Jeanette Janson-Mixed Media Artist

Oh, Christmas tree.....

 
A few more presents to share with you.

Day 4 brought a handmade charm by Tara Finlay.

And the 5th day of Christmas was made a little sweeter when I opened this handmade cell phone cozy from Lelainia Lloyd. 

But my favorite gift of all is the primitive tree that my dearest bought for me yesterday.  I've been looking for a way to showcase my vintage ornaments and had resorted to hanging them on our large tree.  They were getting a bit lost among the branches there.

  While out Christmas shopping, I saw this tree and fell in love with it.  My DH didn't hesitate and before I knew it, he was packing it into the car. 

It's home now, decorated and looking fabulous.

I can't wait to start scoping out some ornaments at the flea markets to add to it next year!

More gift exchange presents

This is what day 2 of the Christmas gift exchange brought.

A wonderful embossed copper pendant with the word "imagine" stamped in the silver layer.  Kathy Strittmater created this beautiful necklace.

And today I got to open this cutie.

Barbara Atwell made this little chap standing on a vintage baby block.  

 

Now...I wonder what tomorrow will bring???  I can hardly wait to open the 4th present!

 

The last few days have been busy with my stepdaughter visiting.  We spent yesterday afternoon baking sugar cookies.  

They ended up looking like a classroom full of 2nd graders did the frosting...my fault because I bought the icing, but forgot to get the tips to make the fancy squiggles.  So we had to improvise.  Oh well, they still taste good! 

 

I have a few new watch part items in the supply shop.

These clock hands would be perfect for a pendant of some sort.  I'll be listing lots more of these in the next week, so check back if you are interested.

 

And these movement cases would make neat earrings!

 
  Check them out here !

The 12 days of Christmas begins

A follow up to the last posting that will make everyone (including myself) feel better.  The reason why the initial limb fell was because the tree was rotting from the inside out.  It was infested with carpenter ants and decay. 

 
This is what the stump looks like presently.  The inside of the tree was a huge crater.  We are so lucky that it didn't fall before now.  It looks like it was the right decision to take it down after all.

So, with all of that behind us, we can focus once more on the Holidays.

 
Santa, on a vintage Christmas card from the 1930's.

And today is the day to begin opening presents in the 12 days of Christmas swap!!

 Day 1 brought us this adorable soldered pendant by Amy Huff.

I have always wanted to master soldering, but never dedicated the time to it.

And speaking of holiday gifts, Theresa is doing a give-away on her blog, so be sure and stop by to register!

Hope you all have a good weekend!

 

with a heavy heart

This grand old oak has been in the back yard of the house we live in long before we moved in, or the people before that moved here.  It may have been planted when the house was built...almost a hundred years ago.

Its gnarled limbs provide a canopy of shade all summer long.  I always looked at it as a majestic and wise presence in our yard.  It was like a grand Buddha....silently watching.

And then one morning we found a huge limb broken off.  When it fell, it split the tree and did irreparable damage.  We cut the limb up and tried to find a way to save the tree.  After 2 visits by tree specialists we decided to take it down. 

I stubbornly refused at first, but realized it wasn't worth someone getting hurt or worse if the tree fell.  So, with a heavy heart, I have watched them amputate, butcher and cut down this old granddad of a tree.

  I started out by taking pictures of it so I could remember what it looked like and then decided to document the whole thing. 

 
There's a big empty space in our yard now.  They have suggested we put in a red maple, they are fast growers.  It will have big shoes to fill.

 
Another cute little Christmas card from many, many years ago.  

I finished most of the orders I had and have been listing new things in the supply shop. 

This booklet is from the early 1900's with wonderful color illustrations.

A precious baby bonnet with a rosette on one side.

Spectacle frames that could be used in your artwork. 

How about a little faith this holiday season? 

And last but not least.......

Don't let the pressure get to you! 

   

Another vintage Christmas card.  Notice the word "introduce."  Isn't that strange?  It shows you how vocabulary changes over the years. 

I've been squirreled away in my studio, finishing up Christmas orders.  I completed these typewriter key bracelets today. 

 Now...onto earrings and necklaces tonight. 

I have managed to get my house decorated for the holidays. 

I put this nativity up every year.  It's an old one, made in Italy.

I got this plastic light-up Santa at a yard sale.  The wiring looked so ancient, I didn't dare plug him in.  I cut his cord out and tucked him into the limbs of my tree.

