Vintage Fabric Birdhouses...

Funny thing happened today... while I was hiding Christmas presents in the attic I stumbled on this box of vintage fabric birdhouses I made last summer. I was kind-of having a bad day & when I opened this box my heart skipped a beat!

I LOVE making these- all my cherished little vintage fabric scraps & bits, tassels and birds, vintage buttons and shells....

I packed them away after a show I did last summer. It was a successful show- my bags sold well- but nobody "got" these. People asked what you do with them? what are they? Can you use them outdoors? I guess I took it all a bit too personally and packed them away.

I'll post a few more tomorrow (I promised my son I wouldn't spend too much time on my computer this week)

I'm not sure what I'll do with these- they might make it to my Etsy shop, but I might wait until spring.

Well- more tomorrow. After a CRAZY craft show month I'm enjoying doing nothing but catching up on sleep and spending time with the family.

Have a peaceful night....

Being Thankful

It's that time of year again to reflect on all I have to be thankful for. I have only one word- Family. These are the people with whom I have been blessed, and I'm thankful for them every day. I hope you all share a peaceful feast with your family tomorrow.....

As I said in my previous post, I won't be blogging much in the next few weeks. I need to focus on sewing & getting ready for upcoming holiday shows. This a new little bird design I'm using for little pillows and little bags.....

Of course I have many, many new leather wrap bracelets. Since most of these are one-of-a-kind, there's no way I can photo and list each one in my Etsy shop. I will try to list a selection of color & styles......

I dug deep in my stash of vintage fabrics and have a new little clutch style bag I'm selling this year. They are all in various stages of completion- hopefully later in the week I can photo a few....

I hope you all survive the airport scanners, Uncle You-know-who's terrible jokes, and Black Friday shopping and remember to be thankful!

The Last of the Pin Cushion Rings...

I made the very last batch of my pin cushion rings- made from hand-felted wool balls and little vintage enamel stickpins. Very cute and very useful!

I bought a whole bunch of these little vintage stickpins years ago not knowing what to do with them- they were pennies a piece. (I went through my ebay phase where I bought anything unusual and vintage I could find!) I tried to get more & saw similar pins on ebay for $5 a piece! I think they look right at home perched on their rings- just waiting a new home.

These are all listed in my sister-shop (not my sister's shop!) www.junebugz.etsy.com. Everything in my Junebugz shop is under $20- check it out!

More tomorrow!

...A Few More Leather Wrap Bracelets...

I just listed a few more leather wrap bracelets in my Etsy shop. This black leather bracelet features a vintage brass locket and vintage glass beads. It's two-of-a-kind~ you can find it here.

The brass locket really opens! I like the contrast between the feminine beads & masculine leather. I sell the heck out of these at shows. It's hard show them online because you really have to try them on to get the full effect. Some are very simple and some are jingly like a charm bracelet.

In this teal glass beaded bracelet I mixed new teal beads with antique African trade beads & a vintage transit token. You can find it here.

This last one is part of a wholesale order- I'm just showing off :) I used vintage Haskell-style beads and a vintage glass shell bead.

That's all. Coming up~ new pillow designs.

Have a great weekend!

Pocket Watch Parts & Porcelain Doll Heads

My monthly studio cleaning- you know-when I have to get rid of a few things in order to acquire a few more...I just listed some pocket watch parts and antique German doll parts in Mike's Etsy shop...

This old relic, with the crude inscription "Founded 1929 by Mahlon Lowell" has such a "To Kill a Mockingbird" vibe.

I love the old pocket watch frames- use to frame a photo or small stitched sampler.....

I love this little Shamrock lady- I've never seen one like her......

I'll be listing more doll parts all week so check back!

Some New Earrings...

New in my Junebugz shop (where everything is under $20) I'm starting to list these earrings.

Made from vintage religious medals and vintage glass beads, these are so affordable you can but one of every color! The little vintage religious medals depict Our Lady, with an assortment of my favorite glass beads.

