New Labors of Love!

A few new goodies that have recently been added to

Artistic Adornments, or that will be added in the near future.  

Each piece is definitely one of a kind as vintage pieces were carefully selected for each unique pendant.  

I hope you enjoy them!  

I had so much fun creating them, from finding the vintage jewelry pieces, to conceptualizing the overall designs and finally seeing them come to fruition. 

Definitely a labor of love with each necklace.

 HAPPY YELLOW

 PLEASED WITH PURPLE

 WHEN A DRAGONFLY DREAMS

 A FAERY GIFT

 GRACIOUS GREEN

 LEAVES OF LIGHT

 A SPECIAL MUSE

I Love Being A Girl!

As I browse through all my glittering jewels, old and new, shop for new, frilly, flowery clothes and look through my array of colorful cosmetics, I realize how happy I am to be a girl!  I love everything that encompasses the feminine spirit - lace and pearls, happy, shiny jewelry and  pink lipstick with tons of mascara and a beautiful fragrance to accompany whatever "look" I choose for the day.  You all know how much I adore jewelry.  I love laying my accessories; a little bit of old with a little new.  To me, the more layers, the better.  Sometimes, I want to be a bohemian chic, channeling my inner hippy girl.  

Other times, I wish to emulate ladies of days gone by.  The likes of Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn.

Sometimes, I want to be an athletic girl, embracing the natural, clean sun-kissed look.  The beautiful thing is, I can be anything I choose to be on any given day.  All I need are a few good props - the right makeup, shoes, jewelry, wardrobe, and fragrance.  Whew, it can be tough being a girl, but I wouldn't have it any other way!  What are some of your favorite looks?  I'd love to hear from you!

Vintage Love Affair

VINTAGE BOUNTY!

I'm not sure exactly when I became infatuated with vintage jewelry, but my fascination with these lovely accessories continues to grow as my collection becomes larger and more diversified.  I remember my grandmother's jewelry box - oh how I longed to play in her sparkling treasures.  On occasion, she would let me try on some of her pieces and I remember feeling like a princess (I would also play in her Coty Cosmetics, but that's an entirely different story).  I think the thing I love most about collecting antique jewelry is the absolute uniqueness of each piece.  Although I'm sure there are duplicates out there, you can be confident that the pieces you acquire, for the most part, are one of a kind.  

EARRINGS AND "SHABBY CHIC" PIN

GORGEOUS FLEUR-DE-LIS PIN

MINT CONDITION SIGNED KRAMER PIN

REPURPOSED PENDANT MADE WITH VINTAGE EARRING

I would like to hear from you - what are your favorite collectibles?  What do you adore?  What makes you smile and feel giddy inside?  Let me know...aside from vintage jewelry, did I mention I LOVE and ADORE my dog?? :-)  Have a beautiful Sunday!

GUINNESS!

Northern Lights

I'm fascinated by the beauty and absolute magic of the Aurora Borealis, otherwise known as the Northern Lights.  The Northern Lights are natural light displays that occur primarily in the polar regions.  I've never witnessed them personally (yet), but have always been completely amazed by the magnificent array of colors these lights display.   

And did you know that Aurora Borealis is also affiliated with crystals?  I've always been drawn to stones that shimmer with a myriad of colors.   It wasn't until I started working more closely with vintage jewelry that I researched and discovered that these colorful stones are referred to as "AB" stones.  Aurora Borealis, or "AB" is a coating of thin layers of metal to enhance reflective color quality and brilliance of a stone.  This iridescent coating was actually named after the Northern Lights. The process of making AB coating on crystal was in experimental phases in the early 1950's by the Swarovski Company.  The process progressed to some success in 1953, but not until 1955 did Manfred Swarovski perfect the glorious AB stone!  He worked closely with Christian Dior, and they were the first to have access to the "rainbow" stone.  

