White Picket Fences

There is no cure for Fabry's disease or the issues I have with the resulting nerve damage. There is only wishing it didn't exist, and dealing with all the "stuff" that comes along with it. But then there is this~

queen anne's lace growing wildly right by the front step

That is when I do my "noticing" photographing exercise, that I have spoken of here before.

A lot of it centers around our home. I think because home is so important to me. It is a safe place. A constant that I can count on. A cocoon of comfort. I spend most of my time here, since I work at home, trying to make a living by doing what I love...making new things out of old things.

authentic art nouveau findings and french rhinestones

the lovely texture of milk glass creamer and sugar with embossed leaves

 I've opened a new little shop recently called "White Picket Fences", just for earrings like the handmade assemblage art nouveau earrings above...it's for all the things I adore and love to be surrounded with. Like shades of white, pale pale pinks, all things shabby chic, old and sparkly~

vintage chandelier sparkles and shabby tin tiles (even during renovation!)(and complimentary spiderwebs too

The new shop has vintage jewelry, antique linens and the recent addition of lovely handmade shabby chic lavender sachets that I have made from linens and vintage millinery flowers I loved creating them...thought they would make nice gifts.

french lavender sachets decorated with vintage millinery

I've always wanted to run a little "real" shop, but this online one will have to serve that purpose...

...you know, I still believe in happily ever after. I still believe in the sacredness of marriage and the promise of growing old with the one you love. I want my home and your home to be a sacred sanctuary, filled with the things and the people you most love.
I want to believe that when I'm gone, I've made a difference in this world.
I want my breaths to have mattered. Even after all this time, I still want the white picket fences.

There are good days when I feel strong and energetic and invincible...but I know that my "quality of life" is not going to get better. I am not the type to feel sorry for myself, but I do now and then because I'm not superwoman. I try to use my sense of humor on the really hard days and ask myself, "Are you above ground?" "Yes,?" "Then it's a good day." And then I chuckle to myself because I know it is true.
Truly, I only have today.  This day. This moment.
If you are anything at all like me, you forget on a daily basis that this could be your very. last. day.
So, I find my joy, wherever it is that day. In a dancing shadow on the wall...or a favorite song...spending time with the ones I love, or even ironing vintage linens...or in the joy of creating just a little something every day.
This poem by Mary Oliver deeply resonates with me. Especially the very last line. forgive the morbid title, but if you haven't read it, I wanted to share it with you today~
 

When Death Comes

When death comes
like the hungry bear in autumn
when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse

to buy me, and snaps his purse shut;
when death comes
like the measle-pox;

when death comes
like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,

I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering;
what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?

And therefore I look upon everything
as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,
and I look upon time as no more than an idea,
and I consider eternity as another possibility,

and I think of each life as a flower, as common
as a field daisy, and as singular,

and each name a comfortable music in the mouth
tending as all music does, toward silence,

and each body a lion of courage, and something
precious to the earth.

When it’s over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was a bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened
or full of argument.

I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.

me and "Birdie" June 2012

New Assemblage Jewelry and the First Casualty of the Simplicity Project

Just a peek into what I've been creating lately...working on cuffs and lots of creamy pearly rhinestone infused things...maybe because so many weddings seem happen in the spring and early summer months...and over this past year, I've been so inspired by an amazing wedding blog called "Ruffled".

When you visit, be sure you have some time to look and be inspired by all of the amazing DIY  weddings. Some serious creativity and l.o.v.e. over there...as well as creative wedding photography that will delight and amaze you! I get it delivered to my mailbox each morning and it is a sweet way to start the day with a peek at people in love. They also celebrate same sex marriages, which I find extremely refreshing and poignant to see.

Antique Assemblage Cuff in the SHOP

Custom Vintage Assemblage Bridal Comb

Custom Bridal comb in Silver, pearls and rhinestones

Shabby Chic fern and pearl earrings

OK, so in my last post, I spoke of an attempt at re-simplifying my life. Letting go of extraneous stuff...and stuff I am keeping from a woman that no longer exists. I figure, if I really want to remember certain things like these~

Steve Madden Mary Janes Circa 1998ish

Things like these very outdated, almost vintage Square toed Steve Madden Mary Jane heels that I bought so long ago and have worn only a handful of times. I am so not a "shoe" person. Really. I am a very conservative shoe person. I wear only Mary Janes. I only have a few pair now...but really only because I now have to wear very good shoes due to the fact that my feet have chosen not to function properly anymore. Heels of any kind are no more. 

These shoes are a part of a woman that does not exist any more. She hasn't existed for many years...and neither have her heel wearing feet, but still, there was that hope...you know? I know you know.

So as a symbolic gesture, these go first. Because believe me, these shoes are extremely difficult for me to part with. Silly isn't it? They're just shoes. Outdated shoes. They hold no power over me...yet I have had them in the "to go" pile sooooo many times, and taken them out and put them away sooooo many times. This time is it.

