If You Missed the Opening . . .

Just in case you missed the Curious Sofa Halloween Show or live too far away to make it, I thought I would post some photos so you would get an idea of what you missed! The photos below are of the artists' work at the show ~ visit here, here, and here to see some wonderful shots of the store display. As some of the artwork is remaining through the Halloween season and more items are being added daily, make sure to visit Curious Sofa to see everything in person ~ it is an amazing store and always provides great inspiration every season. For those of you out of town, Curious Sofa has just opened an online store here.

{Greg Johnson's wonderful display of paper treasures}

{Diane & Madeline Tompkins' array of masks & letterpress}

{Michelle Spaw's beautifully crafted treat bags}

{Lesa Dailey's lovely paper shoes}

The remaining photos below are of the work I did for the show ~ thanks to Scurvy the opossum and a printer problem, I didn't get as much finished as I would have liked, but the show must go on! I managed to get through the stressful parts and had tons of fun participating in this show

My approach this time around was to stick to a limited color palette and avoid obvious Halloween icons ~ my main reason for doing that is because the work I do is time intensive, thus higher priced, so I wanted to make sure that those that purchased an item would be able to wear it for more than one day of the year. I did try to incorporate some themed imagery in my packaging ~ and then of course, the Devilish Dog Accessories broke all of my self imposed rules!

{Selection of brooches inspired by mourning jewelry}

{New brooch designs ~ inspired by Victorian ribbon cocardes used in millinery}

{Crocheted masks in cream and black}

{Crocheted earrings complete with spider themed packaging}

{Devilish Dog Accessories ~ devil horns for your dog to wear}

{Dog stand~in for when Sprocket is not available}

{Devilishly handsome models & spokesmen ~ Dick & Sprocket}

Valentine Show

{deep red ruffle scarflette}

I will be participating in Curious Sofa's Valentine Show this year, along with several other talented artists. The show begins on Friday and continues through the weekend ~ visit here for details and a sneak peek. I will be in and out over the weekend ~ please stop by and say hi!

Here are a few brooches I have been working on ~ still have more to finish tomorrow!

Sparks/White Cloud ~ Fall 09 ~ The Trove

At long last, a few photos of some of the things I came home with from Sparks and White Cloud this fall. It always amazes me that I am able to find such wonderful stuff ~ much of it is so old it is a wonder it has survived.

{Arm & Hammer collectible trading cards}

{old marriage certificate}

{glass patterned paperweights}

Below, an exercise workbook of sorts for children from 1923 ~ initially I thought it was a booklet used in school, but after reading the preface, the book was sold for use at home. "These pages were planned with the hope that mothers may be enabled to spend many happy hours with their children..." There are all sorts of activities ~ pages to color, cut out or draw on ~ animals, flowers, birds, paper dolls, mother goose pictures etc. ~ I've just shown a few samples.

{cover and pages from the Juvenile Artist Workbook}

{old & decrepit, but inexpensive music books}

{loved the pattern on this book cover}

{wall registers I plan to use for jewelry display}

{collapsible wire laundry basket to use for display}

{antique crocheted buttons}

Also, a book called Fancy Work for Pleasure and Profit ~ it is filled with all sorts of nice sewing/needlework related graphics and instructions. Unfortunately, the cover was not in the best shape and didn't warrant a photo. I got this book on the way home from my day trip to Sparks and White Cloud ~ at 1/2 Price Books! I'll let you know if there are any really great tips on how to make a profit with fancy work!

{title page and inside pages}

Miss Frenchie's Show Photos

Finally, some photos from this past weekend's Miss Frenchie's April in Paris Antique Show! I took loads of photos, so I thought I would break them into several postings. The show was amazing ~ we had a huge turnout and the vendor booths were just lovely ~ I had a wonderful time visiting with the other vendors, admiring their wares and catching up with friends and customers.

Below are some shots I took of my booth ~ I offered a variety of knitted and crocheted items including scarves, scarflettes, brooches and earrings. I also had a few antique/vintage pieces for sale ~ those I thought I could part with! I had hoped to make some more paper creations, but time ran out ~ I will have to put them first on my list for next time!

{views of my space}

{neutral scarves and brooches}

{colorful brooches}

{brooches and paper displays}

{vintage credit register files}

Sneak Peek ~ Brooches

Not a good idea to try to take photos after midnight in a poorly lit kitchen ~ but was anxious to post a little sneak peek of some of the brooches I have been working on. With a little luck and a few more late nights, I hope to have a nice selection ~ we'll see!

{crocheted and loom woven brooches with a variety of vintage and found embellishments}

Fresh Twist on a Vintage Craft

I've always been intrigued with these crocheted card boxes, but rarely find any I just have to have. Those shown below I found on Flickr since I don't have any of my own.

{image on L ~ image on R}

Look at this amazing crochet card dress! What a great twist on a sometimes scary craft! I found this over at whipup several days ago - if you are unfamiliar with that site, make sure to visit. Robyne from Australia made this lifesize dress out of vintage baby cards - check out her site to see what else she is up to.

{image from here}

Miss Frenchie's ~ Part 4

A week later and I am finally finishing the posts on Miss Frenchie's Holiday Market! Below are a few photos of my booth at the show ~ I made crocheted and knitted scarves, crocheted & felted brooches, wool wrapped bracelets and paper ornaments made from recycled paperbacks. I have been experimenting with folding books and used some of my pieces as displays for my brooches ~ my aim was to incorporate some lighter neutral colors and to add some interest.

{photo courtesy Debbie Dusenberry}

{photo courtesy Carol Spinski}

If you missed the show or are interested in a scarf. brooch or bracelet ~ visit my online store here. I'm also participating in the Poppytalk Handmade Market ~ the new market begins tomorrow (Monday) ~ if you haven't visited there, check it out as well!

Featured on Etsy Treasury!

{treasury chosen by embellishedlife ~ thanks!}

It's always nice to be included in an etsy treasury ~ my brooch is upper left. Looks like I am in good company ~ there are so many beautiful handmade things on etsy. If you are unfamiliar with etsy, make sure to visit ~ a great place to find unique gifts for everyone on your holiday gift list ~ and you get to support independent artists as well ~ a good deal all around!

Crafty Chicks Show ~ November 1st

Next up on my long list of things to do is work for the upcoming Crafty Chicks show! Read all about it and get a preview of the artist's wares here. Below is a shot of some brooches from my display last year ~ I hope to have new brooches, bracelets, scarves, and jewelry this year in addition to new Dandy Dog Accessories! For those of you in the Kansas City area, please stop by ~ otherwise, please visit my etsy store instead ~ I will be adding to it in the near future. Time to get to work!