Time Gone By

Have you ever come across a photograph that just tugs at your heartstrings, overwhelming you with tenderness....well that's what antique cabinet cards of adorable children do for me.  These angelic creatures of a time gone by, even though long gone, still speak to me.

Look at these sweet faces, their beautiful expressive eyes and their crisp, white hand-made dresses and shirts.  You know their parents are standing behind the camera man so proud, so full of love in their hearts.

My collection has grown over the years and has remained hidden in a special antique box that was given to me by a dear friend who has since passed away.  Periodically I take the photos out looking at each face and wondering what their story is, where did they live, what experiences did they have in their life time so long ago, were they happy.  

Well I thought that it was way past time that each one was honored in some way in my jewelry art.  So was born the idea of my "Sweet Nothings" collection.  I have spoken about this collection in a past post, however, I did want to mention it again as I have decided to part with my creations and have listed several in my Etsy store. 

 By scanning in each photo into my computer, I was able to manipulate the size of the image to fit into my selected bezel.  Taking acrylic paints and a very tiny paint brush, I painted colorful details onto each photo...touches of flowers and garlands here and there.  After sealing each piece, I poured my resin and dropped in delicate silver micro beads.  Oh, and I wish I could take credit for the beautiful hand-written words in each, however, they are rub-on letters.  Then each bezel was hung on a delicate chain of pearls, crystals and silver. 

I would like to think of a way to display and enjoy my cabinet card collection.  Do any of you have any suggestions on how I could do that? 

Hoping you are all enjoying your Thanksgiving holiday.  My get together with family was wonderful.  Leftovers were yummy today and tomorrow I must get out for a walk to burn up the calories from the two pieces of pumpkin pie I had...oh, but it was so good!

Tootles

Diana