Butterfly Bling

I have a minor addiction to costume jewelry, and therefore a small collection. I started my collection when I was in High School, and so now I have a handful of "vintage signed designer pieces" that are actually worth quite a bit more then I paid for them. $5 -> $50! (In light of how investments in the stock market are going, I haven't done to badly with my costume jewelry, which has the added benefit of making me smile at all my bling.) I don't wear the costume jewelry, most of it is way too gaudy, but I display some of pieces in a shadow box on my wall.

My children used to ask me all the time if we were rich and if they were "real diamonds". I think they still hold out hope that some of the pieces actually have "real" diamonds, and I just don't know it. (Don't I wish) They want me to take the case to Antique Roadshow. My children were probably some of the few first graders who knew rubies are red, emeralds are green...

I thought I would share this vintage green butterfly pin to celebrate St. Patricks Day, and I thought it might look nice against this little plate that I have. The plate was "made Expressly for Niemen Marcus", and I got them at a rummage sale a long time ago. I got 4 such plates, if they originally had cups I never saw them.

Click on the images to see them enlarged. 



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Tree Pins

Christmas pins

Butterfly pin

Floral Pins

Angel Window

Madonna Window

Beveled Window

Stained Glass

Christmas Hutch

Book Treasure

Garden Horses

Antique Trunk

Marbles

Eggs of Stone

Egg-stavaganza

I am linking to these parties:

Click for more 2nd Time Around items (I was entry 31 of 47).
Linked to Show and Tell (I was entry 52 of 142)
Linked to Thrifty Thursdays (I was entry 83 of 94)

Bundled Up I Heart Faces No. 9

The photo challenge at I Heart Faces this week is "bundled up". Hundred of photographers will submit a photo showing someone bundled up. I expect many of this weeks entries will have babies and children in snow suits.

My entry is one for the teenagers! This is one of my 'babies' bundled up in a quilt after tubing on the Little Wolf Lake, Michigan, summer of 2009. It can get very cold in between turns in the water, so I bring the quilt along. (Towels get soaked pretty quickly, the quilt can really warm you up.) We were still on the boat, (not that you can see it!); probably a cousin or sibling is being dragged through the water at the highest speed the boat can muster. The glow on Anthony's face makes me smile still. If only our teenagers were always this happy.


The I Heart Faces challenge this week is "Bundled up".  (I was entry 23 of 705).



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Black and White

Africa Collage

Bundled Up

Jump! I Heart Faces No. 8

Jump for Joy!

When you freeze the frame,
for a moment we fly...

I took this photo to illustrate the action "Jump" for a flash card set for children with special needs. In the end, I don't think this was the exact image we chose to use, but my helper really had a great attitude, especially as I tried to line up (frame?) her jump with the yellow panel for the best contrast.


Click in to see the expression on my son as he goes for height!


My daughter can achieve an inner joy - close your eyes and enjoy the sensation.


Tom will jump in the water this way several times a season - I feel it is his happy jump where he is running to embrace the water.


Seven in the air! One of the inspired gym teachers at my children's school does a special jump rope section that the children just love. One of the challenges is to get the most children jumping at the same time. [One of my challenges is to get the shot at the right moment when the children and the rope are at the best position.]

The I Heart Faces challenge this week is called Jump for Joy. This week we were allowed 5 photos. I am humbled by some of the shots you see on the site - my indoor photos are only snapshots. Unfortunately, you can't link to I heart Faces to see more jump for joy photo moments.

If you enjoyed this post you might also like:

Black and White

Africa Collage

Bundled Up

Valentine Vignette

I love how many of the "show and tell" people, and decorator types decorate for holidays.

 
 
I like collecting trinkets, and do (ask my husband). However, with four active children, I don't have the energy to decorate entire room or a house. So, I decided to decorate this corner seasonally. Ha. That worked. This photograph is from decorating in February 2008. In 2008, the best photo of the children that I could find for the frame included Santa hats  :) The corner never got decorated for Valentines Day in Feb 2009, and Feb 2010.

