Jewelry-The Key

Once open a time when times were a little

simpler, maybe a little harder.

Who's to say?

Grandma and Grandpa

lived in a old farm house that sat

 on a few acres of land.

My three sisters and I would spend

weekends at Grandma's and Grandpa's.

My grandparents would care for their garden

all week and on the weekends my sisters and I 

would help Grandma sell their vegetables

at the stand in front of their house. 

These were wonderful times. 

Three little girls running and playing.

I remember a game 

my Grandma use to play with us.

"Who will answer the door?"

All three girls and grandma, of course,

would hide just around the corner of the house

as one of us would quickly run to the front door

and knock on it.

Then we would wait.

 Most of the time no one came to the door

but once in a while Grandpa would open the door

and say,"Who's that at my door?" 

We would all giggle quietly as he looked around

but never saw us.

These are just  a few of the memories

my sweet friend Julie shared with me as she 

placed this key in my hand and asked if 

I could make her something with it.

Julie is a school teacher .

She asked if I would make it simple 

so that she could wear it to school.

Here is a key that once opened

a door to a bedroom in the little 

farm house. Now it opens the door

 to many memories.

Craft Day - Jude's Pillow

Hey, 

What did Grand Mommy 

make for you?

Jude's nursery has a yellow submarine theme.

So Grand Mommy needle felted and embroidered

a yellow submarine pillow for his 

nursery.

A little reminder that,

 "All we need is love."

The Wedding - Something for the Bride

I will finish the Wedding blogging

with our bride.

Beautiful, graceful and elegant
on the outside yes, but most importantly
Felicia's is even more beautiful on the inside.
She is kind, loving and has a giving heart.
She is a wonderful addition to our family and
 we are honored to call her our daugter.

Our beautiful bride needs jewelry.

The jewelry needs to be beautiful, classic
and subtle. We don't want to take our eyes off
of our bride.

Keeping all those things in mind,
I choose ecru oval freshwater pearls
and a sterling silver clasp.
All these came together to make
 a double strand vintage inspired bracelet.

For the earrings I used the same fresh water pearls
and sterling silver wire to make these lovely
delicate dangle earrings.

So that is the end of blogging about the wedding but only the beginning of
a long and happy life together.
Felicia and Jeremy, Thank you and may God bless you and your marriage.
(Wedding photos by Craig Ligibel)

The Wedding - Flowers for the Tables

In keeping with the Old Florida

 and driftwood theme.

Our bride requested that driftwood be used in her

center pieces.

My daughter Rachel and I came up with

 two ideas.

 For the high top tables we 

placed a few small clear glass stones on the bottom of 

a clear glass cylinder. 

Then we placed an orchid stem into the glass

cylinder. We added water and a floating candle.

We placed a few pieces of moss around the 

bottom of the vase.

 Then each cylinder was tied

with a natural colored bow and several

 pieces of small driftwood were placed

 inside of the bow. 

For our large tables we used larger pieces of

driftwood, moss, fern and 

white orchids.

In the center of this arrangement was

placed a white pillar candle and  

a hurricane lamp over it.

As the wind blew my team was at my side 

working hard, full of smiles and laughter.

Thank you, Rachel and Anne, for a wonderful day. 

Thank you to the Groomsmen for setting up the tables. 

Jay, Dan, Sorrel, Richard and Bonnie,

thank you.

It truly was a beautiful day! I am so blessed to have been a part of it.

Thank you, Jeremy and Felicia.

The Wedding - Driftwood Arbor

As I walk along our Florida Beaches

 on occasion I will see a beautiful piece of driftwood.

Washed and worn, some pieces molded by time

with ripples and dimples.

I find myself picking these pieces of time up

 and carrying them home imagining what they have been through 

and how they came be in my hand on this day.

My son Jeremy and his lovely bride Felicia

have seen some of my pieces of driftwood and the 

mirrors I have made with them.

 These two native Floridians thought that a

driftwood arbor would be a wonderful addition

 to their wedding day. Felicia asked Jeremy and I if we

could make their dream a reality.

Jeremy and I both love a challenge so

our answer was, of course, yes.

 For a year I wandered about our small island and 

various and sundry places gathering nature's outcast.

At the end of March Jeremy and his friends

 came to the island and bundled all the driftwood I had found.

 They placed it in their boats and took it to the mainland.

Then they put the driftwood in their trucks and hauled it to the 

shop where Jeremy and I would build the Wedding Arbor.

Jeremy and I figured the Arbor should be 

seven foot by four foot. That would be

 large enough for three people to stand in or in front of

 but not to large to transport.

 Jeremy built the Arbor frame and painted it.

 I asked if I could help but he

wanted to do it himself.

Once the Arbor was painted Jeremy and I started putting

 the puzzle together. Each piece of driftwood

was strategically placed. For hours I handed Jeremy

driftwood pieces as he drilled and screwed them into the 

arbor frame.

I had such a wonderful time working with Jeremy.

He is so talented and creative. This arbor was

as much his design as mine.

We made a great team. 

The arbor is finished.

 Now we must get this arbor to its destination.

 A frame was built in and around the arbor

to give the men something to hold onto

 and to support the arbor

as they lifted and moved it from place to place.

 Jeremy and his buddies lifted and carried

 this huge, very heavy arbor and set it in the prefect place.

Hours of hard work, fun and lots of help,

we are now ready for the final touches on the arbor.

The supports are removed. 

There she stands in all her glory, 

pieces once discarded

have come together to make one beautiful center

piece for a very special day.

Congratulations

 Felicia and Jeremy

Thank you Craig Ligibel for the wedding pictures.

Jeremy, Mac, Josh, Dave, Daniel, Blue, Elliott, Eric, Justin,

Lance, Matt, Christian, Steve, Jay and Rob

    all who had a hand in helping with this project

thank you, we could not have done it without you.

The Wedding - Something for the Bridesmaids

I hear wedding bells.

Don't you?

So much to do, so little time.

First...

What will we do for the bridesmaids?

A necklace or two

made with freshwater pearls and and beautiful champagne crystals

would be very nice.

I will make a small sterling silver monogrammed initial for 

each bridesmaid's necklace.

Each necklace will be finished

 with a sterling silver vintage inspired clasp.

As each of these ladies arrive to be at the side of their bride

they will receive one of these cute little floral pouches with 

their initial tied to the top beckoning them to look inside.

Once the small purse is opened each bridesmaid

will have received a very special gift made

just for them from their bride.

Playing with Letters