Hangin' Around

Ahh, springtime. A time of open windows, line-dried linens, and re-organization projects. It's that last one that's been keeping me happily busy in the studio, creating a few new Pretty Hooks to place upon the shop's virtual shelves. I know I've mentioned it before, but it bears repeating: I love organzing things, and I love coming up with pretty ways of organizing said things. That's how the Pretty Hook was born ;)

Once it had been decided that some new Pretty Hooks were in order, supplies were quickly gathered. There were plenty of pretty papers and paints and my favorite part, the power tools, but one crucial ingredient was looking seriously low in numbers. Seems my stash of vintage hooks and knobs had dwindled while I wasn't looking. So I "hmmed" and "ummed" for a bit, and waited for a solution to strike. The solution presented itself in the form of little wooden knobs, the sort of which you always seem to have laying about in junk drawers and supply bins in the basement. Yes yes, little wooden knobs! They could be painted to match the wooden part of the Pretty Hooks! Little wooden knobs indeed would do very nicely.

I must say, I'm rather pleased with the way the little wooden knobs turned out. They're like a softer version of their brass knob cousins...a bit more rustic, more charming. I think I'll make some more!

Have a clever day, lovelies!

xo

Little Pieces

I can think of few things more dainty and feminine than a fine bit of china, dotted sweetly here and there with little pink flowers. And I can think of no starker contrast to such sweet dainty-ness that a cold concrete basement floor, Iggy and the Stooges playing loudly in the background. However, that is exactly the scene I plunked myself right down in the middle of, armed with tile cutters and a devilish grin.

You see, the devilish grin was because I had big plans for these old plates. I had a new use for them, one grandma could never have imagined while serving Sunday dinners upon them. Nope, no longer would they be used to eat off of. Uh-uh. These plates, well, these plates were about to become accessories.

So, after a day with my trusty cutters, Iggy, and a good amount of tile adhesive, and another morning with my old friends Grout Bucket and Sponge, I had me some lovely new pendants. All that was left to do was add a bit of chain and some pretty what-nots, and then, just like that, grandma's old china has been turned into a little special something that can now be worn.

 Have a fancy day, my dears!

xo

Before/After

Hello my dears...are you ready for a little before and after action? Good! Let's begin.

Before...this was just a plain old wooden frame-type thingy. Nothing special. Odd in size, and there was some sort of veneer peeling off the back. But! After a bit of clean-up, some paint, a hint of pretty paper, and a few secret ingredients, we have this:

Lovely, no? It's so much fun to see the potential in what might otherwise become trash. It's even more fun when the potential you see in your mind looks even better in reality.
Here's to finding hidden potential, dears!
xo