True Confessions Of A Decoupage Addict

My name is Wanda and I am a decoupage addict.  You see, it all started when I did my first post on decoupage.  I had no idea how deep I would fall in love with this craft.  And I certainly didn't know that I would crave it, and want to do it every chance I get.

 As I got deeper into my addiction, I started using more and more.....magazine paper, cereal, boxes, labels, receipts, old books, vintage images, I used them all.  I was totally hooked!.  

Then I starting seeing things I never noticed before.  

Colors and textures in the most unlikely places...

I would see a cereal box or the print on a receipt and I would go "aha! that would be perfect on a collage".  No kidding.  Now, I see potential everywhere.  Whether its an image, a scrap of paper, or simply being inspired by my surroundings, I am in hyper creative mode......and lovin it!   

Now I know that addictions are traumatic and sometimes require interventions, but don't worry about me, my addiction has no side affects except for one.  I just can't stop smiling..... 

Made from fashion magazines and acrylic paint

Made from home decor magazines, labels and acrylic paint

Made from fashion and decor magazines, accented with acrylic paint

This one I made on the day Oprah aired her last show.  I guess it was therapy? lol.

For more on my art check out www.heavensentart.etsy.com

Cherio!

We'll miss you Oprah!

On Wednesday this week I witnessed the final curtain call of the Oprah show. And it truly was a very bittersweet experience for me. I mean no more Oprah shows?  That's a hard pill to swallow.  Though I am not a person who watched every day, I cannot even recall how many of these shows I've watched and fondly remember.  Too many to count. I've had Aha moments, Oh No! moments and all the other moments in between.  Most of all though, I have learned many lessons and was challenged by someone bold enough to shine a spotlight on the good, the bad and the ugly.  Am sure it was hard but Oprah did what she felt was her mission.  She just wanted to make a positive difference in people's lives.  I couldn't hold back the tears when I saw the millions of people whose lives she has touched in some way, many of them coming back to say thank you. Some she will never meet or know about.

From the mega stars to the heart beat of the Oprah show, the house wives, they all came forward to say thank you.  I say thank you too Oprah.  Thank you for showing us that the greatest gift we have to give the world is ourselves.  Thank you for showing us that we can love ourselves and others, idiosyncrasies and all!  You showed us that achieving greatness simply means fulfilling one's purpose, whatever it is.  And you showed us by example. Though you came from such humble beginnings you believed that God had a purpose for your life and you thrived......and thrived....and achieved the unimaginable. God speed and I know that you will continue to shine. As for us....we say goodbye to your show but we will keep you close to our hearts.

Fav Song Of The Week

I looooooooooove this song!  I just had to share.  Kirk Franklin has done it again!

10 sandals you'll love This Summer

So I have been on the prowl, looking for sandals to add to my wardrobe and I must say I was more than pleasantly surprised at what I found.  I really, really luv the look and comfort of a sandal, they are dressier than flip flops and very often depending on the style, you can wear them with dressier pieces.  The fact that they don't make that aweful slapping noise against my heel like flip flops do....(c'mon you know what I mean).....is a bonus!

Now, are you ready for this?

I found an amazing website that has the most and I mean THE MOST fabulous selection of sandals I've seen in a while and the prices are great too!   Oh happy day!

So, without further ado here are my top ten sandal picks for summer.

..... drum roll please!!!........Here we go!

1. I am not a huge animal print lover but these totally won me over.  How chic is this!  $19.99

www.amiclubwear.com

2. Shut the front door!...there is something powerful about these shoes that I just cant resist. Besides they are RED Gladiators....nuff said!  $14.00

www.amiclubwear.com

3. I just luv the natural appeal of these sandals.  The design is just gorgeous and it looks comfortable too.  Find it at Old Navy for $22.94.

4. Metallic shoes are so versatile in a wardrobe.  Its such a fantastic neutral. and dont get me started on the beadwork on this piece......sooooooo beautiful!  Find it at Old Navy for $22.94.

5 & 6 If you love a pop of color like I do then you'll love these.  I am getting happy just looking at them. $19.99 and $24.99  www.amiclubwear.com

  

7. Luv, luv, luv!   You just cant go wrong with these.  G o r g e o u s!  $20.99

www.amiclubwear.com

8. Get your bling on!  I am such a fan of both of these!  $19.99

www.amiclubwear.com

9. These are hands down one of my favorites.  Wow!, so modern , textural and sophisticated! $19.99 www.amiclubwear.com

10. Okay, so I know there are mucho flowers on these but the romantic in me adores these sandals.  How cute!  $15.99 at amiclubwear

Well thats all folks, hope you had as much fun as I did creating this post.  Happy shopping!

Cherio!

