Ornament - new spin on an old fashion idea

I picked up big old cardboard box of craft supplies at a garage sale for a $1.00.  Near the top was a quart size baggy of mismatched earrings, vintage rhinestone pins and old 50's era broken necklaces!  OKAY, I can do stuff with that!

I continued digging through the box to find three jars of vintage glass glitter, numerous rickrack packages (original price marked $.05 from Target - how old was this box?), styrofoam balls, and a whole lot of beads, sequins, and beads.  I had not thought of my grandmother's sequin, bead and pin styrofoam ball ornaments in at least 30 years!

I tossed everything aside for a couple of hours and got sentimental as I remembered her making these when I was very, very little.  Of course they were always red and green sequins with red rickrack ribbons..these are a bit different.  See for yourself!

Pin, pearl, sequin...poke in to styrofoam ball.
These are 2 inch balls.

Garage Sale Chronicles - 4th Edition

I have been to numerous wonderful estate and garage sales in the last two weeks.  Here are some of my treasures.

These two quilts were $10 a piece.  I figure if I even used them as picnic blankets they were worth that much.

The jewelry supplies above were a great deal at $5.  Not shown is a ring stretcher retail priced at $60..  I purchased this stuff and after I got home I realized I had 18 weird metal disks in the bag with the ring sizer.  I figured that they had something to do with rings and forming or measuring so I searched the net for what they could possibly be for.  I landed on a ring stretcher and I vaguely remembered seeing it but not knowing what it was.  I stopped back a few days later to return the disks and the lady gifted me with the missing part.  SCORE!

Oh, the red beads on the necklace above are going to be transitioned into something really fine.  The Sarah Conventry earrings will be great on a necklace.

Rhinestones, Rhinestones!

A better shot of the necklace above. Cool blues and purple rhinestones.

Earrings, marked Weiss!

  I wonder how old this beauty is?

Support our Troops

While shopping at Twin Cities Bead Bazaar, I stopped at Green Girl Studios booth to pick up some more of their fabulous skulls.

My former Marine husband has been wearing a paracord bracelet with a Green Girl skull woven in for quite some time now.  After I made his, all his buddies wanted them as well.  It made me aware of something simple I could do to support and thank our troops.

I travel quite a bit for my "real job" and as I walk through airports and see a service man or woman I typically stop and thank them for their service.  About a year ago, I started clipping bracelets to my backpack and began offering them up as I shook hands.  I've never once had any soldier turn me down.  In fact, all seem to really appreciate the gesture.

I can't tell you how many of these soldiers tell me they are on their way to the  middle east, some really ugly hot spots.  I am so proud of them and I sincerely hope they all make it back to the US and their families safe and sound.

At the Green Girl booth, I told the gentleman there what I was doing.  It turned out to be Greg Ogden himself and he promptly contributed a handful of skulls to support my efforts.  Thanks, Greg and Green Girl!

Greg Ogden....of course I made him pose for a picture!

These bracelets are simple macramé square knots using 550 paracord with side release buckles.   Tyingitalltogether has posted a large number of video tutorials on YouTube if you need some instruction.
I purchase paracord in multiple colors from Supply Captain with great success.  I get side release buckles from Create Designworks.