happy new year

i didn't get a nap for christmas

we had a wonderful christmas. a few days off from work. i was hoping for a long winter's nap. well santa maybe next year.

marie

MERRY CHRISTMAS

for unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah: 9:6

The Bliss~~ard of 2009

no not blizzard just BLISS~~ard. the storm came up from the carolinas and virginia. i guess a few other states didn't escape the storm. from what i have read the east coast was hit the hardest. here on the jersey shore i'm hearing crazy amounts like 20". we dug ourselves out, piles of snow everywhere. we stuffed it anywhere we didn't have to touch it again with a shovel! lots of snow, sore arms and backs but, i still think it looks pretty.

marie

SquEEzin' in a project

hello! i hope all is well with everyone. 'tis the season when we start wishin' for a few extra hours in a day. i will be adding an extra 8 hours to my list, santa did you hear that? i'm lookin' for TIME, wrap it up pretty with a big pink bow. while i'm waiting for that jolly 'ole elf to slide down my chimney with that new present i have to do the best i can with what i'm workin with. i returned to a non-nursing 35 hour per week job. this positon seems more my speed right now. i'm just looking to help with household extras and  tuck some $$ away for my booth space and the BIG plan...save towards a brick & mortar place of my own. i'd like to share a quick project with you all just in case you're lookin for santa to bring you the same gift as i've asked for. utility/worship candle from the dollar store all decked out in holiday rub-on's this took 10 minutes to do. i had a little trouble getting the rub-on to "melt" to the glass, but i solved the problem by using a blow dryer on the glass to heat it up. i added the little ribbon just to dress it up some. very cute & easy. well, i need to catch up on blog reading. take care.

blessings

marie

Winter snow globe

i think snow globes are magical. i remember doing a craft project in grammar school or it could have been brownies. it's been a long time since i was in either one. we used baby food jars, oil, glitter and plastic objects like prizes from the gum ball machine or cracker jack box. i remember loving the time we spent working on the project. we made them as christmas gifts for our parents. i was thrilled when my mom opened it and made a fuss. crafting was fun 38 years ago and i'm still enjoying it. these two snow globes were designed using vintage candle stick holders the base the angels are sitting on. the domes i picked up from michael's, snow flakes and a banner wishing winter blessings, a little glitter and glam. today i took them over to my booth i sure hope they find a home quick they're really cute!

blessings

marie

BLESSINGS & THANKSGIVING

Ring bearer pillow collage

i found this pillow at a thrift shop, it had some "age" to it. i thought ok, i can do something with this(why is it that whatever i find junkin' i always say "i can do somethin' with this") then a conversation between me & myself takes place. and i always seem to convince me & myself that the cast offs do need a new home and an upcycled life. they may sit around my craft room awhile, i move them from one place to another just trying to connect further with them. ummm, yes my family thinks i've lost all my marbles. haha, and you may too, it's ok. i take them out and look at them from various angles, hummm and hahhh and say ok, someday you'll be this...or that. and so new beginnings start with a puff of inspriration, transformation takes place and before i know it things happen. an old pillow that once was used by a cute little cherub to take on the awesome responsibility of carring the rings to the bride & groom becomes a little piece of art. creating new life for any of the cast offs i find at my favorite junkin' spots is worth the debate that takes place between me & myself after all it's a win, win conversation isn't it?

taking this pillow to a new level i did a tea stain, coffee stain soak on the pillow. when that didn't work so well i switched to coffee (left over from the mornings' brew) in a squirt bottle. worked better! buttons & lace, a watch face & a cross (i don't think it's visible in the pics but, it's next to the flowers) a few other odds~n~ends that came from sue at junkinlady.blogspot.com she sells treasure boxes packed with the greatest trinkets and well...i guess you're going to have to find out what's inside box #1, #2 or #3 for yourself.

the bride image came from karen @graphicsfairy.

karen put together

 pay her a visit and find out how to do some braggin'. sorry about the pictures they're not the best, i'm working on my photo taking skills as well as my computer/techie skills. everyone have a blessed thanksgiving now i'm off to the grocery store since we havent picked our fall harvest from the back yard.

