Handmade Shabby Chic From the Hearts of Etsy

I got a special package just the other day, from a dear couple in Idaho, who have an Etsy shop called KMHandyKrafts. When I found their little shop, I was instantly enamored by their original style and Eco friendly, shabby chic approach to creating. I fell in love with a precious hand made heart featuring a sweet little bird on a real branch, sewn to the puffy heart with the word, Dream~

front of shabby birdy heart

But that wasn't the best part. There was more on the other side! Hand sewn words, vintage buttons and precious beads made from antique papers...the time and attention to detail on this sweet little heart was obvious. Their work truly comes from the heart.

back of shabby birdy heart!

What really got me was the extremely low prices. I almost feel like I am taking advantage of them! (SO I sent them a big box of goodies from my stash!) If you need a sweet little hand made vintage something for a gift or something to make you smile that is very very easy on your wallet, this is the shop to visit. Mary and Kerry did not put me up to this post...I'm doing it because they make things that make my heart happy. And I want to share this heart happiness with you!

shabby chic pale pink draw string bag with antique photograph transfer

I love what Mary says about her shabby chic bags~ "I love to create my little bags with raw edges because I think it adds to to overall feel that I am trying to get. I love to use scraps and left overs-It is like our lives-little pieces that come together to make us who who are-rough edges and all. Stray threads and torn edges are a part of what I create and they are left because I think they add to the Shabby Chic Vintage look."

my wonderful extra "loot"!

Mary was so sweet to send along some extra gifts in the sweetest shabby chic bag I have ever seen...she sent a tiny little decoupaged heart box, some tiny doilies, a tiny vintage perfume bottle, a vintage metal child's spoon, antique skeleton key, and a darling hand made slide pendant that says "work of love"...well, that is so obvious when seeing their work.

There is no perfection, just honest creative goodness, raw edges and all.

little heart wall hanging

Last, but definitely not least, a lovely little wall hanging made with deckle edged paper, sewn with tiny beads, ribbon and vintage lace.

     I feel completely spoiled, and ever so grateful for the extra love. As we "speak", the shop is packed with hearts for a Valentine's Day celebration...and everything is priced more than fairly, if you consider the amount of time they invest in each piece they create together. I'm so glad I stumbled upon their shop when looking for heart things on Etsy...I find myself smiling as I visit each new item...I visit their sweet Etsy shop every day now, to see what is new. I particularly love the handmade journals...such a joy!

these chickens give me smiles for miles...

Be Still, Listen. inside of shabby pink journal

I hope you'll visit Kerry and Mary and be inspired! (click on any picture to be taken to their shop)

Blessings and Light,

Jennifer Valentine of Sacred Cake

Apple Blossoms and Fences

      Kim’s passing has changed me. Last night I dreamed of apple blossomtrees and skipping and running my fingers along a chain fence…I’d forgotten how that felt. I knew she was the reason I was experiencing those things. Winter is here in Michigan, and the landscape is wiry with empty trees and sheets of white. No wonder I dreamed of childhood and springtime…but even then, asleep; I was aware of her presence.

     There is not a moment that is not infused with the knowing that it could have been me in that truck, on that road, on that wintry day. Or any other day for that matter.

Each moment of my life has become more vivid, more detailed, more about love and loving more, and less about the lack of things.

     Now there are times, like any human being, that I loose my way and the frustration of every day life cowers over me. I grumble about this and that, like we all do…then I think of her.

     And I wonder if she knows how she has changed the world in the leaving of it. I wonder if that is ok to say. There are so many questions, as always, that I have learned to accept. Questions that never have answers…like why someone so vibrant and lovely has to die and leave little girls  behind. My sister and I were those little girls once. Left behind by the death of  someone vibrant and loving, and left with the wondering why and the unanswered questions.

     Kim has put the color back into my life. She has infused each day with the intricacies  and wonders of it…she has brought brilliance back into glints of sunshine through the trees and richness in sounds and more joy in the every day moments that get lost in the day. For me, there are a lot less of those lost moments now. I have become more aware of my life and those moments…more absorbed into them…needing very much to braille them into the pages of my memory.

     I wonder if she knows this. I want her to know this. Her passing was not in vain. She lives inside of me, so that I may pass that vibrancy of life and loving on to others…and on, and on, and on.

     It is a strange thing, this grief. It is a muddy composition of sadness that catches me off guard, and an awareness of overwhelming joy and gratitude for the gift of life that I have been given.Each day; a gift.

