I own a piece from i heart fink, and I dearly love it. Pictured above, the Talk Talk Frock, which, if/when I have some extra dough I’ll ask them to make in my size (this one appears to be a 2/4). Frankly, everything in this shop is really cute and supah stylish. Their tagline: Nouveau Flowerchild Chic Garments Handmade by 2 Dames sums it up nicely. You’ll find gorgeous and unique hand-screened prints turned into really charming one-of-a-kind tops and dresses, with clean lines, excellent fit/drape and sweet details like pintucks and such. Read more about this dynamic duo (one lives in Brooklyn, one in Santa Fe) on their Featured Seller interview.
Although my taste tends toward the baroque, occasionally something very simple and elegant grabs ahold of me and won’t let go. I pay a lot of visits to Sarah Robinson’s shop: La Chica de los Anillos, which Yahoo’s Babelfish site translates from Spanish to The Girl of the Ring.
I’m struck by the quietude of these pieces, and yet my favorite ring (the one I want to be the girl of), pictured above, carries a lot of emotion. I don’t want to try to attach a particular “story” to this object, but for me, there is one, evocative, poetic, beautiful, a little dark.
All of Robinson’s reasonably-priced handcrafted rings are beautiful; above is another favorite. I love how the prongs are an emphasized design element, highlighting a concept of capture. The stone turned upside down is just a wonderful bit of humor, turning the idea of a diamond ring literally on its head. Rustic, organic, subversive, lovely.
Took a break from the tin moth factory today to work on my bead stringing. Decided it was time to make these miniscule crimps and tips look all professional-like, so I watched a YouTube tutorial and got to work. The video really helped, altho these findings are so tiny you’ll see the camera-person struggling to keep them in focus! I had to watch it twice. FYI, pretty much anything jewelry-related that you want to learn via demonstration lives on YouTube somewhere. Soldering, beading, wire-wrapping… just search and see what you come up with. I’ll try to post some more links to some of my favorites. Wait, I need to learn how to embed video in the blog… let’s see…
Ok, how cool is that?! Great, because one of my Favorite Thing posts is going to be a short video that I’m shooting. Sorry… I’m talking to myself!
Not really sure where this necklace is going, but so far, having fun with the materials, colors, and a certain powerful feeling that’s emanating from the main focal. Not to get all woo-woo on you people.
I’ve posted links to this shop before, but I just can’t stay away from Junkprints, whose shop tagline is “Clothing, Accessories, Art and General Dopeness.” To that, I’d say, yup. The hand-printed cuffs, pictured above, would look so adorable with a sleeveless top, or peeking out from under a suit jacket, don’t you think? The pair listed is man-sized, at 10.5 inches, so guys, get your riot on.
The genius grrl behind JunkPrints is Chanel Kennebrew. Her bio describes her work as “…smarter than fashion, less pretentious than art, looser than design and good for the soul,” and lists The Democratic Convention and Lady Gaga amongst her clientele. Everyone from The New York Times to ReadyMade mag has given props to this one-woman creative powerhouse of handcraft. Pictured above is the Smile Now Die Later pin, just $7. Perfect stocking stuffer ya’ll.
I had the pleasure of seeing Andrew Zangerle’s work in real life at Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn this year and when I got home I found his shop–The Maple Ridge–on Etsy. Pictured above, The Music Couple, hand-sculpted and hand-painted and just 2.5 inches tall. Not only are these little guys so darkly adorable and amazingly crafted, the text descriptions of each couple are fantastical and hilarious little short stories that breathe even more life into Zangerle’s work. You’ll also find his equally charming and subversive original drawings (with great text) for sale. Support artists for the holidays (and every day)!
Taking a break from an intense day in the studio to survey my progress and share it with you.
This is Lawrence Moth, one of about 5 that are in various stages of completion. He’s a brooch with a slightly shorter wingspan than the necklace version. This is heavy duty old tin, tough to cut!
This is a new brooch, a Chanukah gift for someone special.
Second little book charm, will be punched for a necklace. This one has a bit of a gardening theme.
I couldn’t decide which piece to use for front vs. back, so this is the back.
What is NOT to love? Football legend, and all around super great guy, Rosey Grier gets major props for being the first big man to publicly attest to the fabulousness that is stitch-craft. This collectible how-to book, Needlepoint for Men, published in 1973, is available from vintage store Retro Vertigo. If you buy it, don’t tell me b/c I will have to destroy you. JK, if you can afford it, please give it a good home. BTW RetroVertigo is jam packed with amazing finds… from vintage psyche ward drug cups (bulk lot!) to an amazing collection of vintage mugshots.
