Indie Chick or Buzzard?

Can you even be 'Indie' after 50?
We'll find out this Sunday at the 'Hearts & Crafts' show in front of Java's on Gibbs.

This is my first time doing this show - I think I may be too old for this crowd. I will definitely be the oldest vendor. Plus they already had enough jewelry makers and asked me to only bring my handmade glass beads. Barf, because I can never do exactly as I am told, I am also bringing buttons - is being stubborn and contrary an ‘Indie’ sort of thing?

Little Birds and my Little Bird

A small grouping of my oil paintings are hanging at Java's at the Public Market.

That's my little bird Margaret sitting in front of them. She was home for the weekend and everything seemed right with the world.

Flaky Goodness

More earrings.

Center drilled cornflake pearls make the best bead caps.

One at a time, or stack them.

They're perfect when I want to make 'seed pod' earrings.

I wish I could find a strand of green ones.

Earring Soup

I made a lot of earrings today in preparation for a show this weekend.

It's one of my favorite shows all year - 'Artist's Row.'

The event is this Sunday, September 19th, at the Rochester Public Market from 10-4.

Simply everyone will be there.

The show is full of young artists, the parking is free and there is no charge to get in.

There is lots of talent and lots of fun.

The Vanquished

A few months ago I was listening to a woman talk about the earliest know forms of jewelry. Jewelry that was a display of trophies from enemies conquered. Like their teeth, bones, etc... strung on bits of cord (probably guts) and worn around the neck to let any potential foes know that you were not to be messed with.

My friend Jacqueline bought her dream house only to discover, in the spring, that the yard was infested with gargantuan slugs. Were talking slugs the size of kittens, hideous plant devouring blobs of gooey terror.

For years, and years, she has been fastidiously, zealously, obliterating them. An all out war - a sluggy genocide. So, to commemorate her victories, I decided to make her a pair of slug earrings to warn the slimy pests that they were in the presence of a powerful enemy and they had better bug out.

They are made of clear borosilicate glass that was striated in an optic mold.

Milk Glass Roses

I found this crusty, old milk glass necklace at a garage sale. It's probably Venetian.
It's rusty, dirty and very inspirational.

Glass bead makers take a closer look. Each of those pretty icing-like roses is made on the end of a headpin.

Here's a closer look at the underside. It's kind of like peaking up someone's skirts to get a look at their undergarments. There's a lot of interesting stuff under there.

Is this not a great idea? I cannot wait to try this out the next time I am at the torch.

Crusty eh? But it looks to me like they were made by tweezing, squeezing the petals from the center out. Or maybe they were formed from the base up. Not unlike making roses for a wedding cake. I wonder if this was someone's wedding jewelry?

Here's another view - see what I mean?
I think we can all have a go at making some of these wee blossoms.

Single ones would make lovely earrings. I will post my attempts if they are successful and maybe even write a little tutorial. If you try to make them, please share your results with me.

Rescue Beads

I go to a lot of garage sales and estate sales, too many to be sure.

One thing I cannot resist is a broken strand of beads, they look up at me from their display tables like a bunch of puppies at the pound. Their big sad beady eyes begging me to take them home and save them from doom.

Alas, my stash is getting a bit out of control. By breaking up these rescued strands and keeping some of the beads for myself and listing the rest on Etsy I get to keep some of these found treasures - and release the rest back into the wild.

Look - there's raw amber, Indian brass, rose quartz, agates, root beer glass, old coral, trade beads...
Check out my Curious Old Things shop and look in the loose beads section.

Creeped

I am completely freaked out. Someone came into the house around 3am and took my cash and an old cd player. Alas, Napoleon and Kiki (our dogs) slept thru it but Dick heard something (the back door) and went downstairs. He found my wallet in the backyard, credit cards and checks still in it but stripped of the cash.

These dogs are apparently useless as watch dogs.

As burglary goes it's not much of a loss,
but the idea of someone searching about the house while we were asleep is beyond creepy.

Curious Old Things

One of my Etsy shops just passed 200 sales!

It's appropriately named Curious Old Things and it's where I sell all kinds of awesome crap. Vintage jewelry, old beads, stuff for found object jewelry and, of course, anything else I find amusing.

Here's a pile of treasure that I have been busy listing. A Rebajes copper butterfly brooch, a tiny leather change purse (sold), a metal mesh coin purse (sold),a vintage butterfly charm with real butterflies inside, a pair of hand carved wooden mallard earrings, a rhinestone spider brooch (sold), Venetian glass earrings, a Niagara Falls tie bar and a pair of vintage steel French shoe buckles (sold).

Whew.

Vintage Murrini Earrings

Look at this pair of vintage Venetian glass earrings. They're made with millifiori murrini that have been done in a press. I love this idea.

Somewhere, I have a vial of these flowery little murrini that I bought when I first started lampworking. It's time to dig it out and give this technique a try.

"Skullies"

I succumbed and bought myself a pair of darkly fanciful earrings on Etsy.

"Skullies" by Loreli Eurato. You all know her, she's like, an Etsy jewelry goddess.
And the bonus is - the little skull charms are by Andrew Thornton.
O happy lobes.

Play Ball

We went to the ball field yesterday - a perfect, perfect evening.
Alas, the home team lost. But there were fireworks at the stadium after the game.

My friend turned to me and with a sly smile said "I love the smell of sulphur in the evening."

Ooh Sparkles

A small pair of test beads - just for trying out some ribbons of golden aventurine glass.

I bought a small, thrifty vial of shattered bits of this very, very expensive stuff at the ISGB conference.
It's going to be a lot of fun to use. Just look at the sparkle it has.