I'm wearing peacock feathers now! So 2017 will be just fine!

    After the month I've had, I deserved a little treat! And since I love peacock feathers so much (who doesn't ?) I couldn't resist this little headpiece. Its definitely home-made! It sits on the head in a clumsy manner, so I will have to reshape it. The veil is  in a weird position as well. But heck, its lovely on and the colors in the sunlight are an absolute delight!  I even think its worthy to go over to Style Crone's Hat attack.  http://stylecrone.com/hat-attack/    Always such a delight!

   The funniest thing about this is that the long feathers used to frame it are just about the color that my hair USED to be! chuckle!
    Oh well, a lot of things have changed in my life..... and that's just the way things are supposed to be. So here I stand at the end of 2016 waiting to welcome in a New Year.... and wondering how my life will shift and grow in the coming months. Though sometimes its uncomfortable or even frightening I always remind myself that Life is an adventure! We are here to experience and learn to live our lives as fully as possible.
    As for me, a whole new stretch of my life path is now before me and I can hardly wait to start taking my first steps on it! May it be a wondrous path!

         The sunset this evening.... and so begins a new day. The last day of the year. Wow, where did the time go? May 2017 be happy, prosperous and kind to all.

A shock and a twist.

   The shock: Freak accidents happen and usually at the most inopportune times. A cracked lid on a toilet tank broke and sliced open Archimedes leg. Upon examining the ceramic edges is was apparent that he was lucky he didn't lose that foot! Of course Archimedes was extremely unhappy with the cone! And he learned to remove it rapidly!!! Oh well, I'm just relieved he came through surgery so well. Heres hoping he leaves the stitches alone long enough that his foot can heal properly. 

   The twist: Since I'm having such a difficult time getting my life back together I decided to try something fairly simple that gives quick results as far as creating goes. And wire wrap jewelry is what I chose. chuckle   I have LOTS of supplies! Beads, shells, wire, buttons, what-nots and thingamabobbies!!!  Things that are still tucked away... just waiting to be unearthed and made into something lovely.
   It "sort of" fulfills my desire to do metal jewelry again. At least it will do for now. Will be combining it with wooden pieces in the future.  And of course there will be some coins and belly dance bells included! hahaha   Actually some small projects are just what I need. But if I keep adding things the pieces will just keep getting bigger. Oh my, its just Fate!
   This little pendant is my first effort. It measures just under 1  1/2 inches long. I know, I know! That's an earring for me! hahaha  But I want to try doing delicate objects for a change. And I think this medium will do just fine for that.
    So remember to take care of your furry children AND keep up even those seemingly minor repairs! And try something different... even if its just a little bit so. Its a good thing to expand your knowledge and experience!   Wishing everyone a wonderful night!
  * Hope you've gazed westward and saw the crescent moon with Venus! What a lovely pair.

Big Siam bracelet!

   Well, this is FUN! Received it in a small lot of belly dance repair items. Preliminary research hasn't gotten very far yet. Have found examples of the same bracelet...... but the info with each one is different as to the era it is from.

    People identify these as being made in the 1930s and 40s OR the 1960s! Quite a range there. chuckle  And I also need to check out the metal content. It just doesn't have that "sterling" appearance to me. I've made sterling silver jewelry off and on for decades.... it just has a certain "look" to it.
    The faux 'stones' are actually a bright rich red instead of the ruby that the photos are showing. Someone had tried to bend it a bit so that it would fit their wrist better.... but its not too bad! All in all, and really cool bracelet to wear whenever I'm in one of those vintage tribal Bohemian moods!

REALLY?? You had to actually ask that??

   Someone reminded me that I have been leaving out one of the things that I consider to be an integral part of any outfit or style statement. And that would be PERFUME.  Then they asked what I had worn on Halloween..... I couldn't believe anyone that knows me would ask that!!! Of course I had on vintage Lancôme MAGIE NOIR..... would there be anything else for that particular day?? chuckle  
   Actually I'm on my last bottle so I'm asking everyone to keep their eyes open... just in case they can direct me to more of this enchanted potion!

   So today I decided it was time to enjoy my fragrances more. I got up, dressed, put on my face  (by that I mean make up) and chose one of my favorites.  Carven's Robe d'un Soir..... a devastatingly beautiful scent! For the life of me I don't understand why someone isn't creating masterpieces like these anymore.
   

