October Contest

I've been stamping phrases on spoons and I need a little inspiration. I've done "Blessings", "You had me at hello...", "Live your life with Grace" ...now I need a few more. Send me a phrase or quote that inspires you, not too long as I'm hand stamping each letter! French sayings would be great too! I'll have my neighbor pick the one she likes the most and if your phrase is chosen, I'll send you a hand pounded and hand stamped spoon necklace!

Just post your idea in the comments section. The contest ends October 15 and I will post the winning phrase stamped on a vintage spoon! As an added bonus, if you refer to my contest on your blog, I'll enter your name into a drawing for a spoon stamped with your store's name on it. How cute would it be to wear a necklace with "The Attic Girls" or "The Cornerstore" stamped on it? The drawing for a "store" spoon will be October 16. Thank you and good luck!

Happy Birthday!

Cordelia from Cottage Antiques asked me to make a special necklace for her friend Deb's birthday today. Cordelia helped to provide charms to make this truly a piece to be treasured.

La Mesa Craft Show

Scaredy cats!

eek! A spider!

Saturday, September 12 come to the Fall Home Decor, Gift & Craft Show at the La Mesa Community Center in La Mesa, California. My friends Coli and Julie have the most awesome Halloween folk art. Julie's wooden signs feature vintage cats, and pumpkins . I bought several of her hand embroidered kitchen towels all adorned with vintage witches, pumpkins and crows. Coli made the wonderful velvet witch hat and stuffed hand with a spider on top of glass candlesticks. I will definitely use them in my display at Glitterfest!

Coli & Julie have their own show, An Alpine Christmas, November 5-8. More details to come!

Watch this!

I'm always looking for new things to do with my vintage watches. This is a pocket watch with vintage paper and a fleur de lis charm then finished with epoxy resin. The Eiffel tower and swarovski crystal make it a fun piece with lots of movement.



This watch and others like it are featured at Vignettes Antiques in Ocean Beach. Don't forget their anniversary soiree on September 19th!

By the water's edge...

While travelling in Massachusetts and earlier to Andros, Greece, we spent many lazy afternoons collecting seaglass or mermaid's tears by the water's edge...


The seaglass makes a perfect edition to my re-purposed jewelry. The glass has stories to tell of sailing in the ocean waves to distant lands. White, green and brown are common colors, while blue and purple are treasures to be found.

These pendants are made from tiny pieces of seaglass, too small to drill. My other creations will include earrings, bracelets and a belt buckle or two. I'll see where the creative spirit takes me! These pieces will be available for purchase later this week.

A Special Vintage Belt Buckle

Gina created this beautiful belt buckle for my friend Lara's birthday from antique rhinestone jewelry. All I told Gina was that Lara loved the belt that she made for me and that Lara's favorite color is dill pickle green and look at the gorgeous gift Gina created for my good friend. I can't wait to see Lara wearing it! --Liz (Gina's sister in law)

Jewelry Design Contest

I arrived in Rhode Island last night and was treated to a gorgeous sunset on The Narraganset Bay as well as a delicious lobster roll and a sparkling glass of Sakonnet, a Rhode Island Chardonnay-I'm in heaven! Too bad my husband didn't make the trip! We will be spending time with friends and family as well as antiquing my way up through the coast of Maine. I can't wait for the hunt to begin! On Saturday my kids, my 82 year old mom and I will go out on a lobster boat. Hopefully, we will catch something to photo!

While I'm here, I decided to enter my first jewelry design contest! I may not win but it is a good exercise in stretching my comfort zone! The contest is put on by House of Gems-you may want to join me!

Here is the scoop:

Featured Artist Sweepstakes
Looking for a Few Good Featured Artists:Do you do a happy dance when you come across a gemstone you don't already own?Do you find that every conversation you have comes back to your latest jewelry project?Do you love to help other people on their projects by giving tips or showing them step-by-step how to do things?

If you answered to yes to any of these questions, we may have the perfect opportunity for you.

If you answered yes to all three, then consider this destiny.

House of Gems is looking for Featured Artists to spotlight and promote on our website. In addition to the opportunity to present yourself as an artist, you will also generate traffic to your personal blog, Etsy store or social media profile. Artists may also be given opportunities to test new products, receive additional discounts and be the first to be informed of new releases.Grand Prize (1):$1000 Shopping Spree on HouseofGems.comRunners Up (1):$500 Shopping Spree on HouseofGems.comConsolation Prize (5)$100 Shopping Spree on HouseofGems.com

Timeline:Contest runs July 18th, 2009 thru August 15th, 2009Submissions:Contestants to upload a maximum of 5 original jewelry designs to the House of Gems Flickr "Featured Artists" group http://www.flickr.com/groups/featuredartists/. Any and all design types and styles are welcome.

Good Luck!