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Friday, September 16, 2011

Anybody Hungry? It's Time for Some BEAD SOUP!


Happy Saturday Sweeties!
The weekend is here & today is a day many of us SOUPER'S have been waiting for...
it's finally BEAD SOUP Reveal Day!!!
Yipppppeeee.....are you hungry for more?


Here's how it works...
Our fabulous hostess with the mostest, Miss Lori Anderson of Pretty Things blog,
had over 300 jewelry designers from all over the world sign-up this summer to
participate in her much anticipated event. She then paired us up into partners,
with each of us sending our partner a batch of BEAD SOUP.


My partner is Malin de Koning from Sweden & I couldn't have been more pleased
when my ingredients arrived! They were stunning, I LOVED the colors & textures
she included & knew from the moment I saw my soup, I'd be using the glorious
blue ceramic focal & frayed sari silk in my design!


This earthy necklace almost made it's self! Malin had included this fabulous
chunky, wooden button which I knew I HAD to use, so instead of using the clasp she
sent along with the soup, I made a large loop at one end of the sari silk & threaded the
other end through the button tying it off in back. I love the raw & rustic look it created.


I had so many amazing beads to choose from, one of my favorites being
these thick, rough, glass rondelles the color of Root Beer, I decided to
make two pairs of earrings to match my necklace.


All the elements of my design are from Malin's
generous soup ingredients, the only things I added were the keys
& the vintage rosary charm on the necklace.


I ADORE my SOUP & couldn't be more thrilled with the end result.
I want to THANK Malin for sending me such glorious elements,
I want to THANK Lori for working so hard to organizing this Enormous Event
& I want to THANK you, for taking the time to stop by & see what we have all
been up to this summer!


I hope you're all still HUNGRY, cuz there's 364 more SOUPS to visit!
Just click HERE friends, to start your Bead Soup Blog Hop...
I'm grabbing a Starbucks Venti Mocha Frappicino,
that should get me through the 1st 100 or so.
Then I'll have some Chai Tea, a Hazelnut Coffee,
an Espresso, a Latte, some Earl Grey....lol!  ;)

XOXO
vintagesusie

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

FLYIN to The Junk Gypsy's & Round Top


 
Yeah...it's the HUMP Day & the weekend is almost here!!!
Just had to share with you my finished creations for the

 

 
Right now, as we speak, these SPOONIN necklaces are flyin over clouds & fields...

 

 
over mountains & streams & longhorn steer,
makin their way to one of my FAVORITEST places on Earth...

 

 
Round Top, Texas!
I would love to be a tiny fairy & slip effortlessly into the parcel & make this
journey with them. Oh, to see the JG's face when I popped out & grew to full size...
what a GREAT Surprise I'd make!

 

 
But alas, I am not a fairy & can only dream that it is so,
unless you have some Fairy Dust handy!!
Do You my Sweet Hearts???  ;)

XOXO
vintagesusie

Monday, September 12, 2011

A Vintage Daycation in Palm Springs



Growing up in Southern California definitely had it's plus's &
one of them has always been Palm Springs.
In high school on a beautiful sun filled day, it would not be unusual for me &
my girlfriends to decide to have a ditch day. I'd wear my bikini under my clothes,
throw a towel in my back pack & when my girlfriend came to pick me up, instead
of heading towards school, we would giddily point the car towards Palm Springs.
{ps:I NEVER had the car, lol}




Our game plan was this:
We would park the car at a big, fancy hotel...
we would take our clothes off in the parking lot, grab our towels & then, as if we
belonged there, stroll casually to the pool gate. The gate was ALWAYS the scary part!
If we could be brave enough to open the gate, we knew we were in.
When the gate slammed behind us, with hearts pounding, we would jump into the
pool as quickly as possible trying not to look too obvious. We always figured once
we were wet, we'd look like we belonged there.  ;)
Silly Girls!




Palm Springs holds a lot of memories for me.
I hadn't thought about how many for years, until hubby & I decided to spend the day
there yesterday. In some ways the landscape has changed with the times. Now,
windmills cover the desert coming into town, like sprinkles on a cupcake. 




And yet Palm Springs has embraced it's history & golden era of the 50's & 60's,
when it was a hideaway for Hollywood Stars & amazing architect's like Donald Wexler
created the indoor/outdoor style of design which would come to be known as Desert Modern.




The Palm Springs Visitor Center is housed in what use to be an old Gas Station
as you come into town, right at the entrance to the tram.




Inside, we were delighted to find a wonderful collection of Vintage Palm Springs.




From vintage postcard collections to ashtrays from various hotels long ago closed,
this building was filled with memorabilia & I LOVED looking at ALL of it!




We got a map for another day trip that shows the location of Frank Sinatra,
Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Lucy & Desi, Bob Hope, Elvis Presley & many more stars,
Desert Modern vacation homes...I can't WAIT to share that with y'all!!




Looking towards the San Jacinto Mountains, we decided to head up towards




I haven't taken this Tram ride since I was in high school,
but it's a spectacular ride from the desert floor to the mountain top peak of 8,500'.




Here is the Tram Station which is at about 2,000'. The tempatures will vary
about 30 degrees from the valley floor to the Tram's drop off.




If you look to the center of this pic, you can see the Tram's support structure
& cables...




here it is just a little bit closer.
No, we didn't go up the Tram on this particular day...awwweeee. It's an all day event,
but what it did do is spark my imagination into thinking this might be the perfect
surprise anniversary getaway for me & hubby at the beginning of October.
It will be gorgeous down in the valley & cool & crisp & clear on the mountain top.
They have an excellent restaurant & we could spend the evening having a glass of wine,
a wonderful meal & watching a spectacular sunset...how romantic!
Well Sweeties, off for now...more Palm Springs to come I promise. This little
adventure was just what I needed to remind me that sometimes the greatest
adventures of all can be found right in your own backyard!!
XOXO
vintagesusie