My Hearts...

I first shared this heart one year ago.....it was inspired by a Rebecca Sower blog post when I joined her in spreading hearts all over our cyber world. Do check out her old post- it's well worth spending time pouring through the submissions. It was fun!

I stitched my heart on linen with an old Japanese glass heart and tattered lace. I set in in an old pocket watch frame and backed it with red leather. Since making this I frame a lot of old photos in these pocket watch frames and hang them in a collage on the wall.

These heart stones are among my most prized possessions. My young son gave me these treasures he found with the words "I love you with all my heart". Just holding these stones lift my spirits when I'm down.

I hope you all take the time to share your heart today with your loved ones.

XOXOXO

What I've been working on...

The other day I was so excited to be featured in Etsy's Daily Finds email blast featuring themed products. I sold 7 of my leather wrap bracelets that day- plus some special orders. I didn't even realize I was in the promo until someone emailed me!

So I scrambled into my studio to make a few more- I figured if people want them now- I'll make more. So much fun to make and mostly one-of-a-kind. I get to take out all my beads & trinkets...

You can find them here in my Etsy shop- or contact me if you want your own.

More Pin Cushion Rings...

Just a quick post....I just found more of my Pin Cushion Rings last night while spring cleaning my studio. These fun little rings are not only stylish but quite useful as well.

Each ring features a wool felted ball attached to a small watch parts tin (some use the top and some the bottom) attached to a silver plated adjustable ring. Then I added the little vintage enamel stickpins. This is the last of them- I posted some in my other Etsy shop if you want to buy one.

If anyone has noticed, I haven't been blogging much the past few weeks. I'm working on new designs to submit for juried shows this summer. AND I'm planning my son's birthday party- 26 3rd graders in my house- YIKES! What was I thinking! No clowns, magicians, no fancy entertainment. Just a good old fashioned birthday party with games and crafts and prizes. If anyone has any game ideas I'd love the input!

Have a great night!

Leather Wrap Bracelets

Ahhh... the shows are behind me- thankfully all very successful. My bags continue to sell, but my most successful collection this year has been my leather wrap bracelets. I couldn't make enough of these!

All one-of-a-kind, they're designed to wrap 3 times around your wrist. (look out for longer wraps next year- wrap 5-6 times around!) Each one is a mix of vintage glass beads, semi-precious stones, vintage religious medals & train tokens. Next year I'm going to do more of these, along with different multi-strand leather pieces.

Now that the hectic craft show season is behind me, I'm off to the studio to make my Christmas presents. My sisters might be reading, so no details, but I'll post about them after Christmas.

Thanks to all my Cleveland friends who helped make this season a profitable one! See you all in a week or so....Merry Christmas!

and Peace to you & your loved ones.

A Little Macabre?

I know- a little creepy. But the little antique porcelain doll arms fit perfectly in these spent bullet casings. I think Halloween is getting to me....

Lightly brushed to give the brass a warm glow, they hang with antique pocket watch gears and antique lace. I just listed these in my shop if you want more info.

Have a great weekend!

Just finished....

2 of my new favorite materials- leather and antique lace. I previewed this in my last post and it's finally done!

Sterling hearts, fresh water pearls, bits of antique lace, and a vintage venetian glass blue bird set in an old watch case. The text came from an antique bible. More to come- I'm on a roll!

What I've been working on.....

Some of these old venetian glass birds are so fragile to work with that the embedded wires break off. These birds are getting pretty rare so I had to find a way to use the broken ones- so I started these little ephemera pieces.....

The words "beauty" and "bird" came from an antique bible (it was already falling apart- I swear!) mixed with fresh water pearls, and other vintage bits.

These will eventually become pendants..... I'm starting to sew like mad getting ready for holiday shows so I won't be able to indulge myself in these projects as much. (Santa's broke) I'll update on the holiday events as I get details.

Have a great friday!

In Progress...

This necklace has been in my thoughts for awhile. I've been feeling a bit unfocused lately- too much on my plate, not enough.....in need of direction. Is the compass too literal of a symbol for me?

After finishing this necklace something happened to make me understand the direction I need to take. I know- so vague & mysterious! But I had a revelation of sorts.

More about that later- I promise! A glass fuse and a vintage compass (I have a tin full of these vintage dime store compasses that I hoarded) are surrounded by sterling, amazonite, prehnite, Korean jade, quartz, etc. Just gather up all the bits & pieces & colors that inspire you along with a good bottle of red. What I love about this necklace is that it seemed to be the catalyst in a process I had to go through. I'm back in the game- FINALLY!

Etsy Treasury West- Tickets & Tokens

Here's a really great Etsy Treasury list from thepairabirds featuring my vintage bus tokens.  Titled Tickets and Tokens, it features some great finds!

I love the ring & paperclips.  You can buy your own tokens in Mike's shop- BigDaddyO's.

Hope you're having a great weekend!  Go Ohio State!

Vintage Kokeshi Erasers- Wow

Another great find.  I LOVE these little erasers.  I found them over the weekend at "tag sale" (as Martha would say).  I originally thought they were bottle stoppers- that's what the lady at the "tag sale" told me.

