Yesterday I was able to get most of the descriptions, etc. done on the new Etsy shop.  There is still some fine tuning but it can open at this state...  I will gradually close down the button site as time goes by.  I want to use it to sell some of my extra MOP stock that is too small to paint on. 

I do have a new logo designed for the new site but for some quirky reason I have not been able to upload it. I'm sure I'll find other errors as I finish up.

I look at this site as a resting place for the jewelry I create. I have priced things with my actual time in mind plus the rising fees of both Etsy and Paypal. We all know that everyone loves something handmade but few want to pay for the time involved.

Ideally a piece will sell now and then but not often enough to make me feel pressured to produce.  This whole new venture is supposed to be fun and relaxing and take the place of needlework which I miss so dearly..


Over the years my customers have used
my buttons in their jewelry ....such as the bluebird, frog, and goldfinch buttons here.  I have been also giving some thought to using some of the smaller painted buttons in stock in smaller pieces of jewelry...something to think about.  I have some old lockets that would work up nicely...



A long time CQ friend and button customer in Canada, Marilyn Nepper,  did the frog prince pendant with soutache.  I was amazed.

So I will be painting no more 1" buttons and focusing only on the jewelry... and glad to be moving on...

Stop by the new Etsy shop  and I hope you enjoy seeing my  efforts there. https://www.etsy.com/shop/UpcycledGemsbyGerry?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

No long necks

I had wanted to find someone tall with an elegant long neck to model my jewelry for photographs to use on the new Etsy site.  Since most of my friends have a bit of a saggy chin, I had to come up with an alternate plan... The jewelry forms I have are not long enough for most of my pieces so I sat one on 2 yoga blocks.












Then I draped it with material or a blouse and found 4 lights that were flexible.  It is especially hard to photograph mother of pearl as it is so reflective.

Not until I was almost done did I realize the battery in my "smart" camera was dying and wasn't quite so smart with the color.  But I had taken over 100 photos and just didn't have the gumption to start all over.

But they are useable and I will eventually replace them.  Now I just want to be done with getting them all loaded with descriptions. I hope to be done by the end of today.





A few days ago I was looking for some positive change I could make to feel in control of some part of my life.  It didn't take long to make that decision and it wasn't a tattoo.  I had only cut my hair short 3 times in my adult life... once when I was 20, once when I was about 40 and then when I was 70... Each time I was talked into it and each time I hated it.  Well I love it for about 2 days after it is cut and then I hate it... But I am the ONLY person who hates it.  Everyone loves it short and the person who loves it short the most is my husband.

After having long hair most of my life it was like losing an appendage and I miss it, so letting it grow is my decision to make a big change.  This is definitely going to be an issue with DH. But I figure he married me with long hair (photo on left) - he can bury me with long hair 


Right now I have only missed one haircut and look a little shaggy but hope to have hair as  long as below by February..... I know as it grows I know I will become stronger.

Sweet peas and frog prince

The nicest thing about the intense heat  of late summer is that it makes you appreciate the coolness   of the early morning.  I pulled a mountain of pea vines that were spent and sat on the porch in my nightie and picked peas that I had missed...a lot of them....  and now the chickens will get the vines.  A most pleasant way to start the day as it will get to 95 degrees today.

If you notice that black thing on my left arm and thought it looked like a splint, it is indeed just that.  Friday morning I took a nasty fall on cement and bunged up my right leg and badly sprained my left wrist.  One-armed yoga for a while.


This week is going to be devoted to finishing two time consuming projects.  One will be finishing the new Etsy site and that will involve a LOT of photographing the necklaces and a LOT of time consuming photo editing and then there is all the description and detail work that Etsy requires.  This is the last piece I wanted to finish before I uploaded everything.

I loved doing frog princes on buttons and wanted to do at least one on a necklace.  I had originally thought green beads but have settled on gold and lots of it.. So about six necklaces, three  sets of earrings  and an odd pendant will evolve into a final listing.

Every so often I encounter a problem and start looking through the internet files.  As much chain as I want to use  will be bulky at the back of the neck so was looking for alternatives.  The most common are multiple lengths combined toward the back as in this necklace.


Another common solution  is the number of lengths stay the same but just the beads get smaller such as in this beautiful piece.



