* Gypsy set ready for the road

Completed the Vintage Gypsy jewelry today. I think it will be fun  to wear. I'm looking forward to it.

When I tried it on today, it really needed something toward the middle to come down a little farther.  I have been coveting this fish for years, and this was just the spot.  Added a lovely old brass cross to the other side and 'voila', I like it.  The earrings were clip ons which I turned into hanging ones for pierced ears.

Thanks for dropping in to have a look around.  Thanks for your wonderful comments.  You are all amazing.  

Eileen Caddy

Live and work but do not forget to play, to have fun in 

life and really enjoy it.

 

* Vintage Gypsy Bracelet

Finished the bracelet today. Here goes. ...

I've been collecting vintage for a long time and it will be fun to wear some of it.

Thanks for stopping in and for all your lovely comments.  See you tomorrow

I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.

— Maya Angelou  (Love that Woman!)

           

* A little Gypsy in my soul ...

Gypsy's have always fascinated me. Always. Before I knew what they were I was in love with them. Traveling in Europe I was exposed to them and I loved them more. So, somewhere, deep inside, I must have a little of that, whatever it is, in me. I'm making myself some, what I call at least, Gypsy Jewels.

 I completed the necklace today and will make earrings and a bracelet. Here is the necklace. It's made to go with an orange dress.

I've collected bits and pieces forever.  The little tea cup came in a bag of goodies from a garage sale.  The beautiful millefiori beads from Italy are vintage.  So I thought, why would I not make something for myself to wear.  Especially as there is a birthday party coming up.  I tend to never think about doing nice things for me - although I am trying hard to put more intention in that area.

I've begun the bracelet, however it's not complete.  Maybe manana.

Thanks for dropping by for a look.  It is appreciated.  Take care.

We are born at a given moment, in a given place and, like vintage years of wine, we have the qualities of the year and of the season of which we are born. Astrology does not lay claim to anything more.
Carl Jung

* It's a totally different story! Who Knew.

Frankly, I have been baffled by this painting. One sentence out of the child's mouth and that was it. I assumed the mother was pregnant. Later, after the last post was published, I had two phone calls. Each was from a woman who knows me to the depths of my soul. The first friend said, 'Hmmmmmm, interesting painting, I see it's brought up some things about you and your Mother?" "What???" ...  I proceeded to argue the point. The second call, I asked the question. "What do you see in this painting? What do you think it's about?" "Well, it's about you and your Mom, of course." .... she proceded to give me a full reading on the painting. I was beginning to see the light by this time - two people - two intuitives with exactly the same story! How did I miss it? Guess I just didn't want to go there. So without going into a great dissertation about the relationship with my Mama, whom I loved dearly,  I have changed the title to "Mama, will you still love me when I'm an artist?" 

There, that says it all. You can figure out the rest. The painting has turned rather mystical. As one of my friends and I studied it on the phone together, she said, "Are you aware of the face in her tummy?" "What face?" .... WOW, I had missed it all, which is so rare for me with these paintings. Have a look, there is definitely a face just above her arm in her tummy/breast area. "And if you count the straps and the V neck on her dress as ears, it could be part animal - perhaps a wolf ... that's what comes to mind for me". Holy Cow!!!  Somehow I had always considered wolf as my personal totem .... hmmmmm, the plot thickens.

Then it was my turn to gasp ... "Look on the right hand side of the painting. The place between her turquoise coat and the edge of the painting. There is a man walking away.", I exclaimed. Hmmmm, yet again. Much discussion over that one. I'll leave it to your imaginations.

So that's the story. I completely missed it, didn't want to hear it, didn't want to look at it, just simply didn't want to. Now I know why looking at the little girl brings such a lump to my throat, and tears to my eyes.  I put the finishing touches on the painting yesterday.  It is complete.

"Mama, will you still love me when I'm an artist?"

Also made a card for a friend yesterday.

And I'm seriously thinking about turning the following into a birthday card, for Bob of homemade pasta fame.  The are coming down and there will be a party.  He loves "Day of the Dead" stuff.

She does say "You have my heart", which of course he does and may keep it, as long as the homemade pasta keeping coming to my door! :o)

My lovely blogger friends - how blessed I am to have met you.  I receive such lovely notes in my email from so many of you.  Thanks for dropping by, and thanks for being part of my life.  Hope you are all having a great Sunday.

