Jeanette Janson-Mixed Media Artist

Hymnal Sheet flowers

Whenever I see vintage sheet music, I just have to buy it.  Even though I already have a ton of it, I can't bear to walk away when it's reasonably priced.  There's always cool things that can be made with it.  I started playing around with flowers this weekend that I'm going to make into a wreath.  I thought I would share with you how these came together.

I began by folding a music sheet in half and cutting the edges with decorative edged scissors.

Next came walnut ink along the edges to give it an old look.

I glued two of the long sheets together so I would have lots of folds in the flower.

Press those together and watch out for hot glue on the fingers.

Now it's time to start folding the paper, accordion style.

All folded, now I will punch two holes in the center and knot it with needle and thread.

After that's done, I want to open it up a bit and glue the ends together.

Now, I'll do the same thing to the other end.

Now it's starting to look like a flower.  Time for some fun....grab your button stash and pick out a pretty one. 

A little dab of glue...

and I have a pretty center for my flower.

Now all I need are about a dozen more.   It's a little time consuming, but it will be worth it.  I'll share the rest of this project with you in my next posting!

 

Well, it's good to be back home, unpacked and settled in.  I've been adding new things at Vintage Supply Co. for the past few days and plan to continue.  Stop in and take a peek at some of the new items when you get a chance.

I wanted to share some more photos with you that I took at the Country Living fair.  So many beautiful items....it was easy to take good pictures.

I have a real weakness for silver teapots and old china.

I Love these wreaths!  I've seen tutorials for them online.  They are made with rolled up book pages.

I saw mannequins in various states of dress everywhere!

A wreath like this will be my Christmas craft project.  It's a great way to use vintage balls that are damaged on one side.

Who can resist a pile of old suitcases?

Minty Green Love.....

Another amazing mannequin, this one with a hoop skirt.

I want this chair

I love the doll parts...and the tart tin skirt!

Vintage hand dyed ribbon...looks like candy.

Ohh...vintage ballet slippers (gulp).  $28 a pair.  When I win the lottery, this is what I will buy...a whole pile of them.

Creepy or cool?  I vote for cool.

So girly, can you imagine wearing these?

Lots of beautiful buttons.  I could have spent hours looking through these bins.

Hope you enjoyed my photos, I know I had fun going through them again!

Country Living Show

Tonight, I am slowly unpacking and settling back in after a few days away.  The Country Living Show is at Stone Mtn. Park, just outside of Atlanta this weekend and I had planned months ago to attend.  Well, the time arrived and I was more than ready for a little mini-getaway after working so hard lately on our renovation house.

We got there on Friday morning  and spent the whole day browsing, shopping and admiring all of the vintage goods.

With over 200 vendors, it was hard to pick and choose what I would draw inspiration from and what I would actually bring home with me.

Creativity and beautifully decorated booths were everywhere.

The weather was perfect; clear with just a little chill in the air.

My friend, Lara, appreciates everything vintage, white, lace and rhinestones just like I do.  It's always more fun to go to these events with a girlfriend instead of a husband.  No offense to my dearest, but it's true!

Here she is contemplating a vintage shawl for one of her mannequins.

As the afternoon wore on, the crowds seemed to get thicker and thicker.

I got to meet Cari Cucksey from Cash and Cari on HGTV.  She was so sweet and personable and even posed for a picture with me.

After being out in the fresh air all day, we pretty much collapsed that evening...after looking over our purchases and discussing the day at length, of course!

We headed back this morning for a little more shopping and some lunch at The Country Living Cafe....

.....and then it was time to head home.  Not so bad, though, because I feel like my battery has be recharged with lots of new ideas for creating and decorating!  I have tons of other pictures that I will share with you in another post.  I was grateful that most of the vendors didn't mind people taking pictures.   

That's all for now, hope you are having a good weekend, too!

 

 

Homemade Granola

One of my favorite things to do on the weekends is to cook.  I am constantly ripping recipes out of magazines or printing them off the computer for future use.  When I saw a recipe for homemade granola in the current issue of Folk, I knew I wanted to try it.