    And a note on the modern reformulation of Magie Noir....  I would not waste my money or time on it. But I'm spoiled from knowing the "real thing".  That said, give it a try and see what you think. As they say "Different strokes for different folks". My tastes tend to run in a pretty old fashioned vein! hahaha

Wishing everyone a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

  
   Well, I've been trying to type out my post, but the letters are moving all over the place, typeface is changing, etc... Perhaps I have a mischievous visitor from the Spirit world? Or a computer gremlin? I'd prefer the first.
   Anyway, I'll make this quick. Went and had a reading..... what else would I do on Halloween?! chuckle    Next year ought to be VERY interesting for me. And that is a good thing.

   Dressed for fun and comfort today. Trying to get a good photo of the chiffon bow on this straw hat! Not that easy considering my arms aren't very long! chuckle    Its nice and lightweight, perfect for our warm temperatures. The vintage Lucite earrings are one of the pairs I converted to pierced this week. The black sheer blouse with embroidered roses is a recent thrift shop find. LOVE red roses on black!!!!   And the Baltic amber nuggets were one of my best scores ever on Ebay. I'm also wearing several red bracelets of varying hues. Oooh, and I found some navy mascara too.
    Anyway, I intend to have more fun with my appearance from now on! A change is in the air and I sense something colorful this way comes...... y'all have a safe and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

http://stylecrone.com/2016/09/30/hat-attack-39-louise-green-millinery/

Freyja's Day........ so many earrings to convert! ha ha

   Honestly, after my first batch of earrings turned out so well I decided to do just a few more! Then I thought "Oooh, what about those light blue celluloid ones that I love so much?". Then I thought "And those big brown swirl ones with the brass wire?!" Then...... "and those blue swirl ones and the rectangular moonglow" and.... and.... and.... you get the picture.

   I managed to restrain myself a little bit, but not much! I have to admit its been great fun! And now I can wear these babies ALL DAY ! Before I'd have to take most of them off after a few hours, some didn't make it that long.

  
   As usual Ronan assisted me in my work. Oh excuse me! He SUPERVISED my work!

   And I thought I'd include a photo of my neighbor's trees. This is what passes for Autumn colors here in Florida. chuckle   Bougainvillea Golden-rain tree. Koelreuteria bipinnata. Native to Asia, lovely tree but doesn't do that well in high winds and storms. Those are actually the flowers.... not the leaves!
   

Freyja's Day...... converting clip earrings to pierced.

   Started off the morning cutting and moving limbs that had fallen in the storm, by afternoon I wanted to do something a little more fun!  So I decided to convert some of my earrings.

   The red moonglow are screw backs... can we say "torture devices"? The yellow and the lions are clips. First thing is to remove the old... gently! Some folks just cut the metal off and leave the disk behind. I've found that if you gently, but firmly, pry the older fitting then it will usually come off in one piece. If its being stubborn, just relax pressure for a moment and then apply again. Repeat as needed. Just takes a little patience.  The only time that has not worked for me was when the metal was so old that it just broke under even the slightest amount of pressure. I usually scrape the old glue away as best I can. Love my trusty old pocketknife.
    Important step! Hold the earring up to your ear. How or where do you want it to hang? Take note of where your earlobe is pierced, measure if you have to. Using a fine point Sharpie pen I mark where the pierced post will be glued. With these earrings, the red ones needed the post to be affixed in the center in order to look right. The yellow ones are larger so I measured and put a mark off center at the correct distance from the edge. For my ear lobe it was 7/16ths of an inch. And yes, this does make a difference when you are done!

   Of course, Ronan kept a close eye on the work being done. He said he was supervising, but every once in a while he would try and swipe one of the pieces!  Just too tempting for a cat.

   Then Fearless Fergus joined in! Actually was heartening to see because he hasn't been feeling well lately. The mischievousness was a good sign.

   The lion faces presented me with a problem I hadn't encountered before. The pieces are concave and the "post" that the clips were attached to is quite small. I decided to cut the clip and leave part of it behind in order to have a little larger spot to glue onto. Hoping this works!  If not, then I'll have to put them on a fish hook earring.