Out Of The Box Ideas To Organize Your Jewelry!

So, I was looking at the tangled mass of jewelry I have been meaning to sort for months now and honestly the only thing that came to mind except "do it tomorrow", was that famous line from the movie Star Wars.  Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope!  

Even though I already have two large jewelry boxes filled with my more precious pieces, I still ran out of space.   Now I have a heap of costume jewelry in two plastic pails....lol, I know, how sad is that.  Where's my "can do"  attitude?........oh there it is.   "Lets do this!" 

Now where do I start.........

First I picked out all of the broken jewelry and pieces that were either tarnished or  missing a part of the set  (earrings, bracelet, earrings) and put those in a pile.  

Next, I took out all the jewelry I hardly ever wear or don't like so much anymore.  Oddly enough this was not as hard as I thought it would be.  Perhaps because I am donating these pieces to people who will love them.......I must say that this thought really helped me to earnestly purge all the stuff I needed to.  Okay, so now I have another pile for donation as well.  The only pile left now is the one I am keeping. 

These are keepers.  Now all I have to do is find/make something to store them!

The final thing I did was to put all of the earrings, pins, watches, necklaces, bracelets and sets together in their own respective piles.  This makes it easier to find what you want in a pinch.  I also decided to put all the dressy pieces together and all the casual and everyday wear pieces in the same area for easy access.

TIP: If you craft, you can save broken jewelry for beads to use on various craft projects in the future. Save the clasps for costume jewelry repairs. Store them with your craft projects so they are handy to use and easy to find.

Where Am I Going To Put All This........

When I finally got through with all of the sorting I started to brainstorm ways to organize and display my jewelry.  I decided NO MORE BOXES for me so off I went to browse the web for storage solutions to my ever expanding costume jewelry collection.  I had no idea what I was looking for but I knew that it had to:

1. Be light weight and not bulky

2. Allow my jewelry to be seen and showcased (c'mon they are too beautiful to hide)

3. Be functional and not hard to maintain

4. Must fit my personality and lifestyle

And Now To Preserve My Jewelry.... 

Here are the most valuable lessons I have learned during research for this project.  Some of these tips I knew before but was not actively following as much as I could have. Its on now though! These simple tips will keep my pretties looking great!  (ahem....especially the ones I just released from the plastic pails)

And The tips are......

Don’t place one piece of jewelry on top of the other (especially jewelry with intricate detail or stones).  Improper storage can lead to scratching and other damages.  

If you must stack them, place a felt square or wool felting between the pieces to prevent them from rubbing together.

When storing sterling silver, place them in zip lock bag and include an anti-tarnish strip (sold at jewelry stores).   Sterling silver is likely to tarnish improperly cared for so change the strip every 6 to 9 months to keep your silver jewelry sparkling and ready to 

wear. 

Let the Fun Begin!....

Well, all I need to do now is decide which display idea I will use.  Am so excited! I really like the idea of having the jewelry on display as part of the decor, I think perhaps it would even result in me wearing them more...   What do you think?

www.designspongeonline.com

I am definitely incorporating something like this. Instead of wood though, I think I will draw the head and torso on foam core and cut it out with a utility knife.  I can buy a finished wood base at Walmart........   I saw one similar to the one used here last week, imagine that.  Its meant to be!

http://www.tonyastaab.com

This is hard core DIY, check out the tutorial at the link above.  This is such a fresh and beautiful piece but since I am horrible with measurements and can see me pulling my hair out while working on this, I am going to pass on this one.  

This innovative bracelet holder was made from the cardboard roll from an empty paper towel. Here is a link to the tutorial on how to make it. http://fashion.onblog

http://www.organize.com

These acrylic jewelry holders are so chic and modern.  I especially like the fact that they are transparent.  The jewelry is the star here and not the holder. These displays are great creating an illusion of more space and airiness in your decor, which I really appreciate.

 unknown picture link

To be honest, I only included this because its gorgeous!  I don't think this would be a practical solution for everyday pieces.  Its perfect for jewelry that you wear every other week though. Hmmmm, if I went with this idea I would probably only wear the jewelry on the arms and the neck area since it is the easiest to move and fix back.  For that reason only I will have to be content with just admiring this piece.

http://faveprettythings.blogspot.com

Wow! I really like the look of this!  I would need another storage unit in addition to this though to fit all of my pieces.

http://www.simpleeffects.com

Would you believe this is the bottom part of a rake for gardening....how clever!

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com

I really like this and the idea below. This person has lots of pieces like me and there's a place for everything in one central area. Plus it looks good.  Thats what am talking about!

picture source unknown

How cute is this for your rings!  Find it at 

http://www.shopruche.com

 for only $18.99.