by Cindy on November 11, 2010
You may have noticed that I have a hard time sitting still. Or staying home. So the other day when the kids had an early dismissal from school, I thought it would be interesting to take a walkl in a new neighborhood (in other words, explore a little). I know I’ve been heading to Leesburg a lot lately, but why not when it is less than 45 minutes away. Strolling the sidewalks that line historic homes is much more interesting than the everyday sights here in suburbia.
I’m more of a picture-taking blog writer. Expressing myself in words is not my strength….. so here we go again, a gazillion pictures. I figure that many of you are visiting from the far reaches of the U.S. and abroad, so maybe you’d like to see what we see here in Virginia. I know when I visit your blogs, I’m always intrigued by where you go and what you see locally. Its my way of traveling when I can’t. 🙂
I found a great little playground nestled in the historic downtown area, within a very old neighborhood. We took a walk and ended up at an old landmark, the site of the Old Stone Church and cemetery, dating back to the 1700s. Now this is not your everyday stroll!
I’d love to return, next time turning a different direction on our walk and finding yet more treasures from our past. There are so many new places to discover!
by Cindy on November 5, 2010
Hello! I’m glad you dropped by because I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to say THANK YOU. For all of the wonderful birthday wishes you left for me here and on Facebook, thank you. I was touched and tickled pink – you sure made my day!
Now speaking of pink, I’d love to show you how I spent my b-day. My husband took the day off of work and together with our oldest and our youngest sons, we took a trip to nearby Leesburg (yes, again!). A stop in On a Whim (a barn-turned antiques mall), turned in to one of the highlights. And wait til you see what we found next door in the milk house…… we took a step back in time. Transported back to the 50’s, I think I could hear The Satins singing “In the Still of the Night” . I don’t know about you, but those R&B/doo-wop songs bring me chills. I adore the sweet harmony of songs such as Donna by Ritchie Valens and Earth Angel by The Penguins.
With a house full of boys, the sea of pink in the milk house was a welcome sight. I really enjoyed this room, and my husband didn’t complain one bit that we lingered so long inside. I left with a vintage jewelry box to add to my collection, an unusually small ivory piece. I’m kicking myself though for not picking up the pale blue one shown in the final picture.
Earth angel, earth angel
Will you be mine?
My darling dear
Love you all the time
I’m just a fool
A fool in love with you
By the way, to see the most popular prom songs through the decades – the 1920’s to the present! – visit right here.
Thank you for joining me on a little nostalgic journey.
by Cindy on November 1, 2010
Bezels, beautiful bezels ready to be filled and sent on their way to becoming something wonderful. The result of one of my latest creative journeys, the bezels were made with techniques I learned in Stephanie Lee’s fantastic e-course, Homesteader’s Metalsmithing. I’m rather proud of these bezels as although they may look simple upon first glance, they actually represent many steps in a lengthy but fun process!
First sheet metal was sanded, cut, filed and then flooded with solder. Next a bezel was cut from copper pipe and filed, or created from coiling wire at random. Next rings were carefully added or rhinestone accents. I loved adding the rhinestone pieces but quickly learned that there is a fine line between heating the solder to flowing and scorching the delicate rhinestones themselves. The final stage was adding a patina, creating a great tarnished and aged appearance.
The bezels were then put aside for some time, like empty journals waiting for the stroke of a pen. I’ll admit a tiny concern was holding me back. The final step of filling the bezels and adding resin was filled with potential disaster. What if for some reason the resin didn’t set and the entire piece was ruined during the final stage (after all of that work!)? I finally had enough tip-toeing around my bezels though, and with my sister’s birthday approaching, decided to use one for a special birthday necklace.
My younger sister is an incredible rider. Nikki learned to ride in Germany when she was just in elementary school, and kept up with her passion all the way through college and was on the equestrian team at Dartmouth. Years later she is still riding and can be found every Saturday with her beloved Deuce of Diamonds. I decided to create a birthday present that was centered around one of her true loves. I found the perfect image in my vintage image collection: a scrapbook cover once used to hold post cards.
I filled a bezel with a few seedbeads for interest and added the image of the rider. The finished necklace is nice and long, using both oxidized and shiny sterling silver chains. I found it wasn’t easy taking a picture of the pendant due to reflection on the resin.
Happy Birthday to a dear Sis!
It was fulfilling to combine both of our interests in a piece of jewelry. If you’d like to learn some of the best metalsmithing skills ever, it’s not too late to join Stephanie’s next e-course. The next class starts on November 8th and registration is open through November 15th.
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