Soldered Soul Shrines

This past week I treated myself & my mother to one of Lauri Grimshaw-Cox's art classes. After I took one of her soldering classes in January, I've been waiting eagerly to take her soul shrine class. It's probably one of her hardest classes, but it's incredibly rewarding. Inside each of our soldered shrines, we have tucked in personal treasures.

This is my mother's soul shrine dedicated to my sweet grandmother..

 Inside is my grandmother's wedding band, an angel wing, mother & daughter pearls, and more..

And this is my soul shrine dedicated to my soul mate and daughters..

Inside is the key to my heart, a mother's charm, two pink pearls for my lovely angels, and a grey pearl for my hubby.

This was an amazing technique class and in the end we've created such a sentimental piece of art. Lauri does not often list this class and it fills up quick, so I highly recommend joining her newsletter and signing up for the next time it is offered.

I can not wait to make another one! Her classes always fill me with such inspiration and renewed love for soldering.

April #2 ACP Challenge

Go Read A Book!

For this week's challenge, you must create an accessory that is related to a book.

My inspiration was "Alice in Wonderland", though my color choices are more from Tim Burton's film.

I used a book mark base, extra large DIY button, fabric, and ACP teapot charm (I cut off the loop).

Have fun!

Feb Challenge #1

As a member of the Design Team for "A Charming Place"

we participate and create challenges each month.

I totally recommend checking out the site,

getting involved on the forums,

and using the challenges as inspiration.

I will post tutorials for each of the challenges I create or participate in.

Our first challenge of this year was:

*Create a Valentine card using hot glue as an accent, NOT as an adhesive

*and of course "charm" it up.

So here is my journey to "You Make My Hear Soar"

1. A number of the other girls had success

with squirting hot glue into molds and using

that as an accent. I'm not one of them :/

I tried hot glue.

I tried not so hot glue.

I tried freezing the glue.

I pleaded with the glue.

I put the glue in the corner to think about

the stress it was causing me and moved on.

2. Can I say how freakin' impressed I am with Making Memories paint?!?

It has been ignored and in cabinet forever!

Still works fab!!

(I even found it this morning with the cap off.. thanks hubs.. and it still works!)

I bow down to MM paint..

Anywho I painted a microscope slide card sides & insides buttercup yellow.

Luckily that went as planned..

3. I don't have pictures of everything that happened next and for good reason.

I took the glue out of the corner and decided to try a new way of reasoning with it.

This time I freehanded hearts on to a nonstick craft surface and let it dry.

I then slightly reheated the tops with an embossing gun and

poured silver embossing powder on top.

**Note, don't have the gun on while sprinkling the powder.. um yeah it makes a mess.

I absolutely adore the gunmetal appearance it created!

Here is the cover with my "gunmetal" hot glue heart accents

and the inside is "charmed" up!

I am waiting for my new shipment of charms, so I was left to use my angel wings.

But for Valentine's Day I think angels are quite appropriate!

***Side Note***

We found out last night that we are 1 month pregnant!

We were "supposed" to get preggers in a couple weeks in Vegas during our

5 year anniversary trip.. turns out the joke is on us!

It's gotta be a little boy

Bring it on!

I have *always* wanted to be on a Design Team!

*ALWAYS*

Maybe it's the desire to be validated, to be acknowledged, or something else.

But to be quite frank, I've never really put my heart into an entry call.

So I did this time..

Here is my "Angels in the Garden" entry.

The Design Team is for a company that sells charms.

It is my first bib necklace and I'm in L-O-V-E.

Not sure if I'd make these for Etsy since the market is quite saturated,

but who knows maybe you'll see more in the shop..

Hope you love it!

And send me some of the positive vibes,

it would make my 2010 to be on a Design Team!