and go" should be back in no time.  

i hope yours is fantastic no matter how much or how little you get done!

 

grateful

hey there everyone! regarding my "SHOW & TELL" ... somedays i have all my ducks in a row...pics planned out...ramblings sorted {sorta}. and then there are the other days. when i want to do a post. but in my mind i don't have things "just right".  today happened to be one of those days. 

that was until i overheard two senior gals chatting this morning. one says to the other. "my husband was challenged to make a list of things he was grateful for. and he only came up with one item. he put down... EVERYTHING". and if that wasn't enough to make me smile...the other gal said..."WHAT!?...he didn't put down you?!?" that was met with a reply of "well...i figured i was included in that!"

short & sweet. just a good fuzzy feeling that brings things back to perspective. i came home and made up my own version {seen below}

 

 

yep. {EVERYTHING} does about cover it. and that's all {EVERYTHING} i have to share today. i will work on getting those "ducks in a row" for the next time.  

be grateful!