Lost and Found…

Found objects, that is.

I participated in a Re-purposed Market craft show at a local antique mall over the weekend, which was fun but attendance was pretty sparse. It was held at a very nice indoor venue and featured demonstrations by FYI guy Jeremy Rabe (who is very charming and gracious!) but the weather was a glorious 80 degrees all weekend, so I guess the lake got more visitors than we did. You just never know! Anyway, the good thing is that preparing for this show rekindled my love for making found object jewelry and sparked my creativity in a way that hasn’t happened in a while.

One of the first things I found to play with was the head of a tiny old hammer-

With the addition of wire, beads, a piece of an old folding ruler and some nuts borrowed from my husband’s tool box it’s now a pendant! I call this one “Handyman Special” 🙂

 

 

When I saw this fabulous Victorian drawer pull I couldn’t resist – I just love the sweet little bird on the front.

I carefully bent it and added a verdigris patina, brass chain and some gorgeous Czech glass beads for a one of a kind bracelet-

 

Next up, some sweet little vintage perfume bottles I found at a flea market-

I had SO much fun making these!

 

Here’s an everyday garden item-

With a new look!

 

So maybe this show wasn’t a big moneymaker for me, but that’s OK – the creative juices are flowing, and that’s a good thing!

Look Homeward, Angel

Way back in high school I read “Look Homeward, Angel” by Thomas Wolfe. I don’t remember the specifics of the story ( it was a long time ago!) but I do remember being captivated by it, and I suddenly thought of it again as I fashioned this sweet little angel.

The antique doll used here is called a “frozen Charlotte”- these tiny ceramic dolls are dug up by the thousands from the ground by the German factories where they were once made. I was fortunate to receive several of them from my partner in the Bead Soup Blog Party a couple years ago ( thanks Gretchen!). It’s rare to find one that’s completely intact, but I don’t think the imperfections take away from their beauty – the missing arms just give opportunity for wings to sprout, and that’s exactly what happened here!

I used rusty black filigree pieces from B’Sue Boutiques to make these wings, and added some very old lace scraps along with what I believe to be the oldest (and my favorite) button in my collection. A little wire and some tiny rhinestone spacer beads are the finishing touch, and she’s strung on vintage cuckoo clock chain.

This little angel doesn’t need to look any further for her home – I’m keeping her with me!

Show and Tell – Bead Soup Reveal Day!

I’m so glad it’s here – the first reveal date for the 7th Bead Soup Blog Party hosted by the amazing Lori Anderson!  I admire Lori for taking on a project like Bead Soup, and really enjoy being a part of it.

This is my 2nd year, and has been especially fun because of the incredibly generous  soup that was sent to me by my partner,  Gretchen Nation!

Here’s a peek of what she sent-

A strand of fire agates, vintage beads, buttons and more!

More beautiful beads and buttons, and best of all – Frozen Charlottes!

The  first thing I made was this bracelet, using some of the lovely fire agates along with a pierced sterling bead and a pewter button. I threaded a length of gypsy ribbon through the oversized rolo chain for a little extra color. The colors and textures reminded me of walking through the woods on a cool, misty morning-

Next I wrapped brass wire around and through bone circles and these cool Tibetan beads for a pair of earrings with a funky, earthy look-

This next piece is totally uncharacteristic of my usual style, as I’m not normally drawn to this kind of bright color – but that’s what makes these blog hop challenges so much fun! I call this one “April Showers”-

The teardrop shaped magnesite beads are the color of new Spring leaves, and are joined by tiny purple garnets and sterling silver, including the beautiful flower toggle that Gretchen sent. The pendant is a rusty metal rose that I “frosted” with Iced Enamels – a new product from the folks at Ice Resin!

And finally, my favorite! A Frozen Charlotte – well, Charlie, actually – since this one’s a boy – framed by wings that I formed from gears bent in half and coated with Iced Enamels and strung with Czech glass beads, more gears and a beautiful vintage bead in icy blue. This necklace is called “Frozen Angel”.

Thanks so much for hopping through today, and many thanks also to Gretchen for sending me such wonderful things to work with! I’ll be dipping into her box of treasures again and again. Be sure to visit her blog at http://artfoodlodging.blogspot.com

Then visit all the other fabulous blogs in this hop by clicking on the link below:

http://www.beadsoupblogparty.com/

I’m honored…

…that my earrings are featured in the Spring issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry!

These were made from vintage clock hands that I rusted and manipulated into curves and curliques, and dressed up with gears and beads. They’re lots of fun to make, although they’re too long for my fat little neck.

But that’s okay, because the real fun for me is getting to see them inside my favorite jewelry magazine! 🙂

p.s  If you’re one of those lucky ladies with a long neck, these and others can be found in my Etsy shop!

http://www.lilruby.etsy.com

It’s here!!

My husband and I love Steve Martin movies and we dug out “The Jerk” to watch a week or so ago. One of my favorite scenes is when the new phone book is delivered to the gas station where Navin is working and he leaps with joy at seeing his name in print. I felt much the same way when I came home from work one day last week to see that the new issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry had been delivered-

Because – alongside the work of so many really talented artists – is this article!

This hinge bracelet is my all time favorite found object piece, and was also the easiest to make. From the moment I saw that old hinge with its chippy red paint I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it – it’s too bad inspiration doesn’t usually come that easily!

This wasn’t the first time I’ve had one of my jewelry pieces published, and happily I know of at least a couple more to come, but that jumping up and down joy is always the same – along with a sense of wonder that something I used to only dream of has actually happened. So, if you make jewelry or knit or paint or write – whatever it is – don’t be afraid to send it out into the world for others to enjoy!

Painted Pendant – Found Object Jewelry

This pendant was repurposed from part of an antique light fixture. I painted it with a mixture of ICE resin and PearlEx pigment, and hung it from brass chain with the clasp from an old watch fob.