New flower is blooming...

http://artfulsalvage.blogspot.com/2012/04/new-flower-just-listed.html

This flower is made from beautiful vintage clear, white dishes and pink dishes.The flower base is a gorgeous Federal Petal depression glass plate, topped with a pink floral pattern china plate, a pink center plate and accented with a clear center and shiny green glass stone. It will be a stunning accent for your home or garden.

LOVE the concept but not the colors, shapes......just contact me and I will be happy to work with you on designing your own custom flower. If you have sentimental dishes that you would like us to use, we are happy to do that as well. We call it Memory Glass.....it is such a joy for me to look out into my yard and see flowers and totems that I have made from both of my Grandmother's dishes. Thanks for stopping by!

Any questions, give us a shout. Contact me here or on Facebook or our Etsy Shop! Love the concept....by all means, let us know. We LOVE custom orders!

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes.....

.....I have returned! So, I took a short break that turned into 6 months......what can I say.....life happens! LOL Sometimes, it just kicks you right between the eyes and gets you in a choke hold. So, when last we spoke we were relocating.....yep......packing up and moving to a new house. Guess what? Didn't happen.....nope nope nope. But we did have to pack the entire house (don't ask!). The short version is: We bought a house!!!!  And not just ANY house......this house.....the one we were living in and also the one that was unceremoniously packed. Go ahead, shake your head.....heaven knows I did. So, where have I been? Well, trying to wrap my head around a lot of things that have happened over the last year, honestly. Moving, relocating, home ownership, losing friends and family.....trying to get ARTful Salvage functioning in FL - including creating a website which should be going live in April! Stay tuned! I even dropped off the ARTsy map, including my ART groups. I am hoping to rectify that starting today. I have missed my ART friends and my blogs!

I actually made some paper ART yesterday so I guess I will share that. I make cards for my Mom to give to my cousin's 2 kids each year for their April Birthdays. The 7 year old is all girly girl now and into American Girl Dolls. I could not for the life of me find anything to use, so I just made her a girly dress card. I found a template I liked and went from there. This was my first time (GASP!) using Stickles and I think I liked how it turned out.

The 5 year old is all boy and has just discovered Star Wars and Darth Vader. I made him a card from a great cut file I found and also a frame-able piece that we are going to put in one of the clear acrylic stand up frames. It measures about 8 x 10 and is uber cool! I also found that cut file online and am grateful for all the help!

So, expect to see me around now more and more! I promise not to disappear again for 6 months. Please stop by and let's get reacquainted! :) Shelly Rae

Our house update (the work in progress)....

Thought I would share a bit of the work in progress aka our house in Florida. We are slowly but surely getting there. We moved in so close to Christmas that we didn't bother with regular decorating. Now that Christmas has been packed away....the place looks REALLY empty! LOL I'm still struggling with how to decorate 12' ceilings but wouldn't change them for the world. So in no particular order....here we go.

Up first is some new additions to the family room. DH has been wanting to make an Entertainment Center for quite some time now. Finally, we found some inspiration in a Pottery Barn catalog and began drafting out a plan. Here is the finished project (well sans the glass doors that will eventually grace the center section). She is lovingly stained in our fave color: Gunstock. The doodads and nick nacks are in the beginning stages and it will be a work in progress as I find more things to add, but I HAD to start somewhere. We have tons of family pics that are framed that will be coming into the space too at some point....just not sure where.

Entertainment Center

Entertainment Center

Entertainment Center

Entertainment Center - Gunstock close-up

This is a shot of one of the 2 lamps we repurposed. The first is the wooden camera tripod carried all over the world by his Great Uncle (He was a photographer for National Geographic). We weren't sure what to do with it, but knew it had to stay in the family. Thus was born the first of our lamps. Isn't it the coolest?  Since we had one I knew we needed a second eclectic lamp. So, at a tag sale I fell in love with this fire extinguisher and thus was born the 2nd lamp. The shade is new.....I'm thinking it needs a good dunking in some black RIT dye but am living with it for awhile before I (Or it) takes the plunge.