Blackberry Farm Granola

In a bowl combine

5 c. oats

1/2 c. ground flax seed

1 1/2 c. shredded coconut

3/4 c. maple syrup

1/2 c. olive oil

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. nuts

Mix well and spread on a large baking sheet.  Bake at 300 degrees for approx. 40 min.  stirring every 10-15 minutes.  When oatmeal has cooled, add 1 c. dried fruit.  Store in an air-tight container.

I had about half of the ingredients on hand, but still needed to make a trip to the store. $15 lighter and I have everything I need. 

Hmmm...it called for ground flax seed.  I have never used this before. I hope I bought the right thing. 

Mix it all up and this is looking yummy. 

Spread it out on 2 sheets and it's ready for the oven.  I used parchment paper because I have a tendency to burn things.  I stayed close by and did my mixing every 10 minutes.

It's starting to get toasty brown, can you tell?

I really hate raisins, so I added some chopped prunes....and then it was time for a taste test.  Yes, indeed...very good.  The only thing the recipe lacks is a calorie count.  Sometimes these "healthy" foods can be packed with calories.  With the oil, sugar and maple syrup, it's probably best to eat this in moderation. 

Looks like the perfect breakfast for the upcoming cool autumn mornings!

Moody Monday

Today was a little gloomy outside and there wasn't much I could do on the house renovation, so I decided to work on stocking up my etsy shop.  It's been a bit neglected lately, but I promise you, I have lots of new inventory waiting to be listed. 

 
I've had this old bible for a little while and put it online today.  I don't know if I really did it justice with the pictures.  It's a very cool piece that is loaded with pages of old writing and illustrations.  It has just the right amount of weathering to give it real character.  5 pictures is all I am allowed on a listing, so I did my best.  I know I could take several pictures and collage them into one frame on photoshop, but jeeze, that is so much work.   I think I took enough to give you a good idea of how it looks.

 
 I love old buckles and jewelry....so much that it's hard for me to part with them most of the time.  But I really need to free myself of the emotional attachment I develop to some of these beauties.  I have to tell myself that it wasn't my grandmothers, I have no history with it, it's just stuff! 

But they're so pretty!

 
I had a box full of these metal rulers.  It's always nice to have a variety of colors and styles to work with, so I cut them up and made bags full of assorted pieces.

Listing and household chores kept me busy today and out of the kitchen.  I have been working the past month on shedding a few lbs. before the holiday season sets in.  I've lost a little, but would like to take 5 more off.  Some days are better than others...right now I am discouraged that my scale has not budged in the past 2 weeks.  I have been so good...veggies, no sweets and exercising.  I'm getting tired of depriving myself and not getting results.  I'm a little cranking tonight, can you tell?

Anyway, wishing you a good week!

 

Fundraiser update

I'm a little behind on my postings, but I wanted to share with you some photos from the Humane Society fundraiser that we had last week.  If you remember, everything we had for sale that evening had been donated for the event.

 
 
We received lots of great handmade items to sell....like these sweet hand painted Christmas ornaments.

 
Have you ever seen anything like this before??  An Iguana Sweater!

 
Very imaginative : )

 
Debbie Matti made these great bracelets, necklaces and some other things as well.  Her pieces were a big hit at the sale!  Everyone was fascinated with her little matchboxes that held the necklaces.

 
Her packaging was as pretty as the jewelry inside!

 
We were selling everything from homemade jellies to paintings to pet toys.  There was lots to choose from.

 
...and my goodness, the refreshments were amazing.  Lots of sweets, chips and homemade dips.  As you can see, we had some enthusiastic snackers. 
Here's one of me...heading over for a glass of vino, or 2.

 

....and talking up some of the merchandise with prospective buyers.  I ended up buying that braided rug I was holding.  It was handmade, meant to be a dog mat, but I am going to put it by my door.  My pets are so spoiled, they need something very soft and cushiony to lay on.

 
We are still accepting donations for the event, so if you would like to help out, please give me a shout.

Bye for now : )