Pearl Redo

I was recently asked to make a new piece of jewelry out of a children's length pearl bracelet.  The pearls belonged to my customer's mother and she wanted to pass them on to her grown granddaughter. One thing I didn't want to do is add in pearls or beads that hadn't belonged to her mother.  I decided to add sterling silver chain and make the bracelet into a necklace. I think it's the perfect combination of a classic look with a modern twist.

Here is the bracelet before.....

 And After......

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school for my kids. Gone are the days of walking them to school or the bus stop. Gone are the days of projects made out of pipe cleaners and dry pasta. Gone are the days of Show and Tell. Oh, how time marches on. One thing I will not give up though is first day of school pictures! So here they are.........

 Matt going into 8th grade

Alison going into 10th grade

I'm sure you are both going to have a great year!!

Vintage bracelet

I just finished restringing this gorgeous vintage bracelet. 

It belonged to my customer's mother.  It has the most beautiful clasp. I love working on these vintage pieces.  I can't help but wonder....Was it a gift from an adoring spouse? Did she wear it to a neighbor's Christmas party? What color was the gown she wore it with?  I love that my customer honors her mother by wearing this special piece and has it repaired and strengthened so that she can wear it for many more years. And possibly pass it on to her daughter one day.

Last Days of Summer

Our dog Abby LOVES to swim. There is nothing that makes her happier.  I know, I'm her mom! Summer is quickly coming to a close. The pool temp is going down a few degrees every day. Abby doesn't care though, she is ready to jump right in.  Here she is getting a few last laps in before fall....

Love her!!

Paper Banners

I have been on a paper banner kick this week.  I really do love paper.  I don't know what it is about paper....the feel, the beauty, the usefulness, the history.  I've never been a writer but have always loved to use paper for it's decorative abilities.  One year in the 90's I made dozens of decorative paper mache mirrors using handmade papers.  I've made scrapbooks,cards, and paper bag books (those were fun!) Now I'm on to banners!! Here are two that I made this weekend.

I'm sure there will be many more to come :)

Summer Fun

This summer I decided to enjoy jewelry making just for the fun of it.  No pressure. Just enjoyment.  I ended up making many more pieces than I would of if I had pressured myself.  I made jewelry for friends just to brighten their day.  I enjoyed seeing their faces when they received an unexpected gift.  I even ended up having some for my Etsy shop and a local store in our town.  Here are a few pictures of what I made this summer:

Hummingbird Heaven

 We have a covered deck on the back of our house.  It is one of our favorite places to spend our free time.  The deck is one of the first places the kids look if they can't find me!  We hung a hummingbird feeder on the back deck this summer and it has brought us so much joy.  The hummingbirds found it within a day or two.  First two adults came and then two babies! They feed all day long on the sugary water we have prepared for them.  We've read that they need this sweet substance to give them energy to fly around and eat bugs (actually my husband did the reading and I'm just acting like I did). I didn't know that these amazing birds eat bugs but I am so glad that they do!

Every time the hummingbirds come to our feeder I feel like we are receiving a special treat from Mother Nature.