blessings

marie

I tip my hat to you

  i love vintage hats

and gloves and bags with beads

and red velvet hats

easter bonnets

and the colors of spring

and the beauty of vintage hats

if we have 'em we should use 'em

blessings

marie

I'M NOT SURE WHY THERE IS A SQUARE FLOATING ON MY BLOG

I'm experiencing difficulties. I think. I have a shadow box  behind my pictures and text. It says photobucket something or another. Does this imagine show as you're reading the blog? If anyone can help me out I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you
Marie

Dotted Swiss upcycled

Good day all! Nice to have you here at Romance & Relics. I would like to share my banner (almost finished). I took apart a relic. This dotted swiss was once an apron. PINK & white so sweet. Imagine the lady that once used this for all the family holidays, imagine just how special all the meals must have been. I bet she put this 'ole thing on with great pride. That's what I thought the moment I found it in a pile of good stuff at the thirft store. It was a hand crafted apron for sure back in the day. I gladly took it home and pulled it out from time to time priming the inspiration side of the brain. One day a few weeks back it came to me. a BANNER. As I held the apron strings out from side to side I immediately saw it. The body of the apron would be for the pennants and the waist band would be where the pennants hung from. All the other prettties are embellishments I had. My next step is adding J~~O~~Y~~ to each pennant. Not sure what type of medium I will use for the letters maybe a combination of paper and fabric. This was such a JOY to create! and very easy. Next time you come across a vintage apron and not sure what to do with it just think BANNER. Thanks for your visit today. Please go see Beverly @ How Sweet The Sound.

See whats PINK!

Blessings
Marie

Altered bottle

 a little project that got finished this week. i would like to get a few more of these finished. but time is tight, you know that extra pressure we put on ourselves during the holidays. i'm building my inventory at my booth, adding to my web site, cooking, cleaning, shopping & looking for a new job. that's not too stressful i can handle more, right? take care.

More fun with collages

                                          I'm having way to much fun with Picasa!!

Web Site

Whispers of Romance and Relics
(click above link for new site)

I've stated many times I'm techie challenged. My blog was suppose to be more for "business" it seemed I could navigate better on the blog then a web site. Six months into blogging and I had a change of heart. I was having fun visiting all the BEAUTIFUL blogs and the talented ladies that make reading them pure pleasure. I  thought it best to keep the fun~~blogging seperate from the business side of me. As the saying goes "never mix business with pleasure". My goodness it's taken me long enough to put the web site together. It's easy that's what everyone tells me. I started adding items and things got real crazy at home, the remodel took a lot out of me. I left the site unfinished until this past week and little by little I've learned and added! Ok, so I'm now seperating fun & business and the site will start tickin' as soon as I get pay pal hooked up. This brings me one step closer to where I truly want to be. Next is the store front in a busy business district or a little cottage studio tucked away on a side street. Dreams do come true!

Christmas Ornament

See how far some paper, ribbon, glitter and a vintage angel will go. I'll be bringing this over to the shop this week. Diana will be putting the tree up as well as working on the web site for Treasures By The Sea. She's a busy bee! Speaking of web sites I need to really get mine together. I started working on it  5 months ago, ouch!

Have a blessed day,

Marie

Come for tea on this PINK Saturday

PINK, PINK, PINK

hi and welcome to my post of PINK. i've been very inspired the past few weeks. the other day i put together this vignette, PINK teapot~~vintage, PINK cup&saucer~~vintage, PINK cream&sugar set~~ maybe vitntage not sure, i picked it up at a consignment shop a few years ago. PINK little doilie had a make over, most of it was damaged i'm using the end that was in good shape. putting the house back together after the constrution/remodel everything from ceiling to floor and all the knick knacks had to be cleaned. i picked this time to redesign/revamp and make new vignettes. my OCD had the best of me that day. moved that tray many times before i said it's staying in the next spot and thats where it will be until...

