Just in time for EASTER .  I've decorated many eggs over the years but this is my favorite technique and they are made from men's silk ties.    They are fun to make, even with children, and can be given as gifts!  Thanks to MARTHA STWEART.   Here are the instructions but there is a video available too on her website:

http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=955500e62abd0110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&backto=true

 HAVE FUN!

Silk Tie Easter Eggs

Materials and Tools
Small- to medium-size raw eggs
Glass or enamel pot
Silk ties, blouses, or boxers, cut into pieces large enough to cover an egg
White sheets (or pillowcases or old tablecloths), cut into pieces to cover silk-wrapped eggs
Twist ties
3 tablespoons of white vinegar
Warm water
Vegetable oil
Paper towels
Tongs or spoon

Silk Tie Easter Eggs How-To
1. Cut silk into a square (or a piece) large enough to wrap around a raw egg.

2. Wrap a raw egg with a piece of silk, making sure the printed side of the material is facing the egg. Silk can still be used if it doesn't fit perfectly around egg.

3. Place the silk-wrapped egg in a piece of white sheet, pillowcase, or old tablecloth and secure tightly with a twist-tie.

4. Place the egg(s) in an enamel or glass pot. Fill pot with water to cover eggs completely. Then, add three tablespoons of white vinegar.

5. Bring water to a boil, turn heat down, and simmer for 20 minutes (longer if you plan on eating the eggs).

6. Remove eggs from water with tongs or spoon and let cool.

7. Remove silk from cooled egg.

8. For shiny eggs, wipe with vegetable oil after completing step 7.

Resources
Silk goods such as ties, blouses, and boxers can be purchased at rummage sales or thrift stores. Silk can be reused on eggs.

"I like the thought of taking trash, something not thought of as aesthetically pleasing, and making it elegant". ~Nancy Judd

 I can definitely relate to Ms. Judd's quote!  You can laugh all you want at these creations…but she's laughing all the way to the bank!  She's my hero!

 Slideshow Wall Street Journal dated Jan 13, 2009

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123180107217975103.html#articleTabs_slideshow%26project%3DSLIDESHOW08%26s%3DSB123177424025873599%26articleTabs%3Dslideshow

Trashion Trend:  Photos & Text from Dumpster Couture by Nancy Judd

 Nancy Judd crafts wearable art from junk in order to raise awareness about the environment and recycling. Her creations, which appraise at around $30,000 each, have earned her a role in the Green Inaugural Ball.

Old Cassette Tapes Coat by Nancy Judd

 She once spent 400 hours, she says, unspooling cassettes and crocheting the crinkled tape into a fake-fur coat.

Fan Mail Dress by Nancy Judd

 As a teen, Ms. Judd spent hours crafting origami jewelry. The color and texture of piled-up junk mail inspired her to try her hand at making a dress with origami fans from old catalogs and advertisements, at right.

Fan Mail Close up by Nancy Judd

 But these aren't meant to be wardrobe mainstays. Ms. Judd conceives of them more as wearable sculpture. "I like the idea of making aluminum elegant, or rusty nails sexy," she says.

Turns out, she isn't alone.

A decade ago, when Ms. Judd was making her first rescued-from-the-landfill dress — a somewhat revealing number made of bubble wrap — recycling had already hit the mainstream. Manufacturers were turning plastic bottles into fleece outdoor wear.

But the world of environmentally conscious designers was small, says Delia Montgomery, founder of Chic Eco, an "earth friendly" fashion consulting firm. "Now I can't keep up," she says.

These creative artists never cease to amaze me!!

Financial Times Dress by Gary Harvey

Used Coffee Filter Dress Susan Stockwell London

BULLFIGHTER'S SUIT

(Traje de Luces) 

OLE!

Don't you just love M&Ms? 

If you've ever seen a bullfighter's suit you will appreciate this one! Check out artist Charlotte Kruk of www.krukt.art.com   This is her creation made entirely out of the candy wrappers entitled, "The Reign of the M&M".

Definitely my hero!

Bullfighter's Suit

Bullfighter's Suit Back

Bullfighter's suit detail 1

Bullfighter's suit detail 2

bullfighter cape

matador hat

living room (before)

living room to office (after)

living room view (after)

The "musgo" (moss) type stone came from the northern part of Spain used for the fireplace. 

Today I thought I'd share with you the different floor designs used in our home indoors and out.  The floors are handmade Spanish clay tile.  The dark large squares outside are handmade volcanic rock (characteristic of the Canary Islands) used for the stairs, around the pool and pathway.

OUTDOOR DESIGNS:

steps

path to front door

path to entrance

Outside in the garden we have a fantastic workshop,  that you can see in this picture, and on the left is our laundry room.   

poolside

sundeck

 In the bbq area there is a small bath with shower.

outdoor path to bbq

bbq

living room design

mosaic rug master bath

 

 

 

kitchen floor

bedroom

 

front door mosaic rug

dining room (before)

The floors throughout the home were all a cold and ugly terrazo.

dining room 1 (before)

On the opposite side of the little arch opening is the kitchen.  You will see below how we opened it up.

dining room 1 (after)

kitchen 1 (before)

kitchen 2 (before)

 We had to gut the entire kitchen.  There was a door that we closed and turned it into a window.

kitchen 3 (before)

kitchen 5 (after)

kitchen 4 (after)

kitchen 1 (after)

If you look good and hard you can see this is the "little arch" that we opened. This picture is looking in from the dining area.  Look again, there ARE pulls & handles on the cabinets…they're antique glass so not to  take away from the  woodwork.  It took more than two years to complete the indoor kitchen, do you think it was worth the wait?