Welcome & Thanks for Stopping By!

Welcome friends,

I am an artist, a writer, a mom and a wife. I have lived, loved and laughed as often as life has allowed. I have created most of my life, not all of it I would call art, but all of it came from my heart.  I promise to endeavor to bring you one of a kind, unique creative expressions from my hands to your eyes.  May you enjoy perusing through these entries, and if you are interested you can find more of my work here:
Bead Work • Ribbon Work • Embroidery • Fiber Art • Wearable Art • Accessories • Dolls of Distinction • Digital Endeavors • The Occasional Poem and Short Story .

Happy day to you, and come back again real soon! Christen J. Brown

 

One World One Heart Give Away

Magic Carpet Ticket Holder

Welcome to all of my regular visitors and you new visitors as well! I am participating in the One World One Heart world-wide “Give Away” that is sponsored by Lisa A Whimsical Bohemian. This event is open to all people who have an active blog. The event, created in 2007 was with the original idea to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet and to discover new and wonderful people, and in the process possibly win a prize or two.

One World One Heart Give Away

This is a corsage that I made with Valentine’s Day in mind and I think that it fits in perfectly with the One World One Heart, International Blogging Event.

To take part in the drawing you must have an active blog to enter to win this prize. If you wish to enter in this drawing, all you need to do is leave me a comment with a link back to your blog or an email address in order for me to get in touch with you if you win! Then I will ship your corsage to you, where ever you live!

This event runs through Feb 14 (midnight Pacific time), and winners will be announced on February 15. Good luck to you, enjoy your journey on the magic carpet ride, and may you find new and wonderous blogs to inspire and bring you joy! Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog!

Christen

PS: I will also be giving away a goodie on my other blog: The Store on the Corner, pop in for a visit.

PSS: Please click the comment link above, to leave your name and email address, many people are clicking the comment link below which is to the next post…. thanks C.

 

Romance: MMM challenge

Romance

Maria had just left the fortune teller’s shop when a dashing young man stopped her on the street.
With the words of Madame Travina ringing in her ears”Romance and passion are waiting for you just outside the door!”, Maria boldly grabbed the stranger and kissed him. As he grabbed her waist, and kissed her back she thought Madame Travina was right, she was romantically swept off her feet with passion!
Originally Joseph (the dashing young stranger) had stopped Maria just to ask her for directions, oddly enough to Madame Travina’s shop. As he found himself kissing Maria, he thought he wasn’t in that much of a hurry, and kissing was always a good thing!

This is my entry for Mixed Media Monday’s “Romance” challenge. This is a collage of greeting cards, art paper, painted paper, gold and black ink pen, vintage velvet flowers, vintage lace, vintage beaded strands and tin hearts.

 

A Heart a Day: #8

vintage hearts

Somewhere there was once a Flower, a Stone, a Crystal, a Queen, a King, a Palace, a Lover and his Beloved, and this was long ago, on an Island somewhere in the ocean 5,000 years ago.
Such is Love, the Mystic Flower of the Soul. This is the Center, the Self.
- – - – Carl Jung

This is an image of a brooch that was made for me by a student. The flowers are made from French wire and satin ribbons, and are adorned with vintage gold lace and glass beads. Enjoy, Christen

 

A Heart a Day: #7

Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness.
– Bertrand Russell

Don’t let love pass you by….Christen

 

A Heart a Day: 6

The love you take is equal to the love you make.
- – - – The Beatles “The End”

This is a section of a crazy pieced vest that I call “Home is Where the Heat Is”. Loving begins at home… Christen

 

Friday’s Favorites: Mother of Pearl part 2

Enchanted Butterflies

Friday’s Favorites is continuing this month with Mother of Pearl. This week I want to show you jewelry that I have made with MOP buttons, charms and beads.

Enchanted Butterflies is an adaptation of my “Entwined Treasures” pattern. The base is created by entwining and stitching silk cords, into a base. This base is then embellished with buttons and charms, and the beads are attached with the peyote stitch.

Mother of Pearl Button Bracelets

Button bracelets have been around for many decades. You may have one of those cuff bracelets that your mom made with an elastic crochet or stretchy gimp base that is encrusted with vintage buttons and beads.
These two bracelets here are a take-off on those original bracelets.
I chose to use a ribbon for the base (because I don’t like the elastic), using a button for the closure. The top bracelet, which is a sample of my “Klimpt Kollage Kuff” pattern, is encrusted with buttons, while the buttons are stitched in a design on the bottom bracelet.

