Found Items Made New Again

I'm at the market today altering some recently found items that will soon be new earrings, bracelets and necklaces.

Please come into my work studio with me through these photos. :)

Do you recognize any of these items?

Vintage Family Photos

Before taking up jewelry, I was obsessed with framing vintage family photos. Our dining room is covered with them and somewhat tell a story of our family. I say "somewhat" because most of these folks passed away before we had the opportunity to know them.

Mom and Dad's first Holy Communion photos framed side by side.

A favorite of my sister (seester), Susan, and our brother, Michael, both toddlers. So cute.

Dad's grandparents, immigrants from Germany.

Jeff with his mom, Doris, when he was 3 years old. Love this!

Dad, as a teenager; I swear it looks like me when I was a teen! Lol!

Dad's mother, Elsie. She passed away when I was a baby.

More later -- this is fun!

Must go sell some jewels -- happy day to you!

Loralei's Heart of Centerville Event

Many thanks to Loralei's for a wonderful evening with Art in the Heart of Centerville Friday, May 18, 2012.  They invited me to be their featured artist and to demonstrate artwork involving their customers.

I offered up a choice of vintage buttons and other earring components to make earrings for only $3.  It was a very popular event! 

Here's a photo of our first happy customer wearing her new pair of Steph's Jewels' Vintage Button Earrings!  I would have taken more photos of happy customers, but I was busy making earrings!  :)

New Year. New Lovely Ladies.

With Handmade Dayton Etsy Team's monthly meeting scheduled for tomorrow, I wanted to bring some "freebies" to share.  We like to send our customers little samples as a way to promote each other's Etsy shops.

I had so much fun last year incorporating beautiful images of Vintage Lovely Ladies into my jewelry, that I thought it might be nice to try them in a "freebie" promo item.  Little images found their way onto mini oval glass tiles mounted on pretty little filigrees.  They turned out so cool that I'm going to do something special with them... not sure what yet.... but they will definitely become the focal point of a new Steph's Jewels series.  Here's a sneak peek...

Now... I have two dilemmas.  1.) Just what exactly to design using them.  and 2.) A new idea for "freebies".  :)

While searching a flea market in Corbin, Kentucky, I found this lovely vintage rhinestone necklace with several links - what a find!  Each of these pretty little links may be just the perfect marriage my new Lovely Ladies desire!

I snapped a photo of this beautiful painting in the bathroom at a favorite coffee shop recently.  She will be a new project soon as well... stay tuned...

Any ideas on a perfect name for her?

Button Rings!

I love wire-wrapping buttons to make rings! Most of the ones I do are vintage buttons, but while I was in California recently, visiting my daughter, Steph, and her family, we also made four button rings using new buttons in a pretty design.

Gave one to my friend, Lori, one to her daughter, Erica, and Steph and I each have one, too. I think that makes us a girlfriend club!

Also made a couple for my dear two year old grand-daughter, Ella. She is tickled pink and loves her new rings :)

Enjoy some photos and if you have a special button you'd like me to make into a ring, give me a holler.

Hugs and love,
Julie

Skeleton Key Necklaces

Skeleton keys... so intriguing.

I once bought some on ebay from a small town jail in Ohio who boasted that John Dillinger was once in their jail. They were filthy dirty when I bought them, but thanks to some good old soap and water... and a little rust remover on some of them... they are good as new and make great pendants on these necklaces.

Ok, so some high-profile jewelry companies have used keys as pendants, but theirs are not "original" vintage skeleton keys... and possibly even used by a sheriff to jail John Dillinger??? How's THAT for history?!

I think that's what I love about vintage items... it's the history of all of it. Who once used this key and how old is it and what was it used for? For me... that's what makes skeleton keys so intriguing.

Organize Your Craft Supplies

Today's Facebook post by Everything Etsy http://everythingetsy.com/ was about Organizing Your Craft Supplies - Thank you Everything Etsy for your inspirational post! I was delighted to read about their suggestions because I just bought a great organizing cabinet from my friend and craftmaster, Zach.

Zach recently opened a space in Springboro, Ohio in the building that used to be the IGA at the corner of 73 and 741. It's like a fabulous neighborhood garage sale all under one roof. And Zach also features his uncanny talent for turning vintage items into furniture and home accessories! He even goes to old houses scheduled for demolition and gets the hardwood floors and makes tables from the wood. Would you ever think that a beautiful old window or door could be a funtional and unique cabinet door? Wow... you have to see his stuff to believe it...

Stop in to see Zach every week-end - Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 11-4. Let him know Julie sent you; maybe he'll offer me a discount for the referral :)

My latest purchase from him was this featured organizing unit he made from an old strawberry crate and cheese boxes. And the drawer knobs were spools for thread - fantastic idea!

I can already see my vintage buttons, crystals, keys and beads taking up new residence in these drawers and in vintage glass jars on the shelves.

When I've finished my organizing, would you like to see the finished product?

Vintage Button Necklaces

Like most artists, I find inspiration in everyday activities. My most recent inspiration came in the form of a magazine photo while catching up on Hollywood gossip in the waiting room of a doctor's office.

Kim Kardashian was sporting a fabulous vintage necklace made out of chain, chain and more chain. I liked it and gave it a moment's thought, but inpiration didn't hit until I was asleep that night... Do others realize inspiration while dreaming???

I woke up with my vision and went right to work. My lovely collection of vintage buttons are now adorning chain necklaces, one of which is modeled here by my lovely daughter, Stephanie.

While I haven't yet posted them on etsy.com, I've made seven of these beauties and I'm sure they will find their way to etsy soon.

Creativity is a Way of Life

Creativity is now a way of life for me...

As a former member of the business-suit wearing, super-mom, working in an office for a living sector of our population, I left my day-job two years ago. A little freaked out by my lay-off caused by budget limitations, I realized how totally burnt-out I was and that I would most assuredly run away screaming if I ever had to put on a business suit again! I applied for unemployment and started looking for jobs in my field of charitable fund-raising.

Organizations in my field are still doing lay-offs and early retirements and therefore, jobs are scarce. I had been making jewelry for a few years as a favorite pastime, friends and family had bought some and I had often toyed with the idea... "Wouldn't it be fun to work for myself, make and sell jewelry?" I decided to give it a try while I searched for a new job.

I applied for and did a few art shows, held open-houses in my home, did a few custom orders for friends or friends of friends, had a VistaPrint magnet made for my car and I was lucky if I broke even. I knew it was a long road ahead if I was going to make my past salary at my new business! :)

A dear friend of mine for several years, Heather, had an adorable little shop in Lebanon, Ohio called Maddie Lisee. She needed some help with her shop, so I covered for her a couple of days a week. The more time we spent together, the more time we brainstormed about jewelry and creative ways of making money. We used to call the talks our "swimming sessions" because we would brainstorm until our heads were swimming! During one of these talks, we decided it would be fun to make jewelry out of vintage, antique and found items. I made a charm bracelet out of vintage buttons and Heather made a necklace out of a chandelier crystal and we were on our way!

Creativity is now a way of life for me...