Love is in the Air...

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and you're in luck because I sell jewelry!  Lots of it!  And it's unique, one-of-a-kind, and not boring!  Does your lovely need something more practical?  How about a hand painted jewelry dish that tells her how you feel!

 

This Classic Black and White dish says "for my love with all my heart"

This Sky Blue and White dish says "follow your hear always"

And who says it has to be a gift for someone else?  You're allowed to love you, too!!!  So buy yourself some jewels!

...oh, and did I mention you can take 20% off with code IHEART20?  Oh, well, then you should get going! www.etsy.com/shop/rebeccamarksdesign

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

And...... we're back!!!  HAPPY NEW YEAR!  I hope that you all had a very happy and healthy holiday season and a fantastic new year!

I apologize that I haven't posted in a couple weeks, as I was spending lots of quality time with family and friends, taking a little breather...And I was really busy DIY-ing!!!

For the holidays this year, I wanted to try something a little different, by sticking with my homemade itch and making super personal gifts for all the special people in our lives.  It started with a page out of HGTV Magazine titled "6 Things to do with Gold Paint"...

They painted glass beakers with Liquid Gilding by Martha Stewart Crafts.   Coming from someone that loves all things sparkly, gold, and DIY, I had to give this a shot.  I took to Pinterest for even more inspiration.  I have to admit there were a few trial and error pieces to start.  I tried a cheaper liquid gold paint that claimed to be opaque, but it just left me with streaks and looked cheap.  In the end, Martha Stewart's Liquid Gilding was totally the way to go!  I found it at Michaels.  Here are a few of the goodies I created.

I freehand painted the polka dots on this round globe vase (shown at top) with a paint brush and used a pencil eraser for the set of wine glasses.  I used Martha Stewart Craft Liquid Gilding for both.

 

I used electrical tape and the Liquid Gilding to create these stripes.  Rather than using a regular paint brush, I used a pouncer brush for a thicker, more even coat of paint.  I tried painters tape on a separate vase, but the lines were not clean.

                               

I used a Gold Craft Smart Premium Oil Based Paint Pen for this dish and these bowls.

To create these small jewelry dishes, I bought small bowls used for dips and used a Green Craft Smart Premium Oil Based Paint Pen on the left, and Craft Smart Acrylic Paint with a brush on the right.

These were all a ton of fun to create, and there were a bunch more.  You just have to have the time to sit and create, but once you get going, it's hard to stop.

Free Giveaway!!!

Everybody likes jewelry, especially when it's FREE!  So, quick! Enter for the chance to win my Fluttering Hearts Necklace on the blog Evey's Creations for her 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!!!

http://sweetsongbird.eveyscreations.com/2014/12/12-days-of-giveaways-bonus-day-rebecca.html?m=1

Hand Painted Gifts

When our daughter was born, we appreciated all of the amazing and thoughtful gifts that our friends and family got us.  We needed everything!  The personalized gifts were especially touching, because it meant that someone spent time trying to find something that would be uniquely ours.

Many of our friends are having babies, and I thought, well, maybe we should start giving personalized gifts, because they meant so much to us.  For our friends daughter, Ava, I hand painted a wooden plaque that can be hung in her new baby room.

It started as just a plain, solid wood plaque, already in a unique shape, and I just painted away using acrylic paint.  I was inspired by a painting from Nantucket that was in my own bedroom as a kid, that was covered in dense flowers at the bottom.  For this, I chose much brighter colors, so that as she gets older, it will be something she will love to look at.

They make great gifts for baby showers, baby namings, birthdays, and holidays!  If you are interested in a hand made gift for someone you know, please let me know!  I loved making this, and would love to start selling these in addition to my jewelry!

You can email me at marks.rebecca@gmail.com

A Casual Look for the Holidays

The Holiday season means lots of time with family, friends... and deciding what to wear.  Just because you're entertaining, or going to someone else's shindig, doesn't mean you have to pull out the dress and cable knit tights.

It's all about layers, textures, and adding some jewelry to tie it all together.

This is the outfit I wore on Thanksgiving Day, prior to eating an unhealthy amount of turkey, stuffing, and three types of pies.

I started with a go-to heather gray t-shirt layered over a white tank.  I then wore a Chambray button down, left open, with a faux fur vest.  Dark Jeans rolled at the bottom were paired with argyle socks and sherpa lined suede wedge booties.

To top it off, I wore my grandmother's vintage rings with my bold wood bracelet, and my layered beaded bracelet on the other arm.  I layered my other grandmother's gold necklace with my Turquoise and Wood Beaded Necklace and Multi Tribal Wood Necklace.

...And Wallah!  A polished look that is comfy, casual, but still put together and festive!

{Target Gray T-shirt, White Tank, Chambray Button-Down, and Faux Fur Vest; Hudson Jeans; Vintage Socks; Black and White Photos in background courtesy of my talented dad, Michael Marks}

BIGGEST SALE EVER!!!!

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday.... 

THEY ARE ALL FINALLY HERE!!!  

And to show just how extra-specially thankful I am this year for my family, friends, and all of you, I'm having the biggest sale ever!!!

Visit my Etsy shop today, November 26, through Monday, December 1, and receive 30% off with coupon code: THANKFUL

That's right, 30% off!  That's big!  Get all of the lovely ladies on your list something they'll love!  While you're at it, get some jewelry for yourself, too!

So what are you waiting for?!  Go!!! 

www.etsy.com/shop/rebeccamarksdesign

Something Old, Something New

My little brother got married a few weeks ago in the lovely Fredericksburg, Virginia.  Anyone that has a younger sibling understands how weird it is when they get hitched.  Not weird in a bad way, just weird that they aren't little anymore.  You have been protective of them all these years, and now they're all grown up.

For their wedding, his wife asked if I could take her mother's veil from the early '80s and make it something more modern and simple for her to wear on their big day.  The veil was a lace cage headpiece with pearl details.  Lightweight tulle with a lace trim was attached for the veil, as well as a tulle blusher.

Kristen, the lovely bride, decided she did not want to have a blusher and wanted to keep the veil in it's original state.  However, the cage headpiece had to go.  She wanted to somehow incorporate a piece of the lace from the headpiece, but in a much more understated way.  We decided to keep it simple and create a small comb that rest at the back of her head.  The veil would be attached, and we would use some of the original pearls in the comb.

First, I removed the veil and blusher.

I then removed a section of the lace and reattached a section of the pearl trim.  The original headpiece was made with pieces of lace laid over horsehair fabric, which is used to keep the shape and stabilize the lace.  Because of the age and construction of the headpiece, I had to piece together bits of horsehair from other areas.  

It then looked like this.  I reshaped the wire at the bottom and removed a section of the side.  I used the original clear plastic comb and reattached it to the top of the new hairpiece.  I also applied the loose pearls in random places so it did not create an obvious pattern.

The final product?

{first and final photos courtesy of Tait Photography}

www.taitphoto.com