chainmaile flower earrings

OK, do these work or not?   I can't decide.....

Girl's Weekend vintage broach bracelet

OK I'm stupid, I should have gotten pictures of all 3 bracelets.. but I didn't.  rats.  So I'm only presenting mine.

My finished piece..the crystals are vintage as well.

Back story on this:  For Christmas I bought 3 day by day jewelry calendars and gave them to Cathie, Sue and myself.  Since we can't be together everyday, I figured at least once during the day we would think about each other... and our love of jewelry and making it.

And maybe some of the pieces would prove inspirational.  One of the calendar pieces we all liked was a very simple looking chain bracelet with a big jewel cluster on it by the clasp.  It made all 3 of us think of vintage broaches.. so when we went antiquing we each got a broach and challenged each other to make a bracelet based on the calendar one.  All the bracelets turned out great, and all different because the broaches were so different in character.  I have several really nice vintage broaches hanging out in the studio.. I might have to explore this concept some more.  I also left my broach usable.. partly because the pin back on mine was in perfect working condition.  ( not something you see on all vintage broaches)

I used layers of filigree to both hide the pin back but also protect it... so it's still usable as a broach.

Keepers

 I feel like keeping some of the jewelry I make, but I'm very disciplined and the customer usually comes first.... So I will put that piece in inventory like a good little jewelry artist. ( while secretly hoping maybe it won't sell and at the end of the season I can keep it !  Usually that is the piece that sells at the first show..... )

And then I make something and it's like, no no no hell no... I'm keeping it!!!

That would be these earrings!  But...... you can buy the pair below!

Leather cuffs for 2016

while I make some of the leather cuffs for my jewelry, some I use pre-made blanks... high quality leather.... 

 Last year I started to experiment with leather cuffs, and I'm continuing them, because they are popular.. or maybe its the eye appeal of the metal tags from old mechanicals.  This batch is a mix of sewing machine tags, toy tag, battery charger and of all things the timer from a insurance company. (maybe for a safe?? no idea.. we bought the timer all beat up and really the only thing usable on it was the tag)

really nice and secure snaps on these babies! they cost more but the quality is really outstanding.  I just wish I could get these in more colors... but for tag bracelets the black leather works nicely.

See the last pic for where little tattler comes from.... 

One thing I really like about these black leather cuffs are men like them too.  For the most part I make jewelry with the intent that woman will wear them, not because I'm against making men's jewelry but it just hasn't been my aesthetic up to now.  But with my Mechanical Romance line, several pieces I've made appealed to people of either sex.. and that's just fab!!   So I've been thinking about it more, jewelry made for either sex.

Would you believe this is a 1920's toy??? it's better made than any headset I've ever had..... 

Recent Earrings

All of these earrings have vintage watch or clock parts involved.

Love how delicate these are.  Little bitty Watch parts, yum!

I'm hoping this week I'll finally get my schedule for 2016 shows posted, but I will tell you my first one is April 30th in the Amana's during MayFest   We are in the barn.. should be a blast.

So this weekend I hope to go through my jewelry thus far and figure out if there are any glaring holes in the inventory... like watch face earrings, chainmaile bracelets or clock gear necklaces.

I'll probably figure out a rough layout using the new displays I've purchased over the winter as well.

I don't have as many shows this year, but I'll still put in the hard work of getting things ready!

Clock pendant

This is a very neat clock piece.. it was part of the pulley - weight system of large clock movement - probably a grandfather clock.  So you can't tell in the picture, but the gear is 3D, not flat, and it's mounted so it freely spins.  Originally chain or rope would fit in the grove that is all around the edge of the gear.


I added vintage bling to it, and a chain.. very simple but wearable history.

I'm Backkkkk!

Vintage Optometrist lens, with brass charms and chain.

I got back Sunday, and since I get a lovely day off on Wednesday I figured today I could - in a thorough, clean up as I go along kind of way - put my studio back together.  I had hopes of updating my website with new pictures and work on my show schedule.  I figured I would take pics of all the jewelry I made during girls weekend and do a blog ( or 2 ) on that.  I figured I would have plenty of time to start laying out more projects and maybe just maybe try out my new torch set up- finally!

