MJ Ornaments

Steampunk Hearts

2012-01-27T07:35:00.000-08:00

Hi there! Wanted to show you another steampunk project I've been working on. This time, I placed the tiny watch parts inside hearts.

My teenage daughter already picked one out, and she's my biggest critic.

These take me days to make, because I first place all the tiny parts inside the heart. Kind of like putting together a puzzle.

When it's ready, I layer resin on the top, while being careful not to dump it out the sides. It's quite a process, but I do have fun doing these.
Well, hope you have a great weekend!
Take care,
Martha

Available Work

2012-01-16T12:10:00.000-08:00

I hope your new year is going well! I've been hard at work making stuff, and I wanted to share with you what I've come up with. Here are some steam punk earrings, they're only 1/2" and are filled with tiny watch parts covered in resin. You can find them on my website.

I had this old tintype from my mom's family, and I wish I knew who he is! I think it's my great grandfather.

Some more hearts I've made. This one includes a page from a Godey's Lady's book from 1862.

I sew these together with vintage laces, hankies and photos, so they're all one of a kind. They're also found on the website.

Here's a necklace that you can add your own charms to.

Like this.

I'm now adding a lobster clasp to every MJ Ornaments charm sold. Makes it easier to attach to a necklace or bracelet. Hope you have a great day!
Take care,
Martha

The Magi

2011-12-21T07:50:00.000-08:00

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

More Snow Globe Mason Jars & Giveaway Winner!

2011-12-16T08:42:00.000-08:00

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

Custom Pet Silhouette Giveaway!

2011-12-11T16:07:00.000-08:00

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

Anthropologie Inspired Snow Globe

2011-12-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

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

December ~Free Shipping!

2011-12-01T09:31:00.000-08:00

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!

Happy Halloween & Giveaway Winner!

2011-10-31T09:57:00.000-07:00

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

Halloween Party Ghost Story & Giveaway!

2011-10-22T06:46:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Halloween Party! And also to the Haunted Hotel Del Coronado, where guests check in but they don't check out! To celebrate I thought you'd enjoy a ghost story. So make a cup of tea, cozy up by the fire while I spin a tale for you. But beware, the 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. Hey how'd this boo, ghost charm get here? I think the ghost is playing with us! Well if you leave a comment at the end of this post, I'll be giving it away! It's a tiny 1/2" charm, soldered and embellished with black swarovski crystals. Hope you win!

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

Glitterfest Fall 2011

2011-10-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

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

Steampunk & Glitterfest

2011-10-13T16:17:00.000-07:00

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

Roger's Gardens Halloween 2011

2011-09-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

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

Winner Announced & Craft Show Weekend

2011-09-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

The big winner of the witch silhouette is Cranky Crow. Thanks to everyone who participated, it was a lot of fun. Just send me your profile and I'll get started with it.

I'll also be in Oceanside this weekend doing a craft show. It's called Harbor Days, and I'll be there from 9-5. Hope to see you there!
Have a great weekend,
Martha

Michaels Sucks

2011-09-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

Michaels craft store sucks. I normally try to avoid it like the plague, but was forced to enter it's gates on Saturday. I needed glue so at first I searched online. Its a specific type of epoxy glue that I use for my business and I use it all the time. The only place i could find it was on the Michaels craft store website. Oh no. Knowing how bad the service can be at Michaels I printed it out to show them what I needed, and to prove that it exists. Surely they would know something about this glue if they have it on their own website?

So I got to Michaels went through every glue, and couldn't find it. Big surprise. Armed with my printed information about the precious glue in hand, I reluctantly shuffled up to the check out counter. I asked the customer care employee for help with finding the glue. "Did you check isle 15?" Yes I did I told her. "Well I can't help you unless you have a sku." Where do I find that I asked? She needed the bar code from the package, which I didn't have anymore.

I asked if she could look it up on her website? "I don't have access to that in the store." So can you look up the product somewhere and find it at another store?" No the company isn't set up to do that either." I sort of laughed at this point and said so what can I do, I really need this glue? She advised me to just start calling around to other Michaels to see if another store has it. Ok, sounds like great fun for a Saturday I don't have anything else to do. ;)

So I went home and started to make those calls. "hello this is Michaels may I help you." Oh yes you can, I need uhu creativ glass metal and jewelry glue. I was put on hold. Minutes later another voice on the phone "hello this is Michaels may I help you." I explained my sorrowful tale once again. OK now I'm on hold again while someone is hopefully going to look for it. God speed my noble employee, I hope you find it, I think in my head. Minutes tick by. Time seems to have stopped moving. "Sorry we don't carry it, you might check another store."
OK now I'm getting really frustrated. Many more calls to different stores, and same result. Only I hung up on the last one, because I couldn't stand being put on hold any longer.

So, as a last ditch effort I went online to search for it one more time. And guess what? I found it at some tiny craft supply store! Oh joy and rapture! I pray I really do get it, and it isn't back ordered or anything. I'll be truly happy when it's in my happy little hands.
I wonder how many others have had to deal with this type of poor service at Michaels? How can a huge chain be unable or unwilling to find it's own products? So Michaels you really do suck. I'm tired of feeling desperate and always being let down by you. Anyone else have have bad experiences there?
Signed,
Desperately seeking glue
Aka Martha

You Wanna Be A Witch? Giveaway!

2011-09-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

Don't you love vintage silhouettes? I made this ornament out of a lovely silhouette of a lady from the graphics fairy. Karen always has the best images and she shares them all for free. Since Halloween is just around the corner, I thought a witch silhouette would be fun to make.

Here is the original silhouette, and the ornament I made out of it. Her name is "Witch Hazel."

Then I thought wouldn't it be funny to put my own profile into the image. I kept the hair from the original silhouette, because my hair ended up looking like another face on the back of my head. ;) I also added my own name, "Witch Martha." I'll be taking orders for these new custom pieces and to kick it off I thought a giveaway would be just the thing.

So you want to be a witch? This is your chance to win a custom 3" beveled glass soldered ornament with seam binding ribbon. It will even have your name on it! Simply enter by commenting on this post, and I'll put your name into the witches hat and draw a lucky winner on September 23rd. If you win, all you have to do is email me a profile picture and I'll do the rest. Can't wait and want one now? Click here.
Good luck!
Martha

Finished

2011-09-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks for popping in, I just wanted to show you that I finished the hearts.

They were a fun project to do, and I'm working on more now. Just got some more vintage lace and hankies in the mail, so I'm ready to go.

It's been really hot and muggy here in so cal, so I've been trying to solder early in the morning before it gets to gross out.

I hung a few on my mantel.

Well, hope you enjoyed. My next craft show will be in Oceanside, Sep 24-25. Hope to see you there.

Take care,

Martha

Fun with Fabric

2011-09-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks for popping in! Here's what I'll be doing over the long weekend. I've been sewing a lot, and getting these little creations ready to solder. It's been a ton of fun.

It's fun to print on fabric, and it gives the photos a soft vintage feel that we all love.

It's great fun adding all these great old snippets from an old ladies Godey's book, and sewing them together with pieces from vintage hankies and laces.

Hope you have a great weekend!
Take care,
Martha

Always In My Heart

2011-08-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks for stopping by, can you believe that summer's almost over? Honestly, my summer has been more of a struggle than a vacation. ;) But I hope yours was great. Anyway, I wanted to share with you something that is very dear to my heart. I created a memorial heart of my mom, who passed away last year. I miss her everyday, and I wanted something to look at that would make me smile in remembrance of her.

I love the look of creams and whites, so I took old lace and bits of vintage hankies I had from mom, and put them together. I also printed on fabric for the first time. It was really easy. All you do is get some freezer paper, and iron the fabric on (I used fabric from an old white sheet) with a hot dry iron. Feed it through your printer, then peel off the paper. Have you ever tried it? At first I used a regular photo printed on paper, but it wasn't soft enough looking. Now that it's printed on fabric I like it.

Thinking of some of the best attributes of my mom, I placed them under some fabric. Listener, support, loving, and funny came to mind.

I took out my trusty sewing machine and just kind of went for it. Ripped up an old ladies book, and stitched that in too.

I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out, and I know my mom would like it too. She used to do lots of stained glass windows, and she'd like that I soldered this.

Here's another design I'd worked on before, but now I printed the words on fabric, and sewed them to some lace.

