New Old Stuff and Name that Thing!

I haven't blogged in ages - I'm sorry for being such a slacker! But you know, sometimes life just happens... Anyway, you might have noticed I've played around a bit with the design of my blog. My favorite colors - teal and purple.

So my friend Heather (famous for giving me tons of vintage jewelry to play with) is in town and she brought me a big bag of stuff. Yay! I haven't picked it all apart yet - just a cursory examination. But I did find one thing right away that I LOVED and had to use immediately. It's an old Australian coin that's been punched and sliced and entirely smoothed out on the backside. I just thought it was so interesting. People with lots of foreign coins (I'm looking at you Keirsten) might find some inspiration in this.

Also, does anyone recognize this stone? It's one of two things I got at the bead show last time that I didn't ask the name.

I finished this one last night too. But the focal came from someone on etsy who found a bunch of new old stock award medals that were unengraved. She patinas them beautifully. I've been hoarding this one for a year, and recently ordered a few more. So I finally gave myself permission to use it. I combined it with a Czech glass flower with a pearl and a vintage rhinestone, and it's on pale yellow knotted sari silk.

I made these earrings this past week. Mixed metals and to gorgeous blue lapis beads I got at that last gem show.

The ovals twist around a lot - I could not get them perfectly forward facing for the photo, but we all know movement in earrings is great!

Now, for a bit of the other stuff from Heather's package. There are some interesting things I have no idea about. For instance:

Anyone know what this is? Never been to Brooklyn.

I know there are a few Wisconsinites out there who read my blog (Erin for one). Does this mean anything to you?

I love this beautiful Cloisonne lentil pendant. It was her grandmother's. I definitely intend to make something very special out of it.

This Asian symbol (anyone?) in real -vintage- ivory. Speaking of ivory, did you all read this amazing elephant story that's been going around the interwebs lately? Get your hankies ready before you read it! And on the subject of animal tearjerkers - make sure to read about the world's loneliest whale.

Now, more gratuitous pictures of the stuff from Heather's package:

There's a rhinestone buckle in that little bag on the left. And lots of good glass pearls, etc.

This bear peeking out from behind a tree - burned into wood - totally cracks me up! And how about those awesome etched brass teardrops! A matching set! I can't wait to make earrings with those. That drilled thing above the gold heart is a double sided quarter. Don't know what I'll do with that tank charm...

These little black buttons are wooden with metal shanks. I have a feeling I'll come up with something for them. The green beads are wooden as well. Plus, there are natural wooden rounds in the bag beneath.

Here's the Australia necklace again. I wore it out to lunch today and it just feels so good on! You know how some jewelry just feels like it's supposed to be there? I hate to sell it, but I just can't keep everything I like! Maybe it won't sell after a few months and then I can keep it.

Happy 2012

Hello everyone and Happy New Year! I've been a very bad blogger, but I know I'm not the only one. I've also been a very bad jewelry maker. I've been off work since Dec 22, but barely made anything! A few things for presents, a quick pair of earrings by request - but I spent more time with the Wii and my current obsession The Legend of Zelda - Skyward Sword. I've watched quite a few movies OnDemand and hung out with some friends I hadn't seen in a while. But I just couldn't get it together to sit down in my jewelry corner and play!

Finally on New Year's Eve, I buckled down and made a few things, and then worked on a bit more yesterday. It is my New Year's Resolution to a) occasionally get a table at this weekly market near my parents' house and b) submit something to a magazine. I'm sure once I get back in my routine, the jewelry will get back in action too. I did get some grey and white sari fabric for Christmas, and then ordered some more the other day. Plus I got a few things for display purposes and I made some more of my business cards - so at least I'm starting to get on track.

Here are the few things I've made recently.


This bracelet started off with the intention of being a gift, but sometimes, you've just got to keep something nice for yourself. Some people might mind that there are rhinestones missing from the vintage buckle half that serves as the focal here. I don't. That, the clasp and the vintage glass pearls are from Heather boxes. The rhinestone rondelles are new.

 

This one features some of my new grey sari fabric and upcycled shell & brass drops (from Heather boxes! - the clasp too), and one of the amethysts I bought at the last bead show.

 

This fox pendant comes from my friend Jessi whose etsy shop seems to be missing. Maybe that's because I bought 7 or 8 of her pendants last week when she was in town and she has nothing left for her shop? It's such a cute lil fox, I wanted him to be the star of the show and just strung him on a piece of knotted sari. 

