Roundup: Vintage/Recycled Necklaces

Fox and Clover
Broken Plate Necklace

This is a new necklace from Fox and Clover (you may have seen their work on other blogs- they have necklaces that are similar to this one that have lace inside the glass) that's part of their new "broken plate" line. A new glass plate is made, then then cut into pieces. Each necklace is unique and is made with glass recycled from old picture frames. The patterns are handpainted onto the glass, which is then fired. I was going through my Etsy favorites and took another look at Fox and Clover's shop and was so pleased to find this lovely creation. And it made me decide to look for other vintage or old-made-new necklaces in my favorites folder.

Draw Flowers
Pink Flowers Necklace

How rad is this! These necklaces are handmade from vintage French 1970s vinyl wallpaper. It's lightweight and while it's certainly a statement, it seems like it would be comfortable—and would be the perfect thing to dress up a pair of jeans and a plain white tee.

Karuski
Bellflower Necklace

I really like the small details on this necklace, especially the slightly sparkly centers of the red flowers on the upper left. The components are vintage and the brass locket holds two tiny pictures (or other treasures!).

My Mom's Basement
Lucky Lady-Vintage Picture Button

Yes, I would like to wear this with the new white and blue sundress I recently bought! It's a fantastic old button that the seller says is either soft metal or coated plastic. It's less than an inch and is amazing!

Oh, Hello Friend
Treasure- Vintage Carousel Necklace

And finally, from my darling friend Dani over at Oh, Hello Friend, a lovely little vintage carousel charm from the 1950's. She says that it actually spins! I adore that it's so fun and spirited.


So part of the reason I'm attracted to vintage finds today is that I found an old "A" charm necklace that I believe I got in the 4th grade. It has a teensy little diamond looking stud (I am SURE that it's entirely fake) and is upper case and sort of in a script font. I have been wearing it for the past two days and I am loving it. It's amazing to me that something I got about 16 years ago still fits me so perfectly! (I'm going to take a photo to show you just as soon as I can track down my camera's card reader...)

I haven't been able to spend as much time making things as I'd like (due to the whole packing up and moving out of my nyc apt) and after a visit to Purl Patchwork with my sister over the weekend, I decided that I needed to spend at least a few hours this week on a creative pursuit. I know that making something will help me feel grounded and restored, even as I'm currently in-between homes. So that's my plan for today! And to share a bit of that energy with you, here are a few of my current favorite craft-related finds from around the web.
Sewn (via Whip Up). This sounds so amazing, and I hope it's like Ravelry but for sewers!
"SEWN is new online quilting and sewing community for all lovers of fabric crafts. We have Tips and Innovative Tools to help with your projects, an Advice Centre for all your sewing questions, online forums and chats, and information on your local shops, sewing groups, quilt groups and classes. SEWN will feature designers and shops from Australia and New Zealand, as well as the latest from the USA, Canada, Europe and Japan. There will be articles, interviews and tutorials from industry experts, competitions and free patterns! We’ll even be reporting via podcast from craft shows around Australia and the USA. Get ready for the official launch of SEWN in June 2009."

Info on diy stamp carving at Geninne's Art Blog and a handy tutorial. A friend of mine has been having a little difficulty finding stamps for a project she's working on and I knew that it was possible to make them at home, but I didn't actually know how until reading this.

Card crafts (which I will always be partial to after doing so many at the Hallmark magazine) at bgh.com from Ez Pudewa of Creature Comforts and Brittni Wood of papernstitch.com.




I'm at my parents for a few days sorting out the business of getting a car before starting the journey to Iowa, but I am going to quilt and work on a top SECRET project that I will reveal next week. I am also aware that I am very lucky to have a bit of free time before starting my new job, so I'm going to try to make the most of it!

