Merry Christmas!

My Studio Tour

I'm participating in the Quilting Arts/Cloth, Paper, Scissors open studio event this weekend. They want to celebrate the release of their current magazine by getting folks all over the world to open up their studios! My "rhinestone workshop", as I call it, is ever evolving. I spend a lot of time creating my wearable art from vintage pieces and I love to be surrounded by things that I love and inspire me. I have a need to be organized, but I admit, my work space tends to get a bit cluttered up with shiny bits and pieces. One wall of my workroom is full of chains.........beaded and vintage. I'm always on the look out for unique and functional storage. My favorite is my jadeite green drawer box. It is from an old hardware store. A couple of coats of sealer gave it a nice sheen. It goes with me to all my art shows to hold supplies. Having a dedicated work space where I can leave out my work in progress is a luxury I apprecite. Visit my Etsy store to see what I create in my workshop. I'm off to check out other studios and get more creative ideas! Cheers!

Open Studio Tour

The good folks over at Quilting Arts/Cloth, Paper, Scissors are hosting an open studio event this weekend. They want to celebrate the release of their current magazine by getting folks all over the world to open up their studios! Sounds like fun…what a great way to see alot of studios!

promise

I promise I'll post something new soon. I'm taking pictures of some of my favorite vintage items.

Pickle Bucket Water Feature

I've wanted a little water feature in the flower bed by our front door for a couple of years. We get so much shade there that flowers just aren't an option. I wasn't sure how to go about creating it, so I just put my rock collection in the bed and hoped someday I'd get around to it. Well today was the day! It all came together. After doing a little research I came up with a plan. I discussed it with the husband (he hates to be mentioned in my blog!) and before I knew it this morning he was digging a hole for the bucket. We used a 5 gallon pickle bucket with a lid and buried it in the bed. We placed a fountain pump in the bottom of the bucket and drilled several hole in the lid. Two of them a little bigger, one for the electrical cord for the pump and one for the flexible hose for the water outlet. We cut a large square of heavy duty plastic and cut a hole in it just smaller than the diameter of the bucket. Once the bucket with pump was in the hole we draped the plastic over the bucket and snapped on the lid. Then we back-filled around the bucket with dirt under the plastic....being very careful not to get dirt in the bucket. The idea is to create a drain pool for the water to get back into the bucket. Then we filled the bucket with water. With helpful direction from family we arranged the rocks on the bucket lid and around the plastic sheet to hide it. My rock collection that I have been collecting for years came in handy. Some were from my Mother-In-Laws old homestead and some were picked up on trips and vacations. I had a couple of special rocks hand picked from Fish Creek, Wisconsin. We hid the plastic hose between the rocks and wedged it in between two flat rocks so the water would cascade down like a little water fall. With a lot of adjusting and rock placing we came up with a combination that worked. Once the fountain was complete we added a couple of ferns, some hosta and some mulch to the bed. A design on a nickle and pickle bucket project! It makes a nice welcoming feature by our front door.

Spring Bling

I'm starting a new line of neckware that resemble mini versions of my Vintage Collage Brooches. These new pieces can only be worn as a necklace, unlike my pins that can be worn as a brooch or a pendant. I always add a bead or two to one side of the chain. A sexy little sparkle on the side of your neck. These are smaller and lighter in weight, perfect for summer months when we often don't wear clothes heavy enough to support a brooch. Keep checking my Etsy Shop for new pieces. I've sold two already before I could list them! This is my version of upcycling!

Broken China Teacup Mirror

This was one of the first pieces my sister-in-law made. She cut the vintage tea cup in half and used handles from others on the bottom of the piece. I've had so many views on my broken china post so I thought I would post more of my favorite pieces. Hopefully it will inspire you to create.

Officially Spring

Now, I feel better.......it is officially Spring when my little patch of crocuses pops up and looks so beautiful! The sun was out today so they opened up wide for the photo shoot. They come back year after year without needing any tending, feeding or encouragement. I love these guys!

We made it!

Wecome Spring
The long, hard winter here in Cleveland has us dreaming of spring. It's here...we made it. Check out my Etsy shop for pretty pins with floral themes for spring. A new brooch on your Spring coat will make you look smashing!

Announcing the Gentleman's Brooch

It occurred to me that I am missing a target market. Men. Today's men are secure enough to take a leap with fashion. The gold chains of the 80's may be gone, but what about a lapel pin? Something small, just to set you apart in a room full of "suits"....a conversation starter for a first date, or to pick up a date (you know most women love jewelry..they will notice it...and want to borrow it!) ...........Something for your casual wear that makes a small statement about the man behind the denim or Carhartt. I've decided to launch my Gentlemen's Collection on ETSY. These smaller sized collage pins will be made from small vintage treasures and have a tie tack type pin with a clutch. Made with a man in mind, but perfect for the women who is more comfortable with a smaller pin and less bling. They can be used as a tie tac, or pined on a hat, lapel or vest. Let me know what you think! Great idea, or is it down there on the fashion list with plaid golf knickers?

Grand Opening of Valerie Tyler Designs Retro Collection

I'd like to help celebrate and promote the opening of my fellow Cleveland Handmade artist, Valerie Tyler's new Etsy Store. My love of vintage and retro leads me right into her shop. She is a talented artist and does a terrific job creating pieces with the time tested classic feel. She's stocked her store with all sorts of vintage style goodness, including some classic black and white pieces in her Classic Noir Collection, Art Deco and Retro Mod style jewelry, jewelry with a touch of yesteryear and Victorian flair, and pieces with a nostalgic look. Check out her blog before Feb. 8th for a chance to win one of her creations. Here’s a few examples of what you can discover:

Serve up some snow

Anyone care to sit down and devour some of this snow? I know it's only January and there is a lot of winter left...BUT.

The upside side to the snow is that I am getting a lot accomplished indoors. I have new ideas for brooches and other repurposed jewelry. Stay tuned. I'll post them here soon!

In the meantime. Enjoy the snow. I think tomorrow will be warm enough for me to take the grand kids sledding.....then later the temp will drop. Artic deep freeze.