“A good friend is a connection to life, a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world.”

Lois Wyse (1926-2007)

 

* Mama, will you still love me?

I've worked all day and it's time to take a break. They are coming along. Very quiet though. No words or chitter chatter from these two. I think they are just enjoying their quiet time together. The little girl is very relieved that she will be loved just as much after the new baby arrives, however, she still want's to enjoy the alone time with her Mama. So they are together in the woods, quiet, listening to the sounds of nature and knowing they have each other.  A lovely feeling.  A safe feeling.

"Mama, will you still love me?"

So there is no more for today, my lady lovlies.  We had a lovely rain last night and it's a bit cooler today.  Thanks for coming to have a look.

Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see bird that had the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses. – Dale Carnegie

  

* Will you still love me Mama?

My painting took a surprising turn of events. The Mother is with child. While I was in the zone today, I heard the little girl say,  "Will you still love me Mama?"  That will be the name of this painting.

Obviously Gypsy's, this painting has surprised me non stop.  Come to think of it, I guess they all do.  Still much work to be done.

Thanks for coming over.  Hope all is well with you and you are having some wonderful creative times in your lives.

The only people mad at your for speaking the truth are those living a lie.

 

* More fun with vintage and a quick block in

A painting is forming on the canvas. It's been coming in bits and pieces for the last couple of days. It's not easy. It almost hurts because I don't know what it wants. So far I'm struggling. I know it
will come - just have to wait.

It looks scary right now.  Who knows what will happen tomorrow.

Another pair of blue sparklers.

Black sparklers.

I thought these would be fun and they are.  Just for every day.  Have to find some brass ear loops.

No more.  That's it.  It's over for today.  Thanks for stopping in.  Still HOT here.  In the morning it's beautiful.  I open all the doors and let the cool air flow through.  Delightful.  By night - a frying pan!  Be well.

“Remember, all the answers you need are inside of you; you only have to become quiet enough to hear them.” Debbie Ford, author, speaker, and founder of the Ford Institute for Integrative Coaching

PS:  I was watching "Live at Lincoln Centre" last night.  A Marvin Hamlisch concert.  I expected to see him.  I didn't!  It took me a few minutes to figure out he's dead ... at 68 ... DEAD!  It's a recent death, however since I no longer am a media nut, I didn't know.  I was shocked.  Marvin has inspired and delighted me for years - ever since 'The Sting' I think.  But then I saw him in person - and I fell in love.  His sense of humour kept me on the edge of my seat, his tallent enthralled me and delighted me.  He was, among other things,  a music man I will never forget.  May he rest in peace.

  

* Playing with vintage ...

Playing with vintage jewelry makes me happy. I have boxes of the stuff. Unfortunately, I either have to slow down to a crawl (not my style) or give it up altogether. Adjusting to poor eyesight, I am finding, is not one of my strong points. I managed to to a little today. I'm in love with the bracelet. The earrings? Well, they are
just a little bit of fun.

Just happened to have an earring which fit perfectly.  They are delightful together.  Quite a pair.  :o)

That's it for today.  It's been waaaaayyyyy toooooo HOT!  You don't want to know what I am wearing at the moment!  Hope you had a great weekend.  Thanks for dropping by.

“If you are insecure, guess what? The rest of the world is, too. Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think.” ~ Timothy Ferriss

 

* Wedding card of a different sort ...

I was asked to make a wedding card for a gentleman who is 80 and his bride of much the same age. All I really know is she is a musician and he is a financial consultant. I struggled. White lace, pearls and images of a bride and groom gazing into each others eyes just were not cutting it for me.

I began with a background of music and old ledger paper. That seemed appropriate. Then I began to rummage through my box of images. I came across a telegram from Belgium which actually was a congratulations telegram for a wedding. This caught my eye because the horse and rider looked so happy. Next I fell upon a victorian image of people standing around what looked like a bar, chatting etc. hmmmm, I thought, this could be a wedding. So I did a little fancy cutting, pasted them on the front of the card. Cut some words out and voila - the front of the card was finished.