But I'm always cheering for the person that does something entirely out of the box...

Hummer and Eagle

Put the final touches on two more necklaces this weekend and two more in the works.  My goal is to open the new Etsy shop by the first of August.

I have been doing all the prep work on the site and am at the point that I can start loading images and writing descriptions, doing more photos etc.

I really need some photos of somebody tall with an elegant long neck wearing these pieces.. I am checking women out in the grocery store as I shop... "hmmmmm ... yeah she would be great." Where's Audrey Hepburn when you need her?

After years of working on 1" buttons, it feels like I'm painting on a wall with a whole 2" disc.








I've also been checking out other sites and notice that most which have necklaces they all look alike-  just different colors.  I'm hoping that each piece I do has its own personality. That's my goal anyway.

Even though I do check out You-tube tutorials on techniques, I learn more just by taking things apart and looking closely how it was assembled.

And the most fun thing is that I'm using up YEARS of stash.  I am constantly finding more things as I am searching through stuff.  A good example is years ago I fell in love with a blue stone Buddha and used in on a necklace.  I wanted some particular tiny metal bells for the bottom of it... 4 of them.  But to get four I had to buy 50 and now I'm going to find a way to use them...redemption at last.

Most years I wait too long to gather lavender but this year I'm right on target and spend most of the morning yesterday  in the heat cutting.

I let it soak up a goodly amount of water then I will bundle it and hang it in the barn to dry.  I love having it for hostess gifts through the winter.  Will cut more today..

The house smells divine.

There was fun in funky....

Remember the pile of "possible parts"? 

 

Well it ended up this necklace.   I usually wear a new one for a day to test for any problems and I do need to do some fine tuning on the hanging hearts.  I wore it on a red top and the yellow really popped.   This whimsical necklace received positive comments all day and even the waiter at the brunch liked it.  I'm glad because I do have an all-out whimsy idea that I want to start painting the pendant today.

Some bold, some quirky but all OOAK!

So far so good with the jewelry venture and it has not only been fun using stash but also combining painting and jewelry. At the moment working on a piece for which I painted a hummingbird.. Not a clear vision on this one so it has been fun trying a lot of different approaches.


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On the other hand this project has a long history and a pretty clear vision. I have had these handmade beads for about 50 years.  A friend brought them back from Africa as a gift for me.  They were strung on a piece of hemp and for some time I wore them that way but then I restrung them and have never been too pleased with the result..  This time I'd like to combine them with the distressed beads in that bracelet, part of the yellow seed bead necklace I bought at a market in Germany and these precious red lacquered wood beads..plus maybe some yellow lampwork beads..  I definitely have a vision for this one and eager to start and hope to make two necklaces from this pile..

I have finished the bear necklace and am pleased with it.. It is a "statement" necklace and would need a very specific person to want it.

But all my jewelry is a little on the quirky side..





















And I finished the roses on the slice of purple agate.  It sort of chose its own beads... This one is large and bold but not too quirky..

Upcycling, power tools and little yellow bells....

Things are moving along nicely with the jewelry projects and enjoying it more and more as I move ahead.  Just starting to do the beading for this slice of rock I painted.  I have no idea what it is but the roses look lovely on it.  When I did CQ I loved to use tiny metal spacers on my seams.. I will use some of them on this necklace.

And as I continue to sort and organize I am finding more possibilities for painted pendants.  Some I'm finding at thrift stores and some like the piece on the lower right were in my stash.  I cut the beads from this piece and now I filed it smooth  on the corners and drilled new holes and will use it with my bear.  I've replaced all the black beads on it as well.

 

Next to the reciprocating saw my favorite power tool is this drill press. I bought it years ago in a special parking lot sale at Harbor Freight for about $50.  The motor sound terrible but it works great.  I had a hard time with breaking  tiny bits in a hand drill and this is super cool woman friendly tool.  I recommend it without hesitation. 

 I said this when I planted this clematis and several times since..."I will regret planting this aggressive plant in this spot."  But I did  and now I'm in love with all the tiny yellow bells planted by the path I walk many times a day...  But down the road I'm sure someone will rue the day I planted it as it envelopes both the house and garage and the forest . But meanwhile I say "Good day" each morning to this lovely Bill McKenzie clematis and all his yellow bells."

