Parlour Roses

Every once in a while, I come across some beads, images or charms that instantly tug at my heart strings and instantly inspire me. These lovely botanical prints of old roses took my breath away. I couldn't get out my bead board fast enough. I adore roses, and I love the lush blooms in these images as well as the old world backgrounds that are used. The roses make me think of old fashioned bouquets of garden roses, placed in a vase in a parlour or foyer. I have been working on a few different new designs for pendant frames, and working with these images has given me lots of new ideas.

March Wind With Mary Poppins

Chapter one of the delightful classic story,"Mary Poppins", begins with Mary Poppins, magically drifting down from the sky with her umbrella, landing on Cherry Tree Lane, directly in front of the Bank's house. So begins the timeless tale....When I found this charming, vintage (1920s) gingerbread stamping, it immediately made me think of Mary Poppins, and I thought it would be perfect for my "March Wind" series. It is paired with a lustrous sky blue button and hangs from a copper vintage style chain.

There's one more "March Wind" necklace in my Etsy shop. I've so been enjoying creating items by following the seasons. Spring is just about here. Lots of birdies are coming, already have some Spring ideas on the bead board.

More March Wind

Here's the next "March Wind" theme necklace. I went on a quest to look for vintage illustrations of hot air balloons, and I thought the colors on this image were very rich. The back of the pendant has this luscious Maxfield Parrish style sunset. I embellished the chain with some matching vintage floral drops and mother of pearl charms, suggestive of floating clouds. Tiny balloon like beads and blue "sandbag" bags I like how all the elements on the necklace contribute to the theme. There are two more "March Wind" theme necklaces coming, so I will post them soon. I am deliberating on "the ides of March"! I see dark crystals and ????

Sneak Peek - March Wind Theme

Here's a sneak peek of of one of the March Wind necklaces that will be floating into my shop this week. I had loads of fun working on these, and some frustration too as I ended up on a quest to find large light blue mother of pearl buttons. Recently, pearl buttons in all shapes and sizes, have become one of my favorite things to design with. I LOVE using large ones with cabochons, and tiny ones as charms.

Treasure Necklace

I LOVE making treasure necklaces. The design emerges based on favorite colors, shapes, themes and personality. This treasure necklace, created in shades of blue and purple was made for a very special friend. She filled out a "Treasure Necklace Questionnaire", and from there, I began working on the design. She selected many of the beads and the type of chain that was used. As a surprise, for this lover of cats, I added a waving lucky cat charm. Another surprise is the hand painted bead of the pretty Asian beauty to symbolize her daughter,  adopted from China. I placed the bead on the necklace  so it would be just above her heart.