Robins usher in spring

Since the ground is still snow covered we haven't seen too many real robins yet. When Dawn offered vintage images on her site, I grabbed downloaded the robin and cardinal pages.

I immediately printed out copies so I could figure out what exactly to do with them. I knew I wanted to so something inspired by Dawn's own beautiful work.

First, I put portions of the image into a little leather photo holder I found just last week. They fit perfectly. The photo wallet is so buttery soft, I love to hold it in my hands.

For this reason, I wanted it to be removable from the rest of the piece. I created a handle from a bit that has crocheted knobs and plastic links and some copper wire. I also decorated the outside with an image of the nest on top of a robin's-egg-blue button, trimmed in lace.

I then created a tower from three wooden spools of pale blue thread, topped with another button. Then it was time to find a base for my piece. The Syracuse China saucer is decorated in the same colors that are in the robin print.

I layered scalloped blue paper, "Loving You" sheet music and the image of the robins, applying and sealing them with Mod Podge and aging it all with a bit of paint.

Lastly, I added some vintage hand-tatted trim with the letters R-O-B-I-N in Scrabble R.S.V.P. game cubes and glued the spools to the plate.

After taking the original pictures, I set the whole thing on top of this chocolate brown coffee mug. I think the whole thing would be perfect for holding jewelry or crafting bits and pieces, hiding away the things you don't want out inside the mug.

I will list it on Etsy soon. Welcome spring!