Go for the gold!

This week has been 'golden' for me.  Sunday I attended my dad's family reunion and saw 2 cousins I hadn't seen in over 40 years.  Twin girls have been born into the family and we have another new family member due to arrive in a few months.  I got a chance to sit down with my good friend, Lori, and chat about all sorts of things.  We've been picking a few tomatoes and fresh herbs and have baby toads and frogs on our deck and enclosed patio.  Unfortunately some of those didn't make it but my daily count goes up and down so obviously there are more than I thought.  The weather has been spectacular...cool in the mornings (50s), not hot (upper 70's-low 80s), low humidity, blue skies, gentle breezes.  After the past week or so it was a welcome relief from the heat, humidity and storms.  I have finally got all the violets out of the yard; now to work on the crabgrass. 

I thought I'd share a bit more gold with you.  You probably don't know it but I am not a jewelry person at all.  Hardly wear my wedding ring (fingers swell too much), never liked how I looked in necklaces of any length, and the earrings I wear are very small.  That being said, this brooch really caught my eye in a recent magazine.  I'm really enjoying making Wendy's roses and flowers using Tim's Tattered Florals and wondered if I could recreate this piece and still do it justice.

With some grungepaper, heavy gold foil, gold paint dabber, archival ink, Tim's die cuts, Wendy's stamps and a few rhinestones - here's my interpretation of the brooch. 

Look around you, you just never know what will inspire you to make art!