Well I hope you enjoyed my little tour. I'm thinking of how to do custom work with the memorial heart, because I think it would be a really special way to remember your loved one.
Take care,
Martha

Poor Polly

2011-07-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

Hi there, and thanks for popping in! I'm still working on Halloween goodies, and came up with another unfortunate episode for an ornament. Here you see poor Polly, who was done in by a creepy spider. Are you afraid of spiders? I know if I saw one as big as this one, I'd be scared, but I'm really more afraid of rats and snakes.

The spider has a touch of black glitter on it, and the web has some clear glitter here and there. I like that it's pretty, just a little creepy and sort of funny. I like Halloween decor that's still nice, and no gore. I guess I'm a wimp that way. You can find Polly here at my website.

Well, hope you're having a great summer. My next show is Aug 14th, in Carlsbad. Hope you can make it!

Take care,

Martha

Marie Antoinette in Ventura

2011-07-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

Mixed Media Sculpture by George S. Stuart. Photo by Peter D'Aprix for the Historical Figure Foundation

I hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July! I had a very successful street fair, and thank everyone who came out and supported me. It was really inspiring. Speaking of inspiring, we were also able to go see the George Stewart historical figures at the Ventura Museum. If you've never seen these, you must! They are so lifelike, and incredible works of art. Stewart creates these 1/4 size pieces with details you just have to see to believe. Each hair follicle is seen, and the eyes seem to be alive. I love them. I grew up near Ventura, so as a girl was lucky enough to hear Stewart speak about how each figure is made. He incorporates the story of each one, and makes history actually fun. Above is shown a very young Marie Antoinette. Click on her to see the detail.

Mixed Media Sculpture by George S. Stuart. Photo by Peter D'Aprix for the Historical Figure Foundation

Here is Countess Du Barry the kings mistress. I'm fascinated by the dress, and details of her rings. There are even tiny hairs that make up her eyelashes. Right now they are showing the collection "How Sweet Power Went Sour: The Bourbon Dynasty" and it goes through Sep. 11.

Mixed Media Sculpture by George S. Stuart. Photo by Peter D'Aprix for the Historical Figure Foundation

Here is Marie in Court Dress that she would were for state occasions. This type of over the top display led to her unpopularity as Queen.

Mixed Media Sculpture by George S. Stuart. Photo by Peter D'Aprix for the Historical Figure Foundation

Here is Princess de Lamballe, a very good friend of Marie Antoinette. She was later killed by a mob during the French Revolution.

Mixed Media Sculpture by George S. Stuart. Photo by Peter D'Aprix for the Historical Figure Foundation

Finally, this is Duchess Yolande de Polignac. Another of Marie's friends. I love the expression on her face, very cheeky! She got out a month before the Bastille fell. Smart gal.
So if you're in the Ventura area, do yourself a favor and go see the George Stewart Figures, you'll be glad you did.
Take care,
Martha

Meet me in Ventura!

2011-07-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth of July weekend to you! If you're in the Ventura, CA area, come visit me at the street fair. It's from 10-5 on the fourth of July, and I'll be near Oak and Main St. It's a white tent and the inside has a dress form with white wings, old window display, really you can't miss me. ;) Hope to see you there!
Take care,
Martha

Mad Tea Party!

2011-06-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the mad tea party, do come in! My party is being held in the fairy garden, so we'll have to shrink down to their size in order to see them. Say out loud, "Faith, trust and Pixie dust" and that should do the trick...

It worked! Now we're small enough to enter their world.

The tree looks quite eerie, we better keep together, no telling who may show up. I hope we get lucky and see some fairies. They should be getting ready for the tea party.

Quickly, I think I heard some leaves moving over here. Let's go find out if they're here!
Walk carefully my friend.

Do you see something behind that tree?

Oh it's my lovely fairy friend, Lona Goblinglitter! Lona has invited us to the fairy tea party!

"Please come in and join me for some magical fairy tea. It's made out of special herbs from my garden, I hope you enjoy it!"

Ah, just what we needed some refreshing tea! "Now lets go find my other fairy friends" says Lona.

Careful, the thorns look very sharp, and even the leaves when you're tiny like us.

Looks like we could go fishing here.

Lona leads us through the fairy forest of flowers.

Another sweet bowl of water filled with flowers.

Another sweet fairy friend says hello to us! So many fairies are starting to appear, to join our little party.

Even a kind little bunny wants to join in the fun.

Lona's sister, Kristin Columbine is hiding behind a gate. She and her pet bunny are a bit shy.

Now it's time for more tea...

and delicious chocolate cake! I'm getting stuffed, how about you? It's time to say good bye for now, and go back to our original sizes. OK, repeat after me one more time, "Faith, trust, and Pixie dust!"

It worked! We're back to our normal sizes. Boy, that was fun, thanks for coming to the party. I also hope this post inspires you to go out and plant a fairy garden of your very own. Thanks to Vanessa over at Fanciful Twist for hosting the wonderful Mad tea Party!
Take care,
Martha

Young Marie Antoinette

2011-06-18T11:54:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've been at the old blog, because life kind of got crazy. But creating is something that just takes me away, and really helps when life gets difficult. I love coming here, and sharing what I've been up to. Here's a new ornament I've been working on of a very young Marie Antoinette. Don't you love this image? It's one of my favorite of her.

I found an old castle illustration and popped it behind her, and added some roses on the bottom. Of course I added some bits of glitter. Do you like the girly girl stuff as much as me? Oh, I found these peonies from Trader Joes. They're really beautiful, but dang it, they don't smell! The white ones I got at Ralphs did smell, I guess they must be a different variety. My sister lives in MN, and she can grow peonies, and I wish I could!

While looking at a shabby chic website, I saw some regular cotton strips Rachel turned into ribbon. Hey, I could use that idea! So I bought a sheet at Target, and proceeded to rip the heck out of it. I love the look of the frayed ribbon so much, and I think it makes the ornaments look more vintage.

Searching through loads of antique shops, I've been slowing finding vintage chandelier drops. You know of any flea markets that usually have them? I might go check out the Long Beach antique flea market, and see if they have any.
It's the first sunny day we've had in awhile here in so cal, we've had a ton of what we call "June Gloom" so I think I'll pop out into the garden. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Take care,
Martha

p.s. if you're interested in purchasing this ornament, it's over at my website. ;)

Shabby Chic Shelf

2011-05-11T15:59:00.000-07:00

I just picked up this great shelf, and wanted to share it with you. It came from up north in Placerville, but I got it down here in So Cal. Love the chippy paint, and texture it adds to the wall.

I plopped a few roses from the garden in tiny vases in between the candles.

Got the candles from the grocery store, they're religious candles. What do you think of it? Here's a little video I took of it too. I'm off to MN to see my sister and her family this weekend. Can't wait to see her, and she promised me no tornadoes!
Take care,
Martha

Celebrate May Day in Carlsbad!

2011-04-30T11:11:00.000-07:00

You're invited to come out to the Carlsbad Street Fair tomorrow May 1st from 8-5. Located in the heart of Carlsbad CA, Carlsbad Village Faire features over 850 unique vendors making it the largest street fair of its kind in the country. My booth is located near the corner of Carlsbad Blvd. and Grand near the Witch Creek Winery #907.5. I'm busily soldering some new goodies right now, and I hope to see you there!

Take care,

Martha

Eye Chart Ornament Giveaway!

2011-04-15T13:07:00.000-07:00

It's time for a giveaway! My eyesight has been quickly getting worse lately, so I've been at the eye doctor trying my best to read eye charts. It gave me an idea for a new ornament that I made yesterday. It's based on a vintage eye chart, and the fun part is I created a little saying with the letters for a special friend. It measures 4x6" is covered in beveled glass, and hangs with cream seam binding. To enter the giveaway, figure out what the chart says, leave it in your comment and if you guess it right I'll put your name in the drawing. Click "Like" on my Facebook page here, or on the right column, and I'll put your name in twice. Good luck, and thanks for playing! Eye hope you win!
Take care,
Martha

Encinitas Show Today & Tomorrow

2011-04-09T06:19:00.000-07:00

Wanted to let you know I'm packing up and heading out to Encinitas, CA this morning. I'll be there today and tomorrow (April 9-10) from 9-5. This is the 4th year I've done this show and it's a beautiful place right next to the beach to stroll and have fun. We got lucky too because the rain seems to have done it's thing, and it's clear this morning. So I'll be at booth #947 near Starbucks on Hwy 101. Here's a link with more info. The coaster the local train is offering 2 for 1 deals, and that's a great way to avoid having to park. There's a map to the right you can click on for directions. Hope to see you out there!
Take care,
Martha

Glitterfest

2011-03-20T11:36:00.001-07:00

Wow what a day! Glitterfest was amazing, so many wonderful artists, and great customers to chat with. The day went really well, and my daughter and I nearly sold out! A world record for our sales, and we are very grateful.
Here's my table decorated for the event. We were late arriving, so it was a mad dash to plop everything out. We were happy to be next to Iva again, and her creations were gorgeous as ever. If you missed Glitterfest this time, don't despair, it happens again in the fall. It's really worth coming out to see because it's an event full of handmade goodies made from creative souls.