I realize that this photo is late for Valentines day 2010, but only by about two weeks, so I thought better late then never. And since I wanted to create a post for Show and Tell, this was one of the few ready and available photos I had.

About the trinkets: The red picture frame is real glass! I loved it when I saw it in 2007, and waited for the 1/2 off sale after Valentines Day to buy it. The three matching plates are from a set of four plates, bought at the same 1/2 off sale. The Glass paperweight and the glass strawberry I got rummage sales. The vase with the candy canes is a Boda (?) vase I got as a gift. I think the wild plate with the hearts on red was $1 at a dollar store. And the glass candy canes are one of my favorite treasures, which will hopefully be the subject of some future show and tell with great pictures to show them off.
Decorating the corner took time - tying the heart ornament on with a cool bow took me over an hour alone. I had to remove the shelf, find nylon string, figure out a method to get the heart to hang centered, etc. Oh well. Now I have a goal for other Show and Tells - Decorating the shelf differently.

(Someday in the future, I hope to change the valences that hang in the photo. Or at least in future photos arrange the valences out of the photo.)

 

 

Click on the images to see them enlarged.


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My Collection of all Hutch Posts!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am linking up to these parties: 
http://romantichome.blogspot.com
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
Thrifty Thursdays @ Bloggertsvile

Cedarburg Winter - Outdoor Wednesday No. 21

What a difference the seasons make!

This is a bridge I call Monet's bridge near the covered bridge in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, USA. Next time I take this shot in the winter, I guess I will have to step in the water (on the ice?) to eliminate the tree on the left from blocking a part of the bridge. Somehow, it's easier to do that in the water then on (thin) ice, even though I know it isn't deep...

This is the 21th time I have participated in Outdoor Wednesday, and the 1st time I have joined Watery Wednesday.

Outdoor Wednesday link: http://www.asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com 
Watery Wednesday link: http://www.waterywednesday.blogspot.com 

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Misty Morning post with a covered bridge photo from Cedarburg



Another covered bridge view in this post.




Covered Bridge in Winter in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

I Heart Face No. 7

My daughter was wondering - What's an outtake?



Well, honey, it's when a photograph doesn't turn out as the photographer hoped for or wanted when they were trying to get the picture they envisioned. Sometimes they end up with something else; and sometimes that something else is pretty funny. Here, I wanted to document my beautiful young family, on our once in a generation vacation to Washington DC, with the capital in the background lit by the sun, gleaming in the distance with the green lawn in front. What I captured instead was the real life memories - squinty eyes and non-cooperation from some in the family as they made the several mile long walk back to the car after a long day of touring. We would only pass this way once, the shot was now or skip it, and a photojournalistic moment was captured.

(Note: After finding out I could have more then one photo, I added the Washington DC photograph.) The I Heart Faces challenge is featuring photos of hilarious outtakes this week.

Covered Bridge in Winter

Covered Bridge, Cedarburg, Wisconsin, View from the North
One of my favorite spots in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, USA is the covered bridge.


Covered Bridge, Cedarburg, Wisconsin, View from the South
-
It is beautiful in all of the seasons, especially in a fresh snowfall.
This is the second time I am participating in Scenic Sunday.
-
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Misty Morning post with another covered bridge photo from Cedarburg



Another Covered Bridge View in this post.




My 1st Scenic Sunday post Elves Chasm, Grand Canyon, USA

Washington D.C. - Outdoor Wednesday

It has been I while since I posted a photo for Outdoor Wednesday.

While I am waiting for great weather in Wisconsin again, I thought I would post this different view of the US Capitol in Washington DC. It is from a trip to Washington in September, 2009. There are so many different views of the capitol if you have the time to walk around it. I hadn't known this fountain and landscaped area was there before I stumbled across it.

This is the 20th time I have participated in Outdoor Wednesday!

Outdoor Wednesday link:

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com

Hands Photo

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  Autumn Faces

  Balloon portrait

  Tooshies





I linking this photo to Shutter Love Tuesday.




(I was entry 64)