A little something for Mom. . .

I wanted to get my mom something special for her 80th birthday last week, but no "thing" seemed quite right.  A book?  Perfumed soap?  A sweater? 

Nope.  Nope.  I don't think so.

Then a few weeks ago a dear friend of mine arrived at church wearing mom's gift.  Well, not exactly.  But there was my idea.

And here is my version of it - a "shadow box," if you will, in a vintage pocket watch casing.  Each item in the casing and on the chain has special meaning for my mom. 







The main feature is a photo each of my mom and my dad when they were young. . . the one of Mom just before they got married and the one of Dad just after.  In the background is a vintage map of the county in South Carolina where they retired to, with their town showing in the upper right corner.  At the bottom are their initials, "J" for Joan and "K" for Ken.  The flower represents my Dad's love of photographing them, and the word "love" at the left is in my dad's handwriting, copied from a letter he wrote many years ago.

On the chain is a golf bag to represent all the activities my parents loved to do together, a Tiger's Eye to represent the time they lived in South Africa, a heart charm with a crystal bead (on top of the watch, I later moved it because it was hard to see) to represent their love and marriage, a lava rock to represent the last vacation they took together, in Hawaii, and a bead with an opal on the bottom, to represent the time they lived in Australia. 

Connecting the chain and the watch casing is a bird because they loved watching and feeding them.  Finally, on the back of the watch casing, is the number "51" in honor of the year they were married.





I won't share here what my mom said to me when she got it. . .but she was very touched.  It turned out to be a gift worthy of her 80 beautiful years on this earth serving her family and friends with tenderness and caring.



The eBay seller I got my watch casing and letters and numbers from is vintageantiqueartsuppliescom .  If you contact them tell them phredscat sent you!

My sweet mom turns 80. . .

Joanne Lois Brown

Born 27 January 1932
in Kankakee, Kankakee County, Illinois
to George Arthur Brown of Jacksonville, Illinois
& Dorothy Alma Debenham of Chicago

Art & Dort, 1929

Raised in suburban Detroit.  Two older brothers.  Graduated from Royal Oak High School.  Changed name from Joanne to Joan.  One year college.  Married Kenneth (Kenny) Paul Clayton -a.k.a. "Skinny" - a high school friend, at 19.  (Eloped to Indiana because they were underage in Michigan.  Sadly, no photographs. . . . )

Mom to three children.



Charles Wayne, born 1955.
Engineer @ General Motors.





Catherine Dorothy, born 1958.
Antiques dealer.



  

Philip Arthur, born 1965.
Emergency medical technician
& firefighter.




A few lifetime accomplishments:

• Devoted, supportive & loving wife for 44 years until Dad left this earth in 1995
• Supportive stay-at-home mom her entire life, was always home when we got home
• Mother-in-law to Laura, Fred & Angi
• Grandma to Michael, Joel, Alex, Andrea & Sarah
• Girl scout leader for three years
• Loved golfing, traveling and flower & vegetable gardening
• Loves animals ~ especially cats, birds & small wildlife
• Keeps an immaculate home
• Dedicated & appreciated hospital volunteer for many years

Cathie & Joan





















Ken, Joel & Joan

Joan, Phil & Angi

 

Joan & Ken in 1992 at Phil & Angi's wedding

Congratulations on 80 wonderful years, Mom.

Happy, happy birthday.

I love you. . .

Cart love. . .

Looky what I found aaaat . . .

oops, can't reveal my source. 

Sorry.

I'm in love. 

Cart love. 

Think I should take it to Farm Chicks?

Create a little cart envy?

Or. . .

should I sell?

Make a little money to take to Farm Chicks.

Hmmmm.

In the meantime,

I'm just gonna love

that I found it while junking.

It was a gooood junking day.

More fun with junk!

Been having fun with my junk stash lately. . . here are a few more "junk" necklaces. 


Hope you like!!

R e m e m b e r . . .

f l e a . o . l o g y

a n t i q u e s   &   c r a f t s   f l e a   m a r k e t

s a t u r d a y   j a n u a r y   2 1 s t

1 0 : 0 0   a . m .

s e e   y o u   t h e n ,

( w i t h   j u n k   i n   t o w .  .  .  )

Have yourself a merry little cubicle. . .

Each December at OSHA, where my dear DH works, the "mad scientist" chemists loosen up a bit and  decorate their cubicles for the holidays.  A pine bough here, a balloon there, maybe even an artificial tree with a dozen or so little danglies hanging on for dear life.  A few of the women go nuts and create ski lifts and mitten trees and "Hansel & Gretel" houses.  There are prizes. . . and egos. . . involved.  There's the award ceremony, held during the annual work Christmas party, complete with tongue-in-cheek award names. 

My sweet DH has always gotten into the spirit of the event, plugging in a light or two and hanging a tinsel or two.  I've always been dutifully helpful by encouraging him to take something to decorate with that we don't need around the house (and, if I was lucky, something that was already heading for the D.I.). . . .

Then, this year, along comes Pinterest.  (BTW, thank you, Paula and Jen, for yet another excuse to spend yet more time on the computer.)  And oh my, how the creative juices are flowing now.  "Oh, honey, did you mention you were decorating your cubicle this week?" 


Would you like some help, dear??

What follows is what my sweet DH's co-workers are calling the "Martin Stewart" award.  Actually, a bunch of them said he cheated because I helped him.  He told them they were just jealous because their spouses didn't help them. 




 


Fred's cubicle as seen from down the hall. . .

Check out the "tree" made from

an aluminum easel and red and white lights!



Amazing what you can do with an old window screen. . .



 Hmmm, let's decorate with some "junk" from around the house. . .



 



Here's a few pretties I picked up at Aunt Elsie's in Gardner Village. . . .

Above, the apothecary jar with red garland and white lights,           

 

                                and below, the bottle brush tree that I put in an oversize mason jar

                                                                                             with epsom salt "snow". . . .

Twas the night before Christmas. . .

O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree. . .

Oh little town of Bethlehem. . .

Have yourself a merry little. . .

Stay tuned for the cubicle contest voting results!

Got junk?

I love junk.  I mean really love junk.  I told someone just the other day that my idea of a good time was poking around a hoarder's house.  I know, I know. . . I need to get out more.

But the great part about poking around in junk piles is the treasure you find.  Like a hinge.  Or an on-off plate.  Or a drawer handle.

Not much by themselves, but incredible when you put them together.  Which is what I've been doing lately, putting junk together to make jewelry.   Like the junk charm necklace here.   Kind of fun when the charms are bobbins and dog license tags and hooks from days-gone-by unmentionables. . . .

Recognize the main piece here? 

                                             A Victorian drawer pull. . . .

Got cake? 

Don't need milk with this kind. . . .






















These necklaces and more like them will be on sale soon at the Beehive Bazaar and at Treasures Antique Mall. 


Got junk?

'tis the season. . .

You know, I'm a rotten blogger.  Seems like I spend too much time playing with my antiques and not enough time blogging about them.  Guess it shows you where I'd rather be. . . with my hands in the rust.  But I do have a thing for photography, too, so I guess being a rotten blogger doesn't make much sense. 

So in an effort to redeem myself, here are a few of my favorite Christmas/antique photos.  Sorry it's nothing new.  I'll try that another day I guess. . . .  Hope you like these in the meantime!