 

 

 

I didn't think I'd find the right color of flowers  for the table Sunday but I did and again forgot to take a picture of the dim sum..  I'm getting quite clever at folding them... With them I served fried rice using a mixture of  brown rice, wild rice and wheat berries....delicious.

 

 

Getting in the groove......

As I am making headway I'm moving in several directions.  First before I started any new pieces I had a few that needed repair or redesign and this is one for several reasons... first the metal chains weren't hanging like I wanted... second the bird wouldn't stay flat because of the way the charms were attached it kept tipping out... third I used a magnetic clasp which wreaked havoc with the metal parts and was a magnetic tangled clump the minute I took it off.  But I liked the concept well enough to try to remedy some of these problems.





First I removed the magnetic clasp and chains... then I added a filigree piece to the backside of the bird which stabilized it and then hung the charms from the filigree rather than the bird which solved that problem.

I added cones to the end of the pink beads which looked nicer than just the wire guards. Now I'm deciding   if and  how I want to reattach the chains.. 

I'm trying to quickly learn about all the techniques, tools, and supplies.  Doing crazy quilting I always tried new materials and techniques on each new project and will do the same with the jewelry.



On the painting front I have made  little progress on my bear and when I was looking for possibilities for mounting it I found this  crescent shaped acrylic piece  and with some repair I think it will work. 

You can see where sometime ago I cut off a chain and the holes are still in the corners.  A little time with a file will fix that and I will drill some new holes.  The black hanging beads have to go.  But it will be next to be finished.


All these pendants just have a hole and I have been looking at pendants on the internet and have found many very creative ideas for attaching the pendant to the necklace rather than just using a simple jump ring.  So I will start a file on "attachment variations"

I had a rude wake up call this am.  When I tried to upload pictures from my camera to my old computer it wouldn't work.  At first I thought it was the camera but after some testing discovered my USB port was malfunctioning. I had to reboot it twice to get it to work.  All my favorite editing and photo software are not compatible with the new computer and I depend on the old system for all that.  I did buy another computer months ago with the old color bit mode but have never transferred the files.  Not only had I better load the other computer and transfer files, I had better save all the pagemaker files to a cloud..  It is so easy to put that kind of stuff off as it is no fun at all.

I have a plan !!!

Not only am I a compulsive list maker, I am compulsive about things I use often having a place and that place have a label.  After years and years of CQ I had it all worked out...  Since I only did jewelry once or twice a year,  things were stored here and there..... work room and living room and in with CQ stuff.  There was never a designated spot and I was never serious about supplies as I usually was just upcycling  stuff.

   Years ago I started buying  beads by the kilo for about $5 ..(not available any more) and they were very nice beads with some slight imperfections.     I  had to wash the glass dust from them and sort but it appealed to me more than any thing I could buy at a bead store..   All these beads for $6 and I am sure they were swept up from the floor from some bead factory in India.


Over the years I have used them to make some of my favorite pieces of jewelry. There were rarely any two beads alike and that's what I loved... the same random eclectic concept as CQ.  When I first started ordering there were many larger fancy beads mixed in but as time went by the beads were all smaller and finally they were not available at all.  I still have two unopened bags.... enough to last me as long as I as I will be doing this I'm sure as this does not include all the used costume jewelry I've collected from thrift stores.




  Glass beads though did have a home of their own in the utility room in this old map chest where I used to keep art paper stuff...... gradually taking it over.. 

So where to consolidate all this jewelry making stuff?   In my work room I had these two tall chests containing MOP buttons and  CQ laces (lace flowers, lace leaves, lace motifs, fillet lace, colored laces, etc.) and ribbons (silk ribbons to dye, folded ribbon samples, novelty ribbons, ribbons from London, etc. ).  I emptied about 16 drawers into  bags, labeled them and put them in a laundry basket.  Out to the barn it will go and if I should ever need any of it, it will be easy to find.




I had a lot of drawer dividers already plus some new ones I found at the $ store which had a rubber lining.  So the big reorganization project commences.  I look for it to take most of the summer until I get it tweaked. I'm not relabeling the drawers until I have everything to fit my needs...

