Child's Play

In a previous life, these tin strawberry components were a vintage child's tea set.  Kimberly Rogers found the little plates at a rummage-type sale where she freeform hand-cut and filed each one.

Shabby chic, rustic with a playful history.  I love the roughed up bits on these charms as they show the many hours of fun some little girls must have had with them.

A row of pretty champagne colored rondell crystals added to the bottom for a little subtle bling.  

I love a pop of dark metal so I paired these with some handmade oxidized sterling silver ear-wires and blackened jump-rings.

Vintage celluloid strawberries in a beautiful iridescent cream, circa 1940.  I think they lend sophistication and polish to the mix and a lovely balance of color as well.

A sweet little Valentine for you all! ♡

Thank you for stopping by my worktable!

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

Bits & Pieces

I have saved all the bits and pieces from past projects for (at least) the past ten years!  I use mainly vintage chain because I'm so in love with the natural patina and quality, like the tube links above.  I'm embarrassed to tell you though, just how long it took me to find the right way to connect these so they would hang correctly and not turn.  Sure, it looks easy... sigh!  As I'm sure you know, each project has it's own challenges no matter how simple it may appear!  lol

These lovely enamel charms are by Cathleen Zaring of Blue Hare Artwear.  I remember seeing them in her shop and nearly jumping out of my chair!  I'm especially fond of her rustic work like these.  That beautiful celadon peaking out of white enamel and pops of dark copper - swoon!  I also had perfectly matched tin-cut crystals from the 1930's - The size and cut are perfect and doesn't interfere with the enamel design but still adds so much life.

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These vintage tin charms by Tracy DiPiazza Metalworks are so well made.  They are double faced so no matter which way you turn them they show the same image- how great for short or pulled back hair!  She also solders the edges so there are no sharp or rough spots.  Tracy's attention to detail is just one of the reasons I love her.  That might be an understatement - I lovessssss her soooo much!  Last year I purchased one of her necklaces and I've never been able to put it away, I just leave it in an open box on my dresser so I can look at it as I pass by- I kid you not!  :D

Again, I used all sorts of vintage bits of chain, links, and connectors.  The oval ornate jump-rings below have a slight twist and were originally one long chain. Adding them gave a bit of dimension, especially since the overall design is very flat.

Many thanks for taking the time to pop in! I'll be back in a couple of weeks!

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

loralee kolton - artful in beads on facebook

Scraps. . . continued

I didn't think Nathalie would mind if I picked up on her "scraps" idea. Her recent post really gave me pause. It was a good challenge for me, to pay attention to what I'm throwing away or simply tossing aside, without giving thought to what it might become rather than trash. I recycle many things in different areas of life, but I am quick to pitch loose odds and ends without thinking about it. The opportunity came up very soon.

The first pair is made from a small piece of tin I still have left from a vintage container. So in a way they're scraps. . . . but they're not really the pair that in my mind were made from scraps. :) The scraps are the second pair.

Earrings Available Here! 😊

These were made from what was left after cutting out the teardrop shapes in the first pair of earrings. It took some Dremel work to get the shapes nicely edged, inside and out. They were not joined at the top; that was where I made the first cut to begin the teardrop shape. I used a brass metal coating on the backs. They are too narrow for me to try to apply the backing I regularly use. 

I punched holes at the top of both ends. I used an aqua/green dye-oxide on vintage steel wavy disks. ***For whatever reason, those appear much deeper and brighter a color than they actually are. Strange. . . . as everything else is quite accurate. I tried lightening the photos at one point trying to soften the color. But the disks are simply not that bright.*** 

Using waxed Irish linen, I strung a single coral Czech glass bead and put both ends of the linen through the center hole in the disk, then one end through each hole in the tin, then knotting it. Pulling the strands tight caused the tin to bow ever so slightly and it looks great that way. Gives it a little bit of depth.

 I considered leaving the entire empty space empty after having tried at least two dozen different things to hang. Nothing worked. It was an odd feeling. I had all this empty space and couldn't fill it. It was baffling, actually. Frustrating too. I am not opposed to leaving empty space. Often it is what I would rather do, but in this situation I felt they really needed something.

I hung them up after finishing and left them as is. Later in the day I was looking for something for another project and stumbled on these Vintage very thin brass-plated findings. They worked, so I left them on. They are attached with waxed linen also, wrapped around the backs of the disk.

So my thanks to Nathalie for her post the other day, for making me stop to think about what I was throwing away, and giving me a new way to look at bits and pieces.

 Thank you for stopping in! I'll be back the 1st of August. Hope you are all enjoying the summer.

norbel

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