Can I Take Your Order? Custom Jewelry Fun...

I recently sold a bunch of repurposed vintage jewelry to a somewhat local retail shop owner. She was so intrigued by the unique way I was able to take unusual objects and upcycle them into something wearable... that she entrusted me to create a few pieces from her own personal mementos. I was touched and honored, but when I got her box of goodies... Wow! It was filled with the most unique heirlooms I had ever seen! Here's what happened after that...

I tackled the easy one first. My client had a vintage strand of pearls she wanted to convert to a double strand, and paired with a pearl pin. The biggest hurdle was that the pin had an open area in the center which exposed the pin backing.

There were several solutions I could have gone with, and eventually chose the understated elegance of a vintage pearl button set behind the pin. Good thing I have such a large button collection! Current inventory: 2,846 white and off white buttons, now minus... 1!

Next I took on the task of upcycling a few of her favorite pieces —a trio of gold heirlooms — which included her mother's baby pin, her own birth charm, and the letter M from a monogram pin she had. The design of the piece is a challenge for my imagination, but I love putting disparate items together to make them look as if it were perfectly planned from the start. The engineering of the piece as I turn my vision into an actual wearable necklace... well, that's another story. And I have to confess that taking apart and drilling holes in people's one-of-a-kind mementos is a bit nerve wracking. But everything went smoothly!

After all that intensity, my mind needed a little break and I worked on my client's charm bracelet. Filled with tons of mementos from a vintage charm bracelet that belonged to her mom, then paired with a bunch of goodies I found from her own stash... this was lots of fun to work on. I do love a good charm bracelet. Made my want to make one for myself!

Then it was back to the most difficult but also the most intriguing piece of them all. With this perfectly patina'd necklace I incorporated a very unique carved, enameled pin with the letter P on it. I paired that with a vintage silver rattle that belonged to her mom. And the piece de resistance... her mom's carved, embossed silver birth bell. I had never seen heirlooms like this in my life. And the greatest part? They'll no longer be tucked quietly away in the jewelry box. They'll be the start of many, many interesting and touching conversations!

Bling On The Holidays...

I thought I'd share some more images from my recent jaunt into jewelry making before I go ahead and retire my flat and round-nosed pliers for awhile! This found object necklace is chock full of buttons, baubles, sewing notions and even a vintage jingle bell. I chose an off-white monochromatic color scheme because it complimented the silver patina perfectly. If it doesn't go to a good home during my December showcase at the Oceanic Library... I may just keep this one!

This wedding bracelet is a fun and whimsical statement for that bride-to-be! With silver and pearly-white charms, embellishments and more, this themed piece has an extra-special set of charms made with beads that spell out "YES" and "I DO". It would make a perfect gift from your Prince Charm-ing!

These two golden pieces were made for each other... and gathered from flea markets years apart. A gorgeous opal bracelet-turned-choker, with a deconstructed pin, hung with vintage gold chain makes this piece a simple but elegant necklace. I'd wear it with a throwback party dress or even a tee shirt and jeans.

Keys, keys and more vintage skeleton keys! I have a whole bunch of them, but run out of ideas for what to do with them. So when a vintage metal pin matches the steely grey-blue patina of an old key, it's a great opportunity to combine the two for added interest. Pair them with some vintage costume beads and the door is now open!

And this time I did something a little different... creating necklaces out of squished pennies. I love squished pennies! I've made bracelets with them before, adding tons of beads and charms that went the themes of these awesome 51¢ souvenirs... but they take quite a while to create. I wanted to make something for my jewelry show that would be a great gift at a better price point... and these embellished copper keepsakes were just the thing.

So now it's time to retire my jewelry tools, put away my beads, baubles, charms, and head out into new territory! I've done some really hard thinking this year and I'm going in a different creative direction for 2014. Stay tuned...

Upcycled Jewelry: Everything Has A Repurpose...

Lots and lots of jewelry-making... that's what I've been up to lately! Since I had all my jewelry stuff out from a recent custom order, I figured I would take that momentum to build up my inventory for an upcoming art show. And suddenly... I got on a roll...

This "official" Junk Dealer's badge became a whimsical necklace with all kinds of junk (I mean that in a good way) on display. This fabulous flea market find turned into a real statement piece.

At a recent church sale, I found these vintage metal bobbins — a whole margarine tub of them actually — for a buck! When I grabbed them for inspiration, I realized I had a complete rainbow of colors. Add a tape measure neckpiece and voilà!