Instead I spend most of the day at the VA hospital with my hubby's Dad and Sister.  I don't regret going to help them ( and everyone is OK now- no worries!) but it does put me behind my time table for the week.

And Then I remember that I don't have to stress about it this year.  So what if my studio isn't put together until the weekend? That means I won't probably work on anything this week - and it's OK.

Instead I got to spend time with my family at a time they really needed it.. and I don't have to feel stress about making that a priority -- or guilt if I didn't.  I can take a deep breathe and not worry about it.

Strangely enough, it makes me want to go make something...

Getting reading for Girl's Weekend......

so much stuff, so little time!

 Well the Annual Girls Weekend is less than 2 weeks away, and to my joy today is the day I get to sort projects out for the trip.  I always swear I'm just gonna pack enough projects to keep me busy in Cathie's workroom, but I always seem to try to haul half my studio to her's.  She never seems to mind but Jerry always complains about how much stuff he has to drag up and down stairs.

The problem is when you create jewelry, you have to have CCM --- Creative Critical Mass.  You have to have a huge stash pile of stuff, because when that creative urge hits you have to have what you need at hand... or you lose it.

Yes , you can sketch it out, but sometimes you loose that magic movement and you can't make the piece work right a week later when you purchased whatever new item you needed --- or when you finally get home and figure out where that perfect bit of material got stored away.

So I tend to stick to projects that I already know the "recipe" to... and take extra stuff just in case.  It usually works but then again, I always feel extra creative when I get around my best buddies.  They Recharge my batteries on multiple fronts, not just creative.

This is what my back table looks like most of the time.... 

My little piece of the political process

Pocket Watch plate with regulator still on it, added agate ... top is vintage watch face earrings.

During the Caucus process not only do we pick who we think should be running for president, we also pick delegates for the convention and elect people to the platform committee.

I've never really been involved with politics before, and I guess I figured this would be a great way to start.  The process to pick platform language has been a very interesting, and it's sort of reassuring how democratic it all is and how much thought can actually go into the final platform.  (course I'm a Democrat, so my experience might not match a Republican )   There is at least 1 more meeting before the county Convention on March 12th, and then our job is done.  The the planks go to the county level, then state and eventually to the national committee.  It will be interesting to see what's left by the time it get's to the national level.

Capturing the light....

The crystal looks "dirty" in the pic, but it's not, it's just picking up my hand and the chain underneath it.  

I really like how this turned out.  I had this really lovely piece of vintage crystal, unmounted but with the full back point-ie part.  Most of these types of crystals are called flat backs because they have, well a flat back.  Makes them easy to work into jewelry designs since most jewelry designs are flat-ish in nature.  I knew I wanted to use a clock gear as part of the mount, but clock gears are pretty flat by nature.  I finally decided to use a prong brass mount and use the gear as the base... since I didn't want to poke the eventual owner to death, I carefully created a gap to make the piece thicker.  Now just the very tip peeks out.  Also since the mounting is really open, it lets the crystal do it's job and captures the light.  Since this is metal rubbing against crystal, I used E6000 glue and lined the hole of the gear and let that dry before I added the crystal.  So if someone is looking at the back, they might think it's glued in, and it's not.. that's just me creating a "rubber" grommet to protect the crystal. 

I just love when making jewelry feels like building! 

Since I'm in a sparkly mood apparently, I added a crystal drop.  

You can see the layers in this picture.  Also you can see the crystal is absolutely clear 

Work in progress......

OK, I've got 3 out of the 4 done actually, the the bottom left I'm still working on.  Finished pics coming soon.

Time for Shopping!!! >>>>> and new antique shop in Des Moines

Being winter, its time to shop and source new materials for my Mechanical Romance line.  So after work today Jerry and I visited the newest antique mall/ shop in Des Moines... Ye Old Antique Shoppe  located  at 3005 Merle Hay Road.  It's next door to a locksmith and across the street from the gas station on the corner of Merle Hay and Urbandale.  It's just been open for a few weeks and they are still getting some vendors in and settled, but it has real potential and I've added it to my mental list of places to check out every few months.

