The Modern Dog Tag

The Modern Dog Tag necklace- just in time for the holidays!

Unisex, one-of-a-kind, unique- the gift this season that's both fashion forward and timeless.....

Choose from a variety of stones, antique coins, tokens, keys, and of course- vintage dog tags.

 The dates in the tags range from the 1930's to the 1980's.  Inquire about your birth year and I'll check  my inventory.  Visit my Etsy shop that features a small selection.  Message me if interested in seeing more.  These are going fast!

 Please note that all the antique coins, keys, and tokens are lightly cleaned and maintain a distressed patina normal with age.  

A sneak peak at the bracelets tomorrow! ;-)

~A New Year - Focus~

It's been almost 2 years since I've posted here.  So much has changed in my life, but the one thing that hasn't changed is the need to create.  Creative hands and minds never sit idle...but they need to re-charge and re-group.  My journey has brought me back here- where I started sharing my work back in 2009.  Social media is out of control in 2014!  So many places to read, get inspired, chat, message, etc....

How do I stay focused?  This year I started by immersing myself back where the inspiration began- my favorite bloggers.  Peaking into their studios, soaking in all the visual images, reading the tutorials, reading their tweets, following their Instagram....

My next post will be new work...YES!  New work!  Designs I haven't shared in far too long.  I hope you bare with me as I begin this process again.  I need to stay focused in the studio and resist the urge to check feed every 15 minutes!  My other recent distraction....

....This "polar vortex" we're struggling through.  People and machines can't possibly function in this extreme cold.  Even my dog doesn't want to step outside!  This storm has literally changed lives.  I will return soon with more ramblings and images that I hope will inspire you.

Happy 2014!

New leather cuffs...

I've been a terrible blogger lately- working a couple jobs and decompressing after the holiday show season. This is just a peak at one of the newer pieces I'm working on. I'm sticking with the leather, but embellishing it differently.

This cuff has a vintage brass leaf stitched with turquoise and little brass beads. This wraps twice around with a length of brass chain. More colors and variations soon. Check my Etsy shop often- lots of new designs in the works!

40% Off all Pillows & Bags

All pillows and Bags in my Etsy shop are marked down 40% Off to make room for new work- through January 15th.

Thanks Cleveland for buying handmade this Christmas season and helping make my Christmas a special one!

Peace to all in the New Year.

xoxoxo

Merry Christmas Season!

Just a quick post- I'm taking a little blogging break this month. Too much crafty mayhem happening and I'm trying to wean myself off my computer! I had a hugely successful show this weekend at TerraVista (YAY!!) and 2 more to go.

Soooo- I'm off to make more "stuff".

Merry Christmas friends!

xoxoxo

Etsy Front Page!!!

Woo hoo!! Now let's hope I make a few sales!!

Click here to see the entire list, and here to see my pillow. I'm not sure how long I'm on the FP but they archive the lists. Thanks Etsy!!!

More Bags & Totes

It's that time of year again- holiday shopping will be upon us soon! Last night I went through my giant stashes of fabric in preparation for a month of sewing. Every year it amazes me how much fabric I accumulate.

Between summer flea markets and donations from friends, I have a nice variety of vintage and new- prints and wovens. So- production begins. I might not list much in my Etsy shop- it's a very time consuming process to photo, edit, etc. I will add a few things weekly though.

I'll post my holiday show schedule next post. Off to the studio!

Cheers!

Wool Felted Balls

Are you getting tired of seeing wool felted balls with acorn caps? They pop up everywhere this time of year and so many people claim it's their copyright. I love them, but I never really thought they were an original design. I'm guilty of making acorn necklaces (see last pic) and I thought my different twist was the little glass ladybugs.

I made these little pin cushion rings a few years ago and they always sold very well. The key I think is adding a fun pin to each one, and of course a great photo. These are so easy to make. Simply glue the wool ball into a bezel- in this case the bezels were old watch maker's tins. Then attach them to inexpensive ring blanks.

Voila! The perfect little gift for any sewer in your life.

So if you're bored with these- try some pin cushion rings of your own.

My fun little crafting tip!

New work...

I realized it's been awhile since I blogged here- so I thought I'd share some newer work. In addition to my thicker leather wraps, I've been working with some softer leather. This is a great weight to stitch and embellish- so I started with these pieces...

Olive green leather with tiny turquoise beads and brass details....

FLY is one of my favorites. This one wraps twice around your wrist, and has a little brass bird charm....

My favorite color combo- teal and brown. Amazonite and stitched brown leather...

...and another version with carnelian. If you're local in the Cleveland area, you can find these at the Gestures in Rocky River, and at The Log Cabin Gallery in Peninsula.....

...or you can hop on over to my Etsy shop to see more. I have more to share this week. Starting in "production mode" for the upcoming holiday shows. Wasn't it just summer?

...in progress...

I've been crazy busy the last 2 weeks- WAY too much on my plate- but fun busy! Here's a little snippet of one of my bracelets in progress. My new "convertible" series of bracelets/ necklaces are all one-of-a-kind (sorry you're only seeing the bracelet part)

Another section of leather is designed to hook onto the bracelet to make an asymmetrical necklace. I just delivered several of these to the the Log Cabin Gallery- which by the way is opening the Autumn Aglow show this weekend. These new convertible pieces will also be at Gestures in Rocky River. Chris- co-owner- was actually the one who suggested I turn these in to necklaces. Thanks Chris!

I also have a new wholesale account, and hopefully (fingers crossed) 2 other exciting new ventures. I should know about that next week. Sorry not much new is making it to my Etsy shop- I'm thankful things aren't around long enough to list in my shop.

I'm off- more this weekend.