Saturday, October 31, 2009

Eat, drink and be scary!



Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen,
Voices whisper in the trees, "Tonight is Halloween!"
~Dexter Kozen


As spirits roam the neighborhoods at night,
Let loose upon the Earth till it be light...
~Nicholas Gordon



I'll bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween. ~Author Unknown


Just like a ghost, you've been a-hauntin' my dreams, so I'll propose on Halloween. Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little girl like you. -Classics IV

...and lastly this photo is of my son Nick and some of his friends. I guess the fun of Halloween keeps going and going. He is the pirate on the left. I think they are having too much fun!

Have a scary and spooky day!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Rich and Glam



A collection of vintage rhinestone jewels are rejuvenated in this one of a kind long necklace that I call Great Gatsby...my modern version of the rich and glam from 1925. An assortment of pearls are all wire wrapped in oxidized brass and hammered brass connectors are used to link these together. An antique gold filled heart locket dangles from the rhinestone pendant. This couture heirloom piece of jewelry would look lovely with that little black dress or a white shirt and jeans.Measures 31" in length.


Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Tuesday's before & after


I want to share with you some more of my before and after photos. I ordered some porcelain pieces from Summers Studio Pottery and I can not tell you how pleased I am with Leeann's work.Her stunning rich glazes and designs speak to me with their antique and vintage styles.


An unexpected combination of colors, shapes and textures are used to create this one of a kind couture necklace...a juxtapose if you will. I used a porcelain handcrafted pendant by Summers Studio Pottery for the focal piece. This pendant was handformed in porcelain using vintage filigree to add an elegant swirling pattern with a tiny shell motif. The pendant is glazed front and back in an ocean blue green,I added a vintage rhinestone for a dangle and some bling. Wire wrapped in sterling are stick pearls, lapis, smoky quartz,rhinestone spacers, pearls and sterling beads. A hand forged clasp is used in the front. All sterling has been oxidized for an aged look and buffed to bring out some shine. Measures 17 1/2". This piece is truly one of a kind!

And lastly is this darling bronze dragonfly charm. I used the 22mm charm for a pendant and wire wrapped it in oxidized brass and added a colorful polymer clay bead. A black greek leather cord with handforged clasp finishes this piece off nicely.





Monday, October 26, 2009

Around the World...

It has been a busy four days with my girlfriend Eileen here, but we did manage to make some jewelry. Here is one of the pieces I did. You can find
Around the World in my Etsy shop. Hope you all have a great day!

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Smokin Showdown


Wow what a day! Today we went to the Jack Daniel's 2009 World Championship Invitational Barbecue in Lynchburg Tennessee (pop.361) Since moving to Tenn. we have been wanting to attend one of these barbcues and we finally did! It took us about 2 hours to get to Lynchburg but what a beautiful ride it was, the foliage, rolling hills and acres and acres of horse farms were just so beautiful to look at. Once arriving you could smell the wood fires and barbecue, it was amazing!

Sixty-three champion barbecue teams from across the United States and 18 international teams from countries as varied as Australia, Poland and Puerto Rico have been invited to compete in the 21st Annual Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue. This is the most prestigious barbecue competition in the world! We arrived just in time to see many of the teams rushing their entries to the judging pavillion, they all had escorts helping them get through the crowds. The samplings were many and just delicious! It was fun to talk to the different teams, the team from Alaska took 9 days to get to Tennessee. It was Alaska's first entry into this prestigious competition.



Each team's name was as unique as their names were. Here are some of the photo's of there signs.


This day was such a great representation of what Tennesse is all about... great music, homestyle food and kind folks. It was a great day!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

A "Sweetbead" Giveaway

Cindy at Sweetbead Studio is having a fabulous giveaway to celebrate the release of "Easy Wire" a fantastic publication that features Cindy's Inspire bracelet on the cover as well as the tutorials to create fabulous pieces. Be sure to hop on over to visit Cindy and enter to win all these goodies. Enter HERE.


Tuesday, October 20, 2009

A gift from the sea


Gift from the sea...a unique and non-traditional pearl bracelet. I am a big fan of these funky shaped pearls and love the rich colors they offer.

You can find this little treasure at JudithBDesigns.com

I am enjoying another glorious day. The sun is shinning and it is nice and warm outside. I have been busy making jewelry and cleaning. I love that I can vacuum and then go make a pair of earrings and then fold laundry...etc. The joy of working at home and I can stay in my pj's all day if I want...some days anyway!
I am expecting company this week, one of my girlfriends from back home in Massachusetts is coming for 5 days. We have lots of plans and my most favorite will be going to the Nashville Flea Market on Friday. October is always the best month and I can't wait!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

The Big Red Barn



By the big red barn
In the great green field,
There was a pink pig
Who was learning to squeal.

There were horses and sheep and goats and geese--and a jaunty old scarecrow leaning on his hoe. And they all lived together by the big red barn. By Margaret Wise Brown

We had a beautiful Fall day in middle Tennessee, the sky was a gorgeous blue and the foliage just glowed. I could not resist stopping to photograph this barn....it was just calling me. The cows were curious and had to look at the crazy lady taking pictures with her I-phone and then they just ran off. Hope you had a great day too!

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Do you have a dark side?


I know this cold gloomy weather has possessed me to create this Victorian Gothic Rosary Necklace. The antique black rosary lends its somber and goth side to this piece, although it is still rather delicate and pretty at the same time.





Do you have a dark side? What just makes you turn into something you'd rather not be?

Friday, October 16, 2009

Should I stay or should I go now?


Wednesday afternoon

Ring, ring...."Hello"

"Hey Mom, I was wondering if you could pick me up from school on Thursday after 2'oclock"

"Why Thursday...is there a problem"

"No, we don't have school on Friday and everyone is going home and there will be nothing to do"

"Sure, no problem"

Thursday morning

Ring, ring..."Hello"
"Hey Mom, I am going to stay here at school instead, ok?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, yeah, I am".

Friday afternoon


Ring, ring..."Hello"
"Hey Mom, can you come pick me up?"

Such lively conversation, wouldn't you say? When the DH comes home we will head out to the city and pick up the darling boy. Originally we had dinner and a movie planned so instead we will have dinner with Nick in the city....not a bad compromise. Think he will bring his laundry?

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Ain't no sunshine....



I guess I am in the stamping mood so here is a little "LOVE" for y'all.




It is very cool and rainy here and has been for several weeks. Usually I love the soothing sound of the rain, but I have to say it is getting a little irritating! I need some sunshine!!!
I was up early to go to an estate sale and boy was I lucky I went early before everything was picked over, I was able to fill my SUV with lots of good finds. The antique shop where I have two booths is having a big appreciation sale next weekend and this will give me a chance to restock with some new items.
Hope someone is having a nice sun shinny day!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Catch me...


Catch me I'm falling...
Here is the finished necklace as promised.
Rich carnelian and lime green czech glass beads go nicely with this new autumn piece. Long copper link chain with oxidized copper links and beads. You can find this on my website
JudithBDesigns.


Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Catch me I'm falling...

Fall is creeping up on us here in Tennessee...the leaves are changing and weather is cooler and I am forced to wear socks and shoes, no more flip flops! I am now in the spirit of autumn, it took me a while to get here...I hated to see the summer go. I wanted to share with you this copper leaf I made, it will be a pendant for a necklace, I will share the finished product when it is done.
Have a great fall day!