Brownie Bits

"Brownie" charm necklace

bone skull, smokey topaz rondelle, lampwork bead and vintage girl scout charm

Ring-a-ding-ding Toe Rings

Here's what happens when you generously bring me a big pile of old jewelry to re-purpose into new jewelry. I pay you back by taking your collection of sterling silver hippie toe rings and making you a super-fun necklace.

I'm not naming names because you might not want the whole world to know about your toe ring thing.

Darling Clementines

"Clementine" bracelet

lampwork glass beads and leaves
vintage rice pearls
sterling silver
bronze

Don't you love it when a clasp turns out just the way you envisioned it?
The little things in life...

I even had enough leftover glass bits to make a pair of matchy-matching earrings.

These beads sat in a baggie next to my workbench for months.

I just felt like the glass was not enough but I just couldn't come up with that extra something I knew the design was lacking.

Whilst wandering around Pinterest I saw this piece of orange crate art.

And I knew just what the bracelet was lacking - orange blossom buds.
I added the tiny white pearl,s on sterling silver headpins, to the design and it was just right.

The Rattling of Bones

"Bone Charms" bracelet

48 civil war era 2-hole bone buttons (they're underwear buttons)
lampwork glass beads (dark ivory rolled in dark ivory frit to give them a more mottled look)
bronze wire (18 and 16 gauge)

It makes a fantastic sound - the rattling of bones.

Pearly 'Corns

I got a special request from my daughter for unicorn and skull earrings.
Nailed it.

Made with vintage pearly hoops scavenged from some other old earrings, brass unicorn charms, my glass beads, vintage brass rondelles and smokey topaz skulls.

Forbidden Planet

I love making pendants.
Big ones that you can hang on a cord and fiddle with all day long.
Talismans, amulets, what have you.

This one has an extra fancy bead cap I made from an old sterling plated serving tray.

The base of the bead is a bunch of dark glasses, mostly black shorty bits that were on my bench.
I smothered that in fine silver foil and added some opalescent frit and dots of Double Helix 'psyche.'
Melt, melt, melt and reduce.

It's is available in my 'Belvedere' etsy shoppe.

#RSD16

Record Store Day 2016 is in my rear view mirror.
I think I need a nap tagged with the RSD16 hashtag.

There were free cookies and a long line at 9:00am.
It was so much longer than the photo shows...

I like the photo below where you can see the line reflected in the glass.

I could show you a million pictures but I am going to share just a few favorites that will never make it into the official wrap-up.

And the buttons - let's not forget the free buttons.

It's a cheap thrill but I love getting to design the free button every year.

A Quilting I Will Go

I have a great friend who teaches quilt making.
Once a year she hostesses a weekend long quilt retreat.
Even tho I do not sew I go every year.

It's my annual adventure with my mother's old sewing machine.

Above - I made the block for the group raffle.
Alas I did not win all the other beautiful black and white squares.
But I did participate in a group activity which is always a hoot.

Below - Look! A little needlepoint poodle pillow I made from vintage thrifted bits and pieces.
(if you scroll back up you can see the finished pillow in the upper left hand corner)

I worked some more on the quilt I started last year.

I also made a sock monkey.
A little bit of moss fringe from the poodle pillow became his hair.

Here's the entire graduating class of sock monkeys from this year's quilt retreat.
There he is front and center in his wee banana pants.

Raven

The bead is plain old black with wide bands of Double Helix 'Triton' blobbed on.
The metal on the necklace is all sterling silver.

Seediness

I have a new handheld brass glass press from Devardi.
The thing was ridiculously cheap and the quality is questionable, but I love it.
It makes the most perfect little, wonky seed shape.

Quilty Bits

Once a year I sew.
A great friend hostesses an annual quilt retreat and I go, and I sew.
She always need a few new quilty buttons and I am happy to design, and make, them.