       I like to use good old E6000. Haven't heard anyone raving about any newer glue that supposedly works better. Try not to use too much. It can get messy in a hurry! I use a toothpick to even it out a bit and then swirl it a little when I place it on the earring back. You can wipe away the excess with a toothpick.... if you have a steady hand. If not, then you might want to leave well enough alone. No one is going to see it anyway!

   So here they are! Sitting for at least 24 hours.   And yes, those red ones got scratched pretty bad when I was trying to remove the old glue. I blame that on my pocketknife blades being dull. And I didn't take the time to sharpen them.  Shame on me!    
    Also forgot to photograph the backings. Definitely get the ones with the larger silicone disks. I think that earrings hang better with those. And some of the vintage earrings are pretty large... and heavy! Your lobes will thank you for the extra support!  
   Both posts and backings can be bought at your local craft supply/fabric store or online. They come in bags of 60 or so pieces and run around $3.00 per pack. And of course, you can convert from pierced to clips too. So have fun and enjoy wearing all you vintage pieces!!!

Thankful to be on the Gulf coast!

   So this is how today looked...... ALL DAY!!! Sometimes a little darker. Every once in a while the tiniest ray of sunshine would peek through and then rapidly disappear! Very little rain. The winds have been high ALL DAY!!! But I'm so thankful that I'm on the west coast of Florida.        Went out on an errand and met quite a few folks who had evacuated the Atlantic side. They weren't happy about it but they were safe and that's what counts!
    *Had a palm tree throw some limbs at my car while I was driving. Luckily there was no damage. So for future reference, being safe also means not driving around in high winds!     But heck, what do the people in Wyoming do? I've driven through that state on several occasions and the wind never seems to stop!  hahaha
    Seriously, prayers to everyone in the Caribbean that was affected by this hurricane. He was a rough one!

The clouds are heralding the approach of the hurricane.

 

Calm before the storm?

The clouds are just starting to roll in on this side of the state. Have had a few wind gusts, nothing of any consequence. Went down the beach to take a few photos. Very peaceful with a very light
rain!

So it will have to wait!

   Well, the other day I finally arranged  a date to have a friend do some photos of Autumnal hats and outfits........ and that date would be tomorrow.   But this being Florida, I shouldn't have been surprised or disappointed to learn that I'll have to postpone said photo shoot because of an approaching hurricane!!!
   Yep, that's the way life is here. I'll be sure to take some photos regardless of what kind of weather we get. Luckily we're on the dry side of the storm this time. At least we are now!!! Things can change pretty quickly.  One report said we could experience wind gusts up to 60 mph....... definitely NOT vintage hat weather.    We will wait and see.       
    Everyone take care and be safe!

Pausing for a few moments..........

   Well it has certainly been a rough few weeks around here. My 91 year old mother is currently at a rehab facility and we are trying to find long term care for her. It has been quite the learning experience! And once it is all settled and done, I intend to take a very detailed look at my own life!!!
   Before I was simply stressed out (to the breaking point) about how my home, yard and life in general had all fallen by the wayside in the effort to look after Mom. And I figured that the day would come when I would finally have time to reorganize and pull it all back together.    You know what? That ain't how it works!    I'm looking at things with different eyes right now. And considering it all in ways I would not have before. "Life is a learning process" has a lot more depth of meaning now.
    As I sit here at my kitchen table with scattered paperwork and even more scattered thoughts.... I keep going back to LIVE YOUR LIFE AS BEST YOU CAN. BE THANKFUL FOR EACH DAY AND NIGHT. BE GOOD AND KIND AND SEND LOVING THOUGHTS OUT INTO THE WORLD.... ALWAYS.

5 sisters. From left to right:  Helen, Mae, Beatrice (Mom), Thelma and Delma

 Aunt Mae and Mom at the beach.

Freyja's Day.......... 50's necklace in Autumn colors!

    Well it seems that the Spirits of Autumn are smiling upon me! For probably three or four years now I've had this one triple strand necklace that I would just love to wear. But as usual, its a bit too tight on me. (I'm sure I've said before that I inherited my father's short thick neck!  Not my mom's mind you! She has a lovely graceful neck.......  I got Dad's! hahaha)   So, for all these years I've been looking for another necklace just like it so I can scavenge beads and enlarge mine. And I've had absolutely no luck at all.
    Until now! On Etsy I found not one, but TWO double strand necklaces that match perfectly. So I'll be able to lengthen my three strand one and have more than enough beads left over to make a nice big bracelet . And since there are two clasps I can make them into earrings. I'm so tickled!!!!