Hope you have a wonderful day.

Take care,

Martha

Glitterfest

2011-03-17T06:29:00.000-07:00

View Larger Map

Come out and see what all the fuss is all about! I'll be at Glitterfest this Saturday from 10-4 joined by my sweet daughter. There are loads of handmade goodies to be found, and you're sure to find a treasure of your own. My table will be in the same place, by the front door. Be sure to come over and say hi. You can click on the map above to get directions.

Hope to see you Saturday, and have a Happy Saint Patrick's Day.

Take care,

Martha

Just Be Yourself

2011-02-27T11:42:00.000-08:00

A reminder to just be yourself! Be free to laugh, enjoy life, and don't take things too seriously. :)

Take care,

Martha

Dress Form take 2!

2011-02-26T09:48:00.000-08:00

In my last post, I showed you this dress form I made from an old french book. The graphic came from Karen at Graphics Fairy blog.

The burlap I used to hang it wasn't right to me, because it has this shiny nylon mesh behind it that didn't look right. Plus, I know burlap is really popular right now, but if you've ever smelled it, it kind of stinks. :) So I changed the ribbon, and used darker seam binding, and tied it on the top with a vintage button. Usually I like creams and whites, but for this one I like the darker ribbon. And yes, I over think things, but that makes creating fun.Do you have a thing for buttons like I seem to? I used to dump out my mom's jars of buttons as a child, and go through them thinking it was the greatest thing to do.
Th dress form was printed directly over the french text.
Finally I'm happy with it. What do you think?

Take care,

Martha

Bling & Burlap

2011-02-24T07:37:00.000-08:00

As I listen to the Mourning Doves softly coo outside, I wanted to share with you some goodies I've been working on. The chandelier is from an old illustration, and I added some bling to the front from Swarovski rhinestones. They look really pretty in low light, but my camera can't handle that light, and my pics always come out blurry. (or maybe it's all the caffeine I have pumped into my blood stream, I'm really not sure.)

The other ornament is from an old french book, printed with a vintage dress form. It's hung with burlap ribbon.

I'm off to the Palm Springs street fair tonight. Need to bundle up because it's starting to get cold here in old CA!

Hope you enjoy your day!

Take care,

Martha

Marie Antoinette

2011-02-08T08:16:00.000-08:00

Marie Antoinette is one of my favorite figures to use in art work. She's such a feminine girl, and seems to drip elegance. I usually use a black patina on the solder to darken it, but left it silver for this one.
While rummaging through one of my drawers, I came across some old chandelier prisms I bought, and decided to solder them onto an ornament.
Th photo I used is a painting of Marie when she was only 13. It was meant to show her future husband what she looked like, because he had never seen her.
I'm happy with how it came out. Maybe I should do more of these blingy ones, what do you think?

Here are a few pieces of trivia I came up with about Marie-

~She was only 14 years old when she got married to the future King of France. She was Austrian, and the marriage was meant to improve relations between Austria and France.

~Marie's last words were "Monsieur , I ask your pardon. I did not do it on purpose." She accidentally stepped on the foot of the executioner while climbing the stairs of the scaffold to the guillotine.

~Marie wore purple mules on the day she was executed

~ She had 4 children

~ Marie was the 15th child of 16

~She often dressed as a peasant to imitate the simple life

~Marie never said "Let them eat cake."

~She was brought to the guillotine on October 16, 1793

Back to work, I hope you enjoyed!

Take care,

Martha

More Hearts

2011-01-24T15:11:00.001-08:00

Here's another few hearts to share with you. The one above says "I love you"
I love these two sweet angels.
This beautiful heart was made by Rosemary. Just gorgeous.

I hope you enjoyed!

Take care,

Martha

Trust in God

2011-01-20T09:06:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it's already thursday! I'm off to Palm Springs today, and just wanted to share with you a lovely new ornament. I've seen this gorgeous image of a lady before, and my friend Rosemary made a heart from the image that I just love, and I knew I wanted to create something with her too. So I came up with a "trust in God with all your heart" ornament. It's a very good reminder and having it hanging on the wall in front of me really helps. You can find it on my website if you're interested in it. Also, I'm waiting for more heart shaped glass for the "home sweet home" ornament, and when I get it, I'll have it available on the website too.

Hope you're doing well, and enjoy your day.

Take care,

Martha

Home Sweet Home

2011-01-13T06:08:00.001-08:00

Hi there, and welcome! I've been having fun playing around with old ledger papers, lace and hearts. Here are some of the ornaments I came up with. One is smaller, around 4" and the other is about 9" long.
This is the larger one, and placed inside a great sparkly wreath I got from "Garden Memories" in Ventura. Boy do I miss that store.

I got some pretty antique lace from etsy, and placed it inside each ornament.

They are also tied with the same lace. Hope you enjoy the new goodies, and I'll be putting them on my website next week. It's off to Palm Springs again today for the weekly craft show. Hope you have a great weekend!

Take care, Martha

UPDATE: Home Sweet Home now available here!

Beautiful Bedroom

2011-01-09T09:59:00.001-08:00

I wanted to share these photos with you from June, at "Laughing with Angels." Her blog is gorgeous, and June's photographs are breathtaking. Hop on over for a real treat.
This is a ballet ornament June got from me, and I think it looks so lovely. I hope you're having a nice weekend, and enjoy your day!

Take care,

Martha

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

2010-12-20T08:15:00.001-08:00

Wishing loads of happiness to you and your family this Christmas season, and all the best in 2011. Take care, Martha

Off to Palm Springs

2010-12-08T20:11:00.001-08:00

Thanks to all your comments about attitude, it was really interesting, and I see the contagious one won! Wanted to let you know I'll be starting the Palm Springs Villagefest tomorrow, Dec. 9th from 6-10. It's a great show, and the vendors who participate all make their own goodies. If you've been to street fairs, you understand this is rare. :) So if you're in the area come on out, and say hi. My booth has the old dress form with the angel wings on it.

Take care, Martha

A Positive Attitude

2010-11-30T10:27:00.000-08:00

OK, I'll be the first to admit it, sometimes I have a bad attitude. I mean a really bad one, you can ask my family, they'd be the first to agree. Those negative conversations you have in your head can really affect your emotions, and attitude. "Boy you're looking old and tired today" "Why can't you be as successful as them?" "Wow, have you gained weight!" and on and on the list goes. It also leads to complaining. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said, "Stop Global Whining" That one made me laugh.

Don't you admire people who can keep positive attitudes, especially in the middle of tragedy? I've met many on blogs who blow me away with what they face, and still remain happy. Maybe you're one of those who do have a positive attitude, or maybe you struggle like me. So much of attitude is really a choice, you can choose to be angry, mean, or sorry for yourself, (and these are things I struggle with) or you can be kind, grateful and think of others, bringing happiness to those around you.

With attitude in mind, I'd love it if you'd vote for the saying you like best. You can vote over in the upper right hand corner. I'm making the winner into an ornament so it can remind me through the day how important an attitude is. Thanks for your help!

Take care,

Martha

Thankful

2010-11-24T06:43:00.001-08:00

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'm truly thankful for so many things, including the health of my kids, love of family, and the ability to create. It's also a bittersweet time, because it's the first Thanksgiving without my mom. But I'm truly thankful to be able to celebrate all the blessings God has poured out in spite of the difficult times.

Happy Thanksgiving!

~Martha

Carlsbad Street Faire

2010-11-04T09:08:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again, so kick off your holiday shopping and head over to Carlsbad this Sunday! It's the biggest 1 day craft show in the country ( I believe it by the crowds) and you're invited. It's Sunday Nov. 7th from 8-5, and don't forget to change your clock back and gain an hour. I'll be at the corner of Carlsbad Blvd. and Grand, near the Witch Creek Winery if you get thirsty. :) It should be a beautiful day weather wise, so come on out and enjoy a fun day. I'll be bringing loads of goodies like the ones above.

Hope to see you there!

Martha

Happy Halloween

2010-10-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

This is a favorite photo of my son in a mask that didn't fit. Poor child ended up tripping his way though the neighborhood Halloween night :)

Wishing you and your family a very Happy Halloween!