I made an envelope out of hand made paper, cut a label for it and stuck on a little embellishment.  I did a close up of the image off the telegram.  I think it's just gorgeous.  Fancy receiving a telegram this beautiful with a happy message.  Those were the days.

So that's it.  It's a little off the wall, so I have told the person who wanted me to make it there is no obligation to take it.

It poured yesterday afternoon and flooded my driveway, plugging up the drain to the sewer.  I had to wade out and unblock it, pull out the debris and put everything back together.  I was not amused.  It's being fixed on Friday.

Well my lovlies - thank you for having a look and leaving such lovely comments.  It's always a pleasure and a lovely surprise to find them there.

My friends are getting married.  I'm getting drunk.

I think we know who the real winner is.

(Sorry, it made me laugh)

 

* I love these!

So dusty and full of dirt in a pile of junk, I could hardly tell if they were glass or plastic. My best guess was glass, so I bought them. I've hauled all this vintage jewelry around with me for years, so it's fun to work with some of it.

Polished up to the nines, these vintage beauties are off to the ball again. They are beautifully cut glass and crystals, gone from clip on to a dangle which sways as you whirl around the floor. (What a dreamer I am).  I have used sterling ear loops so there will not be an allergic reaction.  Besides, these babies deserve the real thing.

That's is for today my dears.  I'm off to the dentist - not a favorite pass time of mine, however, it must be done.  Thanks for dropping in.  If I'm not here, help yourself to the sangria.  

"Creativity, as has been said, consists largely of rearranging what we know in order to find out what we do not know. Hence, to think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted."

— George Kneller

 

* A little bit of jewelry

Got new jewelers visors. With a light. Tried it for real today and made a piece of jewelry. It's slow going. My eyes tire easily and no question, I cannot see like I used to. With the stroke in my left eye, I have definitely lost some of my depth of field. Especially for close up work. So it took all day. So what I guess. I'm just not used to being impaired in any way. I'd better get used to it. So, here's my first attempt since the vision adventure. All vintage jewelry taken apart and put back together in different ways. The eagle is a broach. The rings can be removed so it can be worn as such. Only got one earring finished. I will do the other manana.

That's all for today, my lovlies.  Hope you all had a lovely Mother's Day.  Thanks for dropping in.

Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.  ~Marion C. Garretty

 

* Happy Mothers Day ....

to all you Mom's out there. As Oprah always says, "It's the most difficult job in the world."  Do hope you are all being spoiled.

 Remembering my Mama today and wishing we could have tea and a chat. Happy Mother's Day Mama. I hope there are Pansies and Fuschia hanging baskets where you are.  Sending butterfly kisses.

Thanks for dropping around.

I Learned Something today ....

about myself, actually. I really really strongly DISLIKE cutting paper. Oh, maybe if I had an electric paper cutter, or even one of those good old strong ones with the big lever handle that always reminded me of a gillotine! But Oh PLEASE - don't give me one of these little plastic things that will only take 5 pieces of paper at a time and expect me to make umteen dozen journals! NO. NOT. ME. So I think my journal making days are over for a little while at least. I honestly have more fun tearing the big sheets of water colour paper into pieces to form signatures and do copic binding. No more whining! I did get four out of five journals done today -
so I can't complain too much.

Hot again here today.  What about where you are?  Thanks for the visit - always lovely to know you have dropped by. xo

The first sign of a nervous breakdown is when you start thinking your work is terribly important.

 Milo Bloom 

 

* more journal covers ...

Digging through my stash again today and came upon all the lovely sequin things you can purchase here. I keep a little box of emergency gifts, but in this case, the emergency being my surgery, I took them all out and made journal covers. I still have to go an purchase some more paper before they can be bound, however the
covers are completed.

They are all small journals the largest being 5 X 7, the others a little smaller.

I think they will be fun when they are complete.

It's quite warm here.  90 degrees.  Nice in the morning, however in the afternoon I have all the fans on in the studio and the curtains drawn to keep el sol out.  Did I tell you I have a fridge upstairs now?  YES!  A friend of mine needed a new one, so she gave me this one.  It's an under the counter size.  Just right for keeping 'bottled water'.  :o)

Thanks for stopping in today.  Hope all is well with you and you're havin' fun.

“It is only those who never do anything who never make mistakes.”  ~A. Favre