Best part is the owner Chip is very personable and friendly... so if you are in the area and in a antique / flea market mood, give it a go.  (SHOP LOCAL!)

This weekend is also the the flea market at the Fairgrounds, 9-4pm at the 4-H building, and also this weekend at the fairgrounds is another antique show ANTIQUE SPECTACULAR  - 

Now there seems to be a cost for this, but heck the big flea market is absolutely free.

So My fingers are crossed I'll find something junky to make into great jewelry this weekend!

bangle bracelet made from the paper line up bar from a 1920's L.C. Smith typewriter

Wednesday and perfect lazy day

Love and bullets... yep, that's a casing, with a lovely quartz crystal point, painted dragonfly with a "love" charm.  I could almost like guns at this point.

I've been trying to work overtime on my days off -- I know it won't be around forever.. but some days you just have to be lazy.  So Tomorrow I plan to laze around in the studio - ALL DAY! - and hopefully make some magic while wearing pj's.  I'm making a cheese ravioli casserole tonight, which I can just nuke as needed all day tomorrow and I've got my old standby of cheese and crackers.  I have a stack of Alan Rickman movies to choose from, and lots of lovely bits to play with.  So unless that other shoe drops.. you know, the one that's always hanging over our collective heads at all times... it's gonna be just about a perfect day.

Which makes me wonder what is your idea of the perfect, soul restoring, lazy day? Would you want some alone time, family time, catch up with a good book, watch movies?

Take a walk in the sunshine - visit your best friend?  Do date night with your hubby or sig other?  Hang out making cookies with your kids?

Whatever makes your perfect day, I wish each and everyone of you gets one in the near future.

Alan Rickman

Vintage enamel flower parts make up these stacked component earrings.

Variety of recent earrings, most using some vintage bits.  

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A couple of weeks ago we lost a great actor: Alan Rickman.  Now the funny thing about Mr. Rickman is  I adored him as an actor for years before I really "knew" him.  

The Movie that did it for me was Galaxy Quest .  Rickman plays Alexander Dane / Dr. Lazarus, a cross between Mr. Spock and Warf - the whole movie is probably one of the best parodies of star trek, and science fiction tropes, period.  I shan't discuss plots in case you haven't seen this movie, but Rickman is so damn funny in it!  Actually the whole cast seems inspired, and if you haven't seen it before, it's definitely worth chasing down... both Netflix and Amazon have it streaming.

Anyway, the second time I watched it ( when it was first released to video) I got to thinking, hm.. he seems really familiar!  believe it or not, in 2000 we had the internet!!  just not conveniently on our phones.  Still one quick trip to the IMDb and I realized I've seen him in all kinds of things!!

And for the next several years, when I realized Alan Rickman was apart of the cast I could sit back and know some part of the movie would be unforgettable, cause he would make it so.  The man never disappoints.  He's the shinning redemptive grace of Prince of Thieves, the wonderful, steward hero of Sense and Sensibility, and the deliciously ambiguous Snape in the Harry Potter series.

The sad fact is I haven't seen all of his movies, and now I really really want to.  So copied the list from the web, and as I watch, rent and what have you, I'm gonna track them all down this year and enjoy myself some great Brit acting.

Alan Rickman will be greatly missed by all his fans, friends and family.

Iowa Caucus Time Folks

Vintage Watch face, crystal, american brass stampings.

The amazing thing about DVR is you get to skip past the commercials, which is fantastic, especially in Iowa right before the caucus.  Unfortunately I can't completely escape them -- I actually got what I think was a Cruze ad, or just a generalize conservative republican group spot against Trump on a free cell phone game app.

What I found really offensive about the ad is it made me ALMOST LIKE TRUMP!  gahhh!

I feel dirty, and need to brush my teeth.

