The Fickle Tweakaholic, that's Me!

Firstly, I never intended anyone to think I was going away, by the title of my last post and will choose my words more carefully in the future. 

Secondly, forget what I said in my last post altogether.  I intend to list some of the pieces I had pictured, some I hadn't, throw some out the window, send some north to Alaska....and get those clock cases spiffy and put them on too, as I said I would.  Most of our country is probably travelling for the holiday so it doesn't even matter, I am talking to walls, right?  I shouldn't bother listing anything until next week anyway, but never mind. It's my job.  I may be a fickle tweakaholic but I am not a fickle tweakaholic shirker.  I am on the case now.  I love these things and have enjoyed having/making them, but I want to see the top of my table again, someday.  Ruminating on room, and the dizzying circles the vast amount of stuff has me running in.  (what?)

I've had this gorgeous Czech dress clip for as long as I can remember which some days lately could be nanoseconds, getting listed pronto.

So are these large 1930's "Pools of Light" crystal beads.  They've been center drilled so they're not quite as desirable as the ones not, but still lovely.  When you hold them down over paper, and the images reflect backwards to you, they're the thing.  I have a little stash of these from a necklace I didn't feel like fixing....they're outta here....

These are pretty fun, original half-penny coins from 1965, with chalcedony....I put these together today and am calling them "Old Money".....off they go.

This aquamarine and chippy Haskellish pearl necklace was the recipient of some fiddly tweaking today and it's finally ready to debut.  After I photograph it yet again. The cameo is a wonderful Venetian scene and the aquamarines suit it quite nicely.   Vamanos!

The wall charms are going back into the box for a total tweakover, another day.  But this one, my favorite this moment....

is getting listed too...scrumptious verdigris, warm humming colors and the stones, glass and metal meld so well.....It's gotta go. (to a really great home I hope) SOLD!!!  to a very good home....

If I hold to this plan of mine, I might see my table by 2015.

 Oh!  I want to wish whoever stumbles upon this diatribe, do have a wonderful, relaxing, fun filled and safe holiday. 

Happy Birthday, America

Hello and Goodbye, a brief introduction

Despite all the action around here, I've been chipping away at getting some things finished and rounded up to send north, to a boutique I consign with.  I  don't usually consign, I dislike it very much.... actually.  But this is a very extraordinary and special set of circumstances.  Wonderful boutique, great clientele, even greater staff, hard to get in to....they've treated me very well and I've been delighted.  When I send merchandise, it's placed in gift packaging, and a handwritten story or a few sentences of inspiration accompany the necklaces.  I put names or titles on everything, and an invoice too.....paperwork. 

Every now and then I shuffle and re-shuffle inventory.   I will pull some and send it up with new pieces, and you get the drift.....scramble things up, and keep making new stuff!  It's time to clean up the bench again too.  I do get really messy when I work.  It's this strange and wonderful cycle that I keep repeating.  When things start getting re-organized, new ideas emerge and manifest themselves by way of little piles everywhere.

These are "wall charms" that will probably stay here to be listed on ArtFire and Etsy.  They're just reconstructed antique and vintage bits, buttons and pieces that didn't move me for personal jewelry, though they are easily adapted....  They look pretty sweet arranged together.  The faces are rather special with hand detailing on a couple of them.  The large piece is an Edwardian belt buckle with the original lithograph. 

This one came very close to finding it's way into my jewelry box.  I love these goofus glass brooches and the bird motif is so universal.  I used a yummy collection of tourmalines and the whole thing has a soft, muted look that makes it perfect for every day wear ever.  I've done a number of pieces with this type of brooch and now they're getting harder to find priced reasonably.

So, these are a few of the goodies leaving home soon, and I just wanted you to meet them briefly before they have to go.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Unforeseen Circumstances

and out of our control....in my last post I included a picture of Ron, so happy and humming, I caught him with his eyes closed and it didn't matter, I loved the picture and included it.  Little did I know that within the next few days he'd be faced with some very serious issues regarding his eyes.  My long story is short and sweet.  Suffice to say that one surgery has been accomplished and proving successful, the other scheduled soon and should be fine.  I'll be back soon after a much needed break.
xoxo,
~Lis

Antique Clock Cases Incoming....

and outgoing soon, I hope I pray I wish.....

Ron just brought these back fresh from an attic in Gold Country, California,  the square ones are 1850's, rosewood veneer, various states of dirt, disrepair, coolness.....oh!....the possibilities!  Curio cases, theatres, little places for birdnest or tiny teacup collections...I bet Madame Talbot could think of something to do with these.  I've got to get them cleaned up and outta here....or they'll end up in my studio AND we all know there's no room, no room!

Speaking of no room, I snuck around the corner to snag a pic of the master antique scrounger/collector/packrat king extraordinaire, at work in his shop....

beyond the double doors encrusted with license plates and old porcelain signs....

Here lies the evil genius at work on ...um....something.

OMG, NO!  It's another clock case!  Or is it a lamp made from a corn grinder????no, no, noooooooOOOOO!!!!

Nothing like a really good batch of junk to get him humming.....

I'll be putting these cases on the vintage sites, but if you want to ask questions or feel a need to have one or all, pop me a note!

Just a Little Peek...

I feel the need to show anyone who might be a bit interested, just a little peek inside my studio, just so you know I have indeed been hacking away at it.  My 15 year old daughter Abby will soon be joining her father, my son and my oldest daughter in Charleston for an extended stay, so I've been spending all possible time with her.  I miss my children beyond belief when they're gone...such is the pain of divorce and broken families, but I digress...

