La Belle Epoch Paris

     I found some old postcards, with images of Paris and the Eiffel Tower, and I just had to use them to make reproduction travel souvenir vocals. The sepia tones, the old-fashioned writing - I just love the ideas they bring to mind. I put all three of these in the Etsy shop - even though I was sorely tempted to make up necklaces with them for myself!
     Today I'm headed back over to the studio to finish up some orders. I have some ideas buzzing in my head, to create with cut glass and soldered reliquaries, and I have finally assembled all the components I needed to get started - so if I have time after the orders are completed, I plan to play with those ideas, bringing them to life.
     I hope you have a lovely, quiet Sunday afternoon, with family, food and fun!

     I'm back from my travels, I had a great time visiting. It was a long time in the car for the kids. But they were real troopers! I took a few days off this week from the day job to get caught up at the studio. It's such a luxury to spend all day at the studio, getting covered in dust, paint and glue!

     I found a small medallion in the shape of a crown, and took a mold from it so I could make some earring charms. The original didn't have any holes in it, but I put a hole top and bottom. So I can hang a pretty pearl, and put in earwires.

      I also made this replica cameo, with an image that originally graced the front of an antique metal button. I put it into the reproduced optical lens bezel, to give it a very vintage look. I think it looks like a french court lady-in-waiting or something romantic like that.
     I'm headed back over to the studio to finish some more bezels. No, I didn't forget the giveaway - I promise to pay attention to that soon!

Paris Souvenir

      I found these french postcards, with their views of the Eiffel Tower, and came up with a new pewter bezel to put them into. I wanted it to have texture and simplicity, with an old-fashioned feeling. I got the bezel made, molded and test cast last Sunday.

     I'm always on the lookout for images of the Eiffel Tower. I especially love old french postcards, travel tags and letters. Do you see the legs of the Eiffel Tower in the background, behind the word "PARIS," on this oval.

     I'm itching to make something with these, but went ahead and listed them in the Etsy shop. I might keep my favorite one aside, just to make up into a necklace for myself. 
     I like these simple oval bezels - and I can turn them side-to-side or up-and-down as needed!

Pansy Blossoms

     The pollen count here is off the scale! I parked under a tree on Saturday and my car was covered with green. It's amazing how much spring pollen is around here.

     I didn't get a lot done on Sunday afternoon in the studio, but I did get this resin piece made, with the pansy blossom and bud on it. The image came from the antique french floral designs booklet that my friend gave me at the end of last year, after the holidays. With Easter coming, it seemed like the time to make up a pansy pendant. I thought about making a necklace with it, but I went ahead and listed it in the Etsy shop. I have a whole bunch of resin curing, I can't wait until I can get those out of the molds and see how they turned out!

Longest Day

Today is June 21, the longest day of the year.

The days start early and the evenings stay light for a long time.

I spent part of the weekend cleaning up the studio. I don't know how it gets so messy so quickly.

I worked on this special little medallion. The original is enamel with bright red color, I may try to reproduce that look. I like playing with it, to make it wearable.

It's a nice time of year, a good time for homemade ice cream outdoors.

Home baked loaves of bread, made into toast with honey.

Watching fireflies in the twilight.

Listening to the night sounds.

Happy Happy Today

Today is my birthday! I had a nice breakfast, and I've spent the rest of the day in the studio, messing up my fingernails! They look like I've been working on heavy machinery.

But really I've been working on some different closures.

Like this medal with a large loop at the top, it says "VALEUR ET DISTINCTION" in french. It was cast from an original french antique.

I combined it with an old skeleton key, with the number "6" at the top, putting a loop on the back to make it into a toggle.

My hubby went to the bookstore and picked up a copy of the Summer 2010 Issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry. I'm excited to spend part of this evening reading through it.

The article on the Faux Amber turned out well, I think. And Deryn Mentock and Nancy Schindler have articles in there, too.

I'll spend some quiet indoor time this evening looking at the whole thing, can't wait.

We're having a Boef Bourguignon tonight, yum. That won't require any VALEUR but it will be a dinner with DISTINCTION, for sure.

With some fresh french bread and Missouri vineyard red wine.

Happy Birthday to Me! A nice day, enjoyable and memorable.

Round and Round

I snagged a few hours for creativity, and decided to create some more of these soldered glass connectors.

I like them, especially the ones with things about Paris and very vintage images in them. Snippets from love letters. Old writing.





They have two loops for using in a chain, or I guess as a focal with a dangle.

I could see a bracelet with them, maybe with buttons in between as connector links.

I need to make more of these, they're fun.

Starting Anew

I thought I'd post some photos of some work I did this weekend while cleaning up the studio. I decided to play with copper and pewter together.


I made this necklace, I really like it.


I used some copper and etched the words "PARIS 15 JUL" on it, then rounded it in the dapping block.


It looks very old and worn. Combined with a dark pewter Eiffel Tower, it starts to have a story of its own.


There were balloon races over the skyline of Paris in the old days, the clear faceted lucite bead reminds me of an airy balloon high in the sky, very light and fun.

