daretodream

Primitive Pup, Xmas Gifties and Etsy!

Hi!  I've been busily working to get my xmas gifts mailed.  Fortunately I mailed out the presents to family on Tuesday (I think this will be the first time in years they'll actually receive them before christmas!) 
I've been working on some presents for girlfriends that need to be mailed yesterday!   I thought
I'd show you some earrings I made for Stacie out of some gorgeous carved amazonite flower beads
and teensy fresh water pearls.  I've hung them on the ribbon of the sweetest primitive puppy
that I got for myself on ebay.  He's so old, stuffed with straw and just loved to bits.  You'll
also see the sweet chenille loopy scarf (also for stacie) that I got at Ross for $3.99~!  (had to get one for me too!)  I'm telling you, there are some darling things out there for CHEAP!  My favorite price. :)
After spending a few days in Seattle with stacie last week, I discovered a must have present she needed.  She and I are both bubble bath addicts and while soaking in hers I was suddenly missing this.... If your tub is one of your favorite spots in your house then
you're familiar with that irritating overflow doohickey (usually has the up down lever connected to the drain) that makes suction noises as it sucks down all the water touching it....Until I discovered this little $5 treasure (bed bath and beyond), I would have to add extra water several times before I was ready to leave my cozy water world.  It's a clear rubbery cover with suction cups that you stick over the overflow spot.  You' have high water until you get out...now I only refill when I need a warm up. :)  You can find this at www.better-sleep.com . 

Okay, off to make dinner and continue working on my to do-list.  Hope you're having a great day....or night.  oxoxo
ps..finally listing some earrings made for my Etsy Shop...well, will have them on in the next day or two.  Here's a sneak peek...

I love Jennifer Murphy bears and other silly things!

For my birthday last March, I got my first Jennifer Murphy bear (above).  (Click HERE to peek at her gallery.)  It was purchased from one of my VERY favorite treasure troves...Earth Angel Toys.

Well, Jennifer has been working with Midwest of Cannon Falls to mass produce some of her designs for the holidays.  I was so happy to have purchased three of these.... wanna see??

Here are some pics of some of my favorite ornaments this year.  oxox

Christmas Cheer

hi!  The weekend is now officially over, as it's 12:01am.
It's quiet here...everyone sleeping except for me...and the pets.

I'm doing well....missing Stacie and her house but happy to be
home. 

I love christmas.  Love making and buying gifts and sending them off.
Well, the sending part has always been a challenge for me, but the making
and buying is a piece of cake. :)
I've been busy making some little gifts to mail to some sweet friends.  Who knows,
I might actually send xmas cards this year...*it would be the first time in 7 years!*

I pray that you're all happy, loved and safe.  oxox

Sweet little Audrey~

hi!  My daughter, Katy, and I returned home last night from visiting my dear friends Stacie & Jeff.
It was the trip I'd been waiting for as we were finally able to see, hold and smother with kisses their
little baby Audrey.  We took so many pictures which I've yet to start editing.  The one above was taken by katy.  Audrey's wearing the sweet little sweater I got for her in France. :)   Stacie looked absolutely gorgeous, you'd never know she'd just had a baby.  As soon as we said goodbye and started the drive home, we both wanted to turn and go back...we missed them already.

Are you ready for christmas??  I reached my goal and had my tree up and decorated by Dec. 5.  YAY!
I have a hair apt. at 6pm and then, straight to a party at my bff's house (across the culdesac). 
Hope your night is cozy.     oxox

Can it REALLY be Friday??

Happy Friday!  I know I've been absent but thought I'd pop in to say hi and let you see what I've been up to.
I'm working on some projects, the little pin cushion above is one.  I used a sweet Goebel salt shaker from my collection.
I've also listed some new things on my Etsy shop...here's a sneak peek. 

I've got more to list, but have been sitting at this computer way too long today.

Tonight my friend and across the street neighbor is having a girls night at her house.  I think there will only be three of us, and she's pushing for it to be a jammie thing...(easy for her, since she lives there!).  We're going to be working on our artsy stuff, having taco salad and margaritas.  YUM!

One final thing I've just GOT to share...something I discovered over the weekend and am obsessed.
There's a website for book lovers!  PaperBackSwap.com.  It's totally free.  You just sign up...*tell them tracy roos sent you!,* list any book you have & are ready to part with.  Once you've listed 10 of your books, you will get 2 free credit points.  Everytime someone requests one of your books, you'll mail it out and when they get it, they log in and give YOU a credit.  You use your credits for any books you fancy.  They even have a wish list....want a book that's not offered by one of the millions of members?  If you add it to your wish list, they'll send you an email as soon as someone lists it!  WOOHOO!

