Upcycling with the Brownies

Sashes, smiles, and bags of junk. That's how my first creative project of 2012 began. After school last week, I got to run an upcycled jewelry workshop for a fourth grade Brownie troop. It was a real treat to work with this spirited group of 24 gals. Each girl brought with them reusasble materials from home and also got to work with some of my supplies. 

Scrabble tiles and game pieces

bag o' possibilities

The workshop was a flurry of drilling, gluing, and wiring. Thanks to the creativity of the girls, and hands-on help from the leaders, a lot was accomplished in just one hour. 

wooden nickels, dominoes, and game piece

soda can tabs, a wooden nickel, and wine bottle foil

 spiky rubbery ball ring and Koosh ball necklace

more game piece rings

Scrabble tile and holiday wrapping necklace

a colorful collection

Now THAT'S a ring!

The junior trashionistas left with many playful pieces and they are now one step closer to earning their jewelry making badge. Their enthusiasm and whimsical designs gave me inspiration for the year ahead. What better way to start the New Year?

Love, Love, Love: Surprises in the Mail

Last spring, I was set up next to Karen and Steve of Little Birch Farm at Twist in Northampton, MA. They offer a great line of skin care products with unique birch bark packaging, and on top of that they were super friendly neighbors who were a joy to hang out with. When Karen noticed that I used thimbles in my thimbilism necklaces she mentioned that she had a box of sewing notions at home that she could pass on to me. Recently, when a mysterious package arrived in the mail, I ripped it open and jumped for joy. Here's what I saw when I opened the box:

Little Birch Farms sent a BIG surprise!

A sweet note on birch bark paper and a smiling straw kitty face greeted me. As I dug deeper into the box, more treasures revealed themselves: wooden spools of old thread, cloth tape measures, bobbins, a strand of decorative pearls, fasteners, needles, a beaded necklace, tiny plastic clothes pins, silver sequins, vintage buttons & buckles, and of course the coveted thimble! 

I've got the notion(s)!

One of the biggest questions I get as a person who upcycles is, "Where do you get all your materials?" The best way to answer that is "everywhere" and that's what makes the process so much fun. Whether I discover things on treasure hunts or pull items out of the recycling bin I can find ideas practically anywhere. Though I have to say, the most inspiring thing to me is the kindness and generosity of others. I can't wait to dig into my new materials!

You can visit Little Birch Farm and Twitch & Whiskers again at Twist this November. See below for info. More show dates to follow.

November 11 & 12 -  Twist 7 - Holiday Fair - Northampton, MA

November 19 - The Wellesley Marketplace - Holiday Craft Festival - Wellesley, MA

Love, Love, Love: Small Tin Boxes

In middle school, I thought I was pretty hot stuff walking around with my tiny tin container filled with watermelon flavored lip balm. Long after the balm was gone, I would keep the box. The small size, cute graphics, and slide cover were just too appealing to throw away. The same held true for candy tins, hinged Band-Aid boxes, and cookie tins. I just couldn't let them go. As I got older, I acquired a nice variety of old tin containers from my grandmother and found even more while on treasure hunts. Without even trying, I had built a collection over time.

Many of my tins came from my grandmother.

It's easy to justify accumulating tin containers. They're colorful, durable, and useful (even if you never actually refill them). They reveal a slice of the past and are living proof of how packaging has changed over time. I think that's why I couldn't resist buying an "IDEAL SPLIT SHOT" tin at the Elephants Trunk last year. Its compact size, happy colors, and hidden "Take a Boy Fishing" message on the back made it an irresistible purchase. I didn't even know what split shot was, but I took it home anyway. After bails were added to the back of the box, a complimenting buckle was found, and chains were coordinated, the piece evolved into one of my favorite multi-strand necklaces.

Ideal Split Shot

Since then I have been on the lookout for other small tins. Here is a piece called "A Fine Fineline." The tins once housed mechanical pencil erasers.

sliding tins

A Fine Fineline

Most recently, I've discovered sample-sized tins. Being so small, they lend themselves well to making jewelry and don't take up much space in my already crowded apartment.

a tin of tins

boxy beauties

Their graphics pack a lot of punch for their size. Sometimes the back is as interesting as the front.

on the flip side

One of the interesting challenges of working with tins is finding the ancient contents inside (with accompanying mysterious odors). 

goo yet to be gone

Once all ointments, salves, and undefinable residues are removed, you can use the boxes like a locket to house pictures, collages, mini-dioramas and all sorts of treasures.

Ray's Salve-ation, Miles of Style, and My Lips Are Sealed

A work in progress and the inside of "My Lips Are Sealed"

Good things really do come in small packages but it's the small packages themselves that I like the most!

Intrigued? Want to see more? Come visit me at these upcoming shows or visit my Etsy shop.