Even as I write, I'm thinking of how I can salvage them! Bookends? Doorstops? Planters? Decoupage? Paint?

Remember in my last post when I talked of having the 100 things already down pat in the mid nineties and I didn't even know it? Well, these shoes were a part of my 100 things. I've carried these shoes all over the country. They are more than just shoes. They were a part of me. They were apart of my identity. A regular resident in closets here and there, from Florida to Washington to Florida to Washington and finally to Michigan.

If I can let go of these shoes, I can let go of more.

I'm doin' it.

I'll put the photo in my journal for old times sake.

Shabby Chic Woodland Wedding Offerings from Sacred Cake

healing hills collage necklace

shabby chic bridal earrings

original shabby chic woodland ring bearer book

champagne bridal earrings

shabby chic woodland card keeper

wedding lanterns

antique rhinestone bridal earrings

original shabby chic ring bearer book

woodland wedding card keeper

I've been busy with family, enjoying the holidays and doing some creating! All of these shabby chic woodland wedding themed earrings, necklaces, ring bearer pillow, card keeper and more can be found in the etsy shop by clicking the photographs, or right  here:
http://www.sacredcake.etsy.com
See you again very soon!
Many Blessings,
Jennifer Valentine of Sacred Cake

I Believe in Love...

Every time I receive a lovely photo from one of "my brides", it reassures me...and always, always melts my heart. As I have said before, weddings give me such hope. Weddings hold such promise...and I believe in love.
When I create a piece of jewelry for a bride, or for anyone for that matter, I infuse each piece with my greatest hopes and love for the wearer. My customers often say they can feel it when they wear it...that means everything to me.

Lovely Ashlee's Wedding

Ashlee's vintage assemblage bridal comb

Glass Garden, vintage assemblage necklace

Glass Garden

In Love, shabby bridal earrings

Ave Maria, vintage assemblage earrings

I have a grandson coming tomorrow, so I'm busy "nesting" here at home. He and Em will be with us for awhile until she can get on her feet. I cannot even describe to you the excitement I feel when I think of seeing his little face for the first time. I find myself gently shaking my head in disbelief, as I write here in the early morning hours, that nine months have flown by already. It has been a rough road for Em, but I know this little fella will help direct her path from here on out. Yup, I have a very good feeling about him...and about her too...

Em

The next time we talk, I'll be a grandmother for the very fist time...magic!
Warmly,
Jennifer

Functional Vintage Assemblage Art Tutorial to Share

I've been busy making some of my favorite things for the online shop....using everyday kinds of objects and elevating them to little functional assemblage art pieces. I get the inspiration from the curls of wire that I use, from one of my favorite artists, Brian Andreas.

étincelle

This is a bit time consuming, but fairly straightforward.

Here are the things you will need:

vintage salt shakers
sturdy wire, 20 gauge steel is best (check your local hardware store)
two part epoxy resin

small paper cups

wooden or plastic sticks for stirring

vintage pins or earrings

metal file or Dremel tool with sanding bit

wire cutters

paper for protecting your surface 

paper towels

safety glasses

painters tape (blue)

e-6000 glue

Directions:

First, clean and dry your shakers. Set them on the protective paper on a sturdy, flat surface. Keep the lids off, but set them next to the matching shaker. Put on your safety glasses.

Cut lengths of the wire about 2 1/2" feet long. Curl one end around your finger a bit to shape it and stick the wire down into the shaker bottom. Do this for each one you want to make. To keep from poking your eyes, curl the top tips a bit to round them out.

If you want two curls coming from the top, like mine, use two strands of wire, or make a "V" shape and stick it down in there.

Next, mix about 1/4 of a cup of the resin in the paper cup, stirring with the stick until completely blended. No need to measure perfectly to make 1/4C. Just be sure to add equal amounts of resin into the cup. It usually comes in squeeze bottles, so hold the bottles over your cup in each hand and squeeze them together in unison and it will be right enough for this project! (because no one will see it if it gets bubbly and imperfect.)(It's ok)(Really. It is.)(It will get hard enough to work fine.)(Trust yourself.)

OK, this part is where you have to work quickly. After you have mixed your resin, squeeze your cup a bit to make a pour spout shape at the top that will fit into the top of the shaker. Small enough to pour the resin into the shaker. This can ba a bit tricky if you have a shaker with a narrow top opening! Especially if you already have wire sticking out of the opening. The trick though, is to cover the bottom of the shaker AND the wire in it, so that it will be sturdy when the resin hardens around it.

If you get resin on the shaker, just wipe it off with a paper towel as soon as possible.

Now, slide the shaker top on to the wires, threading it through the holes you want them to go through. Twist on the cap.