They've also got a CD swap site and just started a DVD one!  gotta love swapping.
have a great weekend!
oxoxox

Sweet Puppy

Hi, hope you're doing well.  We're all great here...it's another
teachers work day, I swear, the kids are home more than they're at school!
I took this picture of Lily last night while she was sitting in her daddy's lap.
She's so shaggy, but it works for her.

oxoxox

I love little things

Happy Tuesday...I'm up and running this morning...so much to do. 
I set this little display up using some of my favorite things before leaving for France. The plan was to use it as a backdrop for taking photos of things I was selling on my Etsy and Ebay. 
When I returned from France, it was just like I'd left it...in the kitchen, on a stool.  I thought it was sweet that my family didn't gather it up and put everything back in my studio.

Do you mind if I share these treasures??  Well, if not share THEM...share about them?

1. The little teddy is my one and only Jennifer Murphy bear.  I love her and her work and was so happy to get this from Earth Angels.  I used birthday money last March.  I added the antique beaded flower to his hand because he looked like he needed something to hold. :) 

2. He's on a sweet vintage tin I found somewhere that's sweet and something I couldn't cut up for jewelry. 

3. I have a gorgeous cut glass bowly thing filled with vintage mercury glass balls that I found at a thrift store...

4. an unused pink 5yr diary that a sweet girl, Stephanie Brockway, gave to me earlier this year. 

5. The little white bird is a bakelite teapot whistle which I bought the same weekend as the

6. cast iron victorian picture frame when Stacie and I went to Centralia.  (Stace, I've told you about this frame, bought at the corner coffee shop on main street...remember?  You'd just left for home and I shopped a little longer :) 

7. Of course, my sweet pink ric rac chair

8. and the sweet in plate with flowers...

that's it.  Some stuff I love.

Have a wonderful day! 

OH...I almost forgot.  I've added new favorite books on the right...

and I'm going to try to answer emails today and tomorrow...still have returned almost none since getting back from France.  I suck when it comes to emails.  oxoxox

~Let's Celebrate!~ Baby Shower for Stacie Rife

~You're invited!~ 
Help me celebrate the birth of ~
Audrey Peyton Rife
Born October 24, 2007
6lbs 13oz
Born to Jeff and Stacie Rife

If you'd like to participate please
email me for more info!
Everyone welcome ~ please help spread the word!

The Thrill of the Hunt??

I've been pondering the above post title "The Thrill of the hunt" for a few days lately.  I've
actually used that phrase while sharing my experiences hunting for treasures at thrift stores, estate sales, antique shops, etc. 

There is definitely a thrill to happen on a piece of something...be it a book, piece of bakelite jewelry, a set of cornishware mugs.  The thrill of the hunt is when something is found that you truly LOVE or feel pretty confident that if you want to sell it, you can make a profit.

Over the past several years, I've come to discover that there are even greater thrills in treasure hunting besides the hunt.  I can't count the number of times I've bought something on a hunch....not knowing exactly what it was but having a "feeling" that it was something special.  In most of these cases, I'll bring home my stash and kind of toss the mystery item in the corner with an afterthought of..."I'll research that thing later."  The little unwanted but "it could be something" items have been known to be forgotten for sometimes over a year....just sitting in a box full of other treasures that haven't quite pulled me in.

One of the first of my OH MY GOSH! afterthought items was this little cutie...  I'd grabbed it at an estate sale and gave it to kimber (who was little and in a stroller) to keep her quiet.  It wasn't priced so I offered a dollar, which was accepted.  Soon after, while researching something totally different at the bookstore, I flipped a page and there was a picture of this!  It said the value was $200 (I've seen them on ebay for much less).  It's a tiny steiff lamb.  The second I got home, I grabbed it off the floor and it became my new treasure!  Fortunately Kimber was too young to even miss it. :)

To shorten this post, I'll picture just the facts on some other gut instinct treasures I've found and let sit around before feeling moved to research.  I can assure you, this THRILL is actually even greater than the hunt thrill because you have something that's no biggie, on a personal level then Wham!!  It's suddenly very personal and special and "I can't believe I've let it sit in that corner with all my other crap for so long!"
Bakelite chess set purchased for a couple of bucks at an estate sale.  Listed it on ebay last December and it sold for approx. $450.  THRILL!

