Bergdorf Goodman Windows Bring Spring to Frigid Town

I passed by Bergdorf's a couple of weeks ago, armed with only my Smartphone camera, and took a bunch of picures of their amazing windows, a colorful refuge in the midst of a very cold winter. I loved the balloon sculptures by Jason Hackenwerth. Check out a bunch of my pictures at Flicker here.

Family and Fire Safety

Last night I read about a fellow Etsyian in Charlotte, North Carolina who has suffered an unimaginable tragedy: she lost her home, pets, and worst of all, her younger son in a house fire. Every member of the family (husband and older son, and the mother) was injured, and they lost a staggering number of pets - they had 13 cats and 9 dogs (though I believe some of the cats survived). The fire is so far assumed to be accidental, and the news reports mentioned that there were no smoke alarms in the house. The way that this was reported in the local media not so subtly pointed the finger at this family for not installing these basic safety devices. I am greatly disturbed by this story; I don't know the seller personally though I know of her, and I don't even want to think about what they are going through. The younger child went back for his pets and was trapped in a bedroom; he survived initially but later died in a hospital.

There is now a shop on Big Cartel dedicated to helping this family with their expenses, if anyone reading feels like helping out. Many other Etsyians are donating pieces to the cause. Here's a link to the story.

You can also click on the Helping Hearts button in the top left corner.

**UPDATE** The Helping Hearts shop on Big Cartel closed on March 8.***

Please, please, everyone reading this, install smoke alarms in your home and talk with your family about escape plans in the event of fire. I don't know if an alarm could have helped this family; surely with that many dogs in the house, they would have started barking right away and perhaps they felt that this was enough. Smoke alarms are inexpensive, and even if you live in a large house and need half a dozen, in the kitchen, hallways, stairs and bedroom corridors, it's well worth the expense. You also must have carbon monoxide detectors, as this is a silent killer.

New in the Shops - Blue and Red Love!

Vintage Mid-Century Dishware

I have a second shop on Etsy for vintage items and surplus supplies, and am selling some beautiful dishes for a friend of mine who is not online. If anyone reading is interested in this kind of tableware, please check them out here.

My friend has a pretty set of Italian-made burgundy plates that definitely qualify as shabby chic, perfect for entertaining the girlfriends and incorporating into a cream ware set (and how nice would they look with some pink Depression glass?).




The yellow trio are so cheerful and would hold some side dishes, candy, or nuts.




For Florida lovers, a perfect-condition souvenir plate that can hang on a wall. There are descriptions at the link above.

New This Weekend

I have been busy making necklaces from the glass buttons I bought at the Bead Show last fall, and they are debuting at both shops. The designs and colors are amazing - so much is packed into one little button! All I'm doing is showcasing it!

I also added two simple scarab necklaces - I started out with these, but have made more ornate versions of late, and decided to add a few simpler ones at a better price point. The pink one has already sold, but there will be more available tomorrow.

NEW JOOLZ in the SHOPS

New this week and weekend: Three necklaces and a pair of earrings. I am starting to use some recent antique market finds in a new line of "statement" or "heirloom" necklaces and love that people are quite willing to wear all kinds of found and recycled objects as jewelry. This week, the two new necklaces are made from a vintage cream beaded Charlet evening purse, penknife and section from a bracelet that no longer functioned, embellished by beads and chain from my stash.

Vintage beaded Charlet purse on chain made from bar chain, glass pearls and crystal rondelles. There's a small mirror included with the bag!


Wonderful yellow "Peking glass" bead earrings. So cheerful on a winter's day.


Vintage engraved pocketknife, bracelet bits, resin and glass bead necklace.


Vintage Mahjong tile (2 circles) necklace (simpler version of ones I've sold previously)


I'm starting to list these in both shops...they'll be available by the weekend!

Red is the Color of Love

I saw these glass beads at a bead show last fall and am beguiled by the combination of translucency and opacity. Plus, the color is an amazingly deep shade of red, so it's perfect as a gift for Valentine's Day, which is almost upon us. It's also great for those of us who adore the color red and who need no holiday to give us an excuse to indulge ourselves.

On Etsy and Artfire.

Winter Sugar

Brand new earrings for a snowy, wintry week! I found these glass beads last year in a tiny bead shop on the Upper West Side of Manhattan - they're coated with silver and dusted with colorful glass "confetti". Embellished with sterling silver bead caps, hanging on elegant handmade copper earwires. Check them out on Etsy or Artfire.

NEW BLACK SWAN-Inspired Collection!

Are you a fan of the dark and dangerous BLACK SWAN movie by Darren Aronofsky? I sure hope so, as I have been working on a limited collection of pieces inspired by the film for the past few days.


There are two necklaces, earrings and two bracelets (so far) that for me evoke colors and textures found in the film's palette and costuming. I think that costume designer Amy Westcott did a wonderful job of storytelling with her costume design, as did Rodarte for the film's ballet costumes - at least, that is how the costume design breakdown between the two credited designers has been portrayed in the film's PR. I only wished that there had been less hand-held camera action and more wide and medium shots so that I could better appreciate the production design and see the hard work accomplished on a limited budget. There are a number of wonderful details that are hard to see on the first viewing in set decoration and design that I look forward to seeing on the DVD.



I am enslaved by Tchaikovsky's music for ballet and opera, so I was in pig heaven listening to it during the film, though nothing is better than hearing the entire ballet at one sitting. If you're looking for a recording, I recommend the one I own, available here.



The contrast between dark and light is the focus of this collection, which like the costume design, is made up of ballet pink and a variety of grays and blacks, as well as various textures that evoke for me the grandeur and romance of the theatre and the ballet.



The collection is previewed here and will appear over the next day at both my shops, on Etsy and Artfire.

Snowstorm Photos 12/26/10

Late, but I am organizing my picture files and thought I'd post some pictures I took during our big snowstorm on December 26, 2010. We're supposedly getting more snow this week. I love it. I can't help it.