~Martha

New Glitter Star

2010-10-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

Hi! Just wanted to share with you what I've been working on. I founds this star shaped beveled glass, and knew I wanted to make a glittery creation out of it.
So I added German Glitter glass to it, and soldered the edges. I love the way it sparkles.
Did you know German glitter glass really is made of shards of glass? It's unlike the plastic glitter found in most stores, because the glass it's made out of has an amazing brilliance to it, and creates a beautiful diamond-like appearance to your piece, especially in low light.
I also love the texture the glitter glass gives to the star.

I've been making Christmas ornaments too since I need to get cracking for the Holiday season, and my next show is coming up in a couple of weeks in Carlsbad. I hope you enjoyed the little sneak peek to what I've been up to. We've had loads of rain and even strong thunderstorms here in sunny CA. It makes for a cozy time to create. I hope you're doing well in your neck of the woods.

Take care,

Martha

Betsey Johnson Inspiration

2010-10-18T14:37:00.001-07:00

Welcome! I love Betsey Johnson, the famous N.Y. designer. Here she is at her 68th birthday party over the summer. She just exudes fun to me, and I love her quirky, uniqueness. She still does cartwheels at the end of her runway shows! In addition to clothing she makes cool jewelry and uses a lot of animal prints like leopard and zebra.
Inspired by Betsey, I decided to come up with a bauble of my own. One side is the leopard...
and the other a zebra. My daughter already ran off with this one, so I'll have to make some more.
You can find them on my website here. It looks nice as a choker,
or long. I think is would be pretty on a charm bracelet too. I'm working on a new design for a bracelet that stretches with beads, and attaches to a chain.
I hope you're having a happy start to your week. Do you have a favorite designer you get inspiration from?

Take care,

Martha

Glitterfest Fun

2010-10-05T16:14:00.001-07:00

Welcome! I wanted to thank all of you who came out to Glitterfest. It was such a great show, and loads of you showed up early, lined up at the door. Thanks so much! I know it wasn't the best day to be out with all our humidity, but thanks all the same. Sheryl and Diane did another amazing job putting it all together. The next one is already being planned, and will be in March.
Here is a view of my table. The window display worked great and held up a lot of ornaments. The only problem was because of the glass I couldn't hear what anyone was saying unless I stood up. I kind of felt like a drive through teller behind a window!
I was right by the front door, and was able to see everyone when they first came in.
My daughter was a huge help. It got so hectic sometimes we were madly passing ornaments back and forth to each other. I loved hanging out with her, and we kept each other going.
Here is a view of Stacey's booth. It was great to see her again, and I wanted to steal her fan! She had loads of great items as usual.
Here's Gina's booth. She has so many goodies to choose from and I love them all.
And here's Karin's booth. She had loads of sparkly pretties to choose from. Next time I want to shop!
This is my lovely neighbor Iva. She is a sweetheart, and she has so many beautiful works of art to enjoy. And Iva won an award for the prettiest booth. You can see why!
The pumpkin balloon was one of my favorites that she had made, that and a witches shoe that sold right away.
Well that's all I was able to take. I wanted to get around the whole room and get more shots, but it was just too busy which is a good thing. Thanks for popping in. Were you able to make it to Glitterfest? If so, what were some of your favorite goodies?

Take care,

Martha

Glitterfest

2010-10-01T05:47:00.001-07:00

Hi! Tomorrow's the big day, and I'll be up bright and early bringing my wares to Glitterfest! It's a great show filled with artists selling their handmade goodies. Join the fun tomorrow in Santa Ana, CA from 10-4. The address is 212 S. Elk Lane. Hope to see you there!

Take care,

Martha

Recipe for Happiness

2010-09-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

Hi! I found this recipe for happiness, and had to share it with you. I took an old recipe card and letter by letter created the text. It took all day yesterday, but I thought this was so cute I had to do it. My kids thought it was soooo corny but I don't care. ;)
It's made under beveled glass so that's why is looks a little distorted here. But when you look at it straight on, it's fine.
I finally figured out how to add silver glitter too. The trick was to use a certain kind of paper, that's the texture of water color paper, and it worked.
I started making Christmas goodies too, and I'll have them on my website soon.
Well, back to soldering! Summer decided to finally make an appearance here in So. Cal, and it's hot today! My dinky fan is just not cutting it, but back to work I go, trying to prepare for Glitterfest this Saturday.

Take care, Martha

Roger's Gardens Halloween

2010-09-23T18:29:00.001-07:00

Boo! I wanted to share with you a video from a recent trip I took to Roger's Gardens. They go all out for Halloween, and the theme was "Fun and Games." There were all kinds of dolls, even with rotating heads. If you remember last year I shared with you a grouping of spooky old dolls spray painted white, and this year they were painted black. There were loads of folks there making it pretty difficult to film, but hope you have fun watching what I was able to capture for you. :) Thanks for stopping by!

Take care, Martha

Old Window Display

2010-09-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hi and thanks for popping in. I wanted to share with you an idea for displaying goodies. I bought 2 old windows, hinges, and even some rusty screws, at our local architectural salvage store. Hinged the windows together and added some screws to hang ornaments.
The next show I'm doing is Glitterfest, and I'll have one table so I need to take advantage of all the space I have. It's Oct. 2nd, and try to come because it's a really fun show, and there will be loads of talented artists there.
I got some great old attachments for the windows, and replaces the newer ones with these...

The glass is left in the windows and I think this will work out great. Hope you're having a great week, and guess what it's almost Friday, yea! Take care, Martha

Halloween Fun

2010-08-31T08:30:00.001-07:00

Welcome! I thought it was appropriate to post a few Halloween treats since it's the 31st and Halloween is just a couple of months away. I'm getting ready for Glitterfest which is Oct. 2nd so I'm working on Halloween goodies along with Christmas of course too.
I like to use old anatomy illustrations combined with vintage ledger papers.

The Halloween Queen ornament has black rhinestones on it that really sparkle under low light.
I thought he looked nicer waving to you. ;)
And he is much friendlier with a top hat and glittery black band around it.
I went to a local nursery in San Diego over the weekend called Walter Andersen Nursery. It's so pretty, and has many unique flowers to choose from. I've never seen so many herbs in my life, and I chose a few like the one above called Wormwood, to dry for future Halloween ornaments. I also bought Transylvanian Sage, and Mugwort. I noticed that some came from an herb farm much closer to me called Pearson's Gardens. I need to go check them out.

Can you think of any other "Halloween" plants or herbs I should search for?
Here's a closer look at the wormwood. It's really a beautiful leaf, and I already dried and pressed a few of them. I'm addicted to finding, pressing and drying flowers right now. I even pulled off the road on a bike ride and picked some pretty flowers I had to try drying. Some work out, and some don't. I find the flowers with an open face work better, and ones with just leaves like herbs work out great.

I'm going to go to the grand opening of Roger's Garden's Halloween extravaganza on Thursday night. I'll be sure to bring my camera to share the fun with you!

Take care, Martha

Feeling Pressed

2010-08-27T11:37:00.001-07:00

Hi there! I'm feeling pressed to make some pretty pressed flowers! I just got a microwave flower presser, and have been having fun with it. It's called Microfleur and works really well. You only have to wait about a minute for pressed flowers that would have normally taken a week to dry. Here's an ornament I just made with real pressed flowers inside.
I tried to make it look like a page from a vintage herbarium, so I took letters from an old plant book, and created the name of the plant. It's called Gypsophia, and it looks like baby's breath, but with pink flowers.

Here's a beautiful cone with a fairy on it, my friend Rosemary made.
I put some dried white hydrangea inside, and love the look. Do you like flowers and fairies too?

Take care,

Martha

Goodies to share with You

2010-08-16T09:13:00.001-07:00

Hi and thanks for stopping in! Thanks to everyone who came out to my last craft show in Carlsbad, CA. I got to meet a blog buddy too! Many of you may know Karin over at Creative Chaos, but if you don't hop on over to her blog. She's the sweetest lady you'll ever meet, and I was very fortunate to do so!

I wanted to share with you a design I've been working on. It's the quote from C. S. Lewis "You don't have a soul, you are a soul. You have a body." Since the passing of my mom, it's words have renewed meaning to me. I wanted to create a piece that reflects this quote, so I came up with this beautiful vintage lady and used really muted colors that are faded.
I found a page from Rachel Ashwell's shabby chic book with the same colors and placed the ornament on it. It's embellished with a little bit of clear glitter too. You can check it out here at my website along with some other new designs I've been working on.
And here's the wonderful type face I used in the design. It's called "Handmade" by Eduardo Recife, and you can purchase it here. Oh I've got to share a couple more things with you too. Here's a beautiful tutorial on making dried flower bookmarks.