If contemporary manbroidery intrigues you (and why wouldn’t it?), you should also head over to Mr. X Stitch, a wonderful blog run by another big stitchy man (and a Brit!), Jamie Chalmers along with co-conspirateur, the amazingly talented Beefranck, where you’ll find graffiti patterns, hilarious (and R-rated) samplers and other stitchgasms.
It was over at Mr. X Stitch that I learned about Fine Cell Work, an organization that trains prisoners in the UK in paid, skilled, creative needlework to foster hope, discipline, and self esteem. The beautiful work, like the pillow pictured above, is for sale on their site.
This is the first in a series of once-per-day posts through the entire month of December in order to share with you some of the things that I love, and to assist you in tracking down some of the best of the best of the handcrafted (and maybe vintage) marketplace.
Clothmoth’s shop is full of sweet, gorgeously crafted and slightly twisted dolls, with a sprinkling of original art works also for sale… very dreamlike and sensitive graphite drawings. In her profile, clothmoth describes taking inspiration from animals, and notes that she is a member of the Etsy Ugly Cute Team!
Unbelievably, I never knew that there was a bead crack den warehouse located in an unassuming light industrial area just a few miles from my house. A metal door at the end of an empty parking lot is simply marked “Marvin Schwab.”
Marvin, it turns out, is a real guy, with a whole lotta beads. Hence the name of his business: The Bead Warehouse. When he is not carting TRUCK LOADS of beads to the warehouse, or from the warehouse to a trade show, he will open his stock to the public, about twice monthly or by special appointment should you need a large quantity.
The place isn’t huge, but it is sizable and crammed floor to ceiling with grids of hanging strands, boxes, bins, and showcases of beads and findings from all corners of the world. At the top of the post, some old brass with gorgeous patina, dug out of a dusty box. Above, collectible beads from Africa at really really great prices.
I almost never buy full strands of beads b/c they are expensive and I don’t need that many of one thing. My friend and I split the graduated strand of crystals above, and I’m going to give her some of the gorgeous opalite chunks too.
These are lovely hand-painted wooden beads from India along with some weird silver foil and candy pink beads that I can not really figure out. They all look like little toys.
I can’t wait to patina these lovely charms. On their backs is a stamped OM symbol. Gorgeous. Also pictured are resin beads that mimic bone and some tiny genuine bone beads.
The strand of wavy beads above is old, and incredibly cool, in a shade of blue-green that is wonderful. I was told these are wood, but they seem like some other material to me. Also pictured are luscious limey yellow glass and tiny bright red beads.
The large glass beads pictured above have really unusual confetti inclusions as well as some copper dust floating about. They were the first beads I spotted, at which point my heart started pounding in my chest. Surrounding them in the photo are very old glass teardrop charms with a crusty aurora borealis finish. These were dug out of a box of dusty glassine-bagged beads.
I have a small stash of these old reflector cabs, but could not resist adding to it. The emerald-cut glass stones are just gorgeous. There was a box of this kind of stuff gathering dust on a shelf. I think these are 1930’s glass but I’d love to know more about the reflectors if anyone out there has info. I’ve honestly never seen them in vintage jewelry, but they are magnificent.
Check the website for dates/hours that the Bead Warehouse will be open on any given month, as well as for directions. An off-the-beaten-path treasure trove that was a really fun experience since most of my supplies are purchased online these days. A special thanks to the anthropologist and his lovely wife for turning me onto this place and escorting me on such a fun field trip.
Born in Ontario, Canada in 1934, the Dionne quintuplets were the first set of quints known to survive their infancy. Four months after their birth, their parents were deemed unfit and the five girls were made wards of the King and moved into a specially built compound where they lived for 9 years.
At that point, the government began to profit from them by making them into a significant tourist attraction. Approximately 6000 visitors per day arrived at the observation gallery surrounding the sister’s outdoor playground at Quintland turning the children into a $500 million dollar industry rivaling Niagra Falls.
In birth order the identical quintuplets were: Yvonne, Annette, Cécile, Emilie and Marie. A sixth baby was stillborn.
The year of their birth a set of five souvenir collectible spoons was issued by Carlton Silverplate.
In 1954 Emilie Dionne joined a convent in Ste Agathe, north of Montreal. In August of that year, she died alone in her bed, suffocating to death during an epileptic seizure. The Dionnes had kept her “shameful” condition of epilepsy a secret.
The spoons are highly detailed, with a front/back depiction of each sister in a polka dot dress, along with her name.
Bracelet from forged spoon, with 6 sisterly beaded/charmed dangles and a mourning ribbon affixed. Four other bracelets in progress.
Two of the sisters, Annette and Cecile, are alive today.