It's been quite a process, but then it only took me about 10 years to mess it up, the studio I mean....I've parted ways with years of vintage and antique velvet and silk fabric scraps, keeping only the very best....sent the lions share of my costume collection off to a friend/family member who has now been designated "the go-to girl" for such attire as needed by pirates, gypsies, ghouls, damsels, gangsters and soiled doves.  Things are finding their way to organized places and vignettes are forming in my mind's eye...It will be a little while until I can indeed work here, but it's just a blink now. 

This barrister case is far from organized, but my bound collection of antique ladies magazines now resides in one place, and where I can see them!

On the top of another barrister case rests a fabulous shadow box, or "Sorrow Box", made especially for moi by my dear, wise and wonderful friend Susan.  She does amazing work and I feel so fortunate to be the owner of this fabulously inspiring piece.  More importantly, I feel most significantly blessed to have such a warm and caring friend.  I will share better pictures of the boxes she's done for me in another post. 

I love the colors in this old glass window.  It catches morning sun, beautiful!  My birds nests have found a place to dwell...there is a hummingbird nest but I cropped this picture because of a stack of boxes yet to be dealt with.  The faded old ostrich egg was given to me by Ron's brother, who died suddenly and unexpectedly awhile ago...so young (54) .  I love antiques and nice "stuff", but my most precious things are my children's artwork, and pieces that have been made for me or given to me and come from the heart.

Well, there you go.  It's all I want to show right now, but know that my table is centered in the room, walking space all around, it's coming together and will be quite a magical place.  I've already had local inquiries regarding workshops here....Perhaps at some point. But for now, it's quietly, privately mine.

Bless you for caring enough to read all this!

Muah,

Lis~

Fly Away, Spinderella....and other happenings...

My oldest child Olivia, aka "Fish" or "Spinderella", graduated from high school this weekend.  She's been mature and independent for quite a while now, but I still cried through the whole thing.  Off to college, omg where did the time go little girl?

It's nearly as bad for me as when I first took her to kindergarten, and she turned and looked at me and said, "It's okay Mom, you don't need to stay." 

She graduated with honors, scholarships, and has plans to enter the medical field.   

Okay, so that was good and happy and sad and  I have enough to be weepy about without getting all sentimental here.

I broke a toe yesterday.  Have you ever done that?  I think this is my third toe in as many years. I don't have time for broken anything.  Stumbled out of bed yesterday morning and made a beeline toward the aroma of freshly brewing coffee, BAM!  Right into a chair.  I was so mad at myself, I still am!  I got the garden planted though, since our weather went from 50 degrees to about 90 degrees overnight....

I worked on my studio all last week and have made great strides, brilliant progress, but I am not ready to show you anything yet.  There is still much work to be done, and I will be back at it later this week after I get a couple of other commitments wrapped.  I sat down and made jewelry today, reworked some things....it always feels like I am "plugging back into the mother-ship" when I sit down and create.  It had been too many days without and it felt SO GOOD!  I am so loving this portable light box thing that Angie and Asa gave me for Christmas....I'll have to post about it another time, but this is what I got done today...

Now please understand that these were mostly rework, or I had the palette together.....no interruptions, plugged in and focused....I don't just crank stuff out, I AGONIZE over it....

So I am off to list these things and will be at it for awhile...oh! I nearly forgot to say that my paper Ladyes of the Cobwebpalace have been quietly selling, I am so pleased and surprised, it's such a frivolous thing to indulge in these difficult times.....but they are being adopted out and loved, I have a photo of one of them under glass from a customer I will share another day....and so.....waiting to be embellished soon.....

If you've  read this far, you deserve especial thanks for perseverance.  Bless you!

~Lis

A Little Studio Tour, and a Huge Confession

Doesn't this picture look almost magazine perfect?  Well, except for the old boots, don't I look just peachy in my parlor?  My son-in-law Asa Gilmore took this photo for a bio I needed for a trunkshow.....Truth of it is I used to sit here with piles of boxes and bags of stuff and stitch away, when I was focused on primitives and pincushion dolls.  In the front parlor for gosh sakes.  Then I gradually moved some stuff and became very industrious.....

In Here......This is what we call the "Rock Room."  I've been working in this part of the house for some time now, and it's great until we entertain a larger crowd, as in holidays or whenever said crowd presents themselves.  No matter how much space I have, it always seems to disintegrate into about 10 square inches of horizontal surface anyway.  This is a family dining room.  When I need to sew, the machine plops onto the kitchen table.  When I paint, it's outside or here in the rock room, jewelry happens here, papier mache...stained glass, this is where I've been.  Okay, so this is where the huge confession of a natural packrat comes in to play.  I do have another space.  Half of an historic barn.  The beginnings and endings of a lovely little and mostly restored bohemian apartment.  Tiny kitchen, a bathroom, next to my vegetable garden.  Vintage wallpaper....woodburner cookstove, nice old windows adorned with stained glass.  I don't use it.  Well, it's used for sure, but not to work.  The reason I am sharing this with those of you sweet and patient enough to actually read this, is to irrevocably shame myself into doing something about it. 

This is the glass on the upper portion of the door leading into my space.  Are you prepared to see what lies within??

I won't force you to endure any more of these painful photo's which clearly exhibit firm proof of my illness.  Acutely Disorganized Packratitis, and I'm not going to take medication for it either.  Instead, I am getting up off my sciatic behind and doing something about it.  Years and years of textiles, trinkets, things I just love and don't have room in the house for....inventory for my little shop on main street, and most probably inventory for my ArtFire vintage studio.  Ceiling to floor of my needful things, and what I most want is undoubtedly on the bottom of the pile.  I was supposed to be doing something about this as I write, but the entire building needs to be emptied outside and it won't stop raining or snowing or blowing.  I expect it will take 3 or 4 days to do it all, and I will keep you posted....Until then.....