These square green glass beads are antique African glass....

These are vintage Czech glass....

More tomorrow... Good night!

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.

Matryoshka Love!

I just found this Etsy Treasury list last night featuring my Matryoshka Linen Bag. Curated by Cronopia6, this is a happy collection of all things Matryoshka. You can see the entire list here.

(Etsy Treasuries are a themed group of items chosen and artfully arranged by a fellow Etsy member. There are a limited number of live treasuries at a time- so it is a honor to be included in a Treasury list!)

Thank you Cronopia6!

Studio Cleaning....

I'll be listing a lot of antique German porcelain doll parts in Mike's Etsy shop over the next few days. My studio is bursting at the seams! I seemed to have acquired a lot over the past few years and I'm trying to stay a little more focused on my new projects. Also look for some extra pocket watch parts, and other vintage goodies.

It's really hard for me to part with these, but I can't keep everything in my tiny little studio. I know, I know- these are all small pieces.... but I have hundreds (literally). I hope I live long enough to make everything I want to make!

How cute are these little legs! Should I keep them? See- it's hard to let go of these things. Unless I decide to keep everything, you'll find these antique doll parts and more here.

Hopefully after I've cleaned up my next post will be new work!

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 :)

"Every woman should have a purse of her own". Part III

My favorite quote- Susan B. Anthony.

More bags for upcoming shows....a sneak peak....

I'm using a lot of linen, barkcloth, bird images, Matryoshka images, vintage lace.....

These probably won't make it to my Etsy shop so please email if interested in purchasing.

These are all one-of-a-kind , and each vary slightly depending on lace, linen color etc.

The interior fabric is an awesome Matryoshka print.

More tomorrow- I'm off to sew!

Just Finished....

A few more leather bracelets.... ..

This one is leather & vintage cotton lace with vintage glass beads, and a vintage religious medal...

All are designed to wrap 3 times around your wrist- all one-of-a-kind. Find them in my Etsy shop here and here.

This one features all vintage brass & glass.

Thanks for looking! Don't forget to vote for my necklace over at Objects & Elements. Voting continues through Wed. All you do is click my name HERE- you can remain anonymous if you like.

Leather & Lace...

I just finished a few new leather & lace bracelets I'll be listing in my shop. All are designed to wrap 3 times around your wrist- this one features antique lace, vintage glass beads, and assorted vintage brass religious medals.

All are one-of-a-kind. I'll post pics of some other color variations I made- red & purple. I'm trying to get away from my usual robins egg blue colors. More tomorrow.....

On a personal note- we adopted a little puppy this weekend. She's a sweet little 9 week old beagle/ golden mix. Yea! The boys absolutely love her. She's sleeping on my feet as I write this....

More tomorrow!

This Weekend......

I made a few leather cuff bracelets. Antique lace, semi-precious stones, vintage brass and glass....

Some wrap around your wrist 2 times, some 3 times......

Some have vintage glass butterflies, and some have vintage religious medals.

The clasp clips onto brass chain making them adjustable to your wrist.

It was quite a productive last few days. I stayed up too late- that always happens when I get an idea like this. I've never worked with leather, so it was fun mixing all these elements. I tend to obsess over details.... (this one's my fav!)

With evening classes and school stuff- I hope these will make it to my Etsy shop in a day or so.

Thanks for looking!

New Fall Necklaces

I love everything about these! These necklaces have been in my brain for a few months and they're finally done. All of them hanging in my studio make me smile and remind me of how much I love fall.

That summer day at Lake Oquaga when I gave the kids $1 a piece to fill a bag with acorns (the adults thought I was crazy) was the day I thought of these :)

Hand felted wool balls are attached to the caps, and each has a single vintage pressed glass ladybug bead. So simple. They hang from a vintage brass chain with brass findings.

I just listed them in my shop- more colors to come....

You can get your own here in my Etsy shop.

:)