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: Curtain Tie Backs

One of my favorite birthday gifts this year was given to me by my sister-in-law, her husband and kids. It was a pink felt square covered in vintage curtain tie backs. It looked like the world's happiest paperweight!

birthday in bloom

Over the years, I've acquired a collection of tie backs from estate sales, friends, and other places. Many are sculpted flowers made out of plastic or metal. Though tie backs have been around for many decades, I tend to use the ones from the from the 50's and earlier.

low maintenance garden

With some gentle finessing, I remove the pointy backs so the flowers can be incorporated into jewelry.

beware or prickers

When paired up with filigreed furniture hardware, figural brooches, and other floral accents, they offer a whimsical burst of color and eye-catching dimension.

Spring Peeper

My Vermillion Valentine

What are your ideas for using curtain tie backs?

You can find me on Etsy or visit me at these shows this summer:

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

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

Love, Love, Love: Horseshoe Magnets

There's something alluring about the shape and color of vintage horseshoe magnets. When I started dabbling in upcycled jewelry last year, I created a necklace with a toy magnet and a four leaf clover tassel. It was the first piece I sold at the Bust Holiday Craftacular in 2010. I was a little bummed to see it go but happy that it went to a good home.

"Lucky You"

Since then, I have been on the lookout for more magnets at tag sales, flea markets, and online. I am in the process of making new OOAK necklaces with the pieces below.

positive vibes



"Laws of Attraction" - work in progress


Having a junk drawer-aesthetic allows me to experiment with interesting materials. I never know what will pull me in next, but that's half the fun!

What kind of objects are you attracted to?

You can 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

Hands on Haiku - Hands Off

Today I ventured out to do some Saturday chores. Inevitably, I got pulled off my path thanks to many tag sales along the way. My favorite find was a Dollywood thimble, which I plan on turning into a thimbilism necklace. 

hooray for Dollywood

My excitement for the find was suddenly tinged with regret. In a split second this is what went through my mind: Dollywood made me think of Dolly Parton. Dolly Parton made me think of watching 80's television specials with cameo appearances from the big stars of the day. That made me think of Tom Selleck, which reminded me of THE PLATE THAT GOT AWAY. 

less than 6 degrees of Dolly/Tom

I don't remember where Thom (husband...not Selleck) and I found it but we saw an unforgettable "collectible" Tom Selleck plate at a tag sale one summer. We are neither fans of collectible plates nor Tom Selleck, but something about this combination was magical. It could have been the mustache or the tuxedo or both. Who knows. The sad thing is we didn't buy it and I regret it to this day. Sure, I can buy it on Ebay but it's just not the same.  

*gasp*

To fill my void, my hands on haiku pays tribute to something I do not have my hands on, but will someday have. Mark. My. Words.

Tom Selleck Plate (aka "The One That Got Away")

Oh Tom Selleck plate

Mustached and collectible

Hire me a P.I.!


Everyone has the "one that got away." What's yours?

 

On the Road - Propect Heights Craft Fair

Last Saturday and Sunday I was out and about at two fun shows. The weekend extravaganza started with the Prospect Heights Craft Fair.  I headed off early to Brooklyn with my new set up and a few new items:

 

Fun 'n' Games Rings - The tops are created out of old wooden nickels and vintage game pieces.

I left bright and early, and made good time to the school. I was welcomed by a warm, friendly parents, fresh baked goods, and coffee. Who could beat that? This was the third year of the event, which was organized to raise funds for an amazing variety of arts programs at PS 9. In addition to vendors, there were student-created crafts, kid events, a raffle with items donated from vendors, and great local food.

I was excited to try out my new display created out of a vintage pink plastic suitcase and some cork boards.

Pink suitcase display

Final Display - Tada!

There was an upbeat crowd of parents, kids from the school, and lots of locals. I was pleasantly surprised to see one of my favorite vendors, Katie of Lily Rain. You know how everyone has a certain something that they wear, that always gets compliments? Well, that always happens when I wear my handmade, free trade bracelets from Katie!

Speaking of bracelets, I got a lot of love for my REcap bracelets (made from Crayola Marker caps). Here is one of my biggest fans. He discovered that my bracelets also make great building materials.