     Thank you, sweet Kim, for your presence here in this life, so that I may be more present in mine, and in the lives of others. It isn't with selfishness that I say these things. Your passing was not in vain. You are not lost to the world. You are forever a part of it; living on through your children and through those who will hold you in their hearts and minds always.

Generations are touched by the sun of your smile.

Thank You....Thank You.

     The outpouring of generosity for Kimberly and Tim Jacko's family was more than I could have ever imagined. I did not expect that I would have over 1,200 raffle tickets to run my grateful fingers through. I visited Tim the day after the funeral. He asked me to thank you, from the depths of his heart, for your generosity and gracious gifts...he wanted me to tell you that he wanted the money to go toward something meaningful. I admit, I still get choked up, even trying to type the words...but I will, because you should know. He is using some of the money collected to buy Kim's grave stone. It is something that he would not have otherwise been able to purchase for her memory.
     When I went over to visit him and his daughters, it was very emotional for me...it was a bit awkward because I wanted to hold it together for the youngest. I did. But it took all of the composure I had. Kim was all around there...every single wall of their little home was covered with family photographs. She valued family. She valued togetherness and children and laughter. SHE was valuable. Tim said she was in the midst of preparing for the new year with a fresh start. She was rearranging photos, organizing cook books and kitchen cabinets...and I thought of how often I'd done the same, never ever thinking that I may never be able to finish...but all of that has changed for me. I think of her every single day. And I'm sneaky. I quietly let the tears go when no one is around and it is quiet (like right now) and before I drift to sleep at night. They are tears of sadness mingled with tears of overwhelming gratitude for the life I have been given. For the outpouring of donations for her family that I never expected. For the restoration of my own hope in humanity. For divine grace.
     Tim's daughter Shaylee is 14, and Kim's death has been so difficult for her. After leaving the house, I could not get her little face out of my mind. I saw myself  in her, sitting there with the saddest eyes. I was transported back in time, fresh from the funeral of my step-father, who was the absolute world to me...he was every joy to me. I was 14. Just as Shaylee is...and floundering to make sense of something so senseless. It has been almost 30 years since his death, and I still get tears in my eyes and an ache in my heart with the missing of him. Angela (my sweet neighbor and friend) is actually making a birthday cake with Shaylee today, since her birthday is tomorrow.
I am going to put a donation spot on my sidebar here on the blog, for the family. There are still at least two weeks left until the drawing.

I just cannot thank you enough for your selfless gifts for Tim and his family. To everyone who contributed in every way, may your lives be blessed.
UPDATE: I am going to be giving away more than six pairs of vintage assemblage earrings. I received a generous donation from one of my favorite suppliers to make at least six more pair of Kim's favorite green earrings. Many thanks to Scarlett of Valclaws on Ebay for your generous donation of supplies!
I better get busy, eh?

Blessings to You and Yours,
Jennifer Valentine of Sacred Cake

A Heavy Heart

What I am going to tell you is hard to hear. It's sobering. It's sad. It is real.
I met Kim last year through my dear neighbor, Angela. She loved my jewelry, I loved her smile and her enthusiasm and the way she looked at her little girl. I gave her a simple pair of earrings and you'd have thought I just handed her the entire moon...she was like that. She was feisty and bold and funny. She was a mother, a wife, a daughter, and a friend...

She was you. She was me. She was any of us.

Kimberly Jacko and her daughter May 2011

On new years day, she was gone. A snowy road on the way home claimed her life.  A car accident that left her little girl without her mother, and a husband and family and friends drowning in grief. It was the first snow here, and after 8 years of life here, I know all to well, that the first snow always claims lives and injures people. But no one ever thinks....

 



There is a heaviness here, in this little town...almost like everyone has felt their own mortality smack them in the face.

Including mine. My grief is private, and tears spill in the quiet spaces of my evenings when the house is still. When I look at my young son...my tiny grandson...my husband... My head is reeling with constant thoughts of my brief time with Kimberly, what her family must be going through, the grief her husband must feel...the mental list is endless. And dear Angela, my sweet and kind neighbor, she is beside herself with grief...coming to me with sad eyes that I can hardly bear to see from such a joyous soul. They were good friends. And in her grief, Angela is gathering tangible and useful things from family and friends to take to Kim's husband and family to help. Kim was not only a mother to her and her husbands little girl, but step-mom to her husband's older children as well.

Kim and Angela 2010

Kimberly and Tim's Children 2011 (photograph by Angela)

I am asking of you something simple. Look around you. Count your blessings. Take a breath. Thank God for it. Call your friend. Send the unsent letter. Sing in the grocery store (or sing and dance, as I often do.) LOVE your life. Love the questions. Let go. Choose to be happy.

