busy busy busy

1920's Sewing machine parts, aluminum rings, crystals, pewter lobster claw

In a few minutes going to Celebrate my Mother's __ birthday! yeah!!! I have a feeling she would kill me if I put the actual # of years in that, but I'm 45, the youngest of 5, and my oldest sibling is **almost** 60, so you figure it out.

Happy Birthday MA!!

Busy Busy Busy... First show is officially less than a month away, so I'm suddenly TERRIFIED I'm not going to be ready.  This week, in the few spare minutes I have, it's gonna be all about inventory inventory inventory.  This weekend I hope to finish up the display redo's, and then I'm gonna do a quickie check of what I have and see what's in the most need.. and then focus on that the new couple of weeks.

Bead Soup sent and received .. woo hoo!

 I got my beads! I got my beads! I got my beads!

Kandice sent me gorgeous lampwork she made... you can see them in the pics below.  To accent she sent crystals ( and we are talking the good stuff, swarovski!! ) lampwork spacers and copper beads and a lovely copper leaf clasp.

I've got them setting sitting on one of the work benches, and when I walk by I can eye-ball them.  I have a few ideas so far, but not the ding ding in my heart yet.

overall shot, pink and mint green is the theme.. the colors of spring!

close up of the bigger spacers.. personally I'm thinking earrings!

I adore this focal!! each side is different, it's like a flower dice!

 I sent her a really pretty Russian Lace Agate pendant, agate pebble beads for spacers, and a bunch of fun vintaj brass stampings and clasp.  I also sent  vintaj chain and wire, so she has maximum design options.

Isn't this a awesome photo? I wish I could claim I took it.. but Kandice did of the soup I sent to her!!  My photos were poor, so I'm bootleggin' hers....

it's shaping up to be another fun Bead Soup Party!!

More Shows, working on displays

Here's my conception sketch for one of the new displays... done, I'm proud to say on my new baby: I got a IPAD!!

Working ever soooo slowly on the displays. Part is deciding exactly what I want to do and then how to do it.  I don' want to muck them up... and in the case of the Singer sewing machine case.. I don't want the changes permanent.  Still I have hopes to having them done this weekend.

I have several more show notifications, so my schedule on my website will get updated again this weekend with that info.  I'm delight to announce that we are in ArtFest again in June!! and I got my bead soup... but I'm waiting to reveal til my Partner has hers as well. 

Lots going on!!

The countdown begins.....

this is such a interesting clock!!  look at the colored gears... droool...

I'm happy to report I've updated my show schedule, which you can see here

I'm up to 9 shows, 7 of them Downtown Farmer's Market, which I'm just absolutely thrilled about -- that's the most slots they have ever given me!! wooo hoo!!

I'm waiting on notification for several shows, and now that I know my farmer Market schedule, over the next couple of weeks I've got more apps to fill out. 

Doing all these applications, and then WAITING, WAITING, WAITING!! to see if I get in or not.. it's really one of the worse parts of doing shows.  

This weekend I'm going to start working on the new displays, and I am hoping I can get them done as well.    I really need to concentrate on making more inventory.  The clock has started.. my very first show is just a month away, April 19th, Mini Shoppers Showcase 10-4pm in Valley Junction.   I get a one week break, and then it's Dutch Market in Pella for the Tulip Festival.  From there, hopefully it's going to be back to back shows til September.  I'm sure I'll have a week here or there free, but it's all up in the air til I hear back from the shows.

So.. keeping Finger's crossed, I need to get going -- the displays await.

More etched bracelets.....

Something different with recycled parts......

Etched copper, brass and copper wire, parts from 1960's adding machines, 1950-60's cash register, and 1920's sewing machine

Another view of the bracelet

1950-60's Adding machine parts with etched brass

bottom Part from a 1920's sewing machine,  top part from a motor but I can't remember what the motor was from...

side view, you can see the etching better

top row type writer, middle 1960's adding machine, bottom 1920's sewing machine

side view

I love the shape of this one, parts from 1960's adding machine and 1920's sewing machine

more goodies coming soon.....

 One of our recent fines, but not yet ripped up, is a very old cash register, I would say mid 1920's or earlier by the shape.  Jerry's spring break starts next weekend, I have hopes I'll start getting new bits to play with !

There is a tag really dirty and scratched up with a possible serial number on it, so once he can pry it off and I can clean it up, I will hopefully be able to put a date to this.  I imagine this was very grand in it's hay-day, with brass embossing.  you can see some pics of this type of cash register here
aren't they gorgeous!  Course we can't afford the pretty pretty, and wouldn't have the heart to rip them up anyway, so give us the grungy, dirty, greasy, rusty non functional ones.  YUM!

check out the giant , almost 5 inches across gear. 

I have a blog hop partner!!

drum roll please::::

Kandice Seeber of coloraddiction!! you can see her blog here 
that is such a good name, color addiction!!

She's a lampworker!! I'm already droooling at the lovely stuff she makes..

you can actually buy her beads via a monthly subscription or in sets...

I can only imagine what my beads will look like!!   It's funny actually, about a month ago ran across some great Jodie Marshall disk beads I bought, probably 2 years ago.  Since I'm mostly working on my Mechanical Romance line, I'm not working with lampwork but they really called to me.  So I made the bracelet below.

It's funny how hard it is to change design gears from working with recycled materials to something like this.

Fun though!!

I look forward to getting to know my partner.

Jodie Marshall lampwork disks, brass findings

Steampunk at it's best.. with watch parts!

Etched copper washers, pocket watch parts

 Most of these were made in Late Jan, early February time frame.  I'm almost up to date in my photo folder!

small vintage watch movements rings

vintage Pocket watch part, crystals, ring says "believe"

Sort of a goth fairy , on lovely vintage pocket watch part.  This necklace is really recycled.. the blue beads that are copper wired wrapped are from a necklace I made years ago that just never quite looked right, so I ripped it up.  When I decided to use the cobalt blue drop pendant -- I remembered the wrapped bead pieces and tadaa! It looks great! (Cathie, I know you aren't big on steampunk / mechanical romance... but it's cobalt!  )