My original necklace!

 

So what to do on a rainy afternoon? Hats and cats, of course!

   Well, its that time of year again. At the supposed end of a long hot summer I sit and fantasize about all things Autumn! Of course, I'm also watching the weather radar because we are under a tropical storm warning and hurricane watch with flood warnings up along the coastal areas. But hey, that's Florida!
   So what to do on a rainy afternoon.... with dreams of autumn leaves and pumpkins dancing about in my head? Look through some clothes and hats, of course!!!  OR clean the house.  Just try and guess which one I've chosen to do.

.

   As you can see, Ronan and Fergus have decided to join the fun. But they don't seem overly enthusiastic about looking through everything. Their goal is to turn it all into a mattress with linens. Can't blame them. The rain is starting to really come down now and the thunder is rumbling around. Thankfully the winds have not kicked up much!

   I dug out some of my velvet skullcaps and clutch hats to try on with the clothes. I like to sort of balance elements out.... simple color clothes with a fancy hat and vice versa with a bright colorful garment. But I love it when you find the perfect combo and it all SINGS!!! hahaha
    Found this cute little fascinator a couple of years ago, it needs just a little bit of TLC. So much fun for Autumn! But Ronan wasn't the least bit impressed.

   And then there is this little turkey feather hat. I LOVE turkey feathers!! They look stunning when the light hits them right. Let me say, this photo does not do justice to this hat. It isn't even a style that looks good on me, but the colors are so captivating I try to wear it whenever I can!
   There are a few pheasant feathers scattered throughout to add visual interest. And I want to make note that the turkey feathers may be dyed somehow. They look "normal" on the surface, but the red and orange sheen seems a little extra intense. On a couple of hats that were falling apart (badly) I saw that the shafts had obviously been dyed. In one instance they were a vivid orange!  I don't understand the process, but I can appreciate the result.

Tags in the turkey feather hat.

   

Freyja's Day...... being reminded of treasures.

   After a rough few weeks it was so nice to 'rediscover' this little jewelry box. I retrieved it from the back of a shelf while looking for art supplies. I spilled parfum in this a few years back... so it has an odd enticing fragrance!  White oak and vintage Histoire D'Amour.  mmmmmm...

   An assortment of treasures and memories awaited me. I do so love the feel of familiar things.

     This fun heart pendant that I discovered in a thrift shop a few years back. At 2" square its a nice size, so I placed it on a pink ribbon and wore it almost every day. It has a really nice energy about it.

    And this Goddess pendant that I made in 2002. Worked in sterling silver then. Wow, does she need a good polishing!!! I gave her a carnelian face... for courage. Sodalite breasts.... its one of my favorite stones... for healing, maintain emotional balance, strengthening the immune system and intuition.  Black onyx arms... to embrace the deepest parts of the Universe and my Self. And turquoise from the womb to the feet..... for grounding to Earth and sky.
    My dad and I bought the rough turquoise when my family lived in Arizona in the 70s. I even ground and polished that particular stone!  Talk about memories! Wish I could remember what mine it was from.   2 1/2" wide by 3 3/4" long. She is a substantial little piece!

    What fun!  Modern angel wing earrings,  nephrite jade bead necklace, MOP buttons with brass beetles on them, old brooch with an iridescent blue butterfly wing, my Australian opal triplet spider pendant (another one of my creations!), rosary, faux pearl hat pin, wolf tooth and claw earrings, moonstone pendant and more!

   And Ronan pretending to be asleep. But now and then he would thrust his paw forward and try to grab a treasure for himself! chuckle

Late Freyja's day..... Candidates for modification.