These are WWII era- complete in their original box! 

.....just a random post- these make me smile!  Have a happy Thursday!

Vintage Tokens

I just listed some extra vintage train & bus tokens in Mike's shop.  Some railroad, some bus, great stuff.  More listings all week in BigDaddyO's shop.

These are fun to use as charms, and of course I bought WAY more than I can ever use.

I LOVE these.  Coming soon- vintage religious medals.  I went through my giant stash and will be listing those next week.  Stay tuned!

Etsy Treasury for BigDaddyO

I just stumbled upon this lovely Etsy Treasury list by NestaHome- which includes one of my antique porcelain doll parts.

Very serene and calming.  Thanks NestaHome for putting this list together!

Flea Market Find- Little Japanese WWII Souveniers

Aren't they cute?  I found these wee guys at a flea market- less than 3/4" tall.  They're WWII Japanese souveniers.  I drilled little holes & attached the eye for hanging.

I have no idea what I'll do with  these- but I LOVE them!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

More Frozen Charlottes & Watch Parts in Store

There's more in store!  Mike was up half the night listing new goodies in his BigDaddyO shop.  More mini Frozen Charlottes (these are undamaged & going quick).......

German bisque doll parts............

an assortment of pocket watch parts.......

more of these really detailed pocket watch parts........

and of course more vintage watchmaker's tins full of grungy goodies.

You can find them here.  I love working with these dolls & watch parts- the possibilities are endless- mixed media, collage, jewelry......

Now I'm off to finish the paper mache we started yesterday with the  kids- a terrible mess but what fun!  We're also making junk sculptures for the garden.

Have a fun Thursday!

Seedling- Etsy Treasury

You probably all know by now how I love little collections of things-  so I put a few of these little collections together to sell (in Mike's shop).  An INSTANT collection of vintage glass seed beads & another of vintage sequins & pailettes- all tucked away in antique watch maker's vials.

The seed bead collection is now featured in an Etsy Treasury- seedling- by buppins.

I especially love the sequin collection- quite a treasure. I've been searching & collecting these for years, but only use a pinch at a time, mostly in my textile work.  So- it was time to share.  I'll be putting a few more of these together soon.

Tomorrow I'm so excited to show off my newest find-  Tiny 2" jointed German porcelain dolls!!  (not the frozen Charlotte variety) These will sit & the arms move- truly forgotten treasures!  I'll share more tomorrow.

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!

Antique Porcelain Frozen Charlotte Butterfly Necklace

New in my shop!  I can't get enough of these tiny antique dolls!

You've probably heard the story behind these dolls. These are wonderful antique porcelain dolls that were dug out of the remains of a German doll factory in Thuringia. The factory produced these dolls, called Frozen Charlottes between 1890 and 1920. This is the rarest, and the tiniest of the dolls. Just over 1" tall, these are truly special. This one below has her hands folded as in a praying position- said to be the rarest.

Each doll is epoxied and wired to the wings- VERY limited quantities.  I'm selling a few extra dolls in Mike's shop if interested, and the necklaces are available in my shop here.

Key to My Heart Necklace

I finally finished my padlock necklace.  I found a few of these antique padlocks (with keys!) at an estate sale not knowing how to use them.  This is fun though- it's like 3 necklaces.  The clasp is in the front, and the key is clipped on the chain along with some vintage baubles.  You can wear it like this....

...or take the key off and wear it like this......

.....or unlock the padlock and wear just the key charm.

You can find it in my shop here.

Happy Wednesday!

Antique Porcelain Doll Parts

Here's a sneak peak of some of the extra doll parts I'll be listing in BigDaddyO's Etsy shop.  After a lot of reflection late last night, it came to me at about 2:00AM that I have too much stuff.  Way to much stuff.  So much stuff that if I die tomorrow, I'd be embarrassed when Mike would have to go through my studio.  He has no idea that I have about 50 little porcelain bird heads stashed away, or a bag of white sand from Clearwater, or a box of dirt from Chimayo, or hundreds of porcelain doll parts, antique pocket watches, buttons, vintage quilt squares, 200 Pez dispensers, typewriter keys, skeleton keys.......the list goes on & on.

I know someone out there will put these to good use- & I could use the cash when my unemployment runs out!

Don't you just LOVE these teeny tiny ones?

Antique "Frozen Charlotte" Jewelry

These wonderful tiny antique porcelain dolls are called Frozen Charlottes. These porcelain dolls, made between 1890 and 1920, are actually dug out of the ground in Thuringia, Germany near the old factory grounds. (see previous post)  These are the rarest of the dolls- a wee 1" tall.

Here's a sneak peak of a few pieces I'm working on.  A necklace and maybe a pin.....

I absolutely LOVE these tiny ones.  My research shows that these dolls were first made to cool down tea, and well-behaved children at the tea party got to keep the "prize".  Later they were baked into cakes and pudding to be found by lucky children.

The term "Frozen Charlotte" comes from a poem written in 1840 about a girl named Charlotte who froze to death on her way to a New Years' ball.  Strange- can you imagine the lawsuits today if you baked porcelain dolls in a child's birthday cake and someone chipped a tooth- or worse- choked!?