Sometimes It's Okay to Leave Upcycling to the Professionals

I can upcycle old and unwanted items into jewelry...that's what I'm good at.  This project, however, was out of my league.

I had a regular patio table similar to the one below but unfortunately, a rush of wind came along early this year and the umbrella happened to be open and brought the table over with it, breaking the glass within the table!

Instead of throwing out the frame, I decided to have my Dad cut out some wood a bit bigger than the top so I could make a mosaic with broken glass.  Don't do what I did - choose broken ceramic tiles instead!  I couldn't find any broken tiles, so I bought broken glass from Hobby Lobby and Mom bought the grout somewhere else.  Knowing that the uneven glass could cut, I decided to put some resin on top, but that didn't help.  What ultimately helped was a power sander I borrowed from a neighbor!

Large planter with gravel & PVC pipe to hold the umbrella.

Now, it doesn't look very polished like a table you would find in a store, but it serves its purpose and adds more color to the back yard.  However, I think I'll leave this kind of upcycling to a local artist whose works of art already decorate my back yard.

"God has a low branch for the bird that cannot fly."

"Feed Me....Will Chirp for Food"

For those who live in or near Jackson, Mississippi, the talented upcycler who made my bird feeder is Mary Williams.  You may contact her at 601-214-4702.

Going Under the Knife, Part II

It's been done!  On March 4th, I went to the Day Surgery Clinic at UMC and had an open surgery, unlike the endoscopic procedure I posted before.  So naturally, it will be a very long time before my hand feels no traces of pain, numbness or tingling and have better strength, so I will not be doing any heavy work for at least the next 3 months.

Look at this sucker!!!

It was my first major surgery ever and the most jarring part of it to me was when I woke up (and don't remember dosing off) with my lower arm wrapped in huge cotton batting and a large ace bandage.

Yuck!

I also had a trigger thumb that the doctor detected which is nice, because I didn't, so she fixed that as well. Having a morbid sense of humor and curiosity, I couldn't help but undo it all to see what my hand looked like.  I felt a bit of dissociation and amazement at the same time.  It's absolutely awe-inspiring what doctors can do!

Two boring weeks later (because I could hardly do anything, so I basically just slept, ate and watched TV), I took out the stitches on my thumb because the gauze and cotton were constantly tugging at them.  I let the surgeon take out the rest at the next appointment and to show her my gratitude, I have her a pair of fleur-de-lis charm earrings I made a while ago and she loved them!

For What It's Worth: An Antiques Roadshow for Men?

I'm an Antiques Roadshow fanatic!  Of course, being me (and since the grass is always greener on the other side), I always watch the show filmed in the UK (now on cable channel, Ovation).

I don't think a lot of American guys would be interested in the British version, but there is hope for those who love antiques, and I don't mean just Civil War guns and sports memorabilia!

I don't normally watch the VH1 channels on cable, but there's a show on VH1Classic that I have lately added to my DVR list and that is called "For What It's Worth".  The show is based in Brooklyn and two cool guys host the show (Gary Dell'Abate & John Hein).  On each episode I've seen so far, they visit neat places and people, then later value items that people nearby bring to the show.

In the first episode I saw, Dell'Abate and Hein visited "History for Hire", a company that rents out historical props to film companies, theaters and the like.  "History for Hire" has a massive building where there is an aisle for every war and decade you can think of!  Later on, a woman came by to show her self-portrait done by singer John "Cougar" Mellencamp.  Though she said she would never sell it, it was valued at $15,000!

So check out this show!  There have been visits to personal collections (including one with all the superstar costumes from Batman, Wonderwoman, etc.) and old record stores to buy re-issued albums in vinyl!  Much worth watching!!!

The Southern Lady

I just have to post this because it is so true!

"The prologue to Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady" by Florence King, ISBN 0-312-05063-1

"There are ladies everywhere, but they enjoy generic recognition only in the South. There is a New England old maid but not a New England lady. There is a Midwestern farm wife but not a Midwestern lady. There is most assuredly a California girl, but if anyone spoke of a California lady, even Phil Donahue and Alan Alda would laugh. If you wish to understand the American woman, study the Southern woman.

The sweetening process that feminists call 'socialization' is simply a less intense version of what goes on in every Southern family. We call it 'rearing'. If the rearing is successful, it results in that perfection of femininity known as a lady. I was reared. On the day in 1948 that I got my first period, my grandmother gave me a clipping. I suppose it came from the Daughters' magazine since she never read anything else. It said: When God made the Southern woman, He summoned His angel messengers and He commanded them to go through all the star-strewn vicissitudes of space and gather all there was of beauty, of brightness and sweetness, of enchantment and glamour, and when they returned and laid the golden harvest at His feet, He began in their wondering presence the work of fashioning the Southern girl. He wrought with the golden gleam of the stars, with the changing colors of the rainbow's hues and the pallid silver of the moon. He wrought with the crimson that swoons in the rose's ruby heart, and the snow that gleams on the lily's petal. Then, glancing down deep into His own bosom, He took of the love that gleamed there like pearls beneath the sun-kissed waves of a summer sea, and thrilling that love into the form He had fashioned, all heaven veiled its face, for lo, He had wrought the Southern girl.