And finally, I've been watching Molly the barn owl on her own owl cam! She's a barn owl that has just had 4 babies, and I watch while creating. (WARNING: She is eating a rat right now, so you may want to skip watching especially in the morning! ) You can check Molly out here.

You take care, and again, thanks so much for visiting! ~Martha

Carlsbad Art in the Village

2010-08-05T14:39:00.000-07:00

Hi there! I'm busily working on goodies for the sunday Art in the Village in Carlsbad, CA. I'll be there from 9-5, at booth #441. You can click on the map above to enlarge it and print it out. The video shows some of the sights of Carlsbad, a beautiful place I'm proud to call home. Hope you can come out and have some fun!

Take care,

Martha

Mini Skirt Lamp

2010-07-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

Hi! Well you know those short short mini skirts your daughter wears that you wouldn't be caught dead in? I was in my closet the other day trying to step over some clothes, and I found this Hollister mini skirt. I examined it, and noticed all the great ruffles and lace, and thought it could be put to better use than just bunched up in a bag ready for Goodwill.
So I went to Target, and bought this cute lamp by Rachel Ashwell, her Simply Shabby line, and the cheapest lamp shade I could find there.
And presto chango, here's my new lamp! How easy and cute, and it's washable. Oh and the candle is amazing and it's from Natural Body and Bath. They last a long time, smell wonderful, and have great names for the candles like "Don't Need a Boyfriend"...I get them at craft shows but you can pick them up here.
I know how much time it takes to sew on ruffles, and this was too easy to pass up, something already done for you. And the draw sting makes it adjustable. How about you, do you have any mini shirts you could use for a lamp? I'd love to see what you come up with!
Here's a quick peak at the goodies I'm working on even some Halloween ones...busy getting ready for my next show on Aug. 8th in Carlsbad. Come out to say hi if you're in CA! Take care, Martha

Fairs & Flowers

2010-07-08T17:02:00.000-07:00

Hi there! I hope you had a nice 4th of July, and that you got to see the fireworks. I was in Ventura at a craft show, and had a great time. It turned out to be the best one ever and I want to thank everyone who came out to support me. It was great seeing old friends, and new ones too. I love Ventura, and think it's one of the prettiest cities. Here are a few photos I took of a building dated 1925.
Aren't the carvings beautiful? These are way up high, and you wouldn't normally see them from the street unless you were looking up.
Another trip to Roger's Gardens, one of the prettiest nurseries around. This is some kind of geranium, but I'm not sure what the name is, but I love the soft pink color.
The statues here are always so beautiful.

More colorful flowers.
I bought this giant dahlia at the nursery. It's tall like a sunflower, and the blooms are that big too. I hope I can keep it coming back year after year.

Another white flower that is a favorite, the hydrangea. What's your favorite flower?

Take care,

Martha

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-03T06:47:00.000-07:00

Hope you have a wonderful 4th of July, what are you going to do? I have great memories of sitting by the duck pond enjoying the fireworks display. There's something about seeing fireworks by water that's magical. Have you ever seen them at Sea World? They have a great display right after the last Shamu show, and I bet the one for the 4th is great. Anyway, whatever you have planned I hope it's a fun, relaxing day for you. I'll be working at the street fair in Ventura. If you don't have any plans, stop on by and say hi. I'll be there from 10-5 July 4th, booth #368. Getting ready to head out there soon, and hope to see you there! Take care, Martha

Summertime

2010-06-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

Summertime! I love it, and finally the fog has lifted, and so have my spirits. Last night was an overnight for my son and his friends. Of course we had to watch the Lakers/Celtics game. Boy were we happy the Lakers won! It seemed like they were going to blow it again there, but somehow they came through. Sorry Celtics fans. I wanted to share with you some goodies I've been creating. The first is a cool little summertime sign. It's 2x6" so small enough to pop in an area of your house for some summer fun.
Here are some crowns glittered with silver, because I just can't seem to get enough of them. This graphic is from an old dictionary.
This is a panoramic photo at Balboa Beach from 1925. I've always loved this photo, but the real size is huge and I never knew where to put it. This one is nice and small, and I was happy with its outcome. Can you believe these swim suits were considered risque? Pretty funny considering what I see at the beach now days. Can we get these to come back in style? Considering where my figure is heading (and I mean south for the winter!) I would love to start a new fashion trend and bring these bathing suits back! I love corsets too, and found some in an old magazine. My mom saved some Ladies home journals from the 1800's, and corsets were all the rage. If you look at pictures showing how they crush your insides, be happy us girls don't have to deal with them anymore. They even had children wearing them. Sheesh.
Another great graphic from the Graphics Fairy. She has so many amazing graphics and all for free. And thanks for featuring me on your blog Karen! I really appreciate it. The Eiffel Tower can be purchased here.
I'll get these up for sale on my website as soon as I can. :)
I hope you're having a happy summer so far. I started taking an online course about finding your passion within a creative business. Already I'm learning so much, and learning to listen to my own creative voice. Check it out here if you're interested, it's called "Flying Lessons: tips and tricks to help your creative business soar," given by Kelly Rae Roberts. Thanks to Deb at Midlife Poet for sharing the info about it. I really appreciate it. Well back to work. Hope you have a fun and restful weekend!

Take care,

Martha

American Flag

2010-06-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

Hope you're doing well! I wanted to thank everyone for all their amazing comments after the passing of my mother. You don't know how much that meant to me, and I gained much strength and healing from them. I'm continuing on a path of grief, and am finding great comfort being able to create. It's a way for me to escape some of the pain I'm in the middle of right now, as well as a great source of healing and comfort. So since the 4th of July is fast approaching, I thought I'd come up with a flag with a vintage feel.

With the help of Photoshop, I was able to take a regular flag and give it an older look to it. It's 4x6" and the front is beveled glass, and the edge is soldered.
The back is older looking wallpaper. If you're interested, the ornament can be found at MJ Ornaments. Also, the next event I'll be going to is the Ventura 4th of July Street Fair. Again, thanks for your kind comments, and take care,

Martha

Broken Hearted

2010-05-26T07:32:00.001-07:00

I wasn't going to write about this because it's so very personal to me, but I decided I would. My mom died last friday morning at 1:00 A.M. My family and I were grateful to be with her, but at the same time it was the hardest thing I've ever watched in my life. She was the most selfless person I have ever known, and put others before herself continually. Mom was very loving, creative and had a great sense of humor. Here she is holding me in 1966.
Suzy loved to garden, and here she is with a beautiful hydrangea. Right now, I'm so sad and heart broken and don't feel like doing much of anything. I look forward to the day when I can rejoin my mom but for now it sucks. I know this will change, and I only hope that I can be as selfless and kind to others as my mom was as I continue on in my own life. I love you mom and I'm going to miss you. Much Love, Martha

Booth Views

2010-05-04T13:53:00.001-07:00

Hi! Thanks to everyone who came out to the Carlsbad Street Fair. It was a great one, and I'm just sorry I didn't have enough of my charms to go around. It's been a challenge lately to keep up with demand, which is really a good thing. This is a view of my little booth. I got the wings for my dress form from a Halloween shop that was having a sale. I had to take them down later in the day because it got windy and I thought she might fly away.

What was I thinking when I made white tablecloths? Oh well, at least I can bleach them.
Hope you had a nice weekend. The weather here in CA has been gorgeous today, after some early morning fog (we call it "May Grey" which turns into "June Gloom") Have a wonderful day, and thanks for stopping by.

Take care,

Martha

Super Size Ornament!

2010-04-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

Hi! Thanks for stopping by! I wanted to show you what I've been up to. My last show was a great success, and I really appreciate everyone who came out to Encinitas. It was a gorgeous day. At the show, a lovely lady asked me if I made my ornaments any bigger. Hmmmm, I thought, I don't but maybe I should. So I went to my favorite stained glass store, Alpine Stained Glass in San Diego, and found out they make beveled glass that's 6x9" So I hurried and bought some. The lilac ornament pictured is what I came up with. It was definitely more difficult to handle, but I love the way it turned out. I'll be bringing this one and more to the Palm Springs Villagefest tomorrow night, and the Carlsbad Street Fair this Sunday, May 2 from 8-5. I'll be near the corner of Grand and Carlsbad Blvd. if you're planning on going. It's been called the biggest show in the country, and it's fun for me because it's in my home town. Come by and say hi to me if you get the chance. Well, back to work!

