This week was the end of the year banquet for Women of the Word. We went girlie. Recycling the pink glitter shoes for the centerpieces was fun. We added purses, pink lemonade, a really great speaker, and all of our WOW friends. Since purses were the theme, we did games around purses and we visited this website. http://www.bagborroworsteal.com/Anyone with an issue of spending too much money should go here and feel frugal. It is a site where women go to rent designer purses,, sunglasses, and jewelry. You can rent by the week or by the month.
For instance, you could rent this lovely Chanel bag for only $441 a month. Mind the late fees now.
You can rent this classic Hermes bracelet for $354 a month. And if for one second you are considering it, instead, please go here: http://www.divinedesignbirdhouse.blogspot.com/ and buy everything on the page, knowing your money will go to a really great cause.
You can rent this vintage Hermes bag for $2510. a month. I did not make a mistake, that is the price. This is beyond my scope of understanding. If someone can explain it to me, I would be grateful. I think renting this bag is not a good idea for someone who ends up with stuff spilled inside the bag or one handle ripped off from carrying too much heavy stuff. 
All of that makes this sleek Louis Vuitton at $191 a month seem pitifully cheap, doesn't it?The idea behind renting a purse, is that for women who already own a pile of purses, it relieves the guilt of buying one more.
Here's what I think. HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
Normal Girl
Desperate times call for desperate measures. That back was STICKY - it did take 2 to get the job done - and guess what it worked great - Martha Stewart has nothing on me............
I have been making some kind of jewelry steadily since high school. In 2000, I had the idea to make my own beads in an effort to make beading less expensive and to get what I want for my jewelry pieces. Here is one of the first bracelets I made. I tried selling my jewelry about this time and found that I did alot better selling just the beads and letting other crazy beaders make their own jewelry. I hope my lampworking skills have improved and we can consider this bracelet is a piece of history.
And then multi media collage on cigar boxes. I did piles of these cigar box purses. I bought stinky cigar boxes in stinky shops from Michigan to Texas and on Ebay. It was fun. How many cigar box purses can one person have? 
Happy brown sparrows.....
And shiny red birds sitting on leaves.
Branches and leaves to go with the birds. That is it, I am ready to start making jewelry......right after a nap...
Once upon a time in a land far away, four girls were released from the juvenile home where they were never allowed to see the light of day. They heard the story of the brand new Walt Disney World far away in Florida and knew they had to go there. They walked all the way from Michigan to Florida in a snowstorm, uphill all the way. When they arrived, they struggled to think of a way to raise enough money to get into Disney World and buy Mickey Mouse ears with their names embroidered. 
Start with one of these. The ones that look like shallow bowls are called domed discs. I got mine at 
Use the screw down punch (see yesterday's post) to make a hole, so you can hang it on your bracelet or necklace. Cut a piece of paper to fit inside the dome. I just trace around the dome and cut out the paper. Use any design you like. It would be cool to use someone's photo. Just make a photocopy of the photo.
To glue the paper to the dome, I use Dimensional Magic. You can get it at any craft store. Other brands are called crystal lacquer and scrapbookers use them.
Squeeze a little lacquer into the dome. Spread it around so it covers evenly. Press the paper circle into the dome, so the paper is tight to the surface. One thing I learned doing this is wash your hands before you do it. Whatever you have on your fingers will be magically transferred to the paper in a big smudge. Repunch the hole through the paper.
Start with a blank piece of metal. I use sterling silver discs. You can get these little pieces in all sizes and shapes. Go to 
This is called the Screw Down Punch. It is one of the greatest tools I own, and I own a million tools. It is for making holes in the discs. It makes two sizes of holes and is worth every penny I paid Lisa for it.
Put the disc under the screw and turn the screw down until it punches the hole for you. It takes no strength. It is amazing.
These are metal letter stamps. They come in many sizes. I bought these at the Harbor Freight store. They were inexpensive. If you want the nice ones that make really clean impressions and last forever, get some from Lisa.
Get out the letter you want to print, hold it steady on the disc, and pound it with the hammer. Use a heavy hammer, those pink handled things someone put in your Christmas stocking will not be heavy enough to make a decent impression. Spell out whatever name or workd you want on your charm.
Tweet. That will be great with the birdie beads. I also made some chirp. And splat. Not really on the splat although Imaginina said that was her favorite.
If you like to see the words better, you can color them. There are fancy jewelry maker kinds of applications, but I just use a Sharpie marker. I like black best, but you know I could not find one anyplace in the house today, so here I used purple. Sometimes I do use colors just for extra fun if the piece calls for it. Color in the letters and let it sit a minute or two. Sing a song. Do ten sit ups.
This is a Sunshine cloth. It is for polishing. Rub it over the surface of your charm and it will polish away the marker on the surface, leaving the color in the indentions.
Wowza. I did a really lousy job of polishing. I should have had my glasses on or something. You do a better job than that or I won't pass you. You get the idea, right? Even though mine is embarrassing? Don't show this to anyone.
