my apologies...

...for my extended absence! i promise next week i will be back in the swing of things and i have a lot of great features to share with you (a peek at my recently re-decorated bedroom with a how-to for a light fixture we made, a 'finds to fancy' all about coziness, tips on caring for vintage linens, and more!).

for now, you can at least see what i've been up to this week- making jewelry!

melissa and i have two craft shows coming up for the holidays and it's crunch time for me (melissa is more on top of things than me and already has a ton of stuff made!), so i've spent a lot of time working on designs and assembling this week.  here are the fruits of my labor so far- enjoy!

i've always collected lots of little vintage trinkets that i found to be cute or pretty. i knew someday i would find a use for them (other than decorating with!), and that day has come. with this collection of necklaces (i'm working on earrings as well), i wanted to let the mysterious beauty of the vintage objects shine through. you'll have to let me know how you think i did! 

 two views of the same necklace. vintage brass pen nib with nickel chain and second brass chain. 

 lock and skeleton key on nickel chain.

 this is the most complicated design- watch face with watch gears, date ring, and copper swallow charm.

 i really fancy jewelry that is both functional and beautiful- i think this pen knife on brass chain 

fits the bill!

 another functional piece- these tiny scissors are sharp enough to cut with!

 this one would be great for city ladies or wandering around the woods- working whistle! the sound reminds me of the whistle in sound of music!

 i wouldn't recommend using it, but this super old spoon is so cute!

it took me quite a while to decide how to prepare these old flash bulbs so they could be strung on a chain. i think they turned out alright, eh?


and there you have my 'winter collection'! hope you enjoyed the sneak peek! i'll post more information soon about where you can purchase this jewelry, as well as the wonderful things that melissa makes!