   I've been meaning to pick out some of my clip on earrings to modify. Finally made my choices! Guess you can tell that I'm fond of the color blue.   chuckle 
   The white and blue disks are lightweight and as far as I can tell, they go with just about everything! It'll be easy to pop off the clips on these. I really need to get out my old jewelry supply catalogs and find some good quality posts, not to mention research what type of glue would be best. Perhaps someone has come up with something new!
   The confetti earrings are screw backs. I look forward to removing those little torture devices! They aren't very big, but they look really good on. Fairly subtle with just enough sparkle.
   The flowers bring up the question of whether or not to alter a signed piece. They're marked Lisner..... and if I intended to sell them I would leave them as is. Collectors want to SEE that name! But hey, they're BLUE.... blue FLOWERS at that!!! So I have every intention of keeping them and I want to be able to wear them comfortably. Won't be hard to cut off the clip mechanism, file them smooth and glue on a post.    Unless I can find someone who could possibly spot solder them. That may not be feasible because of the translucent glass. Oh well, I'll cross that bridge when I get there!

Freyja's Day.......... Tregul and Bygul.

    As we all know, Freyja had two cats. By some accounts their names were Tregul and Bygul. That translates out as Tree-gold, aka amber, and Bee-gold, aka honey.           HOW I wish I was writing about amber!!! But no..... I'm up past my wrists in honey.   And not in a good way.
     Discovered a large hive had been built up in my mobile home, under the tub area and along the shower pipes. It would have been almost impossible to remove the queen AND since some of the worker bees were starting to come up into my bedroom.... I had to have them eradicated. So sad but necessary at this point.  At the bee man's suggestion I waited for three days to begin the process of removal. This photo is only of the section that I could see as I started to work. Got quite a surprise as I went deeper in to remove honeycombs..... not all the bees were deceased!!!  I quickly blocked off any route they might have to the inside of my home.   Sheesh!!!  (I'll just consider that to have been a really good cardio workout)       So anyway, I'll wait another day or two and see if they have finally passed on, before continuing my clean up efforts.
    Best accessories for this task....... a good quality ventilated face mask, goggles, gloves and a can of wasp and bee spray in case you have to fight back!  Fashion and style take a backseat to safety and common sense every time!  Stay safe out there folks!!!!!

Freyja's Day........ coins to create abundance for all.

 Ronan loves to mess with whatever I put out to work on! lol

    I've recently developed a desire to acquire enough coins to make a "sort of" belly dance belt.... actually I'm thinking of it more as a ritual piece. With my back and knees the way they are, I won't be doing much real dancing. chuckle
    Anyway, I'm thinking "ABUNDANCE". Not just for myself, but for the whole world. Everyone having enough to live well and be happy. No more global destruction of animals and the environment.  
    Here is how I see it.... an object that is created for that purpose and infused with that energetic intent and used repeatedly during prayer and ritual will build up a reserve of energy and then begin to generate it out into the world. It doesn't have to be a belt of coins, but I felt that the movement and sounds would increase that energetic output.
   
 

   To begin  my project I've found several of those old coin charm bracelets that were so popular when I was young. And, of course, you can purchase coins that are actually for use on belly dance costumes! They usually have metal loops soldered on whereas the bracelet coins are all drilled. Either way its a wonderful creative process.  
    My choice of using genuine coins instead of the lighter weight faux ones is simply my personal preference. INTENT is the real key to a piece like this. 
    Haven't decided exactly how I'm going to construct it. I could make a stiffened fabric base or I could use a metal belt like the one in the photo. Or a length of substantial chain to hang everything from. Will just have to wait and see what happens........ 
   

Butterflies and Tropical storms!!!

 

Since my photo session with a friend was postponed by Tropical storm Colin, I decided that I'd at least take pictures of one of the hats and send it on over to the Style Crone's Hat Attack. I love going through and seeing everyone's posts each month!

 

   Found this hat in a thrift shop a few years back, it almost matches one that I found at the local Ross store. A nice shade of dusty pink/mauve. The maker is Betmar and it is quite sturdy! That's a real plus for casual wear!

   I've added a couple of small butterfly pins to the front. Whenever I find more I intend on keeping them on this hat! Its a good way to organize small pieces and hey, who wouldn't want a "flock" of butterflies flitting around their head?!

   The back is another matter. The matching bow was mangled and torn. There is old hot glue residue where I'm guessing that someone tried to fix it. I'll clean it up a little more and add flowers.... for the butterflies, of course!

   
   Took these two petite bouquets off a vintage hat that had seen much better days. When combined they're just the right size for embellishment.   Of course, now I need a small bee pin to put right above them! Hahaha!