Take care,

Martha

It's Show Time!

2010-04-23T06:28:00.000-07:00

Hi There! It's the busy time of year for me, with shows sprouting up with spring. If you're in the San Diego area, I'll be at the Encinitas Street Fair tomorrow, Saturday April 23 from 9-5. It's a beautiful place for a show, and it's really close to the beach. Find me at booth #947 on Coast Hwy near "H" street, in downtown Encinitas, CA.

I'll be bringing more ornaments I've been busy working on, including loads of vintage flowers perfect for mom (Mother's Day is May 9th). Next Sunday May 2nd, I'll be at the Carlsbad Street Faire. Hope you can make one of them! Take care, Martha

My New Best Friend

2010-04-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

Hi there, I hope you had a nice Easter weekend. At our church the Jonas Brothers sang much to the delight of my teenage daughter. So, I'd like to introduce you to my new best friend. It is anew iMac, and it is making my life so much easier. I've been a Mac user for about 8 years now, and my old computer was getting bogged down with zillions of images, and all the huge programs I have open all the time, like Photoshop. I'm so thankful to have a new one, with a 27" monitor. It makes my work go so much faster. Also, I've never had a problem with a virus using a Mac. If you've ever thought of making a change from a PC to a MAC, I'd say go for it. What kind of computer do you use?
Don't you love the look of old faded flower paintings? I sure do. So I made a few in honor of Spring. My sister in MN says she's seeing flowers popping out. Being in CA all my life I've never experienced the changing of the seasons, but I hear people describing how exciting it is for Spring to finally arrive. Well, I hope you have a wonderful day, and thanks for stopping by. If you live in CA, I'll be in Palm Springs tomorrow night for their weekly street fair. Drop by if you can, because they have some amazing handcrafted items, and killer food.

Take care,

Martha

Happy Easter!

2010-04-02T15:00:00.001-07:00

Wishing you and your loved ones a blessed and wonderful Easter!

Death has been swallowed up in victory! 1 Cor. 15-55

Bunnies for Kristy

2010-03-31T11:02:00.001-07:00

Hi there,

Today I made an ornament in memorial of my dear friend Kristy who passed away. She loved bunny rabbits and had them decorated all over her house. I know she would have loved adding this to her collection. Anyway, this ones for you Kristy. I sure do miss you my dear.

Take care,

Martha

Display Idea

2010-03-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

Hi and welcome! Hope you've been well. I'm slowly recovering from a nasty cold, and am worn out from coughing. Anyway, I wanted to share with you some things I've been working on. Oh and the couch is kinda messed up because my dogs were on it. :)
I love the style of Swedish decor, and noticed they have loads of hooks with knick knacks hanging on them. I thought some of my favorite pieces would look cool that way.
So I bought a coat rack and lightly sanded the edges to give it a worn feel. Then I added these pretties to it: a lovely cone from Rosemary, an ornament made from an image from the Graphics Fairy, a rosemary wreath compliments of the garden, and another ornament of Paris.
I like the fact that you can mix and match, and change things around according to the season. Believe it or not I've already started making some ornaments for Halloween. :)

I added a few rhinestones to the glass of the crown. I girl can't have too much bling! Well, hoping you have a wonderful rest of the week. I won't be at Palm Springs tonight, but plan on going next week.

Take care, and thanks for stopping by,

~Martha

Alice Winner, Chocolate, Cones

2010-03-12T11:13:00.001-08:00

The winner of my last blog Alice in Wonderland Giveaway is Maria of Garden Path Beads. Congratulations Maria! Thanks to everyone who entered, and I'll be having more giveaways, so stay tuned. The ornament is also for sale over at my website.
Here is my mantel, and it's newly decorated with Rosemary's beautiful paper cones.
I think they're so pretty, thank you Rosemary!
This is a geranium that smells just like chocolate. It's growing like crazy now because of all the rain we've had in CA.
I hope you have a wonderful day, and great weekend!

Take care,

Martha

Alice in Wonderland Giveaway

2010-03-03T11:43:00.000-08:00

Don't be late for a very important date! Enter my Alice in Wonderland giveaway for a chance to win this fun tea party ornament. It measures 4x6", is soldered, and dusted with a bit of magical glitter.
Here's the back of the ornament, a vintage style wallpaper.
All you have to do is comment on this post, and your name will go into the Mad Hatters Hat. I'll post the winner in a week...hope you win!

Take care,

Martha

Ballerina's and Baubles

2010-02-18T09:45:00.000-08:00

Hi! Just wanted to show you what I've been working on. It's a beautiful ballerina ornament. She is made on beveled glass, and is sprinkled with just a bit of glitter.
I've always loved dance, and especially ballet. My lovely sister and nieces are amazing dancers. :)
I changed things a bit and tied the ribbon with the bow on the bottom. I think it's prettier that way.
I'm not a huge "color" girl, and prefer muted shades, but I added a bit of greens, and blues and even orange to the flowers. I think it's killer looking. I just love the way it turned out. ;)
Here's a load of old enamel watch faces I was fortunate enough to pick up in Ventura a few years back. My plan was to cut circles out of glass and encase them. That took too long and is harder than you think to cut circles (or at least it is for me) so I ended up adding a sterling post to the back and...
Bingo! Beautiful charms to add to a bracelet or necklace. I'll be bringing some to Palm Springs tonight, along with more new ornaments. Hope you have an amazing day. Take care, Martha

New Ornaments

2010-02-06T11:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Weekend to you! Just wanted to share some new items I've been making. You can find them available now on my website. And more to come! Take care, Martha

Vintage Valentine

2010-02-04T12:19:00.000-08:00

Hi! I'm racing to travel to Palm Springs to their weekly gathering of homemade goodies, but I wanted to share a new Valentine I just made. It's from a graphic my friend Rosemary sweetly shared with me, and an old Valentine I had. I thought the sentiment was pretty funny, so put it on the back. Hope your day is going well, and if you're in the area look me up in Palm Springs tonight!

Take care,

Martha

p.s. The cupid can be found here.

A Very Naughty Girl

2010-01-30T15:14:00.000-08:00

Hi there!

Well I've been a very naughty girl. Usually I use scanned images from old books and documents to use them in my artwork. But today, I started cutting up the originals. Yikes I know, but in my defense most of these books are torn and pages are already falling out, but I do still feel guilty.
Here's the first one I cut out. It's from a book called "A Very Naughty Girl." It's quite an old book, and believe me the things they considered "naughty" back then are laughable today. I thought it was a funny title, and I used a beveled piece of glass to create a wall hanging.
I also used scalloped copper foil around the piece.
Here it is soldered. I used black patina to give it an old world feel. Kinda cute don't you think?
Here's the back. There isn't another piece of glass on it to keep it lighter, and it's fun to feel the old paper.
Here are some more I came up with today. The heart is made from an old credit document form 1906. So weird it's over 100 years old!
I made them in a heart, circle and oval shape. The circles are 3x3", and 4x4" in diameter. The heart is about 4" wide, and the oval is 4x6"
Here's the Paris ornament hanging on the wall.

I'll be bringing these to Palm Springs where there's a street fair I attend every Thursday night from 6-10. Let me know if you're interested in purchasing any of these, because I don't have them on my website yet. Hope you're having a great day, and thanks for swinging by my blog!

Take care,

Martha

Feather Your Nest

2010-01-27T07:18:00.000-08:00

Hi there,

I'm passing on information I just got about a fellow blogger who is in need of help. Her name is Gina Drennon, and her husband died suddenly of a heart attack and he was only 39. She has 2 boys, and is needing to sell her store Feather Your Nest (featured in Romantic Homes) and start over. Please go to her online store and make a purchase ( I bought a lovely candle) to help out.

Thanks so much! Take care,

Martha

www.shopfeatheryournest.com

Teeny tiny treasures

2010-01-21T11:13:00.001-08:00

Hi there and welcome! Here are some of the tiny bubbles I've been busy soldering. They are brand new, and are made out of clear glass domes. They are virtually free of bubbles, and if you've tried finding clear glass globs, you know how rare a find that is.

As you can see, they're pretty small and here's a penny for you to compare them with. The smallest is about 1/2 inch in diameter. I use the tiniest soldering tip I could find to make these teeny tiny treasures.
This is a large one, and is about the size of a nickel.
Here's the side view of one of the large bubbles.
I just started adding these to my website, so check back to see more designs as they are made.
This is another new oval shape with the Eiffel Tower on it, the other side is a rose.
It's pouring rain here in California, so I'm happy to be inside staying cozy and warm by the soldering iron. :) Let me know if you'd like a design made you didn't see here, cause I'm always open to new ideas!

