B4 I forget, there are prezzies... yet still more girls weekend!

This lovely eye cab... I actually saw this on etsy and put it on my facebook, so the sneaky  ladies of South dakota bought it for me!

Cat stamps, soon to be jewelry in some way... they are cute!!

I got these at a art show recently, and bought one for each of us.  they just make me feel good...

 OK now you know the REAL reason I do girl's weekend with my bestest buddies Sue and Cathie.. it gives me weeks worth of blog entries!!!!!!

Seriously, there are so many reasons to do girls' weekend, not the least of them is we all deserve a weekend together at least once a year, twice if we can swing it.

One of the many rituals of girl's weekend is prezzies.  So here are pics of prezzies.   One of the other rituals is charms for our bags, and I made them this year, but forgot to take pics of them.  They were really cute, involving dragonflies and gears.  We each take turns making them.

The girls bought me a new ott light!! it's now permanently on my painting desk.. I really needed more light on this table!

turning over a new leaf.....

Leaf heat patina, sealed, tube riveted watch face, then wrapped on the bird and crystals.

I really like this one.  Vintage clock part, butterfly and crystals.  really lovely movement on this one, which I can't really capture in a photo!

no vintage on this one, but still really cute flower and dragonfly

OK, I lied, in my ever increasing desperation of coming up with cute blog titles! But, I did make these 3 bracelets on the Girls weekend.  Notice, while all are the same idea ( large leaf & chain bracelet) they are all different.  It's not any fun to make the same thing over and over.  These bracelets proved popular last year, and I don't think I've made one exactly the same.. again, where is the fun in that?

More girl's weekend pics next time!

Steampunk pins, Bead Soup Blog Hop and more

This will be a quickie... I have to get some housecleaning done ( ugh!!!! ) chase the kid into helping ( which is probably harder than doing it myself) and boy, it would be lovely to actually get something done in the studio.. last weekend I was sooooo productive with my best buddies Cathie and Sue for Girls weekend, and since I've been home, I've hardly been up there.  I did get my studio put back together ( I took all of my brass, about 1/2 my salvage bits, all of my findings, some crystals ... etc etc etc... seriously just putting the studio back together and everything away took a chunk of time!)


Deep breath!!

OK, first up, here is my wonderful, talented blog partner's blog current blog post on Bead Soup Blog Hop... check it out!   She keeps giving my blushes!  I feel alittle like Sally Fields.  Anyone else have that kind of moments?

I really do admire her butterfly pendants.. I'm not sure yet what I'll do with mine, but the back brain is thinking about it... I don't think I'll work on it this weekend, it needs to percolate more first.  Some of my best ideas come from just letting it ... come.  The lovely thing is the reveal isn't until March 30th, so I can allow myself a few weeks before panic sets in. (lol)


Now for the pictures this post.

In September I made a steampunk pin for Sue's wedding, and she love loved loved it.  I've been asked from time to time in the last few years about pins or broaches.  I've always had a few here and there to sell.  I've made a few by commission.  In short, I've never systematically made pins apart of my business.

   I've decided for this year to deliberately make up a bunch of pins for the booth, and honestly I've had so much fun making steampunk stuff, my guess is most of them will be more steampunk than not.  At least the first 3 I made last weekend are all steampunky.

I only came home with 2 of them.. Sue insisted she had to keep one!  ( she didn't have to twist my arm)

I will make more... and I seriously want more of the bug blanks from B'Sue ( I got this one in a muse box, which is great cause I never would have bought one on my own, silly me) (actually the metal netting I used on the "medal" pin was from a muse box.. old earring which I deconstructed for the netting)

I'm hoping I can whip up more this weekend, but it's really sort of a caught up everything weekend... sigh...

The goal is to have 12-15 in inventory for show season....

steampunk bug.. I really like this one!  made with bunches of brass including some B'sue stuff.

The pin that got away.. Sue had to have both this pin and bookmark.  I am planning on making more key in flight pins!!

This one started with a vintage plastic cog I have altered with bronze Swellegent and Tiffany patina.  It's from 1950-1960's but being plastic, it looked cheap not old.  now it looks kewl!  I added a bottle cap I found on the street, cog and propeller and a vintage earring part for the dangle

Group shot, this is everything I made last weekend at the Littleton Spa and beady resort!

