Clutches, Scarves & Wallets...Oh, My!

New stuff I've been making lately (well, finished a couple of weeks ago, anyway):
Earth friendly spring clutches handmade from repurposed & vintage materials

Yellow Clutch made from repurposed georgette ribbon (Darn Good Yarn, Inc), vintage art deco button, vintage cotton fabric lining, hand crocheted, hand stitched Available Samsstuff Etsy

Pink Silk Clutch: Repurpose pulled silk yarn (Darn Good Yarn, Inc.), vintage cloth button, vintage cotton fabric lining, hand crocheted, hand stitched Available samsstuff Etsy

Some cute little wallets

Teal Blue Wallet: Locally sourced Alpaca yarn, repurposed silk ribbon (Darn Good Yarn, Inc), vintage flower button, cotton fabric lining, hand crocheted, hand stitched Available samsstuff Etsy

Mint, Chocolate & White Wallet: US grown cotton yarn, vintage button, cotton fabric lining, hand crocheted, hand stitched Available soon

Some fun skinny scarves

Radiant Orchid Skinny Scarf: 100% wool yarn, vintage lace, hand crocheted, hand stitched Available Samsstuff Etsy

Plus, a bracelet or two

Snake Bracelet: Repurposed silk chiffon fabric (Darn Good Yarn, Inc), metallic teal embroidery thread, snake toggle clasp, hand crocheted Available Samsstuff Etsy

Can't wait to get back to making things (My wrist is recovering from surgery)...
How about you, have you been making things lately or discovered any great vintage finds? These are great ways to get ready for Earth Day (April 22, since 1970) & celebrate every day...SAM

Winter Ice

So, yesterday, it started to snow & we woke up with a layer off snow & ice everywhere, most of which seems to have stuck around throughout the day. I didn't go outside, but I think I was a bit inspired by all the snow & ice to create something new, from something (or several somethings) old. I had some beautiful vintage crystals, like the sparkles in the snow that shine in the snow, that I picked up at Earthwise Architectural Salvage. It's a wonderful place filled with rescued remnants of old buildings of all types. You never know what you'll find there, from hardware & windows to doors & dishware, anything really that might have been left behind by previous owners, like these pretty little crystals that I started with. I also had a spool of vintage silver string that I discovered in a bag of supplies purchased at a local Goodwill. I crocheted the silver string together with some super soft, ice blue yarn that I had in my stash, for a bit of icy sparkle throughout the bracelet, in several different stitches, to create extra depth, texture & a bit of delicate laciness:

One of the crystals was from an old chandelier, I'm not sure about the round beads

It can be worn as a wrap bracelet, a lariat style necklace or a hair wrap

small round crystals & the soft yarns create a pretty contrast of textures

"Winter Ice" worn as a bracelet.

I've created several of these lately though, each one with vintage, salvaged, repurposed elements.
What have you been inspired by lately? SAM

Travels, Meanderings & Giveaways

So, first things first, by random number generator the winner of my One World giveaway is Gracie of El Rey Gato, which I believe roughly translates to The King Cat, from Mexico. Congratulations Gracie! I hope she likes it, I'll soon be sending the bracelet on to it's new home. Thank you everyone for stopping by & entering & thanks to all the new followers! Even though the event is over, I'm going to continue with my travels & visit you. Maybe we need 80 days to travel around the world? I know I need at least that long to visit all the fun & interesting stops in this whirlwind journey. Who knows what excitement & surprises I'll find along the way!

Secondly, I have a confession to make: I'm a terrible Valentine! No really. I am participating in a Valentine swap (through The Domestic Dork) & I missed sending out my gift in time for Valentine's Day. I was sick & I was working, I shouldn't have done both, because now I'm still sick & I don't feel like I'm getting better. That's another story though. For my Valentine, I made a lovely necklace. She said she likes frogs (her cute little Etsy shop is even called The Framed Frog), so it has a jeweled frog, dangling from a green seed bead & wire wrapped bar, along with some little metal charms & a white glass leaf. The necklace closes in the front & the wire piece hangs from a metal chain, woven with black satin ribbon. I hope that she likes it & that she hasn't given up on my Valentine! Stop by her shop & check it out. Tell her I said hi!
Here's what I sent:

 

When I receive what she sent, I'll take a picture & post it here.
I hope everyone has fun in their travels (even the imaginary kind)! See you again soon. SAM

One World & a Magic Carpet Ride

So, here's something you may or may not know about me: I love to travel. Now, of course I mean that literally. It's always fun & exciting to see new places, experience other cultures & maybe even meet a new friend along the way. But, I mean this in other ways as well. You can travel through pictures & words, through books & music. You can travel through art. These are all ways of seeing the world through the experiences & thoughts of others. Blogs are a great way to do this & this brings me to a "Magic Carpet Ride." A groups of bloggers tied together through their experiences & the possibility of winning exciting new things from other lands, real & imaginary. My giveaway contribution is the bracelet pictured here, that I like to call "One World." Like the world we live in, it's comprised of disparate elements, some vintage or old & some shiny & new, that come together to form a single whole.

Giveaway "Rules" (there are only a few):
This contest is open to bloggers, anywhere in the world
Leave a comment for an entry
Contest ends 2/14/10
The winner will be announced 2/15/10

Giveaway request (not mandatory, just fun & in the spirit of the contest):
Take a look a some of the other participating blogs. They can be found by clicking on the Carpet Ride/One World, One Heart button.


Have fun & Happy Travels! SAM