Both fashionable and stackable!

One of my favorite parts of doing a show is meeting new people. To each side of me were fabulously creative and kind gals who made the day fly by. My inner Edie Beale squealed when I saw Deborah Julian's cat photographs. Taking inspiration from the felines in her own life, she incorporates photos of her kitties into classic art compositions. Julie Peng of Bugsella creates a onesie-wonderland with whimsical clothes and accessories for little ones. She hand sews and screen prints her book and nursery rhyme themed wares for many worthy charities. Dana, of DanaMade was one of the first vendors I met in the morning. One look at her rings and I knew she was my kinda crafter! She too makes jewelry out of cool vintage finds. I added her to my Etsy "favorites" list as soon as I got home. 

Ring by DanaMade

Being a teacher, I always get excited when I meet an author. At the show they had a variety of events planned throughout the day for kids, including a visit from local author Ellen Bari. She wrote a book called "Jumping Jenny" about a girl with tons of energy and no place to direct it, until she thinks of having a jumpathon to raise funds for a sister school in Africa. This year the second graders at my school raised over $2,000 for Guiding Eyes for the Blind through a hoopathon. I was so excited to see that there is finally a great picture book out there about kids making a difference through outreach (and believe me...I've been looking!). I was so thankful to meet Ellen, get a signed copy of her book, and hear all about her publishing process. Hopefully my kiddos will be able to Skype with her soon!

Jumping into Action!

The Prospect Heights Craft Fair was the perfect show to start off my spring/summer season. I felt right at home at the school and met many wonderful folks there. Can't wait for the show next year!

A Work in Progress

So much has happened since my last post. I've been a busy bee and am so thankful that I have the time, energy, and endless support from others to keep doing what I'm doing! There have been new projects and exciting new opportunities to participate in shows. Between starting up my small business, working my day job, and creating, I feel like I'm constantly on the move. I have to remind myself every once in a while to stop, jot things down, and share. So where to begin? Well, let's start with the here and now. Today I went to Salvation Army with Thom. 

He was on a top secret mission that involved a cool sound coming from a meter in the basement of the store. To his great disappointment, there was tape across the entrance to the basement and from what we could see, all the housewares in the lower level were all emptied out. After some investigation and casual conversation with the staff, we discovered the disturbing reasoning behind the closing of the basement: someone had been using the housewares department as a private bathroom. Depending on who you asked, the evidence was found in coffee mugs and/or Tupperware containers. All the remaining uncontaminated items were relocated to the upper level, where the furniture is kept. Since the folks at Sal's cannot afford to keep a worker in the basement at all times, it looks like everyone will have to go upstairs for housewares from now on. 

We headed upstairs to check out the new setup and to be honest, it just wasn't the same. There were fewer items and the juxtaposition of the housewares and furniture felt "off". After years of exploring all 3 levels of the store, it was a little disappointing to be pared down to 2. At any rate, we poked around and Thom found just the piece of furniture I needed to organize my jewelry supplies. It was a two-shelved backless bookcase. There were lots of dings and funny stains on it, but we knew the dimensions were just right. It didn't have a price tag on it so we asked how much it was. The guy said they almost didn't put the shelf out on the floor because it was in such rough shape. He said, "ten bucks" and we said, "sold!"


We brought the case home, gave it a good scrub down, and I spent a good part of the afternoon stocking it with my supplies. All things are not in place yet, but I am very happy with the bookcase so far!  During the process, I even got over my disappointment about the changes to one of my favorite thrift stores and started two new pieces. 

Moments ago,I disassembled an old broken tin car (undercarriage and wheels removed) and fastened it to a vintage rhinestone belt. Then, I remembered acquiring a bag of pink plastic figurines and felt inspired to do something with them. While poking through the bag of toys, one of the pink girls reminded of the work of Henry Darger. I attached her to a vintage brass drawer pull and surrounded her with leaves from an old plastic floral candle arrangement. I hope to turn both into necklaces soon.

Though my life is currently filled with lots of loose ends, and nothing is 100% done, I am find comfort in constantly being surrounded by possibility! Back to work...