The costume pearls were just dyed this weekend, they're a nice light gray color, they have a worn and vintage look to them that goes well with the aged feeling of this piece.


I'm pleased with the way it turned out, I think I need to test wear it though, just to be sure!

It's the least I can do...

Times and Places, Two Kinds of Faces

Did you know that I create the round glass for enclosing the images for these glass soldered charms?

It's a messy deal, I take the thin glass and with a circle template I draw the circular shapes on it with a permanent marker, then coat it with a thin film of Vasoline.

That's to keep the permanent marker from washing off while I'm shaping the circle on the grinder. The grinder bit has to have a flow of water on it, so there's lot of splashing and glass particles flying around when I do it.

And inevitably I grind my forefinger nails - they're a mess.

I get completely covered with glass dust, so I make sure I'm wearing my leather apron, eye protection and a dust mask over my face.


These I made last night, but I didn't make a late night of it. I do feel better now that I'm on my prescriptions, but I didn't want to push it. That's the thing about walking pneumonia - you start to feel better so you get up and start running around and then you relapse. So I'm being more careful.

These are vintage french bistro clock faces. On the backs of some I put an image of fancy brocade cloth in a matching color, and on others I put a portrait, very old-fashioned looking. Clock faces, people faces.


I made some of them very simple, and some with a few little fancy flourishes.


One of the circle pendants is a portrait of two hugging children in a very old photograph. Very sweet.

If it warms up a bit today, which seems unlikely, I want to pour some resin. I haven't been able to do that for weeks.

I got the news yesterday by email that my resin article for Belle Armoire Jewelry will be in the Summer Issue instead of the next one, for Spring. That's okay, I'm happy to have confirmation that it's being published - I'll just have to wait a few months more, that's all.

Metal Collage

When I first started working with the pewter and didn't know a lot about it, I wanted to combine components together to create a sort of metal collage, similar to designs I had been making in polymer clay.

I found that it didn't work as well as I originally thought. The pieces were sort of heavy, and combining pieces wasn't so successful. It was hard to get the pieces thin enough after casting, and the combined units didn't work well together.

So I shelved that idea for the time, and kept doing R&D on how to use the pewter, the temperatures, finishing methods and all that, to get better with using the metal.

Last weekend I had a sort of brainstorm. It came because I have a beautiful french medal medallion that I wanted to reproduce. But there are many undercuts in the design - those are areas where the underneath is lower than the top and it would be difficult to mold and to cast - and so I couldn't do the casting in one piece.

I started playing with armatures, using wire and pieces of copper, to see what I could come up with. This is often how I make many messes and break many things. But I always learn something.

Finally, I decided to try creating two pieces separately, finishing and grinding both of them, then mounting one on the other instead of trying to cast all as one piece.


This is the prototype, the first one I tried as a test of the theory. I think it's very workable. It resembles a collage type design I tried to make a while back. It's lightweight and very detailed, both pieces. The key sits astride the shield medallion, but they're one unit.

Now I'll make a cast of the two parts of the french antique medal and try to reproduce the same setup. I'm a lot more confident about making that work this time.


Kind of fun. Always thinking about things, I have a little notebook I carry around, and I make shortcut notes to myself of things to try out. This came from one of those pages.

I never know if anyone else is interested in this trial-and-error process I go through, but I thought I'd share, just in case you have had a similar breakthrough sometime - Right?

Marie Would Like These

In keeping my feet up and trying to rest and feel better, I've been catching up on some shows on the History Channel. I like to watch shows about archeology and history, it's interesting and causes me to think about old designs.


These little baubles remind me of the court of French Royalty. The fancy dress balls, with masks and fans, the music and the candlelight.


I wanted to use one of my bezels with resin, to try out how I can use them together. So I created this faux pocketwatch with a dainty pansy flower in the center, a lilac color and the hands of the clock face forever at midnight. Romantic!


I'm feeling a little better today, thank you for all your good wishes, I was really hoping to get through the winter season without being sick ... but it happens, I guess.

And we got some snow last night - but not as much as many of you, I'm sure. Just a few inches here in Saint Louis.

All the same, I'll be staying indoors today and trying to finish getting better. Nice to watch out the window and not have to go into it, staying dry and warm.

Hope all of you are well, and safe and warm.

Pen Pals, From Far Away

Remember a while back when Esther in Provence, France sent me the package full of goodies? Inside along with some lovely medallions were a pair of antique calligraphy pen nibs.

I've got a collection of old antique pen nibs myself, so I was especially thrilled.

Since I only had two, I wondered how I could get more so I could use them for charms and a pair of earrings.

They were so dainty I wasn't sure I could cast them, but I tried just to see how they would look.


These are the results.

I'm tickled with them, I think they look grand.

Now I can use them without guilt or feeling that I'm drilling a hole in something antique and special - I made these with holes for jump rings.


You can still see the writing on the side of the pen.

