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!

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!

Yea! Made the Etsy Front Page!

My new acorn necklace was on the Etsy front page this morning! So what if it was 2:00 AM- it's still flattering. You can see the entire list here. Thanks Etsy!

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.

:)

Pin Cushion Rings??

Do you use them? I make them- but never used then until today. It was like- "wow- these really do come in handy when doing small needle work".

I have a few listed in my Etsy shop- (but ran low after a large order last month). I just whipped up a few more. Made from hand felted wool balls, tiny recycled vintage watch parts tins, and vintage enamel stickpins.

Great gift- too cute! I have an assortment of colors not yet listed. Tomorrow I'll be listing some acorn necklaces with wool-felted balls.

Stay tuned and have a peaceful evening!

The Gang's All Here

One big happy family- the Acorn Birds. Lovingly made from antique German doll parts, fabrics from vintage quilts, vintage bits, and acorns from my friend's cottage. The porcelain bisque bird heads are quite unique- I blogged previously about them here.

I admittedly obsessed over the detail on these, which is why they took so long to make. I knew I was obsessing when I made the pants 3 times to get the pattern right. (I've never made pants before- especially ones that are 2" long)

These 4 have jointed arms and legs- you can see their progress here. So here they sit- waiting for a new home. I'll be listing some in my Etsy shop today or tomorrow.

I hope they make you smile! (they scare my brother-in-law)

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!