I don't like Trump, he's a bully.  He lies and gets away with it because he's rich.  What message are we teaching our children that we don't call him on everything that comes out of that mouth?

Anyway, the ad was trying to smear Trump because he's pro-life , once supported Hillary and the democrats in general, and is fairly liberal on many social issues .  Or he was... the man changes his opinions based on what he thinks will get him elected as many times as he changes suits.

Still the tone of the ad was very negative, even if all the negatives in my books would be positives, the intent was not good.

I have to admit to a certain bias to the Dems, but so far the Dems are so darn .. civil... in contrast.  As things heat up between Hillary and Bernie, I can only hope that continues.

I think I'll just stop playing games on my cell phone until after Monday night.

Still If you are in Iowa and are not planning to Caucus --- well, that's darn near anti-Iowan.  Besides it's fun!  
It's Politics at it's most democratic -- you vote with your feet.

At least the way the Dems do it, I understand the Republican caucus are not quite as free form.

For the Dems we actually get to stand (or sit) in groups based on who you support.  People give speeches and try to lure you away from whichever camp you are in... and we vote by a show of hands on platform items for the convention.

See ya Monday

Just hanging out today

recent jewelry I've made, all incorporating vintage bits of some sort

I've got a new schedule at work but today is the first time I've really got to enjoy it... I'm working 4x10's with Wednesday as my day off.

Most normal and sane folks would be enjoying every Wednesday - but I've been working several hours of overtime instead.

Now work needs as much help this week as they have needed for months now, but through some quirk they only called up to 4 hours of OT, and I decided this was a good week to take a break.  If I'm going to sacrifice my day off for overtime, I want it to be a big chunk of time-- but still get to sleep in.

So far I've enjoyed myself by hanging out in the studio, mostly lining up new projects to work on in the coming weeks, and giving the bathrooms a good cleaning.  I recently got a new 32 incher TV for the studio, so I've been enjoying watching movies on a huge screen... It's amazing how cheap TVs are right now, and I of course used coupons and gift cards to make it even cheaper cause I'm well, cheap.  At least when it comes to luxury goods for myself. ( I really need to work on this )

The other item I've worked on today is my show schedule for next summer, such as it is.  Because we are doing a limited season, it seems like a good time to try out a couple new venues... more on that if it pans out.

So really, it's been a nice, relaxing day.

I still have half of it to boot!

The same is not the same

I really like this design.. here I've made essentially the same design but with different vintage keys and mixing the components up a little.  It's amazing how different they are in character with these little changes.  One of the bonuses of working with vintage materials.  Even when I make the "same" thing, it's not the same at all.  

Good morning !

Vintage watch face embellished , makes a lovely necklace 

Fly Home In Pictures

See the wings are now painted, patined and sealed 

Laying out process.. deciding what goes where before i drill holes and rivet stuff on 

Finished! calling it Fly Home because it felt like it.. I've been pretty burnt out creatively this winter, and finishing this piece, getting in touch with my creative side.. heaven and home all in once

The center is part of a door embellishment, very old.  The dark brown is natural patina.  A mix and clock and few bits of watch parts.  I'm very pleased  how it finally turned out!

Beady Garage Sale coming up

I've been trying to clean up the studio and get rid of stuff I don't want anymore.  Seems like the thing to do in January... out with the old, in with the new.  With that in mind I've been sorting stuff and pricing it for the Artistic Bead Annual Garage Sale / Bead Swap.  Artistic Bead is a lovely shop in Des Moines (now with a branch in Northfield MN!!) and every year Cheryl gives people a chance to sell stuff they no longer want of a beady nature to other like minded folks.  So it's truly changing trash into treasures.  Not that anything sold is trash, but if you are "over" it then well, it's not doing you any good is it?   It's in the rubble heap of your mind artistically.

I haven't had time to participate the last couple of years so I'm I'm making time this year.  In Des Moines the sale is January 23rd 10-3pm.  

I love when I can take hard industrial stuff, like a cog and a watch face, and transform it into something that's delicate and elegant to wear....