Wednesday, December 21, 2011

The Magi

I've always been fascinated by the story of the wise men.  So yesterday, I went about putting together a new ornament, celebrating the hope and joy this story brings.
The background is from an old French ledger.
The star is applied by hand with fine silver glitter.

It's really pretty on the tree under low light.  This is one of the most favorite ornaments I've made, hope you enjoy it too.

Wishing you a  Merry Christmas full of laughter and love, and a very happy 2012!
~Martha

Friday, December 16, 2011

More Snow Globe Mason Jars & Giveaway Winner!

Here are more waterless snow globe mason jars!  I finished one with white trees, and another with a church.  It's pretty time consuming cutting out, gluing, and glittering the little houses, but really fun.
 The church took a little while longer to make with its steeple, but I like how it turned out.
 I bleached the trees and some worked out, but a few I left in the bleach too long and they basically fell apart.

On to the winner of my pet silhouette giveaway!  It's Maria from Garden Path Beads.  She has a darling little Chihuahua named Molly.  Congratulations Maria!  And thanks to everyone who took the time to enter.  Hope you have a wonderful week ahead, and a very Merry Christmas!
Take care,
Martha







Sunday, December 11, 2011

Custom Pet Silhouette Giveaway!


I have 2 dogs.  They're both Golden Retrievers, but they're both completely different.  One is very active, wants to go on walks all the time, and one isn't.  This is the one who isn't.

His name is Stormy, and we named him that because our first dog is named Sunny, and well being creative thinkers, and the fact it was raining when we got him, the name fit.  The reason we bought them, was because I was in extreme pain, grieving the loss of our beloved black lab Toby.  He was with us for 11 years, and was part of our family as our kids were growing up.  I missed him so much, and the best thing I did was quickly get a puppy.  It really did help.  


Pets are such a huge part of our lives, and provide unconditional love, and loads of joy.  Sometimes when I've had a crummy day, I just give my puppy a giant hug, and his softness and warmth makes me feel much better.  He never judges me either, he just wags his tail, and I feel that things will be OK.
So I wanted to create a special keepsake for our furry friends.  
On to the giveaway! It's for a custom soldered silhouette of your pet!  Complete with name and date. Just leave me a comment here about your pet, and what makes him or her so special to you, then I'll put your name in the hat.  Oh, and if you sign up to follow this blog or Facebook, I'll put your name in again.  
 And if you win, all I need is a profile picture of your pet.  I know, easier said than done, but what helps is to offer them a cookie or something and get them to stand still for a split second.  I had my son help me, and also took this with a tripod, because I'm too shaky from all the coffee I drink.

Here's Stormy posing with his ornament.  What a dog!  Just looking at that cute face in this photo makes me want to give him a big kiss!
Have a great week, and I hope you win!
Take care,
Martha

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Anthropologie Inspired Snow Globe

 Well the holidays are fast approaching and I wanted to share a little project I've been working on.  It's inspired from my favorite store, Anthropologie.  I thought I'd make mine with a glitter house.

Above are the Anthropologie version with trees inside.
I changed mine and added a vintage zinc lid.  I love the more vintage look.
 I bought a package of tiny trees from Michaels. The trees were green, I used straight bleach to dye them.
 I created the little glitter house from a pattern I found online here.  I scaled it down so it would fit inside the jar.
 Here's what it looks like when you flip it upside down.
 Then I added clear german glitter glass.  If you use any other kind of glitter it sticks to the glass making it hard to see inside, so I splurged and bought the glitter glass.
 What do you think?  It took a bit of time, but I think it's kind of cute.
I'd like to make different sizes of these with a church and other houses, and will do it if I get the time.  This was loads of fun, it looks great under low light.  Maybe you'd like to give it a try!  Or if you're interested in this one, check it out here.
Take care,
Martha

Thursday, December 1, 2011

December ~Free Shipping!


Happy December! Hope your Thanksgiving was a good one.  I'll have free shipping offered over at MJ Ornaments for the whole month.   I'll also be traveling to Palm Springs next week Dec. 8th for their weekly craft show.  Come out Thursday night if you can, it's lots of fun from 6-10 at night.
Take care,
Martha

p.s. been working on those Anthropologie mason jar snow globes.  Making glitter houses to fill them, so stay tuned!

Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween & Giveaway Winner!

 Happy Halloween!  I wanted to share with you a funny little project I did over the weekend.  It's a duel silhouette, and strangely, my husband had the great idea of using our silhouettes.  Wonder if I should be worried?
 The winner of my giveaway, it Bertie.  Congratulations!  She's getting one of my tiny ghost charms.  Thanks to everyone who commented on the last post.  It's an interesting ghost story, and scroll down to read it if you haven't.  The Del does have a very eerie feel to it, sort of like Disney's haunted mansion with a pretty facade on the outside, and scary stuff going on inside.
Well I do hope you have a fun safe Halloween.  My kids have been eating all the candy we got for trick or treaters, so I hope we have some left to give out!
Take care,
Martha