Kim and Tim

Tell your child you that love them. Call them now. Hug your loved ones...your friends. Make amends. Hold you husband. Your wife. Your family, your friends. Really notice the little things.

Live for women like Kim.

I have always believed in a collective good...that togetherness makes us stronger. That we should try to use our gifts for a better world.This is how I want to honor her on this snowy eve,  and use my gifts to do so. It is all that I have to give. Her family needs the help.

I am asking you to please purchase a raffle ticket. All that it will cost you is one dollar. I am raffling off  a gift certificate for FIFTY DOLLARS worth of merchandise in my shop, Sacred Cake on Etsy.
When you win, I will give you a special code to use for your gifts in the shop. You can use it any time on anything you'd like. EACH DOLLAR YOU DONATE EQUALS ONE TICKET. Each ticket you purchase increases your chances to win.

Peridot green necklace by Sacred Cake

ALSO, There will be SIX MORE lucky winners of a pair of simple, pretty peridot (pale green) crystal drop earrings in remembrance of Kimberly.

Kim's last words on Facebook were these~
"HAPPY NEW YEAR! Live well, be healthy and happy and appreciate all of your blessings!"


I am asking you to help me to help her family in their time of need and grief. Receive something special in return. A chance to win something pretty and a chance to make a difference...a chance to be a part of the collective good in the world.
Please spread the word. Click on the "Share this" in green letters under the post between the comments and the post itself. Then you can easily choose to share on facebook, twitter and a multitude of other ways.
Winners will be drawn on January 31st, for a 50.00 gift certificate and six earring winners. Remember that each dollar you donate equals one raffle ticket in the pot.

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

Assemblage Jewelry Angel Ornaments, a nifty holiday project idea

I had an order for quite a few ornaments recently and wanted to share some of them with you. It is a fairly simple project, that will hopefully stir your imagination as well!

What you will need:
large vintage filigree piece
photograph of a small face for the center
some clear plastic or celophane to cover the center
vintage jewelry parts and pieces
old buttons
old chandelier crystal (also found on ebay or etsy.com)
e-6000 glue (found at walmart, online, or at a craft store)
aged ribbon or seam binding
diamond glaze
sheet music or decorative paper

each one with crinkled aged seam binding ribbon hanger

each have different vintage chandelier crystal dangles

sweet little vintage boy angel ornament

Directions:
Cut the angel's face a bit larger than the hole in the filigree, along with a piece of mica, or plastic. I used a piece of old yellowed plastic on some and a piece of Mica on the others. Glue the circle of Mica on to the back of the filigree by beading a little glue around the opening. Place the plastic disc over the opening and clamp the edges with small clamps or press under a book. Be sure to put a piece of plastic, like a ziploc bag between the ornament and the book, so the book doesn't stick to your ornament.
Working with one ornament at a time, coat the plastic on the back with a coat of diamond glaze and firmly press the photo onto the plastic. Press out any air bubbles. Don't worry, imperfection is part of the charm!
Now, turn your angel over and add your embellishments. I used vintage jewelry parts and pieces, antique mother of pearl buttons and seam binding ribbon that I aged myself with walnut ink. Be sure to wear safety glasses when removing the backs from old jewelry.
E-6000 glue is self leveling, so the backs of your vintage parts do not have to be completely flat, though it helps to sand them down as flat as possible. I use a dremel tool, but a basic metal file works well too.
For the backs of the ornament, I glued on a square of scalloped vintage sheet music to cover.

antique little girl's face ornament

If you don't want to cut an old photo, just make a copy of it on your computer, like I did. I used three different sweet little faces for my angels. You can even make these with photographs of your own children or ancestors...these are too cute to store away after Christmas! They make very cute decor wherever you need a bit of cheer and sparkle!
***If you'd like me to create one for you, just leave a comment with your email address (it will absolutely not be published), and how many you'd like. The price is 18.00 each plus 3.00 to ship, and will be billed to you by my business Paypal account through the email address you provide. I can most certainly make these with any photograph you'd like, or the ones I have shown here. Each one will be one of a kind!

antique angel baby ornament

Stay tuned for more holiday projects!
Blessings and Light,
Jennifer Valentine of Sacred Cake

Nine and Fifty Swans and My Bum Pinky

Yesterday I was off to the neuropsycholigist for testing to see what might be the issue with my failing memory and increasing issues with peripheral neuropathy (progressivve nerve damage in hands and feet). I was early and the view of the lake in Paw Paw was so beautiful.~

Seeing the swans gliding on the water made me think of my first ever college class. It was British Literature. I loved it. I would walk through the Bellevue Community College campus near Seattle, Washington and tears would leak from my eyes with the amazement and the gratitude for finally being there in that place. College meant more to me than anything in the world. I was a high school drop out, and 17 years later, the longing to learn...to be taught...was finally no longer a longing, but a reality. We studied names I'd never heard before...Yeats, Housman, Wilde....and it was unforgettable.