for the picture i put the tray on the couch it looks good there but, only for picture taking. someone will surely sit on it. now i  have it displayed on a dinningroom chair it looks OK there until i find the perfect spot. i love how sweet the faux strawberries and faux pastry look.
enjoy the day there are many other bloggers who would love your company and remember to visit Beverly @ How Sweet The Sound she is a wonderful hostess

  Blessings

Marie

Where would I be without JUNK

JUNK is the STUFF we throw away; STUFF is the JUNK we save.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE

  PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE YOUR SERVICE IS THE REASON I AM FREE TO BE JUST ME!

Making Up For Lost Time

i've mentioned a few times that i hadn't been doing much creating due to construction. most of my supplies  were packed in the storage unit, and everything here was upside down. we are getting back to normal and little by little i've unpacked everything and found a home for most of my stuff. this is what happens when displaced crafters have been away from creating. the kitchen is taking a beating. my new workspace needs a floor and a few minor touch ups. i'm thinking after the new year i'll feel up to finishing it. for now i pull everything out and the kitchen looks like this for days, and my family readjusts, we eat on snack trays in the familyroom. they know it's helping the cause.

i'm pleased with the way this vintage tussie mussie looks. i added a few vintage pieces on it, the angel is a pre-made tag and the pin behind her head makes it pop.

redesigned vignette on top of the china cabinet in my livingroom.

 

i have seen the work of others that do an outstanding job on their photo frames. they inspire, and so here's my hands at something they have perfected. i have created a few of these frames but, this is my favorite. a lot of vintage jewerly and some vintage buttons, bling! bling!. i'll be taking the tussie mussie and the frame to my booth today, i asked if the frame could go in the window at the store, diana said sure. thanks diana. the mess in the kitchen is put away, the kitchen table was used for a meal last night! all is well for now...

Blessings

Marie

Thank you all for your help. I did it. Sheila (The Quintessential Magpie) sent me to Susan(Between Naps on the Proch). Susan has a great tutiorial for using Picasa. It was rather easy. I'm very grateful fo all the help.
Many Blessings,
Marie

I was hoping for a PINK COLLAGE

I tried for hours, I tried to create a collage of PINK china. Wow I'm spent. I BloG around and I see some blogs that have the prettiest of pictures, some are put together in a collage form. I drool over them. My PINK post today was going to be all my Pink china in collage form. Well, it didn't work. If any of you kind ladies know how to create a collage with pictures please share, I would be very grateful. OK having shared my lack of BLOg knowledge I would like to share these pretty pieces. I found them all at the same antique store. It's an old grocery store converted into a massive warehouse of trashie treasures and antique/vintage. Things are packed four and five items deep and just put where ever. So, when shopping  it's a game of hide&seek. I think I come out the winner but, I'll let you decide. Enjoy! you all have a great week. Please visit howsweetthesound.typepad.com/ for more blogs of PINK.

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GOD BLESS FORT HOOD

Altered jewelry neck display

so many things play a role in my life. being a wife (remarried after 17 years divorced), a mother to my young adult children who live back home after being away at college. a step-mom to my young adult sons, my nursing career that i would much rather tuck away and probably not visit it again. but, all the tugging and pulling that comes at me on a day to day basis there is one role that balances the madness. the role of crafter, wow! i get to use my imagination and do whatever the newly stimulated brain cells call for. basically it's the only time my brain is on ~~off. does anyone else experience this while creating? the brain seems to be working in all lobes. i like that, it's forgetting the wife part, mother part & nurse part. it's all there but far removed i often wonder, why?
i wasn't able to create many projects this past summer due to the construction/remodel we were having done. the past two weeks is the most creating i've done since june. the neck display i'm sharing was all about vintage. it's an altered jewelry display. using vintage sewing patterns & decoupage, some pretty old lace, buttons & jewelry makes this an extension of myself. the role of an 'ol vintage crafter that has let way too much time pass to get her hands back on the "GOOD STUFF"

Blessings

Marie