Flea Market Treasures

 Trying to get back into my routine....it has been a very busy month for me. I had company, bronchitis and two awesome shows. Last weekend I had a two day show and sold 87 pieces of jewelry...crazy, crazy! I think it has taken me all week to re-coup after that show, plus I put in 2 days of work at the antique shop. So what do I do to relax?...what else but spend the day at the Flea Market.

My found treasures for the day...

round blister pearls, moonstone, copper clasps, old keys, Victorian locket and chain, brass rings, enamel watch face, clock key, enamel cuff links, old rosary beads and masonic medal,, Victorian buttons, vintage dog tags, old chains and  photo tin type.

I could not resist this 1930's G-Man toy badge...how cute is that?

I plan to spend the rest of the day in my studio and see what I can do with these treasures.

Congrats again to the Bead Trends Magazine winner QuiltingJewel39, please contact me with your mailing address.

Happy Sunday!

Keepsake

I have had an extremely busy week getting ready for a show I had on Saturday. The show was fantastic and it was so nice to see so many repeat customers that came by to visit and make some purchases. I love interacting with customers and to see their reactions to my jewelry, it makes what I do so worthwhile! Besides getting ready for the show I had a repeat  appointment with this FABULOUS shop in Leipers Fork, Tenn. called "Serenite Maison". I am so honored to be selling my jewelry here, and if you are ever in the area it is a must visit place.

Keepsake

Here is one of the pieces I finished yesterday. I had been coveting this vintage mother of pearl picture heart for sometime and it finally found its home in this necklace. What is even more special about this heart, is the reverse side also holds another picture.

...how precious is she? I think a piece like this can conjurer up all kinds of thoughts and emotions. The couple could easily remind many of us of our parents and the little girl could bring back memories of yourself or your sister or perhaps a lost loved one. Working with vintage and antique pieces evokes lots of feelings, it brings them to the surface, it makes the piece of jewelry a keepsake and a holder of emotions...something extra ordinary. 

vintage mother of pearl rosary beads and vintage steel chain 

A Change is in the Air

 The weather in middle Tennessee has been glorious...warm sunny days with cool nights. These are my kind of days and you surely appreciate them after 3 months of constant heat and high humidity. It also makes me want to cook...I would rather be making jewelry than cooking, but I like to eat too. I have a  pumpkin bread in the oven and will be making sweet potato salad (using my ginormous sweet potatos from my garden). You make a regular potato salad but add a few sweets to it, yummy!

I have finally realized after 5 years of living in the South that you can not keep flowering annuals for long. I have gone the portulaca route and love them! Constant color and I do not have to worry about watering them. Here we are in October and they are still so beautiful!

Knock-Out Roses are another great plant for the south, they bloom constantly from early spring until frost. I love color and what better way to enjoy it in your landscape.

The field in our backyard is changing, autumn in Tennessee has mild colors compared to what I am use to in Massachusetts, but it still is so pretty. The air is crisp and has that beautiful scent you only get in the fall.

Sam has to come and see what I am doing and he loves gazing out at the field just hoping to see something to run after. I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful Sunday!

Hatch Show Print

We are taking a little field trip today to Hatch Show Print on Broadway in Downtown Nashville Tennessee. It is one of the oldest american poster shops where they still make letterpress and block printed posters by hand.

I have been wanting to stop in and purchase a poster to have framed, so today's the day and you get to tag

along!

These posters have a turn of the century irresistible appeal.  Hatch posters were first used to promote vaudeville, circus, and minstrel shows across the country.

 There's a reason why music lovers, Americana buffs, graphic arts collectors and designers, and commercial advertisers of all persuasions continue to turn to Hatch for inspiration.

This is the poster I purchased. It Captures the singing spirit of Music City USA, this three-color Hatch Show Print poster takes historic Hatch elements and updates them stylishly. The end result—a dynamic artistic approach to the essence of Nashville, Tennessee.



