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...

Recently Listed: Vintage Key and Lock Jewelry

After a recent trip to a vintage hardware store... I was really inspired to raid my collection of antique skeleton keys, door locks and miscellaneous brass bits and bobs I've collected for years! This simple Key To My Heart necklace has minimal elements, but big impact.

Pairing just the right peek-a-boo photo with this brass door lock leads to an interesting story about Mommy's Room.

And of course... sometimes there's a man behind that door who wants to profess his love for you, but might be a little shy. This Secret Admirer necklace was built around such a story.

The necklaces you see here and more have been added to my Etsy Shop this past week. You can check out my entire selection in the Uncommon Jewelry section of my store. Happy browsing!