 

Curl the wire, beginning with a small curl, then work your way outward to form a spiral. Now to decorate, be sure to put on your safety glasses, and remove the backs from the pins and earrings with your wire cutters. File the backs down roughly with your file or Dremel tool. Hold them up to the shakers to see where you'd like them to be placed. File that spot on the shaker a bit to roughen it up. Lay it down and put a dot of glue on the roughened area of your pin or earring or whathaveyou. Wait about 30 seconds, then place your vintage element on the roughened spot on the shaker. Use a piece of painters tape over it to hold it in place and set overnight, or wait several hours for the glue to semi-set before adding more pieces on top of that one. The tape peels right off when you're finished.

Whew! We're done!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions. I'm very approachable! Ask me anything. Just leave a comment here with your email address so I can answer. Anonymous is just fine. No hoop jumping allowed here. No letters to decipher and punch in to leave a comment.

milk glass shakers with vintage earrings!

an example of an oil can holder I made

If you don't think you want to fuss with all of those directions, then you can  purchase some of these pieces from my etsy shop! I can also do custom orders for weddings. These would make great place holders or displays for any shabby chic wedding. Speaking of weddings, here is a recent shabby bridal comb I've got in the shop right now.

Delight

oil cans featured in Somerset Life 2010

I hope you have fun with this project and it sparks your creativity!

Blessings and Light to You All,

Jennifer Valentine of Sacred Cake

Here Come the Brides, to Carry Me Over the Threshold of Doubt

Happy. Vintage Assemblage Bridal Earrings

  When I feel like giving up, I think about them...the precious brides-to-be that come to me and my shop for the assemblage bridal combs, earrings and bracelets that make them feel beautiful on their most special day. I sometimes hear the voices in my head that say that what I do is meaningless adornment in a world filled with so many more important things. The voices say that I'll never make lots of money, or be well known for my work....the voices say that I am wasting my time. Who do I think I am?

And, I say back to the voices, that maybe I'll never be as successful as others...and maybe I won't ever make the big bucks...but what is important is what I feel when I create, and how others feel when my creations belong to them. I feel incredible bliss when I create that nothing, aside from my children, has ever given me. My work is infused with it. It feels like a divine compulsion...something I must do even when I want to give up because my body won't cooperate, or because life gets too complicated or stressful. I escape into the little world at my desk, where old things are made new again...arranged like flowers in a vase until all of the elements seem just right.

custom bridal comb in vintage silver

Making jewelry for brides is my most favorite thing to create. It is such a humbling experience to receive photographs from "my brides" wearing something I put such deep thought and love into. I see the photographs and I shake my head in wonder and amazement and in thanksgiving for such an honor. Such a joy to be a part of one of the most special times in a woman's life...

Alison's Custom Bridal Comb and Earrings

Jenny's Assemblage Bridal Charm Bracelet

Jenny's Wedding (favorite picture)

Custom Bridal Comb Set with Antique Crinoline (some of my most favorites!)

Melanie's Lovely Australian Wedding

Melanie's Bridal Bracelet and her Beautiful Bouquet

Where do you find your bliss? Tell me about it, won't you?
I've also marked down the whole shop to clear things out for new pieces...come take a peek here.

Vintage Assemblage Wedding Jewelry and a bit about Summer

Well, once again, I've been away awhile...busy with life, children, work, and getting better.
I've found myself relishing the cool days and the rainy weather we've been having...strolling around the yard after the rain subsides, looking for bits of roses and green things to trim to bring inside. I can't bring myself to cut any roses unless they are almost ready to shed! If there are enough blooms, I'll treat myself to some little buds. Our bushes are still young and not producing tons of roses yet. I've always wanted a rose garden, but never took the time to cultivate one...or splurge on bushes! This year, my husband has been lovingly planting them all over our sunny back yard. Such lovely colors... and I cannot convey the incredible sweetness of the scent some of them have...there is one in particular that is large and pale yellow that smells so amazing that it is difficult for me to tear my nose away from its velvety splendor...have you ever smelled a rose like that?
Today, I brought a  few inside to enjoy, along with some bright orange day lilies and a sprig of hydrangea...

I've never been a big fan of summer, but life has a certain amazing sweetness these days. I feel like I am more fully present in it. Less worried. Practicing being more mindful. Praying more. Feeling more and more grateful for my life, my family and my relationships.

I've been thinking about weddings again...and how much I still love making special occasion jewelry! I found myself making a couple of vintage assemblage bridal hair combs for the shop from some of my pretty vintage jewelry parts and pieces...this is one I was particularly fond of~

Cherry Blossom and Crinoline, shabby bridal comb

I used a bit of antique crinoline, a large leaf brooch, a gold plated flower piece from an old bracelet, and a few vintage shabby pearl and rhinestone earrings...I have had a couple of brides that I've made jewelry for send me amazing photographs of them wearing their jewelry and it is always so deeply touching for me to see. I feel so incredibly fortunate that they want to wear my work out of the thousands of jewelry designs out there to choose from...my work speaks out to them somehow, through the thousands of others...and I am so incredibly grateful to be a part of something like this~

Jenny's Wedding

I think it is because it makes me still believe and have faith in happily ever after.

xoxox,
Jennifer