That my mother referred to this paean as 'a crock of shit' goes far to explain why Granny worked so hard at my rearing. She was a frustrated ladysmith and I was her last chance. Mama had defeated her but she kept the anvil hot for me and began hammering and firing with a strength born of desperation from the day I entered the world until the day she left it. This is the story of my years on her anvil. Whether she succeeded in making a lady out of me is for you to decide, but I will say one thing in my own favor before we begin. No matter which sex I went to bed with, I never smoked on the street."

What's New In Store

I had to make lots of jewelry for the last two weeks due to an upcoming surgery for carpal tunnel problems, since I won't be able to work for 2 weeks after the operation.  So here's what I've churned out so far:

Spent Bullet Bird Houses - $48 & $35

Wonderful for bird watchers, mothers and daughters!


This pendant is 1-3/4 an inch long and is made from a brass spent bullet, a bird charm and other findings. It comes ready-to-wear on an 18 inch  chain.

Sequined Turquoise Ball with Freshwater Pearls - $35

Add two rows of chain, some pale brown glass beads and you've got a bracelet certain to turn heads! The sequined 

ball with its floral bead caps and the brass chains are authentic vintage.

Length: 7-3/4 inches (but can be adjusted to the buyers specifications)

Branch Necklace - $40

A branch necklaces is a necklace that displays mismatched bits and bobs from the past and present. It's branch is usually made from a piece of wire 20 inches long and thin folded in half.

This branch was made from 2 pieces of wire for a more robust and organic look.

The items on this branch from L to R are as follows: a bee charm, dark red leaf glass bead, costume jewelry droplet, pink glass bead, faceted light blue briolette, a faux pearl and a cloisonne bead.

Length of chain: adjustable up to 22 in.

What's It Worth?

I make jewelry from vintage found objects (postcards, keys, monocles) and even old jewelry. But every once in a while, I find signed pieces that I could never incorporate into my work because they have their own stories to be told, so I sell them to collectors whenever I find them in my stash.

How do I know what they're worth?  Well......I'll tell ya!  Thanks to "Antiques Roadshow" on Ovation and my Internet detective skills, I think I've got a pretty good way to find out the value of beautiful old things!

1)  Look at the back of each piece to see if there is a hallmark/trademark/signature of some kind.  Try to make out what it says. For example, this is a Florenza Starfish Pin.

2)  In your search engine (ex. bing.com), type in the hallmark and what the piece is (necklace/pin/ring, etc.).  If you can, also type in what it looks like (starfish), what materials are in it (rhinestones) and what color(s) it is in.  Example:  Florenza Pin Starfish Rhinestone Pink Green Black

3)  Do not hit “Enter” on your keyboard.  Instead, click on the word “Images” above or below the search bar.  On bing.com, it is the first word on the top of the screen.

4)  Scroll down to find a picture of your item, if you have to.  For every picture you find, click on it with your right mouse button and select “Open link in new tab”.  Stop when you have found around 5-10 pictures of your piece.

5) On each tab, read the address of the site that is hosting that picture.  Somewhere you will see something like “View Source” or “View Page”.  Click on that to see what the site says about your piece and its maker.  If you find your piece on eBay, Etsy, Ruby Lane, look for the price.  This should give you an idea of what it is worth.  After that, if you find someone on the Internet that collects that brand of jewelry, contact him or her and ask them if they are interested in buying!

Adding Stories to Pieces

I majored in English in College and wanted to be a writer, but wasn't very good, grammar-wise.  Now, 17 years later, I'm giving story-telling another shot, but in short bits to add intrigue to my work.  Here's an example (and let me know what you think):

Silver Russian Fountain Pen Necklace

It's a snowy day as usual in St. Petersburg as Galina's boots crunch on her way to get groceries. On the way back home, her eyes catch a glimmer of silver in a window display belonging to a second hand shop. The glimmer was an old fountain pen made in the Ukraine in the 1970s and it became part of a necklace that the shop owner was selling. She has always wanted to be a writer like Leo Tolstoy and write romantic and tragic, stream-of-consciousness novels and knew that this would be her ticket to inspiration!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Made also with a vintage faceted clear bead and a single freshwater pearl in the color matching the outside of the pen.

Length: 17-1/2 in.

A Relic From My Childhood, Part 1

My brother Rob and his wife Kris have had their own child, a son named Gage.  Now they want to adopt a girl.  Having no children of my own, I've decided to pull out my old doll house that was made by hand by my  late maternal grandfather.

My initials were an extremely nice touch!

My cousin, Amy, had one just like it and her initials are on it too.  Not bad, eh?  However, they were both made in the 70's and the interior certainly does show it!

Wallpaper has fallen off over time.

Yuck!!!

Rob and Kris will probably adopt sometime this decade (most likely when the economy gets better), so I will be taking my time, but I will also be redecorating the interior that I think will stand the test of time (I'll be hiring a great interior decorator....my mom!).

Going Under the Knife

It's time!  No more putting it off!  I'm having my right wrist fixed thanks to advanced Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  So far, I've had the nerve induction test and the left wrist can thankfully waist four - six more years till it's time comes.  I have an appointment in February to talk to the doctor about what she has seen from the test and when to come in for the operation.  I've been told that it takes 2 weeks after surgery to feel like I can do some light beading (and then 6 weeks to do some light hammering I guess).  Wish me luck!  From what I've seen and heard, this new way they do the surgery looks pretty neat!  If you get queasy when it comes to watching operations, don't watch the video, but it gives you a neat idea of how they do it (endoscopically with a camera)!

And the Winner is.....

Susan Gauch of New York!

The others who entered will be getting a little happy some time this month.