Bead Soup Blog Hop... what I got from Maria!

can you believe it, this is the "spare" or extra!

the whole kit and caboodle - 2 pendants, crystals and lovely pewter (?) clasp

 O my stars and garters! I was secretly hoping Maria my blog partner would send me one of her exquisite butterfly pendants she hand solders, but really getting one is beyond kewl!!   So she sent me 2!!!! I got a spare!!!! wooo wooo!

It must be some serious work to carefully preserve butterfly wings (yes, they are real wings) between glass and then solder... they are so fragile in real life you know?  One wrong move and you have butterfly wing fragments, which can't be as pretty as the whole thing.

The wings are hard to photograph properly... you loose alot of the color ( deep blues and purples on one side) and the iridescence of the wings.  I wonder what type of butterfly she sent? what ever they are they are gorgeous!!  

She also sent me matching crystals and a lovely toggle ..... I have a few ideas floating around my head, and I'm hoping I will get a chance to work something up this weekend, or at least play with a couple of the ideas in my head... but you won't get to see it until the reveal day, when all the participants will publish a blog showing the creations.  Reveal day is March 30th, so if my first couple of ideas do not work like I think they will.. I can try try try again, at least until March 29th!

My girls weekend went smashingly!!! I'll be posting some blogs soon sharing some of the fun stuff we made -- and when I came home I had my first show acceptance in the mail! woot! the Summer is starting to come together!!

The main pendant , from one side.......

and the other.  Incredible! mother nature is the best of artists!

Bead Soup Blog Hop... so it begins......

O my Gosh! my Blog pardner said such nice things about me! I'm blushing!!  She's received what I've sent so I'm showing a few pics of it today.  I haven't gotten mine yet -- and since I"m leaving for Omaha / South Dakota tomorrow I won't see it now til I get back next week ( whaw!!! I really want to see what she send me!!)

I'l be honest here, I originally was going send some of the swellegent samples I've been playing with, but after reading the rules, it's right on the line of what's not allowed.. and my partner already likes to work with found / upcycled items, so I switched tracks to give her something different.  Looking through my private stash I found this little lady, and realized her time has come.  I bought her probably close to 15 years ago when Sylvie Lansdowne  had a huge sale on her beads.. otherwise I probably couldn't have afforded her.  And I was sooo surprised when I received the fairy bead she sent a bunch of spacers to match! Great lady, great lampwork artist!  I love this little fairy ( the hair especially is fantastic!) but looking at it, I knew it was what I needed to send to Maria.  It's such a happy bead!  

A mix of vintage glass beads, sterling silver butterfly clasp, crystals, and lampwork fairy and spacers.

Look at the hair! it's beyond fab!

I've enjoyed having it in my stash all these years, but it's time it had a good home and transform into lovely jewelry... Go Maria Go!

Post Steampunk Night.... next up, Girl's Weekend!

 I think it went really well! I sold some stuff, made some contacts, and it crystallized my desire to get more involved with the Iowa Steampunk group.  In short, I've got to work on a costume!

I also think I need to work on a line of steampunk pins/broaches.  So far I've made 2 and they are gone. 

Something to work on this week!!

I'm on vacation all week for 2 reasons: 1/ get all of my annual doctor visits out of the way.  By Wednesday afternoon, I will have been poked and prodded from one end to the other.  I'm not going to get more specific.. you really don't want to hear it anyway!


The rest of the week will be much more pleasant.... as it's GIRLS WEEKEND!!!  woo hoo!!!

Cathie, Sue and I will be meeting up on Weds night in Omaha, stay the night, shop and drive the rest of the way to Sioux Falls South Dakota, where I will once again be spending several nights at the lovely Littles' Resort and Spa (otherwise known as Cathie's guest bedroom) where I will be pampered and cared for like a movie star.

As usual, I'll be taking a bunch of stuff with me (if you listen to Jerry, over half the studio, but since I don't bring all 13 of my hammers, it's hardly that.  maybe 1/4th? lol)  to play with and I have every happy expectation of making great jewelry!!

Cathie and Sue are keen to learn more about metalsmithing this time around, and are in the mistaken belief I know what I'm doing.  Still I'm happy to share what little knowledge I have, and I've promised Jerry most faithfully I won't burn down Cathie's house, anymore than I would my own.

Really!

Since Sue is also somewhat steampunky inclined, I'm going to bring some of my raw cogs & gears to play with.  I'm also planning to bring all of my brass stampings .... I did last year but the collection as grown some in the meanwhile.   (play happy music)

Today's goals are simple: catch up housework, start packing around the edges, and make something pretty, kewl or both.