I wanted to share with you, a favorite poem of mine by William Butler Yeats~

The Wild Swans at Coole

THE TREES are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky;
Upon the brimming water among the stones	5
Are nine and fifty swans.
The nineteenth Autumn has come upon me
Since I first made my count;
I saw, before I had well finished,
All suddenly mount	10
And scatter wheeling in great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings.
I have looked upon those brilliant creatures,
And now my heart is sore.
All’s changed since I, hearing at twilight,	15
The first time on this shore,
The bell-beat of their wings above my head,
Trod with a lighter tread.
Unwearied still, lover by lover,
They paddle in the cold,	20
Companionable streams or climb the air;
Their hearts have not grown old;
Passion or conquest, wander where they will,
Attend upon them still.
But now they drift on the still water	25
Mysterious, beautiful;
Among what rushes will they build,
By what lake’s edge or pool
Delight men’s eyes, when I awake some day
To find they have flown away?	30

I am praying that "they" find out what is wrong with my hands. I try not to fear the worst...which is, that they are going to leave me the same way my feet have. The pinky on my left hand is almost completely numb...I call it "my bum pinky"...it is frustrating to type with it, but it really hasn't affected the work with my hands, for which I am SO grateful. I keep my focus on abundance. Not lack. Finding gratitude for the little things is so cathartic...and lately, so is much prayer.

self portrait

I'm thinking about my "word" for the upcoming year...I didn't choose one last year, like a lot of people in the blog world did and I felt kind of "nekkid" without it this past year. I think maybe I need more than just one word for the new year...embrace, grace, and self love. 
Lord will someone give me some kind of spackle recipe for my dark circles?

My Talisman, the first Assemblage Necklace, and my dear Vintage Photo Booth Photos for You to Use!

my dear sweet talisman

She smiles and says, something is coming...it is a secret that I can hardly keep, but it's good. It's really really good.Wait for it. Just wait. and keep going. Do what brings you joy. Because you only get this one wild and crazy life. This is not a dress rehearsal.  Hold on to your child-like wonder, your creativity, your smile.

I found the vintage photo booth picture of her while dumpster diving after the residents of a small house fire began clearing their basement. I spent hours that day foraging for old books, photographs, antique lace and scraps...it was the most amazing "dumpster dive" I had ever encountered. (and I've had many. My children will unabashedly attest.) I went back for one more look when the throw away frenzy came to an end...and there she was...at the very, very bottom of the bin. A bit wet. A bit dirty. A little lost and forgotten.
I took her home.
I began making my assemblage jewelry a few years ago after I purchased a huge 20 pound box of junk jewelry parts from Ebay. I made that necklace first, and sealed her sweetness inside of it.
She is my talisman, when i feel the prying fingers of doubt and dismay pulling at my spirit. I wear her, and she brings me joy. She reminds me that anonymous wholesale or warmly known, the work of my hands will still be out there...touching lives...bringing conversation or compliments, or making women smile at themselves in the mirror. That's what it is all about, she tells me. It's about touching lives. It's about what we leave behind. it's about bringing joy and helping you feel pretty and brides feel beautiful on their most special day~

one of lovely "my brides" Celeste, wearing Joyous earrings. click image to see

So sweet that she has the same beautiful smile that the girl in my talisman has...and her photo and sweet words came along just when I needed reassurance that what I do for a living is significant and relevant in this world.

Ann, vintage photo booth photo

Would you like to make something with some of my collection of vintage photo booth photographs? The collection below was given to me by a sweet friend recently. They were all neatly displayed in a large photo album. Each photo booth photo was labeled underneath with the name of the person. I gently removed them from the album one by one, and wrote the name on the back of each so that I could know their names and return them to the proper spot in the book. I adore these types of photographs, and have been collecting them for years.
The one for my talisman necklace is the original photograph that I sealed with resin. You may use these for a project as well, but be sure to seal the photograph with something like matte medium before using the resin, so the photograph doesn't bleed.

