Shop Crush - Anita's Gatos

I'm not sure how I first came across these super adorable little animal totems, but I'm pretty smitten with them.  Each of these little handmade and hand-painted animals has their own virtues and characteristics.  I'm having a hard time deciding which one best fits my personality, but I'm leaning towards one of the owls.  Get your own totem at Anita's Gatos!  Their creator, Ana, has a pretty great blog too so be sure to also check that out!

Necklaces

Sometimes I just like making really simple things that don't involve a lot of time or preparation.  Usually jewelry fits that mold for me.  I also like finding new purpose for vintage supplies.  This is what I like to call my "everything is jewelry" movement. Vintage baby toys, doll parts, plastic toy silverware, and dollhouse furniture have all been given new lives as pendants.  I've been making cake toppers into brooches and pendants as well.  There's no stopping me from turning everything into jewelry!

Musical Monday

My love for Andrew McMahon goes way back to Something Corporate and then to Jack's Mannequin. I've seen both live, can remember following Andrew's battle with cancer, and have quite a few raggedy old tees I've bought at shows.  To say I have a soft spot for the guy and his music is an understatement.  His voice and lyrics tend to move me to tears anytime I see him perform live.  I actually just missed him playing in Baltimore earlier this month.  I've been listening to this song in my car and singing along at the top of my lungs lately!

Odds and Ends

Game of Thrones

I think I'm going through withdrawal from the lack of Game of Thrones currently in my life.  I know I can't be the only one missing those dysfunctional Lannisters or the seriously kick ass Brienne, so here's a little fix!

These are all prints from the super talented Nan Lawson and available in her shop, along with so many other great pieces!

Teeny Tiny Teacups

In yesterday's post, I mentioned teacup scenes.  Buying random lots of vintage children's dishes to add to my collection of tin tea sets has resulted in a surplus of random odds and ends and multiples of many dishes.  I hang the plates on the wall of my craft room, but I never really know what to do with teacups.  Here's what I came up with!

I've been stocking up on cups and miniature animals now.  Expect more of these in the future!

Toadstools

You've probably seen these mushrooms at your local craft or floral supply store, mixed in with other plastic foods and greenery.  I'm thinking mine came in a box of handed down craft supplies.  They aren't the cutest, but I kept them thinking I could find some use for them.  With a little imagination and some paint, I finally came up with something!

Using only red and white paint, I turned the mushrooms into toadstools.  Using a permanent black marker, I drew on a cute face and then added a floral stamen for a nose.  Those are another thrifted find I've been holding onto for some time!

These make great noses and come in so many colors and sizes!  The larger ones are on wire stem and are easy to push into the mushroom.  The smaller stamen are a bit flimsy, so I used a pushpin to poke a hole for the nose and then a dab of glue to hold the stamen in place.

You can easily make these into ornaments using eye screws and ribbon, as I did with the top toadstools, or you can add them to terrariums or use them for crafting.  I plan on using the bottom toadstool in a little teacup scene!