Instant Heirloom: Jewelweeds

Today's post is mostly going to be eye candy for you since I am in need of a bit of visual inspiration (movers are coming today so my apartment is boxes, boxes, everywhere!). I have loved Jewelweeds for some time now, both for the rustic elegance of the products and also that everything is very sustainable. Here’s a bit about the creator, Julia White:

Julia spent most of her childhood either outdoors or making things, often at the same time. Jewelweeds is the inevitable product of this. All Jewelweeds items strive to combine aesthetics and sustainability, something that she believes has a natural synergy. She is committed to using the most environmentally friendly materials and is constantly looking for ways for Jewelweeds to be greener.”

I am totally head over heels for her baby quilts.

I am amazed at how restrained her work is, yet how it manages to convey such a sense of warmth and calmness.

Makes me think about trying applique sometime in the near future.

Oh and how lovely are the lines of quilting on this one!?! Definitely proves that less can be more.


So so pretty. Thank you Julia for creating such soulful work and for providing such a needed break of serenity!

Big (corn-fed) Employment/Moving News!

I've been keeping a secret for a few weeks that I'm finally ready to share with you.

I am moving to Des Moines, Iowa!

To assume my new position as the Deputy Editor of ReadyMade magazine! (Check out this blog post to see who's who at the mag and get a tour of the facilities!)

For those of you who, like me who has only ever lived in coastal states (and have a little difficulty with Midwestern geography) this is a helpful reminder of exactly where Iowa is located.

And this is the very fancy state capital building that's up on a hill on the East side of the downtown area of the city. It is very helpful for me to know that it's East as I have a very hard time orienting myself when I am there (I am rather directionally challenged in general, so this is more a comment on myself than on the location of the state.)
I realize that you might have a few questions, so I've done a little FAQ section for us all.

Why is ReadyMade published in Des Moines?
Good question. It is there because that's where the company that publishes it is located. (Meredith is also the company behind Better Homes and Gardens and More, among many other terrific magazines.)

Are you really okay with leaving NYC?
I am and have actually been looking for a way to live a less city-centric lifestyle and continue working in magazines (which is a challenge, to be sure). That said, I know it will be hard to be so far from my friends and family so I'm already planning trips home. PLUS, I am moving into a two bedroom duplex, so people can actually come stay with me!

Will you be keeping your blog?
Yes, yes, and YES. I will be continuing along my merry way with Things We Make and working with my new coworkers to figure out what my role will be on the magazine's website.

What are you most going to miss about New York?
Well, first, I'm planning to visit a lot (have I mentioned that already? Sorry, just want to make sure we're on the same page!), but here's what I will miss, in no particular order:
The ornate wood fireplace in my apartment.
Long walks in Central Park in the early morning.
The fact that I live down the street from "Obama Fried Chicken".
The Greek salad and burger at Kefi, the pizza at Otto, the sesame spinach at Haru, the spiked pink lemonade at Ditch Plains and cinnamon raisin bagels from Murray's.
Eating that first meal at a sidewalk table in spring.
My friends.
My family being a train ride away.
My family being able to come for the day (and help me with miscellaneous tasks, including all things electrical).

What are you NOT going to miss?
Hearing my downstairs neighbor's television.
The subway in the summer.
The subway when conductors decide to skip stops because they are "running late".
The subway during rush hour.
The subway when my ipod battery dies.

What are you looking forward to about moving to Des Moines?
Well, for starters I am moving into a duplex with a washer and dryer (that work without quarters!) a full size stove and refrigerator! What else could a girl want?! Actually, I am also really looking forward to meeting new people, starting my new job, going to the weekly farmers market, and trying some of the corn I have heard so much about. Not to mention the state fair, the minor league baseball games, spending lots of time on my new deck and attempting to grow some veggies. Yay!!!

So movers are coming tomorrow (yes, I am tripping over myself in my boxed up apartment at this very moment!), I will be a bit of a nomad for a few days and then Virginia and I are embarking on what we've deemed our "ReadyMade Road Trip" to my new digs. Stay tuned for more info and let me know if you have any other questions!

P.S If you are a Midwestern or know any nice ones you'd like to introduce me to, I am taking all friend referrals since I currently know about 3 people there!

