Heads Up!

I  wanted to let you know that I'm going on a bit of a listing spree today.

(in my shop on Etsy)

The matchsticks and lampwonk nail beads have been moving pretty fast so if you're hoping to get a  chance at seeing them keep tuned today. 

Don't worry if you see something now grab it.   I'll adjust any add- ons to combine the shipping as the day goes on.

That there is a moose's tooth!

(not included)

I was hoping for some sunshine today for my photo shoot but with the third day of 50 degrees and rain I had to set up some lights so my pics may seem a little different today. 

I have 17 sets of matchsticks in an array of colors that I hope to list.

and three lampwonk nail beads

And a set of criffles.

I hope I'm not coming off as haughty, just hoping that you folks get a chance at these.

Thanks~

Glue 'em and Do 'em

It was time for a little playtime and take a break from the torch.

I really had to force myself  and not allow any more business time until I broke out the gluebook and threw together some of my vintage papers. 

Don't look for any hidden meanings in these as I was just warming up my collage brain.

Oh, I do make a mess when I do this.

Still having fun with my vintage Bible Camp craft packages that I got at a thrift store.

I'm kind of a purist using almost 100% vintage images and text.

Let's Celebrate!

( it was my best week on Etsy, it was)

Thanks for that. That circles business is really working for me.

Thanks for keeping that fire lit in my shop.

You guys have really helped me in that respect

I'm sure of it.

If you were fast you might have seen these.

They had wings and flew out of the shop so fast.

The torch fired enamel matchsticks.

I will make more and preview them here next time so you have a chance to see them.

I would like to offer up the chance to have customized colors for you if you wish.

The man has gone and left me for a month to go fishing and so forth back in the midwest.

It's a little isolated here. I only see the postal workers in our little town until I take my weekly trip to  the city to do the farmer's market 100 miles from here.

There is a young man that is living in the Garaj Mahal (my stepson) though I never see him.

Couple of moose out back.

some lawn mowing and gardening and all the time in the world to make things...

but sometimes you just don't feel  like it... especially when it's rainy... or sometimes when it's too nice out  on the other hand.

No Netflix today and the one channel we get, the public TV isn't coming in since the big winds on Sunday.

I talk to you folks, you keep me going.

Thanks.

I mean it.

Present and Past

Coinage

Some more of my torch fired enamel

These sold before I could get a decent picture.

 I was making double headed baubles for awhile last year.

I suppose I ought to take it up again. I made them on copper so they were more bendy.

Some of the Ukrainian relic bits from CoolVintage.

Simple design. I decided to keep them for myself

These deserved more than a scanner photo.

Some of the vintage tin from Sushipot

All about the crustage

Some more simple designs for the farmers market.

I got those amber cubes at the gem show many years ago

So much fun using my own Kim-ponents

Way to broaden ones stash... make it yourself.

I made these back in AZ

Time to highlight them on Etsy now that I got some better photos of them.

That hindered me for the longest time with Etsy.

I didn't feel that my photos were enough up to snuff.

A little bit of Maine mussel inspiration.

Those are my roots you know.

I was born on an island called Mt. Desert Island

Now I live in both the mountains and the desert far from any ocean.

Etsy bound as well

My newest necklace. That focal bead lingered in my shop for way too long. I took it out and etched it.

ha ha... so there!

That turquoise one was from a necklace that belonged to my mother. I didn't realize it wasn't center drilled until I went to use it.

Anyone care to help me name this one?

So I wait for a sunny, not windy window of time in which to photograph my stuff.

I set up on the deck of the Garaj Mahal.

As I'm photographing these squished crystal shaped raku frit beads I have to take them off of the wire for this shot

Then one bounces out of my hand and slips through the deck to the gravel down below.

Why did it have to be the most gravel colored bead of the whole photo shoot?

Ah, I spotted it!

Always the blogger I have to document this for you all.

On my way back up the stairs I trip banging my knee so badly that I see stars.