Take care,

Martha

New Year New Goodies

2010-01-05T11:26:00.001-08:00

Hi, and Happy New Year! I've been gone from blogging for awhile, and I hope your holiday was a great one. Mine was swell, but it sure went fast. Here are a few photos showing sneak peaks of what I've been up to. I've got loads of new bubble charms, and beveled ornaments. I have the most fun when I'm creating new goodies, so I've been happy happy!
Above is a little mermaid with loads of different colored glitter.
Shhhhh, don't disturb the resting fairy queen...I think she had one too many Christmas cookies. :) Hope you are doing well, and if you're in California, I'll be at the Palm Springs Villagefest starting this Thursday, Jan.7th. It's a great street fair that is full of handmade items. Check it out if you've never been there. Wishing you much joy in the coming new year!

Take care,

Martha

Warm Wishes

2009-12-01T08:58:00.000-08:00

Sending you warm wishes this Holiday Season,

I'm going to sign off from blogging for awhile, and this is the reason.

Oodles of orders have appeared on my plate,

so it's off to the soldering iron I go,

I mustn't be late.

I hope your Holiday is filled with love and good cheer,

a very Merry Christmas to you, and a Happy New Year!

~Martha

Thanks Ladies!

2009-11-23T08:31:00.001-08:00

Hi there, and happy Monday to you! Well the weather was perfect and the Encinitas Street Fair was so much fun yesterday. I'm very thankful to all of the lovely ladies who came out and made my day so special. A big thanks goes out to Bev, Karen, and Judy who are such loyal clients. I appreciate you so much! XOXO
I decked out my dress form with white wings, and thought she looked festive for the holidays. (and no she's not supposed to be a victoria secret model...I heard that a few times! ;) Here's the link where I bought them online. The street fair was a great success, and I had great fun people watching, and even dog watching. I need to start taking pics of some of the dogs I see, like 3 Great Danes with hats on. :) I'm going to go back to my weekly Palm Springs street fair Dec 3rd where a guy brings his wolf! I need to get a picture of that too. Anyway, as Thanksgiving approaches, I wanted to share what I'm thankful for: family/friends, making stuff with my hands, living in California, going through struggles to help me appreciate everything, knowing each day is a gift from God.

What are you most thankful for?

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Take care,

Martha

Meet me by the Beach Tomorrow!

2009-11-21T06:36:00.000-08:00

Thanks for dropping by. Just wanted to let you know I'll be at the Encinitas Street Faire tomorrow, Sunday Nov. 22 from 9-4. Find me at booth #947 across from the "Rustic Rooster" boutique. A fun time to continue (or if you're like me just start) your Christmas shopping. I'll be bringing some new ornaments just in time. The sun will be out and it's sure to be a great day. For more info, pop on over to this link.

Hope you can make it!

Take care,

Martha

Ornaments & Crowns

2009-11-16T10:08:00.001-08:00

Welcome! I've been a busy Betty filling orders, and I'm sure as the holidays approach you have been too. I was fortunate enough to take a class from Sally Jean last week. She finally offered one close to where I live, in San Diego. It was great fun, and we made Christmas ornaments. Some shaped as stockings, others beveled, and house shaped like the ones I made above. Over the years, I've made fewer and fewer large ornaments, and have made them teeny tiny, so it was fun to make some big ones. for a change.
I love this verse "do not forget to welcome strangers. By doing that some people have welcomed angels without knowing it." I dusted the bee, flower and bird with crystal clear glitter.
My friend Rosemary was kind enough to make this teeny weeny crown for my wooden sandpiper. I think she looks gorgeous in it!
The crown is only about an inch in diameter, and made with delicate seam binding, and a tiny rhinestone. I just love how it came out. Perfect color for a sandpiper, don't you think? Thank you Rosemary!
Thinking ahead to Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for all the fun I have creating, and the amazing and wonderful ladies I've been blessed to meet along the way!

Take care,

Martha

Thief Caught Winner Announced!

2009-10-20T10:48:00.001-07:00

A Hauntingly Magical Halloween Party!

2009-10-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

Halloween Party Oct. 17 1909

2009-10-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

Glitterfest Fun!

2009-10-11T17:08:00.000-07:00

Hi there! Well I made it to Glitterfest fall with my dear daughter a little late, but we got there! It was so much fun, and my thanks goes out to Sheryl and Diane for putting on this amazing event.
Here is a view looking out from my table of the room. So many ladies of incredible talent were at Glitterfest. It's great fun for me to meet other women who are "kindred spirits" and get the whole art thing!
I ran around taking photos while I left my poor teenage daughter to man the table.
Oops, I better get back to my table, cause things look out of control. :) Oh well, here she is being silly, and I guess I was the same when I was 16. We had fun hanging out together, which we don't do as much as I'd like.
Two lovely ladies I finally got to meet, Stacey and Sheryl!
Here's Stacey in front of her beautiful table display.
Both Stacey and Sheryl had so many great goodies to choose from.
Stacey makes these soldered initials which I loved.
Another artist I was fortunate to meet was Holly. All here goodies were beautiful.
Here's Christine from Dollybelle's Peepshow. I loved all her creations, and she's a real cutie.

Well, hope you enjoyed the little tour. It was great fun, and thanks so much to all of you who came out and supported us!

Take care, Martha

Glitterfest Fall is Tomorrow!

2009-10-09T15:20:00.001-07:00

Hi there! Glitterfest Fall is tomorrow! I've been busy soldering and glittering to get ready. Please stop by and say hi to me. The gouls are meeting at the Santa Ana Elk's Lodge in CA, ( 212 S. Elk Ln., Santa Ana CA, 92701) We'll be there from 10-3 tomorrow only, so get on your broom and fly on over! Hope to see you there.

Take care,

Martha

Treats

2009-10-02T13:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday to you! Here are a few treats I picked up at Roger's Gardens, and online. The pink rose above is called "Our Lady of Guadalupe" It is very small and has a light fragrance.
The hat is by Bethany Lowe and I got the little skeleton and put a top hat on him. I found the black candles at Roger's Gardens too.

EEK a creepy hand, and glittery skeleton head!
I recently purchased a banner online from Alice at Painted White. It came wrapped in old pattern paper, and tied with twine.
The BOO banner is so cute, and I love the colors.
I think it looks pretty on my old window shelf. Thanks Alice! The green plant above is called giant baby tears. It's my most favorite house plant of all time, because it's very easy to grow. You should give it a try! Well, have a wonderful weekend!

Take care, Martha

Roger's Gardens

2009-09-27T14:01:00.001-07:00

Hi there, and welcome! I wanted to share with you the amazing garden shop "Roger's Gardens" in Corona del Mar, CA. It is amazing, and my favorite nursery by far! It is decked out with spooky decor for the Halloween season. Here is the outside of the Halloween room.
Beautiful grey pumpkins littered the floor outside.
This mischievous statue greets you at the door.
The greys of the statues and pumpkins were pretty together.

A rather large spider crawls inside a cage.
Chippy paint adorn the walls, and old chandeliers.
Creaky stairs and spider webs!
An old forgotten laboratory. To learn more about its past owner mournful Mooris go here.
Spooky dolls stare at you with dead eyes.
The rabbit in the above photo slowly moved, and was very creepy.

Loads of magical merchandise, including Wendy Addison, and Bethany Lowe.
More creepy chandeliers.
I have a phobia of old dolls, due to scary movies I saw as a kid, and a doll my Grandmother gave me. It had a creepy grin, and real human hair! I even had a hard time taking these photos! The dolls were spray painted white, had green lights on them, and smoke blowing out underneath the display.

Can you believe how brave I was taking these pictures? Are you afraid of dolls like me?
More fun goodies to choose from.
I hope you enjoyed the tour! I felt like a kid in a candy store, it was soooo much fun for me! Check back next time to see what I bought at this incredible nursery. If you're ever in the Newport Beach area, run don't walk to Roger's Gardens. It really is the most beautiful home and garden center. And I can't wait to see their Christmas decorations. Thanks for stopping by!

Take care,

Martha

More Halloween Goodies

2009-09-23T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hi and Welcome! Just thought I'd show you some of the Halloween charms I've been working on. Found another resin which cures really hard, and I love it! It's called "Ice Resin" and I'm sure many of you use it. Well, I must hurry back to the laboratory, or Igor will have a fit!

