Swinging on a Star Creations by Shari Valicenti: September 2011

Significance of the Name

My Blog’s name is a tribute to my Dad & my Husband. My Dad because he used to sing the song to me, "How 'd You Like to Swing on a Star?" It's about reaching for your dreams, you can stay where you are & be safe OR YOU CAN SWING ON STAR. Stars also refer to a difficult night just after my husband died. I was talking to him (I often do.) & said how I missed his "I Love You's". That night he gave me a dream... a gorgeous, bright blue night sky filled with thousands of stars, in the middle the stars formed an "I LOVE YOU"....such a gift on so many levels.

So "follow your own path, & don't worry about the darkness, for that is when the stars shine brightest”

Thursday, September 29, 2011

A Flea Market Vintage Photo Inspires Halloween Collage Painting

Witches are so much a part of Halloween and I think they are so fun. I found this "styl'n" lady at a flea market a few years ago. When I saw her I knew immediately what I was going to do with her and her daring feathery hat.......

make her into a witch with a feathered hat.

Whoever she was, I hope she or none of her relatives ever recognize this photo...wouldn't want to hurt her feelings. I'm sure she was a very nice lady!

I painted a background, adapted her hat and cape and then glued to an 8"x10" canvas.

I did some of the pumpkins on separate paper and collaged them on so the witch was "popping" out the patch and added more pumpkins and vine to the canvas. Of course I had a glitter attack and added it to the hat brine, pin and star.

I continued the painting onto the canvas's side and rimmed it with a ribbon

so no frame is needed.

I finally added a vintage piece of jewelry to her hat.

There she is on my mantle, she will also be on for sale on my Etsy site.

This is definitely NOT a scary witch, but definitely magical. You know how I love magical things. I don't know about you, but I prefer to distance myself from entertainment that is really scary...too many scary things out there these days.

Sometimes a little playful magic is a better approach.

Please Enjoy These Links:

Itsy BItsy Paper Blog

Thrifty Decor Chick

The Shabby Creek Cottage

Friday, September 23, 2011

Be Magical......

I Love all things Magical and Make Believe...Halloween is the Perfect Opportunity for us All to be Creative and Magical.

Last week it became cool enough to wear long sleeves after such a hot summer!
Then I knew...fall was on the way!

I love Spring sooo much because it is a time of renewal. Even though it also brings the anniversary of losing my husband, I can take heart in all the green coming back to us.
Then I love the summer with long summer nights on the deck and cook-outs with friends, but then the coolness returns to the air again and I long for hearty meals, fires in the fireplace and crispy leaves. (OK raking is NOT fun, but you can't have EVERYTHING, right?).

I thought I'd share the witches hat I made a couple years ago.
I was invited to a really fun Halloween party....all women and our costume was to merely to wear a witches hat. What fun!
What a great platform for creativity and embellishment and oh yes BEING MAGICAL!!!!
Found the hat at a Halloween store, black flowers and crow at Michaels, black netting at JoAnns and I was off.

Okay I'll admit, I have an embellishment flaw....I love glitter. I try hard to keep it in hand, but sometimes it just rears it's head..... I glittered all the flowers and leaves!

Turns out I think it looks fun.

I remembered I had the butterfly from another trip to Michaels and

since I wanted a Earthy Witch approach I added it. Butterflies have a special significance to my daughter Dani and I.

Ok as we get to know each other I will reveal things about myself..... one is I love old 1940's movies. As a result I love those hats especially with veils, love them! So mysterious and sexy! Sooo I added a veil, but to the back and although I prefer the front it worked better this way. I used netting and glued black leaves to it and oh yeah I glittered those too!

The last touch, Poe, the Raven, all right he's a crow! Raven just sounds so much more...well...MAGICAL!

Now every Halloween I wear my hat to answer the door! Fun huh?

Halloween is our chance for make believe. Make believe is good at any age so be creative....make believe....and please be magical!

The post is linked to:

The Shabby Creek Cottage

http://www.itsybitsypaperblog.com/2011/09/wickedly-creative-halloween-ideas-linky.html

Thrift Decor Chick
My Romantic Home

Saturday, September 17, 2011

"Friends are kisses blown to us by Angels."

I told you that I would update you on how I was progressing on this years gift idea for my sister-friend, Jeanne. I take gift buying very seriously.

After roaming some of my favorite creative gift shops in the area

I returned to one of my favorites,

Mt. Lebanon Floral.

They have a unique verve to their shop and their approach to their creative arrangements.

I walked in and well, there it was. I KNEW it had great potential.

Very vintage, rustic looking.....perfect to display all sorts of wonderful things including plants. I had no idea what I was putting in it, but knew it had great potential.

It is about 1'6"high.

Jeanne loves things from nature and I felt this had great potential.

So I found some additional items to add and gathered all my other treasures from my many flea market finds.

Even my hatbox of vintage lace and bindings.

I bought a fragrant oregano plant to use, burlap ribbon and painted the terra cota

pot gray for the oregano plant.

I found this little bird on a garden globe also a Mt. Lebanon Floral find.

I added this bird and the nest to the moss base I placed on the bottom.

This little magnet bird works any where.I think he looks great perched on top for now.

I believe the gift wrap is an integral part of the gift giving, it makes the receiver feel special, a little extra gift. To me it is just as much fun as the gift. I made this bow from a roll of burlap ribbon I found at Michael's.

I started by making a large burlap bow.

I used some lovely fabric samples Jeanne gave me years ago to make the flower.

A vintage ear ring is the center.

I'm so excited to give it to her today. I am working on a gift tag too. Do you ever give a gift that you enjoy so much you find it hard to part with it. That's when I know I have found the perfect gift.

A gift from the heart for someone who is very dear to my heart.

Happy Birthday dear Jeanne!

I hope you all have a very special sister-friend and very dear friends you

truly connect with in a very special way.

"A friend is a second self"...Aristotle

I am linking this post to:

Savvy Southern Style

My Romantic Home

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Never Forget!

Hope your flag is flying!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

I love repurposing....here's my version of an ornate ceiling light fixture.

Common GroundI do love repurposing, especially for decorating or storage purposes.

To me it is fun to find some flea market find and put it to a new use.
I love to see what other people have done with their finds too!
Some time ago I found this ceiling light fixture...

I bought it only because I loved it, with no specific idea what I would do with it!
What can I say, I was so drawn to it. Unfortunately I did not take a before picture of it with all it's wires and electrical items in it and it's original color. But here it is at the stage I had been using it for quite some time with all the electoral stuff removed and white washed.

II have never felt it was complete, even though many people have commented on it.

It has had many homes...

On the mantle.....

On the wall. It has even been a centerpiece (sorry no pic)!

My friend,Heather(Link) suggested putting my initials in the center,

but I decided to do something from nature.

I love rabbits so this is what I did and it is so easy anyone could do it....

I took a clear transparency I had from a trip to Michael's (on left)

Copied and sized it in black onto good drawing paper(on right) and then drew a rabbit in pen and ink. You could add a stamp of a bird, flower or anything. You than add color. I used water color to the rabbit and the border and glued it to the center.

This is how is turned out.....