Custom Work

Occasionally my friends will ask me to do custom work for them and I'm always happy to oblige.  My friend Dorleen was in Florida during the spring and found a rare & rather large shark tooth.  She wanted me to make it into a necklace for her.  I wrapped it in heavy silver wire to make it into a pendant, then put it on silver chain.

My friend Michelle's cousin, Pam, who is now a friend of mine, asked me to do a couple of soleless sandals for her.  It took 3 tries of restringing to get it to fit right.  I know they look cool, and easy, but it's not a project I enjoy. 

And my friend Laurel asked me if I could sew some Harley patches on her denim jacket.

Of Jars, Bottles and Buttons

I just had to make some more painted jars.  Unfortunately, I just cannot freehand designs very well at all.  I looked at and saved some really pretty pictures from Pinterest and the interwebs, but alas, about all I can do is put uneven dots all over my projects.  

So here's a small purple jar I did.  It took approximately 6 or 7 coats to get to this colour and due to some streaking issues, I ended up doing the last 2 coats by sponging it on to create texture.

This was actually the second jar that I did, back in June.  I learned a very valuable lesson:  Never put this project outside to dry on a hot, humid day.  This got screwed up big time and required a rather drawn out salvage process.  I used a stencil to make the design.  I laid the jar outside on the side of the grill, with this design face up.  Unfortunately, the sun baked the paint to the stencil not the jar so when I removed the stencil, all the paint came with it.  Additionally, the back side of the jar melted to the grill, so when I picked up the jar, part of the aqua paint pulled away.  I had to carefully remove the stencil and then try to freehand the design as best as I could.

After I filled in the gaping hole with many layers of paint, the only way to truly cover it up was to flip the stencil upside down and put the largest silver dot over the repaired hole.

With Epsom salts and a candle.

Here's one I did with 6 coats of blue paint and more glittery dots.

I couldn't wait to paint the little bottles I got in PTown!!!

I made a huge design boo-boo on that black & white one; the screw up is on the back.  I also added button flowers for them.

Then I saw this adorable project on line too....might have been Pinterest or a link someone posted to my timeline:  Button caterpillars.  I knocked this one together in about 10 minutes and was surprised at how adorable it is! 

Couldn't make just one.

Oh my goodness!  So CUTE!

Oh HAI!

They are just a little too addictive to make.  

Then I found a package of different coloured sparkly pipe cleaners.  The possibilities are endless!

I am going to see how they sell at the Legion Craft Fair this year, although I admit to being attached to them and not wanting to part with them!

Some Souvenirs

You laugh, but this is me in a cool place with lots of shops.....

So here are some of the things I got in PTown:

For my sweetie pie.

Glass floats that I've wanted to buy only like forever.  This set was only $10.00.  I've seen them in BBay and Wareham for way more money!

A little fuzzy lobstah followed me home.  I haven't name him yet.  I have a plush lobster, also bought in PTown years ago, and his name is Crusty Crustacean.  So I'm open for name ideas for this little guy.  

OK I didn't actually buy this, but I took a pic of it so that I could, um, 'improve' on it....

.....like so.  But before anyone says I'm being mean, HE is the one that keyed in on the 5 lb rib roast when I posted my pics on Facebook.  

Some postcards and a New Brunswick license plate.  I could have sworn I had one but wasn't sure so I bought it just in case, and I didn't have one!

It bums me out that these novelty license plate cards no longer carry my or Russell's names.  So I got this one.

3 little bottles for a buck, so I got them in 2 sizes.

The fish bottle.  Have no idea what to do with it and I seriously have no more room for dust collecting bric a brac  objets d'art, but it's just so quirky.  Never seen anything like this before.  Plus it was cheap.

I got 2 of the cobalt and the one cranberry.

I could so easily have spent a ton of money up there.  There's always next time.  

PTown, Part 3

Us being goofy.  

No it's not real.  There have been a lot of great whites hanging around Cape Cod lately.  A couple of people received minor bite injuries last summer, and there was some dramatic video of a guy on a paddleboard being followed by a shark....he was oblivious, just standing there paddling, with this shark fin right behind him. 

Another shot of Shop Therapy.

I would have paid $50 for this but not $89.  I wanted it so wicked bad!  But if I had bought it, I never would have worn it cause really, it's WAY too big, but I just wanted it to look at and use as a decoration....because I don't already have enough knick knacks and tchotchkes.  

Russell has told me stories about when he used to deliver Coca Cola up here, in the really large trucks, how hard it was to navigate the narrow streets and having to bring handcarts loaded with heavy product down steep, wooden stairs to dark, dank, creepy cellars beneath all the restaurants. When I told him we ate at Post Office Cafe, he said that the bartender was always so happy to see him and would flamboyantly announce to everyone to make room for the cute Coke delivery driver.  There were a couple of other times he was flashed & checked out by guys, all of which he took with great humour.  I cannot imagine driving a huge truck around though....I'm even a little afraid to navigate in my compact car. 

Really want to do a whale watch too.

 So many stores I have yet to explore.  Guess I need to go back.....big fat bummer!

If we weren't so full, we would have gotten a gay cupcake.

Yarn bomb!  I've always wanted to see one of these!

This sculpture is called 'The Tourists'.

Wow they had me till 'bugs'.  lol

A great trip....cannot wait to go back and soon!

PTown, Part 2

Going for a walk on this little beach was a bad idea.  It was just too damn hot.  It was like some kind of Saharan death march, till we could find street access again.  There are lots and lots of beaches in PTown and I'll head back when it's cooler to check out the other parts of town.

MacMillan Wharf.  Next time I visit, I'll take a walk down there.

The detail work is so cool.

That's the front of Masonic Lodge and also a gift shop.

So very San Franciscan!

OK, this is my new fave store, Marine Specialties.  I saw lots and lots and LOTS of things I wanted in PTown but the prices were pretty high.  Not in this place.  I left with a giant sack of crap for $38.  It's basically an army-navy surplus store.  I got six little glass bottles for glass painting, 2 cobalt and 1 cranberry glass votive candle cups, a New Brunswick license plate for my collection, a bottle shaped like a fish, some postcards and magnets, and the coup de grace, a set of glass floats exactly like the ones hanging off the bottom of that barrel.  

Just one more thing I desperately wanted to buy....but didn't.

Love their tshirts.  The top one cracked me up.

Indeed.

This is what the outside of Shop Therapy looks like.  Groovy eh?  This used to be in a different building, with different murals on it, the last time I was here, which was in 1991.

The second floor window displays mannequins in bondage and fetish/leather.  All the X rated items are sold upstairs.  *wink*

Another mural