My camera goes flying out of my hand and bangs against the stairs as well.

Limping and yowling I hobble back to the kitchen to get an ice pack.

A bewildered husband that is weed-whacking doesn't understand what's going on.

I'm still nearly fainting and feeling like I may puke.

I explain..."hit knee... camera got banged up .... feel faint"

He decided to see if the camera still is operational.

I'm not near as pathetic as I look here, it's just that the grass felt good and I wanted to lie down for a spell. See the icepack on my knee.

I might have a small bruise that's all.

OK, I'm a bit of a pain wimp.

Back to the photo shoot.

I guess it's OK for me to do shiny sometimes, right?

Oohh, looky looky, how about those colors, hmmmm?

See how they match the rock?

So what do you think of this idea? kind of bead caps or bead cloaks or domes.

You can see how I used one in the mussel necklace

I have a few of these that I'm ready to list.

The drops were torched onto the crude  steel filigree after I shaped it.

These are admittedly kind of weird colors.

I was looking at this plant in my flower basket that had reddish brown leaves and yellow flowers.

I like to try some unusual combinations sometimes. Yellow is so hard for me.

But I used to not like orange either... remember?

I think I may have showed you this before...

but not against this stone

I haven't made many headpins in awhile.

This is some new glass and it's just one color!

It's call Lichen.

this is also just one color called Calico.

Did you know headpins with out a 'd' is heapins?

I need to make heapins more

Shiny shiny lentil sets.

 These will turn into my more classic simple "just the lampwork bead ma'am"

earrings most likely.

Not everyone is crazy about doodads and assemblage earrings.

Some folks just can't wear long earrings either.

( where's the fun in that, I ask you?)

And to balance out my aforementioned wimpeydom

I'll give you  some shots from "back in the day"

This is the Jones Homestead before it got all "blowed up"

Mind you this photo was taken 30 years after I lived there.

I did have a dog once... along time ago

but I relinquished her in a breakup.

She went with the truck.

Puna was a golden retriever/sled dog mix with blue eyes

I had upgraded to a rental by the time this pic was taken in '78

It had propane lights and a propane cookstove.

Moving up!

And these were the boys I was hanging out with. 

We never seen the like back in New England where I was from.

Yeah, badass uh huh!

More badassedness here if you like these kind of stories from my past.

Putting on the Blitz...a listing frenzy

I was feeling kind of listless... 

meaning I hadn't listed anything in my shop lately. 

Conditions hadn't been all that great for photography...

wind...clouds... rain

Besides I'd been busy in the studio and taking you all on tours...

and dealing with my roneriness

This is what happens when I'm sipping bourbon and watching Deadwood in the evening.

Good thing I didn't name them F****ing C*cks***er earrings.

My friend on FB says why bother to put symbols in your swear words, if you have to do that  don't even bother to use the word then.

I say F*** Y**! to her

and I didn't want to have to put an adult warning on my blog... so there!

Torch enameled discs turning into earrings

they'll go under my NuministaChic earring category

Put up a boatload of listings in my shop today

These are ultra large

A little of everything

LampWONK

Criffles

Studnik

beads all aglow and crusty

This was a *WIP and ReWIP and unWIP and ReWIP

since way last year. 

I just couldn't get the buttons to lay right and behave and look good once it was off of the design table.

The copper okra and a few other adjustments finally taught it a lesson and it finally hangs the way I want.

* Work In Progress

While I'm at it I've got another WIP to show you

These are some earrings I started last year. Only thing is the vintage button shank is glass so it may easily break with the headpin going through it. I think I solved that by gluing leather to the back and thusly securing the headpin and the glass to the Chinese coin.

Those were going to be the earrings but then these little torch enameled copper discs showed up on my table.... next to the bourbon

How cool would it be to rivet them to the coin!

But it's a delicate operation probably not suitable for a pounding.

Anvilartifacts suggested a faux rivet.

I like that idea.