Saturday, July 9 - The Greenway Open Market - PREMIERE DAY! - Boston, MA

Sunday, July 10 - SOWA Open Market - Boston, MA

Saturday, August 6 - The Greenway Open Market - Boston, MA

Sunday, August 7 - SOWA Open Market - Boston, MA

Saturday, August 13 - The Greenway Open Market - Boston, MA

Sunday, August 14 - SOWA Open Market - Boston, MA

Love, Love, Love : Cafeteria Trays

Back in the days of Western Elementary School, I can vividly remember waiting in line for lunch. For an impatient, hungry kid, the line leading to the cafeteria seemed to stretch on for days. You would be welcomed into the cafeteria by the "clack clack" of  trays being pulled off a tall pile by the lunch ladies. Our school had an endless supply of plastic, colorful lunch trays with confetti-like specks and swirls melded into them. Though I'm sure my mind was mostly set on scarfing down my food and chatting with my friends during our short lunch period, the patterned trays left a strong impression on my early memories.



linole-yum

 I recall most of them being a muted pea-green or pale pink-orange color. The flecks of yellows, blues, pinks, tans, and greens danced around the trays in a carnival-like display when not obscured by the Friday pizza or sloppy Joe spillage. Perhaps the colors were there to add a little life to our tan palette of food.

eat your greens

I hadn't thought about cafeteria trays in years until I started making jewelry. I had one pale green tray that I would pull out on occasion to sort out small mixed supplies or plan out materials for a necklace. As the tray got used more and more, I started looking for more at tag sales and thrift stores. As my collection grew, I branched out onto Ebay for more of a selection. When I did a search for cafeteria trays online, familiar images from my childhood flashed on the screen. Vintage speckled trays came up under searches for Fire King, Prolon, Melmac, Spatterware, and confetti. I found the identical trays I once used in elementary school plus a whole other world of color combinations. 

bling buffet

wild game for dinner

work lunch

Many auctions later, I have a happy collection of 7 confetti trays (and counting) that have been elevated to my "special occasion ware." I pull them out every once in a while for inspiration and when I need a little burst of color in my life. Lately, I have found myself drawn to confetti beads and using food charms in my thimblism necklaces. I can't help but think of lunch lady hairnets, half pints of milk, and my early "culinary experiences" when creating these pieces.  

a feast for the eyes

made from 100% recycled clown (or so I've heard)

Spring Carnival - with vintage Japanese confetti beads

thimbilism necklace from my very own craft-ateria

Though my prized confetti tray collection will not be used to sort materials like my other trays, their fanciful flecks will have a lasting impact on my design. You just never know what will serve up inspiration!

You can find me at these upcoming shows:

Sunday, May 29th - The Brooklyn Flea - Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY

Sunday, June 26th - Smith Street Sunday Fun Day - Brooklyn, NY

Saturday, July 9, August 6, August 13 - Greenway Open Markets - Boston, MA

REpackaging and REtagging

I aim to reuse as much material as I can when creating my jewelry. I do this because items with a past are more interesting to me than things that are new and it's more ecologically responsible to reuse materials. This idea carries over into my packaging as well. Here is a sampling of my favorite ways to package and tag my jewelry.

"Isn't It Romantic" necklace with a BINGO card tag.

Donna, the kind cafeteria manager at my elementary school, gave me a massive amount of popcorn chicken bags. They were sent with the frozen food but never used since the popcorn chicken gets scooped directly into the cafeteria trays. Instead of discarding them, she passed them to me and now I use them for bagging my jewelry at shows.

bawk bawk

Here are some other food-grade bags I use for packaging. 

happiness is....a happy bag

Donna also used to own a video rental store. As part of a promotion, she ordered a case full of cardboard popcorn boxes. While cleaning out her home she found the leftover boxes and asked if I would like them. I happily took them, punched holes on the top, added string (given to me by another friend who was cleaning out a space), and TADA...shopping bags!

just add popcorn

poppin' fresh

When I get an order on Etsy or donate an item for an event, I package my jewelry up in creative ways. My favorite things to use when mounting my thimbilism necklaces are BINGO cards and vintage game cards (flashcards, playing cards, etc.). I've been saving up vintage ephemera for many years and it's all finally being to put it to good use.

vintage Old Maid and BINGO cards

it's a wrap

My price tags are also made from BINGO cards and game pieces.

Fun 'n' Game rings with BINGO card tags



REcap bracelets with cardboard game piece tags


What is your favorite way to package things?



Come and visit me at these upcoming shows:

Saturday, May 21st – Shop the Archway – DUMBO – Brooklyn, NY

Sunday, May 29th - The Brooklyn Flea - Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY

Sunday, June 26th - Smith Street Sunday Fun Day - Brooklyn, NY


Saturday, July 9, August 6, August 13 - Greenway Open Markets - Boston, MA