Meet the Pixie Chicks!

Happy Easter everyone!!  I've been itching to try something new for a while....something fanciful and just, well....SILLY!!  As in my jewelry, I love to mix it up using unexpected combinations.  These two gals are up and ready for ADVENTURE!  They are crafted from reclaimed fabrics that have seen better days....sweaters, jeans, and shirts.  Their faces say it all---it's time to party!!!

The Pixie Chicks have jean pockets on their backs loaded with some type of confection that they need for the road....in this case, it's sour Skittles----and they AREN'T sharing!!  The pockets can hold any little treasure found along the path or perhaps a tooth for the tooth fairy??!!  These would make perfect gifts for children.  Stay tuned...they will soon have their own Etsy Shop!!

Old Hollywood

When I came across this powder tin I fell in LOVE....the colors, the pattern, those gold and black stripes!  It reminded me of something that may have been on Rita Hayworth's dressing table back in the day with a cute puff inside.  It sat for quite a while in my studio...I didn't want to rush it.  Yesterday I finally got a vision--and I was determined to milk as many pieces as I absolutely could from it!!

The words written in french....ahhhh......

I was set on using those stripes in one of the pieces, so these were the first pieces I created...graphic yet soft at the same time!

Had to create a necklace, of course, and I wanted to capture all of the little details in the patterns!

I so wanted to use the pretty arch on the lid where the turquoise met the stripes and combine it with the flowers.  I'm so sad that this tin is long gone now (at least the flower portion), but I'm happy with how much I was able to get out of it!!

Back To Haight-Ashbury

I've had a trio of tea tins that I've been dying to cut into....and I knew just what I wanted to make!  This bracelet reminds me of something one of the flower children may have worn while hanging around the Haight-Ashbury district back in the 60's....full of color and what else--FLOWERS!!

And these, my friends, are what has kept me going until the wee hours creating in the studio!  Behold "Rolo Sandwiches"....a dirty little secret of mine!  Here's what you do:  Put Ritz crackers face down on a cookie sheet (I used whole wheat to make myself feel SOMEWHAT better!).  Top them with a Rolo and put them in a 350 degree oven.  Bake until just beginning to melt (usually 3-5 min.).  When they come out, top them with another cracker...let 'em cool until just warm and then prepare to be addicted!!!

Let's Be Blunt

I recently won a grouping of tins on Ebay which I bid on for one MAIN reason....THIS TIN!!  I thought I would fall over when I saw the gorgeous colors and scenery...I'm such a sucker for that stuff!!

Isn't she GORGEOUS??!!  Look at that hour glass figure and cool, come hither look!!

I've decided I need to have a room painted either the color of this peacock or the mountains in the background...maybe both!! It amazes me that someone went to the trouble to design a cigarette tin with this type of detail and color. 

I'm obsessed with making these hearts...combining bits and pieces from other tins I have laying around...then stitching them together with wire

The crusty little heart along side of our Mexican bombshell is the edge of an old laxative tin.  I sealed this heart because I didn't want it chipping off anymore.  I love the way it all looks so nicely aged

Here's our peacock on the back...he was aged and got a patina bath!  Like it?  It's going in my Etsy shop tonight....themadcutter.etsy.com!!

Layered Stitched Hearts

I've had some neat tins laying around back in my studio for a while...trying to get in the mood to cut them.  The joints in my thumbs, so says the doc, are slowly deteriorating and some days I just can't bring myself to break out the shears.  BUT, when I got out the old Lucky Strike cigarette tin, I put the pain in my thumbs aside and got to work!!  While photographing them today I ran out of daylight and couldn't show the backs of them...which are different tins stitched to the front one.

I searched a while to find the tin for the smaller heart that I wanted and when I came upon this bright one with almost the same colors, I went with it!!  These hearts are sometimes like putting puzzles together...when I found that putting it right along the side worked, it was magic!!

I've had this old foreign cigarette tin laying around for quite a while...just waiting to find THE perfect project for it.  I LOVE LOVE the bright flowers on it and the mysterious bearded man!  Most of all, I love that word "Speciale" on there...perfect for a valentine!  The little heart with the sun burst sets it off.  These stitched hearts just make me happy!!

itzaChicThing

Hi Everyone!  I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas!  I have discovered yet another Etsian that I am in awe over....itzaChicThing.etsy.com!! 

The packaging of the cute cuffs I ordered was just so cute....it was like having Christmas all over again when I came home from out of town!  The creativity and care that was put into the cardboard tube they were put into impressed me!

I just love the bright colors...can't wait to throw it on!

I love the crocheted flower on this one...and the bright blue button!!  I must say that I'm loving THIS, too: http://www.etsy.com/listing/118654675/festive-cuff-bracelet-golden-tones!!  She makes so many cute things!!!

Of COURSE I couldn't just have ONE, so this was the second one I got!  Head over to her shop and check out the other cool stuff she makes....like this:http://www.etsy.com/transaction/106404335 (sold...sorry!!) and this: http://www.etsy.com/listing/117742935/upcycled-bag-beachy-boho-cross-the-body  It's so hard to decide what to buy next!!  Be sure to look for itzaChicThing in the spring issue of Haute Handbags, too!!

In Honor Of Kennedi

I was given the honor of designing another relic bracelet for a special mom of one of my students.  As I've said before, I love to put together pieces that have specific meaning....it's much more personal.  The letters on this bracelet stand for Cornelia de Lange Syndrome.  When it came to deciding on what kind of buttons would keep company with the typewriter keys, it was a no-brainer--children with this syndrome are the happiest on the face of the earth!!  They wear constant smiles, which in turn, has everyone else smiling, too!!  We wanted the brightest pops of color imaginable...and who am I to argue about digging into my brightest buttons!!

Here's my girl wearing that big smile!  Now you know why black, brown, or tan buttons would NOT work on a CdLS bracelet!!