A perfect day

The weather was just perfect, not a cloud in the sky....finally after 4 years we went to the Zoo. I was saving this excursion for when we had company but something else always came up, you know how that is. Nashville has an amazing zoo, so well layed out, a great selection of animals and so very clean! It did feel a bit odd not to have a child in tow..I tried to get our 19 year old son to join us, but he had other plans. I guess I need to accept that he has grown up, ugh...that is a hard one.

My favorites are always the cats, no matter what species. I suppose it may have something to do with being a Leo.

The new Flamingo exhibit....such amazing creatures!  

 very curious giraffes...

I hope you all are enjoying a wonderful weekend as well. 

Lunch with a sweet friend

Yay for me! I got to meet up with Miss Leslie of BeiMondi for lunch while she was visiting family here in Tennessee. This was our second get together, it was like meeting an old friend (no pun intended, I think I have "old" on my mind) We now have a place that we like to meet, a small Mom & Pop Italian place with yummy food! After lunch we did a little antique browsing, but did not find anything we had to have. She gave me a sweet goodie bag of gemstones and I can not wait to play with them. Why is it someone else's beads are always better than yours? Leslie is a sweetie and I can't wait to see her again around Christmas!

We are Nashville!!

I just got in late last night from my wonderful trip out west...it was so much better than I could have imagined. I will post some pictures later and you will see what I mean. My DH had to go on business and I got to tag along. To top it off we got to visit with some of our good friends outside of San Fransisco.

I also had this nice surprise on being included in this great Etsy treasury called "We are Nashville!!" Fellow Etsian's reach out to assist with Nashville's flood relief. In here you will find my "Nashville Rising" hand stamped long necklace. All proceeds from the sale of my piece will be donated to Flood Relief - Metro Nashville Disaster Response Fund.

Nashville Rising

Nashville is rising... slowly. A small big city full of spirit and hope, although devastated by the flooding of almost 2 weeks ago it is slowly making its way back. I needed to create something, to do my part, be it ever so small. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this necklace will be donated to The Nashville Disaster Response Fund.

Give to Metro Nashville Disaster Response Fund

You can find this piece in my Etsy shop.

The Flood of 2010 TN

NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 4 (Reuters) - Flooding overwhelmed utilities in downtown Nashville on Tuesday, knocking out power and water service to thousands, after weekend storms were blamed for more than two dozen deaths.

"Power will be out for the next few days downtown due to water in underground vaults," the city's mayor, Karl Dean, said in a statement. He said 3,500 customers were without electricity.

The Cumberland River burst its banks and submerged several city blocks in Nashville's downtown tourist district in sewage-tainted water.

Flooding that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers called a "1,000-year event" also inundated sites such as the Grand Ole Opry entertainment and hotel complex, the football stadium, and one of two water plants serving the city of 626,000 people.

It is so over whelming to see this devastation...I still can not believe what has happened. I thank the Lord for the safety of my family and friends but my heart breaks for those who are not so fortunate. I need to keep pushing forward....keeping my mind and hands busy. My sister Susan is here until Monday and she is such a trooper, a little wine and a martini goes a long way. We have friends coming for dinner tonight, our good friend Sandy (chef) will be cooking. I wish you all a wonderful day.

Flooding in Tennessee

While we were enjoying the beauty and wonderful weather of the Smoky Mountains, middle Tennessee was getting pounded with rain, thunder and lightening. We were lucky today to make our way home through flooded roads and to find our home and neighborhood intact and dry. The devastation we saw on our way was horrific, many lives have been lost, people are homeless. We are in a State of emergency but know one knows about it. We have heard about a bomb in NY city that did not go off, but how much have you heard about this catastrophe. The Cumberland river is about to crest, it will destroy the city of Nashville if it reaches 50 feet, right now it has 2 feet to go. Livestock fill our pastures, they are knee deep in water and some more so. I just watched two horses being rescued on TV as the water was up to their backs. I could go on and on with all that has happened today.

My son Nick is at school in Nashville, thankfully safe and dry, he spent his day working at the Red Cross shelter set up at Lipscomb University. I am thankful.....I hear the sun will shine tomorrow and the weather will be beautiful...so hard to believe.