These are a couple of pieces I collected over the years. I knew I wanted to turn this fun little kitty pin into a necklace, but had no idea it would take me here. I love asymmetrical balance and it kind of makes me think of the Cheshire Cat! Meeeeow.

At a recent wholesale show, I found this awesome antique booth with lots and lots of one-of-a-kind salt and pepper shakers. I was pleased to be able to create more of my bird nestlaces with them, like this blue birdie here.

And while this hand grenade (yes, I said it myself... hand grenade?) salt shaker was gorgeous in its complex design, it gave me quite a challenge with a theme. I looked for items that matched it's beautiful patina and went from there. Once I found the daisy pin and the watch, it all came together! Let's give peace a chance... because time is running out!

I also had a collection of these cage-style purses and thought I'd like to do something with them. I engineered a way to make them hang correctly and was going to leave it at that. But when I started pairing up vintage pins on the front... Pow! Yeah... that just makes the piece.

And speaking of purses, I found this adorable little beauty (only 2" wide) at a flea market a few months back. Sewing on a vintage fleur de lis pendant, adding some well-patina'd chain and some luminous pink glass beads added just the right touch.

So that's only a little bit of what I've been working on these past two weeks! Getting ready for the Ocean Grove Boardwalk Art Show on July 28th. After that, I'll be adding the rest of these upcycled, mixed media jewelry creations to my Etsy shop.

Charmed, I'm Sure!

Last week I got to work on my very first custom jewelry commission! I originally met with my client over coffee and baked goods while we rummaged through her multi-level jewelry box! She had no idea what she wanted, but as she came across an item that was special to her she would tell me the meaning behind it.

My mind started churning once all these items began to pile up in front of me... and I immediately thought of the combination you see above. I turned her ID bracelet into a necklace and used a sentimental ring and heart pendant she loved as focal points for the piece.

She also had a bunch of charms that she had held onto for decades.... and I squealed with glee as I realized they could all be whimsically combined into a cute charm bracelet! I interrogated her further on favorite hobbies, colors, events and memories she held fondly... and incorporated some of my own charms into the bracelet based on her answers.

My client also had an old unicorn hologram pendant she loved and really wanted to bring it back out into the light again. I wasn't sure how I would accomplish it, but I knew that I wanted to mimic the color of the hologram somehow. I struck gold when I found these iridescent butterflies in perfect matching shades. They kind of look like little bows... which I think makes this necklace super adorable!

I'll be meeting with my client this week to show her what I've come up with, and I'm so excited. The most important part of all of this is that these lovely, meaningful mementos will no longer be stuck in a box and will become awesome conversation pieces.

If you'd like to see more of my custom work or to have me make stuff from your stuff... check out the jewelry commissions page on my website!

Happy Anniversary To Me!

I cannot believe that 2 years ago I quit my job to become a full-time artist! It seems like just yesterday that I took the leap of faith to make a hand-made life for myself.

In that time, I've written 198 blog posts, sent 3,648 tweets, finally joined Facebook, set up a YouTube channel and a Pinterest account, updated this blog and my website, vended at 14 art shows (including one burlesque show!), and sold 253 items in my Etsy Shop! Oh... and I've made a lot of art!

I created more than 120 pieces of one-of-a-kind jewelry, 125 Knock-Down Dolls, 50 Carnival-style Assemblages, played around with freaks at the circus side show, and even started a brand new line of folk art style rag dolls! I sold my art in over a dozen retail stores, got 9 pieces of art into juried gallery shows (even won an award!), and created lots of individual pieces of all shapes and sizes.

I distracted myself with refinishing furniture, giving birth to twins (dolls, of course), going to lots and lots of flea markets, yard sales and antique shows, as well as taking workshops from several very talented mixed media artists that I admire. Oh... and my other paying job... freelance graphic design!

I even partnered with my mom to launch Creativity By-the-Sea — a seashore art retreat right here in my home town — which attracted more than 75 attendees and plenty of high praise! It was such a great success that we're doing it again next April!

But it hasn't been a piece of cake, either. There have been lots of "almosts" too. A very unique copywriting job that fell through. An opportunity for online teaching that didn't work out, retail stores that never sold a thing, a licensing opportunity that I was turned down for, and dozens of other tiny losses. Add to that a stagnant economy and I have to say that these hand-made times are tough. In fact... I'm probably going to have to get a job (so, ummmm... let me know if you hear of anything!).

Being your own company means you do everything.... leaving little time for laundry, dishes, or vacuuming. Making money means spending money... also very scary, as your outcomes are never guaranteed. Working hard means lots of days exhausted and spent. But doing something you love certainly helps. Now to just find a way to keep doing it!

