Vintage Murano Glass Bird Necklace

My garage sale senses were tingling the minute I woke up this morning- I just knew I would find something special.  Sometimes you just know.... So when I saw this elderly woman selling mason jars for $3 apiece I almost kept walking- until I saw this beautiful necklace.

Very dusty, still with a "made in Italy" tag, AND with matching earrings- I tried to nonchalantly pick it up without her seeing my heart pounding.  I don't know much about these necklaces- but I know that individually the beads are worth alot.  The real Venetian deal!  Should I tell you all the price tag was $3- that's three dollars- twelve quarters.

I'll sleep well tonight.  I might even wear this necklace tomorrow.  Have a great weekend!

New Matryoshka Keychains & Necklaces

Aren't they pretty?  I LOVED making these!  Each hand painted wood Matryoshka features vintage glass beads and a vintage brass swiveling lanyard hook.

You can attach them to a keychain, use as a zipper pull, or as a pendant on the 24" leather cord.

Delft Blue....

Red Square....

Sunny Yellow.  Each is one-of-a-kind- now available in my Etsy shop.

More Etsy Treasury Lists!

My work is featured in a these 2 new Etsy treasury lists- always flattering!  This first one, Caged & Freed by thelittlefox is quite lovely.  My new Birdcage Earrings are featured .

This one is called Lots of Talent, by bagsandbuds.  Those Vintage Patchwork House Pillows are mine!

Hopefully tomorrow I'll post a sneak peak of my new Fabric Birdhouses.  They're bigger & better!  Have a great evening!  I'm off to the pool!

Little House on Etsy

I really like this Etsy treasury list from shamsandcoverups featuring house images in all different mediums.  I LOVE the ring!  And of course my Vintage  Patchwork House Pillows!

You can see the whole list here.

More Vintage Patchwork House Pillows

New supplies always inspire me- whether it's a fleamarket find or new notions.  But since I'm on a (self imposed) spending freeze, I spent the last few evenings going through boxes of vintage fabric scraps.  If I live to be 100 I have enough fabric to make something every day!

So, I have my new little scrappy patchwork house pillows, all dressed up with vintage buttons and lace. (in my Etsy shop) On deck in my studio I have a dozen or so new vintage fabric birdhouses in the works.  I'll post a few "in progress" picks tomorrow.

I just got a call from my best, most-missed friend Candy who's coming to visit this weekend!  SO exciting!  Have a wonderful day :)

All Cooped Up- Vintage Murano Glass Birdcages

I have a lot of these vintage Venetian glass birds.  These are the real thing- made on the island of Murano in the 1950's.  It's difficult to use them in designs because the wire is at the bottom of the bird.

Then I found these vintage brass bead cages.  I LOVE these- but not sure if anyone would want to wear birdcage earrings.  Would you?  The cages are tiny- about 1/2".

I added tortoise color glass beads on both ends....

I also made a few of these necklaces a few months ago which sold, but I worry that they're too fragile.  These are all different- but I used antique watch parts in a glass vial, with the bird perched on top.

Well- I'm off to list the earrings in my Etsy shop-I hope someone out there likes them!

Happy Wedenesday!  I hope this rain clears :)

Raspberry Lime Spritzer

Another great Etsy Treasury list- this one by loveartworks- features these great fresh summery colors (and of course my Vintage Raspberry Earrings!)

I want one of everything!  You can see the entire list here until it expires Thursday.

Vintage Clowns

Clowns usually scare me but these make me smile :)

This one is super scary.

Just a random comment- Have a great day :)

Another Productive Evening

Last night it really paid off that I cleaned my studio.  I had a lot of pairs of vintage glass beads just waiting for a new life.  These are for summer shows- I love the colors!

A Few New Pieces

I just wanted to share a few new pieces I made- I cleaned my studio & found some of these awesome glass rhinestones.  They're giant- about 1 1/4" wide & fit perfectly in the vintage brass settings I had squirreled away.  These pics don't do them justice- they're a bright aqua- so fun!

All vintage glass, one-of-a-kind.  I'll be listing the bracelet in my Etsy shop later this evening.  More to come....

This giant brass butterfly necklace is fun, with 3 tiny freshwater pearls, on an adjustable chain.  The butterfly is 2" across.

School lets out today- I'll be less productive the next few months as I bake in the sun at the pool and prepare for summer shows.  But I'll be back every other day or so :)

Matryoshka Earrings

I spent the weekend making tons of these fun earrings.  Made from hand painted Matryoshka beads from Moscow and vintage glass beads- all one-of-a-kind. These always sell well at summer shows.  You can see them here in my shop.

Vintage Treasures- Sequins & Beads

I'm a collector of many things including vintage beads & sequins.  I spent some time organizing my sequin collection, and I put these little collections together to sell in Mike's Etsy shop.

I love that these look like paint boxes- a little box of treasures.  These are a result of years of collecting....The vintage sequin collection has 36 glass vials in their original watch maker's box- with a variety of colors & sizes of old sequins & pailettes.

The vintage seed bead collection has 24 glass vials full of little vintage glass seed beads.  You can see them here.