A Few Favorites of Mine....

My sewing machine is getting tired- so I decided to get out the "good beads" and have a relaxing evening making a few more of my favorite designs. I have to be in the right mind to make these little bird cages. After drilling holes in the bottom, each cage has to be carefully pried open and the vintage glass bird slipped in so the wire goes through the bottom hole- and trying NOT to break off the little tail!

I can never keep these in stock- and I can't take special orders (because you never know if that tail snaps off after working on one forever- then I have to put it all away & start something else!) I just love working with the "good beads". I think tomorrow I'll snap a few picks of my private little stash of vintage glass- I covet the wire embedded birds- Venetian birds from the 40's and 50's. I just found a few more of my little hour glass charms....

...so I'll be making a variation of this design I made last year. About 1 inch tall, the glass timer is filled with real sand and actually turns. I LOVE these!

So, off to my bottle of red, my audio book (because I'm hosting book club Friday & I haven't started the book), and my apothocary jar filled with the "good beads".

Holiday Show Info...

I've been so busy "making things" lately I haven't had a chance to blog. The holiday season is a busy one for crafters that make a living (or try to) from their work. I'm doing 4 local Cleveland craft shows this holiday season. Below is a list with links to their sites for more specific info.

1. My first event is a small holiday show at Hyland Software. My sister works there and tipped me off, then Cleveland Handmade started spreading the word. It's called the Hyland Holiday Vendor Expo- Tues. 11/30 from 11am- 2pm. They are at 28500 Clemens Rd. in Westlake.

2. The 11th annual TerraVista show is nearest and dearest to my heart. This will be my 6th (or 7th?) year there and I have made many dear friends there over the years. I'm proud to be among such talent. Plan to stay awhile and mingle- there's so much to see! The show is 12/3- 12/5 at 1400 E. 30th. For more info click here.

3. Bazaar Bizarre- 12/11 & 12/12 at 1301 West 78th Street. More info here. I've never done this show but have always heard great things about it.

4. Last Minute Market sponsored by Cleveland Handmade. This show was such a success last year that even in a Cleveland snow storm people came out to SHOP!! Sat. 12/18 at the Screw Factory 13000 Athens Ave. in Lakewood. More info here.

So that's why I haven't been blogging. If you're not in the Cleveland area I will still be adding a lot of new things to my Etsy shop over the next several weeks.

Well- back to the studio!

Vintage Venetian Glass Birdcage Necklaces

New in my shop- the limited addition Vintage Venetian Glass Birdcage Necklaces. The little antique glass birds were made in Venice, on the island of Mirano. These same birds were used to make those really expensive Venetian necklaces.

Tucked safely inside a vintage brass "bird cage", each adorned with amazonite, quartz, peridot, and Korean jade. I'll only be making a handful of these- my little stash of birds is running low. (if anyone out there has more to sell let me know!)

More later on my upcoming holiday show schedule. Can you believe the holidays are creeping up! I've been working away trying to make sure I have enough to sell at 4 big shows this season. More later- I hope you like my little love birds!

Cardinal Dreams- Etsy Treasury

Just a little break from sewing to share this beautiful Etsy Treasury list by ornamentsbydeb titled Cardinal Dreams. Those are my earrings! I'm always flattered and honored when artist include my work in their selections! Thanks ornamentsbydeb! You can see the entire list here.

You can find my Birdcage Earrings here- vintage Venetian glass cardinal tucked inside vintage brass cages.

Well- back to the studio :)

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!