ephemera necklaces

Pounds Sterling - SOLD

After much fussing, I managed to update my Etsy shop today with just a smattering of the ephemera necklaces I promised you. It wasn't easy. In fact, if it weren't for The Fan and The Secret Weapon, these wouldn't be finished at all. 

Queen's Medallion

I am pretty pleased with the way they have turned out. Might I suggest that they be worn in groups of three? That's how I wear mine. They really are lovely, all clustered together. I'll get a photo of mine to show you tomorrow.

King George Penny 

Tomorrow, I also plan to post the rest of the necklaces in my Etsy shop. 

Irish Lass

Forever My Love

Cupid's Rose

Lady Republic - SOLD

Belle of the Isle

Italian Matinee - SOLD

Grand Gesture

Queen of the Vineyard - SOLD

Queen Bee - SOLD

Madame Royale - SOLD

Queen of Francs - SOLD

As you can see, I was influenced by all things royal and European. I was thrilled to nab onto some aluminum Francs... did you know that during World War II, in order to save metal for the war effort, Francs were made of lightweight aluminum? They really are light and lovely to wear around your neck on an antiqued ball chain. They have a dull patina that gives them great character. Which one is your favourite?

your holiday wish

My head is spinning from making and sorting and packaging swap charms. Everything is pretty much ready to go now. Plus, I had a wonderful afternoon making charm bracelets with my local swapping peeps. Check out this sparkly action!  I will be sporting this cutie on my wrist next weekend in Chicago.

The good news for you... I have a bundle of charms left over. I'm not going to put them onto a bracelet, but I'm going to put them together in a little kit for one lucky reader. If you win, you can put it together any way you like! Doesn't that sound like fun? Perhaps you will wear it yourself or you might gift it to someone special for the holidays.

Just leave a comment on this post before Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. CST. One of the Cheerios will make the draw at practice that night. Tell me... what is your holiday wish this year?

ephemera necklace

I made this one for myself... using some of my favourite bits and pieces after I made necklaces for the show on the weekend.

Someone very special sent me the dragonfly and I saved him just for this!

The old typewriter keys stand for Saucy, Veto, Buddy and Loopy. I'm resisting the temptation to snip that tiny thread from the ribbon... it adds to the appeal, don't you think?

cupcake buffet

I catered the cupcake buffet for my friend Leica's Saskatchewan Scraps crop event this weekend. It doesn't look like there are 160 cupcakes on this table, but there are!

Strawberry sponge cake with buttercream frosting. It was a new flavour for me.

My signature chocolate with pink frosting and sprinkles! Just like my banner. Lurrve.

Red velvet with golden buttercream frosting. Thank you to Miss Karen for providing extra frosting for this venture... it was needed!

S'mores cupcakes: these ones were gone first, I wonder why?

Classic red velvet with vanilla buttercream. These were the only "holiday" decorated cupcakes on the table.

Soft pink buttercream frosting... I used a food spray to get the delicate effect.

There's nothing as pretty as a table of assorted cupcakes, do you agree? Leica threw an amazing event, all of the scrappers had a great time - it was exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time. I also took new necklace and bracelet designs to the event on Saturday. What is left will be in my Etsy later this week, just in time for Christmas shipping.

Loopy and I took in New Moon with our friends Jenn, Karen and Georgina on the weekend! Before I tell you what I thought, I need to know: Team Edward?

Or Team Jacob? Loopy and I are Team Jacob... we aren't into the emaciated, romantic, blood-drinking type. We decided after the show that we both like the mysterious, loyal werewolf types. What can I tell you? We're dog people.

New Moon was so much better than Twilight. Obviously they had more money for production and special effects this time around. It ran for two hours and I didn't once ask Loopy if it was over yet, like I did when we watched Twilight. The best part was sitting next to Karen and sharing a running commentary about the shirtless werewolves and vampires.

Oh, and taking a nice comfy chair out of the dollhouse for Little Ed, and a Coke in case he got, uh, thirsty. That part was fun, too.

New Moon gets four out of five cupcakes from the buffet table. Two cupcakes for the acting, but two bonus cupcakes for the shirtless beefcake. 

Hey, I'm just being honest.

d-o-n-e, get it done!

If I seem a little distant right now... I am. I am a little torn in every direction. Today I managed to bake over 160 cupcakes for Lecia's Saskatchewan Scraps event. Tonight The Fan came over and helped me make seven batches of frosting and tomorrow I will assemble everything on site just before they are served.  If I did my math correctly I should have about twelve flavours. I'll show you highlights on Monday, you can bet on it.

Also, if I accomplished nothing else this week, I got the Cheerios in order. I found a fantastic deal on shoes at Payless - and it's BOGO right now! The uniforms and poms have been ordered and they're on their way. If you can follow this: I'm having them shipped to my friend's mother in Detroit - and then Veto's cousin and wife will pick them up at her house on their way from Windsor to Chicago when they meet us in December. I'm taking an extra suitcase with me and packing everything to bring home with me. Does it sound like a bit of a dog-and-pony show to you? An apple pie hubbub? Quite possibly. Keep your spirit fingers crossed for me.

