Heavenly French Relics

I had been admiring this old red velvet and ceramic crucifix for a very long time in my favorite antique store, Antiques on Holiday, when I had decided it was time to go for it, and bring Jesus home! I plan to hang this gorgeous piece in my art studio, the spare room in my house which I am currently preparing to take over. (sorry hubby, but the weight bench will look fine in the garage!)

This piece is really neat, in the fact that it is actually an old abalone shell converted over to a holy water font. It comes from Notre Dame, the Holy icon is beautifully detailed and the irridescent colors of the shell are stunning!

These beautiful French mother of pearl rosaries are incredible relics too! I've never seen them as long and big as these magnificent pieces. The longest strand has the sweetest sterling puffed hearts and carved MOP fish  all throughout. Very unique, and I may have to leave it just the way it is, because it's just INCREDIBLE with all of it's exquisite details!

Don't you love the way the mother of pearl just glows and light ups with a little bit of light added to it.

They are Just Heavenly!

Some Excitement on the Homefront...

Before I get to the excitement around here, I just wanted to show you what I've been working on lately. This is my buckle bracelet of the week...

I will try to start posting at least one a week. I've got to start working on that buckle collection! If I don't, I just might be featured on one of those hoarding shows (ha ha).

Although the rhinestone piece that this bracelet is designed around is not a buckle, the piece was big enough to take centerstage in a design like an old buckle would have taken. This rhinestone piece is actually an old art deco dress clip! Pretty fabulous, huh? They just don't make those fabulous big pieces like they used too! I accented with a real old shell cameo, rhinestones, rose quartz, tourmaline, pearls, and garnets. You can see more pictures of this piece in my etsy store.

These little petite vintage steel cut French buckles are the perfect size for a fabulous pair of earrings! I draped vintage bezel cut crystals from the bottom of them to add some more sparkle. These are currently in my etsy store too. They would be great to wear for the holidays!

SICK....

...is what I was after my most favorite jewelry prop broke in pieces during my photo session of those French steel earrings. I was chasing a lizard around my bedroom, trying not to touch him and to get him out the door, (so he wouldn't starve to death in my room and because I just don't like killing anything) when my whole prop table turned upside down. Well I guess it's time to find another vintage alabaster bird bowl. The hunt

 is ON!

And finally for the excitement....

This is baby Milo. He is a 4 pound chihuahua that I rescued from our local animal shelter rescuer.

He is the sweetest dog ever, I have not heard him bark one time in the 3 days that he has lived with us!

Milo, living like the little prince that he is! Milo will never have to live in fear again of being abused or abandoned! We just are so in love with him, and he is going to make a great addition to our family.

...and he lives happily ever after, The End.

A Beautiful French Bounty

My awesome and most kind friend, Misty has made yet another trip to Europe and look at what she has brought me back from the Paris flea markets... a beautiful bounty of one of a kind treasures! What an incredible friend to go shopping for me, in a foreign country. I know it is probably hard enough to buy what she needs for her big and beautiful antique store, much less to have and worry about my needs. Well, I have to thank her from the bottom of my heart that she was thoughtful enough to do this for me...

Thank You sweet Misty!!!

One of my favorite things she brought back for me is that extra large mother of pearl rosary, and the carved jet Victorian brooch, and the Lourdes rosary center that used to contain water from the sacred place itself, and the...oh I love it ALL! Isn't it a great bounty!

The mother of pearl rosary is the largest one I have ever seen!

The silver slide locket to the right side of the picture has the most amazing color of old velvet inside, moss green. I think I was more hypnotized by that feature than the locket itself!

This little sparkly batch came from an old French theatre. How cool is that? The gold pieces to the right were French belts that the actors would use in their performances. I plan to make earrings with the individual panels. I have enough to make several pair, let me know if you would like me to custom design you a pair!

Those two sparkly pieces are also drop dead gorgeous! Really not sure what the large prong set crystal star was used for in the theater, but it is breathtaking! And of course the glittery little rhinestone star collar is a wonderful costume piece!

Here are some of my latest designs, with all of the October birthdays in my family, I haven't had time to do much creating, but here's what I've manage to fit in to my design agenda lately...

 "Mary's Window of Opportunity" necklace.

I just LOVE these old statue reliquaries. This is one of the prettiest little statuettes and glass case I have ever seen! If you look closely at the bottom of the statue, it looks like Mother Mary is standing in a cloud. So Cool!!! This necklace is hard not to keep for myself. (LOL)

The necklace above was specifially designed for my stepmother for her birthday (yes another October birthday). When I was out antiquing a few weeks ago, I just so happen to find one of those old script pins with her name inscribed in it. I knew when I saw it I just had to make her a necklace for her birthday with it...Divine intervention,

 I guess...

Don't Let the Cute Fool You...

To celebrate Halloween on my blog, I've decided to post some pictures of last year's most festive costumes. Since this year I will be too busy....you guessed it....'makin' jewelry', to partake in the costuming festivities, reminiscing will have to tie me over until next year.

Don't let the cuteness fool you...the costume above suits his personality.

He is the meanest Chihuahua on the planet. But I say that with the utmost affection!

              

          Bear is my sweet, sweet Pomeranian, so I found it only fitting that he have an angel costume.

Or is that an Olivia Newton John "Let's Get Physical" music video costume??

The cutest little witch I ever saw was my little 3 year old niece, Camryn. This was her first real Halloween and she really got into the candy aspect of it!

That's me in the center as a pudgy little Amy Winehouse. My sister is to my right and my brother-in-law is to my left. He did a great job on his own makeup!

And last but not least... this sweet little darling I just had to share with you. She is a miniauture Affon Pincher and is just completely adorable! We got a good laugh at these pictures because she looks like a little character from Sesame Street. She's all ready for Halloween!

Buckle Collecting...

Over the past few years I have been collecting buckles. I just started gathering them and I couldn't stop! Rhinestone, cut steel, enameled, Art Deco, Victorian, just about any type of old vintage buckle I could get my hands on. What I have photographed here is just a small fraction of what I actually have in my collection.(yes, I know, I have some problems) I have gathered these little pretties in hopes of starting a one of a kind bracelet jewelry line. Well thanks to a push from a nice little client from Atlanta, I am off and rolling. Stay tuned here, because I will be posting pictures of the one-of-a-kind pieces as I finish them. I leave you with my latest bracelet creation, "The Vintage Turquoise and Tassell Bracelet". Currently for sale in my etsy store, this piece was created using this gorgeous vintage piece of slab turquoise set in a very old prong style setting. This piece is really Gooooorgeous, and with it's silvery freshwater pearls, vintage rhinestones, and old abalone, this bracelet really stands out as very unique from all the rest I've created.