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!

Thoughtful Thursdays: Let's Talk Turkey... or Chicken?

Chicken wire, that is! In my ongoing quest for fun and funky ways to display my jewelry items, I stumbled across some frames that had open mesh wire attached in the center. I thought chicken wire would be even cuter... and that was it. I was in love!

So I decided to repurpose a vintage frame I purchased for $1 (yes, one dollar!) at a rummage sale. Besides its beautiful raised designs, I loved that it was all crunchy and crusty and dirty.

I wanted to make it match my signature color — pink, of course— but also to add interest, so I lightly dusted some highlights onto the raised parts using acrylic paints and a little piece of foam.

Isn't it just delicious? That's the icing on the cake. Yum!

Then I had a contractor (okay, my friend who enjoys doing all this weird construction stuff for me) attach chicken wire to the back, and.... 

Voilà! Instant jewelry display!

I punched holes, and cut a slit up to the hole in order to hang the cute little ticket stubs I made for my earrings... and I'm all set! Now to just figure out a funky way to showcase my upcycled vintage necklace creations. I'm working on it...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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!

Jesus, Mary, and... Giselle?

In between other creative projects, life and a little relaxation, work slowly continues on my revised and revamped doll-inspired assemblage entitled... Twisted.

In order to keep the creative juices flowing, I did something a little different this time. I parked the entire piece across from where I sit on the couch for evening television watching. I put Giselle on a little shelf in the vintage bank drawer I'll be using... so she could get used to it... and have a little down time before she gets twisted!

This method is working out so well, because I've been thinking of ideas non-stop. I'll look over... while my brain is nice and relaxed from watching mind-numbing TV... and think of some crazy idea that comes out of left field (or maybe it's left brain!).

Like the word TWISTED. I recently acquired two tall and skinny figurines from my local flea market... and thought one of them would make a great substitute for the letter "I".

But I just can't seem to decide if I like the Mary that I got for one dollar...

Or the broken handed Jesus that I got for free with Mary because he had a broken hand (duh, that lady who sold it doesn't know me very well, does she?).

I'm not sure what color the letters will be at this point and I know that will be a factor. But it's hard to decide. Both Jesus and Mary... well... they both have their merits. What do you think? Well... I meant other than the fact that I'm twisted!

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!