Buh... buh... buh...BLING!

I always wanted a monogrammed something but had this silly idea that you had to have 3 initials to make it work.  You know those classic frilly lettered pieces with your first and middle initials to each side and a bigger letter for your last name in the middle... but I didn't get a middle name when I was born so I only had 2 initials and that made the whole thing sort of lopsided and weird.  Now that I've given up on the idea of ever getting that third initial for a really classic monogram, I'm being more liberal and creative in my interpretation of what that means.

Here's my very first monogram!

I kind of love it... I don't know if I love it more because it's such an unusual creation for me (I'm not all that into bling or an ultra-feminine girly girl by any means!) or if the appeal is the family history that's wrapped up in it.  I used 6 of my Grandma Clarke's broaches and a rhinestone belt buckle and some silver earrings that were my Mom's and buttons that one or both of them cut off old clothes.  When that wasn't enough to cover the wooden letter, I supplemented with some extra buttons from clothes of my own and buttons and rhinestones I purchased.

The base is a 5-inch pressed wood letter from the oh-so-glamorous Walmart.  I spray painted it with some brushed nickle paint left over from updating the cabinet hinges in the kitchen.  And then came the fun part:  arranging all those pieces and hot gluing them down.  It was kind of like putting together a glittery puzzle!

And it was really really fun to do!!

Once I finish it off with a sheer black ribbon bow to hang it from, the final display spot will be nestled amongst a collection of black & white family photos in a variety of styles and sizes of black frames along the stairwell walls going to the basement family room.

I had so much fun with the monogram that I'm gathering materials to make a 3X magnifying mirror for my future master bath.  I've kind of settled on yellow gold, old pearls, white (or clear) rhinestones and a couple of shades of aquamarine blue for the color theme.  That will be such an unexpected and romantic little touch in the room!

Also in process... opening an Etsy store where I'll be offering both monograms and picture frames/mirrors for sale along with some other fun hand-crafted items.