Hopscotch

The neck-piece here is made from the tie that my dad wore at his wedding. The buttons are vintage carved MOP with celluloid discs.
The pin base is a wide ribbon, encrusted with MOP buttons and buckles, celluloid buttons, and roses that I made from gimp and vintage zippers.

Pearl's Delight

This necklace incorporates small mother of pearl buttons with beads, strung on #10 Soft Flex.. The beads are amethyst, fresh water pearls, mother of pearl and seed beads. This necklace and the bracelets below were created to wear with “Pearl’s Delight” jacket ensemble, that is covered in vintage lace and vintage MOP buttons.

Mother of Pearl Bracelets

These bracelets are all made from vintage mother of pearl buttons. The top and bottom bracelets are samples from my “Bohemian Button Bracelet” pattern, these are strung on Soft Flex as the necklace above. The middle bracelet is a sample of my “Button Bracelet” pattern using the peyote stitch.

Vintage at Heart

These are two pins that I made using vintage mother of pearl buttons. The pin on the left is made from muslin fabric and is covered with buttons. The pin to the right is made from silk fabric with a piece of vintage lace, the buttons are all carved.

Vintage Mother of Pearl buttons are still around in some abundance, what will you make with them?
Enjoy what you do, it’s good for you! Christen

 

A Heart a Day: 5

Music of my Heart

If music be the food of love, play on.

– Shakespeare

This is a brooch that I embroidered using 4mm silk ribbon, another passion!

Heart of the day: May the music of your love sing on…. Christen

 

A Heart a Day: #4

Love

Love: When you take a bubble bath together
Lust: When you take a bath in Jell-o together
Marriage: When you give the kids a bath

Where are you in the grand arena?

Happy days, Christen

 

A Heart a Day: 3

Hearts and Roses

In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities.
- – - – János Arany

Heart for the day, sending you roses! xoxoxo Christen

 

Tea on Tuesday: Pink Blush

Pink Blush

Tea on Tuesday this month will feature the color pink, and more MOP items, see my Friday’s favorites for my MOP article. This lovely pink tea-cup had belonged to my grandmother. The coloring is so dainty, and I think that it really looks pretty with the fan and heart that I made! The little porcelain vase and basket are actually a hat pin and a bobby pin holder; these had belonged to my husband’s grandmother and were entrusted to me for safe keeping.

Mother of Pearl Buttons

I wanted to show you a close-up view of the vintage mother of pearl buttons, aren’t they gorgeous? I just like to look at this group; I haven’t a clue in my head what to do with them or how they could look any better than just sitting there on the lace! The top buttons were decorated with a china transfer (I have no clue how that is done); the set of smaller buttons were hand painted by an artist that I found on Ebay.

Cornwall in the Springtime

This is a necklace that I made using vintage mother of pearl leaves, each one individually hand carved and detailed. The leaves were originally attached to a gimp necklace that I found in an antique store, with the flower button used as the closure. This was a fairly common type of necklace circa 1900’s. The gimp had frayed quite a bit, so I removed the leaves and button and used them in this beaded necklace; I incorporated seed beads, Czech glass beads, tiny fresh water pearls and blown glass sew throughs.

Bracelets and Pin

Here are the bracelets that I wear with the necklace, all of the buttons are vintage MOP. The bracelet on the left is strung with wire shank buttons (originally used as cuff-links), glass, opal and abalone shell beads. The bracelet on the right is stitched with a right angle weave pattern; the buttons have a self shank. I used glass leaves, seed beads and Czech glass beads in the pattern. The dragonfly is resting on a vintage mother of pearl button that was made in Afghanistan, with vintage mother of pearl dangles. The wings and body are beaded, with beaded leaves and streamers hanging below the body.

Today tea is Yogi Chamomile, “delightful and gentle” is the description on the package (a gift from my Tea-Time buddy Judy- thank you again!). Good thing I had it in the cabinet, cause we had an earthquake yesterday (still a little funky feeling), and it has just been a little hectic here at our house… I am going to finish my cup of “gentle delights” and go read a bit now…

Please join the rest of our TEA-TIME group at Kimmie’s place, you will always be entertained with lovely pictures, great commentary, and good friends! Until next time, drink up! Christen

 

A Heart a Day: 2

bunny love

Love is lending your jacket to your love when she is cold, which my guy does!

This is a fun little pincushion that I picked up at a craft fair, I may love bunnies as much as I love hearts!

Heart of the day, Happy Day to you, hugs Christen