Noir Fleur - the Black Flower

I love buying old "junk" jewelry and recently found an Etsy shop that sells great stuff - do not know how many hours a day this vendor must spend sorting, or where she finds her "finds" - but I'm addicted.

I first found Savage Attic when searching for rhinestone jewelry for a friends' wedding in May....now I visit her shop nearly every day. Recently, a lot of black beaded jewelry caught my eye and soon it was on its way to my studio. Combined with other black and gold beads, pins, findings and brooches already hiding in my stash, last week my vision came together as Noir Fleur.

This piece is comfortable (I'm actually wearing it now!), not too heavy and could be worn with something very classy  - your best LBD. It would also work great with a crisp white shirt and a little black leather jacket.

Gold metal (brass and some gold-plate) brooches and chain, black glass and acrylic beads and brooch, a large black/gray/cream stone bead of unknown pedigree, rhinestones and glass pearls, a couple old earrings and some found metal pieces and dangles.

Clasp is also re-purposed...and matches perfectly.

My current fave is the "statement necklace" - ever since seeing Mrs. Obama where a fab Tom Binns necklace at the Kennedy Center Honors....

So great - wonder how he attaches those old pieces together??? Or maybe they are NOT vintage pieces, but new ones??? Anyway, that's what I like, in case you want to get me something for my birthday.....
but for now, guess I'm content making up my own creations.

Bead Stash Blues

In response to a post on Beading Daily which asked readers how they store their personal bead stashes....I took another look at my studio. Messy, again. But still my "happy place"....when I am home long enough to be in there.

Beading Daily was asking about stash storage - which would take me all day to share, and is likely similar to many others who have bead additions. But since I frequently take my beadwork on the road when we travel I thought I'd post how I manage to include quite a few of my beloved seed beads.

I prefer my seed beads in clear tubes for easy viewing. (Somehow, it looks like more beads, although a 2" filled ziplock baggie actually holds about the same amount.) I have a great wooden box that is about 4 inches deep, measuring roughly 10" x 12", which is divided into 9 spaces. Each space will hold nearly two dozen upright bead tubes, sorted by color group, with room for a scissors, wire snipper, needle box and thread. This box sits on the floor between my feet, where I can get at them when we drive all day. (My hubbie loves road trips....not a flier....and he's retired. This is my sanity.)

When packing for a trip, I get inspired and see many potential bead combinations that I might need so now I just take lots. By no means is this all of my seed beads, but they can't all come....I'm seriously in love with seed beads, but not completely bonkers.

Of course, along in the back seat is a tool bag with my favorite pliers, a few findings, crimps and spools of wire....just in case.

Sweetie Belle

Okay, I admit it. I am ADDED (Attention Deficit Disorder Extra Distractible).....but my latest favorite thing to create is widely known as Statement Jewelry.

After making Rachel's wedding necklace (see previous post) I tried again, using reclaimed vintage brooches, earrings, beads and pearls. Nothing in this is innately valuable - the white daisies are some type of hard plastic, the petals of the large blue brooch are also plastic.

• Blue plastic and metal brooch
• Gold and pastel brooch
• Brass flower with blue rhinestones
• Enameled 3-flower earring
• Section of white daisy bracelet links
• Metal earring with large Aurora rhinestones
• Yellow and blue faux pearls
• Blue glass oval beads
• White and Pink glass beads (various shapes)
• Antique Faceted glass Mardi Gras beads
• Large blue Rhinestone set dangle
• Bezeled glass chain

The large center brooch is brass or gold-colored metal with enameling, aurora rhinestones and glass pear and navette cabs.  All the beads and faux pearls came from reclaimed jewelry. I replaced corroded wires and used new shiny brass headpins for all the dangles.The clasp is custom made by me....but the back dangle is from a real Mardi Gras necklace from back in the day when they actually threw real jewelry from the floats.

I love re-using these pieces. It looks great on and the individual pieces would just be sitting in an old box somewhere, unused...

Now, what to do with it? I never wear these colors! So maybe it will go into Eclectics Gallery or to my Etsy store....but first pricing, the most difficult thing for me.

OK - It's on display and for sale at Eclectics Gallery in Kansas City. But if you want to purchase it, contact me through my Etsy shop at www.bylynette.etsy.com. Price is $240.

Weddings.....

Just spent the weekend at the best kind of wedding - someone else's daughter! Got to be part of the wedding "in crowd" by virtue of Dale playing for the service AND daughter (Laura) being in the wedding.

Without going into TOO much back-story, the bride (Rachel) was in college with Laura, was in Laura's wedding and we've gotten to know her well over the past 8 years. Rachel is a professional church worker (read: not rich) AND on the board of the Haiti Mission Project, has spent time in Haiti including since the hurricane and in fact was marrying a Haitian man (read: not the type to spend $20,000+ on wedding stuff).

She picked a lovely, simple asymmetrical dress from a well-known bridal chain and Laura asked if I couldn't please make her something to wear with it. Her colors were navy blue (which the bridesmaids wore) and sparkle, so we planned to loan her several rhinestone bracelets to wear to bling up her dress. The one-shouldered top was perfect for an asymmetrical statement necklace, using ivory, rhinestones and pearls.

The result (shown below) used 3 strands of vintage faux pearls, a partial rhinestone necklace (plus some additional lengths of rhinestone strands) and a stand of clear beads. Other items included were:
silver metal filigree with crystal rivoli (from an angel brooch)
a pearl and rhinestone earring
a gold flower earring
a gold-tone earring with white metal flowers with rhinestone centers

 a rhinestone rivoli pendant

a blue glass setting and a couple blue faceted dangles
a link from a broken silver bracelet
several blue pearls, faceted crystals and lots of ivory pearls, with brass balled headpins and s few bead caps adding touches of gold.

It was great fun to create and the bride loved it. She looked stunning. And everything in the necklace was repurposed/reused.

Tiaras for Mum

Don't know why a farm girl from Iowa would love tiaras  (hate pageants, BTW) but I do.Maybe it was watching "A Queen for a Day" on TV in the 50s (when I was a VERY SMALL CHILD!!!)

Sparkles. Jewels. So much cooler than barrettes.

So now I can just make them. and I have been doing just that.

Some of these are wearable....but I know that most people who may love tiaras and crowns most likely won't wear them much....so some are really designed for your Queen Mum (Mom) to hold her crown jewels (Grandkids photos).

Like this...(aren't my sister's grandkids and my nephews cute???)

I really like the copper and turquoise combination.

But tiaras to wear are cool, too, like this one from stained glass.

Yup, it's a bit heavy. So, ask any monarch if wearing a crown isn't hard work!
This one is lighter....

Then there's this - made from an old silver-plated basket. It was all dented and bent, partly detached from the very crumpled bowl. Found it in the back of my friend Dewey's truck (he's a metal recycler...good friend to have!) Now it's a circlet crown, of sorts. Maybe Laura will like it.

Such fun. Happy Spring.