1 dorky brass skull & crossbones ring with red eyes....cost me less than $1.  After discovering this little ad online somewhere, I listed it on ebay and it sold for $450!  THRILL!  Who'd have thought?!?! *I've looked everywhere and can't find a picture of it...shoot*
These two pieces were stuck inside a big sun tea jar of costume jewelry I bought for $12 at Goodwill.  I thought they were pretty, but could see that the metal was brass or something similar and not real gold...so, put them aside as a keep and deal with it later.  Learned about a year later that they're Victorian Era Bohemian Garnets.  I've hung onto them because I want to use bits of the necklace for jewelry.  The garnets are such a beautiful red... Vintage sterling Cosmopolitan, Martini Bar charm.  $10 at an antique show at the convention center.  In a weak moment, in need of money and following a hunch, I listed it on ebay and it sold for $150.  Not so much of a thrill, but hey, we needed the money!

Okay, I could go on and on, but pizza is ready and I'm being called to the tv.  I'll now tell you about 2 of my newest HUH?? treasures...

I got this cutting at the Goodwill Bins along with some other vintage ephemera scattered in the book bins.  One day I pulled it out of it's hidy hole and did a search for Georges Boria...HERE and HERE's what I found.

Finally....the top photos of the book Miroir des Ames.  Something I picked up at an old bookstore in Revel France.  I think it may be a really big deal.  I'll keep you posted!  oxoxox

Some of my French Treasures

~Click the image above for the full view~
I made this jewelry during my Obrien workshop in Durfort, France.  I loved the workshop and actually loved spending time with Linda and Opie and the other students as much as the class, working in the studio and traveling around together.  The gorgeous leather book below was a found treasure!  More pictures of this book are right under this.
This book is just gorgeous.  It's dated in the 1800's, the leather cover is all hand tooled.  The marbled end papers are amazing.  All the pages are illustrated and there are about 10 full etched illustrations throughout.  The icing on the cake...one of my favorite things about old books...I discovered a gorgeous old bookmarker within the pages. :)
There were several things I found at the flea market that I'm not sure I'll part with.... This beautiful victorian piece is actually an early collage.  Someone used wallpaper with roses and birds, cut and pasted and about 10 different pieces then placed the religious image on top.  This was made to fit the beautiful plaster frame.  It's quite large measuring 20" x 26".  It was either 5 or 10 euros at the market. 
I can't even tell you the number of religious antiques there were....I'm not catholic but since becoming an artist, I've grown so appreciative of the beauty and craftmanship put into these pieces.  Here are a few things I found...

These two are my favorite...the 1st is a very old plaster statue of Mary holding baby Jesus.  The 2nd is of St Theresa.  In the picture below, the kneeling chalkware piece is St. Bernadette.  She was the young nun in Lourdes who saw Mary...(Our Lady of Lourdes....lots and lots from Lourdes)

Everything inside this printer's tray I got at the flea market.  (Except for a couple of charms I made at the workshop). I have them divided into groups such as...crosses, popes, Lourdes, St. Theresa, misc. saints, misc. non religious charms and jewelry, Notre Dame charms, etc.

These gorgeous rings held heavy curtains in a medieval church perhaps?
St. Peter?
Gorgeous bronze crucifix mounted on a red velvet covered wooden cross. 
Some other treasures? 
My husband asked for 2 things....a tablecloth & napkins from Provence and some Herbs of Provence.  Here's the  tablecloth.  It has a 17th century design that was from Provence.
I came across this beautiful set of porcelain cannisters for $6 euros.  I originally got them for my sister but my mom didn't think she would use them so, they're mine.  I love them. 

 These are incredible. A set of 13 old crosses. (there should be 14).  These are "Stations of the Cross".  You'll see a light colored circle at the top which has hand writing "Bois de Gethsemani" which translates into "Gethsemane wood".  I'm guessing the Gethsemane wood is the inlaid circle.  The crosses are hand carved and stamped Jerusalem at the bottom.  A roman numeral representing a station is marked just below the top circled inlay.  In the center of the cross, (these aren't complete on all 13 crosses, btw) there is, under glass, a paper with handwritten roman numeral (the same as marked on the wood above) and a tiny relic that looks like fiber.  Over the glass, there is a mother of pearl circle which signifies Mary.
Plaster heads mounted on marble blocks.

This is unbelievably beautiful...it's a cast bronze frame mounted on wood.  The photos came with this piece.

I know that I said I'd write about the details of my trip, but after posting the first day, I had a change of heart.  I will share more but not quite so detailed.  oxox