New Work for Summer Shows...

Here's a sneak peak at a few new bracelets I made. It's that time to start building inventory for summer shows. I love putting my sewing machine away for a week or 2 to make more of my leather wrap bracelets. Just the right combination of feminine & masculine...

Mostly one-of-a-kind, these leather & vintage bead bracelets are designed to wrap around your wrist 3 times. An eclectic mix of vintage glass beads & semi precious stones, vintage brass studs, old train tokens & religious medals. This vintage German cobalt blue glass beaded bracelet is available in my Etsy shop here...

I love the vintage glass beads on this bracelet- they remind me of pine cones- combined with black leather and other vintage trinkets- available here.

This one is a mix of vintage glass beads, quartz, carnelian, and a vintage Catholic medal. I might keep this one :)

Photos don't do this bracelet justice- it's a best seller at shows. A fun mix of vintage glass ladybugs and brass charms- in my shop here.

Well- off to work! After my special orders I'll be making more of my little fabric birdhouses- hopefully later this week. That's always a flurry of fabric scraps everywhere!

Have an inspiring day!

Snow White & the 7 Dwarfs Linen bag

Inspired by this awesome Snow White ribbon, I made this bag yesterday & just listed it in my Etsy shop. I can't get enough of this designer's ribbon- by Portuguese designer Rosa Pomar. My previous post was about last week's inspiration- which included more of her ribbon.

This will be a limited series of bags- I'll mix up the linen colors & ribbons (you know I HATE to make the same bag twice!) I also just got a big box of my favorite linen in- with a new dove grey color I haven't used before. Maybe before I move on to the vintage crewel textiles I'll play around with the grey.....Yea- that's what I'll do. After tying up a few loose ends, I'll make a grey bag.

Stay Tuned!

What Inspired Me Last Week...

After last week's Plain Dealer article, people were asking me where I get my inspiration. Truth be told, I didn't really know. So I sat in my tiny little studio and looked around. That was it! It's these things I surround myself with....

These things I collect and gather- stacked, put in jars, drawers, tins, wrapped on spools, tacked to walls...These things I find in my travels- fleamarkets, dumpsters, estate sales, auctions......unique, unusual, antique, tattered, unwanted.... I collect fabric, tattered quilts, buttons, millinery, antique lace , antique porcelain dolls, doll parts, doll eyes, kokeshi, vintage glass beads, watch parts, tiny corked vials, French ephemera, vintage wallpaper, ventriloquist dolls (ok- so I only have one), birds' nests, shells, river stones, vintage sequins, beads, more beads.....

This is just a little glimpse of my studio...the shelf above my sewing machine. This batch of ribbon & lace has been my most recent inspiration. I love the whimsy and graphic images. But I get bored easily- so after a few more linen bags with these ribbons, I'm dipping into my stash of wool crewel remnants. More on that in my next post.

Last Minute Market- Cleveland Handmade

Here's a sneak peak at a series of new bags I'm working on. I'll have several at this weekend's Last Minute Market. This second year event just got wonderful press in the Plain Dealer Style section. Come out & join over 80 artists and shop for those one-of-kind gifts.

In this new series of bags I'm using these great linen polka dot prints with vintage button detail. All one-of-a-kind.

I'm also using these great ribbons and antique lace- this one is pink Little Red Riding Hood...

This one has deer, mushrooms, and squirrels, with a little ladybug button.....

....and more Little Red Riding Hood with glass ladybugs.

Hope to see my friends Saturday!