I utilize AB stones in many of my jewelry designs and am always on the lookout for vintage AB brooches, earrings, etc.  Here's a sweet vintage bracelet I acquired that has small AB stones in its design.  The lovely bird and butterfly connectors, along with the sparkling stones,  made it a piece I simply could not resist. 

(I think I will leave this bracelet exactly as it is...)

Yellow

"Yellow shines with optimism, enlightenment, and happiness. Shades of golden yellow carry the promise of a positive future. Yellow will advance from surrounding colors and instill optimism and energy, as well as spark creative thoughts".

"Yellow is the color of sunshine. It's associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy".

Renewal and hope...

These little goodies are my latest treasures from the past.  Aren't they sunny?

Wishing you all a week filled with bright, shining, YELLOW sunshine!

A Prayer In Spring...

A PRAYER IN SPRING

by Robert Frost (1915)

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;

  

And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,

Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

   

And make us happy in the darting bird

That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.
 

 Wishing you all a beautiful Spring day!

A Contest!

I'm not very competitive by nature, but when I read about this fun contest, I could not resist.  A true source of inspiration for me is Belle Amroire Jewelry Magazine by Somerset Publishing.  I gain so many creative ideas, and was so excited to try a technique as provided by the wonderfully talented mixed-media artist Jessica Moreau Berry in the Spring '10 issue.  The article is titled "A Little Goes a Long Way", and the technique utilizes decoupaged chandelier crystals.  I followed Jessica's guidance and even incorporated my soldering technique to create some really fantastic pieces.  To participate in the contest, Jessica asks that participants create any type of jewelry... necklace, earrings, bracelet, brooch, etc. as long as a decoupaged crystal is included.  All entries are requested no later than Friday, April 30th.  To read more about this contest, and venture somewhere creative and magical, visit Jessica's blog, "Junque Revival".  You will definitely want to follow her along her creative journey! 

Here is my contest entry - let me know what you think!

 PINK PASSION

PINK PASSION

Below is another pendant I made with the antique chandelier crystal and a vintage earring - fun, festive and sweet!  I have a few more pendants I will be completing over the next few weeks!  I really enjoyed this project - I hope you enjoy it too!

"The Invitation"

This beautiful poem has been always inspired me...

a gift I share with you today.  

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, often. 

"The Invitation"

by Oriah

It doesn’t interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon...
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know
if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.

It doesn’t interest me
if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know
if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me
who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments.

 

By Oriah from her book THE INVITATION  (c) 1999 Mountain Dreaming. 

Published by HarperONE, San Francisco. All rights reserved. 

Presented with permission of the author. http://www.oriah.org

 

Just Let It Go...

WOODLAND FAERY

Finally, beautiful weather has arrived and I needed to get out this evening and take in some of the fresh Spring air.  I didn't take an iPod, MP3 Player or any other distraction with me.  I just wanted to be with the newness of the season - to listen to the birds and hear and feel the warm breeze.  As I continued my walk, and observed all the beauty around me, the mantra "just let it go" persisted.  I started to relax, to just "be", without expectations, needs or wants.  I visualized all the stress and anxiety leaving me, and released all my worries for the moment.  I was fortunate enough to stand for a few moments and watch a beautiful robin bathing in the pond, and again my mantra was reinforced.  I imagined this lovely robin letting go, cleansing herself , and embraced this as a message meant for me.  Closer to home, I took a detour.  Along my path, there are a few trees with large trunks that have always looked so inviting.   I've always wanted to climb down among them and just sit quietly for a few moments, and today, I did just that.  As I was in this space, thinking about the wonder of life and how simple beauty is the best beauty, when I thought about this necklace.  I've always wanted to be like these gorgeous woodland fairies, and for a moment, I felt like she must have felt, surrounded by nature, the large trees, and the magic of the moment.  It wasn't until I arrived home and pulled her out that I noticed the small sparrow connector I utilized in the design.  I know...it's a far stretch, but to me, this necklace will always represent this wonderful walk I experienced today and the small but meaningful symbols of the bird and the trees and the mantra "just let it go".