Oscar has been supervising the decorating this year : )   He thinks I put this soft blanket out just for him!

Have a good weekend.

Christmas and Birthdays

 
Last summer I stumbled across a grouping of vintage Christmas cards while flea marketing.  I tucked them away, knowing I would pull them out when the season rolled around.  I'll be sharing them with you as the days lead up to Christmas.  I think they are great looking, but I'm not sure what to do with them.  Right now they are sitting in a basket on the table.  If anyone has any neat display ideas, let me know.

I'm excited to share with you that my assemblage bird article is being re-run in the Artists' Cafe' magazine.  If you would like a copy, you can order it here.

This issue promises to be a good one, so don't hesitate!

Tomorrow is my birthday, so I hope to relax and take a day off.  We are going shopping in the afternoon and then stopping for dinner afterward.  It will be a pretty tame day, but that's OK with me.  My DH already surprised me with flowers today and bought me a jewelry armoire last week. 

Another year over....I don't feel all that different from who I was 20 years ago.   Everything has changed, though.  My kids are all grown up, I live in a different place, have new people in my life.   Hopefully I am a little wiser and a bit stronger than I was then. 

xo Jeanette

Thankful

Thanksgiving was quiet here for us.  It was just the two of us along with our furry friends.  I still cooked a 13 lb. turkey and made a big meal.  We will be eating leftovers for quite awhile!  Even though we were by ourselves, I have a lot to be thankful for.  A wonderful loving husband, my son, home safely from Iraq this year, my younger son, finishing up school and together with a great gal, and my mom, a very special lady with a zest for life.  So you see...I am very blessed.  Christmas is right around the corner and that's when they will all descend upon us!  We will greet them with open arms!

So, besides eating turkey all day, I did some new listings in Vintage Supply.  I really didn't want to fight the early morning shoppers, so I stayed home.  Here's a sampling of some new items available,

Alphabet Home primer

A dozen distressed tags

vintage escutcheon plates   
  

This is just a few items I have listed, so take a look around this weekend and see if anything appeals to you.  I am also thinking about offering gift certificates that would be good for a year,  anyone interested?

Ok, must go, it's getting late.  Hope everyone enjoys the weekend!

It's a Vintage Life

In my last post I showed you the beginning of my vintage camera collection.  On that note, I thought I would show you a few more of my favorite things that I have collected.

A doll grouping in my studio

 
  
Printing blocks lined up on the mantel

I've had these little cast iron figures forever!  My mom had them in the home when I was growing up and they got handed down to me somewhere along the line.

  
Watch parts in my studio

A wooden ruler holds old photos.  Just slide them in between the slats.

This frame holds photos of my grandmother as a child.  Wasn't she adorable?  I wish I had known her....

A fire engine red spice rack for my kitchen. 

 
  These clocks don't work, but I like the way they look....so they went up on the wall!

What do you collect??  I sometimes try to pinpoint my style, but it's constantly changing.  I just know that I have always loved antiques and vintage things....I guess that's what feels like "home" to me. 

One last note,  "The Shoppe" at Somerset Studio is now selling Assemblage Bird Kits.  You can also purchase these in my etsy shop.  These kits have everything you need to create your own assemblage bird.  Easy to follow directions are included.  These would make great ornaments to hang on the Christmas tree!

Camera collection

I've been collecting old cameras for some time now,  just picking them up here and there, never paying more than $20 apiece, sometimes much less.  I love the black and silver color and the industrial design of them.  Before I knew it, I had a "collection!"   We installed this shelf in our den the other day and now they are all up, out of harms way.  I think the shelf looks a little bare, but we'll get around to fixing that soon :)

Besides home improvement,  I've been finishing up orders and listing items in my etsy shop.  I have quite a few assemblage birds available now as well as some new typewriter key jewelry.

 
 

 
I think this jewelry would make the perfect stocking stuffer this Christmas!

Speaking of Christmas, I've been receiving gifts in the mail almost everyday.  I am a part of a "12 days of Christmas" art swap.  We all make gifts, mail them out to each other and open one everyday leading up to the 12 days of Christmas.  The gifts are so pretty, it's almost too much to bear!  I will share more about this with you when the time comes to open them.

It is time for me to relax a little now...the last few days have truly been hectic.

Nighty-Night!