Sparkle and shine!

I got together with girlfriends last week

for some creative fun and jewelry making.

I had this wonderful sparkly crystal necklace with me 

and decided that instead of repairing the vintage crystal lovely

I would pull off a few of the beads 

and create a completely new look in my favorite color scheme.

I'm pleased how it has a whole new look with the vintage

 baubles and the display with my ceramic creations!

Thrilled to have it shared in Jewelry Affaire Magazine!

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Treasured vintage button collection

I pulled out my button box and gathered together over 50 

of my all-time favorite vintage gold toned buttons.

A wide piece of elastic was the perfect base to attach them to. 

I cut it to fit my wrist and dyed it to match.

Some of my treasured collection of vintage gold tone buttons

that have been hidden away for so long are brought out and

 all lovingly hand sewn onto a piece of wide elastic 

that I dyed to match.

I love it!   

Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too!

I couldn't seem to stop with just one!

Grateful to have it included in the latest issue of 

Jewelry Affaire!

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Learning a bit about jewelry making

I LoVe when artists share their talents with each other!

I had the good fortune to learn a bit about crimp tube beads

and 49 strand .024 wire used for jewelry making

from the talented Sherry Salito-Forsen

who shared some of her collection of beads and baubles 

along with some simple techniques on basic jewelry making.

Here is the result of my first piece, feeling thankful.

I love teaching and I love learning new things!

And thrilled to have it published in Jewelry Affaire Magazine!

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Washed Ashore

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I believe most artists are inspired by their surroundings.

Living in a vintage cottage a few steps from the seashore

where we are no longer allowed to remove or take the seashells

is what encouraged me to create my own collection of ceramic shells

using various clays and glazes.

I have amassed a pretty amazing collection

over the years that I embellish with.

I also use them in mosaics, gift them to friends, barter with them

and as you see here create jewelry with them.

For this piece I used a scrap of fabric in ocean colors that I cut 10 inches long by 4 inches wide and folded it in half lengthwise with right sides together.

Then sewed a half inch seam along the length of it then turning it right side out I tuck the unfinished ends back into each side.

Next I cut a piece of 1 inch wide elastic to fit my wrist and slid it in with a safety pin and sewed one side down before stretching through to the other side and attaching the elastic down before I slid one side into the other and sewed it closed completely.

This is when the fun begins...

pull out your collections of buttons, beads, and baubles

and beginning with the largest pieces either use fabric glue

to attach them into place or sew them down,

and then continue by filling in around them

with buttons, pearls and beads.

I am the kind of artist that will use anything handy

so I've used dental floss to attach the pearls,

colored embroidery thread

for beads and even clear fishing line.

There are bits of plastic, ceramic pieces, glass

and pearls from a broken necklace and combined altogether

they create a wrist embellishment a mermaid may have lost

that was discovered when it washed ashore.