Bernice, vintage photo booth picture

Stas, vintage military photo booth picture

Stella, vintage photo booth photo

Frances, vintage photobooth picture

Elsie, vintage photo booth photo

I just adore old photographs and my collection is ever growing. I have so many more of these tiny photos! If you'd like, I can email you the files. I'd love to share more of them with you.
Here is a collection of more. I scanned them at a high resolution, so they should print well.

My address is sacred_cake (at) yahoo [dot] com. Just send me an email and ask for more.
If you have any questions about how to make a necklace like mine, I'm happy to oblige.

Hey, have I told you lately how beautiful you are? In so many ways...
and I'm happy you are here today.

 Blessings and Light,
Jennifer Valentine of Sacred Cake

An Antique Assemblage Tutorial, a Trash to Treasure Stor

We are doing a bit of restoration on our 100 year old home, which unfortunately, entails crumbling plaster here and there.

So, this little tutorial was born out of  lovely finds that appeared among the crumbled plaster in the bottom of the livingroom wall...true story! Imagine our amazement, pulling little bits of history from the dusty mess. We found a well worn antique corsage, an antique boy's collar, and an antique child's shoe and wooden thread spools. I didn't take photographs of each find as it came to us, but I did get a shot of the antique child's shoe that looks to be from the late 1800's. It looked pretty sad. Full of sand and dusty mess~

concealed shoe before

concealed shoe after being cleaned and stuffed

I imagine the life this little concealed shoe had. Handed down from child to child to child.  Repaired over and over and over again with patches and tiny nails, until one day, lost to time. Only to be rediscovered over 100 years later, in a very unlikely place! So, being the sentimental and quirky peeps that we are (my husband and I), we wanted to preserve the find somehow, in a creative way~
SO, here is what you need for the tutorial:

an old shoe
some tissue paper for stuffing the shoe
a small chunk of floral foam
some stiff wire
this and that
some old stuff
maybe some moss if you'd like
your imagination
an old photgraph (I'll send you one if you'd like!)(I have lots.)

Directions in a "nutshell"~
First, clean your old shoe as well as you'd like it to be. We wanted ours to keep the shabby chic look, so i just brushed it off well and applied a bit of vaseline to clean the leather a bit.
Then stuff your shoe to the desired plumpness up to the bottom of the heel. Cut a chunk of floral foam, and carve it a bit to fit inside the top of the shoe so it is kinda snug.
After putting in the floral foam, apply wire to your objects by hot gluing them on, or wrapping it around. I used a piece of wire bent in the shape of a "U" to add a chunk of old lace.~

I added some additional old looking velvet violets to the corsage we found in the wall, took a long piece of wire and wrapped one end around the bunch. Trim it a little and stick it down into the floral foam and adjust to taste.
To add the photograph, I curved  a piece of stiff wire into a long "U" shape and hot glued it to the back of a cabinet card (an antique photograph on stiff cardboard.) The "U" shape gives the photograph two prongs to put into the foam so it has more support. I then covered the wire with a piece of paper so it would look better from the back.~

My husband wanted to somehow incorporate the antique little boy's collar, so i added a dab of hot glue under the back fold of the collar and added it to the end of another piece of wire...then into the floral foam.

the "foof"

Then I added a few more violets here and there,  and bits of floral moss peeking out from the buttons of the shoe, and here and there along the edges. I made a "foof" (my made up word) of shabby chic-ish dark green silk organza. It adds dimension and a bit more shape and fill to the arrangement. To make a "foof" of your own, gather some organza or lace in a pleasing bunch, then twist the wire tightly around one end. Fluff it to desired foofiness and stick into the arrangement to give it a bit of fullness.~



and here is the finished product~

Antique Shoe Arrangement

I hope this maybe inspires you! You too can make something from an old shoe and a bunch of old junk.
See you again soon with some fun vintage photo booth photo printables for collages and such. You will want to see these!
Blessings and Light to You and Yours,
jennifer

I'm Having an Assemblage Jewelry Sale

I've got lots of things in the shop that would make special gifts for someone special on your list! Neutral palettes, sure to be loved and worn everyday, and special one of a kind pieces...come on by and take a peek! Shipping is free and so is the lovely box and bow. (Click the photo below to get there.) Use the code CYBERMONDAY to receive your discount.

I'll be back on Tuesday with a fantastic tutorial!Hint: it involves an antique child's shoe...be sure to come back then to see the tutorial, and hear the story behind it.

Blessings and Light,
Jennifer