Virgin Mary Necklace, Earrings and Saints Charm Bracelets

I've been on another jewelry making roll (so what else is new, right?) and I want to share my latest designs with you:

Virgin Mary Necklace ( I love the retro avocado green colors in this.  Even the filigree pendant base I used is avocado green):

Filigree dangle earrings, featuring my favorite subject, the Virgin Mary (yes, I know, I am so predictable. I just can't help myself...):

Catholic saints loaded charm bracelet in shades of pastel pink and white:

And another view of the bracelet with the portrait charms all separated out:

This was a custom order for a lady with a very tiny wrist who wanted a simpler version of a Catholic saints charm bracelet.  She selected the saints for her bracelet, who are (from left to right): St. Fiacre, St. Barbara, St. Hildegard, St. Joan of Arc and St. Brigid of Sweden.  I've collected saints images since I was a little girl and literally have thousands of images in my collection, even the more obscure and hard-to-find saints:

And speaking of custom orders, one of my best selling items these days are my folk art wooden cross necklaces.  These have been selling like hotcakes the past few months and I've made them with just about every perceivable image.  As always, any jewelry items pictured here and/or custom jewelry requests can be ordered by contacting me through this blog or visiting my Etsy and EBay stores.

As always, thanks for letting me share my creations with you!

Latest Valentine's Day Jewelry

I completed several pieces of Valentine's Day jewelry and wanted to share some of the designs with you.  As always, you can find the designs in my Etsy and EBay stores.  (I post in both arenas - when the item sells in one shop, I remove it from the other.)  Here they are:

 

Of course, this is just a sampling of some of the completed designs.  I am also still working on a couple of additional pieces I hope to have completed within the next few days. You can see all of the designs by visiting my EBay and Etsy stores. :)

Chicken Spinach Tortellini Soup Recipe

We've had unseasonably warm weather all winter until today.  We had a freezing cold drizzle that lasted throughout the day.  It's my favorite weather for making homemade soup, and that's exactly what I did when I came home from work today.  I had some chicken breasts left over from dinner last night, and thought they would be the perfect addition for my soup.  NOTE:  For the diet-conscious individual, one cup of this soup contains only 194 calories, 4 grams of fat, 25 carbohydrates and 14.5 grams of protein.  Satisfying, delicious AND good for you!  My kind of recipe!

Chicken Spinach Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:
Water, 8 cups
Better Than Boullion Chicken Base, 4 teaspoons (if you desire a less salty taste, reduce base to 3 teaspoons)
Onion, 1 small, chopped
Leftover chicken breast (no skin) - 3 breasts (about 7 ounces), cut into bite-sized pieces
Spinach, frozen, 1 package (10 oz)
Tortellini, pasta with cheese filling, 3 cups (8 ounces)

Directions:
Put water, chicken base, onion and chicken into a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium heat. Continue to simmer until the onion begins to turn translucent, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, put frozen spinach into a microwaveable bowl with 2 tablespoons of water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high heat until spinach is hot, about 8-9 minutes.

Uncover spinach and add it to the soup mixture. Add tortellini. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for another 15 minutes until tortellini is cooked all the way through.

Serving Size: Makes 7 1-cup servings

Enjoy!!!

China Head Butterfly Angel Doll Ornament Tutorial

I can't walk through a store without thinking that something intended for one purpose can actually be used for something else. That was the case here. I found some beautiful Christmas ornaments and home decor items that I thought would make a really unique angel...and a project was born...

In the supplies section, I've listed approximate measurements based on the items I purchased. Feel free to adjust the sizes to the items you have on hand. To make this project, you will need:

China doll, clay, paper mache or porcelain doll head (about 2" long). My doll head is made from polymer clay which I molded from a vintage China doll head I have on hand;
A butterfly wing ornament (5" tall by 6" wide);
Tassel - 6" long;
Sheer flower ornament with wired beads or a large silk flower;
Batting - one strip measuring 1 1/2" wide by 10" long;
Tulle - 1 1/2" wide by 20" long;
Satin ribbon - 1/4" wide by 15" long;
Beaded trim - 1/8" wide by 15" long;
Glue gun and glue sticks;
Scissors

Directions:

1) Cut the hanger off of tassel. Glue the hanger to the center piece of the butterfly.  Set aside.

2) Put hot glue on top of the tassel and set doll head on top, pressing it into place. Let cool.

3) At the back of the doll's left shoulder, place a dab of hot glue. Attach the long end of the batting to this shoulder and bring batting around to the front, wrapping the doll in a criss-cross pattern. Be sure to end wrapping at the back of the doll. Hot glue the end of the batting in place.

4) Repeat the wrapping process with the tulle as shown in step #2.

5) Disassemble flower by dividing it into sections and clip these into individual petals with scissors. Clip off the beaded wires (if they are attached to your ornament) If your flower does not have beaded wire, you can make your own by threading several colored beads on thin gauge craft wire and giving the wire a twist around the bead to keep it in place. Attach 3 beads to each wire; make a total of 7 wires. Leave 1/4" at the top of each wire so it can be glued into place.

6) Apply hot glue to the top edge of the beaded wire. Stick the wire underneath the gathered waist of the tassel/doll so it is hidden underneath the gathers at the waist.

7) Beginning about 1" down from the waist of the tassel/doll, glue flower petals around the tassel using hot glue, slightly overlapping the petals. At the waist, glue a second row of flower petals around the tassel.

8) Criss-cross satin ribbon at the shoulders of the doll, working from back to front. Glue into place. Glue satin ribbon and beaded trim around the waist. (I wrapped the trim around the wait twice.)

9) Use hot glue to attach the back of the doll to the butterfly.

And there you have it - a unique and beautiful handmade ornament doll for your Christmas tree!   Be sure to stop by regularly.  I have more Christmas projects up my sleeve to share with you during this lovely holiday season!
 

Retro Recycled Christmas Bracelets ala 1950's Style

I can't believe it's been two whole weeks since I last blogged. My gosh - between my son's wedding two weeks ago and Thanksgiving the following week (the week I made THREE turkeys - one for home, one for the office and one for my son's gathering), the days have passed by in a blur! Wow! I'm pooped just thinking about it! 

Over the weekend, I had some time to work on some retro Christmas bracelets. I absolutely adore the images from 50's and 60's and couldn't resist incorporating these into my latest creations. All of the bracelets feature images from vintage Christmas cards and retro gift wrap decoupaged affixed onto wooden disks. The beaded dangle charms consist of Christmas tree garland that I disassembled and made into charms. Pretty cool, huh?

Retro Snowman:

Retro Snowman (back of disks = wrapping paper designs):

 Retro Santa:

 Retro Santa (detail):

 50's Kids:

50's Christmas bracelet (detail):

Like potato chips, I couldn't stop at just one, so I made a whole gaggle of these bracelets and posted them to my EBay and Etsy stores.

I have a myriad of Christmas projects I want to share with you in December.  Please check back often for some really neat handmade gift ideas and tutorials this coming month.

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