Lastly, I set up a private blog for the Cheerios, their parents and the assistant coaches. I'm going to post all the information they will need there. My new motto will be, "when in doubt, check the blog." It's a huge improvement from my old motto, "if you can't say anything nice, come sit next to me."

Now, I have to get the Cheerios on the business end of a fundraiser - and quickly. I've been out of the coaching loop for almost a decade. What's the scoop? What's a hot seller on the circuit right now? All suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

she loves boys who sparkle

I have a friend and she's got it bad.  Real bad.  She manages to keep it together for appearance's sake, but it's not good at all.  She has this thing for Twilight.

A little school-girlish? A tad. But in a delightful way... and I can only say this with a straight face because when Veto is out of town, I like to wear my Rick Springfield pyjamas. So I understand her a bit.

But Dr. Noah Drake is past his heyday and the fuss today is all about Rob. Robmania has hold of my friend Jenn in the worst way. Even Dr. Drake wouldn't be able to cure her.

Little Ed can be counted on to pop out of her pocket at every occasion. Charm bracelet assembly lines. Cupcake baking marathons and yes, indeed, he will join us at the movie on Sunday. Let it be said that Loopy (who affectionately calls Jenn "the Twi-Mom") and I only agreed to see the movie because we want the chance to see it with Jenn. We all have obligations on Thursday night (Cheerios practice) and Lecia's event takes place this weekend (perhaps Little Ed would like a cupcake?) and so Sunday night it is.

We anticipate Jenn to be a quivering mass of hysteria. We are packing supplies: hydration, sustenance, first aid supplies, video camera, and a change of pants and diapers. Friends, it will be a sight to behold.

In the meantime, if anyone dare says that Jenn isn't the biggest fan of Twilight in our fair city, I will... cupcake them. And if they claim that she is indeed the biggest Twilight fan in our city... I will... cupcake them.  This means you, Rambin' Dave. It's a contest sponsored by a local radio station.  If you think Jenn deserves to win, visit Dave's blog and let him know.

Nothing to show, nothing to say... except just for fun, I thought you might like to see my "to do" list for the rest of the week.  I'll keep you posted at how it's going.

1. Finish measuring all the Cheerios for their new uniforms.
   
2. Order the uniforms on Thursday at the latest.  Done!  And poms and shoes too!
   
3. Organize and order footwear for the Cheerios... this can happen locally, thankfully.
   
4. Help The Secret Weapon gussy up a new bag of vintage coins for bracelets and necklaces.
   
5. Run out to pick up the chain I use for the necklaces and then antique it.
   
6. Assemble said necklaces.
   
7. Mail out some Etsy orders.
   
8. The charms are arriving steadily for the swap; I need to keep on top of whose have arrived and be at the ready to send them out.
   
9. Buy groceries to make 150 + cupcakes.
10. Make 150 + cupcakes for Saskatchewan Scraps on Saturday.
    
11. Be ready to show my new jewelry pieces at the event on Saturday.
    
12. Plan the agenda for the Parent-Community Council meeting next Wednesday.
    
13. Cheerios practice tonight and Thursday night.
    
14. Mark and record all of Loopy's KUMON for after school tomorrow.
    
15. The laundry... oh, the laundry.
    
16. The ironing, oh, the ironing... but I did manage to set up the ironing board so that's a start, right?
    
17. We might have to eat.  Apparently not.  We can subsist on a steady diet of smoothies and cheese and crackers when Veto is out of town.
    
18. Still on the search for polka dotted gymnatics briefs for the Cheerios. I gave up. I ordered plain yellow boy shorts. We'll fancy them up somehow.
    
19. Need to figure out something for the Cheerios to sell ASAP to get some cash flowing.
20. Need to set a date and plan for the Cheerios Cupcake Party fundraiser.
    
21. I've set up a Cheerios website for them to use privately. I need to get the routines and information put up on it and let the parents know about it.
    
22. I have some special Etsy orders I need to finish.
    
23. Get a bracelet to Pepper to give to her head cheerleader as a gift.
24. Take Halloween decorations down.  I did it while the water meter guy was here, and I dusted the main floor while I waited for him to finish.
    
25. Have the water meter replaced. 
    
26. Call a plumber to have the other work done. Yay! He's coming tomorrow!
27. Arrange the metal guy to remove the old chimney. Yay! He's coming Monday!
28. Ummm... the dog license renewals didn't go through. Grab the paperwork and go to City Hall to straighten it out. 
    
29. Follow up with our contractor.  Loopy's bathroom renovation begins Monday.
    
30. Buy or order a new tub before Monday.
31. Reschedule/juggle some doctor's appointments. Rebooked for December and January!
    