Despite the difficulties, I am amazed at what I've been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time. I learned a lot about myself... about selling in the real world and a social media world... about what works and what doesn't... and I've changed directions as many times as I have categories of art that I love!

So, I'm still learning and changing and growing.... and trying to be very gentle with myself. Because... that's what we should do when we follow our dreams.

Thoughtful Thursdays: Chatelaines!

vintage salt shaker

I was watching Cash & Cari — one of those estate sale reality shows — the other day, when they had come upon a collection of something called... Chatelaines. I never heard the term before, but was totally intrigued by this Victorian-meets-Steampunk-looking adornment that had all these functional items hanging from it!

antique English whistle

By definition, a Chatelaine is  a decorative belt hook or clasp worn at the waist with a series of chains suspended from it. Each chain is mounted with a useful household appendage such as scissors, thimble, watch, key, vinaigrette, household seal, etc. And that reminded me of many jewelry pieces I have created using antique objects. So I thought I'd share some of the versions I've made that had a vintage utilitarian twist.

upcycled pill box

It's so exciting to learn something new about this category of adornment that was typically worn by housekeeepers in the 19th century.

repurposed buss fuse tin

And I am so happy to be a part — not only of keeping vintage objects preserved, but also for creating something that serves an additional purpose above and beyond adorning our bodies!

Mixing It Up With Mixed Media Jewelry...

Lately I've been nesting amidst an inspiring selection of flea market jewelry finds, vintage chains, blingy costume bits and interesting metallic antique objects. Having collected them for years and years, it was time to make something out of all my goodies. But as a mixed media artist, I couldn't very well just use actual jewelry items in my jewelry... now could I? Well here's a little peek at how I've incorporated my love of... well, everything and more... into my jewelry...

Speaking of nesting... one of my favorite additions to any necklace is a highlighted book page. Here I sandwiched a page between two pieces of mica and added eyelets for strength. Near the top of this photo, you can see a peek of the necklace which is actually strung on an embroidered fabric tieback from a vintage blouse.

For this piece, I repurposed a vintage metal pill box and an old butterfly pin. inside the pillbox, I affixed a vintage photograph of a cute little baby. I added vellum wings by cutting slits at the edge of the baby's sweater, inserting the wings and taping before I glued the photo inside. The words were chosen at random but still in keeping with the "flying" theme. I also added Spanish moss to make it look like the baby is in her own little nest. A string of tiny pearls completes the look.

The butterfly pin actually had white pearl accents, but I painted over them with a glaze of gold acrylic... to tone them down and make them match the necklace better.

Living near the beach, I am constantly inspired by anything from the sea! When I came across a treasure of unique, hand-carved mermaid pendants, I wanted to build some interesting necklaces around them. For this one, I inverted a pair of stone flower beads and hung a selection of coordinating fibers from them... instant jellyfish!

Staying on the shore topic, this fantastic oyster shell hinged "box" was one of my favorite flea market finds. I paired it with a photo bead that features two vintage swimmers and surrounded it with tiny grey pearls. I mimicked that with a trio of larger pearls and dictionary words I put together to read, "the world is my spiritual oyster".

This seamstress-inspired necklace was fashioned around a reproduction tapemeasure fabric. Originally, it was pure white... so I tea-dyed it for an aged appearance. The antique tin was plain... so I spruced that up with a vintage fashion ad, which I aged with Distress Inks.

These are just a few ways I mix age-old papers, photos, fabrics, as well as found and everyday objects into my jewelry. I have so many more ideas swirling around in my head. Now all I have to find... is time!

You can see even more photos of the pieces shown here (and more!) on my YesterdaysTrashArt Etsy shop.

COMING UP NEXT WEEK... A Valentine Giveaway!

Play Time?

I've been admiring, sorting, and enjoying my purchases from the Bead Expo this weekend... freshwater pearls, vintage lucite, unique glass beads, faceted rondelles and porcelain eggs. I've also been sifting through much of my old flea market finds... mini metal purses, antique pill boxes, brass stampings, costume jewelry, pins and other oddities. Creative inspiration at its finest!

But I've noticed something... sitting down to play as an adult is so much harder than it was when you were a kid, isn't it? You want to just let go and be free but the clock is ticking, the bills are coming, and the obligations keep tugging at your mind. Now if only I could call upon that childlike fearlessness and pretend that I am no longer bound by the constraints of time, money, and task. I think I'll give it a try...