More elements from Heather boxes! She's such a wonderful source :) Also, little bits from a recent trade with Malin!

More beads from Malin, and pieces of my new grey sari.

Even more Malin beads, and some other goodies from my stash. These look like Judy Jetson earrings to me.

So there you have it. I've started experimenting with some Gilder's Paste, and now that it's dried overnight - I need to go see what I have to do next...

Does everyone else have jewelry-related New Year's Resolutions?

A New Heather Box!!!

My long time readers will know just what that title means, and how very exciting it is. But for the uninitiated, let me break it down for you. My friend Heather gets vintage jewelry lots from ebay and from garage sales, thrift stores, etc., because she wants a few pieces in the lot. And there are always plenty of things she doesn't want, or that are broken, or not quite her style so she saves them up in a medium sized Priority Mail Box until it's full and then mails it off to me for salvage!

I'm so glad she didn't tell me this one was coming. It made it all the more exciting when I got home and there it was waiting for me. I've sorted through it all, and picked apart most of what I'm saving but there's still some work to be done. It takes a couple of weeks before I'm ever through.

Oooh just look at how much fun this is gonna be!!!

I see some good stuff in here...

Plenty of glass pearls. And vintage rhinestone rondelles!

Old 50s plastic pearls, some sparkly stuff, lavender and white glass!

I adore the hand painted heart shaped piece of shell. It's one of my favorite things from the box. It's sitting next to the Deco rhinestone leaf buckle, which shall one day meet some sari ribbon and become something beautiful. Any ideas?

Strange plastic mummies - perhaps next Halloween I'll make an orange and black king cake and tuck the mummies inside? (If you're not from New Orleans or around here, you have no idea what I'm talking about.) Another fab rhinestone buckle. A great enameled butterfly bracelet, a cool stacked gold bell pendant and some other fun stuff...

There was so much more than this, including a dark gunmetal shoe-clip that is going to make a gorgeous bracelet some day.

I love Heather boxes!!!

Long Overdue!

It's October, and for the first time in forever, the weather here in New Orleans is PERFECT! A cool, breezy 72, and I couldn't be happier about it! Of course it will warm up again next week, but for now I'm loving it.

So I still haven't finished the Bead Soup hopping -- I've been very busy with being sick, work, and catching up on Breaking Bad. Does anyone else watch it? I've watched all 4 seasons (minus the two that have yet to air for this season) over the last 2 or 3 weeks. It's so addictive! For a while, I was punishing myself about the Bead Soup hop - I wouldn't let myself make anything until I was done. But there was only so long that was going to work. I'm going to keep hopping 'til I'm done. It'll just take awhile.

In any case, I finally managed to photograph all the stuff I've made lately. It's really not that much, but at least I've gotten some stuff done. I'll try to drop it off at the salon this week and see what's sold over the last 3 or 4 weeks since my last delivery.

For any of you Spotify users, I want to recommend super talented New Orleans artist, Trombone Shorty's album: Trombone Shorty – For True. It's really great, and I'm listening to it right now.


I can't decide if this one looks too Christmasy and if the two greens clash too much, but I like it anyway. (As usual, click to enlarge any pics.)

This was inspired by my new love of stick pearls after my own Bead Soup piece. I didn't realize these were drilled at the top though - I was hoping they were center drilled like the ones I used in my Soup necklace. I added some faceted rubies I bought at the last gem & jewelry show and some gunmetal rhinestone rondelles I recently bought. I'm going to have to get more soon, 'cos I LOVE them!

New lampwork from Julsbeads plus some rutilated quartz I had, and some copper rhinestone rondelles.

Trinity brass settings, which I LOVE! And some faceted black crystal. I'm not going to steal these from myself, but I'm so tempted.

Wacky little pirate ship charms from Heather's Big Box o' Vintage Goodies. They're such cute earrings though, right?

Stick pearls, labradorite, and those silver beads are soup leftovers!

More of the new Julsbeads lampwork beads with copper drops I liver of sulfured.

Wood, jade, and agate. They're very eco-modern, as I was describing them last night.

My first ever use of cabochons! More goodies from Heather's box, glued onto some filigree rounds. So retro vintage cute.