I'm enjoying my vacation week!

Rings with vintage clock gears, watch face.  They are adjustable

Pin made with vintage clock gears

My friend Gary took this photo of me selling last night

Steampunk Game Party Preview......

the keyhole is vintage salvaged I bought at a flea market.  Painted butterfly by Moi, chain and dangles of course

Swirl earrings from 1935 royal typewriter

The meaning of Life and everything... vintage #'s from 1950-1968 N.C.R. company cash register.

Etched copper and brass segmented bracelets

Cog from cash register (on the edge is date info, which marked the cash register receipts) and crystal from vintage chandelier

 Stop by Westview Church tomorrow and check out Community Game Night ... the theme is steampunk.  come in costume.. there will be prizes.  Board games, both steampunk and not, and of course I"ll have my jewelry set up  5-8:45pm .  It's gonna be fun...

Larger "stars" are from a vintage craftsmen tool part.

For Sale: full 48 typewriter key set from 1935 Royal

full set from 1935 royal typewriter, now available on my etsy site
These are removed from the metal stems/levers, and we have grounded them down to little snubs/flat on the back. 

Please note, these have haven't been clean, they are all complete, no broken glass.  some have light rust spots 

49 keys total, 44 "small" just over 1/2 inch, and 4 large keys, approx 3/4th inches.  Black with white lettering. 1 is slightly smaller in orange, saying margin release

All 49 keys have been detached from metal stems, and lightly grounded down for your jewelry/crafty pleasure. 

Here is the 1935 typewriter before we took it apart.  This is the real deal, and a steal... how many typewriter keys have you seen that don't tell you what machine they are from, or how old? these keys are almost 80 years old!  and it's a complete set!

I'm selling jewelry this weekend, better pics on the royal cuff, met my blog partner Maria !

You can see the numbering, which is faded.  I can do maybe 2 more of these judging by the typewriters I have handy at the moment, but they won't be as wide.  Would it be better to "fix" the lines and numbers so they stand out more, or leave it natural like this?

I love how it looks on the inside, you can really tell it came from something old!

First things First, I'm so very please to announce I'll be showing my steampunk and industrial chic jewelry this weekend at Community Game Night at Westview Church.  I'm planning on being set up from 5 to probably 9 or 10, though the gaming continues up to 11pm.  They are having a steampunk themed game night, people are invited to come in costume and enjoy playing games both steampunk or regular board games.  It's a good, fun family event, so even if you don't want to see or buy my jewelry it's a hoot to attend!  I will have all of my jewelry with me, but I"ll focus my display on the theme of course.  I'm really looking forward to this Sat!

I'm very excited about the Bead Soup Blog Hop as well.. met my Partner this year, Maria Rosa Sharrow! You can see her blog and shop, and I can't wait to see what she's sending me, I'm sure it will be a rare treat!  I really like what she does with butterfly wings... check it out on her Etsy shop.

I finally got less lazy and dug out my light box and took better pics of some of my more recent jewelry... I've included much much better shots of the royal typewriter cuff bracelet. (you can see the icky photo again if you want to here )

Here is something I run into incorporating vintage pieces in my designs... when to fix or not to fix.   I've already sealed the cuff but the yellow numbers and lines are almost gone in places.. should I have "fixed" it so it was more distinct or is it better to leave as is, worn off in places.  I have a couple more typewriters soon to give up their non working lives, and I might be able to make a couple more cuffs along these lines.  They are also worn in places... they will be thinner, almost like bangles, because the line guild is in 2 pieces on the later models, which makes me adore this one all the more.

decisions decisions decisions...

the graveyard of small, dead appliances

ready to be made useful again: sewing machine, 4 typewriters and a old phone

cleaning in process.  these are from a old cash register

I'm really not complaining, we are having so much fun ripping this stuff apart... but it would be nice to get the living room back.  Do typewriters count as a appliance? I really don't know, but what else would you call them? I can't really think of anything better.......

For the most part, I'm only taking apart things that don't work ( or work well) .  One of the typewriters we recently acquired however is much nicer, and it works, and it's PRETTY.  Neither Jerry or I have the heart to cut it up... so it might need to find a good home soon.  Before we give in and see what's on the inside...

It's so pretty! It's a portable royal typewriter in sort of a 2-tone olive green, my best guess is 1932-34 based on the spotty info online of serial #'s but it's def early 1930's