It's Not About The Glamour, It's About The Function

Long time no see. I am so sorry for taking so long to post. I love you all so much and am sorry that I've been a bad bad blogger the past few months. It's been beyond hetic around here for me.

I have so much I want to post about and have been busy trying to get things in order.

First off, my daughter and SIL moved out, so I moved into the master.



I know, the wall color is beyond hideous! And ignore my birthday balloon (photo taken in January). Oh and ignore me leaning against the bathroom door trying to be inconspicuous. I would absolutely love to paint those awful walls when time permits.

But, it's so much bigger than my former (tiny) 9' x 9' bedroom; I posted about it for Pink Saturday here.



Which became a storage room (for about a month)....then I turned it into my work studio...



not a show place but works for me. I'm thrilled to have the work space! It is so wonderful to have my materials right there, instead of digging through boxes in the garage.



I managed to squeeze in a narrow desk and it works just fine!



As a result of my new work space, I've been busy finishing up some very pretty pieces....

like the mate to the side table I finished over a year ago..



couple of birdhouses





a pretty in pink, green n white shelf...



among other projects. Those are the "in progress" photos I took a few weeks ago, I'll post the finish pieces as soon as I can grout them all. I promise ;)

But, that's not the point of this post. ha!

I mention that this space was used for storage. Well, now that I've made it a work space for me I need to thin things out a bit.

This is difficult for me. When I moved from 3800 sq.ft. down to 1350 sq.ft. I sold so many things. It's clear to me that I still have too much stuff!

I am very fond of these items, but I realize that I just can't be keep them all. I really had to pare down, otherwise they just sits in the garage in boxes, lonely and unappreciated!

Here's a peek at some of the lovely items I'll be listing in either my etsy shop or ebay during the next few days....



























Even looking at the photos now, I don't want to let them go. But I seriously do not have the space. My hope is that someone will cherish and enjoy these pieces as much as I have.

So there you have it....I've loads to do and loads I want to share with you!

If there is something you want to know more about, feel free to email me @ enchantedrosestudio@yahoo.com

I'm so glad you didn't forget me! Thanks so much for stopping by and for taking the time leave me your sweet thoughts!

Have a lovely, safe, warm (and dry) week!

Cheers!


I'm linking this post up with the following fabulous hosts:

Broken China Mosaic Birdhouses and Design Inspiration

Hellooooooo bloggers and bloggerettes! Lovely to see you! So sweet of you to stop by for a visit! I hope that all is well (and warmer) in your world! It's been raining so much here in the SF peninsula, might need to build a boat! ha!

There is always a lot of talk about inspiration here in the blogosphere. We also have lots of before and after post.

For this post, I thought it would be fun to show you the inspiration behind the broken china mosaics I created.

I was looking for some inspiration for my mama's 75th birthday present (she will turn 85 this year). Since we are Russians, I thought it would be fun to create a design in the spirit of Russia.

Here, the inspirations...


The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia

and


Russian dachas

the birdhouses resulting from the inspirations....



Mama's Winter Palace Birdhouse






and Mama's Dacha






They sit on the pass-through from the dining room to the kitchen.



The perfect spot because we can enjoy the front and the back of the design.

It's hard for me to be impartial, I know the flaws and what I'd like to do differently. Even still, they are very pretty to look at. Just like their respective inspirations.

I have posted some tutorials at my How To blog for creating vintage china mosaics here.

Thanks so much for stopping by and for taking the time leave me your sweet thoughts!

Have a lovely, safe, warm (and dry) weekend!

Cheers!


I'm linking this post up with the following fabulous hosts:





Being Creative @ Gorgeous and Fun Things

109th Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on The Porch

Wreath much? The tale of a faux rosewood wreath (aka paper rose wreath)

Greeting! So sweet of you to stop by for a visit! I hope that all is well (and warmer) in your world!

Do you have a cuppa and a comfy seat? You know my post are photo filled ha! But I must confess, I love spending the time with you!

Let's begin with this interesting little diddy. According to Dictionary.com, a glutton for punishment is: someone who habitually takes on burdensome or unplesant tasks or unreasonable amounts of work.

Hmmmmm now why does that sound somewhat familar? ha! Let's see shall we?

First, credit where credit is due!

Most of you may be familar with Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming and her post and tutorial about her stunning faux rosewood wreath here.


I was so inspired by Stephanie's gorgeous creation! (Thanks so much for sharing with us Stephanie!)

Of couse, like most things I do, I always add my bit of a twist. ha!

Some of you may recall that I left a little teaser in my last post about it.

I believe this is where we left off....



those paper rosettes (plus another 150+ more) became this....

Hello Gorgeous!




I'll post a more in-depth tutorial about how I did it in my "How To blog" soon. For now, here is the shortened version...

I covered a round 10" styro wreath form with torn strips...





filled the wreath form with the rosettes...



I started applying the rosettes without any pattern in mind as I was going to cover all sides.

This is how much (or how little) the 80 rosettes covered.



After making another 150+...



I tied the last of my favorite two-toned ribbon...



Normally I would have only covered the front and sides but this one was going on the mirror....



So much prettier than having a plain backside showing..yes?! ha!



You would think I would just sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor. But nooooooo not me!

NOTE: This is where the definition I posted at the beginning might apply ha!

I wanted to make one for Valentine's Day. Being the glutton for punishment that I am, I rolled up 100 of these...



See the red ink? It ends up looking pink, which is exactly what I wanted.



...covered a 12" heart shaped styro wreath form and first applied the rosettes to the inner and outter sides....



Then started filling in. I'm afraid that the 100 rosettes only covered about half



after making another 150+

can you say soooo pretty in pink?!



I added the pink satin ribbon to kick the sweetness up a notch ha!

Don't you just love it?!

Here is a look at the finished back....



I must reiterate that these are such a pain in the patootie to make. As anyone who has created one of these will tell you they are very labor intensive!

But so darn worth it!



This pink heart wreath did me in! After rolling what seems like millions of these...



I ended up with....



OUCHIES!

As they say...the price of beauty! ha! So darn worth it!



Originally I was going to make a couple to sell in my Etsy shop. I haven't because I don't know how much to ask for one. Friends and family have offered a range of $100-$150 being a fair price because of all the work and time involved.

What do you think? I know most of us all DIY, but if you couldn't, for whatever reason make one and wanted to buy one, what do you think would be fair? I've truly not a clue!

Needless to say, I'm just thrilled that I finally finished both. And I personally feel that DIY is just a nice way of saying Glutton for Punishment! ha! Maybe we should start a club? Or at the very least seek therapy....yes? ;)

Thanks so much for stopping by and for taking the time leave me your sweet thoughts! You are a darling!!

Cheers!


I'm linking this post up with the following fabulous hosts: