She Shall Be Praised

(Listed in my ETSY SHOP)

There is a wonderful feeling of satisfaction in taking something shiny and new and distressing it so much that it looks like it's been that way for years. The teen and I were recently at Lowes and they have a few racks in the middle of the lane with clearance items.

I found a whole box of Pergo floor samples for 8 cents a piece! Can't pass up pretty little wood pieces for so cheap! Don't you just love clearance bins? The wood pieces hold paint really well. I also picked up a quart of light aqua paint in the paint section's clearance for $2. Nothing makes my heart sing faster than sales on things I can use in art!

I love old lace. Okay, maybe we should call it a 'healthy' obsession  for it. I look for lace anytime I'm at a garage sale, antique mall or thrift store. When friends go out garage sale shopping, I tell them 'if you see lace, let me know.' The teen is heading to France and Italy in April and she already has been instructed to bring home a bit of french lace.

It's not as if I don't have enough of it but when I see more, I can't help but touch it. It feels soft and old, well loved. I think I like the thought that someone hand-tatted the lace; it originally was attached to a little girl's favorite dress or a new bride's honeymoon nightgown. It has memories. I wish the lace could tell me what it knows.

For the Glory of Children piece I played around with paint, stains, old lace scraps, a button card and a verse from a 1900's bible. Proverbs 17:6; Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers. The image is from a Red Lead collage sheet.

She Shall Be Praised was a fun piece to make. It just screamed for beads. After layering several vintage laces, lace curtain pieces and pink ribbon, a pretty Altered Pages image of a lady admiring her profile was sewn on and the whole ensemble attached to the wood piece with glue and mini nails. For a final touch, a spritz of vintage pink netting was tucked up under the Proverbs 31:30 verse: Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. 

Your Faith is one of my favorites. Oh heck, they're all my favorites. Image is from Altered Pages as well. This piece is a layering of old laces, an aqua scrap from a 1960's party dress, a silver scrap from a fancy 1960's dress and more buttons that you can shake a stick at. One fun little detail is a silver and pearl teardrop earring dangling near the bottom. Verse from 1 Corinthians 2: 4,5: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

All of the pieces have a strip of 'diamonds' from an old necklace, near the top of the wood piece. The hanger loop is made of metal stripping painted to look rusted. All have an underlayering of distressed wood. Ready for hanging!

They're all listed in my Etsy shop. I can make a few custom pieces so if you have a favorite verse, let me know and I'll make a one of a kind piece for you!