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Haunted Hotel Del Coronado

Welcome to the Haunted Hotel Del Coronado, where guests check in but they don't check out! Beware, this story is actually based on historical fact and even beautiful San Diego has its dark side. The "Del" as locals call it, was built in 1888. The massive wooden structure is built in the Queen Anne style. It is a whimsical, fairy-tale like building, and is painted a beautiful white color.
The location is right on the beach, and is enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. Some of the hotel residents refuse to leave, which leads us to our ghost story...
Kate Morgan checked in on Thanksgiving Day under an alias in 1892. She traveled alone, which was strange for a woman in those days. Eyewitnesses noted Kate seemed quite sickly. The beautiful, young 24 year old stated she was waiting for her "brother" to join her. She waited and waited, 5 days went by, and he never showed up.
On the 5th day, Kate took a pistol, walked to a staircase leading to the beach, and shot herself in the head. Her death stunned everyone, and was well covered in the newspapers at the time. It turned out Kate Morgan was married, but she wasn't waiting for her brother, but a lover instead. Speculation that she was pregnant at the time still lingers as a possible motive for her suicide.
To this day, mystery surrounds her, and some even say she was murdered. One thing is for certain, many hotel employees and guests say Kate still resides at the Hotel Del Coronado.
But let's investigate for ourselves. Won't you please join me as we take an elevator ride? The Del was the first hotel to use electricity.
5th Floor please kind sir!
A beautiful chandelier hangs at the top of the elevator. We're going to the 5th floor, because that happens to be the room where Kate Morgan stayed and where a lot of strange bumps occur in the night!
I'm tall (almost 6 feet) but people in the Victorian age were much shorter because I could touch the ceiling, and had to duck walking up some of the staircases. Please watch your head, you don't want to lose it!
Notice the pretty architectural accents here and there. OK we're almost to the room.
Here it is, room 3327! Many people try to book this room months in advance in hopes of seeing Kate's ghost. I was told by an employee of the Del, that one guest who didn't even know about the ghost story stayed in room 3327 during a business trip. He never made it through the night because he came down to the front desk in his robe, with no shoes on demanding another room. He wouldn't even talk about what happened to him.
Notice how the numbers have been scratched off? Perhaps a warning for us not to linger.
There are rumors of lights in the room flickering on and off, phones ringing throughout the night, and strange fragrances of lavender filling the air.
Let's head downstairs to another area where ghost sightings have taken place. It's the gift shop Est. 1888.  I spoke to the manager there and she's had quite a few strange things happen to her. You really do get a very creepy feeling walking into the shop...
She told me books literally flew off one of the shelves, especially where Marilyn Monroe memorabilia are kept. Marilyn shot the movie "Some Like It Hot" at the Hotel Del Coronado. Perhaps Kate doesn't like all the attention Marilyn is getting! Another employee actually saw a figure of a woman in a black Victorian dress behind the counter when she arrived to work early one morning. Now she won't even look into the shop when she passes it in the hall.
Let's get a breath of fresh air out on the balcony. It's getting too scary in there.  

A final good bye to the Hotel Del Coronado. I hope you enjoyed our little tour. But wait, look closer at this photo. I don't remember seeing anyone looking out at us when I took this picture! OK, now I'm scared. Let's get out of here...
Happy Halloween!  
~Martha

Monday, October 17, 2011

Glitterfest Fall 2011

 Here are some pics from Glitterfest.  We had a great time seeing old friends, and meeting new ones.  It's such a great event, and thanks to Diane and Sheryl for putting it on.
 I think it helped making more, because I had record breaking sales.  Thanks to everyone who purchased from me, and all the kind feedback.  It makes all the hours of hard work worthwhile.
 This is the entry way into the building, with amazing works of art featured, including Iva's from Halloween Alchemy.
 Here's my beautiful daughter, who helped me out once again.  It's so much fun hanging out with her, and honestly one of the main reasons why I enjoy this show so much.  She had to hurry home to get to her other job too.  Thank you Kristin!  By the way, these free cookies were gone in a snap.
So that's all I have, I didn't take too many pictures because we were so busy.  Hope to see you at the next Glitterfest if you didn't make this one.
Take care,
Martha

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Steampunk & Glitterfest

Finally got a few steampunk pendants created.  They were so fun to make.  I made them out of tiny antique watch parts. and they're covered in resin.  The fun part is layering the collage like a puzzle and creating a one of a kind piece. I'm getting all my goodies ready to go to Glitterfest.  My beautiful daughter is helping me out again, and this will be our 4th time as vendors.  If you've never been, you should try to come, it's such a great show and filled with unique gifts.  It's held in Santa Ana, CA.  212 South Elk Lane on Saturday Oct 15th, from 10-4.  Get there early because the best stuff sells out quickly.  Hope to see you there!
Take care,
Martha

Monday, September 26, 2011

Roger's Gardens Halloween 2011

 Had a great time visiting Roger's Gardens over the weekend.  Their flowers are always so beautiful, and pumpkins were scattered everywhere.
 I thought these statures were really pretty.
 Not sure the name of this plant, but the leaves are a lovely dark color.

 The Halloween store was open, and it's decorated like an old theatre.  Care to come in?
 Ceilings were decorated with old hangers, and rat traps were hanging from the rafters.


 Dressing tables decorated for the old time actors.
 This doll was really scary and so was her price.  A whopping $795.00!
 I thought this old radio was cool.
 Love the bright orange.
 More pumpkins and posies.

Hope you enjoyed the little tour of Roger's Gardens.  If you're ever in Corona Del Mar, CA go check it out.  It's one of the prettiest nurseries you'll ever see.
Take care,
Martha
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