Inspired Image: Jena of Modish

Hello, my name is Jena Coray.

You can find me at Modish, Modish BIZtips and my personal blog, & stuff.

This image comes from Moxiee's flickr stream.

It inspires me because it's brilliant and pink with flowers at every corner of the viewpoint.

I particularly love the shift in color between brown and pink, seeing the fresh blooms pop up right over the dying ones & the bright light right at the center of the frame.

It makes me feel like I live in the prettiest city in the world as it was taken here in Portand, OR.

The 3 words it conjures up are spring, light, bursting.


I think that Jena's choice is perfect to help us all break through the rainy days that have been plaguing so many of us! If you haven't checked out Jena's blogs yet, please head over there to see what she's up to. I personally think that the blog header on Modish is one of the prettiest I have ever seen (and is making me consider reworking my own!) and I really enjoy seeing the products and people that she features. And, her biz tips site is just chock full of helpful advice for how to turn your creative hobby into a business.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend ahead. My parents are coming to visit on Sunday and I'm very happy to be able to spend Mother's Day with my mom. We have dinner plans for Kefi, one of my very favorite restaurants in the city, and I hope she enjoys it as much as I do.

A Note

Without getting into specifics, I just want to remind all of us creative people that in a world where we're all finding inspiration in one another, it's incredibly important that we stay respectful. Which means that I really hope that we can all respect each other in terms of originality of our work and give proper credit to others when we are modeling our work on theirs.
That is all :)

Q&A: Susan Najarian

Susan Najarian is a very talented painter who captures color and texture in a style that is entirely her own. Since I'm not familiar with the process of painting that she does, I thought it'd be best if she and I did a Q&A. This way we get to see some of her lovely work and hear more from her about her process (and her inspiration!). Scroll down to read the interview and see some of my favorite picks from her etsy shop.

Where do you live?
I live on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Bainbridge is an island in the Puget Sound, just a short, 35-minute ferry ride from Seattle.

You do something called encaustic painting. What does that mean?
Encaustic is from the ancient Greek word that means to heat. The medium consists of beeswax melted with a small amount of resin to impart hardness. This mixture becomes paint when pigment is added to the molten wax. I use the hot wax like paint and I fuse layers of wax to a stable surface using a blow torch or heat gun.

How did you learn the process?
I read a fantastic book called The Art of Encaustic Painting by Joanne Mattera. This book is a great way to learn all about encaustic painting. I then painted and painted with encaustic. (I melted a lot of beeswax at that time.)


Did you have any teachers who became mentors along the way?
I took a weekend workshop, a few years ago, in Seattle from fellow artist Larry Calkins . He is a fantastic artist as well as a fun and supportive teacher.

Why do you enjoy the medium?
I love the process of encaustics. There is a lot of preparation, which I see as part of the fun. I like all the setup that is needed before you even begin to paint. Also, living here in the gray, damp, Pacific Northwest I like the warm, sweet smelling, medium, (as beeswax warms, there is a sweet smell of honey). Most of all, I like the finished look. Every completed piece has a sensual, tactile quality that invites the viewer to caress the paintings.


Do you have a design in mind before you start painting, or do you let it come to you as you go?
Because working with encaustics requires a definite process, I do have a specific direction as I begin. The medium, however, offers significant room for creativity and much of my work does evolve as I paint.

Where do you find your inspiration?
All of life and nature seems to find its way into my work. Many times I will see something and days later the scene or feeling shows up in a painting. Right now I am inspired by cheerful colors, birds and nature.


Is this your full time work?
I have two full- time jobs right now. Watching my Art grow along with my three, school-aged children keeps me moving fast!

What's the best part of your day?
The early morning! I love the freshness of a new day. It’s like having a new canvas and lots of creative ideas. And…I love that first cup of coffee.


What do you like to do when you're not painting?
I love spending time with my family. Right now it is Spring and that means baseball and softball – I enjoy watching my kids play and grow. Sometimes we are lucky and actually get to sit in the SUN while we watch their games.