32. Buy the fabric and notions for Loopy's Home Economics sewing project by Friday.
    
33. Wash and dry the Home Ec project fabric.  Now I need to iron it.
34. Help Loopy finish her major Ethical Living assignment by Friday at the latest.  She has been working on it for three weeks and it is still not done.
    
35. Go to Walmart and print more photos for the pictures she needs to finish the assignment.
    
36. Get vaccinated for H1N1.
    
37. On second thought, avoid getting vaccinated for H1N1. I don't have time for side effects right now.
    
38. Finish the charms and plans for the local charm party on November 29th. Now I have to package them.
    
39. The cheque is in the mail.  At least, that's what they told me at City Hall when I phoned them looking for my paycheque.
40. Pick up prescription refills.
41. Rearrange the hotel plans for Chicago. It's a long story. Veto took care of this.
42. Find the perfect shade of ribbon for a custom wedding garter I am making.
43. Get to Michaels and use my 50% off coupon.  And then do it again on Thursday.  And maybe Friday.
44. Do something to my favourite paint-splattered Levis to make them look like I wanted them that way.
45. This is the first year I'm not done my Christmas shopping by now. In fact, I've barely scratched the surface. It's dismal.

It's going to be a squeeze, my friends. Like I said, I'll keep you posted. I'm going to cross things off my online list just to let you know how I am making out.  The only problem with this, is that I will likely add to the list also.  Isn't that the way it works?

At least there will be some cool necklaces to show you later in the week... and if they don't sell out over the weekend again, they might show up in my Etsy next week.

Is it just this time of year, or are you overwhelmed also?

the fan's birthday

I didn't really do right by The Fan for her birthday today.  I picked her up in the afternoon and ran her around from place to place searching for sturdy, affordable footwear for the Cheerios. It was a fruitless adventure, we'd have been much better off at Starbucks planted in the big comfy chairs. It's a good thing she's so good-natured and she's used to my crazy projects. Any other mother would have been miffed with a birthday trip to the Adidas Outlet and Shoe Warehouse.

I did, however, create some amazing cupcakes for the occasion. They are red velvet with sweet buttercream icing with a dash of cherry cordial flavouring. 

The best part, if you look really closely, are the chocolate bits on top. I bought them at yesterday's event from the Epicure rep. I sprinkled them with these dark chocolate beads called Indulgence. The aroma of them is heavenly if you adore the smell of chocolate (who doesn't?) and they really are dark and glamorous looking.  You can make them into a dark hot chocolate drink by adding hot water or you can use them as a garnish on baking or lattes.

At least I managed to arrange some flowers for The Fan, but I shamelessly did so in the beautiful vase she gave me as a gift, so that makes me a re-gifter/loaner. Because I want it back, and she knows it. It's just so amazingly tall that for once, I didn't have to chop off the stems of the long roses. And since nothing went my way today, I managed to break one rose off at it's head, sadly decapitating it over my sink with careless handling. I was in a flap. Once I start breaking flowers, one flap leads to another... and there you have it. Flapville.

Oh, well. My intentions were good. Anyone care to wish The Fan a Happy, Happy Birthday? We lurrve her so.

vintage bits of love

Today's show was a huge hit... thanks to Tammi for hosting it. The girl's got mad organizational skills. It was a great opportunity to meet new people and to visit and generally hang out in a relaxed atmosphere. I also revealed my new designs in bracelets and necklaces. They're sort of funky, vintage, metal ephemera goodies.

All the coins dangling from them are real - and vintage, most of them from the 50's and 60's - from The Secret Weapon and The Fan's journeys across Europe. The Secret Weapon first visited Europe as a young man in 1957. I've seen the photo albums. Think "Mad Men" meets the London art scene. Very cool. And he saved all these coins for someday... like now.

Of course he figured out how to zap the proper toggles to them and they are planted on there as sturdy as all get-out. Now I can have fun with them and dangle them from all sorts of lovely creations.

And before I could even think about it, these bracelets were gone. In a flash. Dotted with Francs and Sixpence and Half-Francs and Deutsche Marks... 

... embellished with fleur-de-lis and tiny Eiffel Towers.

I dug deep into my tickle trunk of goodies to make these up for today's show. And now they are gone.

Tonight I pulled out raw chains, pearls and charms from the absolute bottom of the treasure trove. I want to pull a few more together for next weekend. At the very least, a few more of these necklaces:

I lurrve the juxtaposition of the industrial ball chain with the delicate vintage treasures.

And I am sorry to tell you this, but I have none of these left, either. I was not even clever enough to pick one out for myself to model during the show and then keep. It was a silly move. One might even say, amateur.

I truly think I liked this one the best. The patina on the coin was just perfect. So lovely against that metal chain. Do you follow my train of thought, Dear Reader? *sniff*sniff* Away it went.

In the end, all that remains is one last special piece, that will be popped in the mail tomorrow for a dear friend who needs a lift. It says:

Dear Rosa: I will be home soon.  xoxoxo