Maybe as a charm on a bracelet as a symbol of writing a love letter - or the old saw about "the pen is mightier than the sword" for a dangle on a necklace - my mind started racing about how they could be used. If I drilled a center hole it could be a toggle for a clasp ... Do you have more ideas?

Thank you again, Esther. These are so fun, and it wouldn't have been possible without your generosity!

All In The Details

Also part of learning how to cast the pewter has been learning how best to take the impressions, make the molds and finish them.

To get the detail I want, but make them sturdy yet light.

Hard to get all three. I'm still learning. I really enjoy the research and development part of the creative process.

I just created new molds for these lovebirds, to get the words in french at the bottom more legible.

And so you can see their wings and the pretty little flowers at the bottom.

Words are especially difficult to get the details and sometimes show up only faintly.


And to get a better detail in the profile on this medal. The lettering is clearer, too.

I love the look of it, and wanted to get a clearer impression, to see more of the lovely face and head.

It's still an ongoing learning process. I try new things, figure out what works and what I especially like.

And what's easier for me to cast accurately. So maybe by this time next year, I'll know twice as much as I do now, hopefully.

That's my goal, anyway. To keep testing, working and learning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PS - don't forget about the giveaway from Monday's post, if you still haven't de-lurked and posted a comment there's time today before I post the winning name tomorrow! Oh, and I really am seeking the feedback on directions, so as much info as possible is terribly useful to me (hint, hint) as you post your reply.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PPS - Today is the birthday of Beth at Hint - pop over and wish her best returns of the day. Happy Birthday, Beth!

Do You Love Old Medals

I'm still creating molds and doing test casts of the treasure trove of french antiques I received as a loan. I love these two medals I made on the weekend.

It was hard to take the imagery off the original as it was hinged and intact. It even had the original stitched ribbon on it. I really loved seeing it. But I needed to be careful of the original, and I didn't want to take it apart. How to get a nice clear image? I thought about it a few days, pondering.

So I decided to leave the hinge pins showing. And so far I've only created the front side of it. But it has a lot of detail, and the date 1870 on it.


I'm trying to think what might have been going on in french history in 1870 that would cause a medal to commemorate it. Is that Napoleonic times? I need to do some research, I feel awful that I don't know this.

It's way before WWI, so it has to be very old history. The hinge pins look like it would open, but it doesn't, it's a solid piece. It makes me think about how to create those hinges, though. Always thinking of new things to try.


The profile is worn and hard to capture. I may carve an original to enhance it more, keeping the feeling of the laurel leaves around the border.

I wish it was a celebration of peace. When I find more details, I'll definitely share. And if your history knowledge is better than mine, please fill me in, too!

Hero Worship, Medals and Awards

I have a liking for things that look like awards and medals. So when my surprise package arrived, I was thrilled to see some real medals.

Some I would have to carefully cast, they can't be taken apart, I may have to make partials and then re-cast.


But these two are very fun, one is from the Centennial, the dates are right on it. See on the banners, 1819 to 1919, and the word "CENTENNIAL" at the top. I wanted it to look really aged and old, and all of them have a brushed metal back.

This one would be fun with a pin back added to it. Or a couple of large loops for a scarf, to make a scarf clip pin.

So many things to try.


I'm having fun figuring out when to add large loops, when to create attachments. Thinking of how I might use them in a design, I let that guide me.

The other, more pewter-toned one reminds me of a design you might find on a door, or next to a doorbell ringer, on the pretty flats in Paris.

It has a hole at the top and one at the bottom. Or it could be made into a bracelet.

Fun, fun, fun.

Feathered Friends, Sweet Bird Songs

A little while ago, a lovely new friend offered me use of some special french mementos. I could make casts from them, create molds, and replicate them in pewter.

I was thrilled, flattered and excited. Of course, I'd love to try!

They are items brought back from a trip to Paris, special little mementos. I'm taking very good care of them. They're very unique and precious.

I got the first test batches cast, got the molds created.

And today I started casting the metal.


Aren't they fun and lovely?

Some are bird shapes, this friend is particularly fond of birds.


I can tell from the originals that they are very vintage, and it gives me hints about what the pewter castings should look like. Usually, I'm just making things up from my imagination, guessing what they should look like.


Some have a coppery-bronze patina on them. With holes drilled for adding jump rings. And some have jump rings cast into them.

That's one thing the originals were sometimes missing, a way to attach things to them, and to each other.


I have more to work on, but I wanted to share these so you can see. Of course, the first set goes back to the lovely friend who sent me the originals. It's only fair, simply right.

But I have agreement that I can offer some in the Etsy shop, too. And I know some of you love birds, too. But I want the first set to arrive and be enjoyed; I know by posting this there won't be a surprise.

But I couldn't wait to share!

And I'll share some more photos tomorrow, when more of them are ready to show.


Don't you love them? I can't wait to play with them. I think they'd make lovely holiday decorations, too.

Speaking of which, I STILL have NOT decorated the tree! It's up, the lights are on, but no ornaments.

Maybe TONIGHT.... definitely.