Spring Designs...

New spring designs are in full swing here at the Wallace homefront. Here are some pretties I will be listing this evening in my Etsy shop...

The "Holy Heart of Mary" necklace is a multistrand feast for the eyes with it's big beautiful rhinestone clasp and the handmade vintage glass reliquary as it's centerpiece. I actually made the vintage French prayer card inside the reliquary casing  three dimensional so Mary's face 'comes to life'. It was such fun to hand-make the contents of this little reliquary that I will be making several more for my upcoming spring designs.

This sweet little enamel vintage butterfly bracelet put my spring fever into overdrive. I've always had a special place in my heart for butterflies! This one is so feminine and detailed so I accented it with beautifully detailed Victorian elements, pearls and green onyx.

"Casting Stones" earrings are made with multi faceted gemstones and vintage filagree discs. When the light hits them just right, a glowing rainbow of color shines through.

This is the back of the Holy Heart of Mary necklace. It is so pretty that you can literally wear it facing the front. Two necklaces in one!!!!!

Stay tuned, next post I will share with you some of my personal vintage jewelry collection. I have been collecting old jewelry for about 15 years now and my gatherings have become quite extensive and interesting. So next time I post you can take a peek into my vintage jewelry box!!!

Fun With my New Phone...

Check out these really cool pictures I've taken with my new Iphone application called "Pocketbooth". I am enamoured with this new fun little gadget for my phone! It mimics the photos of those old timey photo booths from the good ol' days. Since I've discovered it, I haven't been able to stop taking pictures. It's my new obsession. (LOL).

My Sweet Chihuahua "Milo"...

 My mean Chihuahua, "Steve". This is what happens when you try to pick him up...

 A very cool old rusty truck we found out in the country while motorcycle riding...

 Having a bad hair day!!!! Me and the hubby on his obsession... Motorcycles! Boys will be boys.(heehee)



Treasure Chests...

I have been having so much fun lately making these necklaces with little treasure pouches on them. I love the element of a hidden surprise and I love going that extra mile to fill a locket, empty souvenir book, or an old watch case with an unexpected and sweet little surprise.

The necklace above is one of those sweet treasure chests using an old chased sterling book locket.

I filled it with a beautiful Holy Mary engraving from a vintage prayer card and on the left side I filled the space with the Latin words "Ave Maria, Gratia Plena, Dominus Tecum." In English this means,

 "Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee." Isn't that the most beautiful phrase?????

 The necklace below was made using the most stunning turn of the century beautifully engraved watch case. I call this piece "Beautiful Heroine" because of the exquisite French antique Jeanne D'Arc brooch that I place inside of the case. I used all Victorian pieces in this necklace including an old engraved cloak clip for the clasp. It is simply stunning with all of it's golden hues and the famous horseback heroine as the centerpiece.

 Judson loved his first necklace that I made for him so much, that he commissioned me to make him another. I gladly obliged with the piece below. I am loving the versatility of the really long pieces and I make sure to always pay special attention to the back so it can be worn doubled, to achieve two seperate looks. The main element of this necklace was the neat little antique souvenir book from Europe. It was already empty when I received it so I filled it with a vintage Paris street and famous monument map. Judson loves the little souvenir books and vintage rhinestones so I knew he would like this.

And who doesn't love anything Parisian?????????



A Helping Hand...

Lately, I have been so distraught over this situation going on in Japan and my heart breaks and aches for these people. I sat down last night wondering how I could help being so far away... so I sat down at my desk and began to create something in honor of these kind people. I dug through my things and found some of the prettiest old pair of art deco paste pieces and turned them into a elegant pair of earrings. 100% of the sale of these earrings will go to the American Red Cross for this specific cause. Here are the earrings...

These earrings are currently in my Etsy store. But, if you are interested in them you can also contact me via my email at the right and we can make a direct donation to the American Red Cross in exchange for the earrings.

A Beautiful Finish...

One of my favorite elements to add in my work is the finishing closure of the piece I have just created. I feel like it is the exclamation point to my work. I always strive for the back of my creation to be as beautiful as the front. I just love using gorgeous over the top clasps and draping or dangling the unexpected from them.

Below are a few of the beautiful clasps that are in my collection and that I am just dying to use...

Some finished pieces from the past with 'beautiful backsides'...

Isn't the little cameo double ring clasp just super sweet???

I love the old ornate hardware of the Victorian watch chains and fobs and really feel they make excellent clasps for my Victorian inspired designs...

The Victorian rhinestone clasp below is just so elegant and pretty. It is still attached to it's original vintage burgundy velvet fabric...I can't wait to use this special piece but just haven't had the heart to separate it from it's beautiful origin.

I also make alot of my clasps using vintage buttons, coins, religious medals and old earrings. This helps keep my pieces very one of a kind and allows me to convey a theme or create a story for my pieces.  The faux pearl and deer head clasp above are both made from old vintage findings I have had in my stash of bits and baubles and will be the perfect finish for some upcoming designs.

 The striking and colorful clasps above came from my friend Misty and her travels to Europe. She found them at a Venice flea market and they remind me of those beautiful shades of glass that is handblown from that famous city.

A New Winner...

Hello all of my kind blogging friends out there in blogland! I have picked the winner out of the good old trusty chapeau and here is the winner of the Ruby and Jeanne D' Arc earrings:

Christine H. at  The Daily Postcard.

Baby Gets a Haircut...

Not much has been happening from the jewelry bench lately because I have had a loved one in the hospital for the past couple of weeks. But I just had to share this with all of you. My sweet little furry child's new haircut! It was just too darn cute not to let the world see it...

 Before...a hairy and hot, I might add, mess...

 After.......a perfectly coifed and quite adorable mane...

"I am lion, hear me roar..."

 One last reminder about the earring giveaway... I will announce the winner next post. Just leave a comment anywhere on my blog to get put in the drawing. I can't wait to give these out...

Stay tuned... Spring designs are coming!!!!