I felt pressured to get the necklaces off to Alaska before their season was over.  So now that is done and  I have a plan I can move forward and not feel so frustrated trying to find things and feeling so disorganized....  Let the beading begin?

Well why not!!

During the winter when I was exploring making jewelry as an alternative to CQ, I painted these two MOP pendants.  I have worn them over and over this winter.. I enjoy making jewelry but there is a limit to how much I can wear and I have long passed it. 

But when my DIL was visiting this spring she asked if I would make some things for the gift shop at the lodge.... painted pendants...  Well why not!!!!

She wanted some suitable for Alaska and for a fishing lodge.  I couldn't quite imagine a halibut on a pendant but I could certainly do one of her eagles and some owls as well.  In addition to getting to paint on something larger than a button, it gave me a chance to play with all my beads and collection of costume jewelry.  I began disassembling a lot of old necklaces, bracelets, etc. and I came up with these.

I just couldn't resist some of my favorite bluebirds... For these I dipped into my  box of crystals and pearls..

I had wanted to finish in May but I am just today finally getting it all mailed to her.  It seemed at every step I needed another tool or supply but I think I have it all now if I want to do more... Of course a new venture needed a new name, business cards, display items, etc....,  etc. ,... all this in the works..  Wish me luck...

Projects everywhere

 

Projects everywhere... and making progress on all fronts.  I did finish the vine part of one side of the spider bag and it is getting a good stretch. I used a silk ribbon back stitch and wrapped it with more silk ribbons in different shades of green..

 Now ready for adding webs... fun part.




Making the jewelry is helping to fill the time I can't stitch and it feels good using all the stash I had accumulate over the years for "some day"  Well now is the "some day"  It starts with just adding bits and pieces to a pile on the table.  This time I especially wanted to use an old green brooch with sirens on it.  When the pile gets large enough I start fussing with it.  In this pile are 4 old necklaces, some filigree findings, a bracelet and assorted beads.

I have several of these forms that work great for draping bits and pieces to make final decisions.  I am close to actually starting to disassemble parts and reassemble them for a new life.

I had lost complete control of the Etsy button site and have finally tackled it.  What a mess of half-finished buttons, expired buttons, buttons to be carded and posted, etc. ..  It didn't help that Etsy made a lot of changes in the site.  Hope to finish that project next week and will feel redeemed as it has been nagging at me for literally months.

And somehow I have lost my phone... On a positive note I had some leftover duck in the freezer and am inspired to use it in some puff pastry that needs to be used.  Should go well with braised red cabbage and roasted beets...

Also today finishing up a secret project for granddaughter  Madi's wedding reception... can't photo it yet.

Jewelry Interlude

Well once I got all my beads out and semi sorted I did get quite a few pieces done last month and it has been fun wearing them... After about 4 necklaces though I got bored and you can only wear so much jewelry.

This pendant I bought from a street vendor in Gernany and it has been a favorite.  I had a metal bead necklace I dismembered, blue recycled glass beads from Africa, amber beads from Oregon and red beads from LA  I never fail to receive comments on it and wore it to the doctors this am.

The largest stone here was a piece of raw amber that I bought as a souvenir and mounted on pieces of filigree. There are parts of a necklace and two bracelets combined with it.

The main part of this is comprised of two vintage brooches and added to a upcycled necklace.  Now that I've gotten a good start, have most of the parts sorted, and added  small fortune in new tools and findings, it will be easy for me to pick it up at will and work in short periods of time.

This bird brooch with romantic charms is paired with some old pink lampwork beads.  I put a magnetic clasp on this and it raised havoc with the chains so will have to change that before I wear it again..










I even have a few picked as the next possibility...

I have had this brooch for at least 50 years and it was the first piece of quality heirloom jewelry I bought.  The cameo is hand painted and the mounting hand wrought.  It is labeled as hand made in France.  I do wear I occasionally as a brooch but know I would wear it more often as a necklace.  I may pair it with this pearl cord... Not sure yet/

I love this cameo but it is too delicate to make an impact by itself.  It too has been around for years and  needs to be the center of attention.  I love the soft green...

The third possibility for work is a lovely cloisonné butterfly that I bought in China in 1999 and it has languished every since.