Take care,

Martha

Ghosts in my Hands

2009-09-15T10:04:00.000-07:00

Hi and thanks for stopping by! I can hold 8 ghosts in my hands. These are some tiny soldered charms I've been working on for Halloween. They're quite small (1/2"x1/2") and fun to wear.
One side says "Boo" the other "ghost." These are off to a wholesale order, but you can also get them here.

Well have a great day and take care, Martha

2009-09-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

Hi There! I just wanted to share that my new website MJ Ornaments is up and running. There is a new shopping cart, and each page is a bit more consistent. I hope it makes for an easier shopping experience. I also have a section just for wholesale accounts, making it a lot easier to order.

Hope you enjoy it!

Take care,

Martha

Free Resin Charm Tutorial

2009-09-04T10:29:00.001-07:00

Resin Charm

Supplies needed to complete this project:

• Popsicle sticks-small and jumbo

• Timer (cheap digital one from Walmart)

• latex gloves (from Walmart in paint section)

• mask

• toothpicks

• small paint brush

• measuring cups-(from Rio Grande)

• Colores epoxy resin (from Rio Grande)- here's the link, kit includes measuring cups, sticks, and resin

http://www.riogrande.com/MemberArea/ProductPage.aspx?assetname=623014&page=GRID&category%7ccat_114%7c256=Colores%26trade%3b

• waxed paper or freezer paper to protect table

• artwork printed on high quality matte paper (I use Epson Premium Presentation Paper found at Staples)

• bezel cups (those metal holders your artwork gets glued into-I get mine at paperstudio.com)

• straws

• Mod Podge-matte- ( Michaels and Walmart)

• Bone folder to burnish image to bezel cup (Michaels)

• Toaster oven (Walmart)

• a mind ready to learn!

Okey-dokey, I've learned almost every way you can mess up doing this little project so you get to benefit from my many mistakes. J First of all when working with resin, make sure you wear gloves, a mask, and work in a well-ventilated room. Also wear an old apron to protect your clothes. Create and print out images on high quality matte paper. Make sure you check your image for any “sparkles” for lack of a better word. My images sometimes have these tiny little specks that look like glitter( it may be coming from my ink), and I simply swish them off with a coarse brush. If you don’t, the resin will magnify them on your finished piece.
Punch out or cut out your images. I use circle bezels, and used Photoshop to layer a circle on the image I cut out. Or you can draw a template of your own for whatever size or shape bezel you are using. Cut it out of sturdy paper, and place it over your image, then trace lightly with a pencil. I also use a 1" circle punch I got at Michaels for the 1 inch bezels, that way I don't need to cut with scissors, I just punch them out.
Here is the cut out image before being glued inside the bezel.
Cover your work surface with freezer paper or waxed paper, take a paint brush and start coating each cut out image with a 1 thin layer of matte Mod Podge; coat front, back and the edges. Let dry and do 2 more coats of matte Mod Podge to make sure it’s sealed. If not properly sealed, the resin will soak into the paper. With a paint brush, put a layer of Matte Mod Podge directly into the bezel cup, then place your image inside. Burnish down with a bone folder, paying careful attention to the corners, then coat the top with more Mod Podge. You want the image to fit tightly, so no air pockets trap resin and cause bubbles. Let dry overnight.
After everything’s good and dry, I put my bezels on jumbo popsicle sticks. Try to work in an area that is free of dust, and don’t use a light that attracts dust. Also pretend you’re a sloth and move slowly when working with resin. That keeps the dust to a minimum too. J
Now it’s time to mix the resin. It comes in 2 bottles, with a hardener and a resin. The hardener is kind of yellow, but shouldn’t be too yellow. I learned the hard way that it has a shelf life, and will go bad after about 6 months.
Make sure you have on your gloves and mask, and take your little measuring cup and pour a 1 to 1 ratio of resin and hardener.
Here I am pouring the resin.
Now for the hardener. You pour one on top of the other in the same cup. Try really hard to get these ratios as exact as possible.
Set your timer, and mix the 2 together slowly for 5 minutes with a popsicle stick.

Don’t whip it (even though Devo wants you to!) or you’ll make too many bubbles. The mixture will look kind of milky, then clear, with some little bubbles in it.
Set your timer and let the mixture sit for 20 minutes. You'll notice the bubbles start to go away too as you wait. The “pot life” or time you have to work with the resin is about 1 hour. Less if it’s hot where you’re working.
So now you get to pour your mixture into the bezels. The best part about Colores epoxy resin is you can bake it! This makes the process so much faster. Here's how I have it set up in my kitchen, with the bezels ready to go, and the toaster oven on at 150 degrees F. Oven temps vary so you'll have to experiment with yours. Just don't go over 150. The manufacturer states the cure time when baking are: 6 hours at 95 degrees F, 3 hours at 120 degrees F, or 1 hour at 150 degrees F.
Here are the bezels lined up on a jumbo popscicle stick ready to go.
I kind of squeeze the measuring cup to form a little spout, and slowly pour it into each bezel cup. Some people pour the mixture into a squeeze bottle for more control. I add a few more drops if needed by dipping a popsicle stick into the resin and drip the resin into the bezel. You get the hang of how much to pour though practice. Don’t pour too much or the resin will spill out, and have a paper towel ready if you do spill. Also, check to make sure no bubbles have formed. If you see any, use a straw to lightly blow them out; don’t inhale the fumes.
Carefully place your bezels inside. Another option is to allow them to air dry, which will take 1-3 days.
Now pat yourself on the back, you did it!

Tips

~ Don’t use gloss Mod Podge use matte. I used the gloss, and it created this weird glittery mess after I poured on the resin.

~ Make sure you don’t bake your charms anymore than 150 degrees or they burn…trust me on this one, I know.

~Don’t try to hurry the sealing part, and not let them dry. The resin will soak into your image and ruin it. I messed up a bunch this way.

~Check often on your charms as the resin is drying to inspect for bubbles. Those little buggers can appear out of thin air it seems! You may want to place the charms in the toaster oven and don't turn it on for an hour. Then check for bubbles every 15 minutes. Oh and don’t use a dryer to try and get them out, it can blow more dust on your piece or burn it. I even heard of using a lit match to get bubbles out but don’t. Too scary.

~ Do use the Colores Epoxy Resin I recommended. I spent a lot of money on others and could never get them to cure properly.

~Mix the resin and hardener well, or it won’t cure correctly, and may come out cloudy or tacky.

~When resin dries, it is hard as glass. Anything you don’t want it on needs to be protected.

~Weather changes the way resin cures. When it was foggy out, I saw many more bubbles form in my charms. Warm temperatures helped with the best results, with little or no bubbles.

~Videos on you tube that may help you out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krb1a3OhsS0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAEKnv0OU08

~Follow all of the manufacturers directions and warnings.

Happy Creating!

Martha

http://www.mjornaments.com/

Featured Artist

2009-09-01T08:19:00.001-07:00

Hi there, and thanks for stopping by. Can you believe it's already September? Well I wanted to thank Amber over at The Shabbee Chick Designs for featuring me on her website today. She has several artists featured, including my friend Rosemary. Go over and check out her site here. Let me know what you think. Well school starts for my kids tomorrow, including my youngest who's starting high school. Very exciting but scary times. Have a wonderful day. :)

Martha

Pretty Candle

2009-08-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday to you!

I thought I'd share this little covered candle I made with you. It's so easy, you should try it! All you need is a white pillar candle (you can get them inexpensively at Michaels or even Walmart) a page from an old book (use 2 if it doesn't cover the candle completely), a pretty piece of white lace, and a monogrammed charm. I sell them here. :) Tie them altogether, and you have a unique gift. Hope your day is going well. I'll be back soon with some new bracelets and necklaces to tempt you with.

Take care,

Martha

Trick or Tweet

2009-08-28T13:41:00.001-07:00

Hi there,

I'm working on Halloween charms for you peeps, so come back often to see my new treats!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Take care,

Martha

Halloween Party

2009-08-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

Join me and the other goblins and goulies over at A Fanciful Twist for another frightful Halloween blog party. It's sure to be a scream. :) Martha

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

My puppies Stormy and Sunny...hope you enjoy.

Hope your summer is relaxing, Martha

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Alice in Wonderland Giveaway

Ballerina's and Baubles

New Ornaments

Vintage Valentine

A Very Naughty Girl

Feather Your Nest

Teeny tiny treasures

New Year New Goodies

Warm Wishes

Thanks Ladies!

Meet me by the Beach Tomorrow!

New Glitter Star