Tripod Lamp

Fire Extinguisher Lamp

Close-up

Here is the first step on the fireplace mantle.....not sure it is finished yet, but I do like the black iron addition. This fireplace is so weird with the space between the mantle and the hearth. I think it was a nice tie in! Yes, you know I sprayed it flat black!

Mantle close-up

Fireplace

This is my new cool giant clock from Kohl's. I have wanted one for awhile now, but the only sale they ever have is BOGO (Buy one get one free). Now seriously, who really goes to the store to buy TWO giant clocks.....come on! So, finally at Christmas time they were 50% off! YES! Now that makes a wee bit more sense doesn't it? Geesh!

Big Clock

Big Clock

On to my bedroom. You may remember my $1 dresser project. Well, she is now sporting some fun doodads including my Eiffel Tower, my found head and some Valentine ART goodies from various friends. Next to the dresser is Ruth Iola and my newly acquired black Christmas tree. I LOVE it and it will remain out year round. It is decorated with the themes for this room. I call it 3 P's and a D. That stands for Pink, Pirates, Peacocks and Disney. I have some serious wall ART in the works for this room too, but that is for another day. Ruth Iola is sporting a new HOPE hanging ornie too that I think is really awesome.

Dresser

Dresser

Dresser

Dresser

Ruth Iola

Ruth Iola

Black Tree

Black Tree

Tree close-up

Tree close-up

On the other side of the room is my newly repuposed hutch. It was in our dining room in our last house. Since I'm using black in here it was a perfect fit although quite boring. So I had DH cut me some panels and I headed to the studio. Armed with my decoupage glue mix and some vintage papers (Russian dictionary, church hymnal, American dictionary stamped with my fave ART images)and some vintage ladies cut from a vintage sewing book) I began the transformation. After the collages were dry I coated them with 2 coats of Polycrylic. Best stuff ever people....try it if you have not! They were cut to fit precisely so they just sit at the back and are therefore removable if need be. I LOVE this personalized piece of MEness!  I have now added in more personalized goodies: my Great Grandma's candy dish, more Valentine ART from friends, my fave Disney pics and more. I really am happy with how it is turning out. Hope you enjoyed your mini tour of the work going on in Florida this week! Enjoy!



Before



During

After

Close-ups

Close-ups

ART

ART

ART

ART

New Christmas ART to share....

I have been working on finishing up some Christmas ART for our home and for some swaps. I have 2 that I can share today.

I have wanted to make these glittered cones for awhile now. Since we've moved to this house I now have a fireplace mantle on which to display them! I think I need to get an intermediate sized silver one yet, but it's still early, right?  All I did was brush a water/glue mixture on the cones and liberally coat them with Martha's glitter. One piece of advice....don't be impatient and try to do the whole cone at one.....yeah, let's just says fingerprint marks with no glitter left behind....not pretty! Ugh!  I found that by doing the bottoms and about  3-4 inches up the base of the cone worked best. I inverted them into plastic drinking glasses to dry. Now you have a firm base to hold while you glitter and glue the tops! :)

The second project was for a make 2 ornies swap. I have been struggling with this one....just wanted something not traditional and not paper. Hmmmm....so when I was rummaging through the Christmas ART supplies box I discovered a few mini lunch boxes I bought on Christmas Clearance. They had this ugly scene from some movie on them......yuck. So, I had to rid myself of the awful graphics and blue paint. I colored them with a Krylon gold and silver leaf pens. I glued some Christmas images to the fronts and backs. Sprinkled on a glittery border and let dry. I added a paper strip and a rick rack embellishment to the outside edges. I glued coordinating sequins to the front and added a sparkly hanger. Now, don't you think they look much more appealing?  :::Smiles::: I do!